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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GWU Student Club Fights Human Trafficking Through Action Week, Feb. 25-March 1

Office of University Communications

According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, North Carolina is one of the top 10 states 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) from Feb. 25 to March 1. During the week, club members will highlight the work of “Present Age Ministries,” an anti-human trafficking organization in Concord, N.C., that provides case management, counseling and housing for victims.
Research by GWU Senior Biology Major Establishes Process to Extract Anti-Cancer Compound

Office of University Communications

Sulforaphane, a chemical compound found in broccoli, is known to have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. As an Undergraduate Research Scholar at Gardner-Webb University, Yuri Kurerov, of St. Petersburg, Russia, developed a method to separate and characterize the substance from broccoli seeds. One of 13 GWU students to receive a grant for focused research, Kurerov worked on his project during both 2018 summer terms.
Dr. William M. Downs Begins His Term as 13th President on July 1

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Board of Trustees is pleased to announce Dr. William M. Downs has been named the institution’s 13th president. He currently serves at East Carolina University (ECU) as the dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences in Greenville, N.C. Board members unanimously confirmed his appointment at a special meeting, capping a highly competitive one-year national search.
GWU School of Performing and Visual Arts Hosts Three Days of Trumpet Programs

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University School of Performing and Visual Arts is hosting three opportunities to hear from a group of accomplished brass musicians. The programs, which are presented as part of the GWU Distinguished Artist Series, are free and open to the public. The GWU Trumpet Summit on Feb. 10 and 11 is also sponsored by the Alfred & Shirley Wampler Caudill Endowed Fund.
Gardner-Webb Provided Opportunities for Alumna to Serve Others

Office of University Communications

Keanna Caldwell, a 2016 alumna of Gardner-Webb University, was raised by a single mother who taught her the value of serving others and the importance of community. “I don’t know where I would have been if not for the people who supported me all my life,” shared Caldwell, a native of Hendersonville, N.C. “I grew up in a family who was very service oriented. Both of my grandmothers were active in civil rights, so I always knew service was going to be a big component of whatever I did.”
Psychology Degree Helps GWU Alumna Manage Her Own Bakery Business

Office of University Communications

Maya Stewart ’17 took several classes and even read course descriptions in the Gardner-Webb University Catalog before deciding to major in psychology. Taking different courses helped her determine her strengths and interests. When she decided to open her own bakery, she realized that her GWU professors had prepared her for success.
GWU Department of Theatre Arts Presents ‘Sweeney Todd,’ a Musical Thriller

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Department of Theatre Arts presents “Sweeney Todd” Feb. 21-24 in Dover Theatre inside the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center. The musical thriller is directed by Dr. Chris Nelson, assistant professor of theatre and department chair, and Dr. Stafford Turner, associate professor of music. The GWU Orchestra, directed by professor of music Dr. Patricia Sparti, will provide accompaniment.
Madison Square Garden Executive to Visit Gardner-Webb University on Feb. 15

Office of University Communications

An executive from The Madison Square Garden (MSG) Company in New York will visit the Gardner-Webb University campus on Feb. 15. Branden Templeton, vice president of business solutions and marketing partnerships, will speak to students at 9 a.m. in Hamrick Hall’s Blanton Auditorium. Hosted by the Godbold School of Business, the program is also open to the public.
New York Times Best-Selling Author Visits Gardner-Webb University on Feb. 18

Office of University Communications

New York Times best-selling author, Wiley Cash, will be at Gardner-Webb University on Feb. 18 as part of the Darlene J. Gravett Visiting Writer Series. A Gastonia native, Cash will offer a public reading and book signing at 7 p.m. in Stewart Hall, located inside the Tucker Student Center. The program is free and open to the public.
GWU Team Prepares to Compete in Eighth Annual NCICU Ethics Bowl

Office of University Communications

A team of four students from Gardner-Webb University is preparing to compete in the eighth annual Ethics Bowl hosted by North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU). The event will be held Feb. 8-9 at the North Carolina Legislative complex in Raleigh. The topic this year is “Ethics and the Environment.”
Alumnus Developed His Artistic Talents With Guidance From GWU Art Professors

Office of University Communications

Tyler Myers ’17 entered Gardner-Webb University ready to explore his career options. Undecided on a major, he took an art class with Assistant Professor Paula Spangler Casper. “I always loved art, but I hated showing people the art I made,” Myers shared.
International Baritone Soloist in Concert Jan. 24 at Gardner-Webb University

Office of University Communications

Baritone John R. Fulton III will be in concert Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. in Hamrick Hall’s Blanton Auditorium, located on the campus of Gardner-Webb University. Presented by the School of Performing Arts Distinguished Artist Series, the program is free and open to the public. Fulton has been a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and most recently, the Sydney Symphony.
Scholar Tackles Slimy Project to Improve GWU Environmental Sustainability Practices

Office of University Communications

For his summer research project, one Gardner-Webb University senior enthusiastically tackled a dirty and slimy process. Jacob C. Jackson ’19 chose a socially-responsible research project for the immediate impact it would have on campus waste management. The biology major from Tryon, N.C., decided to expand the work done by a previous undergraduate scholar to improve the University’s environmental sustainability practices.
GWU Alumna Helps Children and Families Deepen Their Relationship with God

Office of University Communications

Allison Benfield, a 2014 alumna of Gardner-Webb University, inspires young and old to hear and explore the stories in the Bible. “I want to help children—and grown-ups—deepen their relationship with God by learning and wondering about God’s story,” shares Benfield, who serves as Minister with Children and Their Families at St. John’s Baptist Church (Charlotte, N.C.) “Stories meet us where we are, and let us take what we need from them at that moment—this is especially true of God’s story. I hope everyone with whom I minister knows that God made them. God always loves them. God loves everyone, and God wants us to love everyone, too.”
Award-Winning International Trumpeter Performs at GWU on Jan. 26

Office of University Communications

An internationally-acclaimed trumpet player from Europe, currently on tour in the United States, is scheduled to appear at Gardner-Webb University on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. Huw Morgan and his collaborative pianist, Rebecca Wilt, will perform in Blanton Auditorium in Hamrick Hall. The program, which is free and open to the public, is presented by the GWU School of Performing and Visual Arts Distinguished Artist Series.
GWU Pastoral Studies Degree Equips Alumnus for His Calling to Serve the Church

Office of University Communications

As pastor of First Baptist Church of Morehead, Ky., Alex Lockridge (’10) strives to guide people to fully become who God created them to be. His role models are professors in the Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity who helped him discern his call into ministry. Integral to his growth process was learning how to be spiritually flexible.
Gardner-Webb University Board of Trustees Names Interim President

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Board of Trustees has named an interim president, who will begin on Feb. 1 when President Dr. Frank Bonner retires. Dr. Ben Leslie, GWU provost and executive vice president, will lead the University until the new president assumes the role. “With nearly 13 years of administrative experience as provost and executive vice president of the University, the board is pleased to entrust Dr. Leslie with this responsibility and confident that his leadership will help ensure a stable and smooth transition,” noted Jennifer Marion Mills, chair of the GWU Board of Trustees.
Alumna is First GWU Exercise Science Graduate Accepted to Dental School

Office of University Communications

Amanda Sahm ’18, of Marion, Iowa, is the first exercise science graduate of Gardner-Webb University to be accepted into a four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program. While accomplishing this milestone, Sahm earned the Senior Scholastic Achievement Award, which is given to a graduating senior with the highest grade point average. A member of the GWU volleyball team, she was also named the Big South 2018 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Alumnus Uses Artistic Talents to Share the Good News in Germany

Office of University Communications

On a highly traveled street in Cologne, Germany, one storefront draws attention. Through the window, people watch as Gardner-Webb University alumnus Dave Byers (’99) works at his potter’s wheel. Byers creates pottery and recycles it when necessary.
Gardner-Webb Trustee Remembered for Service to Community and the University

Office of University Communications

A native of Shelby, N.C., known for her dedication to family, business and the community, is being remembered by the Gardner-Webb family for her contributions to the University. Adelaide Austell Craver, who served three terms on the GWU Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2013, passed away Jan. 4, 2019. “When I think of Adelaide Craver, the first word that comes to mind is ‘gracious,’” observed GWU President Dr. Frank Bonner
GWU Hunt School of Nursing Adds New Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs in August 2019

Office of University Communications

The Hunt School of Nursing (HSON) at Gardner-Webb University is pleased to announce the beginning of new entry level post baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice programs for Family Nurse Practitioners (DNP-FNP) and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (DNP-PMHNP). The DNP-FNP will be a transition of the currently offered Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner to a doctoral entry level program. Pending approval by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Accreditation Commission on Education in Nursing (ACEN), the new programs will enroll their first cohort of students in August 2019.
Gardner-Webb University Plans Martin Luther King Jr. Observance

Office of University Communications

A pastor from St. Louis, Mo., is the guest speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. observance at Gardner-Webb University, held during Dimensions on Jan. 22. The program, which begins at 9:25 a.m. in the Tucker Student Center, is free and open to the public. The Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Bobo Sr. leads West Side Missionary Baptist Church.
Gardner-Webb Alumnus Leads Charlotte (N.C.) Business Journal

Office of University Communications

T.J. McCullough, a 2007 alumnus of Gardner-Webb University, was recently named market president and publisher of the Charlotte (N.C.) Business Journal (CBJ). He received a degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and played on the Runnin’ Bulldogs men’s basketball team. A native of Chipley, Fla., McCullough enjoyed the camaraderie of his GWU teammates and the close-knit campus community.
GWU Associate Professor Attends Baptist-Catholic Meetings to Promote Christian Unity

Office of University Communications

An associate professor from the Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity recently attended a series of Baptist-Catholic meetings held in Rome, Italy. The Rev. Dr. Steven R. Harmon was among representatives of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) who met with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Included in the week of ecumenical conversations was a meeting with Pope Francis during the general papal audience.
GWU Research Experience Prepares English Major to Pursue Writing Career

Office of University Communications

A Gardner-Webb University senior English major spent part of her summer studying the themes of colonialism, environmentalism and ethnocentrism in science fiction. From what she learned, Hannah Roberts wrote the first arc of her own science fiction novel. “An arc is an episodic section of a certain theme, plot or character experience,” Roberts explained. “Science fiction is a wonderful genre for including diversity and exploring controversial topics. I had never written sci-fi, so I wanted to try something new.”