L-R: Federspiel, Bartlett, Boykin, Dr. Allen

Provost Rosemary Allen surprised three seniors at Georgetown College’s Academic Honors Program on Tuesday with the coveted Dean’s Honor Award – Adrienne Bartlett, an English and French double major from Louisville; Mandy Boykin, an Exercise Science major/Biology minor from Ironton, OH.; and Joel Federspiel, a Chemistry and Computational Sciences double major from La Grange, KY.

“I could easily have chosen eight deserving students for the award this year, but I finally managed to cull to these three,” said Dr. Allen, who’s also Dean of the College. She even surprised herself a bit, as two selectees are true student-athletes – Bartlett (tennis) and Boykin (basketball).

Federspiel, who will attend Vanderbilt University’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Biomedical Sciences this fall, is a member of GC’s Academic Team and The Georgetonian newspaper staff.

Bartlett, who will teach English in Limoges, France next school year, is an NAIA All-American and No. 1 player on the Tigers tennis team.

Both Federspiel and Bartlett are in the Honors Program – and the latter actually wrote her Honors thesis in French.

Boykin is the first transfer student Dr. Allen has honored with a Dean’s Award. The former Ohio state high school champion in the 100-meter dash ran track for the University of Cincinnati her first two years; but, she wanted to play basketball and she picked Georgetown College!

Boykin, who will attend the University of Kentucky School of Pharmacology, was co-captain of the Tigers basketball team, a Mid-South Conference Academic All-Conference selection and a 2010-11 Daktronics NAIA Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete.

Music Performance major Lauren Kohake

Usually, band director Pete LaRue chooses an upper-classman to put in the spotlight for the year-ending Tiger Symphonic Band Spring Concert. But, this time he didn’t hesitate to name “uber-talented” flautist Lauren Kohake, a sophomore from Florence, KY, as the featured soloist.

“Lauren’s a very skillful musician, one of our very best, and one of the finest we have ever had – trust me, when you hear her play, you’ll understand,” Dr. LaRue said. Hear for yourself at 8 p.m., Thursday (April 28) in John L. Chapel – a themed concert he’s calling “Ireland: Legend and Lore” with works by Hazo, Smith, Grainger, Grundman and Holst.

Lauren Kohake (rhymes with LAKE) will actually play a flute solo on “Carnival of Venice” by Italian composer Giulio Briccialdi – one of the nice little “surprises” LaRue likes to throw in each year. “This is the first time I’ve performed a solo with a band and I’m extremely excited,” she said. “As an instrumentalist, you dream of this.”

The Music Performance major (emphasis in flute performance) dreams one day of playing professionally for an orchestra in a major city. As a Boone County High School senior, she got a taste of what that’s like while playing Music Hall with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra.  Playing on soundtracks for Pixnar or Disney movies is also on her future wish list.

Lauren, who also plays piccolo, piano and guitar, said she could also see herself in a band like (Seventies rock group) Jethro Tull. “If the symphony thing doesn’t work out, that is,” she added.

Meanwhile, Lauren is enjoying her “balancing act” of the Tiger Symphonic Band, the all-female a capella group known as Tiger Tunistas, and the varsity golf squad. “I try to play a few holes every day,” said the Tigers No. 2 player.

“I try to channel my nervousness and adrenaline into my performances,” said Lauren, a Communication & Media Studies minor who could be talking about her play on the links – or with the band.

Other concert highlights Thursday will include the traditional honoring of the Elder Band Scholars (seniors) with a performance of “Old Scottish Melody” while a special video presentation is displayed, the presentation of the 2011 Spirit of the Grrr.

…and everything nice

Location: Anne Wright Wilson Fine Arts Gallery at Georgetown College

Dates: April 27-May 12, 2011

Hours: The Anne Wright Wilson Fine Arts Gallery is open daily M-F 12:00-4:30 PM
and by appointment

Events: Opening Reception, April 27, 5-7PM | Closing Reception, May 12, 5-7PM

During the Opening Reception, Art History Candidate Hannah Snider will give a presentation at 6 pm.

The exhibition … and everything nice includes works and research of seven Bachelor of Arts seniors expected to graduate in May, 2011.

• Leah J. Babik (Painting and Drawing),
• Brenna Fitz-Gerald (Fiber and Painting),
• Megan Sauter (Ceramics),
• Hannah Snider (Art History),
• Danielle Speirs (Printmaking),
• Kelsey Stamper (Graphic Design),
• Abigail Watkins (Graphic Design).

Biographies

Leah J. Babik grew up in Northern Kentucky. Painting and drawing are her preferred mediums. Spending time in Asia, Africa and most recently a semester in France has influenced her perspective on life and work. After graduating, she plans to work in Ghana doing micro financing.

Brenna Fitz-Gerald is from Defiance, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky. She has been working with textiles, specifically knitting, crocheting, and sewing, for 15 years now.  In the future she plans on continuing to create work, plan her wedding, and get a job, but beyond that, it’s still a mystery! See more at http://colorfulmanatee.wordpress.com

Megan Sauter works in sculpture and ceramics.  She also teaches ceramic classes, to both children and adults and sells her jewelry and pottery. She plans to enter graduate school and teach at college level.  See more at www.wix.com/Msauter0/artist

Hannah Snider was raised in Taylorsville, Kentucky. Her senior art history thesis project examines the initial stages of the Permanent Art Collection of Georgetown College. After graduation she plans to find an internship in order to gain more experience.

Danielle Speirs was born in Spokane, Washington. She is a double major, Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Art with an emphasis in graphic design. She is interested in the possibilities of combining the two.

Kelsey Stamper is from Georgetown, Kentucky.  She works in digital media: graphic design, photography and info-graphics. She hopes to continue to work in this field. See more at Kelseystamper.blogspot.com

Abigail Watkins is from Mount Washington, Kentucky.  Currently, her work is directed toward an approaching life change, as she will be moving to the Netherlands in summer 2011.

Cupcake illustration based on an original work by artist Hannah Kinch.

For further information please contact:
Laura Stewart, Director of Art Galleries and Curator of Collections
E-mail: laura_stewart@georgetowncollege.edu
Phone: 502-863-8399

Professor Boris Zakic
E-mail: boris_zakic@georgetowncollege.edu
Phone: 502-863-8107

Georgetown College’s President Bill Crouch is among higher education leaders, corporate diversity practitioners, researchers and policy experts sharing concepts and practices of diversity and inclusion during The Diversity in Higher Education Conference April 27-28 in Durham, North Carolina.

Dr. Crouch will focus on current trends in leadership, governance & retention, addressing specifically the challenges and opportunities therein.

With the theme Equity & Inclusion: Vision, Strategies, Actions for Higher Education and the Workplace, the program is presented by The Conference Board in collaboration with Duke University.

The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Its unique mission, as stated on its Website, is: To provide the world’s leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society.

Bill Crouch

An astounding new sense of family, togetherness and shared-beliefs is sweeping through the faculty and staff of your alma mater.

Chick-fil-A cow helps Roy Lowdenback, Laura Owsley celebrate

Brilliantly called “The Family Campaign,” this latest effort to encourage employees to give back to the institution (for which they toil) has more than doubled in no time – which is beyond Chief Development Officer Roy Lowdenback’s wildest dreams. “To have the percentage of giving internally go from 30 percent to more than 65 percent in a matter of days is phenomenal!,” he said.

But, credit the wild, fun and sincere approach of Lowdenback ‘05 and sidekick Laura Owsley ’92, Director of Annual Giving. Beginning mid-March, one was likely to hear – out of the blue– hand-clapping, bell-ringing and loudly proclaiming “Jim Gives! Jim Cares!…Jim Gives! Jim Cares!”

Lowdenback “borrowed” this idea from his graduate days at Bowling Green State University. And, having lived the “Georgetown experience” and been a president of the student body, he couldn’t wait to try it at his alma mater. “Georgetown College is a family,” he said with conviction. “Though our backgrounds, job responsibilities and even opinions differ at times, we all contribute to the unique G.C. student experience. We are joined together by a commitment to our students, to each other, and the great history and tradition of this College.”

Lowdenback went on to say, “We want to celebrate the things that make us ‘family’ and make us proud to be Tigers. We have a great tradition of helping one another. Many of us, for example, have supported students with struggles by providing meals, clothing, books and other areas of need.”

This internal support can have a huge impact on external support. Many corporations and foundations consider an institution’s faculty and staff giving percentage when awarding grants and contributions. The same is true of alumni giving and Lowdenback hopes The Family Campaign will send a very positive message to GC graduates and friends that the people closest to the College are supporters.

Executive Scholar-in-Residence Gov. Martha Layne Collins, second from left, with Brent and Patti Dennard, owners of the new Georgetown Chick-fil-A which donated lunch

“I think that finally everyone is beginning to get – it’s not how much you give, but that you give – and you give to something you are passionate about,” Lowdenback said. “Foundations are much more likely to give to schools where faculty, staff and alumni show THEY care.”

Investing in initiatives that will open doors for our students was stressed in the Family Campaign. Faculty and staff were encouraged to give to their passion – such as any academic area, scholarship, sports team or religious life.

Obviously, that all struck a chord. And, to celebrate the month-long campaign and say thanks to all those caring faculty and staffers a lunch was held April 12 in the George H.W. Bush Center for Fitness. The food was graciously donated by our good friends at Chick-fil-A, who obviously were touched by this incredible new spirit of giving by the folks who work at Georgetown College.