Macon State Today Spring 2011

VOLUME 14 • NO. 2

SPRING 2011

The Office of Institutional Advancementpublishes Macon State Today. It is circulated to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends

of Macon State College.

•

Dr. David A. BellPRESIDENT

John P. ColeVICE PRESIDENT

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Bill WeaverDIRECTOR

COMMUNICATIONS

Sue B. ChipmanASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT

DEVELOPMENT and ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Sheron SmithEDITOR

Renee PearmanASSOCIATE EDITOR

•

MACON STATE COLLEGEFOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dwight C. Jones, ChairmanDavid S. Lanier, Vice ChairmanRobert Ray, Jr., Secretary

F. Dewayne Foskey, TreasurerSue B. Chipman, Executive Director

Dr. David A. BellSamuel F. Hart, Sr.Robert F. Hatcher, Jr.Sylvia W. McGee

Thomas J. McMichaelRhonda S. PerryStephen A. ReichertRonnie D. RollinsWin C. RoshellNancy P. StroudJames A. VaughnEdward A. Walsh

Trustees EmeritiWaddell Barnes, M.D.Robert F. Hatcher, Sr.

Charles H. Jones (deceased)Buckner F. MeltonJoe E. Timberlake, III

•

CORRESPONDENCESheron Smith

Macon State College100 College Station DriveMacon, Ga., 31206-5145

(478) [email protected]

•

DESIGN: Burt&Burt, LLC

PRINTING: Athens Printing Company

www.maconstate.edu

The NewPresident

Taking a New Road

4 DR. DAVID A. BELL, MACON STATE’S LONGEST

SERVING PRESIDENT, ENDS HIS TENURE AND

REFLECTS ON THE COLLEGE’S REMARKABLE

EXPANSION SINCE 1997.

DR. JEFFERY S. ALLBRITTEN

BECOMES MACON STATE’S

SIXTH PRESIDENT ON JULY 1.14Special Section THE MACON STATE COLLEGE

FOUNDATION 2011 ANNUAL REPORT

SOCCER JOINS BASEBALL, BASKETBALL,

TENNIS, COMPETITIVE CHEERLEADING,

AND RUGBY AS MACON STATE’S CLUB

SPORTS PROGRAM KEEPS GROWING.

WithHonors

Scoring

Blue StormGets a Logo

THE COLLEGE ADOPTS

A LOGO TO REFLECT

THE NEW BLUE

STORM MASCOT.

15TOP STUDENTS GRAVITATE TO

RIGOROUS ACADEMIC PROGRAM.

On the Cover DR. DAVID A. BELL, MACON STATE COLLEGE’S FIFTH PRESIDENT, IS SHOWN

IN LATE FEBRUARY 2011 ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE PROFESSIONAL

SCIENCES AND CONFERENCE CENTER, ONE OF EIGHT CAMPUS BUILDINGS

CONSTRUCTED OR COMPLETELY RENOVATED DURING HIS 14-YEAR TENURE.

Photo by Maryann Bates.

17Classroomswith a View

THE TEACHER EDUCATION BUILDING

ALONG THE MACON CAMPUS LAKE

NEARS COMPLETION.

2118

his spring marks the end of

another exciting academic

year at Macon State College.

Among the most notable events, the Board of

Regents supported our desire to raise admissions

standards in a way that preserves our access mission

but gives us greater opportunity to invest our energies

into students we can help the most to earn their

bachelor’s degrees in a reasonable amount of time. We

will challenge applicants to meet our new standards,

and we will promise those who enroll that their

decision will be rewarded with our strong commit-

ment to ensuring their success.

In another milestone, we opened our first on-

campus housing community, College Station, and

began planning to build other residence halls on the

Macon Campus. Our students have for years been

asking for the opportunity to have a residential

campus experience, and now that opportunity is

theirs for the taking. The first residential students

moved into College Station last fall, and many are

now campus leaders and participants in the rich and

varied extracurricular activities we offer, including an

emerging club sports program.

This is today’s reality of Macon State: We have an

exceptional faculty. We have 18 high-quality bachelor’s

degree programs. We have built a college dedicated to

and aligned with the educational and economic needs

of our region. With the latest developments in

academic standards and housing, I believe all the

major components to support a strong baccalaureate

institution are now in place.

These were the realities upon which I reflected

when I made the decision, announced last fall, to end

my term as president in June 2011. It was not an easy

decision, but one whose timing feels exactly right. My

plans include continuing my research and teaching

interests in philosophy and spending more time with

my family (though not necessarily in that order!).

Macon State has meant more to me than most

people can imagine. The professional and personal

relationships I have developed here are among the

richest of my life. Upon my arrival in 1997, and

throughout the years since, I had the honor of work-

ing with the most dedicated and forward-thinking

faculty, staff, and administrators a president could

hope to find in higher education. Some have moved

on to other things, some have passed away, some even

left and came back, but all were indispensible in

building this most unique institution.

I also count myself fortunate that during my time

as president the college received tremendous support

from local, regional, and state elected leaders, business

and civic leaders, Robins Air Force Base, the Board of

Regents, and all three chancellors for whom I worked.

Whatever vision I had, whatever ideas I may have

brought to the table, they could not have been ful-

filled without the backing and active advocacy on our

behalf by people who know how crucial the college is

to Central Georgia’s vitality.

To everyone who contributed to Macon State’s

success in any way – through dedicated teaching or by

choosing to enroll, by supporting us legislatively or

donating to a scholarship fund, by creating a partner-

ship or helping beautify the campus – I am humbly

grateful.

Macon State may have come of age as a four-year

institution, but much work remains. A better, even

more prosperous future lies ahead. My greatest wish

for the next president is for him to have as much fun

as I have had – if not more!

My deepest thanks and appreciation to you all.

See you in the next chapter.

PRESIDENT

[T]

4 MACON STATE TODAY

“Sometimes you get lucky. Wefound this fellow, Bell, a tennis-playing philosopher, wanderingaround Georgia looking for a job.We thought we’d better get himoff the streets, so we sent him toMacon State as interim president.Before long people were asking usto make him their permanent pres-ident. And the rest is history, ahistory of transformational leader-ship of the highest and mosthumane quality.”

— Dr. Stephen R. Portch, University Systemchancellor, 1994 to 2001.

As Macon State’s longest-servingpresident ends his term, he reflectson the college’s revolutionarychanges of the past 14 years.

Dr. David A. Bell, center, cuts the ribbon at the ceremonial grand opening of the Warner Robins Campus in 2003. With him are, from left,Mike Hale, then executive director of the WRC; then state Rep. Larry Walker; Donald Walker, then mayor of Warner Robins; W. MansfieldJennings, Jr., of the Board of Regents; and state Rep. Larry O’Neal. Photo by Danny Gilleland.

Taking a New Road

Spring 2011 MACON STATE TODAY 5

hen Dr. David A. Bell got his first

look at Macon State College in the

summer of 1997, shortly after he

was named interim president, he knew he was in for

what he called “a great ride.”

This was a college potentially on the verge of

the largest and most multifaceted expansion of its

then three-decade history. Just months removed

from shedding two-year status, Macon State had

launched three bachelor’s degrees with rapid job

growth – information technology, health informa-

tion management, and health services

administration. The long-awaited addition of four-

year programs meant that enrollment, which had

slumped in recent years, was poised to grow again.

Meanwhile, construction was about to get

underway on the Student Life Center while another

major facility, the future Charles H. Jones Building

for health and natural sciences, had moved near the

top of the state Board of Regents priority list.

tArticle continues on page 6

[W]

By Sheron Smith

“David Bell hit the ground runningwhen Chancellor Portch appointedhim as interim president. He isadmired and known as an out-standing leader within the systemby his peers and by the Regents.Macon State has grown so muchand done so well it will be hard toimagine the institution withoutDavid.’’

— Robert F. Hatcher, Sr., president andCEO, MidCountry Financial Corp., andmember of the Georgia Board of Regents.

6 MACON STATE TODAY

Solidifying the growth potential was a strong veteran

faculty, as evidenced by the reputation of the former

two-year college’s students for doing well after trans-

ferring to four-year schools.

By January 1998, when the Regents gave Bell the

permanent appointment as president, Macon State

was moving at a fast and furious pace.

The new president brought in a former colleague

from the University of North Texas to guide develop-

ment of the new bachelor’s degree in IT, one of the

first in the University System of Georgia. The Cal

Tech- and Harvard-educated Dr. Bill Elieson was soon

joined by others who partnered with longtime admin-

istrators, faculty, and staff to usher in Macon State’s

new era.

These were heady days of the evolving

“Information Age,” yet many feared its potential

impact on higher education. Bell embraced the chang-

ing times and saw them as an opportunity to help

Macon State develop a special niche and launch initia-

tives with speed and agility.

Under his leadership, IT became a key aspect of

Macon State’s new mission to rapidly build bachelor’s

degrees tied to Central Georgia’s professional employ-

ment needs in business and industry, particularly the

region’s primary economic engine, Robins Air Force

Base.

Success came almost overnight. The IT degree

drove Macon State’s initial enrollment boom, under-

girded its first partnerships with the base and other

enterprises, and for a time was considered the college’s

“signature” academic program. The Board of Regents

took notice and soon granted approval to add two

more four-year degrees, in business and communica-

tions, which had strong foundations in information

technology.

Since then, with the pace varying somewhat

depending on the economic climate and other factors,

Bell is interviewed by Macon State students working for MSC-TV during the 2005 grand opening festivities for the renovatedLibrary. Photo by Bruce Radcliffe.


“As the new leader of a freshly minted four-year college, David had the wisdom to searchthe business and civic and residential community to see how the presence and the mission of Macon State College could make the business community more resilient, thecivic community more civil, and our larger community of citizens stronger and better.”

— Dr. Kirby Godsey, chancellor, Mercer University


The president visits with members of the Macon State Blue Storm baseball club before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the 2011season opener at Luther Williams Field. Photo by Maryann Bates.

“David had the insight to take theRegents’ current needs and evolvethem into expanded four-year programs for Macon State. I believethat if we could keep him two orthree more years the name of theschool would change to MSU!”

— Joe Timberlake, III, retired businessleader and trustee emeritus, Macon StateCollege Foundation.

8 MACON STATE TODAY

Macon State has expanded steadily. By last fall, when

Bell announced he would end his tenure as president

this spring, the college bore almost no resemblance to

what it had been in 1997.

Today Macon State offers 18 four-year programs

covering all major academic disciplines and filling

specific needs in Central Georgia. Overall enrollment

is up 73 percent. The college is now awarding more

bachelor’s than associate’s degrees each year. A spec-

tacular building boom and botanical gardens project

has completely transformed the look of the Macon

Campus.

Warner Robins, which the college served for

years in leased space in an office park, now has its

own Macon State campus, a development that took

even Bell by surprise. In Macon, there are now stu-

dents living on campus at a school where the

newspaper used to be called The Commuter, and the

recent emergence of club sports has driven talk of an

eventual return to intercollegiate athletics.

“Everything a strong baccalaureate institution

needs is now in place,” said Bell, who turned 66 in

March. “If I’m going to step off the train that is

Macon State, now seems like the right time to do it,

personally and professionally.”

In this interview with Macon State Today, Bell

reflected on his time as the college’s longest-serving

president and his hopes for its future.

“Under Dr. Bell’s tenure, Macon State hastruly flourished when viewed by anymeasure — enrollment, private giving,construction and, particularly, currentlyoffering eighteen bachelor’s degrees. Dr.Bell has been an outstanding leader forthe college and the community and hispresence on the campus and within theUniversity System will be missed.”

— Erroll B. Davis Jr., University System of Georgiachancellor, 2006 to 2011.

(Above) Bell is shown with Robert F. Hatcher Sr., left, a businessleader from Macon serving on the Board of Regents, and Erroll B.Davis Jr., University System chancellor.

(Right) During Bell’s tenure, Macon State conferred more than 3,000bachelor’s degrees.

(Left, page 9) Bell, whose academic discipline is philosophy, was aguest lecturer this spring in an “Ethics in Science” class. Photo byMaryann Bates.

(Right, page 9) The college’s partnerships with Robins AFB grew innumber and quality during Bell’s tenure. Here he is shown in 2007 with Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Owen, then commander of the Warner RobinsAir Logistics Center. Photo by Sheron Smith.


What do you think was the key to Macon State’s

revolution, especially in the earlier years of your

presidency when it seemed like degrees were

being added every month and buildings were

going up left and right?

“I brought ideas to the table when I arrived here,

but the truth is that there were a lot of people already

at Macon State – and others who came along in those

first few years – who had great ideas for helping this

college reach its potential. They wanted the college to

do more and be more. Information technology was a

revolution, and I wanted to capture that fast and build

it like a business, ahead of the competition. I’m not

saying other colleges didn’t see what was happening,

but I think we did a better job of taking advantage of

it, and the result was the best IT degree in the state

and a lot of partnerships and initiatives related to

information technology. It happened very quickly and

was very exciting. It put Macon State on the map. I

initially worried that some faculty members would

not accept the new direction, but they did. They really

came through and realized IT was an enhancement to

the liberal arts, not a threat. Their flexibility and sup-

port is a big reason Macon State is what it is today. We

were also very lucky in that the Board of Regents and

all three chancellors I’ve worked under recognized the

potential of Macon State and its value to Georgia and

greatly supported us.”

That intense focus on IT made it seem for a while

that Macon State would evolve into a school that

was something like Southern Polytechnic instead

of what it became.

“Our mission to serve the region with career-ori-

ented bachelor’s degrees has never changed, and IT

was the lever we were able to grab hold of to begin

fulfilling that mission. But economic and social reali-

ties eventually gave us the opportunity to broaden

our focus. Central Georgia needs more and better-

prepared teachers, and we stepped up and created a

School of Education. The region needs more RNs

with the critical thinking skills that are honed by

studying at the baccalaureate level, and we delivered

“Dr. Bell is a remarkable man. Under his tutelageas president, the results at Macon State speakloudly for themselves. During the ten years thatI served on the Foundation, he lived the tenetsof the philosopher. He was able to bring outthe best in each member of his staff.”

— Waddell Barnes, M.D., trustee emeritus and formerchairman, Macon State College Foundation.


10 MACON STATE TODAY

on that, too. Central Georgia and its needs were always

the core of our mission. Its wellbeing is our business,

and that is intentional. But, again, it was because of

our success with IT that we got opportunities to

branch out.”

Are there any aspects to Macon State today that

you didn’t expect to develop?

“I never really thought we could pull off a brand

new, permanent campus in Warner Robins. Warner

Robins and Houston County are important con-

stituencies, and we were going to continue to serve

them, but I could not have imagined the donation of

seventy acres to establish a campus and have plenty of

room for future expansion. The leaders there wanted

it so badly and they pulled out all the stops to help

make it happen. I also never imagined we’d be able to

practically rebuild the Macon Campus with new, con-

temporary academic buildings. I knew we’d get some

new buildings, but not this many and not this fast.”

Of everything that’s happened at Macon State in

the past 14 years, what are you most proud of?

“There are a lot of things, but one is the high level

of community support the college has received. People

often come up to me and tell me that they are Macon

State graduates or that their children are Macon State

students. Some parents have told me there was a time

they would not have considered sending their children

to Macon State, but that changed when they saw the

new realities of the college, including a gorgeous cam-

pus, a curriculum that sings, and a faculty and staff

full of passion.”

Any regrets?

“I wouldn’t call it a regret, but I had hoped the

college might be closer to university status with a few

highly specialized master’s degrees that were consis-

tent with Macon State’s mission. Maybe that will

happen someday; in any case, I’m sure Macon State

will continue to have a tremendous impact with its

established programs.”

Macon State awarded its first bachelor’s degrees to 16 graduates in 1999. In the frontrow with Bell are, left to right, Charles H. Jones, then a member of the Board ofRegents; Dr. Waddell Barnes, then chair of the college’s Foundation; and Dr. J. ThomasIsherwood, then Macon State’s vice president for academic affairs.

Dr. David A. Bell was inaugurated as MaconState’s fifth president in October 1998.

“David Bell initiated the dramatic transi-tion from a commuter two-year collegeto a four-year residential institutionwhere students can live on a supportive,lively campus and have their entire livesimproved because of the experience. Aswe say today, ‘That’s a game changer.’”

— Chris R. Sheridan, Jr., president, Chris R.Sheridan & Co. General Contractors.


What’s next for Macon State?

“The new president will have his priorities, of

course, but there is no doubt the next few years hold

much promise and opportunity. Macon State has

always had talented students, but just recently, with the

support of the Regents, we’ve been able to raise admis-

sions standards. That will transform the student body

even more. In addition, there is a new recreation and

wellness center planned, as well as an expansion of

campus housing, so there will be no shortage of

momentum for Macon State College.”

How are you feeling as your tenure comes to a close?

“I’m not sure I feel the impact just yet of moving

on to other things. But I’m comforted by the fact that

I’ll always have a connection to the college, and I’m

comfortable with my decision to focus on some differ-

ent things. The college has meant more to me than

most people can imagine. The friendships and work-

ing relationships I’ve made have been valuable parts of

that experience.”

Anything you would like to say to the Macon State

community?

“Thank you for everything you’ve done and con-

tinue to do for this college. It’s been my pleasure to

serve you.”

The David A. Bell File

Originally From: Great Neck, N.Y.

Family: Wife, Lynn Everett Bell, an artist andformer social worker with a master’s in socialwork from the University of Alabama; threegrown children; five grandchildren.

Education: Ph.D., philosophy from the Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill; master’sdegree, philosophy, Miami University; bachelor’sdegree, philosophy, St. Lawrence University.

Career Highlights: President of Macon StateCollege, 1997-2011; earlier posts included serv-ing as vice president for administrative affairsand faculty member in the Department ofMedical Humanities, University of North TexasHealth Science Center at Fort Worth, and hold-ing various administrative and teaching posts atthe University of South Carolina, where he alsoserved as an associate dean of the honors col-lege. Bell became Macon State president shortlyafter his first wife, Dr. Nora Kizer Bell, becamepresident of Wesleyan College. At the time, theBells were believed to be the only married cou-ple in the nation serving as presidents ofdifferent colleges in the same city. Dr. Nora KizerBell later became president of Hollins Universityin Roanoke, Va. She passed away in January2004.

Bell received the Citizen of the Year award at the 2011 Greater MaconChamber of Commerce’s annual dinner. He is shown in this photoafter the ceremony with his wife, Lynn Everett Bell, and Chris R.Sheridan, who presented the award. Photo by Maryann Bates.

"My father, Charles H. Jones, often told methat one of the best decisions he was everinvolved with as a member of the Board ofRegents was the one that led to Dr. Bellbecoming president of Macon State. I'vehad the honor and privilege of knowingand working with him for many years. Dr.Bell has quietly and humbly taken MaconState to a performance level that rivals anycomparable institution in the UniversitySystem. We in Central Georgia owe him agreat debt.”

— Dwight C. Jones, president, Ocmulgee Fields, Inc.,and chairman, Macon State Foundation.


THEN

NOW

“I always appreciated Dr. Bell’s forward-thinking approach thatincorporated the breadth of the liberal arts with the pragmatism tosee where our students might applythose disciplines in their personaland professional lives. One of thethings that drew me to this schooland to his leadership was thatimportant blend of solid standardsin a liberal arts education pairedwith strong technological and business offerings to our students.”

— Dr. Monica Young-Zook, associate professor of English, Macon State College.

Enrollment

3,603

Full-Time Faculty

THEN

NOW

112

Bachelor’s Degrees

Fall 1997 to Spring 2011

THEN

183

NOW

The David A. Bell Era@ Macon State College

6,232

187

3,330+THEN 0

Bachelor’s Degrees Conferred

NOW


“My greatest involvement with Dr. David Bell was earlier when heand I, in my capacity as a staterepresentative, were working onobtaining appropriated money fora Macon State College building inWarner Robins. I found him to beprepared, enthusiastic, and com-mitted in his quest to do what wasneeded in Warner Robins forMacon State and the potentialstudents in the area.”

— Larry Walker, former Majority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, current at-large member of the Board of Regents.

• Student Life Center

• Library (total renovation)

• Warner Robins Campus (renovation of the

former Thomas School, addition of two new

buildings)

• Charles H. Jones Building

• Professional Sciences and Conference Center

• College Station Residence Halls (acquisition)

• Teacher Education Building

Facilities Added / Modernized

Campus Acreage

THEN

502167

NOW

(Macon and Warner Robins)

THEN

NOW

$1,108,452

$76,854THEN

Foundation Support

Operating Budget

$73,732,295NOW

$21,115,729


Macon State welcomes Dr. Jeffery Scott Allbritten as the college’s sixth president.

The University System of

Georgia’s Board of Regents voted May

6 to name Allbritten as the new

president. His tenure begins on July 1.

“I’m humbled and honored to be

chosen,” Allbritten said. “During my

visit to the campus I sensed a college

and a community that want to keep

Macon State growing, and I’m excited about that

challenge.

Allbritten, 47, is currently president of the Collier

County Campus of Edison State College in Naples,

Fla., a position he has held since 2003. Edison State

College is a baccalaureate degree-granting institution

with three campuses and one center serving five

counties in southwest Florida.

The Collier County Campus serves more than

4,500 students annually and has an operating budget

of about $15 million. As president, Allbritten has

worked to strengthen and create community partner-

ships through active participation in numerous

boards, foundations, and economic development and

civic organizations. He worked with the institution’s

Foundation board to secure private funding for the

campus, including $3.65 million to leverage state

dollars to construct a health sciences facility and an

early childhood development facility.

In addition, he secured gifts from private donors

resulting in more than $1 million to fund scholarships

and forged partnerships with business, industry, and

other higher educational institutions to strengthen

and develop career pathways for students.

Among other accomplishments, Allbritten:

• Negotiated a partnership with the University of

Florida School of Dentistry to create an $8 million

pediatric dental clinic on the Collier Campus.

• Secured state funds to construct a $4.5 million

student services facility and conduct a $2.4 million

conference center renovation.

• Restructured services to provide a more student-

centered environment.

• Developed and gained school board approval for

a STEM-based collegiate high school.

The son of a career military officer, Allbritten was

born in Italy and spent his earliest years living over-

seas. The first place he lived in the United States was

Augusta, Ga., when his father was stationed at Fort

Gordon.

Allbritten said he will not set specific goals for his

presidency until he has time to assess the strengths

and desires of Macon State and the region it serves.

“I’m going to seize opportunities as they present

themselves,” he said.

Prior to becoming president of the Collier County

Campus, Allbritten was the director of Pines Center

Campus of Broward College, a comprehensive com-

munity college serving Broward County in southeast

Florida, from 2000-2003. Earlier in his career, he was

dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Florida State

College at Jacksonville and associate dean of the

College of Basic and Applied Sciences at Middle

Tennessee State University.

Allbritten holds a doctor of arts degree in

chemistry from Middle Tennessee State University; a

master of science degree in mathematics from Murray

State University; and a bachelor of science degree in

chemistry from Murray State University.

His wife, Liz Allbritten, is executive director of the

Immokalee Foundation, a non-profit organization

headquartered in Immokalee and Naples that focuses

on providing a wide range of educational pathways to

the youth of Immokalee. The couple has two grown

children and four grandchildren.

Meet Macon State’s New President:

Dr. Jeffery S. Allbritten

“Dr. Bell is leaving a tremendous legacy, and I want to keep the momentum going.”


Some of the students in the Honors Program are shown with Dr. Clay Morton (back row, far right), the program director, and Dr. DavidBiek (back row, second from right), who teaches an honors psychology class. The students are (back row, left to right) Egan Gullet, TylerHorne, Summer Leverett, and Hollidae Strozier, and (front row, left to right) Stephanie Miller, Lana Harris, Lana Kempton, BrandyWyatt, Lauren Pupek, and Heather Ness. Photo by Sheron Smith.

yler Horne wanted a deeper understanding

of the content covered in his college

coursework. Brandy Wyatt thought she

would gain a competitive edge in the job market once

she graduates. Egan Guillet was attracted by the chance

to interact with other high-achieving students.

Those are among the reasons all three freshmen

accepted invitations to take part in the Macon State

College Honors Program.Top Macon State students gravitate tochallenging program

“I didn’t want to just sit in a classroom,”said Wyatt, an IT major from WarnerRobins. “I wanted the extra challenge.”

[T]WithHonors


By Sheron Smith


Editor’s Note: For more information about the Macon State Honors Program, email Dr. Clay Morton at [email protected].

She and the other Honors Program students

are getting that in abundance. According to Dr.

Clay Morton, an assistant professor of English who

directs the program, academically high-achieving

students who participate develop their intellectual

potential through a variety of enhanced education-

al activities.

For example, students in honors economics –

taught by Dr. Greg George, Dr. Trip Shinn, and Dr.

Larry Wolfenbarger – visited the Atlanta Fed, where

they saw monetary policymaking in practice.

In Dr. David Biek’s honors psychology class,

students put concepts into practice by conducting

field work.

Students in Morton’s honors perspectives on

narratives course studied the work of Phebe

Davidson then played host to the poet herself when

she visited the class for a discussion.

Morton said honors students set themselves

apart from most other students by always being

prepared and having the willingness to “jump right

in” class discussions.

“They genuinely enjoy learning and get excited

about the world of ideas,” he said.

Macon State students score invitations to join

the Honors Program in two ways. The first is by

holding a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher and

making a combined SAT math and critical reading

score of at least 1,100. Students already enrolled at

Macon State can enter the Honors Program by

earning at least a 3.5 GPA after 15 hours of

coursework.

Honors courses are recorded with a special

designation on student transcripts in order to catch

the attention of graduate schools and prospective

employers.

Students who complete a certain number of

honors classes and earn a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or

higher are recognized as Honors Program

graduates and get to wear a special medallion at

commencement.

Morton said an increasingly popular aspect of

the program is something called “Honors

Designation Projects.” Typically, courses formally

designated as honors classes are those taught at the

freshman and sophomore level. However, honors

program students can earn honors course credit –

“honors designations” - at the junior and senior

level by completing special projects in those classes.

“The program encourages a wide range of

honors-designation projects,” Morton said. “Often

the projects are active and community-based,

providing students with real-world experience.”

For example, Heather Ness, a psychology

major, and Jennifer Bostic, an education major,

completed honors-designation projects for classes

in their degree programs.

Ness interned at CASA (Court Appointed

Special Advocates for Children) of Houston

County a few hours each week. She documented

her experiences in weekly reports, which identified

parallels between the real-life cases she was

observing and the theoretical concepts covered in

the class. She later presented her findings at the

Conference of the Southern Regional Honors

Council in Little Rock, Ark.

Bostic worked with two education professors

on a project involving fourth-grade students at

Miller Elementary School. She collaborated with

the students on a science story that complemented

the children’s environmental science lessons and

applied such writing strategies as fact versus

opinion and cause and effect. Bostic combined the

work with research and formally presented her

findings.

Honors students also get the opportunity to

present original research an at annual “Honors

Colloquium” sponsored by the college.

Horne, an economics major, said being part of

the Honors Program has a lot of intangible

benefits, too. “Usually you don’t want be the nerd

or awkward person who’s always speaking up in

class,” he said. “That’s not a problem in honors

classes because everybody wants to speak up.”


acon State College

adopted a logo

this spring

to reflect the new “Blue

Storm” mascot chosen

in late 2010.

The logo,

designed by a firm that

specializes in profes-

sional and collegiate

athletics sports identity

development, features the head of

a menacing horse emerging from a

background of blue storm clouds.

The horse gained favor with a committee of

students, faculty, and staff as a tribute to Macon

State’s original mascot, the Mustangs.

Joe Bosack Graphic Design Company presented

two versions of a Blue Storm logo to the committee.

The two versions were posted online and the campus

community was invited to give feedback. Of 620

responses, about 55 percent preferred the logo

eventually recommended by the committee and

approved by Dr. David A. Bell, Macon State’s

president. About 33 percent favored the other

version. The rest expressed no preference.

As part of his proposal, Bosack told the commit-

tee that, “By using the assigned imagery of a horse

within the Blue Storm identity, we make a subtle nod

to the history of Macon State while creating an image

that stands out amongst the crowded genre of storm

logos.

“The result is an identity that has a meaningful

connection to the college while making a unique and

own-able statement,” he said.

In summer 2010, Macon

State’s Student

Government

Association led the

effort to identify a

mascot since the old

mascot, the

Mustangs, had mostly

disappeared from use.

Mustangs was used when

the college had intercollegiate

basketball and softball teams, but those

teams disbanded in 1997.

With organized sports returning to Macon State

in the form of club teams – including baseball, soccer,

basketball, tennis, rugby, and competitive cheerlead-

ing – some students began the push for a mascot. A

campuswide contest yielded 370 suggestions that a

committee of students, faculty, and staff narrowed to

five finalists.

The committee eventually recommended “Blue

Storm” to Bell, who gave the final approval.

The word “Blue” comes from the college’s colors

of blue and gold. The word “Storm” was suggested

because a storm is powerful and threatening. It

contains energy, wind, lightning, thunder, and force.

James Hagler, Macon State’s director of

recreation and wellness, said the college’s club teams

will begin featuring the new logo on uniforms as

soon as possible. T-shirts and other merchandise

featuring the logo are available for purchase in the

college’s bookstores on the Macon and Warner

Robins campuses.

[M]

Here Comes the Blue Storm!



(Facing page) E.J. Rose drives toward the basket during the first home game of the season. (Above) “Here’s the pitch” fromBrandon Byram in the Blue Storm’s season opener against the Georgia Tech club team. Photos by Maryann Bates.

The Blue Storm keeps rolling in.Joining the Macon State College baseball club that

was founded in fall 2009, this academic year saw the

formation of basketball, tennis, soccer, and cheer

clubs. There’s also a rugby club that, as of spring, was

playing as part of an established Macon team.

“The club sports scene at Macon State is really

coming together, especially now that we have a new

mascot logo,” said James Hagler, the college’s wellness

and recreation director.

The baseball club played all of its home games this

spring at Luther Williams Field in downtown Macon

and was hoping for a repeat appearance at the

National Club Baseball World Series, held this year in

Columbus, Ga.

With the development of the Blue Storm basketball

club, the Macon State gym hosted its first competitive

basketball games since 1997, the last year of the

college’s varsity team.

Meanwhile, the Blue Squad cheer club cheered on

the basketball team at home games while the Gold

Squad participated in stunt competition.

In tennis, the club competed in a spring tourna-

ment at Georgia Southern University. And the soccer

club took on other area club teams, including those at

Mercer University and Georgia College and State

University, and hosted other teams at home games

played at the Macon Soccer Club fields located off

Eisenhower Parkway near the campus.

Hagler said Macon State students have expressed

interest in forming other club teams, including

women’s fast-pitch softball and women’s basketball.

Efforts also are underway to organize a golf team.

Information on how to start a club team is at the Blue

Storm’s website: http://bluestorm.maconstate.edu/.

“The more students we can get to participate,”

Hagler said, “the stronger our club sports program

will become.”

Great Forecast for Macon StateClub Sports

“Club sports have really added an excitingnew dimension to Macon State campuslife and they have given many students achance to take on leadership roles.”

By Sheron Smith

tMore photos on page 20


(Above) The Blue Squad of the Cheer Club cheers on the basketball club. Front row, L-R, are AsiaWhitehead, Jazzmin Maddox; and Shakale Lavelle; middle row, L-R, are Alyssia Anderson;Ashley Turner; and Jefferia Moreland; and back row, L-R, are Tiffany Pearson-Kilgore;Chelsea Shelton; and Jessica Karvelis.

(Right) Members of the Gold Squad of the Cheer Club work on one of their routines. The students are, clockwise from left, Ashley Holliday, Jessica Karvelis, Melissa Middlebrooks, andDawn Robertson.

(Above) Michael Spencer, a sweeper for theBlue Storm soccer club, makes an offensivecounter against a player for the GeorgiaSouthern club during a home game early thisspring. All photos by Maryann Bates.

(Left) Lonnie Castellano practices with theBlue Storm tennis club.

t

See article on page 19


Teacher Education Building Opens This Fall

he Teacher Education Building, now nearing

completion, wraps up a remarkable 14-year

boom in construction of new academic

facilities for Macon State College.

In Macon, the result is a completely transformed

campus that boasts some of the most technologically

advanced, architecturally distinct facilities in the

University System of Georgia. The Warner Robins

Campus, opened in 2003, owes its very existence to the

building boom.

“We’ve been fortunate that the Board of Regents and

a series of chancellors over the years supported the

funding of our new and renovated facilities while the

development of bachelor’s degrees drove our enrollment

growth,” said Nancy Stroud, who oversees capital projects

as vice president for fiscal affairs. “In the case of Warner

Robins, a combination of city and state support ensured

the creation of a campus. Just from a facilities standpoint,

Macon State is in great shape.”

That does not mean the college will stop planning

for the future. With students now living on campus and

the number of extracurricular activities increasing, the

college is planning in the relatively near future to build

an additional residential hall and a recreation and

wellness facility in Macon. And at some point Macon

State hopes to accommodate expected growth on the

Warner Robins Campus by expanding Oak Hall and

building a nursing and natural sciences facility.

The Teacher Education Building is expected to be

completed this summer and will open in time for fall

2011 classes.

Like the Professional Sciences and Conference

Center, the building was designed by tvsdesign of Atlanta

and is being constructed by Chris R. Sheridan & Co.

General Contractors.

According to David Sims, Macon State’s plant

operations director, the education building will house the

School of Education, the Educational Technology Center,

and the Middle Georgia Regional Educational Services

Agency. The $24.4 million project is a three-story

building totaling 80,000 square feet.

The building project also includes expansion of the

campus lake. Sims said the expansion had to be done

because the campus needs more stormwater retention

capacity, but the practical necessity of the move did not

mean it could not be done in an attractive manner.

The lake is expanded eastward and features a north-

south pedestrian bridge. The dirt walking path on the

north side of the lake is being rebuilt with brick pavers.

That walkway, which will be lighted at night, will circle

the east end of the lake and lead around to the Student

Life Center.

The photos on the following pages show the

building in the final stages of construction.

[T]

A view of the north side of the Teacher Education Building. Photo by Maryann Bates.

By Sheron Smith

22 MACON STATE TODAY22 MACON STATE TODAY


(Opposite) A lobby on the east side of the new facility. (Top Photo) This “mock” lab is where Macon State education majors will learntechniques of teaching science to middle and high school students. (Above Left) Dr. Pamela Bedwell, dean of the School of Education,and David Sims, plant operations director, look over plans for one of the classrooms on the south side of the Teacher Education Building.Macon State’s education faculty got the opportunity to help design the interior of the new building. (Above Right) Bedwell checks out thecenter corridor of a faculty office suite. All photos by Maryann Bates.

The education building will house the Schoolof Education, the Educational TechnologyCenter, and the Middle Georgia RegionalEducational Services Agency.

100 College Station DriveMacon, GA 31206-5145

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDAthens GAPermit #1

Photo by Maryann Bates.

www.maconstate.edu

Fall Semester Begins

August 15, 2011

Macon State Today Spring 2011

Documents

macon state college

friends of macon state

macon state colleges

themacon campus

campus buildingsconstructed

residential campus experience

arenow campus leaders

campus housing community