Join our basketball teams this season! The men’s and women’s 2016-2017 non-conference basketball schedules were recently released. Find the schedules and ticket information at cofcsports.com.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the Gildan Charleston Classic on Nov. 17, 18 & 20 at TD Arena. Teams participating in the tournament include NCAA National Champion Villanova, Boise State, Charleston, Mississippi State, UCF, UTEP, Wake Forest and Western Michigan. The tournament features 12 games over three days, and the two teams that remain undefeated will face off in the championship game on Nov. 20.  Purchase tickets and get information at espnevents.com

Welcome home! Jerry Baker, who served as athletic director at the College of Charleston for 15 years, is returning to the school as the new executive director of the Cougar Club. Baker is a 1974 graduate of the College and was inducted into the CofC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. Join us this fall for a game and welcome Jerry Baker back home!

Tweet

On August 22 and 23, the College of Charleston community came together to welcome the class of 2020 with the second annual #CougarWelcome. 373 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, friends, and even students, made housewarming gifts by making donations to the College of Charleston Fund in honor of our new and returning students.

The purpose of #CougarWelcome is two-fold:

• Give a warm welcome to our incoming class of 2020, our parents, and our returning students by bringing together our campus community.
• Engage our alumni base in this activity with a 36-hour giving day and secure 360 donors to the College of Charleston Fund.

Once again, this initiative truly showed how every gift can make an impact. Thank you to all of our donors who came together on August 22-23 to make this possible. To catch up on all of the action from earlier this week, visit CougarWelcome.cofc.edu.

Tweet

On June 30, 2016 The College of Charleston culminated its BOUNDLESS Campaign, raising a total of $138.7 million over the course of the last 6 years. This not only surpassed the $125 million goal, it also was the largest and most successful philanthropic engagement Campaign in the College’s 246-year history!

The BOUNDLESS Campaign was launched in October 2009 with the goal to shape the next era of the College for the benefit of CofC students, the community, and society by investing in five strategic, campus-wide priorities: scholarships, faculty, academic and campus-life programs, facilities, and Annual Giving.

Read the College’s BOUNDLESS Case Statement for more information about the campaign goals.

The total $138.7 million includes $59.4 million for scholarships; $40.6 million for academic and student enhancement programs, $5.5 million for facilities; and $19.4 million toward the 13 Annual Giving funds.

Not only was the BOUNDLESS Campaign record breaking in terms of the amount of funds raised, it also set a new record for alumni donor engagement. Of the nearly 24,000 donors that gave during the Campaign, alumni totaled 10,089, which surpassed the goal of 10,000 alumni donors.

“Campaigns like ours are about strengthening both our present needs while also laying a strong foundation for the future,” says President Glenn F. McConnell ‘69. “Our work is just getting started.”

For more information on the many ways BOUNDLESS has-and will-impact the College, visit boundless.cofc.edu.

Tweet

Demolition of Physicians Memorial Auditorium on the College of Charleston campus began in the summer of 2015, as part of the major renovation to the both the Auditorium and the Rita Hollings Science Center (RHSC).

The Auditorium was originally built in 1974 as part of the project that built the north half of the Rita Liddy Hollings Center. This 9,500 sq. foot building was slated for demolition as a result of numerous building deficiencies, problems with the air quality, lack of functionality, and overall despair. The demolition of the Auditorium marked one of the first phases of the overall renovation of the Hollings Science Center, with which it shares a wall.

With the demolition stage completed in fall 2015, reconstruction is well underway. The plans for the new, multi-floor building includes 8 classrooms, an auditorium, 51 research labs, and 27 teaching labs, which will be utilized for Biology, Physics, Astronomy, and Psychology. The first floor will include a multi-functional auditorium with a maximum seating capacity of 350, a 50 seat classroom and a 60 seat classroom; with the ability to be configured together and provide a seating capacity of 500. The second and third floor will house offices, classrooms, teaching and research labs, and an imaging suite. The fourth floor/roof will house an astronomy lab, control room, and telescope dome. Each floor will also be adjoined to the Rita Liddy Hollings Center to create one large building, totaling 149,000 square feet of newly renovated space.

The new Physician’s Auditorium will be state of the art and meet the function needs of 21^st century instruction and research. It will have the ability to hold 1,138 students at a time, and is anticipated to be used by an estimated 12,000 students annually.

Community outreach is also critical in this building and the College plans to hold a monthly Astronomy night program that will be open to the public.

The team at Rosenblum & Coe Architects, Inc and HDR Architecture, Inc indicate the renovation of the facility is moving steadily along. The “dry-in” stage is anticipated to be completed in fall 2016, followed by “interior build-out and finishes, as well as “laboratories and case work” to be completed in spring 2017. The projected final completion date is set for summer 2017, with the hopes its doors will be open for classes starting in the fall of 2017.

Photo and details courtesy of Rosenblum Coe Architects, Inc. and HDR Architecture, Inc.

Tweet

Yuhong Tu ’16 often struggled to be understood during his years at the College. As a native of Nanchang, Jiangxi, in China, the music major’s English was good, but like any non-native speaker, some things got lost in translation.

This is one reason that Tu has always loved music.

“Music is a pure form of communication. I love to express myself, so I love to play music,” says Tu, whose instrument of choice is a 100-plus-year-old German violin, a gift from music appreciator Nelson Hicks, whose late wife used to play it. Tu plays it in her memory. “I love the violin because of the unique sound quality and the beautiful shape.”

Tu’s love, talent and tireless dedication to the violin have already taken him around the world to study in Charleston – thanks in large part to the Lee Harwood Memorial Scholarship; Kite Foundation Scholarship in Strings; Koger Wichman, Isabella Mebane, Virginia Zeigler Potter, Zeigler and Williams, and International Piano scholarships, as well as the  John A. Ziegler, Jr. Travel Fund for Music and funding from the CofC School of the Arts Dean’s Excellence Fund.

“The scholarships I received at the College of Charleston made studying in the United States possible for me,” says Tu, who will be pursuing his masters of music and pedagogy at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University this fall.

“While in Charleston, I became the concertmaster with the CofC Orchestra, played in the Young Artist Series in Piccolo Spoleto for four years and performed several concerts around the community. …The College has served as my support system from day one, and I am forever grateful for the generosity of its donors.”

To learn about the many other examples of Boundless Impact and Boundless Giving at College of Charleston, visit boundless.cofc.edu. 

Tweet

Most Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs and opportunities in South Carolina target students at the middle or high school level. In particular, early childhood and Kindergarten through third grade are underrepresented when it comes to engineering education. Often the assumption is that engineering concepts are too complicated for young children; however, research suggests several positive outcomes when young children learn about engineering, including building science and math skills.

This summer, three researchers from the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance have come together to address this education gap in the Lowcountry. They have created the Elementary Engineers Program at CofC, which is adapted from Engineering is Elementary (EiE)- an innovative engineering curriculum originally created by the Museum of Science in Boston. EiE is a project-based curriculum that provides the structure and basis for students to actively solve real-world engineering problems. Projects within the EiE curriculum will be applied to local problems, as we incorporate local experts working within STEM-based organizations. During this training, Lowcountry teachers will receive direct training of the EiE curriculum from CofC researchers and will develop lesson plans incorporating the EiE curriculum with state science and math standards.

Throughout the school year, Elementary Engineers program staff at CofC will help trained teachers implement the EiE curriculum in their classroom. Activities during the school year include providing material resources for experiments and demonstrations, organizing field trips, arranging local experts to visit classrooms, and providing hands-on individualized support.

Elementary Engineers will provide a free EiE-based summer camp at the College of Charleston, which will be offered to historically under-resourced rising first through fifth graders in the Charleston area. Priority enrollment will be given to families who typically do not have access to summer enrichment, with an emphasis on creating a diverse learning environment. The summer camp will be offered in week-long sessions for four weeks; the summer camp will be hands-on, geographically, ecologically, and locally relevant, and will promote active learning for students of varying backgrounds, aptitudes, and abilities. Each week-long session will focus on an engineering unit that will involve field trips and visits from project-specific experts.

Throughout all summer and school year activities, Elementary Engineers program staff will evaluate program implementation and initial program impacts based on assessments used to gauge student and teacher gains in engineering concepts and scientific thinking.

Elementary Engineers is made possible at the College of Charleston by private support including grants from the American Honda Foundation and the Dominion Foundation.

Tweet

Dixie Plantation is one of the College of Charleston’s hidden gems.  Located in Hollywood, South Carolina, along the Stono River and Intercoastal Waterway, this 881-acre property is home to a variety of ecosystems including long-leaf pine forests, wetlands, savannahs, tidal marshes, as well as brackish, saltwater and fresh-water ponds. Among this unique property, is a 2-acre site with a teaching garden known as the Student Garden.

In 2010, the Student Garden was established by  Dr. Tracey Burkett with a grant from the Golden Pearl Foundation. Over the past 6 years, students have helped grow and develop this garden with the goal to education, inspire, and nourish the College of Charleston community.  By allowing students to truly get their hands dirty, this garden provides the space for students to learn firsthand about agriculture, gardening, food systems, business development and holistic land management.

Workshops and the Student Farm and Garden Club are two of the ways CofC students are able to not only spend time outdoors, but also learn about everything from marketing strategies to the latest in sustainable agricultural techniques. Upcoming events include a Pollinator Workshop on September 3, 2016, as well as several planting and harvesting dates in the fall. The Student Garden is also open to faculty and staff to volunteer on planting days, participate in workshops, or reserve plots of land for class projects or to conduct research on agricultural practices.

At Dixie, day-to-day operations are managed by the 2016-2017 Graduate Garden Manager, Sean Dove. Dove’s passion for sustainable agriculture, conservation, education, and a hands-on learning approach led him to this position at the Student Garden. He oversees everything from maintenance, planting, harvesting, and scheduling workshops, as well as serves as the liaison for the undergraduate Student Farm and Garden Club.

Abbie Cain, Program Coordinator for the Graduate Program in Environmental Studies, is the current Director of the Student Garden.  Under her guidance, the Student Garden is planning to make more of an impact by implementing a Campus Supported Agriculture program for the College of Charleston and the campus community.  Through this innovative program, shareholders within the campus community (students, faculty and staff) will support the farm operation either by paying or volunteering farm work for a bag of fresh produce each week.

When asked what she would like to see at the Student Garden, Cain says, “Ideally, we would have a steady stream of volunteers that are not only putting effort into the Student Garden, but benefiting from the experience. Whether that benefit is experienced through fresh produce on their table, newfound knowledge of farming, or a day spent with friends while the sun shines on their face as they toil in the dirt – it’s all worthwhile”.

Want to learn more about how to get involved at the Student Garden at Dixie Plantation? Visit the Student Garden website or email the Program Director Abbie Cain at caina@cofc.edu.

Tweet

Last year, the College of Charleston community welcomed the class of 2019 and returning students to campus through #CougarWelcome, a 36-hour giving day event on August 20 and 21.  #CougarWelcome 2015 exceeded its goal of 360 donors in 36 hours, securing 370 donors before the midnight deadline. Due to its tremendous success, we are pleased to announce that #CougarWelcome is back again this year with an increased goal of 400 donors in 40 hours.

Our second annual #CougarWelcome will take place at 8:00 am on Monday, August 22, and last until Tuesday, August 23 at 11:59 pm. Alumni, parents, faculty, staff, friends, and even students will come together to show their support of CofC by making a gift of any size. Every donor can make a difference for our campus by showing students how united the College of Charleston community is in welcoming them to their home on campus. Whether you’re right here in Charleston or states away, we hope that you will help us kick off another great academic year for our students through this tradition!

Join us again for #CougarWelcome starting Monday, August 22, at 8:00 am and follow the College of Charleston Alumni Facebook page for updates throughout August 22 and 23. 

Tweet

Dr. Andrea DeMaria, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, and Dr. Beth Sundstrom, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, share a strong passion for giving women a voice in their reproductive decisions.  They co-founded The Women’s Health Research Team (WHRT) at the College of Charleston in 2013 with the vision of improving the health and well-being of women through research that bridges the gap between theory and practice, informing the development of community-based public health interventions.

In fact, the work conducted by DeMaria and Sundstrom has been so impactful in 2016, DeMaria and Sundstrom were named one of Charlie Magazine’s 50 Most Progressive for their groundbreaking work in women’s health and reproductive rights.

Their model of the WHRT includes a research team of 25 individuals, including 6 faculty members, 3 graduate research assistants, and 17 undergraduate research assistants.  “The way we get work done is progressive in that we’ve developed a system for 25 people to do individual and team-based research,” says DeMaria. This team includes students and faculty of different disciplines and backgrounds that bring a dynamic perspective to the research they are doing.

The mission of the WHRT is simple, to investigate health issues specific to women and adolescent girls, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and communicate research finds and health information to empower women and girls in the local community, South Carolina, and beyond. “When women have control over their bodies they have control over their lives,” Sundstrom says.

The Research
The WHRT conducts qualitative and quantitative research to better understand reproductive and sexual health issues and behaviors among women. “We’re approaching women’s health from different angles, using scientific research in behavioral and clinical health, as well as looking at communication and social marketing,” says Sundstrom.  The team has partnered with local and national organizations, creating a broad network that can help address the public health problems they are involved in.

The research and discoveries of the WHRT have been published in dozens of publications and manuscripts, including Sundstrom’s recent book Reproductive Justice and Women’s Voices: Health Communication Across the Lifespan, and shared in on-campus presentations and state, regional, and national conferences. They have also found that women tend to seek out resources online, so they regularly share their findings through podcasts, blog posts, online webinars, and social media platforms to make information easily accessible to women in the Charleston area and surrounding region.

To learn more about the Women’s Health Research Team, view details of their research projects, or view their 2015-2016 Annual Report, visit their website.

Tweet

A year ago, on June 17, 2015, the Charleston community suffered a tragedy when nine members of the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church were killed while attending a weeknight Bible study class, only a few blocks away from the College of Charleston campus. Shock waves were sent across the City of Charleston, the U.S., and the world; but instead of succumbing to this terrible act, people were united and inspired to give back.

Just a few weeks after the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church shooting, and the death of local resident Walter Scott by a police officer in April 2015, the College of Charleston received a grant from Google to launch the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI). The mission of RSJI is to promote public awareness and dialogue about race and social justice issues in the local Charleston area, the state of South Carolina, and beyond.  The initiative is led by the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, Addlestone Library, the African American Studies Program, and the LowCountry Digital History Initiative. The RSJI collaborates with numerous partners to host and facilitate public lectures and events, faculty seminars, film screenings and projects that promote awareness of the history and going struggles of racial injustice in Charleston, and throughout the United States.

“We are approaching the first anniversaries of two violent shooting events in the cities of Charleston and North Charleston, South Carolina … Both made national headlines,” said Patricia Williams-Lessane, Executive Director of Avery Research Center. “These shootings intensified an already fever-pitch national debate about police brutality and race in America. We are most grateful to our partners and sponsors for providing the resources to make these crucial conversations happen.”

Michael Bennett, founder of locally owned, real estate company Bennett Hospitality, was inspired to support his community after seeing such a tragedy so close to home and his heart. Bennett, who attended the College but dropped out his junior year, started his career by buying and fixing up properties around Charleston, including ones on campus.  “The College taught me what I needed to know to be successful. The irony is, I got my education from working there, not going there,” observes Bennett. “I got so much from my experience with that crew on Glebe Street. I owe a lot to them”, says Bennett.

Upon hearing about the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church shooting, he committed $50,000 to create the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Endowed Scholarship at the College to honor the nine victims.

“It was pretty spontaneous. It was purely emotional. I was so overwhelmed by the grace, the forgiveness, with which the community handled it; it blew my mind. This was my reaction to those beautiful, forgiving people. I didn’t want just to write a check. That just felt impersonal for a tragedy that was so close to home,” shares Bennett.

For him, initiating a scholarship at the College meant more than just giving monetary funds.  Some of the men he worked with at the College all those years ago lived close to Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church, and most likely were among those that regularly attended services there. “The idea of helping the people of Emanuel A.M.E. is moving to me. And I think it’d be especially moving if it helps a relative of the people who I used to work with at the College all those years ago. I think that would be a beautiful thing,” says Bennett.

“For me, it’s come completely full circle, because I’m giving back to the people who educated me so well and launched my career,” shares Bennett. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for them. They are the ones who prompted me down my life’s path – they got me going.”

The scholarship will be awarded for the first time in fall 2016 and is open to any minority Mother Emanuel A.M.E.Church member and/or minority student from the Charleston peninsula in need of financial aid.

For more information about new events and projects facilitated by the Race and Social Justice Initiative, visit their website.

For more information about the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church Scholarship, or to contribute, contact College of Charleston Associate Vice President of Development Cathy Mahon at 843-953-5432.

(Photos and adaptation taken from The College Today)

Tweet

The campus-wide common reading program The College Reads!  aims to connect students, faculty, and staff around a specific book so that they can read broadly and and share ideas that arise from the books they share. In addition, all CofC incoming students and roster faculty receive a copy of the selected book and are encouraged to read this selection as it will be connected to academic curriculum and campus activities throughout the year.

The book selected for the 2016-2017 academic year is The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas by Anand Giridharadas. The True American focuses on a Muslim immigrant’s campaign to spare the white supremacist who tried to kill him from death row. It tells a story about our love-hate relationship with immigrants, about the encounter of Islam and the West, about how—or whether—we choose what we become (synopsis adapted from author’s website). True American has also recently received the 2015 NYPL Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism.

The Campus will be hosting An Evening with Anand Giridharada and Raisduddin Bhuiyan on October 24, 2016 at 7:00pm in the Sottile Theatre. This event is free and open to students, faculty, staff, and the Charleston community.

For more information about The True American, visit the publisher’s website.

Tweet

Students at the College of Charleston can make the most of their summer break by taking advantage of one of the many unique study abroad experiences the College offers.  Traveling to Morocco to learn about the culture of the country by studying its literature, or learning about the cultural, legal, and business environments of Central America while visiting Costa Rica are just 2 of the 50 study abroad programs taught by College faculty that are available to students.

What makes the study abroad programs unique is their cross-disciplinary aspect that allows students to understand the real-world context underlying the topics they are studying.  In fact, according to the Center for International Education, 74% of incoming students choose the College of Charleston because of its diverse and in depth study abroad programs.

In 2013, the College launched a new initiative to get the voices of students currently studying abroad out to the College of Charleston community called Blogs from Abroad. These blogs are by CofC students who describe their experiences in their respective program. The posts provide another unique point of view about CofC’ s study abroad programs from the current students who are participating in them.

From the list below, which includes just a few of the engaging study abroad programs offered this summer, you can see why CofC students are taking advantage of spending their summer abroad.

Explore Iceland
Lead by faculty director Dr. Brumby McLeod in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism, students will visit Iceland and develop advanced tourism management skills related to identifying, evaluating, and utilizing destination specific research and participant observation to support strategic business decisions and develop new products. They will propose and suggest modifications to tourism products that mutually benefit the visitors and hosts, and examine destination management including best practices and alternatives in developing hospitality and tourism systems with an international destination. Not to mention, participating in highly strenuous activities such as hiking, biking, rafting, swimming, caving, climbing, and running.

Intern in Germany
What better way to develop your knowledge of the German language and gain hands-on experience in a field such as business, general administration, production, computer science and engineering than through an internship in Germany.  This unique internship program, through the Department of German and Russian Studies, begins by allowing students to take month of intensive language study at the Carl Duisberg Centrum Sprachenzentrum in Berlin to develop their language skills. Students will then begin their two month internship program, while living with a host family in Berlin.

Geology in South Africa
Dr. Adem Ali and Ms. Cynthia Hall will lead a geology and environment field experience during a 2 ½ week course in South Africa that will provide students with firsthand experience of some of the best geology in the world.  The program focuses on the geology of South Africa in the vicinity of Cape Town and northeastern Johannesburg. Through visits to various sites of natural, cultural, and historical significance, such as the Sterkfontein World Heritage site and Kruger National Park, students will see rock exposures ranging in age from the Proterozoic to Paleozoic to Modern and will learn the fundamentals of geologic mapping using modern tools and methods.

Public Health in Italy
While studying in Florence, Italy for a month, students will have the opportunity to  be part of this study abroad program that it is the first of its kind  by  1) exploring global health issues in a city famous for its trade and finance; 2) engaging in community-based projects in the birthplace of the Renaissance; and 3) discovering  individual passions for Public Health issues through interactive, project-based courses taught by professors from the Department of Health and Human Performance.  A day trip to Rome will showcase how Public Health issues are impacting Italy’s capital city, a trip to Bologna will give students hands-on learning in the Medical Museum, and a day trip to Siena will allow for cultural and economic learning opportunities.

To learn more about the exciting study abroad programs at the College, visit the Center for International Education website.

Tweet

Think a fundraising goal of $125 million was the only goal in the Boundless campaign?  Think again! In the final month of Boundless: The Campaign for the College of Charleston, alumni from all decades are coming together to pass the baton to their fellow alumni. They are calling for alumni to champion the College and are working to reach a goal of 10,000 alumni donors by the Campaign’s end on June 30, 2016.

With five weeks remaining in this historic campaign, 9,787 alumni have made the College a philanthropic priority. A little over 200 alumni are needed to reach the final measure of success for this campaign; some could argue that it is the most important measure of success.  Alumni from across the years have been coming together in an unprecedented show of support to lend their voices to the cause.

Alumni from the 1960s and up have been instrumental in reaching out to their peers to secure donations.  They’ve been signing letters, sending emails, and making phone calls to ensure not a single alum is missing out on being a part of the Campaign.  Chris ’05 and Kristen Beckham ’07, Michael Mirmanesh ’09 and Jeremy Olsen ’13 have joined together to donate over $25,000 to the College if the goal of 10,000 alumni donors is secured in time.

The 90s have adopted a similar approach.  Michael Renault ’95, Carmen Scott ’96, Brett Bluestein ’97, and Derrick Williams ’99 have all reached out to their peers. They are reminding their fellow alumni that while many things have changed in Charleston; each has a strong connection to the College because of the friends made, the professors who opened their eyes, and the city that made them feel at home.  “As alumni, we have a responsibility to care for this institution, to ensure that it not only goes on, but that it goes forth stronger. Now is our time to show what the College means to us. Now is our time to be leaders. Let’s come together now to ensure that it is passed on to future generations of students.”

To get involved with the Boundless Campaign’s Race To The Finish, please contact the Annual Giving Office at cofcfund@cofc.edu.

Tweet

With the help of a newly awarded $100,000 grant from Google to the Lowcounty Hall of Science and Math (LHSM), a new program called Scratching the Surface has been created to better implement computer science into the middle school curriculum throughout South Carolina. This program gives teachers a chance to learn a visual programming language in a new, creative way that they can then apply in their own classrooms.

Scratch is designed to leverage the success of Google’s Computer Science (CS) First program, and the teacher education expertise of the Lowcountry Hall of Science and Math to increase student access and exposure to computer science. LHSM provides a bridge for communication, collaboration, and coordination between the College of Charleston and the K-12 science, technology, mathematics, and education communities in the Lowcountry.

Program Structure

The Scratching the Surface program was designed with learning and education in mind and has the overarching goal of reinforcing positive perceptions of computer science as a career among both females and underrepresented groups. To achieve this goal, program efforts concentrate on:

1. Capacity Building in Educators: Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers-Under the guidance of a College of Charleston Computer Science Department Faculty Member, middle school teachers will be:

• Introduced to computer science fundamentals for classroom integration in a controlled learning environment that is designed to promote positive perceptions and instill confidence,
• Taught Google’s free programming software (Scratch),
• Taught Carnegie Mellon’s free 3-D programming software (Alice), and
• Engaged to integrate computer science in current curricular standards.

2. Afterschool Programs: Women in Computing Club – Working in collaboration with the Women in Computing Club at CofC, female computer science majors will serve as mentors for the middle school students. The program will:
   • Allow female mentors to serve as positive role models for the middle school students so that they have an increased potential for adopting a positive perception about programming at intermediate and advanced levels.
   • Incorporate female and minority student speakers/volunteers from the College of Charleston Women in Computing Club and the greater Charleston Technology Industry
   • Coincide with the academic calendar and allow for 4 on-site visits to the College of Charleston to be exposed to the campus and the computer science environment.

Program Implementation

So how is Scratching the Surface implemented? South Carolina teachers will first participate in an interactive workshop that guides them through the basic steps and tools needed to create, share, and remix various projects. They can then utilize this new knowledge and free platform to incorporate topics from their own subject areas to create creative assignments for their middle school students. Teachers can then share the student assignments they have created with other teachers through a Google Drive. Scratch allows the synchronization of both the necessary curriculum students’ need and the world of computer science, allowing young people to “think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.”

20 teachers from 3 Berkeley County Middle Schools including Westview Middle, Macedonia Middle and St. Stephens Middle have been working with CofC faculty throughout the school year as they implement this important STEM focused curriculum. Nearly 250 students participated through teachers classrooms. On June 1^st teachers and students who have been implementing and practicing their coding techniques will gather to share their progress and highlight their achievements.

The goal is to bring computer science education to over 8,400 middle school children in South Carolina by the year 2018, with a sustainable annual reach of 2,250 middle school students per year. With the success of the first year of the program, The College anticipates expansion of the program through renewable funding from Google.

Visit the program website for Scratching the Surface for more information.

Tweet

After graduating from the College of Charleston in 2010 with a degree in Art History, Sarah Bella Slagsvol spent the early years of her career working in New York City as the Special Events Manager for Elle Magazine. Through coordinating events of all shapes and sizes across the country- from celebrating Hollywood starlets in Los Angeles, to honoring Congresswomen in Washington, DC- Bella recognized a void within the Event Industry for accessible resources to minimize event waste and maximize reuse locally.

In January, Bella returned home to Charleston to launch rEvent- a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of extending the beauty of events by providing the Event Industry with a free pickup and delivery service to repurpose reusable event goods.

Bella recently partnered with the College of Charleston Alumni Association to repurpose the hundreds of flowers that were used for A Charleston Affair and Alumni Weekend. rEvent collected 1,000 lilies, 400 foxtail lilies, and 600 fuji mums from the Cistern following the weekend events and repurposed these flowers into 60 bedside bouquets that were delivered to patients at the Medical University of South Carolina. Many of the bouquets were delivered to the Women’s Services floor at MUSC, which includes Labor & Delivery and Oncology patients. A nurse on the floor was able to deliver arrangements to her patients and said “I cannot explain the smiles and the sincere appreciation that was given upon receiving the flowers.”

During her time at CofC, Bella was involved with her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi as well as the Student Government Association. One of her fondest memories stems from her first time at A Charleston Affair, which she credits for sparking her interest in the world of event planning. While Bella was inspired to create rEvent after viewing first-hand the waste that comes with large scale events, the CofC connections run deep. A fellow CofC alum and sorority sister, Christina Middleton ‘09, serves on the board of rEvent; another CofC alum recently signed up to donate her wedding flowers, and in the Fall Bella hopes to offer a current CofC student an internship opportunity.

Visit rEvent’s website to learn more about their mission and impact. To make a donation of event flowers, funds, or to volunteer your time, click here.

Tweet

Kristen ’07 and Chris Beckham ’05 owe a lot to their time at the College of Charleston. Educational opportunities, career successes, and even their relationship have roots under the oaks at CofC. Chris and Kristen met during the 2000’s as undergraduates. Both were involved across campus, Kristen on the Panhellenic Council, her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Cougar TV, Chris was a leader in the Student Government Association, his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, and the CofC Sailing Team. They shared a common bond in the both were fortunate to receive scholarships to attend the College.

It is this mutual experience that inspires Kristen and Chris to make the College of Charleston a philanthropic priority. “The College of Charleston was transformational for us- we met while in Charleston. We are proud of the education that we both received and appreciate all that the College faculty and staff do to provide a superior experience and education for students.” By giving back, they hope to help current and future students receive the same experience.

Kristen and Chris recently stepped forward with a challenge gift in the Boundless Campaign’s Race To The Finish. Along with two other young alumni, Michael Mirmanesh ’09 and Jeremy Olsen ’13, the Beckhams have challenged graduates from 2000-2015 to make the College a priority with a gift to the Boundless Campaign.

With their commitment, Kristen and Chris have chosen to support multiple areas where they are passionate. “Since there are so many great initiatives at the College, our biggest challenge was deciding which funds to support. We chose to support two funds- we are supporting the College of Charleston Fund since it will help provide support for the greatest needs at the College; and we are supporting the Initiative for Public Choice and Market Process in honor of Dr. Frank Hefner.”

The Beckham’s commitment to the College of Charleston does not stop with philanthropy. They are deepening their roots and continuing their impact through volunteerism. Kristen recently joined the Alumni Association Board and Chris is sharing his expertise with the Management 401 class.  On any given day, the Beckhams’ impact can be felt across campus.

To get involved with the Boundless Campaign’s Race To The Finish, please contact the Annual Giving Office at cofcfund@cofc.edu.

Tweet