Archive for category: Student Activities

Spartanburg Methodist College will host author Carolyn Curry for a talk and book signing on Tuesday, March 25^th from 3 to 4 p.m. in the SMC Davis Mission Chapel.  Curry’s “Suffer and Grow Strong, The Life of Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas, 1834–1907,” is destined to become a classic in women’s studies, and is as enjoyable as it is educational.

Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas’s journals have long been an indispensable source for anyone seeking to understand the nineteenth-century South and Southern white women’s experiences,” says Michele Gillespie, Presidential Professor of History at Wake Forest University. “Yet surprisingly, Thomas has never been the subject of a full-length biography. Carolyn Curry’s welcome new book carefully documents Thomas’s life story and puts her journals into an intriguingly fresh context.”

Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas was an intelligent, spirited woman born in 1834 to one of the wealthiest families in Georgia. At the age of fourteen she began and kept a diary for forty-one years. These diaries of her life before, during, and after the Civil War filled thirteen hand-written volumes with 450,000 words. In the early years she described her life of leisure and recorded the books she read. Her father recognized her love of learning and sent her to the first college for women in America, Wesleyan Female College in Macon, Georgia. After college graduation in 1851, she was a “gay young girl of fashion” who met and married her Princeton-educated husband in 1852.  However, with the coming of the Civil War and its aftermath, her life changed forever.

Thomas experienced loss of wealth, bankruptcy, the death of loved ones, serious illness, and devastating family strife. She gave birth to ten children and saw four of them die. But, through it all, she kept pouring thoughts into her diary. Thomas examined what was happening, asked questions, and strived to find ways to improve her family’s dire economic straits. She started a school in her home and later ran a boarding house out of the old family mansion.

In 1893, Thomas left Augusta and moved to Atlanta where she became active in many women’s organizations. She found comfort in her work with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Suffrage Movement. She began producing articles for newspapers, keeping them in scrapbooks that tell the story of her life after she quit keeping a diary. In 1899 she was elected president of the Georgia Woman Suffrage Association. Because of her own losses, Thomas was sensitive to the well-being of other women. As she said, she had “suffered and grown strong.” Her life is an amazing story of survival and transformation that speaks to women in our own time.

History has been a great silencer of women, but on Tuesday, March 25^th SMC invites you to experience this masterfully researched and inspirational story of a remarkable Southern woman, written by a Southern woman, with women, like yourself, from around the Upstate at the 3 p.m. talk and book signing event.  The public is invited and admission is free of charge.

Carolyn Newton Curry holds a BA in English from Agnes Scott College and MA and PhD degrees in History from Georgia State University. She has taught at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta and The University of Kentucky. Curry is the founder and chair of Women Alone Together®, a non-profit foundation created to meet the needs of women who are alone in our culture. The well-being of women past and present has been her lifelong passion. Curry resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Spartanburg Methodist College is pleased to announce the establishment of an endowed scholarship to honor Champ Squires, a 2013 graduate of SMC.

The Champ Squires Endowed Scholarship was established by the estate of Betty Stewart Parnell in memory of her sister, Margie Stewart Treadway.  Treadway was a graduate of the class of 1943 and a former member of the SMC Board of Trustees.  Awards will be made annually, in honor of Squires, to students who demonstrate academic promise and determination and who are physically impaired.

The Champ Squires Endowed Scholarship name was selected by the executors of the Parnell estate because “Champ Squires exemplifies everything the scholarship is intended to reward – his abilities, stamina, and courage overcame his physical shortcomings,” an estate spokesperson shared. “SMC’s administration and student body treated Squires wonderfully as a student and Squires speaks and sings to glorify the Lord.”

“I met with Champ and his mother on their very first visit to SMC. I had no idea that day how much he would impact my life and heart. Champ stood out from day one, not because of his disability, but because of his ability to show love and compassion in all that he did,” shared Kelly Tillinghast, SMC Admissions Counselor. “In his short time here, I believe Champ represented everything that SMC is about. He was a friend to all, an outstanding student and a natural born leader. Champ was known to stretch himself thin, but only because he wanted to be as involved as possible.”

Squires currently attends Southern Wesleyan University and plans to go into full-time ministry in family counseling  Squires is a member of Lewis Chapel UMC in Sumter. While at SMC, Squires was an active member in Chapel, an Ambassador for the Office of Admissions and was a member of the Troubadours, an auditioned choral ensemble, which performed challenging repertoire at local churches and various venues throughout South Carolina.

A committee appointed by SMC will select a qualified recipient or recipients each year and the award is renewable for a second year, upon achievement of academic success in the first year.

According to Don Tate, Director of Development for SMC, the Champ Squires Endowed Scholarship fund is open to receive additional contributions from other individuals or churches in the community to assist in the perpetuation of this award. “The benefits of such an award to qualifying students is life-changing – not only for the individual recipient but for those of us fortunate to be blessed by their gifts and talents,” Tate added.  Contributions to this fund should be made payable to SMC for: Champ Squires Fund and mailed to:  Office of Institutional Advancement, Spartanburg Methodist College, 1000 Powell Mill Rd, Spartanburg, SC  29301.

Righteous rhymes will ring out at Spartanburg Methodist College on Tuesday, February 11^th  as they host a Christian Rap Concert featuring Humble Tip, Nick J and the SMC Gospel Choir.  The 7 p.m. event will be held in the Gibbs Auditorium, located in Ellis Hall on the campus of SMC.  The event is open to the public and admission is free.

Jason Lewis, aka Humble Tip, was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Capitol Heights, MD. Hip-hop music and culture were daily influences in this inner-city setting, but until college, Lewis never had any plans to enter the music industry.  “I never wanted to do this whole rap thing,” Lewis said. “I wanted to go to school and become a sports agent. I never, ever saw myself rapping.”

Unlike many of his peers, he was fortunate enough to grow up with both parents in his household. They taught their three children the importance of family, church and faith, factors which heavily influenced Lewis to attend Liberty University after high school.  While earning his degree in Health Promotions, he began writing basic lyrics after a DJ from Liberty University’s campus radio station 90.9 FM inspired him to try.

Although Lewis admits his first rhymes were horrible, he continued to develop his talents as a lyricist and eventually started rapping at on-campus events after his father all but forced him to take the stage for the first time. As others recognized his up-and-coming talent, he began creating CDs and music videos to share his passion.

“Especially in the hip-hop industry, everything is so materialistic. Everything is based off of financial wealth, pride, respect, sexuality,” Lewis said. “When you come up with something so anti-culture, sometimes it’s received well. A lot of the times it’s not.”

Armed with in-depth knowledge of God’s word, academic success, and a deep connection with and passion for this youthful generation, Humble Tip is determined and focused on making an impact on today’s culture.

Lewis holds an Undergraduate degree in Health Promotions and a Master’s Degree in Health and Wellness from Liberty University, and currently resides in Lynchburg, VA with his wife Essence.

Humble Tip’s clearly Christian lyrics and higher calling transform him into something larger-than-life on stage. When guests leave a Humble Tip concert they are excited about the Gospel.

On Friday, January 31^st, Spartanburg Methodist College donated over 60 cell phones to SAFE Homes-Rape Crisis Coalition, a non-profit organization serving victims of domestic violence and their dependent children in Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union counties, and victims of sexual assault in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.

Upon discovering old Blackberry Smartphones and accessories the college no longer used, Trey Arrington, SMC’s new Executive Director of Information Technology, had Yvonne Harper, SMC Director of Public Information, reach out to the community for potential new homes for them. “Within minutes of contacting Sheriff Chuck Wright’s Office and 7^th Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnett’s office both stressed the urgent need for such phones for area domestic violence victims and pointed us to SAFE Homes,” Harper stated. “Sadly one agency in Cherokee County was down to their very last phone.”  Upon hearing this fact, the college encouraged its staff, faculty and students to donate their unused cell phones, too.

SAFE Homes provides phones to local domestic violence agencies or local government and law enforcement agencies for use with their domestic violence clients and victims, many of whom live in shelters, to provide immediate access to emergency services. According to Lynn Hawkins, Executive Director, SAFE Homes-Rape Crisis Coalition, donated phones, with all prior customer data removed prior to distributing them for reuse, help victims of abuse feel safer and less isolated by giving them a way to call emergency or support services. “Phone donations given locally benefit victims of abuse within our communities – they provide Hope.”

“SMC, like SAFE Homes, envisions a community liberated from all forms of domestic violence and sexual assault.  The donation of our no-longer-used phones for such a new purpose embodies the positive environment of caring SMC seeks to instill in our students and our community,” shared SMC President, Dr. Colleen Perry Keith. “SMC is humbled to play a role in providing hope and perseverance – and we hope our actions will unite and inspire the public to play an active role in domestic violence awareness, prevention and victim recovery.”

Spartanburg Methodist College is pleased to report that their Edgar H. Ellis Hall has received official LEED certification.

LEED (which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a building certification process developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to enhance environmental awareness among architects and building contractors, and to encourage the design and construction of energy-efficient, water-conserving buildings that use sustainable or green resources and materials. According to the USGBC, there are nine key areas measured by LEED:

• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Location and Linkages
• Awareness and Education
• Innovation in Design
• Regional Priority

Constructed in 2012, the 48,000 sq. ft. building houses 9 academic classrooms, academic offices, including the English Department, the Humanities Department and Office of Academic Affairs, the writing center, student publications, the Sub Connection café venue, and the Gibbs auditorium which seats 275 and also serves as classroom space. The Ellis building was made possible by donors to the College’s “Pioneering the Future” capital campaign. The building is named in honor of Rev. Dr. Edgar H. Ellis, Jr., a United Methodist Minister, trustee, alumni (SJC class of 1956), and strong advocate of Spartanburg Methodist College.

Certification involves third party verification that a building is designed and built to achieve high performance in key areas in human and environmental health, including: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiencies, material selection and indoor environmental quality.  The $11 Million building, designed by MPS and constructed by Harper Construction, is considered a 100-year building. Construction began in July of 2011 and was complete in November of 2012 with the building officially in use for the 2013 Spring semester.

SMC President Dr. Colleen Perry Keith recognized Eric McDonald, VP for Business Affairs, Rick Jolley, former Director of Facilities Management for SMC, and the team of architects and building contractors for their work in making certification possible, “we have a solid 45 points. A minimum of 40 is required for LEED certification. We could not have met this milestone without their dedication and commitment to our vision. Ellis Hall represents SMC’s pledge to provide an outstanding academic experience for our students; and affords us with an opportunity to host events for the entire Spartanburg community.”