ECHOESTHE MAGAZINE OF YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE | SPRING 2019 Looking Back, MOVING FORWARD New president embraces YHC’s storied past to help shape the future 16 THE HOMETOWN HERO 28 MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS 34 TODAY’S TRAILBLAZERS 55 A TALE OF TWO GENERATIONS 8 10 CONTENTS 8 21 28 PRESIDENT AND INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT COMMENCEMENT 2018 FROM GENERATION MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS Drew L. Van Horn, Ph.D. The festivities featured words TO GENERATION YHC is adding breadth and DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS of inspiration from speaker refinement to its academic Alumni Board President Elect Randy Dunn Dr. Danny Morrison, symbolic offerings with four new Phil DeMore, ’63, and his spiritual services, and special bachelor’s degrees that will VICE PRESIDENT FOR daughters, Leslie Frierson, ’91, CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY awards for students and friends prepare students for successful and Laura Williams, ’96, reflect Ken Faneuff of the College. careers in in-demand fields. on the YHC connections they’ve VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT made through the years. Clayton Daniels 10 34 PROVOST THE START OF SOMETHING 24 TODAY’S TRAILBLAZERS Jason Pierce, Ph.D. New YHC President Dr. Drew THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY Two students and one recent VICE PRESIDENT FOR L. Van Horn is embracing the graduate ruminate on how they PLANNING AND Mountain Lion pride runs in the SPECIAL PROJECTS College’s rich history while are being educated, inspired family for YHC trustee Richard Rosemary Royston, ’89 focusing on YHC’s current and empowered to help shape “Dick” Burrell, ’47, and his needs and diligently planning YHC for future generations. VICE PRESIDENT FOR daughter, Pamela Russo, ’81— STUDENT DEVELOPMENT for what’s to come. and it’s only grown through the Laura Whitaker-Lea, Ph.D. years. 46 CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES 16 Kurt Momand, ’77 A GIVING HEART THE HOMETOWN HERO 26 O.V. Lewis worked and taught Family and friends of the late at the College for nearly half a Echoes is published by the Office of INVESTED IN THE FUTURE Communications and Marketing at Young Harris Zell B. Miller, ’51, recount his century and is still devoting his New Board of Trustees Chair College. The views and opinions presented in legacy of transformational life to bettering the College this publication are not necessarily those of the Kurt Momand, ’77, aims to editors or the official policies of the College. leadership—a legacy rooted and its students. ensure that a new generation © 2019 Young Harris College in Young Harris. of students can achieve their academic pursuits and find a home at YHC. 34 46 16 ECHOES VOLUME 19, ISSUE 2 SPRING 2019 28 48 DEPARTMENTS EDITOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY Krystin Dean YHC’s extensive family includes dedicated supporters like Mary 4 FROM THE PRESIDENT ART DIRECTOR Melissa Mitchell Broadrick who are playing a vital part in the school’s ever-evolving story. 5 IN THE KNOW CONTRIBUTORS Kelly L. Crawford 40 FACULTY VIEWPOINT Maddy Elledge, ’16 55 Jaime Levins A TALE OF TWO GENERATIONS Michael MacEachern 42 INQUIRING MINDS Rosemary Royston, ’89 Two generations of student-athletes shared the court and classroom—even PHOTOGRAPHY though their homes are around 4,500 45 MOUNTAIN LION LUMINARY Kelly L. Crawford miles apart. Scott Dean 50 GIVING Kyle Huneycutt, ‘13 Philip Sampson, ’84 58 52 ATHLETICS Brooke Hanna Swanson, ’09 ALUMNI WEEKEND 2018 CONTACT US The mountains called members of the 62 CLASS NOTES Email [email protected] YHC family home to the Enchanted Web yhc.edu/echoes Valley for a fun lineup of gatherings 67 THE LAST WORD Mail Office of Communications and events. and Marketing P.O. Box 275 Young Harris, GA 30582 Phone (706) 379-5173 Fax (706) 379-4572 ON THE COVER PHOTO BY BROOKE HANNA SWANSON, ‘09 New YHC President Drew L. Van Horn, Ph.D., was photographed on the steps of Sharp Hall overlooking Susan B. Harris Chapel—two structures located in the heart of campus that embody YHC’s rich history. 58 facebook.com/YoungHarrisCollege twitter.com/YH_College instagram.com/youngharriscollege youtube.com/youngharriscollege pinterest.com/youngharris flickr.com/youngharriscollege artemas_snaps 55 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT Embracing Each Era Young Harris College President their desires will be beneficial for YHC Drew L. Van Horn, Ph.D., as we set our course for the next 10 is embracing the College’s years. I will do my best to motivate future our YHC team and family to discipline Q: rich history while focusing ourselves so that YHC can become the What’s your top priority as on YHC’s current needs and institution that we desire for it to be. you work to shape the future diligently planning for what’s of YHC? to come. This edition of A: The higher education industry is Echoes highlights the people present facing disruption and will continue to and moments that embody Q: face new disruptions. My job is to lead Do you have any sort of the College through the disruption the past, present, and future mantra that you follow—or a we’re facing and make sure we adapt of YHC. We recently sat down daily goal that you aspire to where we must. To that end, my top with Dr. Van Horn to get his when you wake up? priority is to establish an environment take on these three eras. A: whereby YHC can be financially Besides “discipline, not desire, viable and educationally relevant. determines your destiny,” there’s To be successful, the College cannot another mantra that I try to follow focus on what is best for us; we must every day: “The story you tell yourself focus on what our students and their past is the story you live by.” My experience future employers need and want. This Q: What is something from your has helped me to understand that life will require us to be innovative and past that you’re bringing to experiences shape a narrative that flexible. If we narrow what we do, people repeat to themselves. Depending your role as YHC president? and how we do it, we will become on the narrative, the story they repeat obsolete. We, the YHC team, are A: One of the things that I bring impacts how they live their lives and working to position the College so with me is my athletic experience. how they view themselves. Many times, that it has multiple options available Growing up in a small community, the narrative a person has written about to be financially and educationally sports were what drove me as a themselves focuses on their weaknesses viable. We are seeking permission to youth. From athletics I learned a rather than their strengths. A number offer master’s degrees and programs simple but important philosophy. of years ago, I resolved to write down that are completely online. While we Discipline, not desire, determines the narrative that I was living under. remain committed to a strong liberal your destiny. Having desires is easy I then made a commitment to take arts core, we’re adding professional for us as humans, but it’s also easy steps during the next six months that programs that we believe are needed in for organizations to have desires. On would rewrite a certain part of my life the workforce and desired by students the other hand, it’s very difficult to narrative. At the six-month point, I and their families. By increasing the focus on the disciplines that can make revisited my narrative and revised it breadth of our programs and program our desires a reality. In many cases, based on what I had learned over the delivery methods, we are giving YHC people will lower their desires rather previous six months. This required me greater opportunity for relevance in than increase the discipline needed to to be brutally honest with myself and the higher education market. accomplish their bigger desires. The to take control of those areas of my reality is that instilling discipline in life that I had surrendered to victim ourselves, or in an organization, is not mindset. While the process was not easy. Sometimes it requires letting go always comfortable, the narrative I now of something or foregoing something, repeat to myself is completely different and this can be uncomfortable. I from the narrative that I told myself believe that my experience in helping years ago. executives and organizations reach 4 THE TOP STORIES IN THE KNOW: FROM AROUND CAMPUS YHC Recognizes Longtime Faculty Members Three YHC employees were recognized for their service of 30 years to the College. “It is an honor to recognize these faculty members for their dedication to YHC and our efforts in providing the best quality education possible,” said former YHC Vice President for Finance and Operations and Chief Financial YHC WELCOMES Officer Brooks Seay, Ed.D. “They each have impacted the lives of students for generations and continue to do so.” Dr. Jason Pierce as Provost Those honored included Professor of Biology and Biology Department Chair Paul Arnold, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and the Scott B. Appleby Chair of Jason Pierce, Ph.D., brings 19 years of experience in Science Margaret Forrester, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Kinesiology and higher education to YHC. Sport Studies Jim Thomas. Dr. Pierce comes to YHC from Tusculum College where he served in several roles including provost, vice president of academic affairs, Title IX coordinator, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) liaison, and professor of English. “We’re so excited to welcome Jason into the YHC family,” said YHC President Drew L. Van Horn, Ph.D. “I’m confident that he is the best fit for our College as we continue to look at ways to strengthen and expand our academic programs.