@Claflin: Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition, Study Abroad, New COO and more

October 14, 2022

The World Needs Visionaries

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Examining Democracy in America Coming to Claflin University

The Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street, in cooperation with SC Humanities presents “Voices and Votes: Democracy in American.” The exhibition examines the nearly 250-year-old American experiment of a government “of, by and for the people,” and how each generation since continues to question how to form “a more perfect union.” Opening at the Arthur Rose Museum on the campus of Claflin University on October 29, 2022, "Voices and Votes” will be on view through December 10.

Claflin University and the surrounding community has been chosen by SC Humanities to host “Voices and Votes” as part of the Museum on Main Street program—a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. The exhibition will tour six communities in South Carolina from April 2022 through January 2023.

“Voices and Votes” explores the action, reaction, vision and revision that democracy demands as Americans continue to question how to shape the country. From the revolution and suffrage, to civil rights and casting ballots, everyone in every community is part of this ever-evolving story—the story of democracy in America. Exhibition sections explore the origins of American democracy, the struggles to obtain and keep the vote, the machinery of democracy, the right to petition and protest beyond the ballot and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. “Voices and Votes” features historical and contemporary photos; educational and archival video; engaging multimedia interactives with short games; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, and protest material.

“‘Voice and Votes’ allows us to reflect on Orangeburg’s rich history dealing with democracy and race, and to explore what it means to be an active participant in the governance of not only the country but also this community,” said Robert Greene II, assistant professor of history at Claflin. “We want to convene conversations. We worked hard to develop this local exhibition and public programs to complement the Smithsonian exhibition.” Such free events include the grand opening event on Tuesday, November 1, at 6 p.m., as Dr. Robert Greene II, assistant professor of history at Claflin University and co-chair of the “Voices and Votes” exhibit committee for Claflin, will give a talk titled “Orangeburg and the Crucible of Democracy.” This talk will highlight how the city of Orangeburg has long served as a critical battleground for democracy and voting rights in the history of South Carolina and the United States.

On Monday, November 7, the “Voices and Votes” programming will continue with two events. At 6 p.m. legendary photographer and civil rights advocate Cecil Williams will participate in a forum discussion about the intersection of photography, the arts, civil rights, and democracy. That evening will also host an Orangeburg County School District Voting Sticker Student Art Contest. The stickers, judged by “Voices and Votes” Claflin co-chair Dr. Indira Bailey, will represent what the next generation sees as the importance of participatory democracy. Finally, on November 15 at 6 p.m., Claflin University will host University of South Carolina-Columbia professor Dr. Todd Shaw, who will participate in a roundtable discussion titled “South Carolina and Southern Politics: Where Do We Go From Here?”

Designed for small-town museums, libraries and cultural organizations, “Voices and Votes” will serve as a community meeting place for conversations about democracy, the freedoms and responsibilities of citizens, participating in government, and more. With the support and guidance of state humanities councils, these towns will develop complementary exhibits; host public programs and facilitate educational initiatives to raise people’s understanding about their own history, the joys and challenges of living rural, and how change has impacted their community; and prompt discussion of goals for the future.

“Voices and Votes” is based on an exhibition currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History called American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.

The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about “Voices” and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit museumonmainstreet.org. Support for MoMS has been provided by the U.S. Congress.

Events will be hosted at the Arthur Rose Museum at Claflin University. The Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admission for all events is free and open to the public.

Claflin University Resumes Study Abroad Travel and Appoints Dr. Annette Singleton Jackson to Lead Globalization Agenda

Dr. Catherine L. Adams (second from left), associate professor of African American Studies, explored the Virgin Islands during a Study Abroad trip with students Otiana Thompson and Lauren Tolbert. They are pictured with Anya Stuart, director of the Family Resource Center in St. Thomas (third from left).

Claflin University is poised to elevate and transform its globalization agenda with the arrival of Dr. Annette Singleton Jackson, who was appointed director of Global Programs in August. Jackson has more than two decades of higher education experience, including developing and teaching study abroad courses. She has extensive experience in international travel and global learning. In 2016-2017 Jackson was selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to the kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), a small developing country in Southern Africa.

"My focus is infusing globalization throughout the university," said Jackson, who earned her bachelor's degree at Florida A&M University and a doctorate at Florida State University. "Study Abroad will be one of several important initiatives within our overall vision for globalization throughout the University. We will also increase international awareness and involvement among students, faculty, and staff to achieve the University’s goals and objectives. Faculty support will be critical because they develop the academic curriculums."

Jackson's goal is to establish partnerships that will provide scholarships to expand Study Abroad opportunities for Claflin students, faculty, and staff. She believes that all members of the campus community who meet the program's criteria should be able to participate.

"We want to connect students with study abroad scholarships and paid opportunities so all students can participate regardless of their incomes. Any student can apply, including continuing education students," Jackson said.

After an almost three-year hiatus due to COVID-19, Claflin resumed Study Abroad travel during the summer of 2022. Dr. Catherine L. Adams, associate professor of African American Studies, explored the U.S. Virgin Islands with two students and Dr. Jason Youngkeit, associate professor of Spanish, traveled to Puerto Rico with 10 students as part of a Spanish Immersion Program. Students were encouraged to speak Spanish everywhere they went - at their hotels, to taxi drivers, to wait staff at restaurants, and wherever they traveled each day.

Otiana Thompson, a senior from Columbia, S.C., with a double major in history and Africana Studies, and Lauren Tolbert, a senior from Chattanooga, Tenn., also majoring in Africana Studies, accompanied Adams to the Virgin Islands. Thompson is Claflin's current Student Government Association (SGA) president. She succeeded Tolbert, who was SGA president in 2021-2022.

"The main value was recognizing that the world is bigger than what you're used to, that it is vast and that can be purposeful," said Thompson of her week-long stay in the Virgin Islands of the United States.

The months that travel was restricted because of the global pandemic weighed heavily on Claflin faculty, and perhaps even more so, on students.

“Students were always saying, ‘We want to travel. When are you going to organize a trip?’” said Youngkeit. “They were hungry for it. It was great to finally get back out there. Study Abroad really is an integral part of foreign language.”

Although Youngkeit is an associate professor of Spanish, most of the students who went to the Spanish-speaking island were from other disciplines at Claflin.

Maurice Moore, a senior mass communication major, is a progeny of a military family. Although he has lived in California, Mississippi, North Carolina, and most recently, Texas, Moore had never traveled outside the contiguous United States until he accepted Youngkeit's invitation to travel to Puerto Rico. Motivated and encouraged by his parents, Moore signed on. He didn't know any of the other nine students on the trip, but they were also integral to his successful travels.

"They pushed me to do something every day," Moore said. "I might not have been interested in going, but just staying in my hotel room. But they said 'nah, nah, come on, we're going, and I did. "The whole trip expanded my horizon and helped me get a good picture of what other places could also look like now that I've seen Puerto Rico. I really loved it."

The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are both United States territories. While in those two territories located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, students were able Kayak at night on the narrow straits of Laguna Grande, one of Puerto Rico’s three bioluminescent bays illuminated by the twinkling glow of thousands of microscopic one-celled dinoflagellates. Only five bioluminescent bays exist in the world. They also explored 16th-century Spanish colonial forts in Puerto Rico; rode horseback in the hills and dales of St. Croix; sampled local cuisine; and toured the ruins of 1700s sugar factories in the Virgin Islands.

Students returned home and are now back at Claflin with memories predicted to last the rest of their lives and experiences that will, for some, shape the trajectory of their careers.

Adams said that she, Thompson, Tolbert, and possibly other Claflin "ambassadors" will likely be asked to return to the U.S. Virgin Islands during the 2022-2023 year to present at an upcoming Caribbean conference. Tolbert hopes to continue traveling abroad, and she looks forward to returning to the Caribbean. She has a 20-year plan to ultimately spend 10 years teaching African American/Africana studies, earn a law degree, and then run for Congress to help focus the U.S. government on providing more educational equity "across the board."

"The trip helped me to see that my purpose is bigger than what my culture looks like, that I am a part of the diaspora that binds us; that we're technically all in this together," Thompson said. "There are just so many people I want to know, to connect with; so many roots that I haven't connected with."

Claflin University Announces the Appointment of Dr. Teresa Hardee as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Teresa Hardee, a distinguished higher education administrator with extensive experience in the public sector and business, has been appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer at Claflin University.

Hardee's professional career spans more than 25 years. She has held executive leadership positions at three universities, including auditor, budget director, associate vice chancellor for budget and finance, chief financial officer (CFO) and vice president for finance and administration, and chief operating officer (COO) and senior vice president. She has also worked in the corporate sector in several accounting and finance-related capacities.

"Dr. Hardee is an accomplished higher education administrator and a welcomed addition to our executive leadership team," said Claflin President Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack. "She will play a vital role in continuing the "Elevation and Transformation" we are experiencing at Claflin University."

Hardee earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance at Fayetteville State University, where she graduated with honors. She earned a Master of Public Administration and graduated with honors from North Carolina Central University. Hardee received her doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a certification from Harvard's Institute of Education Management (IEM). She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Six Sigma Black Belt.

Her expertise includes redesigning business processes to enable process-driven operations, using six-sigma, SQL, predictive modeling, visualization tools, educational assets, and other improvement methodologies that support the fundamental transformation of organizations, goals, and objectives.

Hardee's leadership has produced unprecedented improvements in financial and operational performance through business-processes management, risk management, and leveraging technological advancements to ensure effective and efficient processes. She has had engagements at several universities leading to extraordinary financial and operational results.

PantherCam - Construction on the New Student Center

Claflin University's new Student Center will centralize student services in one location and include a campus bookstore, university pantry, and a hair care center.The first floor will feature indoor and outdoor lounge areas, and an auditorium/movie theater. The Student Center is scheduled to open in 2023.

Claflin University will host the 2022 UNCF Ecumenical Day of Prayer on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 9 a.m. This virtual event (to be aired on Claflin's Facebook and YouTube pages) is a fundraiser to support scholarships for Claflin University students. The program will include musical performances by Claflin University students and Minister Rosemary Griffin and Friends.

During the program, various ministers will also offer prayers for various aspects of our lives. Featured ministers include Rev. Pattie Gordon, The Johns Island Parish (Johns Island, S.C.); Rev. Joey McDonald, United Methodist Church District Superintendent (Walterboro, S.C.); Rev. Charcey N. Priester Sr., St. Paul Baptist Church (Orangeburg, S.C.); Pastor James L. Rowson Jr., Kingdom Life Ministries (Orangeburg, S.C.); and Minister Keon Stephens, Hunters Chapel Baptist Church (Ruffin, S.C.).

To sponsor, please visit https://alumni.claflin.edu/UNCFPrayer

Sponsorship levels:

Trailblazers Level - $500
Visionary Leaders Level - $300
Ambassador Level - $100
Cupbearers Level - $99 and below

You may send your gift:

Check (made payable to Claflin University)
https://alumni.claflin.edu/UNCFPrayer
Givelify.com (https://giv.li/4zmgf3)

For more information, please call (803) 535-5312 or email adglover@claflin.edu.

Faculty News

Assistant Professor of History, Dr. Robert Greene II, has two new public scholar pieces that have been printed in The Nation (A Nation Within a Nation) and the Washington Post (Black Voters May Play an Outsize Role in Key Southern Senate Races). Greene also serves as the publications chair for the Society of U.S. Intellectual Historians.

Alumni News

DaShawn Lortz, '17, is the new vice president of talent transformation strategy at JPMorgan Chase in Plano, Texas. In this position, he develops change management strategy for their global technology division. "Five years ago, when I was a senior in college, I wrote down one specific goal I wanted to accomplish before I reached the age of 30. That was to become a vice president," said Lortz. "Thank you to the ones who have encouraged, supported, and strategized with me. I am beyond grateful for you!" Prior to this new appointment, Lortz served as a consultant at Ernst & Young, one of the Big 4 accounting firms.

It is indeed my pleasure to invite you to our 2022 Homecoming Week and Weekend activities and events on November 12-19, 2022. In 1869, Claflin University was founded to provide high-quality academic preparation for all students "without regard to gender, race, religion, or ethnic origin." Homecoming Week provides Claflin an opportunity to celebrate 153 years of producing graduates who represent Claflin in leadership positions in business and industry, education, government, performing and visual arts, science and technology, and other professions.

We are extremely proud of the University’s accomplishments, and our Leal and Loyal Alumni have helped make them possible. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Claflin No. 1 in Annual Alumni Giving Percentage among the nation’s HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). The prestigious publication also ranked Claflin in the Top 10 on its list of "The Best HBCUs" for the 12th consecutive year and College Choice listed Claflin in its Top 10 among the 25 Best Colleges in South Carolina. These recognitions further illustrate why Claflin is one of the region’s premier liberal arts universities.

We ask each alumnus and supporter of Claflin University to make a minimum gift of $153 – $1 for each year since the University was established – to support scholarships during the 2022 Homecoming. No donation is too small or too large, and all gifts are greatly appreciated. Click here to support The Claflin Fund.

I look forward to seeing you soon at the place where it all began – Claflin University.

Sincerely,

Zelda M. Lee, '77

Director of the Annual Fund/Alumni Relations

Click here for the schedule of events for Homecoming.