May 2013
newsletter
OOC News
In this issue:
A Note from the Chancellor
Click on list item to jump to page
Page 2
• Campus Hosts
Inaugural Admitted
Students Day
• Self Service Carolina
Page 3
• Campus Citizen of
the Month
Page 4
• New Convocation
Center Staff
• HR Updates
Page 5
• Children’s Center
Openings
• Congratulations
New Chancellor’s
Ambassadors
Page 6
• Pacer Sports Update
Page 7
• Chancellor’s note
continued
Page 8
• Carolina Trustee
Professorship
awarded to Maureen
Carrigan
• Endowed Chairs
• UIU Link connects
students with USC
Aiken
Page 9
• Faculty member
participating in
“Living on the Edge “
Symposium
• High-Impact
Educational Practices
Dear Colleagues,
campus is readying for
T heCommencement
which serves to
reiterate the fact that the 2013 academic
year is drawing to a close. As faculty
grade finals and calculate grades, and
staff close out this academic year to
prepare to rush headlong into the next,
I wish to pause just a moment to express
my gratitude to you for all you have
done this year to serve our students and
advance the university. Almost daily
I am reminded of what makes USC
Aiken a special place to learn and work.
Those reminders come from actions
large and small made by USC Aiken’s
faculty, staff, and administration who
serve our students with compassion and
dedication, treat each other with civility,
and face daily challenges with courage
and conviction.
This time of year, when we are
tired and stressed, it is easy to forget
what brought us to this place and why
we chose this profession. I can only
answer those questions for myself. I
am here because I want to be part of
an exciting and focused university with
a comprehensive, liberal arts mission.
Over the past fifty-one years, due to wise
decisions and hard work undertaken
across this institution, USC Aiken has
moved from a local two year branch
campus, to a 453 acre university with
students from across nation and globe,
offering accredited undergraduate and
graduate programs. We’ve changed
dramatically and adjusted our sights
as we progressed.
With this tradition, it is
appropriate that we continue to adjust
our sights and embrace the concept
of continuous improvement. At this
moment in time, as we prepare to put
into action the steps that will allow us
to realize the goals established through
the visioning process, I believe we
are poised to “adjust the dial” a
few degrees and become a public
liberal arts institution of even greater
distinction. You may well be asking,
“Since our first fifty years have been so
successful, moving from our humble
beginnings in Banksia as a two year
institution, to a lovely campus with
numerous degree options, why are we
discussing change?” The answer is
complex and multi-leveled, but here
are a few quick observations:
At the national level,
• The United States appears
to be in a decline relative to
countries in which college.
participation and completion
is rising. The US is losing its
education/competitive edge.
• Many states in the US are
predicting a shrinking collegegoing population.
• The recession combined with
an aging population has put
a strain on state and federal
budgets.
Continued on page 7
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page 1
Admissions counselors were on hand to
assist admitted students with their questions
regarding financial aid, campus life, and
registration.
S
First Annual Admitted Students Day
Newest campus visit opportunity well-received by guests
T
he Office of Admissions hosted
Admitted Student Day on
Saturday, April 27 in conjunction
with Student Life and with assistance
from multiple areas on campus. A
total of 95 students and 117 guests
attended and were able to choose
between 15 concurrent sessions
covering topics from the Honors
Program and the freshman Critical
Inquiry class, financial aid options,
and safety on campus. Guests
also participated in tours of the
quadrangle and Pacer Crossings,
had lunch in the dining hall,
and enjoyed a festive closing
session in the Etherredge Center
featuring the USC Aiken Cheer
and Dance teams, Ace the
Pacer, and student testimonials.
Designed as a final opportunity
to host admitted students for an
inside look at campus, anecdotal
feedback was very positive.
Admissions plans to make this
event an annual addition to
campus visit opportunities for
prospective or admitted students.
Self Service Carolina progress continues
ow that the first wave of registration using Self
N
Service Carolina (SSC) has been completed with
success, the summer months will be spent perfecting
some functions and adding others. The historical
records of the foreign language placement exams will
be added along with the newly admitted students.
Math placement exam scores will also be added. The
writing portfolio scores will be moved from the Degree
Audit Reporting Sysem (DARS). The Inter-Curricular
page 2
Experience (ICE) events and attendance records
will be moved to their new home in Banner Event
Management. Degree Works, the replacement for
DARS, will be implemented during the late summer/
early fall. The academic unit heads will also be given
the tools to make some of their special approvals
available on-line. Pre-requisite checking will be
activated for Spring 2014 registration activity.
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Congratulations to Woody Price for being selected as
Campus Citizen of the month for March 2013!
C
ongratulations to Mr. Woody Price, Wellness Center Special Programs
Assistant, USC Aiken’s May Campus Citizen of the Month. Thanks
to his efforts, he will receive $20 gift card, a sign for his desk, and a parking
spot.
Nominated by several of his peers that are steadfast members of the
Woody-led Boot Camp exercise class, they see Woody two mornings a week,
every week. Through their interactions and observations, they have come
to value Woody’s sincere dedication, not just to their individual class, but to
the Wellness Center and to the students of USC Aiken. His commitment,
service, and genuine concern for USC Aiken, and the USC Aiken family
are unwavering. His peers feel Woody is the type of person that would do
all that is necessary to improve the physical and emotional lives of each and
every member of our USC Aiken family because that’s just who Woody is.
They have seen Woody’s respect and grace when interacting with elder
patrons. They have seen him motivate, encourage, and inspire our students.
And they have seen him give his heart, humor and passion to them each
and every Monday and Wednesday morning, and doing so effortlessly and
without ever expecting something in return.
Because he is an exemplary ambassador for the University whose
sincerity and commitment are without question, Mr. Woody Price has been
recognized as Campus Citizen of the Month. Congratulations Woody!
CAMPUS
CITIZEN
of the Month
T
he Campus Citizen of the Month award is given in recognition of good citizenship. All faculty, classified and
unclassified staff, and university partners who have been with the University for one year and are in good
standing are eligible. The nomination remains active indefinitely in the pool of candidates. The nomination
form must be signed by the nominee’s supervisor and sent to the nominee’s Vice Chancellor in that unit. The
criteria to be used in the nomination are:
o
Initiative/Creativity: Exhibits
ingenuity and resourcefulness.
Examples: Improved work methods,
efficiency within the department.
o
o
Loyalty/Dedication: Willing to go the o
“extra mile” without being asked.
Positive Attitude: Maintains
effective relationships with others
both on and off campus; serves
as role model. Example:
Consistently delivers prompt,
friendly service.
Leadership: Acknowledge
those whose efforts have inspired
and supported the performance
and achievement of others.
Monday Group will review the nominations and select each
month’s winner. Contact Maria Chandler at MariaC@usca.edu
for more information.
page 3
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Convocation Center
welcomes new director
Joshua Smalls
Spectrum
G lobal
veteran Joshua
Small has been
named the new
Director of the USC
Aiken Convocation
Center, while
retaining his current
role as Director
of Facilities at the
Global Spectrummanaged Augusta
Entertainment
Complex (AEC).
Small has served as the Director of Facilities at
AEC since 2008 where he oversees the engineering,
operations and events departments for an 8,500-seat
arena and a 2,700-seat theater. Small will take over
as Director of the USC Aiken Convocation Center
from Matt Herpich, who was recently promoted to
General Manager of the Wolstein Center, a Global
Spectrum-managed facility in Cleveland, Ohio, and
will be responsible for the day-to-day operations at
the venue.
“We are very excited to add Joshua Small as
the new Director of the Convocation Center. He
has a proven track record of producing efficient,
quality results in his role with the AEC,” said Joe
Sobieralski, Vice Chancellor for Business & Finance
at University of South Carolina Aiken. “Under
Global Spectrum’s leadership, we anticipate that
Joshua will pick up where Matt left off and continue
to bring strong leadership and exciting events to our
venue and the surrounding community.”
Small began his career with Global Spectrum as
Assistant Event Coordinator at Colonial Life Arena
in 2005 and rapidly moved up the corporate ladder,
serving as Senior Event Manager at the Ted Constant
Center in Norfolk, VA, before taking his current
post at AEC.
He has also taken an active role in the
International Association of Venue Managers
(IAMV), assisting with the Arenas Committee, and
planning the IAMV Arena Managers Conference.
page 4
Human Resources updates
Affordable Care Act Update – We
continue to work with the state to
determine impacts of Affordable Care
Act. We await additional information,
but there are no plans to modify our hiring
practices due to the Affordable Care Act
at this time
Court Ruling on Health Insurance
Increases: see article http://www.scsea.
com/Increasing_Insurance_Costs_Ruled_
Uncontitutional.pdf . Further information
will be distributed as it is received.
Welcome back Lisa Groft! Lisa will
return to USC Aiken as the interim Senior
University Facilities Executive on a full-time,
temporary basis to assist in the transitional
period while we launch a search for Mr.
Mike Jara’s replacement. In this interim
role, Ms. Groft will report to Mr. Joe
Sobieralski, Vice Chancellor for Business
and Finance. Lisa was a valued member
of our staff from 2007 until January 2013.
She graduated magna cum laude from
Trinity College in Washington, D.C. with a
BA in business administration; attended
La Roche College and completed course
work in building technologies, control
systems, and facility management;
and attended the Executive Education
Program at the University of WisconsinMadison and completed course work
in project management and controlling
construction costs. Lisa’s expertise and
experience along with her knowledge
of our campus will help us to continue
to move projects forward during this
transitional time. I know you will join me in
welcoming Lisa back to our campus as she
accepts this important role.
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Children’s Center Openings
The USC Aiken Children’s Center currently has two openings in
the Infant/Toddler classroom and two openings in our
Preschool I classroom. If you have a child between the ages of
six weeks through 36 months, we would love to have you join our
family. Please contact the Children’s Center at (803) 641-3385
for more information or to schedule a tour of our center.
Congratulations Chancellor Ambassadors!
following group of students have been selected as Chancellor’s Ambassadors for 2013-2014. Chancellor’s
T heAmbassadors
represent the Chancellor and USC Aiken in the community and at University events, working to
bridge the gap between students and alumni. The USC Aiken Alumni Association Council is working closely with
them to develop student volunteers into future alumni leaders.
Joseph Berry
Jamie Clifton
Endea Ellison
Bart Good
Hazel Kelly
Sam LaMunion
Alex Oliver
Sheluni Patel
Kevin Roach
Carson Villa
Colleen Welch
page 5
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PACER SPORTS UPDATES
It has been a tremendous year both on the playing fields and courts as well as in the classrooms! Out of
11 varsity sports, three have won Peach Belt Conference Championships
• Men’s basketball won the regular season and tournament championships
• Men’s golf won the PBC Golf Championship
• Baseball won the PBC regular season championship and still has the PBC Tournament to play
Academically, the overall fall
GPA was 2.959, 98
student-athletes had 3.0 or
higher and 12 student athletes
had a perfect 4.0.
Basketball competed in
the Elite 8 for the first time
ever and baseball and golf
still have the opportunity to
get to the National
Tournament
• Seven of the 11 teams had overall GPA’s of 3.0 or higher.
• USC Aiken has had 3 Elite Fifteen winners (highest GPA of any student competing in that
sports conference tournament)
Six of our 11 sports will have
participated in NCAA Region
Tournaments this year: Cross
country, men and women’s
basketball, men’s tennis, golf
and baseball
page 6
Three Pacer Coaches were honored by the Peachbelt Conference
as Coach of the year in their sports:
Men’s Basketball - Vince Alexander
Men’s Golf - Michael Carlisle
Baseball - Kenny Thomas
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A Note from the Chancellor
Continued from page 1
• Higher education is the
largest discretionary item in
the state budget and it has
been on the chopping block
for the past decade.
• Parents are stretched to
the breaking point to send
their children to college,
yet voucher programs and
student aid are shrinking.
• Students criticize universities
for hurdles that get in the
way of completion and report
that the curriculum does not
seem to be either intentional
or relevant.
• After making the huge
investment and effort to
complete college students and
parents fear that jobs will be
unavailable.
• More institutions and
entities are delivering the
undergraduate degree than at
any other time in our history.
• Technology has changed
the way content is delivered
and is disrupting traditional
methodologies.
While the current crisis in
today’s universities, both public
and private, is real, it is clear that
the university is still indispensable
to the future of individuals,
communities, and the nation.
Our university, like countless
others, continue to perform
the critical tasks of educating
students, supporting learning,
and discovering and preserving
knowledge. But, we also face
challenges, disruptive innovations,
and a changing environment that
page 7
“You’ve proven that we are willing to work
together to design the best possible future
for our campus and community. Thus,
there is no other place I’d rather be and
no other work I’d rather be doing, than
working alongside you at USC Aiken.”
make it necessary for us to engage in
critical reexamination. Gordon Gee,
president of Ohio State University
speaks often and eloquently about
the need for universities to be
innovative. He wrote recently in
a note to campus, “Our duty is to
wholly reinvent ourselves. We are
America’s future—intellectually,
socially, culturally.”
Over the course of this year as
our Task Forces looked critically at
what we are doing and how we are
doing it, made good faith efforts
to consider both opportunities
and challenges, and fashioned
possible solutions in the form of
recommendations, I’ve grown more
and more assured that USC Aiken
will be one of the universities that
survives this transitional period and
succeeds in the future. Why? Because
I believe only those universities who
are informed, self-aware, innovative,
and who fully comprehend that the
previous models for education have
become unsustainable, will flourish.
You’ve proven that we are willing
to work together to design the best
possible future for our campus and
community. Thus, there is no other
place I’d rather be and no other work
I’d rather be doing, than working
alongside you at USC Aiken.
While I may see many of you at
Commencement, I wanted to take
this moment to say thank you for
a productive academic term. For
those of you who will be taking
a break from campus life over
the summer, I hope you have an
opportunity for rest and professional
renewal. For retirees and those
leaving for other reasons, please
know that this community respects
your service and will miss you. Please
stay in touch and let us hear from
you frequently as you begin the next
phase of your life or career. For the
rest of us who will be back in our
offices the day after commencement
or returning later in the summer to
teach, I look forward to seeing you
around the campus as we continue
our meaningful work to fulfill USC
Aiken’s mission and our public
promise to the citizens of South
Carolina.
With thanks and best wishes for a
great summer,
Sandra Jordan
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Carolina Trustee Professorship
Awarded to Dr. Maureen Carrigan
ongratulations to Dr.
C
Maureen Carrigan, Professor
in the Department of Psychology,
for receiving the 2013 Carolina
Trustee Professorship Award. Three
Carolina Trustee Professorship
Awards are presented annually
in the amount of $2,000 each
and given by the members of the
Board of Trustees. Two awards
are presented to Columbia
campus professors and one to a
professor at one of the other USC
campuses. Faculty eligible for the
Professorships are those who hold
UIU Link connects students with USC Aiken
SC Aiken entered into an
U
agreement with UIU Link to
beta test their software connecting
students from throughout the
United States to distance education
courses being offered at USC Aiken.
As part of the beta testing, UIU Link
is marketing, free of charge, distance
education courses offered at USC
Aiken this summer and fall. Faculty
who were interested in offering
synchronous or asynchronous
courses volunteered to participate in
the beta test. What UIU Link does
is upload course information, such
as course name, description, times,
dates, and costs, onto their website.
They then market these courses
throughout the country. Students
can then access course information
and application procedures to sign
up for the courses. Executive Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Jeff Priest is excited about this
page 8
partnership and the potential for
UIU Link to help fill empty seats,
particularly for courses offered
during the summer and for those
courses offered in the fall that
traditionally have difficulty in
reaching capacity. Currently seven
summer courses are being piloted
on UIU Link. Faculty interested in
putting their courses, particularly
their fall courses, on UIU Link
should contact Dr. Priest as soon as
possible. For more information on
UIU Link, you can read about it in
the May 3rd issue of the Chronicle of
Higher Education’s “An Entrepreneur
Reaches for the ‘Holy Grail’ of
Online Education.”
to learn more, click on
the following linkwww.uiulink.com
the rank of tenured full professor
and demonstrate a record of teaching
excellence as well as a record of
outstanding performance in research
and in public service activities. Dr.
Carrigan excels in all three areas of
teaching, research, and service. She
teaches both undergraduate and
graduate courses for the Department
of Psychology, supervises student
research at both the undergraduate
and graduate level, and is active in
university service, recently chairing
the Post-Tenure Review committee.
Endowed
Chairs Named
Dr. Jeff Priest, Executive Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs,
announced the names for endowed
chairs in English and Business.
Congratulations to the following
endowed chairs:
Dr. Leanne McGrath
John M. Olin/Palmetto
Professorship in Entrepreneurial
Development
Dr. Richard Heiens
Walter F. O’Connell/Palmetto
Professorship for Director of
O’Connell Center for Excellence
and Technology
Dr. Andrew Geyer –
Bridgestone/Firestone S.C.
Professorship
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Dr. Virginia Shervette participating in “Living on the Edge” international symposium
r. Virginia Shervette has been
D
invited to speak at the Living
on the Edge: Coastal Tourism
and Sustainable Consumption
symposium being held June 4-5,
2013 at the University of Central
Lancashire in West Cumbria, United
and coastal communities, and its
impact on our own wellbeing. The
symposium will bring together an
international audience of tourism
professionals and policy makers with
diverse backgrounds, but common
interests.
Kingdom. Dr. Shervette’s talk
will be on Collaborative Fisheries
Conservation Research on Pacific
Sailfish.
The symposium will explore
tourism and the power of the
sea, from physical environmental
processes, the impacts on culture
High IMPACT EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES
USC Aiken is proud of the low ratio
of students to faculty and of the fact
that the university relies on qualified
faculty (rather than a corps of graduate
teaching assistants) to deliver the core
as well as the major. The reason that
most institutions have moved away from
small classes is the cost of maintaining
this model. The most compelling reason
to protect small classes is that it provides
professors a chance to engage students
in the learning process and put into
place highly effective teaching and
learning practices. In those classes where
engagement practices are not “front
and center,” research indicates that
there is little difference in learning
in a class of 25 and a class of 100
students. Read the excerpt on the
following pages for more information
about engaged learning practices.
Shifting to engagement pedagogies
to improve learning outcomes has
been endorsed by both AAC&U and
the “LEAP” Educational Project. The
Academic Innovations Task Force has
also made suggestions about how to
redesign courses to encourage more
engagement.
Excerpt from High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them,
and Why They Matter, by George D. Kuh (2008).
High-Impact Educational
Practices: A Brief Overview
The following teaching and learning
practices have been widely tested and
have been shown to be beneficial
for college students from many
backgrounds. These practices take
many different forms, depending
on learner characteristics and on
institutional priorities and contexts.
On many campuses, assessment
of student involvement in active
learning practices such as these
has made it possible to assess the
practices’ contribution to students’
cumulative learning. However, on
almost all campuses, utilization
of active learning practices is
unsystematic, to the detriment of
page 9
student learning. Presented below
are brief descriptions of high-impact
practices that educational research
suggests increase rates of student
retention and student engagement.
The rest of this publication will
explore in more detail why these
types of practices are effective, which
students have access to them, and,
finally, what effect they might have
on different cohorts of students.
The highest-quality first-year
experiences place a strong emphasis
on critical inquiry, frequent writing,
information literacy, collaborative
learning, and other skills that
develop students’ intellectual and
practical competencies. First-year
seminars can also involve students
with cutting-edge questions in
scholarship and with faculty
members’ own research.
First-Year Seminars and
Experiences
Common Intellectual
Experiences
Many schools now build into the
curriculum first-year seminars or
other programs that bring small
groups of students together with
faculty or staff on a regular basis.
The older idea of a “core” curriculum
has evolved into a variety of modern
forms, such as a set of required
Continued on page 10
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High-Impact Educational
Practices from page 9
common courses or a vertically
organized general education program
that includes advanced integrative
studies and/or required participation
in a learning community. These
programs often combine broad
themes—e.g., technology and
society, global interdependence—
with a variety of curricular and
cocurricular options for students.
Learning Communities
The key goals for learning
communities are to encourage
integration of learning across courses
and to involve students with “big
questions” that matter beyond the
classroom. Students take two or
more linked courses as a group and
work closely with one another and
with their professors. Many learning
communities explore a common
topic and/or common readings
through the lenses of different
disciplines. Some deliberately link
“liberal arts” and “professional
courses”; others feature service
learning.
Writing-Intensive Courses
others, and sharpening one’s own
understanding by listening seriously
to the insights of others, especially
those with different backgrounds
and life experiences. Approaches
range from study groups within a
course, to team-based assignments
and writing, to cooperative projects
and research.
Undergraduate Research
Many colleges and universities are
now providing research experiences
for students in all disciplines.
Undergraduate research, however,
has been most prominently used
in science disciplines. With strong
support from the National Science
Foundation and the research
community, scientists are reshaping
their courses to connect key concepts
and questions with students’ early
and active involvement in systematic
investigation and research. The
goal is to involve students with
actively contested questions,
empirical observation, cuttingedge technologies, and the sense of
excitement that comes from working
to answer important questions.
Diversity/Global Learning
These courses emphasize writing
at all levels of instruction and
across the curriculum, including
final-year projects. Students are
encouraged to produce and revise
various forms of writing for different
audiences in different disciplines.
The effectiveness of this repeated
practice “across the curriculum”
has led to parallel efforts in such
areas as quantitative reasoning,
oral communication, information
literacy, and, on some campuses,
ethical inquiry.
Many colleges and universities now
emphasize courses and programs
that help students explore cultures,
life experiences, and worldviews
different from their own. These
studies—which may address U.S.
diversity, world cultures, or both—
often explore “difficult differences”
such as racial, ethnic, and gender
inequality, or continuing struggles
around the globe for human rights,
freedom, and power. Frequently,
intercultural studies are augmented
by experiential learning in the
community and/or by study abroad.
Collaborative Assignments
and Projects
Service Learning, CommunityBased Learning
Collaborative learning combines
two key goals: learning to work and
solve problems in the company of
page 10
instructional strategy—and often a
required part of the course. The idea
is to give students direct experience
with issues they are studying in the
curriculum and with ongoing efforts
to analyze and solve problems in the
community. A key element in these
programs is the opportunity students
have to both apply what they are
learning in real-world settings and
reflect in a classroom setting on
their service experiences. These
programs model the idea that giving
something back to the community
is an important college outcome,
and that working with community
partners is good preparation for
citizenship, work, and life.
Internships
Internships are another increasingly
common form of experiential
learning. The idea is to provide
students with direct experience in
a work setting—usually related to
their career interests—and to give
them the benefit of supervision and
coaching from professionals in the
field. If the internship is taken for
course credit, students complete a
project or paper that is approved by
a faculty member.
Capstone Courses and Projects
Whether they’re called “senior
capstones” or some other name,
these culminating experiences
require students nearing the end
of their college years to create a
project of some sort that integrates
and applies what they’ve learned.
The project might be a research
paper, a performance, a portfolio
of “best work,” or an exhibit of
artwork. Capstones are offered both
in departmental programs and,
increasingly, in general education as
well.
In these programs, field-based
“experiential learning” with
community partners is an
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