Inside Furman May, 2002

Library groundbreaking to be held May 16
The university community is invited to attend the May 16 groundbreaking for the James B. Duke Library renovation and expansion.
The event will be held at 2 p.m. on the north side of the library. Scheduled speakers include President David Shi, Mary Peace Sterling, Betsy Locke of The Duke Endowment, and library director Janis Bandelin.
Sterling, a Greenville resident and former Furman trustee, provided a large gift for the 61,000-square-foot addition to the library, which will be named in honor of her late father, Charlie Peace, a longtime executive with The Greenville News-Piedmont Co.

Farewell, Shannon
Shannon Wilkerson Wilson, director of the Furman Alumni Association since 1998, has left Furman to pursue a new career: full-time mom.
Wilson, a 1993 Furman graduate, and her husband, Bill, are expecting their first child in September. Her last official day was April 30.
Energetic and enthusiastic, she helped christen the Cherrydale Alumni House and oversaw an unprecedented growth in the number of Furman Clubs, from 17 to 50.

Dixon to head women's basketball program
Sam Dixon, associate head coach of the women's basketball team at Clemson University for the last three years, has been named head women's coach at Furman. Dixon is the eighth head coach in the 32-year tenure of the program.

A 1979 physical education graduate of the College of Wooster, Dixon played four years for the Fighting Scots and in 1978 helped the team reach the NCAA Division III South Regional finals.

A 1989 inductee into the Wooster College Hall of Fame, Dixon was also named All-Great Lakes Region and earned third-team All-America status. In addition to Clemson, Dixon has also coached at Eastern Michigan University, Northern Kentucky, Kent State, Davidson, Denison, Northern Illinois, New Mexico and Arizona.

Chemistry Department awarded Beckman Scholars Grant
Furman is one of 13 schools in the nation to receive a 2002 Beckman Scholars Program grant, a highly competitive award that supports undergraduate research in the sciences.

The $70,400 grant was awarded to Furman's Chemistry Department and will be used to support the research activities of four chemistry majors over a three-year period. It is the second Beckman Award for the chemistry department, which also received a grant for 1999-2000.
In selecting the Beckman Scholars recipients, the foundation reviewed program information for approximately 800 colleges and universities across the country. It then invited 162 institutions to apply for the award and narrowed the list to 31 finalists before making the final selections.
Furman was just one of five primarily undergraduate institutions in the Baccalaureate I category to receive an award. The others were Hope College, Haverford College, Smith College and Wellesley College.

Woodard headed to tropics
Mark Woodard, mathematics professor at Furman since 1989, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach at the University of the West Indies for the 2002-03 academic year. The university is located on the Cave Hill campus in Bridgetown, Barbados.

While at the University of the West Indies, Woodard will teach two classes and conduct a research project involving computer software. His classroom duties will include teaching abstract algebra and linear algebra, as well as helping move the math department toward computer-integrated instruction in the classroom. His research project will involve the creation of interactive, Web-enabled software that will allow students to simulate exam situations, thereby enhancing preparation for and reducing the anxiety of test taking.

Woodard is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from Indiana University in Bloomington.

Gomes to speak at Commencement
Peter Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University, will be the speaker at Commencement June 1.

Widely regarded as one of America's most distinguished preachers and holder of 14 honorary degrees, Gomes has fulfilled preaching and lecturing engagements throughout the country and the British Isles. He was named Clergy of the Year in 1998 by Religion in American Life and has authored two best-selling books: The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart and Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living. His latest book, out May 1, is The Good Life: Truths That Last in Time of Need.
He was included in the summer 1999 premiere issue of Talk magazine as part of its feature article, "The Best Talkers in America: Fifty Big Mouths We Hope Will Never Shut Up."

StaffAC to sponsor brown bag lunch
Members of the Furman staff are invited to attend a brown bag lunch May 21 from noon to 2 p.m. in the Charles Ezra Daniel Memorial Chapel Garden Room.

Sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council, the informal gathering is designed to promote communication and improve interaction among staff. Personnel Director Susan Zeiger will be on hand at the luncheon to address personnel-related questions and concerns.
Additional lunches on a variety of topics may be held if there is demand.
Attendees can drop in any time during the two hours and should bring their own lunch. StaffAC will provide drinks.