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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Two Rhodes Diverged

Office of University Communications

Keith Rhodes decided in middle school that instead of being influenced by a troublemaker, he would make good grades and set an example for others. “I could have been that statistic that everyone talks about—a child in a single-parent household, living in poverty, getting in trouble, and becoming just a number,” he observed. “A lot of my friends took a different path than me, but I’m not a number, I did make it out, and I can make a difference.”
Gardner-Webb Student Appreciates Caring and Approachable Faculty

Office of University Communications

When she graduates from Gardner-Webb University in May, Kristina Nork will have more than a certificate to hang on the wall. She will carry with her all the life lessons she’s gained as a student, an athlete and a follower of Christ. “Being at Gardner-Webb has helped shaped me into the person I am today through my experiences in the pool, the classroom and the strong Christian atmosphere,” she shared.
Gardner-Webb University Students Share Joy with Homeless During Holidays

Office of University Communications

In the rush of preparing for final exams and anticipating the coming holiday break from college classes, students in Gardner-Webb University’s Athletic Training Club spent a day focused on brightening the Christmas season for the men and women at a local homeless shelter. The students recently visited Miracle Hill Ministries in Gaffney, S.C., to decorate for Christmas, and to prepare and enjoy lunch with the homeless. The ministry operates several shelters for children and adults, while also providing resources for families in need across the upstate region of South Carolina.
GWU Student Receives Duke Energy Scholarship from North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities

Office of University Communications

Kyle Cooper, a Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, N.C.) junior majoring in Biology, was selected to receive a Duke Energy Foundation Scholarship in the amount of $3,500 for the 2015-2016 academic year. Kyle is the son of Sherri Cooper of Gastonia, N.C., and Michael Ratliff of Hamlet, N.C. The Duke Energy Foundation contributed $80,500 in scholarship aid this year through the Independent College Fund of N.C., a division of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU).
Former Brazilian Banker Finds Growth, Opportunities in America, Gardner-Webb University

Office of University Communications

For 30 years, Antonio Duarte worked as a successful banker in Brazil. He was thriving in his career, furthering his education and teaching business on the side. Still, something was missing.
Gardner-Webb University Awards Over 250 Degrees

Office of University Communications

Gardner–Webb University hosted Fall Commencement on Monday, Dec. 14 in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center at 10 a.m. More than 250 graduates were honored for their achievements during the ceremony. Many graduates participated in the ceremony through prayer, scripture reading, and commencement speeches.
Gardner-Webb Grad Awarded Fulbright Fellowship for Dung Beetle Research in New Zealand

Office of University Communications

Most people don’t stop to ponder the lowly dung beetle, but Gardner-Webb University graduate Matt Jones (’09) has spent the last five years collecting and observing these little creatures. It’s a dirty job that only a serious scientist could enjoy, but his research on nature’s “cleanup crew” has earned him a prestigious Fulbright Award to study the introduction of dung beetles in New Zealand. “Receiving a Fulbright Fellowship means so much to me, because it’s such a competitive fellowship program,” Jones reflected.
Gardner-Webb University Fall Commencement Set for Dec. 14

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University will award nearly 300 degrees during the 2015 fall commencement exercises on Monday, Dec. 14 at 10 a.m. in the Paul Porter Arena of the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center, located on the campus of Gardner-Webb University. Approximately 275 students have earned degrees and a majority of those graduates will don their cap-and-gown to celebrate their hard work. The ceremony will honor students who have successfully completed undergraduate, degree completion, and graduate programs.
Tuition-Free Program to Help Students Build Professional Experience

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University’s Office of Career Development began a new program this fall that is designed to help students apply for and earn internships as well as provide assistance throughout the process with skills to prepare for future careers. Internships with the Certified Internship Program (CIP) will begin in the 2016 spring semester and the CIP will aid students in building resumes, practicing for interviews, and learning about networking through workshops and tutorials. While it is a tuition-free program, it does not offer course credit.

WGWG: Internship program at GWU
Why Online? GWU Tracks Trends in Higher Education

Office of University Communications

Flexibility. Convenience. Access. These are all reasons someone might choose to pursue an online education instead of a more traditional face-to-face delivery. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Education reported more than 5.5 million people seeking a higher education—roughly 25 percent of students—were taking at least one course online. Experts predict those numbers will continue to climb.
Gardner-Webb Presents 2015 Advent Devotional Book

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University is proud to present the 2015 Advent Devotional as a guide for reflecting on the birth of Jesus Christ and focusing on the holy blessings of the Christmas season. This year’s daily Advent readings are available as a traditional written book and online in audio format via the WGWG.org SoundCloud page. Throughout the devotional, GWU students, faculty and staff members offer perspectives on the Advent season and appreciation of a journey throughout the year.

WGWG: Advent 2015
GWU Student Wins Prestigious Award at National Conference

Office of University Communications

On a national stage in Chicago, Ill., while fighting pneumonia, Gardner-Webb senior history major Elisabeth Moore talked about hillbilly stereotypes. And she won a prestigious award in the process. She was in high school when she first realized how much the stereotypes about Appalachia had permeated contemporary culture.

WGWG: Elisabeth Moore interview
Gardner-Webb Students Join Alpha Chi Honor Society

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University inducted 35 new members into the Alpha Chi student honor society in a ceremony on Nov. 15 in Blanton Auditorium on the GWU campus. Alpha Chi is a coeducational academic honor society that promotes academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students and honors those who achieve such distinction. Membership is open to students with junior and senior classification who demonstrate strong character and whose GPA ranks them in the top 10 percent of their academic classes.
Gardner-Webb University Students Join Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb University inducted more than 30 new members into the Gamma Beta Upsilon Chapter of the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society for adult students on Nov. 15. In a ceremony in GWU’s Tucker Student Center, 31 students and four honorary inductees joined the society as representatives of the College of Adult and Distance Education at Gardner-Webb.
GWU’s Annual “Festival of Lights” Returns Dec. 3

Office of University Communications and Brooke Kelly

Gardner-Webb University’s Festival of Lights has become an annual community tradition as a celebration of the holiday season for students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the public. This year’s event will be held Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in Dover Theatre, located inside the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center on the GWU campus. The free festival features the GWU concert choir, chorale and multiple small instrumental ensembles.
GWU Symphonic Band to Offer Christmas Concert

Office of University Communications and Brooke Kelly

The Gardner-Webb University Symphonic Band will present a free concert featuring Christmas music on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. in Dover Theater, located in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center on the GWU campus. The concert will feature selections including “New York Hippodrome March” composed by John Philip Sousa, “Sinatra!” a medley of pieces composed by Frank Sinatra, “Movements II & III” by Vincent Persichetti, and variations on “America” by Charles Ives. The performance will conclude with a short Christmas medley of “Silent Night.”
Gardner-Webb Professor’s Book Published by Oxford University Press

Office of University Communications

A story uncovered in research for his dissertation has led one Gardner-Webb University faculty member to be published by the prestigious Oxford University Press. Dr. Joseph Moore, assistant professor of history, wrote the book, “Founding Sins: How a Group of Antislavery Radicals Fought to Put Christ into the Constitution,” from research that took him to the United Kingdom. It chronicles the attempts of The Covenanters to convert America to a Christian nation and traces their political roots from Scotland to the New World.
Gardner-Webb University School of Psychology and Counseling Reintroduces Program

Office of University Communications

The School of Psychology and Counseling at Gardner-Webb will relaunch the Master of Arts in Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling program at the University’s Charlotte, N.C., campus next fall. The program will be offered in addition to other established graduate counseling programs, such as school and mental health counseling. “Healthy marriages and strong families are essential components of a well-functioning society,” said Dr. Jasmine Graham, assistant professor of mental health counseling and director of the program.
GWU Dimensions Program to Celebrate Advent

Office of University Communications

Gardner-Webb will celebrate and reflect on the holiday season with its annual university Advent services during the Dimensions program on Tuesday, Dec. 1. The service is free and open to the public. GWU professor Susan Bell will be the featured speaker for the Advent service, which is the final Dimensions program of the fall semester. “Susan came to Gardner-Webb to teach art at the beginning of my sophomore year as a student,” said Dr. Tracy Jessup, vice president of Christian Life and Services and senior minister to the University.
Gardner-Webb Provided Deep Scholastic Enrichment for Top Athlete

Office of University Communications

Now enrolled in what she described as an “intense” Occupational Therapy graduate degree program, Charity Byrum (’15) credited Gardner-Webb with preparing her to manage a busy life schedule. The four-time Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) All-Academic Team member made deep scholastic enrichment a major part of her undergraduate career, in addition to her success in the pool as a seven-time all-CCSA athlete. “I participated in independent study research with Dr. Jeff Hartman in Exercise Science and created a laboratory teaching assistant position as a practicum with Dr. David Granniss,” she offered.
GWU Athlete: ‘I Always had a Large Community in my Corner’

Office of University Communications

Community support propelled Heather Feldman (’15) as she pursued excellence in the music department and on the volleyball court during her baccalaureate career at Gardner-Webb. A GWU Senior Scholastic Award recipient, she also ranks 11th all time in the Big South in career volleyball assists. “I always had a large community in my corner, both on campus and off campus, pushing me to do the best I could in the classroom and on the court,” she said.
GWU Hunt School of Nursing Acknowledges National Nurse Practitioners Week Nov. 8-14

Office of University Communications

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the inaugural Nurse Practitioner (NP) program, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is honoring these health care providers during National Nurse Practitioners Week, Nov. 8-14. The first nurse practitioner program was established at the University of Colorado (Boulder, Colo.) and now, there are over 200,000 NPs licensed to practice in the U.S. In 2013, Gardner-Webb University established the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program track as part of the Hunt School of Nursing’s Master of Science in Nursing.
GWU Program to Spotlight Ethics in Social Media

Office of University Communications

Social media ethics will be in the spotlight during Gardner-Webb University’s Dimensions program Nov. 17 in the Tucker Student Center. The program begins at 9:25 a.m. and is free and open to the public. Joe Jones, a digital and social media marketing professional for 12 years, will be the guest speaker.
“Freedom Hall”

Office of University Communications

In honor of Veterans Day, Gardner-Webb University officials joined members of the campus community on Tuesday, Nov. 10 to dedicate Gardner-Webb’s new military wall of honor, “Freedom Hall.” Around 50 people attended the ceremony, which was held in the Dover Campus Center at GWU. Freedom Hall honors the military contributions of the extended university family, including faculty, staff, current students, alumni and members of their immediate family.
Gardner-Webb Gave Student-Athlete Tools for Success in Business

Office of University Communications

Football brought Kyeonta “Keon” Williams Jr. (’14) to Gardner-Webb in 2010 for a visit, but a business professor convinced him to stay. “I was offered a full-scholarship to be a student-athlete,” the Runnin’ Bulldogs cornerback recalled. “I chose to attend Gardner-Webb shortly after hearing Dr. Anthony Negbenebor’s presentation during my official visit. Negbenebor (dean emeritus and professor of economics and international business in Godbold School of Business) discussed how the institution intertwines faith and academics, which my family and I felt was a competitive advantage.”