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SUMMER 2013
Meet three alums who helped shape the city of Athens PAGE 28
SPSUTeach: Not your typical teacher ed-ucation program PAGE 16
ALSO INSIDE
Highly Unexpected: SPSU partners with the High Museum
PAGE 10
Magazine
26 Dr. Joyce Mills: SPSU’s librarian turns a page
Features
28 Meet three SPSU alums who helped shape the city of Athens
alumni proFile
34 Lady Hornets rebound and defy the odds
athletics 16 SPSUTeach: definitely not your typical teacher education program
24 Articulation agreement with Georgia Military College
academics
10 Highly Unexpected
14 Marian Alicea ’13 excels in academics, service, and loyalty
20 Co-op/internship program on the rise
22 At home on campus: Residential boom at Southern Polytechnic State University
student eXperience
CONTENTS
Highly Unexpected
Meet three SPSU alums who helped shape the city of Athens
Marian Alicea ’13 excels in academics, service, and loyalty
Southern Polytechnic State University 1100 South Marietta Parkway Marietta, GA 30060-2896 678-915-7351
Editor: Sylvia Carson, APR Director of Public Relations
Co-editor: Diane Payne Associate Director of Public Relations Vice President for Advancement:
Dr. Ron D. DempseyDesign: The Adsmith
Contributing Writers: Amanda Blanton, Donna Harris, Cristel Mohrman, Diane Payne
Photographers: Christopher Oquendo, Ashley Schenck, Becky Stein, Cassie Wright
Southern Polytechnic State University 3
With this spring’s commencement, over 500 new graduates have
joined the alumni of Southern Polytechnic State University. They are
headed for jobs, graduate school, travel, and a future of applying
their education to solve real-world problems and to make the world a
better place. We are proud of them all — and I hope they are reading
this magazine!
Here at SPSU, we are always looking for ways to stay connected
with alumni. To do this effectively, we need feedback about how we
are doing. Many of you recently provided your perspective about
SPSU’s efforts to strengthen communications with our alumni,
friends, and supporters through both an alumni survey last fall and
a separate questionnaire about this magazine. Thanks to all of you
who participated. You provided valuable information that will help us
improve our publications and communications with you.
Here are a few of the messages we heard from these surveys:
• AdrivingfactorinyouroverallopinionofSPSUisvalueand
respectforyourdegree.ThevalueofyourSPSUdegreeiscritically
important,andyouareinterestedinnewsandinformationthat
highlightthatvalue.
• Careerissuesarealsoimportanttoalumni,andyouhaveindicated
thatfindingjobopportunitiesisahighpriorityforyou.You’re
lookingtotheuniversitytohelpinthatprocess.
• Readersofthismagazineareparticularlyinterestedinstudent
experiences,studentachievements,thecurriculum,theexpansion
andgrowthoffacilities,andthefuturedirectionsoftheuniversity.
• Themostimportantwaysyouliketogetinformationfromthe
universityarebye-mailandontheSPSUwebsite,followedbythis
magazineandelectronicnewsletters.We’recontinuouslyworking
toimproveallofthesecommunicationtools.Asoneexample,
SPSU’swebsiteisbeingredesignedtobecomeresponsiveto
whateverdeviceyouusetoviewit.Yourfeedbackisimportantin
helpingusidentifyareastoimprove.
• Loyaltyamongalumniisalmostequallystrongforthegraduate’s
majororacademicdepartmentandfortheuniversityoverall.
Thisdiffersslightlyfromthenationalaverage(inwhichloyaltyto
theinstitutionistypicallystrongerthantothedepartment),but
thisinformationisconsistentwiththefeedbackouralumnihave
providedtousinthepast.Thecontinuingconnectionsthatalumni
havewiththeirhomedepartmentsareimpressive—andimportant
totheuniversity.
• Thefeedbackaboutsocialmediasites(LinkedIn,Facebook,etc.)is
mixed.Alumniconsiderthesecommunicationmethodstobeless
importantthanthewebsiteandthemagazine,butSPSU’sefforts
intheseareasrankrelativelyhigh.Morethan40percentofalumni
reportthattheywouldwelcomemoreinteractionthroughthese
vehicles.
So, in response to the feedback from alumni and the other
readers of this magazine, we’ve focused this issue on the topics
you have indicated are most interesting. You will find articles about
students, alumni, new programs, faculty, and staff. Together, these
stories highlight the exciting activity here at Southern Polytechnic
— and the ways in which the university continues to build value and
name recognition for the degrees we offer. In the next six months,
we’ll be undertaking market research to establish a baseline for
how SPSU’s degrees and academic reputation are perceived by
prospective students and the general public.
Each member of the university community — alumni, students,
faculty, staff, donors, and supporters — helps increase the value of
SPSU degrees as well. Your contributions to your professions and to
the region strengthen SPSU’s reputation and the employability of
graduates. Thanks for helping us get the word out — and thanks for
the feedback that helps us find ways to communicate with you more
effectively!
I hope to see you around campus soon!
Lisa A. Rossbacher, Ph.D.
President
President’s corner
Greetings from SPSU!
4 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
outhern Polytechnic State University’s fall 2012
enrollment increased to 6,202 students, a leap of 6.9
percent over the fall 2011 total of 5,799 students. Only
one university among the 31 institutions within the University
System of Georgia experienced a larger increase according to the
Board of Regents’ Fall 2012 Enrollment Report.
A significant number of these new students were attracted
by the university’s new academic programs. For example, SPSU’s
evening engineering programs as well as programs in new media
arts, accounting, and computer game design and development
have become very popular.
SPSU is also seeing a resurgence of interest in the computer
science program. Dr. Han Reichgelt, dean of the School of
Computing and Software Engineering (CSE), pointed out that CSE
majors account for one out of every four SPSU students.
These numbers also make it clear that the efforts of Student
and Enrollment Services in recent years to boost recruitment and
admissions have borne fruit. “We have improved the marketing of
existing programs and, therefore, increased awareness of them,”
said Dr. Ron Koger, vice president for Student and Enrollment
Services. “We have developed a more extensive communications
plan for recruiting prospective students — including more personal
contact, letters, postcards, and calls from the call center that we
established several years ago,” he added.
The recruiting open houses have also continued to be
critical in providing potential students with experiences
and insights into opportunities at SPSU, he said. The
university has seen a high conversion rate from prospective
students who attend an open house to enrolled students.
S
University news Briefs
sPsU experienced second-largest enrollment increase in University system
+5.7%
Nor
th G
eorg
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olle
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+1.8%
Kenn
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+1.1%
Geor
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Gwin
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Col
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ytec
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+1.8%
Geor
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enrollment increase by percent
Southern Polytechnic State University 5
A
At&t gives sPsUteach major gift
T&T has provided major support to SPSUTeach, Southern
Polytechnic State University’s education program,
through a $25,000 gift to fund the purchase of high-tech
equipment to help student teachers.
The gift enables SPSU students seeking teacher certification in
biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics to use this equipment
to develop lessons for under-achieving students.
The mission of SPSUTeach is to prepare students to teach
curricula for grades six through 12 in the fields of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). SPSU teacher
candidates earn degrees in their chosen fields along with a teaching
certificate.
This means SPSUTeach is increasing the number of students
entering the university’s STEM programs, which ultimately will
increase the number of college graduates ready to embark on STEM-
related careers.
“The computers and other equipment funded by this gift are
enabling us to prepare strong teacher candidates with instructional
skills that integrate technology into the classroom,” said SPSU
President Lisa A. Rossbacher. “Graduates will be prepared to teach
in Title I schools and pursue careers in high-needs schools, thereby
enabling a broader spectrum of middle and high school students to
gain access to the STEM pipeline.”
“I want to thank Southern Polytechnic State University for
launching this program [SPSUTeach] to provide a sharp focus on
STEM education for our students,” said State Rep. Earl Ehrhart.
“Preparing our young people for high-skill/high-wage jobs is critical for
the economic health of our community and our state.”
“AT&T is proud
to support Southern
Polytechnic State
University,” said Don
Barbour, regional
director of AT&T
Georgia. “The
importance of STEM
education can’t be
underestimated as
we build tomorrow’s
workforce.”
TEACH
AT&T Georgia presented Southern Polytechnic State University with a check for $25,000 in support of the university’s teacher education program, SPSUTeach. Shown here are (left to right): Dr. George Stickel, co-director of SPSU-Teach; Don Barbour, regional director of AT&T Georgia; SPSUTeach students Elizabeth Stephenson and Wayne Dunn (president and vice president, respectively of a newly formed SPSU organization, Students for Excellence in Education); Dr. Alan Gabrielli, SPSUTeach co-director; and SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher.
6 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
sPsU adds M.s. in civil engineering
outhern Polytechnic State University received the
approval of the Board of Regents in fall 2012 to offer
a Master of Science (M.S.) in Civil Engineering housed
in the Civil and Construction Engineering department within the
School of Engineering, effective fall 2013.
This applied graduate degree will allow SPSU to meet the
increased demand for post-baccalaureate education in civil
engineering as the educational requirements for professional
engineering licensure increase. The American Society of Civil
Engineers, Georgia Board of Professional Engineers, National
Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, and the
National Academy of Engineering have concurred on the need
to increase engineers’ educational requirements to include 30
hours beyond the bachelor of science degree. The most direct
way for engineers to fulfill this requirement will be through
completion of a master’s degree.
SPSU’s M.S. in Civil Engineering will offer concentrations in
three critical areas:
• Structural and geotechnical engineering;
• Transportation and pavement engineering; and
• Environmental engineering and water resources.
The structural
and geotechnical
engineering
concentration will be
implemented first,
with the other two
concentrations phased
in over time.
The program is
expected to enroll 20
students during its
first year using existing
institutional resources,
with a cohort of 40
students expected by
the third year.
The M.S. in Civil Engineering will be structured to meet the
needs of non-traditional students, too, through a combination
of evening, daytime, and online offerings.
Since 2006, SPSU has added 20 new academic degree
programs, bringing the total of undergraduate degrees offered
to 41 and graduate degrees to 13. The university now offers 10
different engineering degrees.
lana Kyriakakis joined Southern Polytechnic
State University this spring as the university’s
first in-house counsel. In her new position,
reporting directly to SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher,
she provides legal support in all areas of instruction and
administration at the university.
Kyriakakis was
previously a legal
advisor at Georgia
Regents University
(GRU), formerly
Georgia Health
Sciences University,
in Augusta. Before
that, Kyriakakis had
a private practice as
an employment litigator, often working with University
System of Georgia institutions and other state agencies
as a special assistant attorney general (appointed by
the attorney general of Georgia).
Kyriakakis earned a bachelor’s degree in
communication from the University of Oklahoma in
Norman, with a minor in Greek. She received her law
degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia,
where she earned a number of honors, including serving
on the editorial board for the South Carolina Law Review.
A
University hires first legal counsel
S
this applied graduate degree will allow sPsU to meet the increased demand for post-baccalaureate education in civil engineering as the educational requirements for professional engineering licensure increase.
Alana Kyriakakis provides legal support in all areas of instruction and administration at the university.
Carol Hunstein, chief justice,
Supreme Court of Georgia
Georgia Chief Justice Carol Hunstein spoke
to students about the intersection of
technology, business, and the law in an
October 2012 presentation sponsored by
the Business Administration department.
She was appointed to the state
Supreme Court by Gov. Zell Miller in 1992
and is only the second woman in history to
serve as a permanent member of the court.
She has since been re-elected by voters
three times and took office as chief justice
on July 1, 2009.
Chief Justice Hunstein won election to
the Superior Court of DeKalb County in 1984,
becoming its first female member. She was
also the first woman to serve as president
of the Council of Superior Court Judges.
Isabel Wilkerson,
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Isabel Wilkerson gave a presentation in
January on her book, “The Warmth of Other
Suns,” which tells the story of African-
Americans who left the South between
1915 and 1970 and moved to the Northeast,
Midwest, and West in search of a better life.
Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her
work as Chicago bureau chief of The New
York Times in 1994, making her the first
African-American woman to win a Pulitzer
Prize and the first African-American to win
for individual reporting.
Wilkerson has appeared on CBS’ “60
Minutes” and the “NBC Nightly News” and
on national networks such as MSNBC and
C-SPAN.
Daymond John,
founder/CEO, FUBU
Daymond John, one of the “sharks” on ABC-
TV’s “Shark Tank,” delivered a presentation
in February as part of SPSU’s Cross-Cultural
Communications Series.
John is an entrepreneur, investor,
author, and motivational speaker, and
his presentation was based on his book,
“The Brand Within: The Power of Branding
from Birth to the Boardroom.” His clothing
company, FUBU, took the stage in 1992,
growing into an internationally acclaimed
brand with peak revenues of $350 million
in 1998. The company also received several
honors for entrepreneurial achievement.
In 2010, FUBU underwent a rebranding
campaign and is now known in the United
States as FB Legacy.
sPsU hosted several luminaries in 2012-13
University news Briefs
S
Southern Polytechnic State University 7
outhern Polytechnic state University welcomed several notable guests to campus during the 2012-13 academic year, including the chief justice of the supreme court of Georgia,
a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and a world-renowned entrepreneur currently starring in a popular reality show.
t was a big year for Southern Polytechnic State
University’s Architecture department, with two
professors earning major awards and a third winning a
prestigious competition.
First, Dr. William Carpenter, professor of architecture, received
the Bernard B. Rothschild Award from the American Institute of
Architects Georgia (AIA Georgia) in December 2012. This is the
highest award given by AIA Georgia and recognizes the most
distinguished service to the profession of architecture in the state
by an architect who exemplifies the principles of the profession.
A fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and
a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited
professional (LEED AP), Dr. Carpenter has spent 25 years in the
field and was the founder and president of Lightroom, a nationally
recognized design firm in Decatur, Ga. He has taught architectural
design, design-build, and theory and criticism at SPSU for 20 years.
A past president of AIA Georgia, he serves on AIA’s National Board
of Directors.
Then, in February, professor of architecture Bronne Dytoc
was named one of the country’s 30 Most Admired Educators by
the Design Futures Council, an interdisciplinary network of design,
product, and construction leaders focused on innovations in and
the future of architecture. Educators and administrators from the
disciplines of architecture, industrial design, interior design, and
landscape architecture were considered for inclusion.
Prof. Dytoc has been an assistant professor of architecture at
SPSU since January 2009. He received his undergraduate degree in
architecture from the University of the Philippines, and a master’s
degree in building science and architecture from the University
of Southern California in Los Angeles. He also holds a certificate
in architecture, energy, and environment from Lund University in
Sweden. Prof. Dytoc is currently a doctoral candidate in education
and instructional technology at Georgia State University.
In March, Dr. Saleh Uddin, professor of architecture, won
a prestigious competition to design a 450,000-square-foot
multi-purpose facility for the Gulshan Club, an exclusive social
organization in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Uddin has spent his teaching
breaks at the American International University at Bangladesh
(AIUB). He partnered with another AIUB lecturer and supervised
a team of 14 skilled students in developing the design that was
selected as the winner from among 120 entries. He will return to
Dhaka this summer to serve as the principal architect coordinating
the consultants’ and engineers’ work on the construction project.
Dr. Uddin is the coordinator of SPSU’s Design Foundation
program and is also the founding head of the AIUB Architecture
department. He has published four books internationally. He is also
the editor of “Representation,” the national journal of the Design
Communication Association in the United States, and is a past
president of this organization.
Dr. Uddin has had several of his designs built or published,
notably the 20-story administrative building of the Telephone &
Telegraph Board in Dhaka and several prominent residences in
Dhaka and Amman, Jordan.
Architecture professors recognized for talents, service to profession
I
DytocCarpenter Uddin
8 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
9
r. Deidra Hodges, an assistant professor of electrical
engineering in the School of Engineering, was recognized
as Southern Polytechnic State University’s 2012 Teacher
of the Year.
As Teacher of the Year, Dr. Hodges represented SPSU at the
annual Cobb County Chamber of Commerce teacher appreciation
events and also delivered a research-based presentation on
campus.
Dr. Hodges holds a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida
in Tampa, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia
University in New York — all in electrical engineering. She also
holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Dillard University in New
Orleans.
From 1988 to 1996, she served as an officer in the
Engineering Field Division of the U.S. Navy Reserves in Houston. Dr.
Hodges also worked for IBM’s Federal Systems Division in Houston
and was assigned to onboard space shuttle systems and avionics
flight software for
the NASA Space
Shuttle Program. In
addition, she worked
for Martin Marietta
Manned Space
Systems on the
proposed unmanned
launch vehicle called
Shuttle C.
She joined the SPSU faculty in 2009. In 2011, Dr. Hodges was
awarded a competitive National Science Foundation Broadening
Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering. She received
a two-year grant of $175,000 to develop copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur
thin films and solar cells. Her research could lead to lowering the
cost of fabricating high-efficiency, solar-cell devices through the use
of these abundant, low-cost, and nontoxic elements.
D
dr. deidra Hodges named sPsU’s teacher of the year
Southern Polytechnic State University
dr. Hodges was awarded a competitive national science foundation Broadening Participation research initiation Grant in engineering.
University news Briefs
10 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
HigHly unexpected
Southern Polytechnic State University 11
For the past two years, Southern Polytechnic State
University students and faculty have been mixing it up
big time with Atlanta’s High Museum of Art in an unlikely
alliance that has exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Think about it — the leading art museum in the
southeastern United States partnering with a university
best known for educating engineers. What could possibly
come of this?
“It’s a man-bites-dog story,” said Dr. Zvi Szafran,
vice president for Academic Affairs. “SPSU is the exact
opposite of the kind of school you’d expect to enter
a partnership with an art museum; we don’t have a
traditional art program. But design is a critical part of art,
and we have engineers, architects, and new media arts
students who have studied design. It’s extraordinary for
the High to partner with a school not known for the arts
and that emphasizes applied learning.”
“Michael Shapiro, the director of the High
Museum, strongly believes in developing partnerships
to strengthen and broaden the museum’s scope and
to pool resources,” said Julia Forbes, head of museum
interpretation, citing the museum’s unprecedented three-
year partnership with the Musée du Louvre in Paris and a
more recent relationship with the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. “Michael was very interested in exploring the
benefits of affiliating with colleges and universities, and
he started the conversations that led to this relationship.”
SPSU is the first institution in the University System
of Georgia to have such a partnership, and since spring
2011, it has led to some very interesting and innovative
projects. In addition to SPSU Nights at the museum, field
trips for classes, internships, free admission for students,
and discounted museum memberships for faculty and
staff, SPSU has played key roles in three different exhibits
to date, each involving very different mediums and
concepts.
First, there was the High’s “Modern by Design” exhibit
in summer 2011. One component of the exhibition was
Dutch designer Joris Laarman’s “Digital Matter,” which
had a robot creating a piece of furniture without human
assistance. Programmers and technicians were needed
to service and maintain the robot, and that’s where a
group of SPSU mechatronics engineering majors came
in. Working with the artist and the staff of the High, the
students helped set up the robot and got it working, and
then returned weekly throughout that summer to perform
maintenance.
“The opening of the “Modern by Design” exhibit
coincided serendipitously with the Polytechnic Summit
that SPSU was hosting,” said Dr. Szafran. “So, we held the
Summit’s reception at the High, and it was very cool to be
able to show participants from polytechnic institutions all
over the country as well as several foreign countries what
SPSU students were doing.”
In fall 2011, SPSU launched a Bachelor of Arts in
New Media Arts degree, and when the High expressed a
desire to make the museum experience more meaningful
to people ages 35 and under, Dr. Mark Nunes, chair of
SPSU’s English, Technical Communication, and Media Arts
department, and Dr. Jim Werner of the New Media Arts
program stepped up to the plate.
“It’s become necessary these days for art museums
and galleries to embrace new media in order to better
reach younger patrons who are interested in new and
unique ways of interacting with the art and space,” Dr.
Werner said.
Who says polytechnics and the arts don’t mix?
SPSU architecture students (left to right: Kainoa Keomaka, Julia Cassidy, Fiorella Dimiceli, Carlos Castillo, and Hakim Hasan) pose with their exhibit "A Living Machine" featured in Atlanta's High Museum as part of a unique partnership between the museum and the university. SPSU is the first institution in the University System of Georgia to have such a partnership with the museum.
SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
“Digital engagement is so important
for us,” agreed Forbes. “We had already
developed a good relationship with Mark
Nunes, and he was a tremendous help
when we sat down to talk about [how to
best engage with younger generations].”
The research done by Drs. Nunes
and Werner indicated that people in their
20s and 30s are eager for participatory
experiences and want to have a voice in
what they’re seeing.
The professors involved approximately
30 students from Dr. Nunes’ Media Theory
and Practice class and Dr. Werner’s Media
Arts History class. Together they developed
two test projects: Choices and Voices and
The GPS Project.
“Choices and Voices” utilized a photo-
sharing website, www.trover.com, that
allowed people to take pictures of the art
they found in their communities and upload
them to Trover’s free mobile app, along with
information on the artist and where the
photo was taken. Anyone who took pictures
and tagged them #HighWithoutWalls had
their photos appear on the students’ Trover
page in a virtual exhibit, the most popular of
which would be exhibited within the walls of
the High. The exhibit can still be viewed at
http://www.trover.com/q/HighWithoutWalls.
The GPS Project – which Drs. Nunes and
Werner are working with the High to take
from concept to reality – will utilize GPS
mapping to create an app allowing visitors
to track themselves and others walking
through the museum so that the app’s
users could see where people were and
what was grabbing their attention.
The two projects – the concepts for
which the museum showcased in November
2012 – “showed how well our students were
able to apply theory and practice in the arts
to a professional setting,” Dr. Werner said.
“They showed what new media can do for
the arts.”
Barely a month later, Dr. Pegah Zamani,
an assistant professor of architecture
who heads up the SPSU-High Museum
Affiliation Committee, was inspired when
she heard about the High’s plans to stage
a huge exhibition in spring centered on the
lives and work of artists Diego Rivera and
Frida Kahlo — one of the art world’s most
intriguing couples.
“I consider the museum to be a
platform for public pedagogy in many
different ways. Given that, our affiliation
with the High Museum can offer our
students much more than just free access,”
Dr. Zamani said. “It is about education and
learning a variety of ways in which informal
learning can take place outside our formal
educational settings. Our affiliation with the
museum can enrich, extend, and support
classroom learning.”
Dr. Zamani worked with the museum’s
education staff to engage architecture
students in preparing an exhibit displayed
in conjunction with the Frida & Diego:
Passion, Politics, and Painting exhibit. Time
was extremely short, as it was already late
December, and the exhibit was set to open
at the end of February.
She spent the holidays doing research
on the artistic couples’ lives and their
home/studio in Mexico City, which captured
Dr. Zamani’s interest, as this area consisted
of two separate, rather industrial-looking
dwellings (one for Rivera, one for Kahlo)
connected by a bridge. Dr. Zamani decided
to focus on their home/studio — which
has been characterized as a factory or a
machine for living – as a metaphor for their
lives together and their work.
When the spring semester started,
she interviewed more than 20 third- and
fourth-year architecture students eager to
12
stUdent exPerience
Southern Polytechnic State University 13
volunteer their help with the extracurricular
project and selected six to help her bring her
design ideas to life.
“We built five different interpretive
models of the home/studio during a 10-day
design charrette completed mostly during the
weekends in the architecture department’s
Digital Fabrication Woodshop, sometimes
working through the night,” Dr. Zamani said.
“We had to work very fast, and collaboration
was crucial. Without the generous support of
the High Museum, the Museo Casa Estudio
Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, the
Architecture department, and the Digital
Fabrication Woodshop, we could never have
accomplished what we did in such a short
period of time.”
Dr. Zamani added that her student
volunteers — several of whom knew
nothing about Rivera and Kahlo’s lives
or work beforehand — worked with great
dedication as a team. In the end, they all
learned a great deal about the artists and
about preparing an exhibit for a major art
museum. They even had to design and
construct the lighted platforms on which
the models were displayed.
Their display, “A Living Machine: La
Casa-Estudio de Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo”
(a dissection of the bridge in the home/
studio of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo),
was on display in the Wieland Lobby of the
High during the opening weekend of “Frida
& Diego,” and drew more than 1,000 people
that Saturday night. The High also displayed the Living
Machine exhibit during the exhibition’s closing weekend
in May, after which it was brought back to SPSU, where
it will be displayed in the Architecture Building.
Dr. Zamani’s student team included Carlos
Castillo, Joseph Kainoa Keomaka, Julia Cassidy,
Matt Rosenberg, Fiorella Dimiceli, and Hakim
Hasan.
“The idea of this project coming together
in such a short period of time and giving our
students the opportunity to have had their
work exhibited at a major American art
museum is just stunning and underlines
how SPSU can be the coolest place ever,”
said Dr. Szafran.
“Having architects interpret
art is just very different, and that
exemplifies what we are all about,”
he continued. “None of these three
exhibits we’ve done so far are what
anyone could have expected from
Southern Polytechnic. This is what
happens when you have imaginative
faculty and capable students working
together on interesting things. How
cool is that?”
As for future plans, Forbes, who
terms the SPSU-High Museum alliance
as “mutually beneficial,” said talks
are already underway to have SPSU’s
computer gaming faculty help with an
exhibition planned for summer 2014.
Dr. Szafran would like to see new
collaborations begin every semester
and plans to offer SPSU faculty
mini-grants for proposals on ways to
enhance and expand on the High’s
upcoming exhibitions.
“Having architects interpret art is just very different, and that exemplifies what we are all about. none of these three exhibits we’ve done so far are what anyone could have expected from SpSu. ”
– dr. Zvi Szafran
“Modern by Design” exhibit
14 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
Marian Alicea ’13 was born in Puerto Rico,
but she calls Southern Polytechnic State University home.
The civil engineering technology major graduated
in May and worked hard to leave her legacy at the
Marietta university.
With a resume four pages long — and counting
— Alicea is still moving full steam ahead. But the road to get here
was filled with fear, tragedy, and self-awareness, all of which
fueled her drive and determination to succeed.
Alicea was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Georgia in 1996,
just in time for the Olympics. Her parents were divorced, and her
mother, Georgina, worked for the Centers for Disease Control.
Alicea recalls being terrified about speaking English.
“I learned it in school, but I couldn’t speak it,” she said. “I
remember being at a summer camp. I would hide underneath the
tables crying because I was too afraid to speak English.”
She said sixth grade was horrible, but one year later she
found herself on the honor roll. Years later, she was a college
student, majoring in architecture – but not at SPSU.
“I wanted to be a fashion designer, but my dad said there was
no money in it,” she recalled.
Her love of art and talent in math and science led to a degree
path in architecture. Eventually the buzz of the downtown college
she was attending wasn’t what she wanted.
“I wasn’t doing well there. I wasn’t happy.” Her major was also
unfulfilling. Then she heard about Southern Poly.
What was meant to be a temporary reprieve turned into
countless opportunities for scholarships, research, internships,
and mentoring.
“At SPSU, I wasn’t just a number. I was extremely happy,” she
said. “The professors still remembered my name, even after I
Marian alicea ’13 excels in acadeMics, service, and loyalty
Southern Polytechnic State University 15
finished their classes. It was completely
different from my first college experience. I
fell in love with SPSU.”
While she excelled academically, the
death of her mother in 2010 became Alicea’s
constant motivator for all things personal,
professional, and cultural. She said her
mother noticed her enjoyment in some
courses more than others and encouraged
her to pursue a major in science.
“My mom had an M.S. in Occupational
Health,” she said. “I decided to change
majors after realizing I was more interested
in the structural stability rather than the
aesthetics of the building.”
Another component of her drive was
the lack of Hispanic women in engineering.
Alicea said, “I used to think I was at a
disadvantage, but I began to see it as an
advantage.”
She said CET Prof. Nancy Turner was an
inspiration. “She’s a woman in engineering. I
saw how she was balancing her career and
family and being successful at both.”
Another CET faculty member, Dr. Carlos
Ortiz, was also instrumental in Alicea’s
growth at SPSU. As a fellow Hispanic person,
she was able to connect with him on a
cultural level as well as academic.
“He would give me such great advice.
He would communicate about cultural
awareness and how to live in America. It’s
such a cultural melting pot, but I keep my
culture and am OK with being Hispanic.”
Her involvement on campus included
membership in the Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers and the Society of
Women Engineers. Her awards and honors
ranged from designation as a Peach
State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority
Participation (LSAMP) scholar, Women
in Electronics scholarship recipient,
and participant in University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign Multi-Cultural
Engineering Recruitment for Graduate
Student Education (MERGE). She added
that having the opportunity to attend and
present at conferences gave her access
to successful Hispanic women in her field
of study.
Her dedication to mentorship is
something else Alicea attributed to her
mother. “She instilled giving back and
getting an education,” she said, recalling
how her mother would serve as a translator
for health fairs.
When Alicea wasn’t in class on campus, she could be found
among the lockers at metro Atlanta schools providing
leadership and guidance to elementary, middle, and high
school students.
Her quest for knowledge won’t end with a
bachelor’s degree. She was able to connect
with professionals through her involvement
in the American Society of Civil Engineers.
“Through networking, I learned about
different aspects of civil engineering and
environmental engineering,” she said. This
led to summer research opportunities that
took her from Atlanta to Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
and all the way to Honolulu.
“I had never done research before. I
thought, ‘I’ll give it a try,’” she said. “It was
pretty amazing. I got to take tours, work
in national labs, see super computers…I
thought, ‘This could be me.’”
And it almost was in 2011, when
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration wanted to extend her stay in
Hawaii. But Alicea declined.
“I needed to go back home and finish. I
grew up on an island,” she said. “Being in the
middle of the Pacific and being away wasn’t
the best idea!”
She wants her success at SPSU to be
a motivator for prospective students and
current freshmen and sophomores. She has
taken advantage of what the university has
to offer and encourages others to build on
the school’s offerings.
“I tried to get students involved in
activities. I took on the responsibilities
of showing freshmen and sophomores
interested in leadership how to stay
involved.”
However, Alicea has left Marietta to
continue her education. She is conducting
research at Argonne National Laboratory
in Downers Grove, Ill., this summer and
will enroll at Virginia Tech in the fall to
pursue a master’s degree and doctorate in
environmental engineering.
“I want to expand my horizons. There is
a limited number of people of color in the
STEM fields. I really saw there was a need
for diversity.” Alicea said. Also, her desire to
be a research leader dictates the need for
a Ph.D.
However, her future might include a
faculty position at her soon-to-be alma
mater.
“That’s how close I hold SPSU to my
heart,” she said.
“At SPSU, I wasn’t just a number. I was extremely
happy...I fell in love with SPSU.”
stUdent exPerience
16 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
SPSUTeach
eacher education programs are not hard to find — approximately
40 colleges and universities in Georgia offer a bachelor’s degree
in education. But rest assured, SPSUTeach is NOT your typical
teaching program.
Dr. George Stickel and Dr. Alan Gabrielli serve as codirectors of
SPSUTeach, which is a unit of the School of Arts and Sciences.
The program began enrolling students in spring 2012, had 28
enrollees this spring, and is on track to begin producing graduates
in 2011, SPSU became the first polytechnic institution in the country to replicate the nationally
With the assistance of $1.4 million in Race to the Top funding from the state
recognized UTeach program pioneered by the University of Texas at Austin.
T
Definitely Not Your Typical Teacher Education Program
Southern Polytechnic State University 17
in spring 2014. Tightly focused on science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM), fields which are desperately in need of
more teachers, the program has approached teacher preparation
very differently from traditional teacher education programs.
Most programs award degrees in education with
concentrations in specific content areas — English, history, and
physical education, etc. But SPSUTeach graduates master their
content area by earning bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry,
physics, or mathematics with a teacher education track leading to
initial certification to teach secondary education (grades six-12).
And the program doesn’t skimp on the mastery of teaching
in favor of content-area instruction. While the traditional teacher
education program exposes students to actual field experiences
in their final year, SPSU students have gotten into classrooms in
Marietta and Cobb County schools from their first semester.
In fact, before they are officially admitted to the SPSUTeach
Definitely Not Your Typical Teacher Education Program
TEACH
18 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
program, students must take two courses, called Step 1 and
Step 2, to help them decide if a career in teaching is right for
them. Field experiences give them a firsthand look at what goes
on inside elementary school (Step 1) and middle school (Step 2)
classrooms, and they learn to plan and evaluate lessons using
the five E’s – engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and
evaluation. All other field experiences are at the high school level.
“Having field experiences from the beginning helps you to decide
if you really want to be a teacher or not,” said biology teacher-
certification track major Zachary Buning, who has plans to be among
the first SPSUTeach graduates. “Some education programs do not
put you in the classroom until the end, and by then, it is too late.”
“I couldn’t be happier with the SPSUTeach program,” said
Elizabeth Stephenson, a math major with the teacher-certification
track and the first recipient of the President Rossbacher Endowed
Scholarship. “I was an education major at my previous institution,
and I wasn’t satisfied because there was no math in my life! Here
at SPSU, I don’t have to choose between math and education. I’m
getting the best of both worlds, and when I graduate, I’ll be able to
use both to get students fired up about math.”
Commenting on the program’s practice of exposing students to
elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, Stephenson said, “I
thought I might want to teach middle school, but now that I’ve had
several experiences at the different grade levels, I know I want to
teach high school because I’m more able to reason with and relate
to the students, and the level of math they are learning is higher.”
Jamie Garrett, a physics major with the teacher-certification
track is especially appreciative of what the SPSUTeach program’s
early introduction to classroom teaching has done for her. She
applied for and received an American Physical Society (APS)
PhysicsQuest internship that will have her develop activities to teach
physics concepts to middle school students this summer.
“My experience in the classroom with elementary and middle
school students during my Step 1 and Step 2 classes really set me
apart from other applicants,” she reported. “During my interview, I
was able to elaborate on many of my experiments in the classroom
and my foundation in lesson plan development. Interestingly enough,
my interviewer graduated from the University of Texas and went
through the UTeach program herself. She was very familiar with the
program and our introduction to the classroom at an early stage.”
The third distinctive component of SPSUTeach is mentorship.
Because of the high attrition rate among new teachers, each
SPSUTeach student has a master teacher who follows the student’s
progress from the first course through graduation and beyond. And
SPSU’s master teachers, Jan Nourollahi and Cassandra Mathious,
will be contacting former students for five years after graduation to
encourage their development into exceptional teachers. Classroom
teachers in elementary, middle, and high school also will serve as
mentors throughout students’ coursework.
“Our master teachers work exceptionally hard to place us
in schools and classrooms that will create valuable learning
experiences for us and our students,” said math major Wayne Dunn,
who is in the teacher-certification track. “And the instructors I have
shadowed for my teaching experiences have been great role models.”
“As far as the master teachers go, we are so blessed,”
Stephenson said. “They have helped all of us with every lesson we’ve
had to teach. They are willing to go above and beyond, and that’s
something you don’t find at a typical education program, or a typical
university for that matter.”
In its first 15 months of operation, SPSU’s teacher-education
program has already experienced several milestones, according to
Director George Stickel. Fall 2012 saw the addition of a 17-credit-hour
Computer Science (CS) Endorsement program for already-certified
teachers interested in adding this discipline as a content area.
While initial certification programs in mathematics, biology,
County schools from their first semester.
While the traditional teacher education
program exposes students to actual field
get out into classrooms in Marietta and Cobb
experiences in their final year, SPSU students
Southern Polytechnic State University 19
chemistry, and physics are only available
through on-campus classes, teachers in the
CS Endorsement program can take hybrid
courses, which offer both face-to-face and
online content. The practicum — in which
students will be supervised in the practical
application of the theories they’ve been
studying — will take place in close proximity
to the homes of teachers who live at a
distance from SPSU.
An onsite evaluation team from
the Georgia Professional Standards
Commission (PSC) visited the campus in
January and found that SPSU’s education
programs met all standards. This spring,
the PSC Board of Commissioners formally
approved the granting of certification for
SPSUTeach graduates.
With this hurdle cleared, “Our priorities
for teacher education are to increase
enrollment in all four initial certification
programs and in the CS Endorsement,
as well as to secure funding for student
scholarships, student support for apprentice
teaching, and for student tutors,” said Dr.
Stickel, who noted students are unable to
work full time while doing their apprentice
teaching.
To this end, Dr. Stickel said he and the
teacher education program team recently
met with a consultant and the admissions
staff regarding recruitment strategies
and have been working with officials at
Chattahoochee Technical College and
Georgia Highlands College to get student
referrals.
Promoting the SPSUTeach program
and recruiting more students is also a
major goal of Students for Excellence in
Education (SEE), of which Stephenson is
president (alongside Dunn, vice president,
and Buning, secretary). The organization
helps students in the program connect and
network with each other.
Dr. Stickel said he has been very happy
with the progress being made concerning
teacher education at SPSU. “We are on track.
And we get asked by local school systems
all the time, ‘When are you going to have
graduates?’ They are really anxious to hire
our students.”
JuNE 2011 Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approves SPSU
to offer bachelor’s degrees with teacher certification tracks in biology,
chemistry, mathematics, and physics
Race to the Top funding awarded to SPSU for replication of the University
of Texas at Austin UTeach teacher-preparation program
SPriNg 2012 First students enrolled in four initial certification programs
Jan Nourollahi hired as a master teacher
Fall 2012 Dr. Erin Sutherland (physics education) and Dr. Claudia Spiro (math
education) hired as education faculty members and Cassandra Mathious
named as a master teacher
First students enrolled in Computer Science Endorsement program
AT&T gave SPSUTeach $25,000 for the purchase of high-tech equipment
to help student teachers
OcTObEr 2012 Two students (including Wayne Dunn) participated in the Georgia Partner-
ship for Excellence in Education’s 20th Annual Bus Trip Across Georgia,
which visited elementary, middle, and high schools, in addition to techni-
cal colleges
DEcEmbEr 2012 SPSU submitted institutional report on teacher education programs to
Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) as part of agency’s
review and approval of programs
JaNuarY 2013 PSC onsite evaluation team visited campus and reported that SPSU had
met all standards.
SPriNg 2013 Three SPSU students, including Elizabeth Stephenson, working with SPSU
Assessment Technology Specialists Marka Ormsby and Robin Daniel, ran
a 10-week after-school program for at-risk middle school children focus-
ing on computational math
aPril 2013 PSC Board of Examiners agreed to recognize SPSU graduates who apply
for initial certification
SPSUTeach MILESTONES
A look at SPSU’s teacher education program: Four degrees for which a teacher certification track is available
bachelor of Science in chemistry
bachelor of Science in Physics
bachelor of Science in biology
bachelor of arts in mathematics12 4
3
AcAdeMics
20 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
he number of students attending the
Career Counseling Center’s 2012-13 co-
op/internship orientation kickoff “was
the highest it’s ever been at 147,” said
Eileen O’Laughlin, assistant director of
Career Services.
“Last spring, I had 75 active
participants in the co-op program, and
this year I have 124, so the numbers are
continuing to grow,” she said.
O’Laughlin attributes the growth
to several factors, including increased
awareness of the value of internships/co-
ops and new marketing techniques.
“Word-of-mouth has also been
very powerful as students share their
experiences with each other,” she said.
Computer science major Katie Trivette
of Marietta began work as a co-op for Cox
Communications in January to gain work
experience for her resume.
“I have a better understanding of what
I want after graduation,” the 21-year-old
senior said, noting she’s done network
engineering testing and programming for
online tools at Cox. “I’m looking for a job
more focused on software development.”
Junior Taylor Lord, who has completed
two co-op terms with Brasfield & Gorrie,
LLC, and plans to do a third this year, said
co-ops gave him the opportunity to work
full-time.
“This allowed me to focus solely on
the job, getting to know the people around
me in the company and learning the ways
of the company,” said Lord, a construction
management major.
After meeting with Brasfield
representatives at a career fair, the
Kennesaw resident said he “felt like I
belonged in that company.”
“The morale and everyday operations
they explained lined up perfectly with me,
and I thought I would be a great fit for
the company,” said Lord, 22, noting he has
been exposed to all phases of construction.
“I have confidence I could jump into the
construction industry tomorrow and
have enough knowledge to survive in the
construction world.”
Brasfield & Gorrie’s Senior Project
Manager Adam Wheeler ’05, an SPSU
alumnus, said “a large number” of the
company’s full-time employees come from
the co-op/internship programs at local
colleges — “one of our primary recruiting
tools.”
“It allows us, and the student, to
get to know each other in a working
environment without a major commitment
by either party up front,” he said, noting the
company averages 60 to 70 interns/co-ops
per semester.
The SPSU alumnus said company
officials look for students with “a good
work ethic and a passion for our business.”
“Experience in the industry is not
necessary at all,” he said. “We will train
them in that part. Motivation, dedication,
and a passion for construction are the
traits that the student needs to bring to
the table.”
Shaw Industries Group Inc. hires
about 150 co-ops/interns each year, many
from SPSU, said Shaw’s college recruiter
Matthew Foy.
“Southern Polytechnic continues to
educate and develop some of the best,
brightest, and most passionate engineers
that we meet,” he said.
By offering engineering students a
chance to learn the skillset needed to work
at Shaw, the company can “put students
in those fast-paced, unique environments
T
Facing a tough job market after graduation, more Southern
Polytechnic State University students than ever are getting
a jump on the competition by participating in the school’s
internship and cooperative education (co-op) programs.
— Senior Brandon Hines
Co-op/Internship programs on the rise
“I wanted to do the co-op program to gain some real experience in my field of study to put on my resume as well as begin building networks.”
Southern Polytechnic State University 21
and evaluate whether they have the ability
to be truly successful in the world of
manufacturing,” Foy said.
Shaw plant engineer Jordan Allen said
the co-op/intern programs benefit both
the students, who have a “leg up” in their
job search, and the company, which can
evaluate how well they perform in Shaw’s
facilities.
“For students, their work terms can
almost be considered a year-long job
interview for them to see if they like Shaw,”
he said. “Interns and co-ops make Shaw a
successful company because we are able to
hire engineering graduates with the exact
type of experience we’re looking for.”
Allen added that he looks for outgoing
students who communicate well and are
willing to learn and “take chances on
making mistakes.”
Senior Brandon Hines, an industrial
engineering technology major, became a
Shaw co-op last spring, but he also interns
there between co-op semesters.
“I wanted to do the co-op program to
gain some real experience in my field of
study to put on my resume as well as begin
building networks,” the Kennesaw resident
said. “I chose Shaw because I knew of the
company through some alumni and heard
about the environment there.”
Hines said he’s responsible for projects
ranging from “helping reallocate space for
storage to helping cut company costs by
$30,000 a year.”
“I have learned that you never know
who is going to see your work, so be sure to
always put in the effort it deserves,” he said.
Pond and Co. is another firm that’s
had “great success” with SPSU co-ops, said
Integrity Engineer/Project Manager Brian
Lunsford ’09, who is also an alumnus.
Pond’s Integrity and Compliance
Management group employs one or two
co-ops per semester to give students
experience in mechanical integrity and
cathodic protection, which are two
specialties that don’t have an abundance of
qualified engineers, Lunsford said.
“As a previous co-op myself, I realize
the value in hiring co-ops and developing
the experience and qualities it takes to be
successful,” the SPSU graduate said. “The
relationship gives the co-op ‘real-world’
experience, while providing Pond with
additional resources for projects.”
Lunsford said he hires students
who work productively without constant
supervision, prefer a “hands-on approach”
to engineering, possess problem solving
skills, and are proficient in creating technical
engineering reports.
Employers interested in recruiting
co-op or intern candidates should contact
Christi Pichon, SPSU’s employer and career
relations coordinator, at 678-915-7391 or
Recreated PMS
stUdent exPerience
22 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
The signs that Southern
Polytechnic State University
is now a 24/7 campus are
everywhere.
These days, when darkness has fallen
and the faculty/staff parking lots have
emptied out, laughter and chatter echo
along campus walkways as residential
students make their way to the dining
hall, a movie in the Student Center, or a
game of dodgeball next to the Engineering
Technology Center.
They wait to board the Marietta
Trolley to shop or eat at local restaurants,
returning later with grocery bags and other
finds.
SPSU Police patrol the campus
constantly and have found their services
needed at all hours. The university has a
full-time nurse on staff and a physician
under contract. Throughout the campus,
fliers advertise numerous after-hours
activities — from study groups and
concerts to competitions and giveaways.
Meanwhile, in University Columns, the
colors and insignia of various fraternities
and sororities compete for attention.
It’s 2013, and SPSU has come of age.
Many people perceive the university
as strictly a commuter school until they
venture onto campus and are shocked
to find many more buildings than they
imagined, including special interest houses,
apartment complexes, and residence
halls filled with suites. Last fall, SPSU had
a record number of students living on
campus – more than 1,500.
SPSU built its first dormitory in the
early 1960s and a second later that
decade. SPSU became a four-year college
in 1970, but it was not until 1998 that
the demand for on-campus housing
prompted the opening of the apartment-
style community University Commons,
offering private bedrooms and, in some
cases, private bathrooms in fully furnished
apartments. A second apartment
community called University Courtyard
opened in 2004.
By 2008, student enrollment at SPSU
had steadily increased in response to
expanded programs, and projections
called for even greater growth over the
next few years. It was time not just to
expand student housing options, but also
to change directions in campus housing
management.
The result was the opening of two
new suite-style residence halls: a 600-
bed complex known as Hornet Village, and
SPSU’s special interest housing, University
Columns, which has ten 12-bed, Greek-style
houses occupied by fraternities, sororities,
the university’s soccer team, and visiting
professors. SPSU now has a total of 1,673
beds to offer students.
“Up until five years ago, the operation
of Norton and Howell halls was privatized
– they were managed by an outside firm,”
said Chris Bruno, SPSU’s director of Housing
and Residence Life. “The university’s
leadership decided to form its own housing
staff, and the emphasis has since shifted
from viewing students as simply a source
of rent revenue to individuals whose needs
are important and whose opinions are
valued and respected. We are here for the
students and to help them be successful.”
The staff of Housing and Residence Life
has tripled since 2008. There are now 50
student staff members — which translates
Residential boom at southeRn Polytechnic
state univeRsity
at home on camPus:
Southern Polytechnic State University 23
into one resident assistant (R.A.) for every 33
residential students — supervised by three
full-time staff members, all of whom have
master’s degrees related to their fields. In
Bruno’s first 15 months at SPSU, the student
housing occupancy rate rocketed from 82
percent (1,250 students) to 94 percent (1,552
students). The staff created a variety of
educational and fun activities for residential
students — enjoying pizza with the president,
etiquette dinners, video game competitions,
and sessions on study skills, laundry tips, and
sex education.
“We’ve seen attendance at these events
go through the roof,” Bruno said.
Sorority member Ariyanna White, 20,
who lives in the Alpha Xi Delta House and
has lived on campus for three years, has
definitely noticed the difference. “It used to
be there were maybe one or two activities a
week. Now, there’s something to do pretty
much every night. The people who say this
campus is boring are the students who
commute home after classes and miss out
on all these events.”
The honor student added that, “the
students who live here are more active in
student organizations and events. They
enjoy themselves more. You meet a lot of
people hanging around here at night when
fun things are going on.”
Brittany Rosario, 18, lives in Hornet
Village. “It’s a great opportunity to make
friends, go to campus events, and use
academic resources like the library and
meeting with professors. It also helps you to
be on time to class,” she noted.
As a non-traditional-age student, Randy
Brown, 26, has a different perspective on
the value of student housing. The managing
editor of the SPSU student newspaper, The
Sting, Brown has enjoyed the convenience
of being able to work late hours in the
paper’s office with only a short walk back to
his University Courtyard apartment, where
he often cooks his own meals in his fully
equipped kitchen.
“The cost [of student housing] has gone
up in the two years I’ve been here, but it
includes utilities,” he noted. “And for me,
saving gas and travel time is well worth it.”
With residential students enjoying a
significant uptick in amenities, services, and
activities over the last few years, campus life
at SPSU is clearly flourishing. These students
are “a lot more involved and engaged” in
events and activities – and in their education
– Bruno said, noting that student success
is central to the mission of Housing and
Residence Life.
“IT’s a greaT
opporTunITy To
make frIends, go
To campus evenTs,
and use academIc
resources lIke
The lIbrary and
meeTIng wITh
professors. IT
also helps you
To be on TIme
To class.”— Freshman
Brittany rosario
stUdent exPerience
24 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher and Major Gen. Peter Boylan, president of Georgia Military College (GMC) in Milledgeville, signed an articulation agreement in April at SPSU. It will allow GMC students to apply their associate degree credits toward SPSU baccalaureate degrees without losing credit hours in the transfer.
“This articulation will provide academic access
for GMC students,” said SPSU’s vice president for
Academic Affairs, Dr. Zvi Szafran. “Now GMC students
will be able to, transfer to SPSU with relative ease.”
“GMC is a liberal arts–based, two-year college.
Many of our students go on to pursue baccalaureate
degrees at four-year colleges and universities, and
our cadet program is a feeder program to both West
Point and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. GMC has nine
campuses throughout the state and close to 8,000
students,” Major Gen. Boylan noted. “SPSU offers
significant opportunities for our students to further
their education.”
As for how SPSU stands to benefit from the
agreement, “GMC is a different type of institution than
SPSU with a student body that is more than 50 percent
female and a mature online presence that will help to
bring more students to SPSU from beyond Georgia,” said
Dr. Sam Conn, vice president for Information Technology
and chief information officer at SPSU and the former
director of online learning at GMC.
“This articulation is consistent with Gov. Nathan
Deal’s Complete College Georgia initiative, which is
designed to improve the educational pipeline from high
school through college graduation, particularly in the
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) fields that are our bread and butter,” Dr.
Szafran noted.
Jeremy Vogt, a student in SPSU’s undergraduate
program in information technology, was one of four
GMC graduates enrolled at SPSU this spring — prior to
the articulation agreement signing.
“I heard about SPSU’s great hands-on learning style
and was instantly attracted,” he said. “I also read in
brochures about the small class sizes and liked that.”
Vogt said his experience in making the transition
to SPSU wasn’t difficult. “I just had to make sure my
transcripts were sent over and my classes would
transfer. Most of mine did, but GMC requires a different
programming language than SPSU, so the classes that
had to do with that transferred in but are not needed
here. I’m sure the agreement would have helped me by
making sure all my classes transferred over.”
Another GMC graduate, Steven Franzkowiak, “was
attracted to SPSU’s Electrical Engineering Technology
program and its hands-on approach to engineering”
and found that the tuition and living in Marietta fit his
budget.
The GMC partnership is one of the latest in a series
of transfer articulation agreements formed with a
variety of educational institutions and systems and
is the wave of the future for SPSU as more and more
students seek an affordable, hands-on education in
engineering, engineering technology, architecture and
computer science.
ArticulAtion Agreement witH georgiA militAry college
to bring more students to SPSU, smooth the transition
SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher and GMC President Gen. Peter Boylan signed an agreement that allows GMC students to apply their associate degree credits toward SPSU baccalaureate degrees without losing credit hours in the transfer.
AcAdeMics
Southern Polytechnic State University 25Southern Polytechnic State University 00
“I f you dial my phone, and it seems I’m not home, I’ll be
in the state of euphoria!”
That was Dr. Joyce Mills’ sunny sign-off at her retirement
reception in December 2012 after 22 years of service as
assistant director (1990-92), acting director (1992), and then
director (1993-2012) of SPSU’s Lawrence V. Johnson Library.
She began her professional career as head of the High
School Division and library manager of the American School
in London. Married to artist Lev Timothy Mills, she loves to
travel and once helped build a library in Botswana, so it is
hard to imagine Dr. Mills having been sequestered among
the stacks for the past two decades.
Of course, she hasn’t been, but Dr. Mills focused much of
her energy on improving the library’s services and resources
to better serve SPSU students, faculty, and staff.
SPSU Magazine sat down with her as she bid farewell
to the campus to talk about her career of 40-plus years and
her dedicated service to the institution.
SPSU Magazine: Dr. Zvi Szafran,
vice president for Academic Affairs,
called you “one of the real pioneers
in moving SPSU online.” What was he
referring to?
Dr. Mills: The chief reason I was
hired [as assistant director for public
services] was to prepare the Johnson
Library for automation and to oversee
the installation of an integrated online
circulation system. Basically, that
means the computerization of the
library, taking it from the old manual-
checkout card-catalog system to an
online catalog.
26 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
feAtUre
SPSU Magazine: What are you most
proud of having accomplished during
your years at SPSU?
Dr. Mills: Well, there have been a
lot of milestones over the years, such
as bringing in PALS [library software],
followed by GALILEO [GeorgiA LIbrary
LEarning Online, an online library portal
initiative of the Board of Regents of
the University System of Georgia for
access to authoritative, subscription-
only information unavailable through
free search engines or Web directories].
We also implemented e-Reserves [a
collection of electronic documents such
as journal articles, sample tests, and
syllabi that instructors make available
to students] and expanded the library
computer lab from 10 workstations to
more than 60. I want to give credit
to Li Chen, our talented systems
librarian since 2000, for doing the
research needed to bring about these
changes. In 2010, she added a live,
online chat feature, Ask A Librarian
[http://www.spsu.edu/library/ask.htm],
that is very popular.
I’m very proud that we rolled out The
Hive Search in 2012. It’s a Google-like
search engine on the library’s homepage
[http://www.spsu.edu/library/] that
searches books, journals, magazines,
and images. Later, our reference
librarian, Amy Coughenour, customized
The Hive for the Johnson Library, and
the Reference department teaches
classes that inform students and
faculty of the nuances of the hundreds
of databases with free access. They
answer students’ questions and have
found patrons to be very appreciative of
this service.
Art professors and students now
have online access to our Bentley Art
Collection with full descriptions and
images. The response has been just
phenomenal.
I’m also very proud of the full
library staff. Yongli Ma has been
appointed interim library director, and
she has been with me since 1994, a year
after I was named director. People work
very hard here. Customer service is No.
1, and you have to know the databases
inside and out. You can’t fake it. Many of
us have been here a long time. We’re
like a family. [In fact, six of the nine staff
members who reported to Dr. Mills
worked with her for more than 10 years,
a testament to her gentle-yet-firm
leadership.] I’m also pleased about
having recently added a catalog/archives/
interlibrary loan librarian [Erin Grant]
to the staff.
SPSU Magazine: I see you’ve taught
college courses as well as managed
public and college libraries.
Dr. Mills: Yes, after I left the
American School in London, I taught
school librarianship at Atlanta
University [1973-86]. Then I was given
an opportunity to manage the West
Hunter Branch of the Atlanta-Fulton
Public Library, where I also served as
the weekend librarian in the archives and
special collections at the main branch. And
automation was upon us — I spearheaded
the barcoding and automation of the
collection there at West Hunter
[1986-90].
SPSU Magazine: You also have three
advanced degrees.
Dr. Mills: I received a Master’s in
Library Science in 1969 from the School
of Library Science at the University
of Wisconsin [Madison], a specialist
degree, the Diploma in Advanced
Studies in Librarianship [DASL,1981],
from Emory University, and a Ph.D.
[1987] from the School of Library and
Information Studies at Florida State
University (Tallahassee).
SPSU Magazine: So what’s next for
Joyce Mills?
Dr. Mills: In 1991, I published a
family genealogy, “Two Trees Standing,”
and it is time to update it and perhaps
write my own autobiography. There
will also be more international travel
and museum hopping. Together with
my hobbies [she’s a self-described
book autograph hound and has a
collection of dolls], I’ll have plenty to
do in retirement. I’ve enjoyed my time
at Southern Poly, but I’m also looking
forward to this phase — I feel like my
life has been blessed!
Southern Polytechnic State University 27
28 SPSU Magazine Summer 20133528
hree Southern Polytechnic State University
alumni are among those responsible for
making the city of Athens, Ga., what it is
today.
Collectively, Paul T. Martin ‘53, Gerald Driver ‘65,
and Bobby Snipes ‘73 have helped create jobs, spark
economic development, combat droughts, and serve
countless citizens through their professional and
volunteer roles in the community.
T
Meet
who helped shape thecity of Athens
THREESPSUALUMS
SPSU alumni Bobby Snipes, Paul Martin, and Gerald Driver.
Southern Polytechnic State University 29
30 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
Paul Martin, who grew up in Atlanta, graduated from
what was then Southern Technical Institute in 1953.
He arrived on a basketball scholarship, undecided on
his course of study. However, he became interested in
heating and cooling when he learned in class that “the
future was limitless with air-conditioning — the new ‘have-
to-have’ product in business and homes.” Just five years
after graduating from Southern Tech, Martin purchased
an interest in a heating and air-conditioning company that
later became Martin Mechanical Contractors, a commercial
mechanical, electric, and plumbing company. He owned
and operated the company for 40 years along with two
residential heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning
companies, Bulldog Heating and Air in Athens and
Macy’s Air in Atlanta.
The leadership Martin showed in business continued in his
volunteerism. When he came to Athens in 1957, he became
involved in the Athens community to network for business
and to meet people in the community.
Today, name a service organization in Athens, and
there’s a good chance Martin has been a part of the
leadership or donated to the cause.
First, he joined the Athens Jaycees, and his participation
in that organization later served as a springboard for his
future efforts in making Athens a better place to live.
He joined the volunteer advisory board of The Salvation
Army – an organization he felt greatly shaped him as a
young boy. He has been a board member for over 53 years
and has served as chairman for eight years.
Perhaps his most visible contribution was his
involvement with The Classic Center, a 55,000-square-foot
convention center in Athens. Twenty years ago, leaders of
the community made a commitment to build the center, and
Martin was one of those leaders. His main goal for getting
involved was to make sure The Classic Center could support
itself and would help create prosperity for the community.
Martin served on The Classic Center Authority Board
for eight years and continued to volunteer his expertise on
the Construction Committee.
In 2000, it was Martin’s vision to create a cultural art
foundation to ensure the longevity of the center. He led the
formation and served as president of the foundation for the
first 10 years and has continued to serve on the board.
PAUL T. Martin
“It always feels
good to be on the
winning side of
anything.
”PAU L T. M A R T I N
Southern Polytechnic State University 31
Martin’s seemingly endless resume of community service
has also included volunteer roles at Beech Haven Baptist
Church, where he is a charter member, and membership on
the Southern Polytechnic State University Foundation Board,
Air Conditioner Contractors of America Board of Directors, and
Athens Business Council. He also served on the Clarke County
Board of Education and was a member of the Clarke County
Chamber of Commerce.
The awards he has received include: University of Georgia Arch
Award; The Athens Athletic Hall of Fame; Golden Nail Award;
American Legion Coach and Little League Baseball Coach of
the Year, Jaycee Young Man of the Year and most recently, The
Salvation Army’s highest award, William Booth Award.
He also served in the Georgia Air National Guard.
At 80, Martin has remained humble about his years
of community service. “I was a small cog in the wheel of
progress,” he insisted. “It always feels good to be on the
winning side of anything.”
So what has kept Martin going?
“I still feel like I’m able to do some good for people,”
stated Martin. “If your work is satisfying and you enjoy it, it’s
not hard at all to keep at it.”
His favorite motto: “The harder you work, the luckier you get!”
It was almost by chance that Gerald Driver ended up at SPSU —
then known as Southern Technical Institute — in the 1960s.
He originally had his sights set on a bigger Georgia college, but
when his high school grades fell short, educators encouraged
Driver to take his first college classes elsewhere and transfer
later to the four-year institution. Driver followed only the first
part of that advice. “I went to Southern Tech, and I said, ‘What
the heck — I love it here,’” he said.
After graduating in 1965, he moved to Athens for his first job
as a construction contractor. In 1973, he established his own
company and has remained at the helm of Driver Construction
Co. since then.
Take a look around Athens, and you’ll see some of the
ways in which Driver influenced the city. His company
constructed a range of the buildings that make up Athens’
landscape, including the University of Georgia’s Sanford Hall, a
four-story medical building for the Athens Regent Medical Center,
and the chapel in the University of Georgia’s botanical gardens.
GERALD Driver
“I wouldn’t have been
able to do anything
I’m doing today without
my education.
”G E R A L D D R I V E R
AlUMni Profile
32 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
Among his biggest sources of pride is the
50,000-square-foot addition his company built at First
United Methodist Church, of which he is an active member.
For more than 30 years, Driver has served the
Associated General Contractors of Georgia through various
roles, including as a member of the board of directors, as
Georgia Branch AGC president (1998–99), and, since 1991, as
a member of the AGC’s workers compensation program.
In 2012, Driver was honored as the recipient of the
highest honor bestowed by AGC, the annual Skill, Integrity,
and Responsibility (SIR) Award. It is presented to someone
who demonstrates those attributes.
“That was a high point for me. You really can get
humbled when your peers recognize you.”
Driver said he wasn’t looking for recognition for
those qualities. “I’ve tried to live a correct life and run my
business in a correct fashion.”
Driver, who has a private pilot’s license, is a longtime
member of the Ben Epps Airport Authority and has served
on the advisory board for The Salvation Army. Previously,
he served in the Georgia Army National Guard, was on
Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs State Codes
Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Athens
Rotary Club.
Through his volunteer work, “I feel like I am repaying
our community somewhat for what we have been blessed
with here.”
Driver said his professional skills have been an asset
to his volunteer work. He has offered his construction
expertise to The Salvation Army and — as a member of the
airport’s building committee — worked on such projects as
the general aviation terminal and a new airport fire station.
His accomplishments are many, and he credited his
alma mater for much of his success.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do anything I’m doing
today without my education,” Driver said. “I’m extremely
proud of my Southern Tech education and the information
I received there. When I came out, I didn’t feel that secure,
but I learned real quick that I knew more than some of my
cohorts did.”
That’s why he carries with him a constant reminder of
his college years.
“I still wear the class ring,” he said. “I love it.”
Bobby Snipes enrolled in Southern Technical Institute as
a co-op student, dividing his time between classes and
his job with the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The university grew from a two-year institution to a four-
year school while Snipes was a student. He continued his
education, graduating with a degree in civil engineering
technology in 1973, and became a registered professional
engineer in Florida and Georgia.
Snipes accepted his first position with the Clarke County
government as the county’s first traffic engineer during his
last academic quarter at Southern Tech. He subsequently
served the Athens community as the city engineer/director
of public works and finally as the deputy manager for the
Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County.
In this role, Snipes often used a single question that
reminded his staff of the importance of their work.
“We would continually ask our department heads,
‘How do we leave this community better than we found it?’”
he explained.
When hiring employees, he said, “I always looked for
an embedded desire to make a difference. Education and
technical abilities are certainly required in one’s profession;
however, I have always believed that such a desire to
achieve is also very important.”
BOBBY Snipes
AlUMni Profile
Southern Polytechnic State University 33
That desire was what drove Snipes, who played
instrumental roles in establishing a stronger government
and addressing infrastructure needs within the Athens
community as well as water concerns in the region.
“Our job is frequently to provide the things that the
public often takes for granted,” he said of basic services
like roadways and water.
In fact, Snipes said, he’s long observed that unlike
various community groups that advocate for many
important community needs such as libraries, “I have never
encountered a ‘Friends of Infrastructure’ organization.”
But infrastructure has at least one friend in Snipes, who
served the Athens-Clarke County community during a 39-
year career from 1973 until his retirement in the fall of 2012.
Among his most significant accomplishments was his
role in the creation of the Bear Creek Water Reservoir, an
$80 million joint effort among Athens-Clarke, Jackson,
Barrow, and Oconee counties and the associated managing
authority. Completed in 2001, the Bear Creek Reservoir
mitigates the effects of droughts by supplying water when
river levels become too low to support community need.
Water use was restricted in his county during the
droughts of 1986 and 1988, Snipes recalled. But when rain
failed to fall in 2007, “The reservoir helped carry us through
that drought, which was a rather significant event.”
Though he’s stepped down from his full-time position,
Snipes hasn’t left service with Athens-Clarke completely. He
continues to work for the government one day each week.
His name will long be remembered in the county,
too. In 2009, Athens-Clarke’s new water testing and
management facility was named the Bobby M. Snipes
Water Resources Center.
Snipes said he was caught off guard by the honor.
“It’s not necessarily important that people remember
my name. It’s important for me to know what’s been done,”
he said.
Snipes credited much of his professional success to
his college education.
“The ability to think critically and objectively, which I
learned at Southern Poly, has served me well in all areas of
my work,” he said. “It gave me the self-confidence to trust
my own judgment.”
“It’s been a rewarding career for me, in large part due
to Southern Poly.”
“It’s been a rewarding career for me, in large part dueto Southern Poly.
”B O B B Y S N I P E S
34 SPSU Magazine Summer 2013
Lady Hornets rebound and defy the odds
After going 6-24 last year, the Southern Polytechnic State University women’s basketball team truly made a 180. SPSU ended the 2012–13 season with a 25–6 overall record, but it was no cakewalk getting there.
The Hornets finished the season
as the Southern States Athletic
Conference (SSAC) Tournament
runners-up and advanced to the
first round of the National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National
Tournament. This marked the third
time in four years that the team has
competed in the national tournament
and the second under third-year Head
Coach Laquanda Dawkins.
The women started off the season
strong with an 11-0 record — the second
best start in SPSU women’s basketball
history. Then the Hornets hit a bit of a
rough patch.
“We took a couple of losses, and it
showed that we weren’t unstoppable,”
Coach Dawkins said. “We had to refocus
and rely on our defense and each other.
We stayed together through adversity.”
After making the necessary
adjustments, SPSU regained its
momentum and powered through a
nine-game winning streak that included
a home victory over then-No. 6 ranked
Lee University of Cleveland, Tenn. The
Hornets rose as high as No. 24 in the
NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball
Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, and eight of the
games were victories of 20 or more
points.
SPSU began its postseason at
the 2013 SSAC Tournament held in
Montgomery, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2.
The Hornets were the No. 2 seed in
the Eastern Division and played the
No. 3 seed out of the Western Division,
Belhaven University of Jackson, Miss., in
the quarterfinals. SPSU advanced to the
semifinals, where the women defeated
by 69-49 the No. 4 West seed Emmanuel
College of Franklin Springs, Ga. When
it came time for the SSAC Tournament
championship game, the Hornets fell
short to the No. 1 Eastern seed, No. 7
nationally ranked Lee.
The Hornets’ season was not over
though. Before they knew it, the women
were on the road again making their
third trip to the NAIA Division I Women’s
Basketball National Championship in
Frankfort Ky., March 13-19. SPSU received
an automatic bid to the 32-team
tournament after finishing as the SSAC
Tournament runner-up. During the first
round, No. 7 seed SPSU was matched up
against the No. 8 nationally ranked and
No. 2 seed Vanguard University of Costa
Mesa, Calif. The Hornets’ season ended
with a first-round loss to the Lions.
This season, the Hornets had some
notable rankings within Division I of the
35
NAIA. SPSU ranked No. 6 in three-point field goal percentage
(0.361), No. 9 in turnover margin (5.0), and No. 10 in free throw
percentage (0.722).
Coach Dawkins took an almost entirely new team and
transformed it into an SSAC powerhouse. “We made changes in our
roster that included the addition of NCAA transfer Sarah Ogoke,
from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi,” explained Coach
Dawkins. “Behind senior point guard Ashlie Billingslea — the only
returning player from last year’s team — we went back to our old
winning ways.”
Billingslea, SPSU’s lone senior, had numerous NAIA Division I
individual rankings including No. 4 in steals per game (3.45), No.
6 in total steals (107), and No. 8 in total scoring (570 points). She
was SPSU’s representative on the SSAC Musco Lighting Champions
of Character Team and was chosen for the 15-person All-SSAC
No.6
No.9
No.10
Hornets: Division I NAIA Rankings
three-point field goal percentage (.361)
turnover margin (5.0)
free throw percentage (.722)
No.4
No.6 No.8
steals per game (3.45)
total steals (107)
total scoring (570 points)
Ashlie Billingslea: Division I NAIA Individual Rankings
No.6
No.9
defensive rebounds per game (7.55)
points per game (18.38)
Sarah Ogoke: Division I NAIA Individual Rankings
Team for the second consecutive year. “Ashlie has been our
leader on and off the court this year,” said Coach Dawkins.
“She will be hard to replace.”
Another member of the All-SSAC Team was junior Ogoke.
She was named the SSAC Newcomer of the Year and Defensive
Player of the Year. When it came to the national rankings, she
was No. 6 in Division I of the NAIA in defensive rebounds per
game (7.55) and No. 9 in points per game (18.38).
Coach Dawkins’ coaching philosophy was picked up very
quickly by the team. Her system allowed for each player to be
placed in the most successful situation and to use her skills
to their utmost potential.
“Our team is fundamentally sound and very aggressive on
offense. We look to attack our opponent on every possession,”
explained Coach Dawkins. “Our goal is to push the ball up the
floor at every opportunity while maintaining a disciplined half-
court offense.”
Coach Dawkins’ defense has been known for creating more
scoring opportunities in transition.
“We emphasize good man-to-man defense — particularly
the half-court trap and defending in transition — and use it to
apply ball pressure, to force turnovers, and to score transition
baskets,” she said.
Coach Dawkins was joined on the coaching staff by
assistant coaches Stephon Seraile and Theo Wilmon, both
in their second seasons with the Hornets. Josh Martin is the
SPSU head athletic trainer.
ATHLeTiCS
Southern Polytechnic State University
Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage
PAiDMarietta, Georgia
Permit No. 318
Public Relations Department
1100 South Marietta Parkway
Marietta, Georgia 30060-2896
www.spsu.edu
August 3, 2013Summer Graduation
10 a.m. in the SPSU Gymnasium
August 14, 2013First Day of Fall Classes
October 9, 2013Fall Career Expo
12-3 p.m. in the Recreation and Wellness Center
October 14, 2013PolyDay
The culmination of a month-long fundraising effort by the SPSU Foundation to raise awareness and support from the university’s community partners.
December 14, 2013Fall Graduation
10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the SPSU Gymnasium
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