DAHLONEGA (Aug. 30, 2006) – Over the four centuries since the piano was invented by Bartolommeo Cristofori in 1709, certain compositions have risen to the top of the list of audience favorites and most commonly recognized pieces.

These piano classics, the “hit-parade” list of compositions, are included in the program of a piano concert by Dr. Joe Chapman, director of keyboard studies at North Georgia College & State University, on Sept. 18 and Sept. 21 in Dahlonega, and Sept. 23 in Cumming.

On Monday, Sept. 18, at 12:20 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., “Piano’s Greatest Hits” will be performed in the Gloria Shott Performance Hall, located in the Nix Center on the NGCSU main campus in Dahlonega.

The Saturday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. piano concert takes place at North Forsyth High School, 3635 Coal Mountain Drive in Cumming.

All concerts are free and open to the public.

The program of favorite piano compositions of all time, from Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” to Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” also includes Chapman’s set of variations on “Chopsticks.” The concert will conclude with arguably the greatest piano hit of all time, George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue.”

The pianist’s recent concerts on tour, featuring the music of George Gershwin and Frederic Chopin, have attracted capacity audiences and received rave reviews. Chapman has performed in the United States and eight foreign countries as a pianist, conductor, vocalist, and accompanist. He has presented numerous solo piano recitals throughout the Southeast. Beyond his expertise at the keyboard, Chapman is also an arranger and composer. His music has been performed by choirs and bands in elementary schools, universities, churches and community ensembles in North America, Europe and Africa.

For more information, telephone 706-864-1423.

Jenna Simmons of Milledgeville, Ga., shakes hands with Gov. Sonny Perdue.
Alyce Haldi of Alpharetta, Ga., was a combat medic with the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade and was in Iraq for a year. Haldi developed a passion for her work and is now part of the nursing program at North Georgia.

More than 40 soldiers returning to North Georgia College & State University dressed in their Army Combat Uniforms that they wore in Iraq to the military parade held in their honor on campus.

NGCSU nursing students attend a previous "I Can Camp" orientation.

DAHLONEGA (Aug. 21, 2006) – The North Georgia College & State University associate’s degree in nursing program will be offered for the first time at Lanier Technical College in Cumming, Ga., starting this Wednesday, Aug. 23, with an inaugural class of 20 students.

The aspiring nurses will be part of North Georgia’s total first-year associate’s nursing class of 130.

		Ryan Sasscer, a senior from Acworth, Ga., demonstrates to the new freshmen how to low-crawl through the mud on the grenade assault course.
		Kyle Bergner of Fort Belvoir, Va., a cadet battalion commander, and Andrew Hibbs of Dahlonega, an Iraq War veteran returning to school, run through the Etowah River at Pine Valley during FROG Week.

Victoria Voelkel, a freshman from Dunwoody, Ga.,  throws a fake grenade on the obstacle course at NGCSU’s Pine Valley recreational center.

	A custom made 36-foot 10-year-old RV, priced at a quarter-million dollars brand new, was donated to the master’s in nursing program at NGCSU by the Northeast Georgia Health System. It will be used for outreach projects. Pictured are NGCSU faculty members Dr. Grace Newsome and Carol Shedd, along with nursing students Tina Murray, Aribelle McRae-Spencer and Tracy McDaniels.

“The grant enables the Department of Nursing to assist individuals in the community with health needs,” said Dr. Toni Barnett, department head. “It also will provide clinical opportunities for students and faculty in all of the NGCSU nursing programs.”

Dr. Grace Newsome is the project director and primary writer of the successful grant application.

Newsome, a professor in the department, serves as coordinator of the Master of Science Rural Primary Family Nurse Practitioner Program as well as the university’s new M.S. in Nursing Education Program. Cheryl Shedd, an assistant professor who helped with the grant application, will be the clinic manager.

“The target area for providing access to health care for the rural and underserved residents includes Lumpkin County and six adjacent counties located in the foothills of Appalachia,” Newsome said.

The HRSA funding, she explained, will be provided over a five-year period, with annual budgets ranging from $231,879 for the first year to almost $300,000 in two of the subsequent years of the grant. In addition, the graduate program has received another $32,600 HRSA grant for student support, providing approximately $600 each for almost 60 master’s degree students.

The clinic staff will conduct a health-education program to include preventive intervention methods of dealing with obesity, hypertension, diabetes and asthma, Newsome said.

Programs to be implemented over a period of time include prescription assistance, transportation, some primary care, and individual clinics for hypertension, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, diabetes and children’s obesity.

A mobile medical van, donated to the graduate nursing program by the Northeast Georgia Medical Center & Health System, will be used for outreach purposes to better serve participants in addition to the on-campus clinic space.

“Undergraduate and graduate nursing students will gain clinical experiences in primary care and disease management programs,” Newsome added. “We will see indigent patients who normally are not ‘managed’ and who only see providers when they have a health-care crisis.”

The clinic, planned to open in October, will be situated in a 2,700 square-foot space in the university’s Health & Natural Sciences Building, located on Sunset Drive off of West Main Street in Dahlonega. The faculty of North Georgia’s doctoral program in Physical Therapy will share use of some of the clinic space.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore speaks to the cadets at North Georgia.

DAHLONEGA (Aug. 11, 2006) – Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore, commanding general of First United States Army at Fort Gillem, Ga., was the guest speaker on Aug. 11 at the North Georgia College & State University commissioning ceremony, where 16 new Army lieutenants were sworn in as officers. Honore was responsible for the active duty military forces involved in Hurricane Katrina operations. He also recently served as commander of Standing Joint Force Headquarters - Homeland Security, U.S. Northern Command.

“You’re expected to get the job done, you’re expected to make a difference, you’re expected to be a leader, not an observer,” the general told the new lieutenants.

Colin Sattler, 22, a Hall County resident commissioning as an Army second lieutenant, was sworn in earlier as a new officer via videoconference by his uncle, Army Lt. Col. Randall Thompson, who is stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. A camera on Thompson at Camp Victory and one on Sattler in the Pennington Military Leadership Center on campus allowed for two-way visual and audio communication. Sattler was able to introduce his fiancée Erin Martin “in person” to his uncle. Martin is a Gainesville resident and graduated from NGCSU last year.

Sattler received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice during the university’s 7 p.m. commencement ceremony. He will be stationed at Fort Rucker, Ala., for Army flight school before coming back to NGCSU for a six-month job recruiting future cadets.

“I feel that North Georgia has prepared me for the next chapter in my life,” Sattler said. “The school has fostered a sense of responsibility and community commitment in me.”

The new lieutenant added: “I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing what’s in store.”

Teresa Bowers

DAHLONEGA (Aug. 11, 2006) – Teresa Bowers is among the 77 students nationwide who were named as Scholars in the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Program. She graduated from North Georgia College & State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing on Aug. 11.

Bowers completed her NGCSU degree as a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar in the Undergraduate Transfer Program.

Bowers, 37, whose full name is Teresa L. Velzy Bowers, is from Milford, Mich., and now lives in Ellijay, Ga. She will pursue a dual master’s degree in nursing with a focus in gerontology and a master’s in public health in behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta. Bowers plans to specialize in geriatrics and to focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

 She discovered her passion for caring for the elderly when she worked in a nursing home in high school.

 “I felt enriched to share in the generations of knowledge and experience,” Bowers said.  “After numerous years and many vocations, I realized that in no position since my first had I found as much fulfillment.”

The selection process drew 1,100 nominees for the graduate scholarships that cover tuition, room, board, fees and books – up to $50,000 annually – for up to six years.  The scholarships are among the most generous academic awards offered in the United States.

Bowers also was awarded the Virginia M. Smyth graduate scholarship from the Georgia Gerontology Society for her graduate study in gerontology and for her leadership development in the field of aging.

Candidates for the Cooke Foundation Scholarships underwent a rigorous assessment at two stages by independent panels of academic experts, including graduate school deans, admissions counselors, and faculty.  The selection criteria included academic achievement and financial need as well as a will to succeed, leadership and community involvement.

The scholarship recipients come from 33 states and nine foreign nations. More information is available on the foundation’s Web site: www.jackkentcookefoundation.org. Programs include scholarships to undergraduate, graduate and high school students, and grants to organizations that serve high-achieving students with financial need.