FALL 2 012 focusVOL. 109 | NO. 1 YOUR GIFT MATTERS 3 NEW MAJORS ANNOUNCED 5 COLLEGE AWARDED NSF GRANTS 8 PHYSICAL PLANT STAFF A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI & RAISES THE BAR FRIENDS OF MARYVILLE COLLEGE A Publication for Alumni & Friends of Maryville College PRESIDENT Dr. Tom Bogart EDITORIAL BOARD Karen Beaty Eldridge ‘94 MOUNTAIN Director of Communications CHALLENGE Chloe White Kennedy turns 25 News & New Media Writer ART DIRECTION & DESIGN MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE is celebrating Mary Workman its 25th anniversary this academic year, but community members shouldn’t expect to see silver on any of the posters, logos or event ALUMNI ASSOCIATION invitations that will herald the milestone. EXECUTIVE BOARD Instead, the palette for such things will be Kristine Tallent ’96 earthy greens, browns and oranges, inspired by President the outdoors that founder and director Bruce Clara Gowans Hardin ’57 Guillaume ’76 wants everyone to get out – Vice President and get fit – in. Harold Turner ’03 “This anniversary is a good time for us to Recording Secretary look forward, and the two biggest challenges we see in our communities are getting people Ann Little Rigell ’69 President-Elect Students climb the 55-foot Alpine Tower. to be more active and getting more people out- side. A lot of the programming that will be tied G. Donald Hickman ’70 to this anniversary celebration will be planned with those goals in mind,” Guillaume said. Past President The 25th anniversary celebration officially got underway Sept. 23 with “Outdoor CLASS OF 2013 Adventure: Celebrating our Human Power” Jason Brooks ’97 held on the grounds of Maryville College’s Lynn Ramsey Cole ’68 Crawford House, which has been home to Ed Hawkey ’70 Mountain Challenge throughout its Marcia Kilby Rethwilm ’89 operation. According to its current mission Jennifer Window Forehand ’99 statement, Mountain Challenge strives to Ann Little Rigell ’69 “provide high-quality, safe outdoor Dan Rineer ’65 experiences designed to change the world for Sue Van Aken ’83 the better, one person at a time.” Eric Weatherbee ’06 In 1987, Guillaume was the lone staff member and served roughly 30 participants, the vast majority being corporate clients. The next year, CLASS OF 2014 Mary Virginia Ferguson Bond ’54 he doubled that figure with Maryville College students, Pat Dobbin Chambers ’65 and by the early 1990s, it was integrated into the Carey Cox Coghill ’72 curriculum with opportunities for academic credit. Martha Cook ’65 Guillaume said that with Mountain Challenge, Carrie Osikowicz Eaton ’67 Maryville College was among the first colleges and univer- Diane Hall Edwards ’68 sities in the United States to support a curriculum that Janet Helwig Fortney ’82 takes all of its students outside. “Mountain Challenge is Evan Giordano ’08 one of the 20 oldest outdoor programs in the country, Rick Myser ’71 and possibly the oldest program in the South,” he added. Customizing experiences based on the needs of CLASS OF 2015 individual businesses and corporations, Guillaume and Wes Blalock ’04 Amber Burley ’04 his staff use a ropes course, a 55-foot Alpine Tower and Sarah Winbigler DeYoung ’74 other outdoor activities to teach employees best practices Susan Spence Hill ’83 in teamwork, communication and problem-solving. Nichole Johnson McCord ’02 Today, full-time staff members include Guillaume, Jill Gibson Millsaps ’03 Operations Manager Mary Steger ’94 and Program Mary “Sissy” Gravely Reinhardt ’82 Manager Tyson Murphy ’03. About 50 part-time employees round out the staff, with 10 to 20 being MC Mountain Challenge founder Bruce students. One of those is Guillaume’s daughter, Emily, MARYVILLE COLLEGE FOCUS MAGAZINE 2012 Guillaume ‘76 guides Michael Damron who is a freshman at the College. PUBLISHED ONCE A YEAR ‘92 and Jay Malone ‘91 through a ropes In total, Mountain Challenge saw 7,300 people go 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN 37804-5907 course in the early 1990s. through its program last year. 865.981.8000 | maryvillecollege.edu subscription price - none Copyright © 2012 Maryville College. Contents may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part, without prior permission of Maryville College. ABOUT THE COVER: Understanding that this issue would feature donors and f ocus the many ways they support Maryville College, illustrator CONTENTS Don Wood used a wrapped present and giving hands to symbolize the treasures that NEWS people entrust to the College 3 campus and the care with which the College stewards the gifts. 10 sportsNEWS 12 facultyNEWS 23 classNOTES 2 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 6-7 AFRICA THROUGH A LENS Aspiring photographer Emily Julian ’13 got a dream assignment in 2011, when she landed an internship at the Thanda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 10 SCOTS SECOND IN USA PRESIDENT’S CUP COMPETITIONS At the end of fall sports, Maryville College ranks second in two of three USA South Conference cup races! 14 YOUR GIFT MATTERS Throughout its history, Maryville College has relied on the generosity of donors to educate students, build and renovate buildings, equip laboratories and finance innovative initiatives. It still does. Whether through smaller gifts to the Maryville Fund or million-dollar bequests to the endowment, every gift matters because every dollar is invested to support the College’s mission. 30 HELPING KIDS GET HEALTHY As the Coordinated School Health program coordinator for Oak Ridge (Tenn.) Schools, Blair King ’05 has been recognized on a national stage for award-winning initiatives that boost activity levels and decrease obesity rates in children. focus | FALL 2 012 1 MESSAGE from THE PRESIDENT EVERY GIFT Matters AT COMMENCEMENT IN MAY, Delores Ziegler asked and answered the question “What’s in a Gift?” reminding us that all of us are both recipients and givers of many gifts. Also at Commencement, I charged the graduates in the words of Paul to the church at Rome (Romans 12:2) to “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Later in that same chapter (v. 6), Paul notes The connecting that we have “gifts differing according to the grace “ that is given to us” but what is important is that all thread, though, is that of us contribute our gifts to the service of others. every contribution This issue of FOCUS highlights just a few of the ways that people have given to Maryville College. matters… .” The connecting thread, though, is that every contribution matters and that every person is giving to serve others. The gifts differ both in their inspiration and in their implementation, reflecting the diversity of experience both at the College and in life. The bad news is that we couldn’t tell all the wonderful stories, but of course this is really good news because Maryville College has been the recipient of so many inspiring gifts. Donor gifts help make Maryville College affordable to deserving students. The College is as efficient as possible and attempts to keep tuition and fees as low as possible. Each of the past two years, Maryville College tuition has increased at less than the rate of inflation, much less than the rate of increase at most other institutions. Nevertheless, the approach to education featuring individual interaction between a student and a professor is expensive. Scholarship support matters. Maryville College’s physical plant and campus benefit from donor gifts. Fundraising is in progress to support the complete interior renovation of Anderson Hall – its first since being constructed in 1870. Previous generous donations have made possible campus beautification, ensuring that the College’s commitment to being a good steward of the environment is exemplified in the campus. The new strategic plan, “Renewing Our Strength: Maryville College’s Bicentennial and Beyond,” was approved by the Board of Directors in October (the details of the plan will be announced soon) and calls for changes in several areas. Maryville College has a long history of innovative programming, including January term, Senior Study requirement, experiential education, study abroad and a core curriculum that includes professional ethics. Donor gifts help to underwrite the initiation and in some cases the ongoing implementation of important initiatives to keep the experience here distinctive and valuable. The annual Kin Takahashi Week brings alumni, faculty, staff, students and community members together to work on behalf of Maryville College. In doing so they not only provide a gift but also recognize the heroic contributions of Kin Takahashi, justly renowned for his selfless spirit. Fortunately, he is an example but not an exception, as that spirit of service continues to this day. All of us can recall ways that gifts from others changed our lives. For me, a still memorable occasion was a math professor giving me some extra time to complete a computer programming project because I was the piano player for a theater production that was opening the same time as the due date. By understanding that I was a person who took academics seriously but also wanted to develop other skills, he encouraged me and also set an example for how I should behave as a professor. I suspect that he doesn’t even remember the conversation, but I haven’t forgotten it though it occurred almost 30 years ago. Each of us has a chance, every day, to give the gift of encouragement to others. The Reformed tradition from which Maryville College sprung and which still informs and animates its work uses the notion of “vocation” to recognize that every profession can be done as an offering of a gift that differs according to the grace given us. We justly celebrate our ministers, social workers and teachers who have given lives of service to others.