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 Hosts Panel Discussion for Women’s History Month

Office of University Communications

Women gained the right to vote in 1920, the Equal Pay Act became law in 1963, and the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964. How did these historical moments affect local women? To celebrate Women’s History Month and explore these topics and others, the Gardner-Webb Office of Multicultural Affairs is hosting, “Generational Panel: Exploring Women’s History Through Local Lives.”
GWU Student Club Fights Human Trafficking Through Action Week, Feb. 24-28

Office of University Communications

According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the state of North Carolina is among the top 10 in the country for human trafficking, and Charlotte is the No. 1 city in the state. To bring awareness to efforts to prevent and end this injustice, the Gardner-Webb University club, “Release the Captives,” is hosting Anti-Human Trafficking Action Week (aHTAW) Feb. 24-28. Release members have planned the following events for Anti-Human Trafficking Action Week.
First-Generation College Student Appreciates Professors Who Create a Supportive Learning Environment

Office of University Communications

When Karely Chavez-Callejas, of Hickory, N.C., graduates from Gardner-Webb University in 2021, she will fulfill a dream for herself and her parents, who arrived in America from Mexico 20 years ago. They were looking for a better life for themselves and their future children. Karely will be the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Alumnus Graduated from Gardner-Webb Ready to Succeed in Business World

Office of University Communications

Kevin Koenig, ’13, of Cincinnati, Ohio, likes the challenge of working in the business world. “It allows me to strive for bigger and better things each day,” Koenig asserted. “The opportunities in business are endless, so I know that I am able to position myself in a positive manner to accomplish big things.”
Gardner-Webb Alumna Seeks to Promote Music Education and Importance of the Arts

Office of University Communications

For as long as she can remember, music has been important to Julia DeSerio, of Shelby, N.C. A 2018 alumna of Gardner-Webb University, she is the reigning Miss Gastonia and a middle school teacher. DeSerio decided when she was a fourth-grader that she wanted to become a music teacher.
GWU 2020—Focus on Performing Arts

Office of University Communications

When Brittany Polburn, a Gardner-Webb University junior, says she’s been in theater all her life, she is not exaggerating. Her mom and dad, Justin and Rachel Polburn, performed in almost every show by NarroWay Productions in Fort Mill, S.C. “I was quite literally born into NarroWay, since my parents were doing it even before I was born,” she reflected.
GWU Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) Filling a Need for Business Community

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University recently celebrated the first graduates of its new Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) program. Under the leadership of GWU’s world-class faculty, PACE offers specific, non-credit courses to enhance the skill levels of professionals ranging from entry level to mid-management, executive, and beyond. The graduates received certification in the popular business software program, SAP S/4 HANA.
Experience as German Exchange Student Gives GWU Senior Confidence For Future Endeavors

Office of University Communications

The youngest of seven children, Avery Terry of Greensboro, N.C., always has family looking out for him. A senior criminal justice major at Gardner-Webb University, Terry decided to apply to study abroad and explore the world on his own. He was accepted into the Gardner-Webb International Exchange Student program and attended the University of Trier in Germany during the spring semester of his junior year.
Gardner-Webb Recruiting Class Reaches 20 On National Signing Day

Office of University Communications and Gardner-Webb Athletics Media Relations

Gardner-Webb football signed 20 student-athletes on National Signing Day, signaling a strong first class for new head coach Tre Lamb. The class features 16 high school recruits and four transfers. Ten of the signees are from the Carolinas (six from North Carolina, four from South Carolina).
Gardner-Webb University CrossFit Teams Compete in National Event

Office of University Communications

Two CrossFit teams from Gardner-Webb University recently competed in the Granite Games Winter Throwdown, a nationwide competition conducted on the same day at different gyms around the country. he GWU competitors traveled to CrossFit Unite in Concord, N.C., to participate. During the event, teams completed four workout sets, which are comprised of a variety of functional movements performed at high intensity.
Gardner-Webb Students Present One-Act Opera for Children

Office of University Communications

Actors, stage crew and musicians from the Gardner-Webb University Departments of Theatre Arts and Music will present two weekends of “Little Red Riding Hood—A Children’s Opera In One Act” by Seymour Barab. Hosted by the School of Performing and Visual Arts, the production is directed by Dr. Stafford Turner, associate professor of Music. Performances are open to the public and will be presented in the Millennium Playhouse, located behind the GWU Communications Studies Hall on Main Street in Boiling Springs.
Parade of Tables Raises Funds to Provide Food for Local Children

Office of University Communications and Michael Harvey

The Little Bulldog Backpack Program will be hosting the fourth annual Parade of Tables on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. in the Tucker Student Center at Gardner-Webb University. The Parade of Tables is organized by Lou Ann Scates, GWU Registrar, to provide funds for the Little Bulldog Backpack Program. In preparation for the event, donors purchase tables to decorate with the option to follow this year’s “Jesus Loves the Little Children” theme.
‘Everybody Knows Somebody 5K’ Raises Funds to help GWU Students

Office of University Communications

Each year, the Gardner-Webb University Counseling Center sponsors “Everybody Knows Somebody 5K” to raise awareness about eating disorders and collect donations for GWU students. This year’s walk/run will be held Feb. 22. Registration on race day will be between 7 and 8:45 a.m. in the Tucker Student Center parking lot.
GWU Army ROTC and Campus Recreation Sponsor Hybrid Challenge

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and Campus Recreation are looking for the fastest and strongest athletes to complete in the second annual Hybrid Challenge. Proceeds from the event on March 28 at 8:30 a.m. in Spangler Stadium will benefit the veterans at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Asheville, N.C. Participants will have 15 minutes to run their fastest mile and perform a max-effort deadlift.
During February, Gardner-Webb Joins Black History Month Celebration

Office of University Communications

In February, Gardner-Webb University joins the annual celebration of Black History Month, or National African American History Month. The Black History Month 2020 theme, “African Americans and the Vote,” is in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment (1920) granting women’s suffrage and the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment (1870) giving black men the right to vote. During the month, Gardner-Webb offers the following programs to highlight the achievements and contributions of African Americans.
Gardner-Webb Hosts Carolina Brass and Salvation Army Youth Band

Office of University Communications

A free concert at Gardner-Webb University in February offers an opportunity to hear some of the best brass musicians in the country along with a talented group of young artists. Hosted by the GWU Distinguished Artists Series and School of Performing and Visual Arts, the event features Summit Recording Artists, Carolina Brass, with the Salvation Army Carolinas Divisional Youth Band and GWU Brass Choir. The program will be Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Dover Theatre, located in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center.
Gardner-Webb Selects Inaugural Recipient of Tucker Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength Scholarship

Office of University Communications

A high school senior described as a “ray of sunshine” is the first recipient of the Tucker Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength Scholarship at Gardner-Webb University. Leah Carpenter, of Stanley, N.C., made history recently when she received the award, which is given to a student with exceptional academic achievement, who also exemplifies the commands of Jesus found in Mark 12:29-31—“Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.” Gardner-Webb President Dr. William M. Downs welcomed everyone and noted the significance of the occasion.
GWU Alumnus Shares How God Brought Him Through Life-Threatening Stroke

Office of University Communications

On the night of his 28th birthday in 2017, Felix Bautista, of Salisbury, N.C., suffered a stroke that usually occurs in patients who are 65 or older with a history of hypertension. Because of the damage to his brain, doctors gave the 2011 alumnus of Gardner-Webb University less than a 20 percent chance of survival. They told his wife, Holly Hamm Bautista, also a 2011 GWU alumna, that if he did survive, he would be brain dead.

Youtube: The Felix Bautista Story - Novant Health
Volunteers from Gardner-Webb Serve on Medical Mission Team to Dominican Republic

Office of University Communications

Two members of the Gardner-Webb University community recently returned from a medical mission trip to Barahona in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Sydney Brown, dean of the Gail Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies and professor of education, and Brook Wright, a second-year student in the Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner program, traveled with Dream Ministries, an organization that has been working in the Dominican for over 20 years. Through the years, multiple GWU nursing faculty and students have been a part of this mission experience.
Gardner-Webb Announces New Dean for the Hunt School of Nursing

Office of University Communications

Officials at Gardner-Webb University are pleased to announce that Dr. Tracy Arnold, a four-time nursing alumna, has been appointed as the new dean of the Hunt School of Nursing (HSON). She replaces Dr. Nicole Waters, who will continue to serve GWU as the associate provost of the College of Health Sciences.
Gardner-Webb’s Dover Library Hosts Five Authors for Book Signing

Office of University Communications

The Dover Library at Gardner-Webb University is hosting a book signing featuring five authors with ties to the campus. The event is open to the public and will be held Feb. 4 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the large group study room on the main floor of the library. The featured authors are: Alumnae, Jen Guberman, Miriam Thor and Teresa Ammons Crew; Instructor of English Composition and Writing Center Director, Matthew Duffus; and Professor Emerita of Religion, Alice Cullinan.
Army ROTC Gives Gardner-Webb Nursing Student Structure She Needed to Excel

Office of University Communications

After researching her interests and spending time on the job with her mother who works in healthcare, Lareshia “Larri” Robinson, of Hendersonville, N.C., chose nursing as her career path. She enrolled in Gardner-Webb University’s Hunt School of Nursing for three main reasons: The program accepts freshmen, she received a scholarship, and the campus felt like home. However, her first semester at GWU, she encountered a problem that most students don’t complain about—too much free time.
Gardner-Webb University Hosts Exhibit of Wearable Biblical Sculpture

Office of University Communications and Claire Coile

An artist who finds her inspiration in old library books and tattered Bibles will present a program and exhibit at Gardner-Webb University in February. Stephanie Lael Barrick of Delaware brings her wearable biblical sculpture to display in the Pouryousefi Gallery in Tucker Student Center from Feb. 4 through March 26. Sponsored by the Gardner-Webb Distinguished Artist Series, the “Bible App” exhibit kicks off on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. with a runway show featuring GWU students as models.
Gardner-Webb’s Hunt School of Nursing Offers Accelerated RN to BSN Option

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University’s Hunt School of Nursing, a leader in nursing education, is excited to now offer an accelerated RN to BSN program to qualified students. The Davis RN-BSN program started in 1982 offering BSN courses over 15-weeks and will continue to offer the traditional format along with the accelerated option. The new accredited program—offered fully online in eight-week sessions—begins March 11.
GWU Doctoral Student Pushes Past Language Barrier to Complete Curriculum and Instruction Degree

Office of University Communications

Give Thanh-Thuy T. Nguyen a complicated mathematical problem, and she calculates the answer in a few minutes. But ask her to read a book on curriculum theory and practice, and the native of South Vietnam will pour over the material for hours, looking up definitions. Even after 24 years in America, Nguyen, a college math instructor, is not confident in her English skills.