Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

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  Student Travels 3,000 Miles to Find her Place at GWU

  Office of University Communications

  When Emily Hamilton (’18) of Everson, Wash., searched for colleges that fit her varied interests, Gardner-Webb University came up most often. Even though the school was located almost 3,000 miles away, she trusted the search results and scheduled a visit. “The whole time I was on the tour I was in awe at how gorgeous the campus was,” she shared. “

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  Lacrosse Player Appreciates Support of Gardner-Webb Community

  Office of University Communications

  When Emma Rose (’17) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was contacted by the Women’s Lacrosse coach at Gardner-Webb University, she couldn’t believe the timing. “I ended up visiting the school shortly after my grandfather died, and it just seemed like a sign that I found Gardner-Webb,” Rose observed. “I fell in love with the school once I stepped foot on the campus. The community is small and tight knit. You know your professors and everyone in your major. It creates an awesome learning environment. I’ve met the happiest and nicest people at Gardner-Webb, and I think everyone deserves to experience that.”

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  Online Master’s Program Provides Relevant, Useful Information

  Office of University Communications

  Although she feels uncomfortable working with technology, Heidi Hyde overcame doubts about her technical abilities and enrolled in the online Master of Arts in English program at Gardner-Webb University. “I loved the thought of getting my master’s in literature without having to drive to a campus,” said Hyde, who lives in Hickory, N.C. “The fact that the degree was completely online was attractive to me in this regard. I love seated classes, but the benefits of the online program outweighed the disadvantages for me.”

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  Gardner-Webb University Awards Over 230 Degrees at Summer Commencement on July 30

  Office of University Communications

  Gardner–Webb University hosted Summer Commencement on Saturday, July 30 in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center at 10 a.m. More than 230 traditional undergraduate, degree completion, and graduate program students were honored for their achievements during the ceremony. Many graduates participated in the ceremony through prayer and scripture readings.

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  Divinity Student Values Supportive GWU Faculty and Staff

  Office of University Communications

  Two weeks after graduating from the School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University, Chase Robinson (’16) accepted the call to pastor Sandy Plains Baptist Church in Shelby, N.C. He transitioned to the role after serving as the church’s youth and children’s minister for three years. “I love being with people and building meaningful relationships,” reflected Robinson, who earned a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies. “My job gives me great opportunities to do so.”

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  Gardner-Webb’s Close-knit Community Supports Academic Success

  Office of University Communications

  While earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Gardner-Webb University, Mindy Robinson (’16) realized that the most important part of her education wasn’t found in a textbook. “In both my undergraduate and graduate studies, what I valued most was the Gardner-Webb community,” she reflected. “I met my husband, Chase, and some of my very best friends. I have formed lasting relationships that I will carry with me long after my time at Gardner-Webb has come to an end. There are several professors that I would feel comfortable calling and talking to about whatever was going on in my life. These relationships and this community were crucial to my academic success, and the people truly made my experience what it was.”

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  While Attending GWU, Couple Discerns Calling to Serve the Local Church

  Office of University Communications

  Chase Robinson (’16) of Vale, N.C., came to Gardner-Webb University thinking he was on his way to the foreign mission field. As he began serving in student ministries and working in local churches, he discovered God’s calling was closer to home, and he wouldn’t be alone. His future included Mindy McNeely (’16), a young woman he met through Fellowship of Christians United in Service (FOCUS), a student ministry involving teams of students who lead youth retreats locally and regionally.

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  Gardner-Webb University to Hold Summer Commencement Exercises on July 30

  Office of University Communications

  Gardner-Webb University will award more than 230 degrees during the 2016 summer commencement exercises on Saturday, July 30. The ceremony is set to begin at 10 a.m. in the Paul Porter Arena of the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center, located on the campus of Gardner-Webb University. The event will commemorate the achievements of students in traditional undergraduate, degree completion, and graduate programs of study.

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  Bulldog Movers Ease Transition for First-Time Gardner-Webb University Residents, Families

  Office of University Communications

  For decades, a volunteer group has helped ease the transition for new Gardner-Webb students who move onto the University’s main campus. The Bulldog Movers are among the first to greet students and their families during orientation weekend each August. Dozens of faculty, staff and student volunteers carry boxes, suitcases and bags from cars to campus residences, providing helping hands and a friendly welcome to the newest members of the Gardner-Webb community.

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  Gardner-Webb Announces New Associate Provost of Arts and Sciences

  Office of University Communications

  A longtime professor of history at Gardner-Webb has been named to a position of academic leadership at the University. Dr. Ben Leslie, Provost and Executive Vice President, announced that Dr. David Yelton will assume the post of Associate Provost of Arts and Sciences, effective Aug. 1. “I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Yelton as a Gardner-Webb faculty member for the last decade,” Leslie stated.

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  Gardner-Webb Celebrates Outstanding Contributions of Former Faculty Members at Emeriti Luncheon

  Office of University Communications and Erik Barr

  Gardner-Webb welcomed nearly two dozen distinguished former faculty members to the University’s Tucker Student Center this summer for a luncheon to honor their dedication to the institution and to celebrate the release of the third edition of the “GWU Faculty Emeriti Book.” “The Faculty Emeriti Luncheon was a wonderful opportunity for the University to reconnect with a group of faculty members who have made a profound contribution to the shape and fiber of Gardner-Webb University,” said Dr. Ben Leslie, GWU Provost and Executive Vice President. “Their presence at Gardner-Webb has been sacrificial in that any of them could easily have found greater financial reward elsewhere. But they believe in our ideal of Christian higher education, and have chosen to leave their mark here. And believe me, in each and every case, they have.”

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  Finding My Place Among the Grits and Liver Mush

  Office of University Communications and Erik Barr

  One of my first experiences at Gardner-Webb University was trying to “pull” on a door clearly marked “push.” As a master of first impressions, I was trying to go into the Snack Shop restaurant across the street from campus with a small group of people I had just met. One of the waitresses, hiding a smirk, motioned for me to push.

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  Gardner-Webb University Trustee, Alumnus and Honorary Doctorate Recipient Passes Away

  Office of University Communications

  A Gardner-Webb University trustee, alumnus and honorary doctorate recipient is being remembered for his extensive leadership, care and compassion for people and his love of God. Dr. Emmett Harvey Rogers Jr., longtime pastor, education and business leader, and member of the GWU family, passed away July 11 at the age of 72. “I speak for the entire Gardner-Webb University community in expressing our deep sadness in the passing of Dr. E. Harvey Rogers,” shares GWU President Dr. Frank Bonner.

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  Film written by GWU Professor Still Resonates with Fans After Nearly Four Decades

  Office of University Communications

  While teaching Gardner-Webb students the basics of video and film editing, Dr. Jim Lawrence gives them advice they won’t find in a textbook. The life lesson comes from his own years working in the Los Angeles film and television industries. “I try to impress upon students that you have to cultivate relationships,” he asserted.

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  Divinity Students Become First GWU Group to Study in Cuba

  Office of University Communications

  Seven students from Gardner-Webb University made history in May as the first group from the School of Divinity to travel and study in Cuba. Led by Dr. Hebert Palomino, associate professor of pastoral care and counseling, the group visited several places, including the Baptist seminary in Santiago de Cuba, where Palomino helped to establish a counseling program. “The highlight for me was the opportunity to attend services in different churches,” Rowena Casino, of Boiling Springs, N.C., shared.

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  Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity Students Explore Lands of the Bible

  Office of University Communications

  Providing opportunities that stretch the mind, stir the heart, and prepare students for the practice of ministry in the local church is a key goal of the Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity. Through a unique trip to Greece and Turkey recently, more than 20 divinity students explored a variety of ancient sites in order to enhance their understanding of biblical texts. This year’s Greece/Turkey trip featured visits to Istanbul, five of the churches of Revelation, the Island of Patmos, Corinth, Athens, Delphi, Berea, Thessalonica, and Phillipi.

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  R.W. Andrews Scholar’s Mother Inspires Him to Pursue Higher Education at Gardner-Webb University

  Office of University Communications

  Gardner-Webb University is already close to the heart of Jerrae Gordon, even before he walks into his first freshman class or meets his first college friend. Gordon, a recent Shelby High School graduate who will attend Gardner-Webb on a R.W. Andrews Scholarship, draws inspiration from his mother, Cynthia, in his decision to pursue higher education at the University. Gordon’s mom entered college as an adult, with the goal of preparing for a career as a counselor, and she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and counseling at Gardner-Webb in 2014.

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  Slave History Takes on New Meaning for GWU Professor

  Office of University Communications

  Wallace Turnage is not a famous person, but historians are fascinated with the discovery of the former slave’s story. In a letter written to his family 100 years ago, Turnage recorded a vivid account of his escape to freedom. Dr. Joseph S. Moore, assistant professor of history at Gardner-Webb University, studied this handwritten document and other slave narratives during a seminar this summer at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

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  Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity Students Minister to Hundreds of People in Latin America

  Office of University Communications

  Through food ministries for the impoverished, worship music with children and discipleship to adults, Gardner-Webb University students extended God’s love to the people of Latin America during a recent cultural immersion trip. Dr. Terry Casino, professor of missiology in the GWU School of Divinity, led the group experience through Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, as part of the school’s Missiology and Intercultural Studies Concentration curriculum. “A missiologist once said that missions work is caught rather than taught. By going overseas this summer, divinity students had the opportunity to see for themselves what God is doing outside their comfort zone in North America and fulfill their own share of the Central Commission to make disciples of all nations,” Casino shared.

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  Alumna Shares her Faith in the Classroom and on the Mission Field

  Office of University Communications

  Tabitha Hamilton (’11) comes from a family of educators in Blair, Neb. As a young girl, she played school with old supplies collected from teachers in the Christian school where her father taught health and physical education. However, during high school, sports and missions became more important to her than teaching.

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  Gardner-Webb University Ranks in Top Two Percent in U.S. for Core Curriculum Standards

  Office of University Communications

  An annual study on core curriculum requirements at over 1,100 colleges and universities from all over the United States has placed Gardner-Webb University at the head of the class for the fifth year in a row. Ranked among 25 institutions throughout the nation with an “A” grade, Gardner-Webb is the only school in the Carolinas to earn an “A” distinction for general requirement standards. The 2015-2016 What Will They Learn? Study, conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), ranks the core curriculum of all the major public and private colleges and universities in all 50 states.

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  Charles Friday (’15) Achieves Goals Through GWU Degree Completion Program

  Office of University Communications

  Homeless at 19, Charles Franklin Friday Jr. (’15), of Denver, N.C., became determined to make a better life for himself and the family he hoped to have some day. He joined the military to get off the streets, and when his service ended, enrolled in a community college. He was sitting in class when a representative from Gardner-Webb University talked to them about the Degree Completion Program (DCP).

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  Rutherford County High School Students Participate in Third Annual Science Academy at GWU

  Office of University Communications

  High school students from Rutherford County, N.C., are reporting that a unique week of their summer vacation that has given them new insight into the practical application of scientific principles. Through a grant from the Stonecutter Foundation (Spindale, N.C.), a dozen area teens participated in the third annual Science Academy, a program designed to offer enrichment in the subject of science and help students solidify skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). "The goal of the Science Academy is to provide a rich, practical experience in science with exposure to science related careers,” offered Jay Zimmer, biology instructor at Gardner-Webb.

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  Gardner-Webb University’s Online Offerings Earn Top Ranking in North Carolina

  Office of University Communications

  Gardner-Webb University is being recognized for exceptional web-based learning opportunities and was recently honored as a 2016 Best Online College in North Carolina by Best Colleges, based in Seattle, Wash., and Houston, Texas. Gardner-Webb ranked fourth out of the top 15 institutions of higher education in the state. The University was selected based on academic quality and affordability.

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  Alum Assists Students who are Pursing Christian Higher Education

  Office of University Communications

  Aaron Wilkinson (’07) has a desk, not a pulpit and an office instead of a sanctuary. But as he works with students at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) in Marion, Ind., he strives to minister to them. He encountered some of his best role models as a student at Gardner-Webb University.