Conrad Easley honored by North Georgia

	North Georgia alumnus Dr. Conrad Easley, center, is presented his Alumni Hall of Fame Award by fellow alumni Jimmy Anderson Jr. and Alumni Association President Kathy Bunner.

DAHLONEGA (April 27, 2007) – During the Parents-Alumni Weekend Awards Gala at North Georgia College & State University on April 21, the NGCSU Alumni Association honored Dr. Conrad Easley by naming him to the 2007 Hall of Fame.

The award is presented annually to alumni who have distinguished themselves through outstanding professional careers or outstanding contributions to community service.

Easley, an Orthopedic Surgeon at Dalton Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic in Dalton, Ga., is a board certified orthopedic surgeon and a diplomat on the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Virginia after receiving his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in 1966.

“I am humbled and honored beyond mere words for this recognition,” Easley said to the Saturday night audience. “The four years I spent at North Georgia, walking among my classmates, my friends and the Corps of Cadets, prepared me to face the adversities that surely, sooner or later, confront us all.”

Easley on April 21 speaking at the North Georgia Parents-Alumni Weekend Awards Gala.

Easley graduated from North Georgia College in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and was named a distinguished military graduate. His senior year, he served as Alfa Company commander. After completing his undergraduate and medical degrees, Lt. Conrad Easley served three years in the U.S. Army, 1967-1969, which included a tour in Vietnam as a medical company commander with the 101st Airborne Division.

“If I have acquired any wisdom with age, my first steps toward that achievement were made here at North Georgia under the tutelage of many fine teachers, mentors, military cadre, student leaders in the corps and many others.”

Easley has been a member of the NGCSU Alumni Association since 1982. He served on the Alumni Council from 1989 to 1998 in all executive positions including president, and was a NGCSU Foundation trustee from 1996 to 1998. In 1991, Easley was recognized by North Georgia with the Golden Steeple Award and was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000.

He and his wife Claudette reside in Dalton. In addition to his efforts on behalf of NGCSU, Easley can be found on the sidelines of Dalton High School football games serving as a volunteer team doctor.

National Science Foundation grant expands NGCSU statistics research

DAHLONEGA (April 24, 2007) – Faculty members in the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at North Georgia College & State University have received a $175,756 grant from the National Science Foundation. Primary investigators Robb Sinn and Dianna Spence, along with an interdisciplinary team of additional NGCSU professors, are involved in research focused on “Authentic, Career-Based, Discovery Learning Projects in Introductory Statistics.” 

Dianna Spence and Robb Sinn

The project’s effectiveness will be evaluated during a pilot phase at three test sites: NGCSU, Georgia Perimeter College and Forsyth Central High School. At the start of the 2007-2008 academic year, a series of grant-supported workshops will be conducted to disseminate materials and methods to high school and college mathematics instructors throughout the region.

“The grant sponsors research on how to teach statistics well,” said Sinn.

“This research will help our students here at NGCSU and at Georgia Perimeter College. A lot of high schools have been adding statistics courses lately, so the work at Forsyth Central will show if the benefits transfer to the high school setting. I believe the NSF appreciated the three unique test sites, especially the high school, so the methods can be tested with very different populations.”

The grant was funded through the NSF’s Division of Undergraduate Education in the program “Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement.” The program supports work in what the NSF refers to as STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. About $12 million from the NSF will be awarded for the current year supporting approximately 100 projects nationwide out of the 916 total proposals.

All NSF grants are judged on two essential criteria: “intellectual merit” and “broader impact.” Intellectual merit indicates the creativity and innovation involved in the project. The broader impact judges how many students and faculty members benefit from the project.

“We’re honored to receive this award from the NSF,” Spence said. “The NSF values projects that target all types of collegiate environments, and our work with GPC is ideally suited for this type of grant.”

Once a “CCLI Phase 1” proposal or its equivalent has been successfully conducted, “Phase 2” grants are available.

“Phase 2 grants are intended to have nationwide impact,” Sinn said, explaining that those awards are larger, up to $500,000. “We’re hoping this project will be successful and lead to a Phase 2 proposal in a couple of years.”

“The NSF review panel rated us highest on broader impact, especially for collaborating with a two-year college and a high school,” Sinn said. “Dianna and I both are former high school math teachers. Expanding our research beyond the NGCSU campus is vital.”

Sinn earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education at the University of Cincinnati in 2003 and joined the North Georgia faculty that fall. His teaching has focused on probability and statistics courses. He also developed and taught a game theory course in 2006. His scholarship includes studying mathematics self-efficacy for adolescents as well as curriculum development in mathematics at the secondary and post-secondary levels. He has had three articles and reviews published and has presented more than 20 professional lectures. An article describing an ecosystem simulation unit Sinn developed for eighth grade mathematics students will be featured in an upcoming issue of “Mathematics Teacher.”

Spence earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education at Emory University in 2004 and came to North Georgia in fall 2005, already with eight years of teaching experience and 12 years of experience in the private sector as a computer programmer and software engineer. Her favorite mathematical disciplines include linear and matrix algebra, abstract algebra, and discrete mathematics. Her research interests include analyzing the benefits of online learning and studying classroom environments that blend technological and traditional formats. Spence is the author of four scholarly papers, including an upcoming article in the “Journal of Educational Computing Research.”

Leadership Conference at North Georgia canceled

DAHLONEGA (April 23, 2007) – The “Partners for Leadership” conference scheduled for May 3-4 at North Georgia College & State University has been canceled.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve had to cancel the annual leadership conference for non-profit, public and business representatives, as well as our university community,” said Jane O’Gorman, NGCSU director of Public Services. “We will aim to reschedule the conference sometime later in the year.”  

For additional information, telephone 706-864-1918.

North Georgia ‘Partners for Leadership’ Conference set for May 3-4

NOTE (April 23, 2007): The “Partners for Leadership” conference scheduled for May 3-4 at North Georgia College & State University has been canceled. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve had to cancel the annual leadership conference for non-profit, public and business representatives, as well as our university community,” said Jane O’Gorman, NGCSU director of Public Services. “We will aim to reschedule the conference sometime later in the year.” For additional information, telephone 706-864-1918.

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DAHLONEGA (April 11, 2007) – North Georgia’s 2007 Annual Leadership Conference, May 3-4, will address strengthening relationships and partnerships among various organizations in small- and large-scale communities. The conference will take place in the Health & Natural Sciences Building at North Georgia College & State University. Leaders in the non-profit, public and business sectors from the across the country will make presentations during the conference.

Fred Landiss, senior vice president and director of Marketing and Public Relations at F&M Bank in Clarksville, Tenn., will open the conference on May 3 with a presentation on regional partnerships. The topic covers a key issue for the north Georgia area, where the need for regional collaboration increases as metro Atlanta’s growth converges with Appalachian towns.

Kevin Kecskes, director of Community-University Partnerships at Portland State University in Portland, Ore., will show how his university’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” has been transformed into more than 600 successful partnerships in the local, national and international communities.

Participants will be involved in hands-on break-out sessions where they will discuss public and private partnerships for building “communiversities,” explore emerging leadership models in education and learn to develop civic leadership. Leading those sessions are local economic development and education officials from Prince William County, Va., NGCSU faculty members, and area civic leaders.

Pulitzer-prize winning alumnus Eugene Patterson, who was a voice for civil rights in the 1960s through his editorial writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and who served as editor of the Washinton Post and St. Petersburg Times during his journalism career, will address “Leadership at Work: Civic Engagement.”

The closing address on May 4 will focus on strategies and tactics for successful results in organizational partnership-building. David Thornburgh, president and CEO of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship in Philadelphia, Pa., will present fundamental ideas on how to organize and implement partnerships that can create positive change for a region.

NGCSU Bell Ringing Friday at noon to honor Virginia Tech victims

DAHLONEGA (April 19, 2007) – At noon on Friday, April 20, the cannon will be fired and the bells in Price Memorial hall will ring as North Georgia College & State University joins with the other 35 institutions in the University System of Georgia, citizens throughout Georgia and in every state in the nation to honor the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine "encouraged all states to stand with Virginia to honor the victims of the tragedy and to thank the public safety, medical and education professionals who performed their missions bravely."
 

Virginia Tech victims to be memorialized at North Georgia Candlelight Vigil with bagpipes and buglers
NGCSU and Virginia Tech are among six senior military colleges in the nation

DAHLONEGA (April 18, 2007) – North Georgia College & State University, one of Virginia Tech's sister senior military colleges, will hold a Candlelight Vigil tonight, April 18, at 9 p.m. on the university Drill Field to remember those involved in the tragedy at Virginia Tech on Monday.

"Our hearts go out to our colleagues at Virginia Tech, to those families who lost loved ones, and to the entire Virginia Tech family as they all experience their loss," said North Georgia President David Potter. "We hope that our candlelight service tonight will express in some small way our care for our fellow humans entangled in this great tragedy. We thank our Student Government Association for taking the initiative to express our grief." Campus and local community members are invited to bring candles and participate during this time of mourning.

The NGCSU Corps of Cadets chaplain, Cadet Maj. Chris Hall, will speak briefly in remembrance of the victims at 9:15 p.m., followed by the playing of bagpipes. The ceremony will end with two buglers playing taps, a customary military tribute for fallen comrades.

General to be named to North Georgia Military Hall of Fame on April 12
Livingston first Medal of Honor recipient in elite group

	Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston

DAHLONEGA (April 6, 2007) – North Georgia College & State University will honor retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston by naming him to the university’s Military Hall of Fame on April 12. In a 2:30 p.m. ceremony in Hoag Auditorium on the Dahlonega campus, Livingston will be the 38th general officer to be initiated into an elite group of career military service members who attended or graduated from North Georgia in the institution’s 134-year history.

Livingston is one of the most decorated of these North Georgia leaders, and is the only one to have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest decoration in the U.S. Armed Services. Livingston is one of about 115 living recipients of the Medal of Honor.

He received the award for “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty” while engaging enemy forces during the Vietnam War. Approximately 3,400 Medals of Honor have been awarded since the decoration's creation in 1861.

“North Georgia more than any experience in my life established my discipline base and is one of the reasons I was successful in the Marine Corps,” Livingston said.

He attended North Georgia College in 1957 and studied pre-engineering before transferring to Auburn University to earn a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a commission as a Marine Corps second lieutenant in 1962. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1995 with more than 33 years of active duty military service.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, some of Livingston’s decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal; Bronze Star Medal, with Combat “V”; and Purple Heart, Third Award.

As a brigadier general, he served as deputy director for Operations at the National Military Command Center in Washington, D.C. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Livingston commanded the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, 29 Palms, California, and developed the Desert Warfare Training Program. After commanding the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, he was promoted to major general and assumed command of the 4th Marine Division (Reinforced). In July 1992 he assumed command of the newly created Marine Reserve Force, and continued through its reorganization in October 1994 with its new title, Marine Forces Reserve, shortly before his retirement.

Livingston now is a consultant for defense-related companies and is on numerous business and volunteer boards, including the American Red Cross and Boy Scouts of America. He is a native of Towns, Ga., and now lives in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

The general will speak at the induction ceremony on April 12. A framed photo with his name plaque will be displayed in the Hoag Student Center along with the other distinguished generals from North Georgia. Students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to attend the ceremony.

Handmade North Georgia blanket goes from Alabama to Iraq

	Capt. Wanda Spraggins with the blanket

DAHLONEGA (April 5, 2007) – Mrs. Joanne Boyd of Ozark, Ala., is a long way from Baghdad, Iraq, where her son, Army Maj. Michael Boyd is stationed. At his request, however, she makes blankets for his fellow officers and designs each one to reflect the alma mater of the recipient.

Among those receiving a hand-made blanket from Mrs. Boyd is Capt. Wanda Spraggins, Headquarters Company Commander for 3d Medical Command., and a 1978 graduate of North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Ga.

"The blanket is wonderful, and it was a great surprise," Spraggins said in an e-mail message sent from Iraq. Spraggins graduated of North Georgia, The Military College of Georgia, in 1978.

Capt. Wanda Spraggins with Maj. Michael Boyd standing in front of the Headquarters Building in Baghdad

Instead of copying exactly the university's logo, Mrs. Boyd found out North Georgia's official colors, blue and white, and looked at various images on the NGCSU Web site to create her original design for the long, warm cover. Not only has she produced blankets for several other officers who are on active duty with her son, including alumni of Ohio State, the University of Alabama and the University of Kentucky, she even made special blankets for three children of an officer from Kentucky. 

In addition to being an Army mother, Mrs. Boyd is a longtime military wife, since her husband James retired as a chief warrant officer 13 years ago from the U.S. Army after his service of more than 35 years. Their son, Maj. Michael Boyd, is a Medical Services officer and serves as a Battle Major in the Operations BattleCell for the Army's Third Medical Command.

AIDS Memorial Quilt sections coming to North Georgia on Tuesday

DAHLONEGA (April 5, 2007) – Several large sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed on the campus of North Georgia College & State University on April 10. From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., the handmade quilt blocks will lie on the Drill Field in the heart of campus. If it rains on Tuesday, the quilt will be placed in Memorial Gym.

The free display of the quilt sections on the North Georgia campus is being hosted by two student groups, the Gay Straight Alliance and the Nursing Honors Society.

Established in 1987, the NAMES Project Foundation is the international organization that serves as the custodian of the 54-ton handmade tapestry of handmade panels commemorating the lives of more than 90,000 individuals lost to AIDS. It is the largest piece of ongoing community art in the world.

“These handmade blocks, created by friends and family, tell the stories of individuals who have lost their lives to AIDS, said Julie Rhoad, executive director of the foundation. “We bring you their stories in the hope of inspiring compassion, healing and personal responsibility.”

Sections are continuously on display across the country in schools, churches, community centers, businesses, corporations and a variety of other institutional settings, all in the hope of making the realities of HIV and AIDS real, human and immediate. To date, more than 15 million people have seen The AIDS Memorial Quilt at tens of thousands of displays throughout the world.

For more information on The NAMES Project and The AIDS Memorial Quilt, visit aidsquilt.org or call the national headquarters in Atlanta at (404) 688-5500.

This page last modified on: Thursday, 06 December 2007 15:47:57 -0500 by University Relations    

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