SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

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SUMMER 2013 Meet three alums who helped shape the city of Athens PAGE 28 SPSUTeach: Not your typical teacher ed- ucation program PAGE 16 ALSO INSIDE Highly Unexpected: SPSU partners with the High Museum PAGE 10 Magazine

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Transcript of SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Page 1: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

SUMMER 2013

Meet three alums who helped shape the city of Athens PAGE 28

SPSUTeach: Not your typical teacher ed-ucation program PAGE 16

ALSO INSIDE

Highly Unexpected: SPSU partners with the High Museum

PAGE 10

Magazine

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26 Dr. Joyce Mills: SPSU’s librarian turns a page

Features

28 Meet three SPSU alums who helped shape the city of Athens

alumni proFile

34 Lady Hornets rebound and defy the odds

athletics 16 SPSUTeach: definitely not your typical teacher education program

24 Articulation agreement with Georgia Military College

academics

10 Highly Unexpected

14 Marian Alicea ’13 excels in academics, service, and loyalty

20 Co-op/internship program on the rise

22 At home on campus: Residential boom at Southern Polytechnic State University

student eXperience

CONTENTS

Highly Unexpected

Meet three SPSU alums who helped shape the city of Athens

Marian Alicea ’13 excels in academics, service, and loyalty

Southern Polytechnic State University 1100 South Marietta Parkway Marietta, GA 30060-2896 678-915-7351

Editor: Sylvia Carson, APR Director of Public Relations

Co-editor: Diane Payne Associate Director of Public Relations Vice President for Advancement:

Dr. Ron D. DempseyDesign: The Adsmith

Contributing Writers: Amanda Blanton, Donna Harris, Cristel Mohrman, Diane Payne

Photographers: Christopher Oquendo, Ashley Schenck, Becky Stein, Cassie Wright

Page 3: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 3

With this spring’s commencement, over 500 new graduates have

joined the alumni of Southern Polytechnic State University. They are

headed for jobs, graduate school, travel, and a future of applying

their education to solve real-world problems and to make the world a

better place. We are proud of them all — and I hope they are reading

this magazine!

Here at SPSU, we are always looking for ways to stay connected

with alumni. To do this effectively, we need feedback about how we

are doing. Many of you recently provided your perspective about

SPSU’s efforts to strengthen communications with our alumni,

friends, and supporters through both an alumni survey last fall and

a separate questionnaire about this magazine. Thanks to all of you

who participated. You provided valuable information that will help us

improve our publications and communications with you.

Here are a few of the messages we heard from these surveys:

• AdrivingfactorinyouroverallopinionofSPSUisvalueand

respectforyourdegree.ThevalueofyourSPSUdegreeiscritically

important,andyouareinterestedinnewsandinformationthat

highlightthatvalue.

• Careerissuesarealsoimportanttoalumni,andyouhaveindicated

thatfindingjobopportunitiesisahighpriorityforyou.You’re

lookingtotheuniversitytohelpinthatprocess.

• Readersofthismagazineareparticularlyinterestedinstudent

experiences,studentachievements,thecurriculum,theexpansion

andgrowthoffacilities,andthefuturedirectionsoftheuniversity.

• Themostimportantwaysyouliketogetinformationfromthe

universityarebye-mailandontheSPSUwebsite,followedbythis

magazineandelectronicnewsletters.We’recontinuouslyworking

toimproveallofthesecommunicationtools.Asoneexample,

SPSU’swebsiteisbeingredesignedtobecomeresponsiveto

whateverdeviceyouusetoviewit.Yourfeedbackisimportantin

helpingusidentifyareastoimprove.

• Loyaltyamongalumniisalmostequallystrongforthegraduate’s

majororacademicdepartmentandfortheuniversityoverall.

Thisdiffersslightlyfromthenationalaverage(inwhichloyaltyto

theinstitutionistypicallystrongerthantothedepartment),but

thisinformationisconsistentwiththefeedbackouralumnihave

providedtousinthepast.Thecontinuingconnectionsthatalumni

havewiththeirhomedepartmentsareimpressive—andimportant

totheuniversity.

• Thefeedbackaboutsocialmediasites(LinkedIn,Facebook,etc.)is

mixed.Alumniconsiderthesecommunicationmethodstobeless

importantthanthewebsiteandthemagazine,butSPSU’sefforts

intheseareasrankrelativelyhigh.Morethan40percentofalumni

reportthattheywouldwelcomemoreinteractionthroughthese

vehicles.

So, in response to the feedback from alumni and the other

readers of this magazine, we’ve focused this issue on the topics

you have indicated are most interesting. You will find articles about

students, alumni, new programs, faculty, and staff. Together, these

stories highlight the exciting activity here at Southern Polytechnic

— and the ways in which the university continues to build value and

name recognition for the degrees we offer. In the next six months,

we’ll be undertaking market research to establish a baseline for

how SPSU’s degrees and academic reputation are perceived by

prospective students and the general public.

Each member of the university community — alumni, students,

faculty, staff, donors, and supporters — helps increase the value of

SPSU degrees as well. Your contributions to your professions and to

the region strengthen SPSU’s reputation and the employability of

graduates. Thanks for helping us get the word out — and thanks for

the feedback that helps us find ways to communicate with you more

effectively!

I hope to see you around campus soon!

Lisa A. Rossbacher, Ph.D.

President

President’s corner

Greetings from SPSU!

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4 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

outhern Polytechnic State University’s fall 2012

enrollment increased to 6,202 students, a leap of 6.9

percent over the fall 2011 total of 5,799 students. Only

one university among the 31 institutions within the University

System of Georgia experienced a larger increase according to the

Board of Regents’ Fall 2012 Enrollment Report.

A significant number of these new students were attracted

by the university’s new academic programs. For example, SPSU’s

evening engineering programs as well as programs in new media

arts, accounting, and computer game design and development

have become very popular.

SPSU is also seeing a resurgence of interest in the computer

science program. Dr. Han Reichgelt, dean of the School of

Computing and Software Engineering (CSE), pointed out that CSE

majors account for one out of every four SPSU students.

These numbers also make it clear that the efforts of Student

and Enrollment Services in recent years to boost recruitment and

admissions have borne fruit. “We have improved the marketing of

existing programs and, therefore, increased awareness of them,”

said Dr. Ron Koger, vice president for Student and Enrollment

Services. “We have developed a more extensive communications

plan for recruiting prospective students — including more personal

contact, letters, postcards, and calls from the call center that we

established several years ago,” he added.

The recruiting open houses have also continued to be

critical in providing potential students with experiences

and insights into opportunities at SPSU, he said. The

university has seen a high conversion rate from prospective

students who attend an open house to enrolled students.

S

University news Briefs

sPsU experienced second-largest enrollment increase in University system

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Southern Polytechnic State University 5

A

At&t gives sPsUteach major gift

T&T has provided major support to SPSUTeach, Southern

Polytechnic State University’s education program,

through a $25,000 gift to fund the purchase of high-tech

equipment to help student teachers.

The gift enables SPSU students seeking teacher certification in

biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics to use this equipment

to develop lessons for under-achieving students.

The mission of SPSUTeach is to prepare students to teach

curricula for grades six through 12 in the fields of science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). SPSU teacher

candidates earn degrees in their chosen fields along with a teaching

certificate.

This means SPSUTeach is increasing the number of students

entering the university’s STEM programs, which ultimately will

increase the number of college graduates ready to embark on STEM-

related careers.

“The computers and other equipment funded by this gift are

enabling us to prepare strong teacher candidates with instructional

skills that integrate technology into the classroom,” said SPSU

President Lisa A. Rossbacher. “Graduates will be prepared to teach

in Title I schools and pursue careers in high-needs schools, thereby

enabling a broader spectrum of middle and high school students to

gain access to the STEM pipeline.”

“I want to thank Southern Polytechnic State University for

launching this program [SPSUTeach] to provide a sharp focus on

STEM education for our students,” said State Rep. Earl Ehrhart.

“Preparing our young people for high-skill/high-wage jobs is critical for

the economic health of our community and our state.”

“AT&T is proud

to support Southern

Polytechnic State

University,” said Don

Barbour, regional

director of AT&T

Georgia. “The

importance of STEM

education can’t be

underestimated as

we build tomorrow’s

workforce.”

TEACH

AT&T Georgia presented Southern Polytechnic State University with a check for $25,000 in support of the university’s teacher education program, SPSUTeach. Shown here are (left to right): Dr. George Stickel, co-director of SPSU-Teach; Don Barbour, regional director of AT&T Georgia; SPSUTeach students Elizabeth Stephenson and Wayne Dunn (president and vice president, respectively of a newly formed SPSU organization, Students for Excellence in Education); Dr. Alan Gabrielli, SPSUTeach co-director; and SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher.

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sPsU adds M.s. in civil engineering

outhern Polytechnic State University received the

approval of the Board of Regents in fall 2012 to offer

a Master of Science (M.S.) in Civil Engineering housed

in the Civil and Construction Engineering department within the

School of Engineering, effective fall 2013.

This applied graduate degree will allow SPSU to meet the

increased demand for post-baccalaureate education in civil

engineering as the educational requirements for professional

engineering licensure increase. The American Society of Civil

Engineers, Georgia Board of Professional Engineers, National

Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, and the

National Academy of Engineering have concurred on the need

to increase engineers’ educational requirements to include 30

hours beyond the bachelor of science degree. The most direct

way for engineers to fulfill this requirement will be through

completion of a master’s degree.

SPSU’s M.S. in Civil Engineering will offer concentrations in

three critical areas:

• Structural and geotechnical engineering;

• Transportation and pavement engineering; and

• Environmental engineering and water resources.

The structural

and geotechnical

engineering

concentration will be

implemented first,

with the other two

concentrations phased

in over time.

The program is

expected to enroll 20

students during its

first year using existing

institutional resources,

with a cohort of 40

students expected by

the third year.

The M.S. in Civil Engineering will be structured to meet the

needs of non-traditional students, too, through a combination

of evening, daytime, and online offerings.

Since 2006, SPSU has added 20 new academic degree

programs, bringing the total of undergraduate degrees offered

to 41 and graduate degrees to 13. The university now offers 10

different engineering degrees.

lana Kyriakakis joined Southern Polytechnic

State University this spring as the university’s

first in-house counsel. In her new position,

reporting directly to SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher,

she provides legal support in all areas of instruction and

administration at the university.

Kyriakakis was

previously a legal

advisor at Georgia

Regents University

(GRU), formerly

Georgia Health

Sciences University,

in Augusta. Before

that, Kyriakakis had

a private practice as

an employment litigator, often working with University

System of Georgia institutions and other state agencies

as a special assistant attorney general (appointed by

the attorney general of Georgia).

Kyriakakis earned a bachelor’s degree in

communication from the University of Oklahoma in

Norman, with a minor in Greek. She received her law

degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia,

where she earned a number of honors, including serving

on the editorial board for the South Carolina Law Review.

A

University hires first legal counsel

S

this applied graduate degree will allow sPsU to meet the increased demand for post-baccalaureate education in civil engineering as the educational requirements for professional engineering licensure increase.

Alana Kyriakakis provides legal support in all areas of instruction and administration at the university.

Page 7: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Carol Hunstein, chief justice,

Supreme Court of Georgia

Georgia Chief Justice Carol Hunstein spoke

to students about the intersection of

technology, business, and the law in an

October 2012 presentation sponsored by

the Business Administration department.

She was appointed to the state

Supreme Court by Gov. Zell Miller in 1992

and is only the second woman in history to

serve as a permanent member of the court.

She has since been re-elected by voters

three times and took office as chief justice

on July 1, 2009.

Chief Justice Hunstein won election to

the Superior Court of DeKalb County in 1984,

becoming its first female member. She was

also the first woman to serve as president

of the Council of Superior Court Judges.

Isabel Wilkerson,

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Isabel Wilkerson gave a presentation in

January on her book, “The Warmth of Other

Suns,” which tells the story of African-

Americans who left the South between

1915 and 1970 and moved to the Northeast,

Midwest, and West in search of a better life.

Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her

work as Chicago bureau chief of The New

York Times in 1994, making her the first

African-American woman to win a Pulitzer

Prize and the first African-American to win

for individual reporting.

Wilkerson has appeared on CBS’ “60

Minutes” and the “NBC Nightly News” and

on national networks such as MSNBC and

C-SPAN.

Daymond John,

founder/CEO, FUBU

Daymond John, one of the “sharks” on ABC-

TV’s “Shark Tank,” delivered a presentation

in February as part of SPSU’s Cross-Cultural

Communications Series.

John is an entrepreneur, investor,

author, and motivational speaker, and

his presentation was based on his book,

“The Brand Within: The Power of Branding

from Birth to the Boardroom.” His clothing

company, FUBU, took the stage in 1992,

growing into an internationally acclaimed

brand with peak revenues of $350 million

in 1998. The company also received several

honors for entrepreneurial achievement.

In 2010, FUBU underwent a rebranding

campaign and is now known in the United

States as FB Legacy.

sPsU hosted several luminaries in 2012-13

University news Briefs

S

Southern Polytechnic State University 7

outhern Polytechnic state University welcomed several notable guests to campus during the 2012-13 academic year, including the chief justice of the supreme court of Georgia,

a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and a world-renowned entrepreneur currently starring in a popular reality show.

Page 8: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

t was a big year for Southern Polytechnic State

University’s Architecture department, with two

professors earning major awards and a third winning a

prestigious competition.

First, Dr. William Carpenter, professor of architecture, received

the Bernard B. Rothschild Award from the American Institute of

Architects Georgia (AIA Georgia) in December 2012. This is the

highest award given by AIA Georgia and recognizes the most

distinguished service to the profession of architecture in the state

by an architect who exemplifies the principles of the profession.

A fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and

a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited

professional (LEED AP), Dr. Carpenter has spent 25 years in the

field and was the founder and president of Lightroom, a nationally

recognized design firm in Decatur, Ga. He has taught architectural

design, design-build, and theory and criticism at SPSU for 20 years.

A past president of AIA Georgia, he serves on AIA’s National Board

of Directors.

Then, in February, professor of architecture Bronne Dytoc

was named one of the country’s 30 Most Admired Educators by

the Design Futures Council, an interdisciplinary network of design,

product, and construction leaders focused on innovations in and

the future of architecture. Educators and administrators from the

disciplines of architecture, industrial design, interior design, and

landscape architecture were considered for inclusion.

Prof. Dytoc has been an assistant professor of architecture at

SPSU since January 2009. He received his undergraduate degree in

architecture from the University of the Philippines, and a master’s

degree in building science and architecture from the University

of Southern California in Los Angeles. He also holds a certificate

in architecture, energy, and environment from Lund University in

Sweden. Prof. Dytoc is currently a doctoral candidate in education

and instructional technology at Georgia State University.

In March, Dr. Saleh Uddin, professor of architecture, won

a prestigious competition to design a 450,000-square-foot

multi-purpose facility for the Gulshan Club, an exclusive social

organization in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Uddin has spent his teaching

breaks at the American International University at Bangladesh

(AIUB). He partnered with another AIUB lecturer and supervised

a team of 14 skilled students in developing the design that was

selected as the winner from among 120 entries. He will return to

Dhaka this summer to serve as the principal architect coordinating

the consultants’ and engineers’ work on the construction project.

Dr. Uddin is the coordinator of SPSU’s Design Foundation

program and is also the founding head of the AIUB Architecture

department. He has published four books internationally. He is also

the editor of “Representation,” the national journal of the Design

Communication Association in the United States, and is a past

president of this organization.

Dr. Uddin has had several of his designs built or published,

notably the 20-story administrative building of the Telephone &

Telegraph Board in Dhaka and several prominent residences in

Dhaka and Amman, Jordan.

Architecture professors recognized for talents, service to profession

I

DytocCarpenter Uddin

8 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Page 9: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

9

r. Deidra Hodges, an assistant professor of electrical

engineering in the School of Engineering, was recognized

as Southern Polytechnic State University’s 2012 Teacher

of the Year.

As Teacher of the Year, Dr. Hodges represented SPSU at the

annual Cobb County Chamber of Commerce teacher appreciation

events and also delivered a research-based presentation on

campus.

Dr. Hodges holds a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida

in Tampa, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia

University in New York — all in electrical engineering. She also

holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Dillard University in New

Orleans.

From 1988 to 1996, she served as an officer in the

Engineering Field Division of the U.S. Navy Reserves in Houston. Dr.

Hodges also worked for IBM’s Federal Systems Division in Houston

and was assigned to onboard space shuttle systems and avionics

flight software for

the NASA Space

Shuttle Program. In

addition, she worked

for Martin Marietta

Manned Space

Systems on the

proposed unmanned

launch vehicle called

Shuttle C.

She joined the SPSU faculty in 2009. In 2011, Dr. Hodges was

awarded a competitive National Science Foundation Broadening

Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering. She received

a two-year grant of $175,000 to develop copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur

thin films and solar cells. Her research could lead to lowering the

cost of fabricating high-efficiency, solar-cell devices through the use

of these abundant, low-cost, and nontoxic elements.

D

dr. deidra Hodges named sPsU’s teacher of the year

Southern Polytechnic State University

dr. Hodges was awarded a competitive national science foundation Broadening Participation research initiation Grant in engineering.

University news Briefs

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10 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

HigHly unexpected

Page 11: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 11

For the past two years, Southern Polytechnic State

University students and faculty have been mixing it up

big time with Atlanta’s High Museum of Art in an unlikely

alliance that has exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Think about it — the leading art museum in the

southeastern United States partnering with a university

best known for educating engineers. What could possibly

come of this?

“It’s a man-bites-dog story,” said Dr. Zvi Szafran,

vice president for Academic Affairs. “SPSU is the exact

opposite of the kind of school you’d expect to enter

a partnership with an art museum; we don’t have a

traditional art program. But design is a critical part of art,

and we have engineers, architects, and new media arts

students who have studied design. It’s extraordinary for

the High to partner with a school not known for the arts

and that emphasizes applied learning.”

“Michael Shapiro, the director of the High

Museum, strongly believes in developing partnerships

to strengthen and broaden the museum’s scope and

to pool resources,” said Julia Forbes, head of museum

interpretation, citing the museum’s unprecedented three-

year partnership with the Musée du Louvre in Paris and a

more recent relationship with the Museum of Modern Art

in New York. “Michael was very interested in exploring the

benefits of affiliating with colleges and universities, and

he started the conversations that led to this relationship.”

SPSU is the first institution in the University System

of Georgia to have such a partnership, and since spring

2011, it has led to some very interesting and innovative

projects. In addition to SPSU Nights at the museum, field

trips for classes, internships, free admission for students,

and discounted museum memberships for faculty and

staff, SPSU has played key roles in three different exhibits

to date, each involving very different mediums and

concepts.

First, there was the High’s “Modern by Design” exhibit

in summer 2011. One component of the exhibition was

Dutch designer Joris Laarman’s “Digital Matter,” which

had a robot creating a piece of furniture without human

assistance. Programmers and technicians were needed

to service and maintain the robot, and that’s where a

group of SPSU mechatronics engineering majors came

in. Working with the artist and the staff of the High, the

students helped set up the robot and got it working, and

then returned weekly throughout that summer to perform

maintenance.

“The opening of the “Modern by Design” exhibit

coincided serendipitously with the Polytechnic Summit

that SPSU was hosting,” said Dr. Szafran. “So, we held the

Summit’s reception at the High, and it was very cool to be

able to show participants from polytechnic institutions all

over the country as well as several foreign countries what

SPSU students were doing.”

In fall 2011, SPSU launched a Bachelor of Arts in

New Media Arts degree, and when the High expressed a

desire to make the museum experience more meaningful

to people ages 35 and under, Dr. Mark Nunes, chair of

SPSU’s English, Technical Communication, and Media Arts

department, and Dr. Jim Werner of the New Media Arts

program stepped up to the plate.

“It’s become necessary these days for art museums

and galleries to embrace new media in order to better

reach younger patrons who are interested in new and

unique ways of interacting with the art and space,” Dr.

Werner said.

Who says polytechnics and the arts don’t mix?

SPSU architecture students (left to right: Kainoa Keomaka, Julia Cassidy, Fiorella Dimiceli, Carlos Castillo, and Hakim Hasan) pose with their exhibit "A Living Machine" featured in Atlanta's High Museum as part of a unique partnership between the museum and the university. SPSU is the first institution in the University System of Georgia to have such a partnership with the museum.

Page 12: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

“Digital engagement is so important

for us,” agreed Forbes. “We had already

developed a good relationship with Mark

Nunes, and he was a tremendous help

when we sat down to talk about [how to

best engage with younger generations].”

The research done by Drs. Nunes

and Werner indicated that people in their

20s and 30s are eager for participatory

experiences and want to have a voice in

what they’re seeing.

The professors involved approximately

30 students from Dr. Nunes’ Media Theory

and Practice class and Dr. Werner’s Media

Arts History class. Together they developed

two test projects: Choices and Voices and

The GPS Project.

“Choices and Voices” utilized a photo-

sharing website, www.trover.com, that

allowed people to take pictures of the art

they found in their communities and upload

them to Trover’s free mobile app, along with

information on the artist and where the

photo was taken. Anyone who took pictures

and tagged them #HighWithoutWalls had

their photos appear on the students’ Trover

page in a virtual exhibit, the most popular of

which would be exhibited within the walls of

the High. The exhibit can still be viewed at

http://www.trover.com/q/HighWithoutWalls.

The GPS Project – which Drs. Nunes and

Werner are working with the High to take

from concept to reality – will utilize GPS

mapping to create an app allowing visitors

to track themselves and others walking

through the museum so that the app’s

users could see where people were and

what was grabbing their attention.

The two projects – the concepts for

which the museum showcased in November

2012 – “showed how well our students were

able to apply theory and practice in the arts

to a professional setting,” Dr. Werner said.

“They showed what new media can do for

the arts.”

Barely a month later, Dr. Pegah Zamani,

an assistant professor of architecture

who heads up the SPSU-High Museum

Affiliation Committee, was inspired when

she heard about the High’s plans to stage

a huge exhibition in spring centered on the

lives and work of artists Diego Rivera and

Frida Kahlo — one of the art world’s most

intriguing couples.

“I consider the museum to be a

platform for public pedagogy in many

different ways. Given that, our affiliation

with the High Museum can offer our

students much more than just free access,”

Dr. Zamani said. “It is about education and

learning a variety of ways in which informal

learning can take place outside our formal

educational settings. Our affiliation with the

museum can enrich, extend, and support

classroom learning.”

Dr. Zamani worked with the museum’s

education staff to engage architecture

students in preparing an exhibit displayed

in conjunction with the Frida & Diego:

Passion, Politics, and Painting exhibit. Time

was extremely short, as it was already late

December, and the exhibit was set to open

at the end of February.

She spent the holidays doing research

on the artistic couples’ lives and their

home/studio in Mexico City, which captured

Dr. Zamani’s interest, as this area consisted

of two separate, rather industrial-looking

dwellings (one for Rivera, one for Kahlo)

connected by a bridge. Dr. Zamani decided

to focus on their home/studio — which

has been characterized as a factory or a

machine for living – as a metaphor for their

lives together and their work.

When the spring semester started,

she interviewed more than 20 third- and

fourth-year architecture students eager to

12

stUdent exPerience

Page 13: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 13

volunteer their help with the extracurricular

project and selected six to help her bring her

design ideas to life.

“We built five different interpretive

models of the home/studio during a 10-day

design charrette completed mostly during the

weekends in the architecture department’s

Digital Fabrication Woodshop, sometimes

working through the night,” Dr. Zamani said.

“We had to work very fast, and collaboration

was crucial. Without the generous support of

the High Museum, the Museo Casa Estudio

Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, the

Architecture department, and the Digital

Fabrication Woodshop, we could never have

accomplished what we did in such a short

period of time.”

Dr. Zamani added that her student

volunteers — several of whom knew

nothing about Rivera and Kahlo’s lives

or work beforehand — worked with great

dedication as a team. In the end, they all

learned a great deal about the artists and

about preparing an exhibit for a major art

museum. They even had to design and

construct the lighted platforms on which

the models were displayed.

Their display, “A Living Machine: La

Casa-Estudio de Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo”

(a dissection of the bridge in the home/

studio of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo),

was on display in the Wieland Lobby of the

High during the opening weekend of “Frida

& Diego,” and drew more than 1,000 people

that Saturday night. The High also displayed the Living

Machine exhibit during the exhibition’s closing weekend

in May, after which it was brought back to SPSU, where

it will be displayed in the Architecture Building.

Dr. Zamani’s student team included Carlos

Castillo, Joseph Kainoa Keomaka, Julia Cassidy,

Matt Rosenberg, Fiorella Dimiceli, and Hakim

Hasan.

“The idea of this project coming together

in such a short period of time and giving our

students the opportunity to have had their

work exhibited at a major American art

museum is just stunning and underlines

how SPSU can be the coolest place ever,”

said Dr. Szafran.

“Having architects interpret

art is just very different, and that

exemplifies what we are all about,”

he continued. “None of these three

exhibits we’ve done so far are what

anyone could have expected from

Southern Polytechnic. This is what

happens when you have imaginative

faculty and capable students working

together on interesting things. How

cool is that?”

As for future plans, Forbes, who

terms the SPSU-High Museum alliance

as “mutually beneficial,” said talks

are already underway to have SPSU’s

computer gaming faculty help with an

exhibition planned for summer 2014.

Dr. Szafran would like to see new

collaborations begin every semester

and plans to offer SPSU faculty

mini-grants for proposals on ways to

enhance and expand on the High’s

upcoming exhibitions.

“Having architects interpret art is just very different, and that exemplifies what we are all about. none of these three exhibits we’ve done so far are what anyone could have expected from SpSu. ”

– dr. Zvi Szafran

“Modern by Design” exhibit

Page 14: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

14 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Marian Alicea ’13 was born in Puerto Rico,

but she calls Southern Polytechnic State University home.

The civil engineering technology major graduated

in May and worked hard to leave her legacy at the

Marietta university.

With a resume four pages long — and counting

— Alicea is still moving full steam ahead. But the road to get here

was filled with fear, tragedy, and self-awareness, all of which

fueled her drive and determination to succeed.

Alicea was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Georgia in 1996,

just in time for the Olympics. Her parents were divorced, and her

mother, Georgina, worked for the Centers for Disease Control.

Alicea recalls being terrified about speaking English.

“I learned it in school, but I couldn’t speak it,” she said. “I

remember being at a summer camp. I would hide underneath the

tables crying because I was too afraid to speak English.”

She said sixth grade was horrible, but one year later she

found herself on the honor roll. Years later, she was a college

student, majoring in architecture – but not at SPSU.

“I wanted to be a fashion designer, but my dad said there was

no money in it,” she recalled.

Her love of art and talent in math and science led to a degree

path in architecture. Eventually the buzz of the downtown college

she was attending wasn’t what she wanted.

“I wasn’t doing well there. I wasn’t happy.” Her major was also

unfulfilling. Then she heard about Southern Poly.

What was meant to be a temporary reprieve turned into

countless opportunities for scholarships, research, internships,

and mentoring.

“At SPSU, I wasn’t just a number. I was extremely happy,” she

said. “The professors still remembered my name, even after I

Marian alicea ’13 excels in acadeMics, service, and loyalty

Page 15: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 15

finished their classes. It was completely

different from my first college experience. I

fell in love with SPSU.”

While she excelled academically, the

death of her mother in 2010 became Alicea’s

constant motivator for all things personal,

professional, and cultural. She said her

mother noticed her enjoyment in some

courses more than others and encouraged

her to pursue a major in science.

“My mom had an M.S. in Occupational

Health,” she said. “I decided to change

majors after realizing I was more interested

in the structural stability rather than the

aesthetics of the building.”

Another component of her drive was

the lack of Hispanic women in engineering.

Alicea said, “I used to think I was at a

disadvantage, but I began to see it as an

advantage.”

She said CET Prof. Nancy Turner was an

inspiration. “She’s a woman in engineering. I

saw how she was balancing her career and

family and being successful at both.”

Another CET faculty member, Dr. Carlos

Ortiz, was also instrumental in Alicea’s

growth at SPSU. As a fellow Hispanic person,

she was able to connect with him on a

cultural level as well as academic.

“He would give me such great advice.

He would communicate about cultural

awareness and how to live in America. It’s

such a cultural melting pot, but I keep my

culture and am OK with being Hispanic.”

Her involvement on campus included

membership in the Society of Hispanic

Professional Engineers and the Society of

Women Engineers. Her awards and honors

ranged from designation as a Peach

State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority

Participation (LSAMP) scholar, Women

in Electronics scholarship recipient,

and participant in University of Illinois

at Urbana-Champaign Multi-Cultural

Engineering Recruitment for Graduate

Student Education (MERGE). She added

that having the opportunity to attend and

present at conferences gave her access

to successful Hispanic women in her field

of study.

Her dedication to mentorship is

something else Alicea attributed to her

mother. “She instilled giving back and

getting an education,” she said, recalling

how her mother would serve as a translator

for health fairs.

When Alicea wasn’t in class on campus, she could be found

among the lockers at metro Atlanta schools providing

leadership and guidance to elementary, middle, and high

school students.

Her quest for knowledge won’t end with a

bachelor’s degree. She was able to connect

with professionals through her involvement

in the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“Through networking, I learned about

different aspects of civil engineering and

environmental engineering,” she said. This

led to summer research opportunities that

took her from Atlanta to Oak Ridge, Tenn.,

and all the way to Honolulu.

“I had never done research before. I

thought, ‘I’ll give it a try,’” she said. “It was

pretty amazing. I got to take tours, work

in national labs, see super computers…I

thought, ‘This could be me.’”

And it almost was in 2011, when

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration wanted to extend her stay in

Hawaii. But Alicea declined.

“I needed to go back home and finish. I

grew up on an island,” she said. “Being in the

middle of the Pacific and being away wasn’t

the best idea!”

She wants her success at SPSU to be

a motivator for prospective students and

current freshmen and sophomores. She has

taken advantage of what the university has

to offer and encourages others to build on

the school’s offerings.

“I tried to get students involved in

activities. I took on the responsibilities

of showing freshmen and sophomores

interested in leadership how to stay

involved.”

However, Alicea has left Marietta to

continue her education. She is conducting

research at Argonne National Laboratory

in Downers Grove, Ill., this summer and

will enroll at Virginia Tech in the fall to

pursue a master’s degree and doctorate in

environmental engineering.

“I want to expand my horizons. There is

a limited number of people of color in the

STEM fields. I really saw there was a need

for diversity.” Alicea said. Also, her desire to

be a research leader dictates the need for

a Ph.D.

However, her future might include a

faculty position at her soon-to-be alma

mater.

“That’s how close I hold SPSU to my

heart,” she said.

“At SPSU, I wasn’t just a number. I was extremely

happy...I fell in love with SPSU.”

stUdent exPerience

Page 16: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

16 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

SPSUTeach

eacher education programs are not hard to find — approximately

40 colleges and universities in Georgia offer a bachelor’s degree

in education. But rest assured, SPSUTeach is NOT your typical

teaching program.

Dr. George Stickel and Dr. Alan Gabrielli serve as codirectors of

SPSUTeach, which is a unit of the School of Arts and Sciences.

The program began enrolling students in spring 2012, had 28

enrollees this spring, and is on track to begin producing graduates

in 2011, SPSU became the first polytechnic institution in the country to replicate the nationally

With the assistance of $1.4 million in Race to the Top funding from the state

recognized UTeach program pioneered by the University of Texas at Austin.

T

Definitely Not Your Typical Teacher Education Program

Page 17: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 17

in spring 2014. Tightly focused on science, technology, engineering,

and mathematics (STEM), fields which are desperately in need of

more teachers, the program has approached teacher preparation

very differently from traditional teacher education programs.

Most programs award degrees in education with

concentrations in specific content areas — English, history, and

physical education, etc. But SPSUTeach graduates master their

content area by earning bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry,

physics, or mathematics with a teacher education track leading to

initial certification to teach secondary education (grades six-12).

And the program doesn’t skimp on the mastery of teaching

in favor of content-area instruction. While the traditional teacher

education program exposes students to actual field experiences

in their final year, SPSU students have gotten into classrooms in

Marietta and Cobb County schools from their first semester.

In fact, before they are officially admitted to the SPSUTeach

Definitely Not Your Typical Teacher Education Program

TEACH

Page 18: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

18 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

program, students must take two courses, called Step 1 and

Step 2, to help them decide if a career in teaching is right for

them. Field experiences give them a firsthand look at what goes

on inside elementary school (Step 1) and middle school (Step 2)

classrooms, and they learn to plan and evaluate lessons using

the five E’s – engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and

evaluation. All other field experiences are at the high school level.

“Having field experiences from the beginning helps you to decide

if you really want to be a teacher or not,” said biology teacher-

certification track major Zachary Buning, who has plans to be among

the first SPSUTeach graduates. “Some education programs do not

put you in the classroom until the end, and by then, it is too late.”

“I couldn’t be happier with the SPSUTeach program,” said

Elizabeth Stephenson, a math major with the teacher-certification

track and the first recipient of the President Rossbacher Endowed

Scholarship. “I was an education major at my previous institution,

and I wasn’t satisfied because there was no math in my life! Here

at SPSU, I don’t have to choose between math and education. I’m

getting the best of both worlds, and when I graduate, I’ll be able to

use both to get students fired up about math.”

Commenting on the program’s practice of exposing students to

elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, Stephenson said, “I

thought I might want to teach middle school, but now that I’ve had

several experiences at the different grade levels, I know I want to

teach high school because I’m more able to reason with and relate

to the students, and the level of math they are learning is higher.”

Jamie Garrett, a physics major with the teacher-certification

track is especially appreciative of what the SPSUTeach program’s

early introduction to classroom teaching has done for her. She

applied for and received an American Physical Society (APS)

PhysicsQuest internship that will have her develop activities to teach

physics concepts to middle school students this summer.

“My experience in the classroom with elementary and middle

school students during my Step 1 and Step 2 classes really set me

apart from other applicants,” she reported. “During my interview, I

was able to elaborate on many of my experiments in the classroom

and my foundation in lesson plan development. Interestingly enough,

my interviewer graduated from the University of Texas and went

through the UTeach program herself. She was very familiar with the

program and our introduction to the classroom at an early stage.”

The third distinctive component of SPSUTeach is mentorship.

Because of the high attrition rate among new teachers, each

SPSUTeach student has a master teacher who follows the student’s

progress from the first course through graduation and beyond. And

SPSU’s master teachers, Jan Nourollahi and Cassandra Mathious,

will be contacting former students for five years after graduation to

encourage their development into exceptional teachers. Classroom

teachers in elementary, middle, and high school also will serve as

mentors throughout students’ coursework.

“Our master teachers work exceptionally hard to place us

in schools and classrooms that will create valuable learning

experiences for us and our students,” said math major Wayne Dunn,

who is in the teacher-certification track. “And the instructors I have

shadowed for my teaching experiences have been great role models.”

“As far as the master teachers go, we are so blessed,”

Stephenson said. “They have helped all of us with every lesson we’ve

had to teach. They are willing to go above and beyond, and that’s

something you don’t find at a typical education program, or a typical

university for that matter.”

In its first 15 months of operation, SPSU’s teacher-education

program has already experienced several milestones, according to

Director George Stickel. Fall 2012 saw the addition of a 17-credit-hour

Computer Science (CS) Endorsement program for already-certified

teachers interested in adding this discipline as a content area.

While initial certification programs in mathematics, biology,

County schools from their first semester.

While the traditional teacher education

program exposes students to actual field

get out into classrooms in Marietta and Cobb

experiences in their final year, SPSU students

Page 19: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 19

chemistry, and physics are only available

through on-campus classes, teachers in the

CS Endorsement program can take hybrid

courses, which offer both face-to-face and

online content. The practicum — in which

students will be supervised in the practical

application of the theories they’ve been

studying — will take place in close proximity

to the homes of teachers who live at a

distance from SPSU.

An onsite evaluation team from

the Georgia Professional Standards

Commission (PSC) visited the campus in

January and found that SPSU’s education

programs met all standards. This spring,

the PSC Board of Commissioners formally

approved the granting of certification for

SPSUTeach graduates.

With this hurdle cleared, “Our priorities

for teacher education are to increase

enrollment in all four initial certification

programs and in the CS Endorsement,

as well as to secure funding for student

scholarships, student support for apprentice

teaching, and for student tutors,” said Dr.

Stickel, who noted students are unable to

work full time while doing their apprentice

teaching.

To this end, Dr. Stickel said he and the

teacher education program team recently

met with a consultant and the admissions

staff regarding recruitment strategies

and have been working with officials at

Chattahoochee Technical College and

Georgia Highlands College to get student

referrals.

Promoting the SPSUTeach program

and recruiting more students is also a

major goal of Students for Excellence in

Education (SEE), of which Stephenson is

president (alongside Dunn, vice president,

and Buning, secretary). The organization

helps students in the program connect and

network with each other.

Dr. Stickel said he has been very happy

with the progress being made concerning

teacher education at SPSU. “We are on track.

And we get asked by local school systems

all the time, ‘When are you going to have

graduates?’ They are really anxious to hire

our students.”

JuNE 2011 Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approves SPSU

to offer bachelor’s degrees with teacher certification tracks in biology,

chemistry, mathematics, and physics

Race to the Top funding awarded to SPSU for replication of the University

of Texas at Austin UTeach teacher-preparation program

SPriNg 2012 First students enrolled in four initial certification programs

Jan Nourollahi hired as a master teacher

Fall 2012 Dr. Erin Sutherland (physics education) and Dr. Claudia Spiro (math

education) hired as education faculty members and Cassandra Mathious

named as a master teacher

First students enrolled in Computer Science Endorsement program

AT&T gave SPSUTeach $25,000 for the purchase of high-tech equipment

to help student teachers

OcTObEr 2012 Two students (including Wayne Dunn) participated in the Georgia Partner-

ship for Excellence in Education’s 20th Annual Bus Trip Across Georgia,

which visited elementary, middle, and high schools, in addition to techni-

cal colleges

DEcEmbEr 2012 SPSU submitted institutional report on teacher education programs to

Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) as part of agency’s

review and approval of programs

JaNuarY 2013 PSC onsite evaluation team visited campus and reported that SPSU had

met all standards.

SPriNg 2013 Three SPSU students, including Elizabeth Stephenson, working with SPSU

Assessment Technology Specialists Marka Ormsby and Robin Daniel, ran

a 10-week after-school program for at-risk middle school children focus-

ing on computational math

aPril 2013 PSC Board of Examiners agreed to recognize SPSU graduates who apply

for initial certification

SPSUTeach MILESTONES

A look at SPSU’s teacher education program: Four degrees for which a teacher certification track is available

bachelor of Science in chemistry

bachelor of Science in Physics

bachelor of Science in biology

bachelor of arts in mathematics12 4

3

AcAdeMics

Page 20: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

20 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

he number of students attending the

Career Counseling Center’s 2012-13 co-

op/internship orientation kickoff “was

the highest it’s ever been at 147,” said

Eileen O’Laughlin, assistant director of

Career Services.

“Last spring, I had 75 active

participants in the co-op program, and

this year I have 124, so the numbers are

continuing to grow,” she said.

O’Laughlin attributes the growth

to several factors, including increased

awareness of the value of internships/co-

ops and new marketing techniques.

“Word-of-mouth has also been

very powerful as students share their

experiences with each other,” she said.

Computer science major Katie Trivette

of Marietta began work as a co-op for Cox

Communications in January to gain work

experience for her resume.

“I have a better understanding of what

I want after graduation,” the 21-year-old

senior said, noting she’s done network

engineering testing and programming for

online tools at Cox. “I’m looking for a job

more focused on software development.”

Junior Taylor Lord, who has completed

two co-op terms with Brasfield & Gorrie,

LLC, and plans to do a third this year, said

co-ops gave him the opportunity to work

full-time.

“This allowed me to focus solely on

the job, getting to know the people around

me in the company and learning the ways

of the company,” said Lord, a construction

management major.

After meeting with Brasfield

representatives at a career fair, the

Kennesaw resident said he “felt like I

belonged in that company.”

“The morale and everyday operations

they explained lined up perfectly with me,

and I thought I would be a great fit for

the company,” said Lord, 22, noting he has

been exposed to all phases of construction.

“I have confidence I could jump into the

construction industry tomorrow and

have enough knowledge to survive in the

construction world.”

Brasfield & Gorrie’s Senior Project

Manager Adam Wheeler ’05, an SPSU

alumnus, said “a large number” of the

company’s full-time employees come from

the co-op/internship programs at local

colleges — “one of our primary recruiting

tools.”

“It allows us, and the student, to

get to know each other in a working

environment without a major commitment

by either party up front,” he said, noting the

company averages 60 to 70 interns/co-ops

per semester.

The SPSU alumnus said company

officials look for students with “a good

work ethic and a passion for our business.”

“Experience in the industry is not

necessary at all,” he said. “We will train

them in that part. Motivation, dedication,

and a passion for construction are the

traits that the student needs to bring to

the table.”

Shaw Industries Group Inc. hires

about 150 co-ops/interns each year, many

from SPSU, said Shaw’s college recruiter

Matthew Foy.

“Southern Polytechnic continues to

educate and develop some of the best,

brightest, and most passionate engineers

that we meet,” he said.

By offering engineering students a

chance to learn the skillset needed to work

at Shaw, the company can “put students

in those fast-paced, unique environments

T

Facing a tough job market after graduation, more Southern

Polytechnic State University students than ever are getting

a jump on the competition by participating in the school’s

internship and cooperative education (co-op) programs.

— Senior Brandon Hines

Co-op/Internship programs on the rise

“I wanted to do the co-op program to gain some real experience in my field of study to put on my resume as well as begin building networks.”

Page 21: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 21

and evaluate whether they have the ability

to be truly successful in the world of

manufacturing,” Foy said.

Shaw plant engineer Jordan Allen said

the co-op/intern programs benefit both

the students, who have a “leg up” in their

job search, and the company, which can

evaluate how well they perform in Shaw’s

facilities.

“For students, their work terms can

almost be considered a year-long job

interview for them to see if they like Shaw,”

he said. “Interns and co-ops make Shaw a

successful company because we are able to

hire engineering graduates with the exact

type of experience we’re looking for.”

Allen added that he looks for outgoing

students who communicate well and are

willing to learn and “take chances on

making mistakes.”

Senior Brandon Hines, an industrial

engineering technology major, became a

Shaw co-op last spring, but he also interns

there between co-op semesters.

“I wanted to do the co-op program to

gain some real experience in my field of

study to put on my resume as well as begin

building networks,” the Kennesaw resident

said. “I chose Shaw because I knew of the

company through some alumni and heard

about the environment there.”

Hines said he’s responsible for projects

ranging from “helping reallocate space for

storage to helping cut company costs by

$30,000 a year.”

“I have learned that you never know

who is going to see your work, so be sure to

always put in the effort it deserves,” he said.

Pond and Co. is another firm that’s

had “great success” with SPSU co-ops, said

Integrity Engineer/Project Manager Brian

Lunsford ’09, who is also an alumnus.

Pond’s Integrity and Compliance

Management group employs one or two

co-ops per semester to give students

experience in mechanical integrity and

cathodic protection, which are two

specialties that don’t have an abundance of

qualified engineers, Lunsford said.

“As a previous co-op myself, I realize

the value in hiring co-ops and developing

the experience and qualities it takes to be

successful,” the SPSU graduate said. “The

relationship gives the co-op ‘real-world’

experience, while providing Pond with

additional resources for projects.”

Lunsford said he hires students

who work productively without constant

supervision, prefer a “hands-on approach”

to engineering, possess problem solving

skills, and are proficient in creating technical

engineering reports.

Employers interested in recruiting

co-op or intern candidates should contact

Christi Pichon, SPSU’s employer and career

relations coordinator, at 678-915-7391 or

[email protected].

Recreated PMS

stUdent exPerience

Page 22: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

22 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

The signs that Southern

Polytechnic State University

is now a 24/7 campus are

everywhere.

These days, when darkness has fallen

and the faculty/staff parking lots have

emptied out, laughter and chatter echo

along campus walkways as residential

students make their way to the dining

hall, a movie in the Student Center, or a

game of dodgeball next to the Engineering

Technology Center.

They wait to board the Marietta

Trolley to shop or eat at local restaurants,

returning later with grocery bags and other

finds.

SPSU Police patrol the campus

constantly and have found their services

needed at all hours. The university has a

full-time nurse on staff and a physician

under contract. Throughout the campus,

fliers advertise numerous after-hours

activities — from study groups and

concerts to competitions and giveaways.

Meanwhile, in University Columns, the

colors and insignia of various fraternities

and sororities compete for attention.

It’s 2013, and SPSU has come of age.

Many people perceive the university

as strictly a commuter school until they

venture onto campus and are shocked

to find many more buildings than they

imagined, including special interest houses,

apartment complexes, and residence

halls filled with suites. Last fall, SPSU had

a record number of students living on

campus – more than 1,500.

SPSU built its first dormitory in the

early 1960s and a second later that

decade. SPSU became a four-year college

in 1970, but it was not until 1998 that

the demand for on-campus housing

prompted the opening of the apartment-

style community University Commons,

offering private bedrooms and, in some

cases, private bathrooms in fully furnished

apartments. A second apartment

community called University Courtyard

opened in 2004.

By 2008, student enrollment at SPSU

had steadily increased in response to

expanded programs, and projections

called for even greater growth over the

next few years. It was time not just to

expand student housing options, but also

to change directions in campus housing

management.

The result was the opening of two

new suite-style residence halls: a 600-

bed complex known as Hornet Village, and

SPSU’s special interest housing, University

Columns, which has ten 12-bed, Greek-style

houses occupied by fraternities, sororities,

the university’s soccer team, and visiting

professors. SPSU now has a total of 1,673

beds to offer students.

“Up until five years ago, the operation

of Norton and Howell halls was privatized

– they were managed by an outside firm,”

said Chris Bruno, SPSU’s director of Housing

and Residence Life. “The university’s

leadership decided to form its own housing

staff, and the emphasis has since shifted

from viewing students as simply a source

of rent revenue to individuals whose needs

are important and whose opinions are

valued and respected. We are here for the

students and to help them be successful.”

The staff of Housing and Residence Life

has tripled since 2008. There are now 50

student staff members — which translates

Residential boom at southeRn Polytechnic

state univeRsity

at home on camPus:

Page 23: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 23

into one resident assistant (R.A.) for every 33

residential students — supervised by three

full-time staff members, all of whom have

master’s degrees related to their fields. In

Bruno’s first 15 months at SPSU, the student

housing occupancy rate rocketed from 82

percent (1,250 students) to 94 percent (1,552

students). The staff created a variety of

educational and fun activities for residential

students — enjoying pizza with the president,

etiquette dinners, video game competitions,

and sessions on study skills, laundry tips, and

sex education.

“We’ve seen attendance at these events

go through the roof,” Bruno said.

Sorority member Ariyanna White, 20,

who lives in the Alpha Xi Delta House and

has lived on campus for three years, has

definitely noticed the difference. “It used to

be there were maybe one or two activities a

week. Now, there’s something to do pretty

much every night. The people who say this

campus is boring are the students who

commute home after classes and miss out

on all these events.”

The honor student added that, “the

students who live here are more active in

student organizations and events. They

enjoy themselves more. You meet a lot of

people hanging around here at night when

fun things are going on.”

Brittany Rosario, 18, lives in Hornet

Village. “It’s a great opportunity to make

friends, go to campus events, and use

academic resources like the library and

meeting with professors. It also helps you to

be on time to class,” she noted.

As a non-traditional-age student, Randy

Brown, 26, has a different perspective on

the value of student housing. The managing

editor of the SPSU student newspaper, The

Sting, Brown has enjoyed the convenience

of being able to work late hours in the

paper’s office with only a short walk back to

his University Courtyard apartment, where

he often cooks his own meals in his fully

equipped kitchen.

“The cost [of student housing] has gone

up in the two years I’ve been here, but it

includes utilities,” he noted. “And for me,

saving gas and travel time is well worth it.”

With residential students enjoying a

significant uptick in amenities, services, and

activities over the last few years, campus life

at SPSU is clearly flourishing. These students

are “a lot more involved and engaged” in

events and activities – and in their education

– Bruno said, noting that student success

is central to the mission of Housing and

Residence Life.

“IT’s a greaT

opporTunITy To

make frIends, go

To campus evenTs,

and use academIc

resources lIke

The lIbrary and

meeTIng wITh

professors. IT

also helps you

To be on TIme

To class.”— Freshman

Brittany rosario

stUdent exPerience

Page 24: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

24 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher and Major Gen. Peter Boylan, president of Georgia Military College (GMC) in Milledgeville, signed an articulation agreement in April at SPSU. It will allow GMC students to apply their associate degree credits toward SPSU baccalaureate degrees without losing credit hours in the transfer.

“This articulation will provide academic access

for GMC students,” said SPSU’s vice president for

Academic Affairs, Dr. Zvi Szafran. “Now GMC students

will be able to, transfer to SPSU with relative ease.”

“GMC is a liberal arts–based, two-year college.

Many of our students go on to pursue baccalaureate

degrees at four-year colleges and universities, and

our cadet program is a feeder program to both West

Point and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. GMC has nine

campuses throughout the state and close to 8,000

students,” Major Gen. Boylan noted. “SPSU offers

significant opportunities for our students to further

their education.”

As for how SPSU stands to benefit from the

agreement, “GMC is a different type of institution than

SPSU with a student body that is more than 50 percent

female and a mature online presence that will help to

bring more students to SPSU from beyond Georgia,” said

Dr. Sam Conn, vice president for Information Technology

and chief information officer at SPSU and the former

director of online learning at GMC.

“This articulation is consistent with Gov. Nathan

Deal’s Complete College Georgia initiative, which is

designed to improve the educational pipeline from high

school through college graduation, particularly in the

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

(STEM) fields that are our bread and butter,” Dr.

Szafran noted.

Jeremy Vogt, a student in SPSU’s undergraduate

program in information technology, was one of four

GMC graduates enrolled at SPSU this spring — prior to

the articulation agreement signing.

“I heard about SPSU’s great hands-on learning style

and was instantly attracted,” he said. “I also read in

brochures about the small class sizes and liked that.”

Vogt said his experience in making the transition

to SPSU wasn’t difficult. “I just had to make sure my

transcripts were sent over and my classes would

transfer. Most of mine did, but GMC requires a different

programming language than SPSU, so the classes that

had to do with that transferred in but are not needed

here. I’m sure the agreement would have helped me by

making sure all my classes transferred over.”

Another GMC graduate, Steven Franzkowiak, “was

attracted to SPSU’s Electrical Engineering Technology

program and its hands-on approach to engineering”

and found that the tuition and living in Marietta fit his

budget.

The GMC partnership is one of the latest in a series

of transfer articulation agreements formed with a

variety of educational institutions and systems and

is the wave of the future for SPSU as more and more

students seek an affordable, hands-on education in

engineering, engineering technology, architecture and

computer science.

ArticulAtion Agreement witH georgiA militAry college

to bring more students to SPSU, smooth the transition

SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher and GMC President Gen. Peter Boylan signed an agreement that allows GMC students to apply their associate degree credits toward SPSU baccalaureate degrees without losing credit hours in the transfer.

AcAdeMics

Page 25: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 25Southern Polytechnic State University 00

Page 26: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

“I f you dial my phone, and it seems I’m not home, I’ll be

in the state of euphoria!”

That was Dr. Joyce Mills’ sunny sign-off at her retirement

reception in December 2012 after 22 years of service as

assistant director (1990-92), acting director (1992), and then

director (1993-2012) of SPSU’s Lawrence V. Johnson Library.

She began her professional career as head of the High

School Division and library manager of the American School

in London. Married to artist Lev Timothy Mills, she loves to

travel and once helped build a library in Botswana, so it is

hard to imagine Dr. Mills having been sequestered among

the stacks for the past two decades.

Of course, she hasn’t been, but Dr. Mills focused much of

her energy on improving the library’s services and resources

to better serve SPSU students, faculty, and staff.

SPSU Magazine sat down with her as she bid farewell

to the campus to talk about her career of 40-plus years and

her dedicated service to the institution.

SPSU Magazine: Dr. Zvi Szafran,

vice president for Academic Affairs,

called you “one of the real pioneers

in moving SPSU online.” What was he

referring to?

Dr. Mills: The chief reason I was

hired [as assistant director for public

services] was to prepare the Johnson

Library for automation and to oversee

the installation of an integrated online

circulation system. Basically, that

means the computerization of the

library, taking it from the old manual-

checkout card-catalog system to an

online catalog.

26 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

feAtUre

Page 27: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

SPSU Magazine: What are you most

proud of having accomplished during

your years at SPSU?

Dr. Mills: Well, there have been a

lot of milestones over the years, such

as bringing in PALS [library software],

followed by GALILEO [GeorgiA LIbrary

LEarning Online, an online library portal

initiative of the Board of Regents of

the University System of Georgia for

access to authoritative, subscription-

only information unavailable through

free search engines or Web directories].

We also implemented e-Reserves [a

collection of electronic documents such

as journal articles, sample tests, and

syllabi that instructors make available

to students] and expanded the library

computer lab from 10 workstations to

more than 60. I want to give credit

to Li Chen, our talented systems

librarian since 2000, for doing the

research needed to bring about these

changes. In 2010, she added a live,

online chat feature, Ask A Librarian

[http://www.spsu.edu/library/ask.htm],

that is very popular.

I’m very proud that we rolled out The

Hive Search in 2012. It’s a Google-like

search engine on the library’s homepage

[http://www.spsu.edu/library/] that

searches books, journals, magazines,

and images. Later, our reference

librarian, Amy Coughenour, customized

The Hive for the Johnson Library, and

the Reference department teaches

classes that inform students and

faculty of the nuances of the hundreds

of databases with free access. They

answer students’ questions and have

found patrons to be very appreciative of

this service.

Art professors and students now

have online access to our Bentley Art

Collection with full descriptions and

images. The response has been just

phenomenal.

I’m also very proud of the full

library staff. Yongli Ma has been

appointed interim library director, and

she has been with me since 1994, a year

after I was named director. People work

very hard here. Customer service is No.

1, and you have to know the databases

inside and out. You can’t fake it. Many of

us have been here a long time. We’re

like a family. [In fact, six of the nine staff

members who reported to Dr. Mills

worked with her for more than 10 years,

a testament to her gentle-yet-firm

leadership.] I’m also pleased about

having recently added a catalog/archives/

interlibrary loan librarian [Erin Grant]

to the staff.

SPSU Magazine: I see you’ve taught

college courses as well as managed

public and college libraries.

Dr. Mills: Yes, after I left the

American School in London, I taught

school librarianship at Atlanta

University [1973-86]. Then I was given

an opportunity to manage the West

Hunter Branch of the Atlanta-Fulton

Public Library, where I also served as

the weekend librarian in the archives and

special collections at the main branch. And

automation was upon us — I spearheaded

the barcoding and automation of the

collection there at West Hunter

[1986-90].

SPSU Magazine: You also have three

advanced degrees.

Dr. Mills: I received a Master’s in

Library Science in 1969 from the School

of Library Science at the University

of Wisconsin [Madison], a specialist

degree, the Diploma in Advanced

Studies in Librarianship [DASL,1981],

from Emory University, and a Ph.D.

[1987] from the School of Library and

Information Studies at Florida State

University (Tallahassee).

SPSU Magazine: So what’s next for

Joyce Mills?

Dr. Mills: In 1991, I published a

family genealogy, “Two Trees Standing,”

and it is time to update it and perhaps

write my own autobiography. There

will also be more international travel

and museum hopping. Together with

my hobbies [she’s a self-described

book autograph hound and has a

collection of dolls], I’ll have plenty to

do in retirement. I’ve enjoyed my time

at Southern Poly, but I’m also looking

forward to this phase — I feel like my

life has been blessed!

Southern Polytechnic State University 27

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28 SPSU Magazine Summer 20133528

Page 29: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

hree Southern Polytechnic State University

alumni are among those responsible for

making the city of Athens, Ga., what it is

today.

Collectively, Paul T. Martin ‘53, Gerald Driver ‘65,

and Bobby Snipes ‘73 have helped create jobs, spark

economic development, combat droughts, and serve

countless citizens through their professional and

volunteer roles in the community.

T

Meet

who helped shape thecity of Athens

THREESPSUALUMS

SPSU alumni Bobby Snipes, Paul Martin, and Gerald Driver.

Southern Polytechnic State University 29

Page 30: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

30 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Paul Martin, who grew up in Atlanta, graduated from

what was then Southern Technical Institute in 1953.

He arrived on a basketball scholarship, undecided on

his course of study. However, he became interested in

heating and cooling when he learned in class that “the

future was limitless with air-conditioning — the new ‘have-

to-have’ product in business and homes.” Just five years

after graduating from Southern Tech, Martin purchased

an interest in a heating and air-conditioning company that

later became Martin Mechanical Contractors, a commercial

mechanical, electric, and plumbing company. He owned

and operated the company for 40 years along with two

residential heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning

companies, Bulldog Heating and Air in Athens and

Macy’s Air in Atlanta.

The leadership Martin showed in business continued in his

volunteerism. When he came to Athens in 1957, he became

involved in the Athens community to network for business

and to meet people in the community.

Today, name a service organization in Athens, and

there’s a good chance Martin has been a part of the

leadership or donated to the cause.

First, he joined the Athens Jaycees, and his participation

in that organization later served as a springboard for his

future efforts in making Athens a better place to live.

He joined the volunteer advisory board of The Salvation

Army – an organization he felt greatly shaped him as a

young boy. He has been a board member for over 53 years

and has served as chairman for eight years.

Perhaps his most visible contribution was his

involvement with The Classic Center, a 55,000-square-foot

convention center in Athens. Twenty years ago, leaders of

the community made a commitment to build the center, and

Martin was one of those leaders. His main goal for getting

involved was to make sure The Classic Center could support

itself and would help create prosperity for the community.

Martin served on The Classic Center Authority Board

for eight years and continued to volunteer his expertise on

the Construction Committee.

In 2000, it was Martin’s vision to create a cultural art

foundation to ensure the longevity of the center. He led the

formation and served as president of the foundation for the

first 10 years and has continued to serve on the board.

PAUL T. Martin

“It always feels

good to be on the

winning side of

anything.

”PAU L T. M A R T I N

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Southern Polytechnic State University 31

Martin’s seemingly endless resume of community service

has also included volunteer roles at Beech Haven Baptist

Church, where he is a charter member, and membership on

the Southern Polytechnic State University Foundation Board,

Air Conditioner Contractors of America Board of Directors, and

Athens Business Council. He also served on the Clarke County

Board of Education and was a member of the Clarke County

Chamber of Commerce.

The awards he has received include: University of Georgia Arch

Award; The Athens Athletic Hall of Fame; Golden Nail Award;

American Legion Coach and Little League Baseball Coach of

the Year, Jaycee Young Man of the Year and most recently, The

Salvation Army’s highest award, William Booth Award.

He also served in the Georgia Air National Guard.

At 80, Martin has remained humble about his years

of community service. “I was a small cog in the wheel of

progress,” he insisted. “It always feels good to be on the

winning side of anything.”

So what has kept Martin going?

“I still feel like I’m able to do some good for people,”

stated Martin. “If your work is satisfying and you enjoy it, it’s

not hard at all to keep at it.”

His favorite motto: “The harder you work, the luckier you get!”

It was almost by chance that Gerald Driver ended up at SPSU —

then known as Southern Technical Institute — in the 1960s.

He originally had his sights set on a bigger Georgia college, but

when his high school grades fell short, educators encouraged

Driver to take his first college classes elsewhere and transfer

later to the four-year institution. Driver followed only the first

part of that advice. “I went to Southern Tech, and I said, ‘What

the heck — I love it here,’” he said.

After graduating in 1965, he moved to Athens for his first job

as a construction contractor. In 1973, he established his own

company and has remained at the helm of Driver Construction

Co. since then.

Take a look around Athens, and you’ll see some of the

ways in which Driver influenced the city. His company

constructed a range of the buildings that make up Athens’

landscape, including the University of Georgia’s Sanford Hall, a

four-story medical building for the Athens Regent Medical Center,

and the chapel in the University of Georgia’s botanical gardens.

GERALD Driver

“I wouldn’t have been

able to do anything

I’m doing today without

my education.

”G E R A L D D R I V E R

AlUMni Profile

Page 32: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

32 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Among his biggest sources of pride is the

50,000-square-foot addition his company built at First

United Methodist Church, of which he is an active member.

For more than 30 years, Driver has served the

Associated General Contractors of Georgia through various

roles, including as a member of the board of directors, as

Georgia Branch AGC president (1998–99), and, since 1991, as

a member of the AGC’s workers compensation program.

In 2012, Driver was honored as the recipient of the

highest honor bestowed by AGC, the annual Skill, Integrity,

and Responsibility (SIR) Award. It is presented to someone

who demonstrates those attributes.

“That was a high point for me. You really can get

humbled when your peers recognize you.”

Driver said he wasn’t looking for recognition for

those qualities. “I’ve tried to live a correct life and run my

business in a correct fashion.”

Driver, who has a private pilot’s license, is a longtime

member of the Ben Epps Airport Authority and has served

on the advisory board for The Salvation Army. Previously,

he served in the Georgia Army National Guard, was on

Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs State Codes

Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Athens

Rotary Club.

Through his volunteer work, “I feel like I am repaying

our community somewhat for what we have been blessed

with here.”

Driver said his professional skills have been an asset

to his volunteer work. He has offered his construction

expertise to The Salvation Army and — as a member of the

airport’s building committee — worked on such projects as

the general aviation terminal and a new airport fire station.

His accomplishments are many, and he credited his

alma mater for much of his success.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do anything I’m doing

today without my education,” Driver said. “I’m extremely

proud of my Southern Tech education and the information

I received there. When I came out, I didn’t feel that secure,

but I learned real quick that I knew more than some of my

cohorts did.”

That’s why he carries with him a constant reminder of

his college years.

“I still wear the class ring,” he said. “I love it.”

Bobby Snipes enrolled in Southern Technical Institute as

a co-op student, dividing his time between classes and

his job with the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The university grew from a two-year institution to a four-

year school while Snipes was a student. He continued his

education, graduating with a degree in civil engineering

technology in 1973, and became a registered professional

engineer in Florida and Georgia.

Snipes accepted his first position with the Clarke County

government as the county’s first traffic engineer during his

last academic quarter at Southern Tech. He subsequently

served the Athens community as the city engineer/director

of public works and finally as the deputy manager for the

Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County.

In this role, Snipes often used a single question that

reminded his staff of the importance of their work.

“We would continually ask our department heads,

‘How do we leave this community better than we found it?’”

he explained.

When hiring employees, he said, “I always looked for

an embedded desire to make a difference. Education and

technical abilities are certainly required in one’s profession;

however, I have always believed that such a desire to

achieve is also very important.”

BOBBY Snipes

AlUMni Profile

Page 33: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Southern Polytechnic State University 33

That desire was what drove Snipes, who played

instrumental roles in establishing a stronger government

and addressing infrastructure needs within the Athens

community as well as water concerns in the region.

“Our job is frequently to provide the things that the

public often takes for granted,” he said of basic services

like roadways and water.

In fact, Snipes said, he’s long observed that unlike

various community groups that advocate for many

important community needs such as libraries, “I have never

encountered a ‘Friends of Infrastructure’ organization.”

But infrastructure has at least one friend in Snipes, who

served the Athens-Clarke County community during a 39-

year career from 1973 until his retirement in the fall of 2012.

Among his most significant accomplishments was his

role in the creation of the Bear Creek Water Reservoir, an

$80 million joint effort among Athens-Clarke, Jackson,

Barrow, and Oconee counties and the associated managing

authority. Completed in 2001, the Bear Creek Reservoir

mitigates the effects of droughts by supplying water when

river levels become too low to support community need.

Water use was restricted in his county during the

droughts of 1986 and 1988, Snipes recalled. But when rain

failed to fall in 2007, “The reservoir helped carry us through

that drought, which was a rather significant event.”

Though he’s stepped down from his full-time position,

Snipes hasn’t left service with Athens-Clarke completely. He

continues to work for the government one day each week.

His name will long be remembered in the county,

too. In 2009, Athens-Clarke’s new water testing and

management facility was named the Bobby M. Snipes

Water Resources Center.

Snipes said he was caught off guard by the honor.

“It’s not necessarily important that people remember

my name. It’s important for me to know what’s been done,”

he said.

Snipes credited much of his professional success to

his college education.

“The ability to think critically and objectively, which I

learned at Southern Poly, has served me well in all areas of

my work,” he said. “It gave me the self-confidence to trust

my own judgment.”

“It’s been a rewarding career for me, in large part due

to Southern Poly.”

“It’s been a rewarding career for me, in large part dueto Southern Poly.

”B O B B Y S N I P E S

Page 34: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

34 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Lady Hornets rebound and defy the odds

After going 6-24 last year, the Southern Polytechnic State University women’s basketball team truly made a 180. SPSU ended the 2012–13 season with a 25–6 overall record, but it was no cakewalk getting there.

The Hornets finished the season

as the Southern States Athletic

Conference (SSAC) Tournament

runners-up and advanced to the

first round of the National Association of

Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National

Tournament. This marked the third

time in four years that the team has

competed in the national tournament

and the second under third-year Head

Coach Laquanda Dawkins.

The women started off the season

strong with an 11-0 record — the second

best start in SPSU women’s basketball

history. Then the Hornets hit a bit of a

rough patch.

“We took a couple of losses, and it

showed that we weren’t unstoppable,”

Coach Dawkins said. “We had to refocus

and rely on our defense and each other.

We stayed together through adversity.”

After making the necessary

adjustments, SPSU regained its

momentum and powered through a

nine-game winning streak that included

a home victory over then-No. 6 ranked

Lee University of Cleveland, Tenn. The

Hornets rose as high as No. 24 in the

NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball

Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, and eight of the

games were victories of 20 or more

points.

SPSU began its postseason at

the 2013 SSAC Tournament held in

Montgomery, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2.

The Hornets were the No. 2 seed in

the Eastern Division and played the

No. 3 seed out of the Western Division,

Belhaven University of Jackson, Miss., in

the quarterfinals. SPSU advanced to the

semifinals, where the women defeated

by 69-49 the No. 4 West seed Emmanuel

College of Franklin Springs, Ga. When

it came time for the SSAC Tournament

championship game, the Hornets fell

short to the No. 1 Eastern seed, No. 7

nationally ranked Lee.

The Hornets’ season was not over

though. Before they knew it, the women

were on the road again making their

third trip to the NAIA Division I Women’s

Basketball National Championship in

Frankfort Ky., March 13-19. SPSU received

an automatic bid to the 32-team

tournament after finishing as the SSAC

Tournament runner-up. During the first

round, No. 7 seed SPSU was matched up

against the No. 8 nationally ranked and

No. 2 seed Vanguard University of Costa

Mesa, Calif. The Hornets’ season ended

with a first-round loss to the Lions.

This season, the Hornets had some

notable rankings within Division I of the

Page 35: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

35

NAIA. SPSU ranked No. 6 in three-point field goal percentage

(0.361), No. 9 in turnover margin (5.0), and No. 10 in free throw

percentage (0.722).

Coach Dawkins took an almost entirely new team and

transformed it into an SSAC powerhouse. “We made changes in our

roster that included the addition of NCAA transfer Sarah Ogoke,

from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi,” explained Coach

Dawkins. “Behind senior point guard Ashlie Billingslea — the only

returning player from last year’s team — we went back to our old

winning ways.”

Billingslea, SPSU’s lone senior, had numerous NAIA Division I

individual rankings including No. 4 in steals per game (3.45), No.

6 in total steals (107), and No. 8 in total scoring (570 points). She

was SPSU’s representative on the SSAC Musco Lighting Champions

of Character Team and was chosen for the 15-person All-SSAC

No.6

No.9

No.10

Hornets: Division I NAIA Rankings

three-point field goal percentage (.361)

turnover margin (5.0)

free throw percentage (.722)

No.4

No.6 No.8

steals per game (3.45)

total steals (107)

total scoring (570 points)

Ashlie Billingslea: Division I NAIA Individual Rankings

No.6

No.9

defensive rebounds per game (7.55)

points per game (18.38)

Sarah Ogoke: Division I NAIA Individual Rankings

Team for the second consecutive year. “Ashlie has been our

leader on and off the court this year,” said Coach Dawkins.

“She will be hard to replace.”

Another member of the All-SSAC Team was junior Ogoke.

She was named the SSAC Newcomer of the Year and Defensive

Player of the Year. When it came to the national rankings, she

was No. 6 in Division I of the NAIA in defensive rebounds per

game (7.55) and No. 9 in points per game (18.38).

Coach Dawkins’ coaching philosophy was picked up very

quickly by the team. Her system allowed for each player to be

placed in the most successful situation and to use her skills

to their utmost potential.

“Our team is fundamentally sound and very aggressive on

offense. We look to attack our opponent on every possession,”

explained Coach Dawkins. “Our goal is to push the ball up the

floor at every opportunity while maintaining a disciplined half-

court offense.”

Coach Dawkins’ defense has been known for creating more

scoring opportunities in transition.

“We emphasize good man-to-man defense — particularly

the half-court trap and defending in transition — and use it to

apply ball pressure, to force turnovers, and to score transition

baskets,” she said.

Coach Dawkins was joined on the coaching staff by

assistant coaches Stephon Seraile and Theo Wilmon, both

in their second seasons with the Hornets. Josh Martin is the

SPSU head athletic trainer.

ATHLeTiCS

Southern Polytechnic State University

Page 36: SPSU Magazine Summer 2013

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAiDMarietta, Georgia

Permit No. 318

Public Relations Department

1100 South Marietta Parkway

Marietta, Georgia 30060-2896

www.spsu.edu

August 3, 2013Summer Graduation

10 a.m. in the SPSU Gymnasium

August 14, 2013First Day of Fall Classes

October 9, 2013Fall Career Expo

12-3 p.m. in the Recreation and Wellness Center

October 14, 2013PolyDay

The culmination of a month-long fundraising effort by the SPSU Foundation to raise awareness and support from the university’s community partners.

December 14, 2013Fall Graduation

10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the SPSU Gymnasium

Save These Dates

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For more information about these events and dates, please contact the Advancement Office at 678-915-7351.

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