Summer 2021 Alumni & Friends Newsletter

Alumni News Amira Abdelwahab ’20 begins her law school studies at Penn State University in fall 2021.

Tanay Adams ’17 completed her M.S. in Education at the University of Kansas in May. She serves as an Academic Advisor in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at KU.

Meredith Brown ’03 was honored as an Outstanding Educator for the 2019-2020 academic year by the S.C. Technical Education Assn. Brown has been teaching psychology at Piedmont Technical College (PTC) since 2006. She earned an associate’s degree from PTC, B.S. in psychology from Lander, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Augusta University. She is also a certified Stress Management Coach.

Dean’s Message Academic year 2020-2021 was challenging, but filled with successes. We were elated to celebrate students’

academic achievements and contributions to campus life this spring. In August we look forward to welcoming freshmen, building camaraderie among sophomores, and in continuing to mentor junior and seniors. A recent report from the Association of American Colleges & Universities titled How College Contributes to Workforce Success explains that the #1 skill that employers labeled as “very important” was the “ability to work effectively in teams.” The top two items that make employers “much more likely to consider” hiring a candidate were: #1, an internship; and #2, “an experience that involved working in community settings with people from diverse backgrounds or cultures.” These findings affirm Lander University’s mission and re-inforce our College’s commitments to three things:

applied experiences (field experiences, internships, and assignments about application of knowledge)

team-building exercises (collaborative learning in courses, in student organizations, and through mentorship by faculty); and

efforts to showcase diversity (through courses, programming, and experiences such as study abroad). Our work in these three areas also meets students’ demands. Students want more internships as well as courses and experiences that address diversity and global learning. Through mentorship and dialogue, we seek to care for students and to enhance communication and team-building skills. I am proud of our work and appreciate all those alumni and friends who support Lander students! -- Lucas McMillan

College of Behavioral & Social Sciences 864-388-8176

Lucas McMillan, Dean smcmillan@lander.edu

Donna Knight, Administrative Assistant dknight@lander.edu

Tanay Adams Brad Rader Na’Shima Carter Cherise Jacobs Candace Timmerman

Christina Franklin Bussard ’19 earned her M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Western Carolina University in May.

Mel Bussard ’19 begins studies for a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Idaho State University in fall 2021.

Na’Shima Carter ’15 serves as Assistant Public Defender for the Second Judicial Circuit in Aiken, S.C. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Charleston School of Law.

Hayley Gibson ’17 earned a Juris Doctor degree from the N.C. Central University School of Law in May.

Luke Harris ’17 was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer following graduation and honorably served for four years, including deployments to Qatar and Afghanistan. This fall he begins studies toward an M.A. in International Affairs at The Bush School at Texas A&M University and will focus his coursework on national security and diplomacy.

Emily Hernandez ’21 begins graduate studies in criminology at Michigan State University this fall. She will work as a research assistant and received a full scholarship.

Cherise Jacobs ’00 earned an M.Ed. after graduation and is a professional school counselor at Irmo High School.

Nick Long ’14 teaches AP U.S. History and is an Assistant Football Coach at Ninety Six High School.

Brad Rader ’98 was a recipient of one of Lander’s 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awards in February. He completed his Juris Doctor degree at Widener University and has 18 years of public service. Rader currently serves as Deputy Regional Counsel in the Philadelphia Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Kathryn Spence ’18 completed her Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree from the University of South Carolina in May. She is a certified School Counselor with a Play Therapy certificate.

Candace Timmerman ’09 is Case Manager and Grants Coordinator for MEG’S House, a non-profit in Greenwood.

Ettele Toole ’16 has been with Alfred Benesch & Company for a few years as a marketing specialist. She recently joined the company’s HR team as Talent Acquisition Specialist.

Andrew Willis ’11 started a new position as Project Manager for eGroup.

Student News

Macy Gault accepted into Washington Semester Program History major Macy Gault will spend the Fall 2021 semester in the nation’s capital as the 22nd Lander student accepted to the Washington Semester Program operated by the University of South Carolina Honors College. In addition to her history courses and research projects, she is pursuing minors in both pre-law and political science. Gault’s academic excellence earned her both the William D. Tinsley Scholarship and Barbara Jackson Scholarship. A student in Lander’s Honors College and chair of its leadership council, Gault also serves as president of the Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society.

Macy Sinner: talented tutor and soccer star Criminology and Sociology major Macy Sinner graduated in May and is an example

of a well-rounded student. She has excelled academically with six times on the President’s List, been a key player on the Lady Bearcats soccer team, and helped students in Lander’s Peer Tutoring Program for three years. In her tutoring work at the Academic Success Center (ASC), Sinner worked to connect with students, establishing the “Math with Macy” sessions. She will return to Lander in Fall 2021 to begin studies toward the master’s degree in Emergency Management and will serve as

a Graduate Assistant Academic Coach in the ASC. Learn more here.

Sara Gray presents at international conference

Psychology major Sara Gray made a virtual presentation at the annual conference of the Association for Psychological Science in May 2021. An international venue, Gray was mentored by Dr. Tess Gemberling and received one of the Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Awards in spring 2021. She also won first place in the Psychology division of Lander’s Student Academic Symposium. A rising senior, Gray is a student in Lander’s Honors College and is pursuing a minor in computer information systems in addition to her psychology major.

Ryan Murdock named Man of the Year

Psychology major Ryan Murdock was selected as Samuel Lander Man of the Year at the 2021 Student Life Awards ceremony. Murdock is a Presidential Ambassador, Resident Assistant, and was crowed the 2021 Homecoming King in February. Dr. Boyd Yarbrough, Lander’s Vice President for Student Affairs, said of Murdock, “He has a positive attitude that lights up a room and sets an example for other students. He embodies everything we could ask for in a Lander student.”

Leaders in Student Government

Political science students Courtney Clavel and Elemia Crankfield have been elected to positions with Lander’s Student Government Assn. (SGA) for 2021-2022. Clavel will be SGA President is already involved with the Political Science Assn. and sorority life. She received the Robbie Barnes Scholarship for academic achievements. Crankfield will serve as Junior Class Senator and received both the Bill and Emily Bradford Scholarship and Government, Criminology, and Sociology Departmental Scholarship for her academic accolades.

Courtney Clavel Elemia Crankfield

Honors & Awards Program held in historic amphitheater

The College held its annual Honors and Awards Program on Apr. 13 in McFerrin Amphitheater behind Laura Lander Hall. Even at a very warm 83 degrees, faculty, staff, and guests appreciated a chance to celebrate students’ many academic achievements. The College presented its academic discipline and special awards, recognized new inductees and graduating seniors in disciplinary honor societies, and recognized those students on the dean’s list and president’s list from Fall 2020. Click here for more information about the ceremony and read the bios of student award winners here. Below are more photos from the ceremony.

News about Lander’s ROTC Program Highlander Battalion Dining Out On May 6 Lander University hosted the Highlander Battalion “Dining Out” program. Over 80 cadets and cadre and their dates were in attendance at this formal affair. Cadets from Newberry College and Presbyterian College as well as Brigadier General John T. Gentry were in attendance. New Second Lieutenants commissioned; Gervais promoted The Highlander Battalion commissioned 15 second lieutenants in the U.S. Army (including 2LT Brian Murphy from Lander) on May 14. Lieutenant General Maria R. Gervais, a 1987 alumna of Lander’s ROTC program, was the guest speaker and conducted the oath for all the new officers. She was presented with a Claymore Sword engraved with her Lander class. Gervais was recently promoted to Lieutenant General in May 2021 and now serves as Deputy Commanding General of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and will oversee United States Army Cadet Command.

Rising Enrollment Lander’s ROTC program is led by Maj. Adrien Chen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Military Science. A Citadel graduate, he brings extensive experience from his years in the Army. Lander currently has 12 cadets enrolled in MSL 301, the course that begins a student’s pathway toward commissioning as a second lieutenant. Lander’s ROTC program also has the largest population of lateral entry cadets of any other institution in the battalion, and Lander cadets make up half of the basic camp attendees from the Highlander Battalion at Fort Knox in Summer 2021.

Assault Field Training The Highlander Battalion conducted its largest Air Assault Field Training Exercise, consisting of five Blackhawk Helicopters, two Chinook Helicopters, and two Apache Attack Helicopters in spring 2021. The cadets were flown from a FARP (Forward Area Refueling/Rearming Point) into an objective. As a large platoon operation, they raided along with cadets from the University of South Carolina, Presbyterian College, and USC Upstate.

Dr. Tess Gemberling Dr. Ryan Floyd and May 2021 graduates Dr. Brittany Aga

Faculty News

Awards and Promotions

Dr. Tess Gemberling won the 2021 Young Faculty Teaching Award. As Assistant Professor of Psychology, she receives very positive feedback on her teaching from both colleagues and students. As an instructor, she uses high-impact practices and active learning strategies to engage students. Her commitment to students in seen in her strong record mentoring 29 students that has resulted in: (1) students making presentations of their work at Lander’s Academic Symposium and at external conferences such as the Association of Psychological Science, an international-level venue; (2) students serving as her co-author on manuscripts submitted for publication. Dr. Gemberling has published peer-reviewed journal articles and made conference presentations on the scholarship of teaching and learning. She is a strong adviser and serves as sponsor of the Spectrum Club. Dr. Ryan Floyd has earned promotion to Professor of History. As Associate Professor, he published a co-edited book with LSU Press that received high praise. He also authored a textbook for teaching introductory U.S. history since 1877 and a report about Lander’s B.S. in History with secondary teacher certification that was endorsed by the National Council of Social Studies. Dr. Floyd has added courses to the HIST curriculum and actively uses technology and high-impact practices in his teaching. In May 2021, he offered a teaching workshop for faculty members and is involved in many aspects of campus life. Dr. Brittany Aga completed her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from California Southern University and has been promoted to Clinical Assistant Professor of Human Services and Psychology. She continues to serve as Director of LINK 101, Lander’s first-year experience program, and has been working to enhance LINK’s peer leader program. Dr. Aga made a presentation at the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) meeting earlier this year.

Part-Time Faculty Members of the Year

Joe Camp and Melissa Mayo are 2021 Part-Time Faculty Members of the Year. A 1988 Lander alumnus, Dr. Joe Camp earned a Ph.D. in History from West Virginia University. His career has involved various endeavors and much teaching. He has been teaching for Lander since 2018. Dr. Camp is an active historian who has published works on local history. Students have favorably reviewed Dr. Camp’s teaching and nominated him for the Moore Award in General Education Teaching. Faculty are impressed with Dr. Camp’s teaching, his willingness to meet with students outside of class, and his participation in departmental life.

Dr. Jon Bassett Dr. John Moore Dr. Kimberly Richburg

Prof. Melissa Mayo teaches in our online M.S. in Emergency Management program. She has two master’s degrees—in geography and business administration; certifications as an Advanced Level Emergency Manager and in Geographic Information Systems, and works for the Alabama Power Company. Ms. Mayo helped to develop two courses—Technology in Emergency Management as well as Hurricane and Weather—and she re-developed the Business and Economic Continuity course to better meet students’ needs. Students with little or much work experience have complemented her teaching and the way in which she helps apply the course to real-world scenarios.

Faculty research leads to presentations and publications

Dr. Jonathan Bassett has signed a book contract with McFarland Press, a leading regional publisher of academic works on popular culture studies. His book proposal, Watching Killing to Cope with Fears of Dying builds upon years of published research as well as a sabbatical from teaching in Spring 2020.

Prof. Linda Carson delivered the keynote address at the 2020 Care Connections Conference coordinated by the Youth Learning Institute at Clemson University.

Dr. Mandy Cleveland and Dr. Tim Snyder will make a presentation at the American Psychological Assn. in August.

Dr. Daniel Harrison was the featured guest on S.C. Public Radio’s Walter Edgar’s Journal on April 30 to discuss his book about Jackson Station. He has been telling the story of Jackson Station to other venues as well, such as a podcast of the S.C. State Library and several media outlets. During 2021-2022, he will serve as Chair of Lander’s Faculty Senate.

Dr. Matthew Malone made presentations at both the Midwest Political Science Assn. and the Northeast Conference on Public Administration during 2020-2021 year and a panelist in the virtual S.C. Humanities Electoral Initiative program.

Dr. John Moore was elected Vice Chair of Lander’s Faculty Senate and worked with colleagues to create an Ethics Minor to launch in fall 2021. His chapter in The Palgrave Handbook of German Romantic Philosophy is now in print.

Dr. William Ramsey has three recent publications: a history article in The South Carolina Historical Magazine as well as poems that have appeared in Crab Creek Review and in Slipstream magazine.

Dr. Franklin Rausch made a presentation at the Association for Asian Studies conference in March and published an entry for the Database of Religious History on Korean Catholicism.

Dr. Kimberly Richburg made a presentation at the National Social Science Assn. conference in 2020 and was a panelist within a program in the virtual S.C. Humanities Electoral Initiative.

Dr. Zach Rubin Prof. Michelle Scott Dr. Shana Southard-Dobbs

Dr. Zach Rubin had a paper accepted for publication by the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography and a lesson plan accepted by the teaching database Teaching Resources and Innovations Library in Sociology (TRAILS). Dr. Rubin was lead author on a report about food insecurity on campus and is a member of the Greenwood Counts Community Consortium steering committee affiliated with the United Way.

Prof. Michelle Scott authored an essay in Human Services Today, a magazine of the National Organization of Human Services. Prof. Scott and her co-author won the research poster competition of the National Youth-at-Risk Conference in March.

Dr. Shana Southard-Dobbs was a guest on the podcast CinemaPsych and made a presentation at the Southeastern Teaching of Psychology conference.

New Faculty Hires

We are delighted to announce new full- and part-time faculty hires for 2021-2022 that bring high quality degrees and licenses as well as experiences in classrooms and professional life) to our campus. New faculty members are:

o Gary H. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science. He earned a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law and is a member of the S.C. Bar. After 15 years of law practice—in private practice and as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Columbia, he served as Department Chair over the Paralegal and Criminal Justice programs at Central Carolina Technical College. He will serve as Program Coordinator for Lander’s B.S. in Paralegal Studies and teach law courses across the curriculum.

o Laura Jean Kerr, Visiting Lecturer of Sociology. She has earned a master’s in sociology and a Gender Studies certificate from Mississippi State University. She is completing her dissertation on food insecurity and expected to complete her Ph.D. soon. Ms. Kerr has received recognition and awards for the quality of her instruction and is committed to public scholarship.

o Dr. Shaunette R. B. Parker, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology. She earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Walden University and a master’s degree in community psychology from Martin University. Dr. Parker has taught for Lander in a part-time capacity for years, has added new courses to the curriculum, mentored students, and led Lander’s Race and Identity Dialogue project in the past year.

o Zachary E. Wilson ’15, Visiting Lecturer of Human Services and Psychology. Mr. Wilson completed the Honors College curriculum at Lander and earned an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Augusta University. He has worked as a forensic interviewer and counselor. As a part-time instructor for Lander, he added a new course in trauma. Mr. Wilson recently completed requirements to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.

New part-time faculty members are:

o Matthew Dantzler ‘16 (M.A. in Public History, Georgia Southern University) – History o Dr. Andrew Flaherty (Ph.D. in Social Work, University of South Carolina) – Human Services o Dr. Kristen Kaltz (Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Missouri) – Sociology o Stacey Phillips ’12 (M.A. in Psychology, University of South Florida) – Psychology

News about Giving

Alumni and friends continue to support funds that honor faculty members with gifts, and we seek your continued support to fully endow these funds:

Snyder Scholarship – honoring Dr. Tim Snyder, Professor of Psychology, for service since 1989.

Tannenbaum Fund for Study Abroad – a fund honoring Dr. Aron Tannenbaum, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, for his service 1975-2008.

Cleland Student Research Fund – a fund honoring Dr. Joel Cleland, Professor Emeritus of History, for his service 1974-2009.

Acorn Student Research Fund – a fund honoring Dr. Deb Acorn, Professor Emerita of Psychology, for her service 1989-2018.

In recent months, generous donors have established new funds in political science and sociology as well as supported existing scholarship funds, the Covid-19 Student Crisis Fund, and the College’s General Fund. The College is particularly interested in funds that would aid students’ professional development between the summer of their junior and senior years, experiences that some peer institutions now provide to students. These funds could assist students with internships, experiential learning experiences, or undergraduate research projects. If you are interested in talking about these needs, contact Dean McMillan. Not sure? The College’s General Fund assists faculty, students, and program needs. We appreciate all those who have supported this with unrestricted gifts. To give to any of these funds, visit giving.lander.edu or contact The Lander Foundation.

Upcoming Alumni Events Alumni BBQ and Baseball in Greenville July 22 at Mac’s Speed Shop and Fluor Field, Greenville Lander University Homecoming Oct. 29-30, 2021 on campus

To register, contact Suzann Couts in the Alumni Office at 864-388-8718 or scouts@lander.edu

We would love to hear from you! Send your update to smcmillan@lander.edu.

Read this newsletter online at www.lander.edu/cobss and keep up with all Lander University news at www.lander.edu.

Go Bearcats!