Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

This is the archive for Gardner-Webb's Newscenter, which is your source for updates and events happening on campus, as well as interesting stories about GWU students, faculty/staff and alumni. You'll also find stories about academic accomplishments and community service projects.

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Gardner-Webb University Dimensions Program Welcomes National Leadership Coach

Office of University Communications

A leadership coach with more than two decades of experience will be the guest speaker at Gardner-Webb University on Sept. 24 at 9:25 a.m. for Dimensions. Jeff Raker works with athletes and business professionals in individual and group settings. The GWU program is free and open to the public and will be held in Stewart Hall inside Tucker Student Center.
Gardner-Webb License Plate From North Carolina DMV Supports Priority Fund

Office of University Communications

The North Carolina specialty license plate program through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) allows supporters of Gardner-Webb University to display school pride while providing financial support to GWU. Gardner-Webb receives $15 for each purchased plate, and those funds are designated for the GWU Priority Fund. From scholarships to study abroad opportunities, technology and lab equipment as well as athletic scholarships, the 2020 Priority Fund will ignite Gardner-Webb’s growth and provide opportunities for students.
Gardner-Webb Presents First Concert of Distinguished Artist Series

Office of University Communications

The Bechtler Ensemble String Quartet will be featured in the season opener of the Gardner-Webb University Distinguished Artist Series. The ensemble will give a free performance on Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. in Hamrick Hall’s Blanton Auditorium. Presented by the GWU School of Performing and Visual Arts in Collaboration with the Alfred and Shirley Wampler Caudill Fund, the program is titled, “An Afternoon of Latin American Music and Art.”
GWU Criminal Justice Program Equips Police Lieutenant With Leadership Skills

Office of University Communications

Lt. Lori Miller, of Taylorsville, N.C., has served the Hickory Police Department for nearly 13 years. She’s the second female in the history of the department to achieve the rank of lieutenant. She also teaches students in the BLET (Basic Law Enforcement Training) and DOCC (Department of Community Corrections) programs.
GWU Fall Semester Begins by Celebrating Academic Excellence and Christian Mission

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University President Dr. William M. Downs recently began the semester by presiding over the Fall Academic Convocation and giving a special address to students as part of the Dimensions series. During both programs, Downs focused on Gardner-Webb’s mission. “I want to underscore one important message as we launch this new year,” Downs stated at the Fall Convocation. “And the message is this—we are a private university with a very public mission, and it is incumbent upon all of us to live up to that public mission in some way.”
Gardner-Webb University Sponsors Drive for Children in Foster Care

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University welcomes families to campus for Family Weekend, Sept. 13-15. This year, while enjoying the food, fun, football game and worship, the Office of Student Activities is asking students, their families, faculty, staff and the community to think about the thousands of North Carolina children living in foster care. In partnership with Miss GWU 2019, Sarah Bragdon, the Office of Student Activities is sponsoring a drive for these children.
Gardner-Webb’s Ali Pouryousefi Gallery Features Works by Local Painter and Printmaker

Office of University Communications

Artwork by painter and printmaker Gary Wayne Freeman will be featured in the Ali Pouryousefi Art Gallery in Gardner-Webb University’s Tucker Student Center through Sept. 27. Freeman, a GWU adjunct art instructor, teaches art at Thomas Jefferson High School in Mooresboro, N.C. The opening reception is Sept. 5 from 4 to 6 p.m., with Freeman giving a gallery talk at 5 p.m.
Gardner-Webb’s Online Elementary Education Degree Receives Top 25 Ranking

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University School of Education has received national recognition for its online Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education degree. TheBestSchools.org, an education resource website, named GWU to its list of the top 25 schools in the nation. Additionally, Gardner-Webb was one of three North Carolina schools in the ranking and the only N.C. private school to be honored.
Gardner-Webb Students Sponsor 5K to Rescue Enslaved Children

Office of University Communications

Since 2016, a 5K event started by students from Gardner-Webb University has raised more than $10,000 to help rescue 10 enslaved children in Ghana, Africa. This year’s Rescue Race will be held Sept. 14, during GWU’s annual Family Weekend. With help from the community, members of Release the Captives, a human-trafficking awareness club, raised more than $3,000 last year.
Gardner-Webb Announces Fundraising Initiative with Gift from the Broyhills

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University has a 114-year history of providing a world-class education in a faith-based environment. To begin the University’s next chapter, GWU President Dr. William M. Downs is launching a yearlong fundraising initiative with the help of a generous lead gift from The Broyhill Family Foundation. Donations to Gardner-Webb 2020 will benefit the University’s Priority Fund.
GWU Office of Multicultural Affairs Offers Diversity Academy

Office of University Communications

Students, faculty and staff on the campus of Gardner-Webb University represent 19 countries around the world and come from 39 different states. The Office of Multicultural Affairs celebrates the unique worldview that each one brings to campus. To facilitate cross-cultural awareness, Jackie Leach, director of Diversity and Intercultural Initiatives, is offering a six-week series, “The Diversity Academy.”
Gardner-Webb Offers CrossFit to Students, Faculty and Staff

Office of University Communications

After becoming an officially licensed CrossFit affiliate last year, Gardner-Webb University is expanding its program this year. Recent renovations to Suttle Wellness Center have increased the space for CrossFit workouts, adding new flooring, equipment, rigs and weights. A full-time CrossFit Coach, 2011 alumna Melissa Battista, will teach free CrossFit classes for students, faculty and staff.
GWU Dual Degree Student Promotes Mental Health Awareness for Veterans

Office of University Communications

Chelsea West of Hickory, N.C., left her job as a high school English teacher to pursue a dual degree in Master of Divinity/Master of Arts in English at Gardner-Webb University. While earning her degree, West plans to continue promoting an issue that is close to her heart: mental health awareness. Her brother, a Marine veteran, struggled with depression and died by suicide in 2014.
Online MBA Program in Godbold School of Business Ranked Among Best in Nation

Office of University Communications

An independent higher education research firm has honored Gardner-Webb University’s Godbold School of Business. TheBestSchools.org ranked GWU’s online Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems as one of the top 20 programs in the nation. Gardner-Webb is one of two North Carolina schools listed and the only private school in North Carolina to receive the honor.
Gardner-Webb University Welcomes New Faculty Members

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University welcomes 15 new faculty members to campus for the 2019 Fall Semester. The new professors are listed below in alphabetical order:
GWU Offers Four New Programs for 2019 Fall Semester

Office of University Communications

With the start of the 2019 Fall Semester, Gardner-Webb University is offering four new programs. Two are in the Hunt School of Nursing, one is in the School of Education, and the other is in GOAL—The Degree Completion Program.
GWU’s New President Welcomes Students to Fall Semester 2019

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University’s new president, Dr. William M. Downs, officially welcomes new and returning students in two programs to begin the 2019 Fall Semester. Downs, the institution’s 13th president, will preside over the Fall Academic Convocation on Aug. 27 and give an address to the student body on Aug. 29. Both programs will begin at 9:25 a.m. The Fall Convocation, which includes presentations of academic awards and scholarships, will be held in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center.
Gardner-Webb Science Professors Help Alumnus Pursue Goal of Becoming a Dentist

Office of University Communications

When he was 10, Joshua McKoy wanted to be like his brother and become a dentist. Looking back, the 2018 alumnus of Gardner-Webb University realizes his reasons were superficial. “It wasn’t until 11th or 12th grade that dentistry became a passion for me,” McKoy reflected. “My best friend got braces.”
Gardner-Webb University Awards Nearly 200 Degrees at Summer Commencement on Aug. 3

Office of University Communications

Gardner–Webb University hosted Summer Commencement on Saturday, Aug. 3, in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center at 10 a.m. Nearly 200 traditional undergraduate, degree completion, and graduate program students were honored for their achievements during the ceremony. Dr. William M. Downs, Gardner-Webb’s new president, presided over his first commencement ceremony.
GWU Alumnus Shares the Wisdom He Learned in Divinity School with Others

Office of University Communications

As he entered the School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University, the Rev. Brack Ballard told his professors, fellow students and anyone who would listen that he did not want to become a pastor. “I said, ‘God can call me wherever he would like to call me, but I am not working in a church,’” he reflected. “I feel like those feelings are shared amongst a lot of millennials. Working in the church is tough, it’s hard. A lot of my colleagues are working in non-profits or working in a ministry outside of the church setting and that’s kind of what I wanted to do.”
Alumna Has Three Nursing Degrees from Gardner-Webb Hunt School of Nursing

Office of University Communications

Since earning her Associate of Science in Nursing from Gardner-Webb University in 2014, Lyndsey Couch, of Kings Mountain, N.C., has been honored every year with an award or recognition for the care she provides to patients. Couch also has bachelor’s (2015) and master’s (2017) degrees in nursing from GWU. She began her career at Carolinas Healthcare System in Lincoln County, N.C., where she is now a critical care charge nurse.
Gardner-Webb University to Hold 2019 Summer Commencement on Aug. 3

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University will award nearly 200 degrees during the 2019 Summer Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 3. The ceremony is set to begin at 10 a.m. in the Paul Porter Arena of the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center, located on the GWU campus. The celebration will commemorate the achievements of students in traditional undergraduate, GOAL-The Degree Completion Program, and graduate programs of study.
GWU Hosts Math Academy Sponsored by Stonecutter Foundation in Spindale, N.C.

Office of University Communications

In the seventh annual Math Academy held recently at Gardner-Webb University, high school students studied mathematical functions and learned their applications in business and financial settings. The camp is sponsored each summer by the Stonecutter Foundation in Spindale, N.C. Dr. Jim Johnson, GWU assistant professor of mathematics, is the co-creator of the Math Academy.
New Scripture Plaques Serve as Visual Reminder of GWU’s Calling

Office of University Communications

The main entrances to every building on the Gardner-Webb University campus recently received scripture plaques that serve as visual reminders of the University’s calling. An initiative of the GWU President’s Council on Christian Mission and Identity, the signs are engraved with Mark 12:29-31.
Alumna Was Hired Full Time While Completing Her Degree in Criminal Justice Administration

Office of University Communications

A year before graduating from Gardner-Webb University with a bachelor of science in criminal justice administration and minor in psychology, Alexis Williams was hired by the city of Gastonia (N.C.) Police Department. After her internship there, the 2019 alumna was offered a job and worked full time as a police officer while completing her degree. "All of the criminal justice classes that I took were absolutely inspiring, and I learned so much about the criminal justice field,” Williams observed.