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Oglethorpe’s Senior Art Show
Posted by: | May 11, 2012 | Comments
OU seniors would like to invite YOU to Oglethorpe University’s Senior Art Show. The four-day exhibition is curated by Professor Alan Loehle and comprised of works by graduating art majors and minors from Oglethorpe University.
Students Nicole Kang, Lauren Visconti, Lara Jacques, Sarah Duff, Kara Samples, Sean Lovett, Michaela Mayfield, Samantha Korotskin, Bianca Hernould, Hannah Goldman, Jessica Sundstrom, Leeane Eldredge, Katie Odell, and Ian Franklin will showcase some of their best works created during their time as undergraduates. A wide range of works in mediums, styles, and subjects will be part of the exhibit.
The show will run May 11 – 14, 2012 in the Talmage Room of the Emerson Student Center. An opening reception will be held on May 11, 2012, 7-9 p.m. Need more information? E-mail Nicole Kang at nkang@oglethorpe.edu.
Relive Oglethorpe’s 2012 Commencement
Posted by: | May 10, 2012 | Comments
The academic quadrangle is set up, awaiting commencement.
The Oglethorpe University 2012 Commencement ceremony was held on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 9:00 a.m., on the academic quadrangle of the OU campus. For a full recap of this special day, see our 2012 Commencement Scrapbook.
President Larry Schall presided over the ceremony honoring more than 250 graduating seniors. During the ceremony, Oglethorpe presented three honorary degrees to:
– Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson, an accomplished pianist, Holocaust survivor, and former faculty at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters.
– Sue Adcock Frueauff, a foundation and community leader, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
– Ted Turner, a renowned leader in business and philanthropy, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Each honorary degree recipient addressed the Class of 2012. Past recipients of honorary degrees include President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Woodrow Wilson, and Amelia Earhart.
Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson
Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson is a Ukrainian-American pianist and former faculty member of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (Bloomington). Dawson came to national prominence in 2009 after her son, journalist Greg Dawson, published the book Hiding in the Spotlight chronicling his mother’s escape from the Holocaust. A young prodigy, Dawson began piano lessons at age five and made her performance debut at age 6 on the radio. She later received scholarships to attend the Moscow State Conservatory. In 1941, she was forced to flee the persecution of Jews in her hometown. She escaped only to find herself forced to survive by playing her music for Nazi soldiers from the army that had killed their parents. Dawson was eventually adopted and brought to the United States, where she studied music at the Juilliard School of Music.
Sue Adcock Frueauff
Sue Adcock Frueauff has served as a trustee at the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation in Little Rock, Ark. for 22 years. From 1996-2001 she also worked as a program officer at the foundation, and since 2001 has served as chief administration officer. Prior to the foundation, Frueauff worked for 16 years as an elementary school principal in Russellville, Arkansas, and 13 years as a classroom teacher in the Arkansas Public Schools. Frueauff has served on numerous boards and in leadership positions at the Arkansas Tech University Foundation, University of the Ozarks, American Association of University Women (Branch and State President), Arkansas Curriculum Development Association, Suspected Child Abuse & Neglect, Centers for Youth & Families, and many more. She is an active volunteer and leader in her community, having given her time and talents to Arkansas Rice Depot, Stewpot, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Arkansas Literacy Council, Child Protection Team, and numerous others. Frueauff earned her Master of Science in Education at the University of Central Arkansas and her bachelor’s at Arkansas Technical University.
Ted Turner
Throughout his career, Ted Turner has received recognition for his entrepreneurial acumen, sharp business skills, leadership qualities, and his unprecedented philanthropy. Whether in billboard advertisement, cable television, sports team ownership, sailing, environmental initiatives or philanthropy, Turner’s vision, determination, generosity and forthrightness have consistently given the world reason to take notice. Turner is chairman of the United Nations Foundation, which promotes a more peaceful, prosperous and just world; co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; chairman of the Turner Foundation, which supports efforts for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect the earth’s climate, safeguarding environmental health, maintaining wildlife habitat protection, and developing practices and policies to curb population growth rates; and co-founder of Ted’s Montana Grill restaurant chain, which operates 44 locations nationwide. Turner is also chairman of Turner Enterprises, Inc., which manages his business interests, land holdings and investments, including the oversight of two million acres in 12 states and in Argentina, and more than 55,000 bison.
Petrel Pride Abounds in Golf, Baseball, Track
Posted by: | May 01, 2012 | CommentsOglethorpe student-athletes have been pulling double duty lately, between studying for finals and end-of-season practices and games—and it’s paying off in multiple sports!
Black and gold reigns! Pictured: junior Eric Quinn, freshman Anthony Maccaglia, sophomore Hayden Jones , senior Matt Rebitch, sophomore Anthony Amodeo and Coach Owen.
The Oglethorpe Men’s Golf team dusted the field this weekend to win their 10th SCAC Men’s Golf Championship at the Tunica Resorts in Mississippi. The Petrels led wire-to-wire to take the hardware for the fourth time in five years and earn their 14th trip to the NCAA Championships.
Junior Eric Quinn won medalist honors and the SCAC Golfer-of-the-Year distinction by shooting 3-under par for the event to win by 7 strokes. Freshman Anthony Maccaglia finished tied for 6th at 8-over par to earn both First Team All-Conference and Freshman of the Year honors. Sophomore Hayden Jones joined them on the All-SCAC First Team by shooting 4-over par and finishing in a tie for second place. Senior Matt Rebitch and sophomore Anthony Amodeo also enjoyed fine weekends, coming home in a tie for 14th and 17th place, respectively.
Automatic bid in hand, the Petrels will now turn their attentions to the 2012 NCAA Championships, which Oglethorpe is co-hosting with the Central Florida Sports Commission, to be held May 15-18 at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
OU senior Jake Spear selected to the All-SCAC first team.
Just days before, two members of the Oglethorpe baseball team earned All-SCAC honors. Senior second baseman Jake Spear was selected to the All-SCAC first team, and senior Joe Parillo was selected as All-SCAC honorable mention as a designated hitter. This selection represents the second All-SCAC honor for Spear, who made the 2009 honorable mention list as a freshman. This is Parillo’s first All-SCAC selection.
And good news comes in three! The Track Petrels took the podium at the SCAC Championship in Birmingham. The women’s 4×100 relay team (junior Sherry Blystone and sophomores Kyana Jenkins, Ky’Laine Rogers and Raven Foust) had the highest relay finish in school history by finishing a close second to national leader Rhodes.
Record holder Katy Galli
Freshman Katy Galli concluded a spectacular first year by breaking her own school record TWICE in the 100 meter hurdles by running a 15.69 in the preliminaries and then breaking it again in the final with a 15.44. Galli’s second place finish was right behind national champion Tiarra Goode’s conference record-breaking victory. Galli’s first year concludes with six indoor and outdoor school records. The women’s team finished 8th overall, the same as last year, but scored a higher point total in a much tougher conference.
The OU Petrels now turn focus to their next immediate goal—conquering final exams!
“Outdoor Classroom” Benefits OU Students …and Bluebirds
Posted by: | April 24, 2012 | CommentsOglethorpe seniors Andrew Davenport and Sandy Vuong recently let me tag along to watch their springtime, end-of-semester urban ecology project take off… literally.
The two students were assigned special projects for their Urban Ecology class, taught by Dr. Roarke Donnelly, OU associate professor of biology and director of the Urban Ecology Program. Davenport and Vuong, both biology majors, decided to team up and investigate the behavior of Eastern bluebirds.
OU senior Andrew Davenport "flushing" the bird box
“Bluebirds prefer to find pre-existing cavities and build their nests in them,” said Davenport. “They pick already available accommodations and make them their own. Our research aims at explaining why they choose certain locations to nest and not others.”
The project quickly became a campus-wide effort. OU’s Sigma Zeta National Science and Mathematics Society stepped in to help create the habitats, in hopes that the birds would choose them. Chassidy Teal, Sigma Zeta president, and the other Sigma Zeta members built the birds’ boxes as a service project. Dr. John Cramer, OU professor of physics, helped with the building effort and installed them around campus.
There are now 10 boxes all over the OU campus and half of them are occupied by bluebird families. Some are home to adult birds only, some have eggs in them and some little hatchlings. Davenport and Vuong take turns checking the boxes and recording data several times every week.
“Eastern bluebirds don’t have as many cavities available for nesting as they did before extensive logging and land development,” said Dr. Donnelly. “Boxes serve as suitable substitutes.”
Thanks to the joint effort of the honor society and Dr. Cramer, the two OU seniors are able to use their classroom knowledge and apply it to this hands-on project. But, the experiment has benefitted the bluebirds as well as the students studying them.
“We did not have many bluebirds on campus,” said Dr. Cramer. “The experiment has attracted them to our outdoor classroom.”
Join the Urban Ecology Program and other OU science students during Science-Palooza on Wednesday, April 25, from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Academic Success Center, when they will present their projects and findings from their end-of-semester projects.
The male bluebird passes a worm to the female. She will then feed it to the little baby bluebirds.
View more photos of OUr bluebird families!
Oglethorpe’s New “Short Courses” Are Long on Fun & Learning
Posted by: | April 23, 2012 | Comments
OU shook things up this semester by adding a variety of short courses that focused on fun topics and experiences. Many students took advantage of the 13 one-time learning and recreational experiences, mostly taught by Oglethorpe staff.
This semester’s short courses have explored interesting topics like “How to Survive in the Woods…in a Hammock” with Jon Nooner, technical director for the Conant Performing Arts Center, and “Extreme Couponing” with Bre Berris, director of Greek affairs. Students indulged their sweet tooth with Kim-Marie John, Emerson Cafe’s baker, in a short course that introduced the art of decorating your own cupcake. Residence Life Coordinator Alyssa De Gazon led a short course discussion about the The Hunger Games book series. Students also toured Elm Street Gardens, a two-acre community organic garden, founded by alumnus Robert Currey, which provides food for hundreds of families in Hancock County, the poorest county in Georgia. Students also gathered to learn “Sign Language: 50 words you need to know”, a short course taught by Jay Gardiner, OU’s athletics director (pictured above). Gardiner shared his knowledge in a fun and interactive environment that left the students asking for more.
The short courses were so popular that there are already plans for them to return in the fall semester. The Office of Campus Life invites students to submit ideas for short courses. If there is a skill you would like to learn—or teach—send your suggestions to Kendra Hunter at khunter@oglethorpe.edu and the Office of Campus Life will do their best to make it happen!
OU students toured a two-acre organic community garden founded by OU alumnus Robert Currey.
2012 Symposium Spotlights Oglethorpe Students’ Academic Accomplishments
Posted by: | April 13, 2012 | Comments
On Tuesday, the OU community gathered for the 2012 Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium to celebrate the academic achievements of our students. The annual event provides OU students with a platform to present their own work—and fellow students, faculty, parents, and staff take the opportunity to learn more about the various topics, support the presenters, and engage in passionate discussions. Nearly 200 students presented during more than 30 sessions about topics drawn from a wide variety of disciplines.
We asked students Joscelyn Stein, Dayana Diaz, and Weston Manders to give us their thoughts about the Symposium:
This year’s topics ranged from “The Homeric Hero: What Winston Churchill and Odysseus have in common…or not” to “Mosquito in the Room: America’s Cuban Obsession and the Need for a New Era of Cuban-American Relations,” to “The Evolution of Fairies in Literature: From Oral Folk Tales to Peter Pan” and “The Benefits of Cooperative Interspecies Evolution: Why Would you have a Dog?”
A new addition to the day-long event was StoryCore, where students from the OU radio station video recorded students and faculty sharing “OUr Core moments,” reflections on the Core Curriculum. Oglethorpe’s Core Program helps shape our academic community and is regularly the focus of shared stories. Many of us have our “Core moments”—when something we encounter reminds us of something we learned in a Core course, when ideas are suddenly are connected. The collection of 90-second videos will be posted on the StoryCore page over the next few weeks. Here’s the first StoryCore video in the series, by Chelsea Reed ’13, a Communications and Rhetoric major.
Also new to the Symposium this year was an “Homage To OUr CORE in Poetry and Creative Verse.” The poetry slam/creative word jam took place in the Lupton Auditorium and gave a stage to students and faculty to share their poetry, spoken word and freestyle compositions, penned in honor of our Core Curriculum. The friendly competition chose winners in a few categories:
Judges’ Choice: Kaci Palmore
Most Creative: Chou Thao
Connection to Core: Will Carter
The day-long celebration of student achievements ended in the Conant Performing Arts Center with the annual Honors and Awards Convocation, which recognized individuals who had excelled during the academic year. Congratulations to all of the honorees!
View photos from the 2012 Liberal Arts & Sciences Symposium!
OU Students Explore Ideas in Social Entrepreneurship and Service at Sullivan Foundation Retreat
Posted by: | March 29, 2012 | Comments
Recently, a group of six students represented Oglethorpe University at the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation Service and Social Entrepreneurship Retreat in Hendersonville, NC. Brian Cornelius ’15, Shea Pitre ’15, Corey Ray ’14, Vanessa Garcia ’15, Ashley Causey ’14, and Samuel Lyon ’15 all took the opportunity during the three-day retreat to learn more about social entrepreneurship and its importance and power for change. Together with students from colleges on the east coast, and from the South and the Appalachian mountain area, they shared ideas about how they want to change their own communities and the world.
The weekend featured presentations by established social entrepreneurs (many of whom were undergraduates as well), while the students were able to develop their own ideas at the same time. Participants also heard from Perry Wilson, founder and president of If I Had a Hammer, as well as Oglethorpe’s own Tamara Nash, executive director of the Center for Civic Engagement. Interacting with such exemplary people who have made their dreams a reality was enough to get even the most reluctant participant excited.
“The experience and skills that I gained while at the conference are things that I will never forget,” said Brian Cornelius. “It helped me to better understand social change, and how even in college, if we try, we can make the world a better place by simply just having an idea.”
Chi Phi Fraternity President and CCE Ambassador Corey Ray was intrigued by the “changing trend of community service.”
At the end of the weekend, the students were given the opportunity to develop our own ideas and receive direct feedback from the professionals that they had recently heard from. The Oglethorpe students developed business models and presented these ideas at the conference.
Interested in hearing about their ideas and learning more about the Sullivan Foundation? Please join these six students for a panel presentation and discussion on Tuesday, April 3 at 12:30 pm in the Center for Civic Engagement, located in the Emerson Student Center at Oglethorpe.
Thank you to these six students, who contributed to the content of this article.
OU Student Comes Face-to-Face with WWII History
Posted by: | March 23, 2012 | Comments
Paige Williams and Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk
OU student Paige Williams recently had the chance to meet 91-year-old WWII veteran Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, the navigator of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima that helped to turn the course of the war. Paige, who is the vice president of the Oglethorpe Veterans’ Club (OVC), met the American hero at a gathering of the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association, where he was a guest speaker.
Paige was able to meet Mr. Van Kirk as a result of an invitation from an OU faculty member Dr. Chris Benton, who is the director of accounting studies at OU, the faculty advisor for the OVC, and a Vietnam veteran. Dr. Benton is a proud member of Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association, an organization that brings together metro Atlanta professionals who share the bond of serving their country in Vietnam. The association meets monthly and celebrates a special guest speaker during each meeting.
According to Dr. Benton, some speakers are Medal of Honor winners—and they all represent the face of American history. Each provides their own personal account of events and sometimes even unveil a humorous side of history.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to meet the people who lived and wrote the history that we all study in classrooms.”
The Oglethorpe Veterans’ Club is always looking for ways to honor and remember American veterans. In just a few weeks, on Saturday, April 7, they’re planning a day trip to the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Ga., billed as “the greatest museum in the U.S. designed first and foremost with the Army Infantryman in mind.” The trip is open to everyone. To sign up for trip or to learn more about OVC, send an e-mail to ovc@oglethorpe.edu.
Oglethorpe Feels the Mardi Gras Spirit from Atlanta to New Orleans
Posted by: | March 09, 2012 | Comments
This year the Oglethorpe community celebrated “Fat Tuesday” both on the road and at home.
The OU French Club planned a road trip to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday)—the first trip of its kind for the Francophone group. They immersed themselves in the culture, practicing their French language skills and visiting the French-speaking children at L’ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orleans.
“We learned about the history of the Cajuns and how they were sent to Louisiana from Canada,” said Alexus Whilby, president of the OU French Club. “We learned a lot about the history of voodoo and the contrast between Creoles and Cajuns. We also enjoyed the New Orleans Museum of Art and the French exhibit gallery.” The club plans to make this an annual trip.
While the French Club celebrated in New Orleans, the others back on campus shared a prayer and a delicious spread in Hearst Hall, hosted by the Orthodox Student Union. The feast united students of many different backgrounds, beliefs and religions.
“Hearst Hall has never been as cozy as it was on Fat Tuesday this Lent season!” said student Lidia Awad. “Everyone gathered…to enjoy great company, wonderful food, and celebrate the spiritual journey they were about to embark on.”
Sophomore Awet Woldegebriel, president of the Orthodox Student Union, described what Lent meant to him, saying “the Lent season keeps me grounded. Fasting or giving something up—going above and beyond what you usually do—is a humbling sacrifice and this Lent, I am excited to be able to share my faith with my Oglethorpe family”.
“The lamb, pastries, and warm fire were exceptional,” said Awad. “But nothing filled the Great Hall more than the love and the joy of everyone holding hands around the table, saying grace and reflecting upon the blessings we had been given.”
Operation HOPE to Help Oglethorpe Students Teach Financial Skills to Kids
Posted by: | March 06, 2012 | CommentsThe global nonprofit Operation HOPE will offer an orientation workshop on the Oglethorpe campus for one of its core programs, Banking on Our Future (BOOF). The program will teach Oglethorpe students valuable financial skills that they, in turn, can take to area schools to educate children about the basic practices related to credit and money management. This is an ideal opportunity for OU students to make a difference, add an impressive experience to your 
resume and network with business professionals—all while supporting a deserving cause.
The BOOF curriculum is designed to prepare volunteers to educate children ages 9-18 in five areas: Course in Dignity, Basics of Banking, Checking and Savings, Power of Credit and Basic Investments. Thus far, 80 volunteers have been trained and 3,653 children were reached in 2012.
Volunteers in the program include students from other colleges and universities, as well as professionals from businesses around metro Atlanta. With the support of more than 400 private sector companies, 5000 nonprofit organizations and schools and government partners, HOPE has reached over 2 million low-wealth individuals in 70 U.S. cities and South Africa. HOPE’s national corporate partners include business giants like Bank of America, E-Trade Financial, Microsoft, State Farm Insurance, Sun Trust Bank, Toyota and Wells Fargo.
The training will be held on Thursday, March 8, 6-7 pm in Hearst 114. For more information and to reserve a spot in the seminar email Caroline Weimar, in Oglethorpe’s Career Services office, at cweimar@oglethorpe.edu.