Renowned historian named Burroughs Professor

Vernon Burton

Vernon Burton, distinguished historian and author of the critically-acclaimed The Age of Lincoln, has been named Burroughs Distinguished Professor of Southern History and Culture at Coastal Carolina University, effective fall 2008. Selected for the position after a national search, he will succeed Charles Joyner, who retired in 2007 after holding the professorship since it was created in 1988.

A native of Royston, Ga., Burton grew up in Ninety Six, S.C. He is a graduate of Furman University and he earned a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. Burton is currently completing his final year as professor of history and sociology at the University of Illinois. His research and teaching interests focus on the American South, especially race relations, family, community, politics, religion and the intersection of humanities and social sciences.

He is the author or editor of 14 books and hundreds of articles. His The Age of Lincoln, published in June 2007 by Hill & Wang, has received considerable notice for its bold interpretation of 19th-century American history from multiple perspectives—political, social, religious, military and economic. The book has been praised by America's leading historians for its fresh approach to Lincoln's character and for its expert and original analysis of the Civil War-Reconstruction era.

The Burroughs Distinguished Chair in Southern History and Culture was created in 1988 by the late Henry Burroughs Sr. of Conway to stimulate the study and preservation of the history and culture of South Carolina's Waccamaw region.

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Coastal approves new mission statement

As part of the university's ongoing comprehensive strategic planning effort, Coastal has adopted a new mission statement, which was approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in early 2008.

Over the past six months the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, including university faculty, students, staff and alumni as well as legislative and community leaders, developed a new mission statement incorporating ideas and viewpoints of the entire campus community.

"The revised mission statement represents the voices of all of Coastal's major stakeholders, including the community served by the university," said Darla Domke-Damonte, a Coastal management professor who is coordinating the university's strategic planning efforts.

The mission statement will guide future university decision-making and development. The next step in the process is the formation of task forces to begin initiating key objectives determined by the university through the Strategic Planning Steering Committee.

"The new mission statement represents a connection to our founding and a commitment to our future," said President DeCenzo. "The statement will help direct the focus of the entire university community as we work together toward our goal to become the comprehensive university of choice in South Carolina."

To read the mission statement, visit the CCU Web site at http://www.coastal.edu/about/mission.html.

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Presidential candidates visit CCU

John McCain at Wall Auditorium

Barack Obama at Kimbel Gymnasium

Three of the contenders in the 2008 Presidential race—John McCain, Barack Obama and John Edwards—made campaign stops on campus.

Obama spoke in Kimbel Gymnasium on the evening of Aug. 23, 2007 to a crowd of about 2,000 people. CCU basketball standout Jack Leasure introduced the candidate, who was making his first campaign visit to the Grand Strand. Obama won the South Carolina Democratic Primary on Jan. 26, 2008.

McCain spoke on the afternoon of Nov. 1 in the Wall Auditorium, and was introduced by Billy Alford, chairman of Coastal's board of trustees. McCain won the South Carolina Republican Primary on Jan. 19, 2008.

Edwards visited the Waccamaw Higher Education Center at Litchfield on Monday, Jan. 14 at a town meeting attended by more than 200 people.

These visits generated national media attention for Coastal Carolina University.

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Coastal professor wins teaching award for globalization

Pamela Martin

Pamela Martin, assistant professor of politics and international relations at Coastal Carolina University, has been presented the 2008 Deborah Gerner Innovative Teaching in International Studies Award for connecting her students to the world through communications technology.

Martin was cited for engaging her classroom with a group of journalists visiting a refugee camp in the Sudan through Internet links and for her use of Skype telephony to connect her students to guest lecturers around the world. She has "investigated, mastered and utilized the wizardry of modern communications technology to globalize her classroom," according to the award announcement.

The award was established by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers and the editorial board of New Millennium Books in International Studies in honor of the late Deborah "Misty" Gerner, a University of Kansas professor of political science and internationally noted expert in Middle Eastern conflicts.

Martin, who joined the CCU faculty in 2003, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, and has taught at La Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. She is also the director of the international and global studies minor, as well as co-adviser to the Globalist Club. Currently, she is researching oil extraction and new methods to protect the South American Amazon.

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Half million dollar grant will expand marine research capabilities

Coastal Carolina University has received a $535,770 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund the acquisition of new equipment that will significantly increase the scope of geophysical research conducted along the South Carolina coast.

The new multi-beam sonar instrumentation, together with complementary pieces of sonar equipment acquired through grants over the past five years, fully establishes an integrated state-of-the-art mapping capability at Coastal's Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies that is as good as any now available on the East Coast, according to center director Paul Gayes, professor of marine science and geology at Coastal.

With the acquisition of the equipment, the center will have the means to conduct highly advanced, comprehensive profiling and mapping of the ocean floor. The grant also supports the acquisition of cutting-edge wave and current meters and other advanced instrumentation that will make it possible for center scientists and students to study how sediments and nearshore reef environments interact with waves and currents moving above. The data derived from these studies will have many important potential applications, from planning beach renourishment projects to the management of fishing habitats.

The Center for Marine and Wetland Studies has been doing geophysical research of the seafloor since the early 1990s, according to Richard Viso, assistant director of the center and principal investigator of the grant. The mapping, research and analysis produced by center scientists and the students working by their side are vital both in promoting a scientific understanding of coastal marine processes and in shaping public policy on coastal resource management.

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CCU professor receives major NASA grant to study polar atmosphere

Varavut Limpasuvan

Physics professor Varavut Limpasuvan received a $282,000 award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to study the physical properties of small-scale atmospheric waves (known as "gravity waves") over the wintertime polar region.

According to Limpasuvan, these waves can have tremendous impact on near-surface weather and the polar vortex in the stratosphere. Understanding their behaviors and influence will improve the ability of scientists to assess climate variability.

The proposed study is part of NASA's participation in "The International Polar Year" (IPY), a program that focuses on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009. The program is organized jointly by the International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization.

Limpasuvan, principal investigator of the grant, and co-investigator Dong Wu of the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab will collaborate with scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Norwegian Institute of Air Research to simulate these waves using computer models and compare the simulations with various IPY observations.

"I am excited to represent CCU as a participant in this large international effort to further our understanding of the rapidly changing polar region," said Limpasuvan. "This collaboration includes an extended research visit to Norway and sharing data with other IPY scientists. We intend to include our physics students in this project."

Limpasuvan earned a doctorate degree in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington and was appointed to a research associate position at the Joint Institute for Study for the Atmosphere and Ocean in Seattle, Wash. He was CCU's Teacher of the Year in 2000-2001 and South Carolina's Distinguished Professor in 2001. He was awarded the 2007 South Carolina Governor's Young Scientist Award for Excellence in Scientific Research.

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CCU scientist interviewed on Weather Channel erosion series

Paul Gayes (left) talks with Weather Channel producer Jim Gagne on location in Myrtle Beach.

Paul Gayes, director of Coastal Carolina University's Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, was interviewed by The Weather Channel for a series on coastal erosion called "The Crumbling Coast," which aired in November 2007.

Gayes, a recognized authority on coastal geological processes, was asked to explain the condition of South Carolina's beaches and the history of erosion management in the state.

Gayes said The Weather Channel personnel were impressed by the scope of the Coastal Erosion Study, a five-year integrated research program sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey and South Carolina Sea Grant. The program employs a comprehensive regional approach to the study of coastal processes and helps guide coastline policy and management decisions.

"The national interest in that study was the reason the program, and the Grand Strand, were selected to be featured on the series," said Gayes. "Coastal's Center for Marine and Wetland Studies was the lead group for the study and coordinated the segment focusing on South Carolina's Grand Strand."

CCU adopts new emergency alert system

As part of an effort to improve communication and security on campus, Coastal launched "CCU Alert," a new notification system that enables the university to send urgent news to mobile phones. Once a student, faculty or staff member signs up for the service, the university can text their mobile phone with timely information about emergencies.

The service is available to all current students, faculty and staff at no charge. However, depending on an individual's personal mobile phone plan, there may be a nominal fee from the carrier to receive text messages.

CCU Alert will be used to notify subscribers of (1) inclement weather requiring a change in the class schedule or closing of the campus and (2) any incident posing an imminent threat to the health and safety of the university community.

"When a student, faculty or staff member signs up, the alerts go directly to their mobile phones the minute the news happens," explains Greg Weisner, CCU's chief of public safety. "It's a convenient system for everyone because it reaches people whether they are on campus or off campus. We know how students in particular utilize their mobile phones, so now we can reach them with important information that may end up saving their lives."

In addition, a new Web site has been established as a source of information related to emergency preparedness. The Online Emergency Information Center http://www.coastal.edu/emergency includes the methods the institution will use to communicate in the event of an emergency or crisis. In addition, the site includes specific responses to types of emergencies, links to local and national resources, evacuation procedures and other pertinent information.

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Luken pitches nature-based development in annual lecture

President David DeCenzo (left) congratulates James Luken (right).

Biology professor James Luken, the 12th recipient of the Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Lecturer award, outlined an approach to real estate development that integrates the natural environment. His lecture,"Tourists in Paradise: Making the Nature Connection in Coastal Carolina," was delivered in October as the 2007 installment of Coastal's annual Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Lecturer Series, sponsored by HTC Inc.

Luken, who earned a Ph.D. in botany from Duke University, presented his research on the universal human need to interact with nature. His talk addressed how South Carolinians can maximize their access to abundant natural environments and adopt new approaches to real estate development that achieve landscape conditions that are conducive to a high quality of life.

Luken asserts that, despite the precipitous loss of farm and forest acreage to development in the state, South Carolina still maintains a high national rating in terms of total "biological wealth." Research indicates that humans derive a whole range of health and psychological benefits from our emotional response to natural environments, according to Luken, and that the most favorable set of natural conditions includes open-forested areas with little underbrush and access to water.

"Modern residential development does it all wrong, however," says Luken, by clear cutting lots and then establishing "mitigation" areas between neighborhoods with dense understories of vegetation that close in rather than open up the landscape. "Mitigation and land use planning tend to separate humans and nature rather than bring them together," he says. "Development can occur in lockstep with preserving the environment if people would commit to an integrative approach to landscape and environment."

In addition, Luken believes that the nature preserves that already exist in the region could be made more accessible and could be better marketed. They could also be better used in educational programs at local schools, he says.

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Coastal Carolina University honored for sustainability efforts

(left to right) Debbie Conner; USGBC President Allen R. Taylor; guest speaker Brian Goray of the Kanawha Project; and Dan Abel

Coastal Carolina University received one of four leadership awards given by South Carolina's chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction. Coastal received the Education Award, which recognizes the university's overall commitment to sustainability and renewable energy.

"By incorporating a strong focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency, Coastal's programs reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but more importantly, demonstrate to others what can and should be done," according to USGBC's awards committee. "The University is continually improving its environmental footprint, and will continue to do so as new buildings are constructed."

CCU's Campus and Community Sustainability Initiative was established in 2005 to promote the practice of sustainability in all campus endeavors, including university curriculum, and serve as a resource to the community.

Coastal to start ROTC program in fall of 2008

Coastal is starting an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program in the fall of 2008. The series of courses will be taught by instructors provided by the Army ROTC and the South Carolina National Guard. The program will be initially affiliated with the University of South Carolina ROTC program.

The ROTC coeducational program is dedicated to developing college-educated men and women to serve in positions of leadership, responsibility and varied managerial positions both as officers in the U.S. Army and civilians in corporate America. Army ROTC requires from two to four years to complete, depending on student qualifications.

Scholarships are awarded for two, three and four years to eligible students on a competitive basis. The scholarship amount is applied to the cost of tuition.
CCU Provost Robert Sheehan said Coastal will create a Department of Military Science that will be affiliated with the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation within the Spadoni College of Education.

"This program will be especially suited to students in Junior ROTC programs in high schools," said Sheehan, adding that prior ROTC coursework is not required.

Courses within the program will concentrate on military science, leadership training and an introduction to the U.S. Army. Credits will count toward one of CCU's established degree programs, and each graduate of the ROTC program will receive a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army.

Coastal established new degree in exercise and sport science

Coastal Carolina University is offering a new degree program in exercise and sport science. The program, offered through Coastal's Spadoni College of Education, is designed to prepare students for careers in the allied health care fields related to the fitness/wellness, movement rehabilitation and exercise/sports sciences, industries that are on the rise all across the country.

The new major will offer a fuller range of careers and graduate study opportunities than Coastal's current offerings in the field, according to Gib Darden, chair of the university's Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Coastal's current health promotion major, with its sports medicine option, has been one of the university's fastest growing degree programs. The increased emphasis on the health-enhancing role of physical activity, and the increasing need for health care in areas such as physical therapy and cardiac rehabilitation, have created a strong demand for qualified specialists able to serve a variety of populations in diverse settings, according to Darden.

The U.S. Department of Labor indicates that overall employment in fitness and wellness is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2012, as an increasing number of people spend more time and money on personal fitness, physical activity and wellness services, and more businesses recognize the benefit of exercise-based wellness programs.

Coastal Carolina awarded Osher grant

Coastal's Lifelong Learning program has received a $100,000 grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation, a San Francisco-based philanthropic organization. In recognition of the grant, CCU's adult education program will be named the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Coastal Carolina University.

At present, the foundation supports 115 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI) on university and college campuses in 48 states. Osher hopes to sponsor at least one institute in each state.

"We have had the Osher Foundation in our sights for the past three years," said Linda Ketron, director of Lifelong Learning, "but only this last spring did we feel that the combination of teaching, management and advisory talent, a varied and exciting curriculum, and the support of the administration merited their investment. We are devoting the first year's $100,000 grant to publicizing and marketing our program. Our first order of business will be a needs assessment to determine what our area seniors want that we aren't offering."

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Wall College to be named in Princeton Guide, gains reaccreditation from AACSB

Coastal's E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration has been selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of Best Business Schools, published by The Princeton Review and Random House.

Best Business Schools is an annual student-driven publication that seeks to give prospective business students an insider's view on the best business schools. It includes school profiles and rankings based on student opinion regarding a variety of topics, from academic offerings and the quality of professors to recruiting and placement in the job market.

"Inclusion in the Best Business Schools is a recognition of the high quality of the Wall College's faculty and business programs," said Henry Lowenstein, dean of the college.

In January 2008, the Wall College of Business was re-accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The five-year AACSB review resulted in four commendations for Best Practices.

Approximately 60 students are enrolled in the MBA program, and 2,095 are enrolled in the undergraduate program that offers the following majors: accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing and resort tourism management. Coastal also offers a specialization program in Professional Golf Management (PGM), one of only 19 endorsed by the PGA of America.

"For the Wall College of Business to be included is recognition of the tremendous value being added to student's lives by our business college," said Coastal Provost Robert Sheehan. "Faculty and students alike have been working for years to make our business college a national leader—and they have succeeded."

Thirty-eight full-time faculty teach the business curriculum, in addition to a number of part-time instructors.

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Students recognized at December Commencement

At Coastal's December 2007 commencement, 309 graduating students crossed the stage at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center to receive their diplomas and shake hands with President DeCenzo.

The ceremony, DeCenzo's first commencement since assuming the presidency, recognized the first graduates of Coastal's MBA program. Since 1974, the year Coastal began granting four year degrees, a total of 15,827 have earned degrees from CCU.

The commencement speaker was Kevin Jenerette, director of Coastal's Learning Assistance Centers and recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Teacher of the Year award.

Sandra Leigh Causey of Conway received the President's Award for Academic Achievement, which recognizes students with the highest cumulative grade point average. She graduated summa cum laude, achieving a 4.0 GPA for all her college work. Causey earned a bachelor's degree in English. She was a member of the English and foreign language honor societies, and she worked on the staffs of all three of CCU's student publications.

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