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 Experience Helps Liv LuVisi (’16) Discover Her Broadcasting Talent

Office of University Communications

Liv LuVisi (’16) of Kuna, Idaho, embraces life’s challenges as opportunities for growth and adventure. Told by her parents that she would have to pay her own way to college, LuVisi concentrated on her studies in high school and participated in extracurricular activities with the purpose of winning scholarships. “I even began competing in pageants to win scholarship money,” she acknowledged.
Accomplished Trombonist to Perform at Gardner-Webb on April 21

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Department of Music will present bass trombonist Scott Hartman in concert on April 21 at 8 p.m. in Blanton Auditorium inside Hamrick Hall on campus. The event, part of the School of Performing & Visual Arts Distinguished Artists Series, is free and open to the public. Hartman joined the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as principal bass trombonist in September 2014.
Gardner-Webb University Charters New Chapter of National Music Honor Society

Office of University Communications

A new Gardner-Webb chapter of a national honor society will help the University’s music department further recognize and celebrate the outstanding musical performance and scholastic achievements of students. The GWU Department of Music chartered the Kappa Upsilon chapter of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society on March 31. Dr. Mark Cole, assistant professor of music education, helped coordinate the formation of the chapter after being a member of the honor society as a student.
Gardner-Webb University Music Department to Present Trio of Spring Concerts

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Department of Music invites the public to a trio of upcoming free concerts on campus. The GWU Symphonic Band will perform April 19 at 8 p.m. in Dover Theatre, inside the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center. The band’s conductor is Dr. Mark Cole, assistant professor of music education.
GWU Alumnus Teaches Spanish Language and Culture

Office of University Communications

While Dylan Anthony Beaver (’15) of Polkville, N.C., traveled less than 30 minutes to attend Gardner-Webb University, his education included the opportunity to journey more than 4,000 miles to Spain, where he lived for three months. “My study-abroad experience in Spain was truly life changing,” Beaver reflected. “It was the first time I had been that far from home for that length of time. After a couple of weeks of getting used to hearing and speaking Spanish 24/7, I got settled into classes and meeting new people and the dialogue became much easier and routine. Being there allowed me to immerse myself in the language and culture while building some great relationships along the way.”
Gardner-Webb University to Host Marathon Reading of Spanish Literature Classic “Don Quixote”

Office of University Communications and Brooke Kelly

Gardner-Webb will host a marathon reading of the Spanish literature classic “Don Quixote de la Mancha” on April 19 as one of several activities that will spotlight the University’s Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The department will share information about its programs with high school students through campus tours and sessions about study-abroad experiences and other educational opportunities. “I am excited to celebrate world literature,” offers Dr. Ben Coates, GWU Assistant Professor of Spanish and the Spanish Program Coordinator.
Grammy Award-Winning Opera Singer Set to Perform Show at Gardner-Webb University on April 12

Office of University Communications and Tyra Montour

Grammy Award-winning soprano opera singer Angela Brown will take the stage at Gardner-Webb University on April 12. Her performance of “Opera…from a Sistah’s Point of View” is set to begin at 8 p.m. in the Dover Theatre inside the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center. Based in New York City, Brown has built a successful career working with symphonic pops legends Marvin Hamlisch, Jack Everly, and Erich Kunzel while traveling the world for classical performances at Lincoln Center, Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, Capetown Opera, Deutsche Opera Berlin, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Philharmonic, Shanghai World Expo, Moscow Performing Arts Center, and more.
GWU Undergraduate Research Program Helps Student Solidify Future Plans

Office of University Communications

As a Division I swimmer at Gardner-Webb, Taylor Schwartz (’16) of Westerville, Ohio, is accustomed to the nerves that accompany her athletic performances. Her interest in the subject intensified when she was named an undergraduate research scholar. Using her background as a psychology major, she and her mentor, Dr. Brooke Thompson, structured a cognitive neurology experiment in which Schwartz could measure performance, social, and pain anxiety among individuals set to perform an athletic task.
Orphan Aid Ministry to Visit Gardner-Webb

Office of University Communications

A red double-decker bus will roll onto the Gardner-Webb campus on April 12, bringing a mission to educate and engage the University’s students in caring for the world’s 140 million orphaned children. The Red Bus Project is a student-focused initiative of Show Hope, a nonprofit organization founded by Christian musician and social activist Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth to care for orphans. The bus ministry, which contains a mobile thrift store, visits college and university campuses to raise money and support for trips to aid orphans in countries including China and Haiti.
Math Studies Prepared Gardner-Webb Grad to Explore Innovative Ideas

Office of University Communications

The research Chinwendu Enyioha (’08) conducts in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., is based on mathematical theories and functions he studied at Gardner-Webb University. The GWU atmosphere allowed him to investigate topics suited to his interests, giving him a foundation to explore innovative ideas. “The size of the math department and faculty-student ratio allowed me to harness the focused attention and mentorship that professors were willing to offer,” he assessed.
Gardner-Webb to Spotlight Human Trafficking Issue

Office of University Communications

One of the leaders of a ministry that works to help victims of sex trafficking will help raise awareness of the issue during Dimensions at Gardner-Webb University on April 5. It is one of a variety of activities planned for Human Trafficking Awareness Week, an annual GWU event aimed at spotlighting the topic for the campus and greater communities. The Dimensions program, which is free, open to the public and begins at 9:25 a.m. in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center, will feature Mark Northcutt, stewardship director at Wellspring Living in Atlanta, Ga.
Gardner-Webb University Lecture Series Hosts History Scholar Dr. Mark Cheathem

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University’s Life of the Scholar program invites the public to “Andrew Jackson’s Southern Identity,” a lecture by Dr. Mark Cheathem, in Faith Hall of the Tucker Student Center on Monday, April 4 at 7 p.m., as part of the Joyce Compton Brown Lecture Series. A reception with light refreshments will follow, and copies of Cheathem’s book, “Andrew Jackson, Southerner,” will be available for purchase and signing before and after the lecture. Cheathem is a professor of history at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.
Gardner-Webb University Theatre Department to Present Comedic Production

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Department of Theatre will present the comedic play “The Servant of Two Masters” on April 7-10 in Dover Theatre inside the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center on campus. The play was originally composed by Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni in the 1700s. It features a servant-for-hire named Truffaldino who, in the attempt to fill his forever-empty stomach, tries to provide his services to two different masters at once, with hilarious results.
GWU Degree Completion Program Prepares Student for Career Change

Office of University Communications

Taking a step of faith, Sam Ali (’16) left a successful job at a non-profit organization to complete his bachelor’s degree at Gardner-Webb University. “I had spent many years working in the non-profit sector with at-risk youth in Greenville, S.C.,” Ali shared. “It was time to move in a different direction. I took some time off, prayed about it, and felt God’s calling to finish my degree and afterward, pursue becoming a physician assistant.”
Hunt School of Nursing 50th Anniversary Symposium Held at GWU on April 9

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Hunt School of Nursing hosted a 50th Anniversary Celebration and Symposium titled “Caring Science: Framework for Transformation of Self/System.” The event—sponsored by Charlotte Area Health Education Center—was held Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and featured renowned nurse educator and theorist Dr. Jean Watson as keynote speaker. “Dr. Watson is an expert in the field of caring science, which is the idea that nursing is not just about the physical, but also about the spiritual, emotional, and all other aspects of being human,” explained Dr. Quanza Mooring, assistant professor of nursing at GWU.

WGWG: School of Nursing 50th Anniversary celebration and symposium.
Music Duo Jenny & Tyler Returning to Gardner-Webb

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb will present the acoustic folk-pop music duo Jenny & Tyler during the University’s Dimensions program on March 29. The event will begin at 9:25 a.m. in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center (LYCC), and it is free and open to the public. Jenny and Tyler Somers, who married after originally meeting as students in their home state of Delaware, share their songs and stories with a candor that seeks to captivate, inspire and transcend age and cultural divides.
Former Gardner-Webb University President Dr. Frank Campbell Passes Away

Office of University Communications

Dr. Frank R. Campbell is remembered by the Gardner-Webb University community as an eloquent communicator, a cohesive leader and a dear friend. Campbell, who served GWU as president from 2002 to 2005, passed away March 22 at 80 years old. “With his extraordinary grace and wisdom, Frank Campbell brought healing and stability to this University at one of the very most difficult times in the institution’s history,” offered Dr. Frank Bonner, Campbell’s successor and current GWU president.
Gardner-Webb Hunt School of Nursing Partners with Community for Medical, Spiritual Ministry

Office of University Communications

In addition to providing world-class healthcare training for its students, the Gardner-Webb University Hunt School of Nursing connects with the surrounding community to offer medical, educational and ministry resources to improve the overall well being of residents. Those commitments were on display recently in a partnership with the N.C. Baptist Men, Crestview Baptist Church and several other local agencies that joined to provide uninsured men with tests for glucose and cholesterol levels, screenings for depression and other conditions, and information on topics such as nutrition and disease prevention.Volunteers with the N.C. Baptist Men parked the organization’s mobile Health Screening Ministry bus at Crestview Baptist Church between Boiling Springs and Shelby, and GWU faculty and students provided a variety of nursing services including blood tests and wellness brochures.
Gardner-Webb Students Showcase Research

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University students showcased their original research in an array of academic disciplines during a pair of prestigious spring academic conferences. Nearly 60 undergraduate and graduate students participated in the Life of the Scholar (LOTS) Multidisciplinary Conference on Gardner-Webb’s campus in March, and 22 of those undergraduate scholars were delegates to the Alpha Chi 2016 National Convention in Washington, D.C., in April. The Alpha Chi delegation was GWU’s largest since beginning its honor society chapter in 1972, and several students earned significant prizes for their national presentations.
Gardner-Webb Undergrad Expands Career Goals After Exploring Different Topics

Office of University Communications

When Sthefany Flores (’18) came to Gardner-Webb University she had already chosen to major in journalism. But as she explored other subjects and discovered her interests, she decided to minor in political science and theater. “I feel like I’ve gotten a stronger grasp of my career goals because of the classes I have taken,” Flores shared.
GWU Godbold School of Business Helps Undergrad Develop Skills as Financial Advisor

Office of University Communications

Logan Walker of Huntersville, N.C., (’17) came to Gardner-Webb University to play soccer and major in communications with a video and film concentration. However, an illness shortened his athletic career after one season as a Runnin’ Bulldog. At the same time, he discovered an aptitude for economics and finance that led him to change majors.
Gardner-Webb Research Experience Provides Opportunity to Explore Majors

Office of University Communications

He glides through the water with both grace and power. Each movement is calculated to precision. He stretches the capacity of his physical strength—hoping to shave seconds off his competiton time.
GWU School of Business Gave Small Business Owner Tools to be Successful

Office of University Communications

When it was time to declare her major, Amy Rizzuto (’09) had two choices: Follow her business instincts or her artistic abilities. Marketing concepts intrigued her, but she also wanted to develop her talent and passion for photography that began when she was 7 years old. After talking with her adviser at Gardner-Webb University, she chose to major in marketing and minor in communications with a concentration in photography.
GWU Exhibits to Feature Junior and Senior Artists

Office of University Communications

The Gardner-Webb University Department of Visual Art will showcase the works of junior and senior students at a pair of upcoming exhibits on campus. A Junior Exhibition and Undergraduate Show will be on display March 21-31 in the Communication Studies Hall on Main Street in Boiling Springs. Featured artists include Anna Culler, Autumn Dufield, Sarah Jo Joyce, Myla Keever, Kayin Mujahid, Tyler Myers and Alex Stewart.
Community Invited to Annual Gardner-Webb Health Fair on March 17

Office of University Communications

Dozens of local healthcare providers and organizations will be on hand to promote healthy living at Gardner-Webb’s annual health fair, scheduled for Thursday, March 17 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Tucker Student Center. The event is free and open to the public. Every year, the GWU Health Fair enables students and members of the community to build relationships with local health agencies, promoting awareness about the latest health-related trends and offering the knowledge and resources necessary to pursue healthy lifestyles.