Inside Furman May, 2002

Around Campus

CONTINUING EDUCATION
The Furman University Learning in Retirement program has 330 people enrolled in 52 different courses this spring, including Life in Europe during World War II, Autobiographical Writing, Remember the Big Bands, and Web Page Development.

Other departmental news:

On April 3, the Association of Collegiate Conference and Event Directors International informed us that their conference program services scored Furman among the highest in the nation for the category of Excellence in Customer Relationship Management. The result is based on a recent benchmark study completed by the association that will be used to guide other colleges and universities in setting up their conference service programs.

Furman will host more camps and conferences than ever this summer. We are working with 95 summer groups, and 12,000 participants are expected during the nine-week period. The largest summer group will be the Sweet Adelines International Education Symposium, with 1,400 on campus July 15-21. Other conferences and children's camps can be found on the Web at www.furman.edu/campsandconferences.

A new service being offered to our summer conference guests will be a shuttle bus that will transport summer residents to and from North Village to other sites on campus.

Lifelong Learning:

We are in the process of gearing up for a busy summer with our Scopes camps for young people, which are almost fully booked and have waiting lists. This summer there will be nine camps running from the end of school to the beginning of fall for ages 6 to 14.

The leadership program for Upstate women (Connections) is celebrating the end of another successful year with its traditional May banquet. Tommie Reece would welcome nominations for this outstanding program. Women who are graduates of Connections are serving as academic mentors in our newest program, Chrysalis, for eighth- and ninth-grade girls. (See below.)

Undergraduate Evening Studies:

Enrollment is under way for summer UES classes, and an active recruitment program is under way, as well as customized training for organizations in the Upstate.

Director Brad Bechtold is moving the division forward in exciting new directions. On May 8, the division will host the regional meeting of SCAHCE, the professional organization for higher and continuing educators, with an afternoon workshop for those who work in the field of academic enrichment programs for pre-college young people "on the right track."

The annual banquet honoring the year's graduates is held in May. Inductees to the honor society Alpha Sigma Lambda receive special recognition at this event, along with their families.

Bridges to a Brighter Future:

This program for area high school students whose potential outdistances their circumstances has just selected 26 students who now represent all area public schools. The Chrysalis program for eighth- and ninth-grade girls kicked off in January with a training program for mentors. Catalyst for boys will be launched in the fall. We are committed to making a difference one person at a time. For information, call Judith Chandler.
-- compiled by Judy Chandler

PLANNING AND INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH

The Office of Planning and Institutional Research continues to coordinate the revision of Furman's strategic plan. New strategic goals are being developed, arising from the efforts of the eight working groups.
Providing consistent and up-to-date information for external and internal use continues to be a major endeavor for our office. The list of external surveys Furman is asked to respond to grows every year. Our on-line Common Data Set has allowed us to streamline the response process. This is a critical aspect of our overall university marketing effort. For an example of these documents, please visit the Web at http://www.furman.edu/plan/design4/faculty/P&IR/CDS/CDSpage.htm.
The Planning & Institutional Research Web site (http://www.furman.edu/plan/design4/faculty/P&IR/index.htm) was recently redesigned with the hope that it will be more informative and easier to navigate for users both on and off campus. Please e-mail Loretta Cochran with any suggestions or ideas for improving the site. The addition of Quick Facts is one of the information sources we have added in response to users' comments.

After 26 years of service, Pat Teague, departmental assistant, retired from Furman as of March 31. Pat has been an essential part of the office and will be greatly missed.

Bill Berg plans to attend the June meeting of HEDS (Higher Education Data Sharing consortium) in Chicago, and he continues to serve as chair of the Research Advisory Committee. Bill recently returned from serving on a SACS reaffirmation committee in London. Loretta Cochran returned in March from maternity leave; she gave birth to a son in December 2001.
-- Loretta Cochran

UNIVERSITY CENTER

Winter and spring terms have been very lively around the University Center. "Thursday Alive @ the UC!" has been a big hit, featuring great student entertainers, karaoke programs, a caricature artist, a giant inflatable slide, and our homegrown band, FLOREZ.

Mainstage Talent Showcase has featured some of Furman's brightest rising stars including Minda Larsen, Mary Jennings, Jeff Zehnder, Chris Babcock, Marianne Creamer; Empty-Handed featuring Jina Kang, Anna Martin, Kevin Majeska; the Anxious Swirlmongers (Heidi Wersinger and Helena Janecic); Katie Fry and Sarrin Towle; and Bill Zachar.

FUSAB has sponsored a wide array of activities, including a comedy series, Craig Karges' mentalist show, an incredible lineup of current movies, the Creative Dating Workshop, and the Founders Day Carnival.
CESC has been busily volunteering in our local agencies, as well as planning "May Day Play Day 2002: Scooby Doo . . . Where Are You?" Next year's group of volunteers, headed by new student director Lindley Sharp, are gearing up to go as we speak.

We are so proud of our own Nancy Cooper, this year's winner of the Chiles-Harrill Award (See page xx). Nancy's commitment to the students, faculty, staff and visitors to Furman is evident every day in every way.
And finally, a big Furman welcome to Amber Lollis, our administrative assistant. Amber has been with us now for almost six months and she is doing a fantastic job.
-- Scott Derrick

ATHLETICS

Furman's women's tennis team is riding the crest of a dominant spring season, when Debbie Southern's NCAA Tournament-bound netters claimed the program's fifth straight Southern Conference tournament title. The team finished the regular season with a 19-3 mark and a perfect 9-0 record in the conference, extending its league winning streak to 44 matches. The brilliant play of senior Megan Dunigan (22-0 regular-season record at No. 1 singles) paced Furman's strong campaign. Named league player-of-the-year for a fourth straight year, Dunigan surpassed the school's career singles victory standard formerly held by Lady Paladin greats Karen Kelly and Janey Strause. Mary Kovarik, meanwhile, was named league freshman-of-the-year.

Head coach Paul Scarpa's Paladin tennis squad experienced the full range of emotions this spring by claiming the program's 14th Southern Conference title but falling short of an NCAA Tournament bid with a loss in the finals of the league tournament. Playing the toughest schedule in program history, one that included Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, the Paladins acquitted themselves well with a solid 15-13 regular-season record, including a 10-0 regular-season conference slate. Junior John Chesworth was named conference player-of-the-year on the way to a 17-8 record at No. 1 singles, and Scarpa registered his seventh league coach-of-the-year honor.

Sporting an 20-26 overall record and 11-13 Southern Conference mark through early May, the Furman baseball team is attempting to qualify for the league tournament, scheduled for May 22-25 in Charleston. Sophomore catcher/infielder Derek Norman has been Furman's leader at the plate, batting .372 with seven home runs and 32 RBI. Senior Jeff Stovall, meanwhile, has paced the Paladins' pitching effort with a 3-2 record and staff best 1.49 ERA.

On the softball field head coach Bonnie Flynn's Lady Paladins completed a late season run and advanced to the Southern Conference Tournament finals before losing to Chattanooga. The Lady Paladins collected wins against the College of Charleston, East Tennessee State and Georgia Southern to advance to the final game. Furman, which finishes the season with a 24-24 record (11-10 in conference play) set two tournament records and tied another during the weekend. The Lady Paladins tied the consecutive games won record with three, and scored a
tournament-record 23 runs while collecting a tournament-record 47 hits. LaKerah Barr, Rachel Henley, and Kate Morrison were named to the all-tournament team.

The spring season brought another round achievement for the women's and men's golf programs, with the Lady Paladins claiming their ninth consecutive Southern Conference championship and the men finishing a close second in the league tournament, held at Furman.
Junior Brandi Jackson claimed medalist honors to lead Furman to the tournament title, while senior Jennifer Perri (75.1 stroke average) landed her third straight league player-of-the-year honor. The Lady Paladins will play in the NCAA Regionals in mid-May at a site to be announced. On the men's side, junior Matt Davidson (72.1 stroke average) was accorded league player-of-the-year honors while head coach Todd Satterfield garnered conference coach-of-the-year accolades.

The Furman track teams came up with a pair of individual victories at the recently completed Southern Conference championships. Junior Julie Stackhouse led the Lady Paladin contingent with a victory in the 800 meters, and Regan LeBlanc captured first place in the javelin event.

FACILITIES SERVICES

Construction work to provide a covering for the amphitheater is under way. The structural fabric material has been ordered and will be ready for installation in mid-June. Completion of this project is now scheduled for early July. Because of the amphitheater construction, access to the picnic shelter will be from the backside of the lake. A detour route has been established behind Old College for foot traffic. Public Safety will open and close the gate located near the doughboy statue for access to the picnic area.

The long awaited expansion and renovation of the Duke Library will begin on Monday, June 3. Construction will require us to close the library loop to vehicular traffic for the two-year duration of the project. Loss of the gravel lot behind the library and closure of the road and all sidewalks around the library will impact access to Hartness Pavilion, Daniel Dining Hall and the front of the University Center. We urge you to consider the impact of noise, dust and construction activity when attempting to schedule programs in this area. The Rose Garden, in particular, may not be suitable for weddings during this period.
-- Carolyn Holiday

DINING SERVICES

As other departments are winding down, Dining Services is planning for the summer conference season. In addition to the 1,400 members of Sweet Adelines, who will be here in mid-July, the Atlanta Falcons will again be joining us for summer training camp. United Way will come to White Oaks in June for a fund-raiser, and the horticultural symposium will also be a new addition this summer. We look forward to working with all the summer camps that will be arriving at Furman beginning in June.
Dining Services is very proud of two employees who were recently recognized by the Association of Furman Students. Sadie Perry, who works at Montague's Deli at the Pala Den Food Court, was selected Staff Member of the Year, and Susan Presto, director of Dining Services, was selected Administrator of the Year. Susan and Sadie accepted these awards on behalf of the entire Dining Services staff.

The Faculty and Staff Dining Room has enjoyed some excitement during spring term. There have been special food events (Italian Fest, Spring Brunch, Soup and Bread Bowls) and entertainment with a variety of contests. Our Count the Pasta contest was won by Ken Peterson. In April we had four TV trivia contests featuring questions from old sit-coms. If you have not visited this restaurant lately, please come by and have a great lunch with your peers.
-- Susan Presto