Inside Furman is published quarterly by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
High honor
Mangels receives Chiles-Harrill Award
Named in honor of former vice president of academic affairs Marguerite Chiles and Ernie Harrill, a longtime member of the political science department and dean of students, the Chiles-Harrill Award is presented annually to a faculty or staff member who has made substantial contributions to students' lives.
Past recipients have included Faye Jordan (director of student employment), Carol Daniels (student services coordinator) and Myra Crumley (a longtime department assistant in chemistry) – all of whom have close student ties.
So when Shirley Mangels' name was announced during Spring Convocation as the winner of the 2005 Chiles-Harrill Award few were more surprised than the honoree. As a department assistant in Continuing Education, Mangels interacts very little with undergraduates.
But she serves an invaluable role to a group of Furman students that receive little notoriety: participants in the undergraduate evening studies (UES) program.
Approximately 200 students are currently enrolled in UES, a program designed for working adults that allows students to earn a bachelor's degree by completing evening courses. As an administrative assistant for UES, Mangels serves as an unofficial advisor to these students, helping them to unravel the complexities of financial aid, registration and admissions.
“Shirley is a critical life-line of information and support,” says Brad Bechtold, director of Continuing Education. “Students in our evening studies program typically work full-time and do not have the luxury of time and the convenience of being on campus during the day to sort through these often complex academic processes. Shirley's guidance makes the process of continuing one's education easier for students which, in turn, encourages them to succeed against the odds.”
While the words “mentor”, “advisor”, “counselor” and “motivator” may not be included in her official job description, they are roles that Mangels, a former high school teacher, embraces.
A native of tiny Fontanelle, Iowa , Mangels and her husband, Wayne, were teenage sweethearts. Shirley graduated from the University of Iowa and earned a master's degree in education from Western Michigan.
She served as a high school teacher in Iowa and Michigan before the couple moved to Connecticut in 1970s where Wayne later joined Bowater Inc., an international paper manufacturer.
In 1982, the Mangels relocated to Bowater's corporate headquarters in Greenville . With two of her three children nearing college age, Shirley decided to apply for an administrative assistant job at the university although she was a bit over qualified.
“I had heard about the tuition benefit,” she smiles. Her three children, Susan, Stephanie and Jennifer, are all Furman graduates.
With tuition bills long-since paid and her husband retired (five years ago as Bowater's director of marketing), Mangels has remained at Furman – even after battling cancer the past two years.
“I really enjoy what I'm doing. I like coming to work,” she says. “It gives me a good attitude. And I enjoy the people I work with.”