Incoming Claflin Freshman Chosen as 2017 Pinckney Scholar
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Pictured left to right: William M. Lewis, The Honorable Joseph P. Riley Jr., Janelle Green, Jennifer Pinckney, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, and Josh Steiner.
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Incoming Claflin freshman Janelle Green is one of 11 scholars that is a part of
the second cohort of scholarship recipients of the Reverend Pinckney Scholars Program. The Program was established by the Coastal Community Foundation in memory of the late Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney and in response to the June 17, 2015, massacre at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. The cohort
will receive approximately $80,000 for each of their four years of college (approximately $320,000 over four years), in addition to supportive resources (professional development and networking opportunities) through the Coastal Community Foundation during their college career. Green is a recent graduate of Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston.
"Furthering your education was always important to Clementa. He valued it and felt it should not be taken for granted," said Jennifer Pinckney, widow of Reverend Pinckney. "I know that he is smiling down as he sees all of the Pinckney Scholars moving forward in life to improve upon themselves and strive to make a better future. This year's group of scholars are amazing."
Sixty-two applications were pre-screened by a committee of diverse community members, and 18 semifinalist applications were sent to the Selection Committee (comprised of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, noted author, historian, and Harvard professor; William M. Lewis, managing director and co-chairman of Investment Banking at Lazard Ltd.; Jennifer Pinckney; and The Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Jr., former mayor of Charleston) and then narrowed down to 11 finalists based on three main criteria: academic performance, substantial financial need and leadership potential. The Selection Committee conducted individual interviews with the 11 finalists on May 9 at Coastal Community Foundation.
"Our Class of 2017 Pinckney Scholars embody an impressive variety of intellectual interests and life experiences," said Dr. Henry Louis Gates. "What unites them, though, is their passion for learning, and the use of education to effect positive social change in their communities. These students are destined for greatness, and I am honored to be part of the committee that has the privilege of selecting them."
Programming for new scholars will begin this summer with an initial orientation session on July 15 covering topics pertaining to the college transition, such as time management and on-campus resources. All Pinckney Scholars will attend a luncheon and professional development session with former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Dr. James A. Joseph. Each scholar and a guest will be invited to attend the Coastal Community Foundation's annual gala celebration that evening where Ambassador Joseph is scheduled to give the keynote speech. Foundation staff will develop a communication schedule with each scholar for the fall semester and reunite the scholar cohorts during winter break.
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Two Graduates Receive Top Graduate School Placements and Job Offers
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Jenna Washington
and Ashley Bates had multiple reasons to celebrate at Claflin University's 147th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 13. Both received Bachelor of Science degrees and were among nearly 400 Class of 2017 graduates who will continue the pursuit of their academic and career goals.
Washington
received her bachelor's degree in mathematics and was one of 10 graduates with cumulative 4.0 grade point averages who received the
Presidential Academic Excellence Award.
Bates, an elementary education major, has attracted more than 20 job offers. She plans to fulfill her dream of becoming a P-12 educator.
Washington, a native of
Evansville, Indiana, received a scholarship and additional financial support totaling more than $425,000. She was selected to participate in a Ph.D. readiness program in August at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. After completing the program,
Washington
will begin classes at Brown University with the goal of earning a Ph.D. in applied mathematics.
"I chose Brown because of my summer experience with the Leadership Alliance when I had the opportunity to conduct research under Dr. Karen Fischer in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences," said Washington.
"I really enjoy research so much I decided to earn a doctoral degree after finishing my studies at Claflin."
Washington credits Claflin's learning environment for molding her into a visionary leader and fueling her desire to continue her education. She has aspirations of becoming
a mathematician and researcher. She also hopes to inspire other women of color and underrepresented minorities to study STEM related subjects.
"
Claflin instilled in me the sense of community and perseverance," said Washington. "The smaller classes allowed me to interact with my classmates and professors and explore diverse perspectives and teaching strategies."
Bates received job offers from public school districts in several states including Georgia and South Carolina. After narrowing down her options, the Atlanta native chose to return to her home state and accepted a position with Clayton County Public Schools. Bates will teach fourth grade at James H. Brown Elementary School in Jonesboro, Ga.
"I wanted to return home and work at a school that had a welcoming environment, a great administrative staff and students that are eager to learn," said Bates. "When I walked into the school, it felt like home and the environment is conducive to learning."
Bates believes the classroom and experiential assignments she received from Claflin's School of Education have prepared her to be an effective educator.
"I am committed and passionate about the teaching profession and I have always been confident about my ability to interact and motivate students," said Bates. "But it was not until I actually taught a group of students in my field experience class that I realized I could not only be the change, but teach the change."
Bates also gleans insight for what to expect as a teacher from her mother Sherry Nance, a 1987 graduate of Claflin and an instructional facilitator for more than 20 years.
Both Washington and Bates said that having the "Claflin Confidence" helped them overcome any anxiety they may have encountered before accepting new challenges and opportunities.
"I am more confident in my abilities as a learner and a leader. I will take the "Claflin Confidence" with me wherever I go," said Bates.
The collective accomplishments and affiliations of both students reflect their leadership, community service and commitment to academic success. Both were members of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College and achieved Dean's List status throughout their matriculation at Claflin.
Washington was a tutor in the Freshman College and a supplemental instructor in physics. She also was a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
Bates was a member of Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society for Educators, National Society of Leadership and Success, the D.R.E.A.M. Gospel Choir and the Gamma Nu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
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Claflin Named One of Best Colleges in South Carolina
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Claflin University has been ranked on a list of the
Best Colleges in South Carolina
by BestColleges.com, a leading provider of higher education information and resources.
"The Best Colleges in South Carolina ranking aims to promote higher education institutions in the state that are committed to excellent academic education and affordable, meaningful learning opportunities for prospective students," says Stephanie Snider, general manager at BestColleges.com. "Claflin University certainly deserves a spot on this ranking due to their rich history in east coast education as well as their offering of 36 undergraduate majors, four graduate degrees and six online degrees from fields such as business, education, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics."
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Make Your Plans for Homecoming 2017
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Claflin University is looking forward to welcoming you "home" for Homecoming 2017 on November 16-19.
Many events are planned for your enjoyment and participation.
We will also celebrate reunion for the classes of
1937, 1942, 1947, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012
. Celebrate your class with a memory that last forever.
If you are a class officer/agent, please contact
Zelda M. Lee, '77, d
irector of the Annual Fund/Alumni Relations, at (
803) 535-5348,
zelee@claflin.edu, or
Derrick L. Quarles, '14, m
anager of the Annual Fund/Alumni Relations, at (
803) 535-5311,
dquarles@claflin.edu.
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Jordan Barnes, '17, and Mikayla Brown (current junior), participated in the Fourth Annual
IDID (Increasing Diversity in Dentistry) Symposium sponsored by the
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. They were featured in the admissions newsletter for incoming students to the
Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) Class of 2021.
Hannah Hart, '17, has been admitted to the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University (IU). Currently, she is completing a summer business boot camp and on July 10, she will continue an internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). She will work in the Global Security department under the Cyber Defender program. Her project consists of analyzing mapping data and working with database systems. This will be her third year working at LLNL. "Interning at the lab lead me to apply to graduate school and specifically an MSIS program. I am thrilled to be at IU participating in the Kelley MSIS program and I look forward to the fall semester." She is pictured with Maurice Williams Jr., '07, who is the associate director of student recruitment at the Kelley School of Business.
Megan Sanger, '09
, has been promoted to senior woman administrator (SWA) at the
University of North Carolina
at Pembroke. She had been serving the department in an interim role over the last 16 months. The designation of the SWA is intended to encourage and promote the involvement of female administrators in meaningful ways in the decision-making process in intercollegiate athletics. The designation is intended to enhance representation of female experience and perspective at the institutional, conference and national levels and support women's interests. In addition to her duties as assistant athletics director for compliance, Sanger's role as SWA also charges her to serve in an advisory role to UNCP's chapter of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She also oversees the department's Braves Buddies initiative with Pembroke Elementary School.
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Claflin University captured seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) team academic awards as announced by the league office on Thursday, June 15. The Panthers captured team awards in men's cross-country, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's track and field, women's track and field and softball. The seven team awards were the most of all SIAC institutions.
"This is the second time in three seasons that we have had the most team awards of all institutions, which shows the student-athletes understand the importance of academics in addition to succeeding in their respective sport," said Dr. Jerome Fitch, athletics director said. "This is a huge honor for the University and the athletics program."
In addition, the Panthers had 15 student-athletes to earn SIAC All-Academic Team honors, with three maintaining a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). Earning the honors were Javan Francis and Stephon Clunis (men's cross-country and men's track and field); Trisana Fairweather (women's cross-country and women's track and field); Jhi Piper-Murles, Courtney Taylor, and Alycia Perez-Johnson (volleyball); Nick Drobnjak (men's basketball); Joclyn Ramos (women's basketball); Brandi Taylor, Ishawn Francis, Makayla Jackson (women's track and field); Shaquille Shaw (men's track and field); Kayla Sanderson, Jamelah Thomas, and LaKaylin Lee (softball).
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Connect with Us
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Panther
Cam
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Enrollment Manager Lorenda Younger had the pleasure of speaking to active duty military about the programs offered at Claflin's Ft. Jackson campus on May 24.
This was an
opportunity
to advertise
and
discuss
"on post" programs to a hard to reach
military population.
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