Fincher-Loughridge Foundation contributes to North Georgia

	Frances and Nathaniel Hansford

DAHLONEGA –  Students seeking financial aid at North Georgia College & State University have a number of scholarship funds in place to assist their pursuit of higher education.

Among donors to these scholarships is the Fincher-Loughridge Scholarship Fund, established with an initial gift of $14,000. The family indicated that it would donate an annual gift of at least that same amount toward scholarships for students who participate in the Corps of Cadets or who are resident female students.

In 1985, Sen. W.W. Fincher Jr. of Chatsworth, Ga., began a family foundation, the Fincher-Loughridge Foundation Inc. The charitable foundation is funded through contributions from Sen. Fincher, his wife Eunice L. Fincher, daughters Mary Jane Fincher Peterson, Phyllis Fincher Parsons, and Frances Fincher Hansford, the wife of North Georgia’s 15th president, Nathaniel Hansford, who retired at the end of 2004.

The foundation supports colleges, churches and youth homes in the southern United States.

Others interested in contributing to scholarships at North Georgia may contact the NGCSU Foundation, 706-867-2873.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall replica coming to Dahlonega

DAHLONEGA –  A half-size replica of the Washington, D.C., Vietnam Veterans Memorial is coming to the campus of North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Ga.

The Moving Wall, built by Vietnam veteran volunteers, will be displayed on the Drill Field in the heart of the NGCSU campus April 13-19. Included on the replica of the memorial are the names of all 58,200 men and women in the U.S. armed forces who died in service during the Vietnam War.

The exhibit has toured the country since 1984. Sometimes called “The Traveling Wall,” the Wall’s Web site, www.themovingwall.org, indicates that the exhibition last came to Dahlonega in 1992.

The overall length of the Moving Wall is 252.83 feet, which is slightly longer than half the length of the actual Memorial in Washington, whose length is 493.5 feet

The original Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall was designed by Maya Ying Lin and was dedicated on November 13, 1982.

Construction began on the Moving Wall in February 1983 and was completed in October 1984. The wall is made of aluminum panels, having a surface painted with a two-part polyurethane gloss black, which gives a mirror-like finish, mounted to angular aluminum frames. The aluminum structure is supported from the back by 74 steel square tubular braces.

The Moving Wall was paid for, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, from contributions made by the public. The exhibit will be available to visitors all day during its weeklong stay at North Georgia.

Because of Parents-Alumni Weekend, April 15-17, and the Military Review on Sunday at 2 p.m., visitors are advised to plan their visit accordingly. The Public Safety Office, just inside the main gate to campus off North Chestatee Street, can provide parking information and directions.

NGCSU Parents-Alumni Weekend takes place April 15-17

DAHLONEGA – The annual Parents-Alumni Weekend at North Georgia College & State University is scheduled for April 15-17.

The weekend includes traditional events: a golf tournament, wine tasting, a Fun Run, the Military Ball, an awards luncheon, the Memorial Retreat ceremony, a reception and banquet, and the Sunday Military Awards Review.

An additional event this year is a site dedication, "Killed in the Line of Duty," at the Drill Plaza of the new Pennington Leadership Center on Saturday at 11 a.m.

At the Saturday luncheon, the Alumni Association will honor Dr. Mark Spraker as the 2005 Distinguished Professor and outstanding students Corrie Duvall and Scott Dickson will be recognized for their achievements.

Retired Col. Ben S. Malcom, NG '50, will pay tribute to students and alumni "who sacrificed all" during the Memorial Retreat at 4 p.m. that day.

The Saturday evening banquet will feature Hall of Fame Award recipient Garland F. Pinholster, NG '49, Distinguished Alumni Award recipients Barbara DeMarco Williams, NG '73, and John D. Anthony, NG '51, and Young Alumni Award winner Marc Cutright, NG '88.

Gen. Dan K. McNeill, commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces Command, will be the featured speaker at the 2 p.m. Sunday military review, when all Corps of Cadets alumni are invited to pass in review with the Corps. This event is free and open to the public.

For inquiries about the weekend and to make reservations for the ticketed events, telephone 706-867-2873.

Books on sale at NGCSU library

DAHLONEGA –  The Annual Book Sale at the Stewart Library of North Georgia College & State University offers a wealth of fiction and non-fiction, academic texts, children's stories and out-of-print books.

The popular event begins April 11 and continues through April 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day on the patio area in front of Stewart Library. Parking permits and directions are available from the Public Safety office, just inside the main entrance to campus off of Chestatee Street.

"We've accumulated more than 1,200 books, donated by local citizens, and by the students, faculty, and staff of North Georgia," said Mary Poland of the Stewart Library staff. "We offer bargain prices, ranging from 50 cents to $3 and provide a great opportunity to stock home libraries or book collections at retirement homes, community centers and other locations." 

Book donations for the annual sale are welcome year-round, she added. For more information, telephone 706-864-1518.

NGCSU choirs present 'Homecoming' concert March 31

DAHLONEGA –  Following their performances in England during Spring Break from North Georgia College & State University, the NGCSU Singers and Le Belle Voci will present their "Homecoming" concert on March 31 at 7:30 p.m. The free event will take place in the auditorium of the Health & Natural Sciences Building on Sunset Drive off West Main Street in Dahlonega. Both choirs are under the direction of Dr. Jack Broman.

	Peter Jankovic

Classical guitarist Jankovic to perform on March 24

DAHLONEGA – International award-winning classical guitarist Petar Jankovic will perform two concerts on March 24 in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium at North Georgia College & State University. The concerts, at 12:30 and 7:30 p.m., are part of the Nix Living Heritage Fine Arts Series and are free and open to the public.

Since beginning his professional music career in 1985, Jankovic has delighted audiences at recitals and enlightened students in his master classes throughout Europe and the United States. As a performer at major competitions around the globe, his universally evocative sound has won high regard with the world’s classical music community, and as a result, Jankovic has garnered numerous awards at international competitions.

Currently Jankovic is a member of the Indiana University School of Music faculty.

J. L .Nix and his wife Sarah Highsmith Nix of Cleveland, Georgia, established the Living Heritage Fine Arts Trust in honor and memory of his father, John L. Nix, a Cleveland businessman and lifelong resident of the hills of North Georgia. The endowment funds special fine arts events and exhibits at NGCSU that foster an appreciation of the role arts play in today's society.

For more information, please contact the NGCSU Fine Arts Department at 706-864-1423.

'Ghost Out' event demonstrates dangers of DUI

DAHLONEGA – No one was actually hurt or died, but on March 8, a mock car accident at North Georgia College & State University took place on the drill field at the center of campus. Local emergency response personnel treated student “casualties” in a real-time scenario demonstrating the possibly fatal consequences of drunk driving.

This “Ghost Out” event at NGCSU involved 60 students, representing the number of students killed daily by such accidents, wearing white face paint and cardboard tombstones around their necks.

“There were EMT vehicles, police officers, and a helicopter participating in the accident in an attempt to drive home the message to think before you drink and drive,” said Anna Robertson, the drug and alcohol awareness educator at NGCSU.

Hoag lecture spotlights 'Chaotic Politics'

	Don Saari

DAHLONEGA – Politics and mathematics will be a combined topic when Don Saari, the distinguished professor of mathematics and economics at the University of California Irvine, speaks on "Chaotic Politics" at North Georgia College & State University. The 7 p.m. lecture in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium on March 22 is this year’s Merritt E. Hoag Lecture, and is free and open to the public.

Saari's presentation will focus on the chaos theory as it relates to politics and global world perspective.

"Dr. Saari is an internationally known mathematician and speaker whose contributions to chaos theory and game theory have helped revolutionize economic and political science modeling," said Robb Sinn, NGCSU associate professor of math and computer science.

Sinn says that his fellow undergraduate students at Northwestern University "fought to get into Saari's classes" when the noted mathematician taught there, prior to his prestigious appointment at UCI.   

"He is a great communicator who takes the trouble to explain mathematics to people who don't 'get' mathematics," Sinn explained. "He's like Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Ian Malcolm character in 'Jurassic Park,' always talking about chaos and seeing the beauty of the not-quite-randomness of our lives and the maddening randomness of nature and events around us."

Saari has won numerous academic awards and was named to the National Academy of Sciences, among other national honors. Among his many editorial positions, Saari has been chief editor of the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society since 1999. His 150 published papers and seven books cover topics ranging from the dynamics of the Newtonian N-body problem to questions from mathematical economics and voting theory, with an emphasis on dynamical systems and consequences.

The Hoag Lecture Series is named in honor of NGC President Merritt E. Hoag (1949-1970).

Full Radius Dance performs March 10

DAHLONEGA – Full Radius Dance will perform at North Georgia College & State University on March 10 at 7 p.m. in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium. The group mixes dancers on foot with dancers in wheelchairs to create technically demanding and visually exciting choreographic works. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the NGCSU Cultural Events Committee. For more information, call 706-864-1643.

Pulitzer Prize winner Margaret Edson at NGCSU March 9

Margaret Edson

DAHLONEGA – Margaret Edson, playwright of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Wit,” about a professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, will speak at North Georgia College & State University on March 9. An original stage production of “Wit” by the NGCSU Student Theatre Guild continues through Sunday on campus. The events are free and open to the public.

Edson, an Atlanta elementary school teacher, will speak in Hoag Auditorium on March 9 at 7 p.m. Between earning degrees in history and literature, Edson worked in the cancer and AIDS unit of a research hospital. “Wit,” about a poetry professor’s fight against cancer, is her first play and won the Pulitzer Prize drama award. The event is sponsored by the Cultural Events Committee. For more information, call 706-864-1965.
 

The NGCSU student production of “Wit” takes place at 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Hoag Auditorium. North Georgia English professor Sandee McGlaun will play the title role of Vivian Bearing. Donations are accepted and part of the proceeds will go to cancer research. For more information, please contact “Wit” director Kevin Mace at 706-867-2760.

Sandee McGlaun as Vivian Bearing in "Wit"

'Wit' comes to NGCSU stage March 2-6

DAHLONEGA – Margaret Edson's 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Wit," about a professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, comes to North Georgia College & State University March 2-6. The acclaimed play by Edson, an Atlanta elementary school teacher, takes place at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Hoag Student Center Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted and part of the proceeds will go to cancer research.

"This is one of the most searing and affecting American dramas in the last 10 years," said Kevin Mace, director of the "Wit" stage production.

A presentation of the NGCSU Student Theatre Guild, "Wit" stars NGCSU English professor Sandee McGlaun as Vivian Bearing, a renowned literary professor who learns the importance of human kindness when faced with ovarian cancer.

"Sandee gives a performance of remarkable strength and courage that will touch audiences' hearts," Mace said. The cast also includes university students Joe Kleid, Gabe Ramos and Adrienne Stevens.

For more information, please contact Mace at 706-867-2760 or kmace@ngcsu.edu.

Blue Ridge soldier wounded in Iraq

Left to right: Rep. Amos Amerson, Patrick Evans and Rep. Mark Burkhalter

DAHLONEGA – The Georgia General Assembly saluted Patrick Evans, a 2002 graduate of North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, on Jan. 24, for his honorable service under extremely hazardous conditions in Iraq.

The 24-year-old received standing ovations as well as commendations and resolutions in the House and Senate during his appearance at the Capitol. Rep. Amos Amerson escorted Evans in the House. They are pictured at the podium with Rep. Mark Burkhalter.

Evans, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, became the one of the first members of the NGCSU alumni to suffer serious injury in Iraq when a suicide bomb exploded in the military mess hall in Mosul on Dec. 21, 2004, killing 22 people and wounding approximately 70 others.

	Patrick Evans with his parents (center) and members of the House of Representatives

Evans, who suffered extensive abdominal injuries, is recuperating at home with his parents, Herbert and Patricia Evans, in Blue Ridge, Ga., where Lt. Evans graduated from Fannin County High School in 1998.

He was a social science major at North Georgia. Evans credits his experience in the Corps of Cadets as providing him with valuable leadership training for his subsequent service at bases in Fort Knox, Ky., Fort Lewis, Wash., and in Iraq, where he served as an executive officer in the U.S. Army 2nd Squadron, 14th Calvary Regiment in Mosul, Baghdad, and Fallujah.

NGCSU President David Potter and Col. Tom Palmer, commandant of the Corps of Cadets, were with Evans and his family in the Capitol, where the group visited with Gov. Sonny Perdue before Lt. Evans was presented to the General Assembly.

	The Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers

NGCSU Women & Leadership Conference set for March 1-2

DAHLONEGA – The 10th Annual Women & Leadership Conference at North Georgia College & State University will take place March 1-2 on the Dahlonega campus.

The keynote speaker, Sally Bethea, is the founding director of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, an environmental advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries and watershed. She will speak March 2 at 11 a.m. in the Health & Natural Sciences Auditorium on Sunset Drive.  

"The focus of this year's conference is everyday leadership and bringing out the leader in everyone," said conference committee chair Kathleen Dolan.

	Sally Bethea

Amy Blackmarr, the Georgia Writer’s Association Author of the Year Award winner in the essay division, will speak as part of a women writers’ panel on March 1 at 2 p.m. in Dunlap Hall, room 212.

Workshops and discussion panels involving many local community leaders are scheduled for the two-day event. Women student leaders will also lead some of the panels.

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, the duo better known as the Indigo Girls, will hold a charity concert March 2, 7-9 p.m., in the Memorial Hall Gym on the main campus. For ticket prices and purchasing, call 706-864-1446. The proceeds will go to Honor the Earth, an organization creating awareness and support for environmental issues and to develop resources for the survival of sustainable Native American communities.

An Honor the Earth panel with the Indigo Girls will take place earlier in the day from 3-4:45 p.m. in the HNS Auditorium.

For a complete schedule of events for the Women & Leadership Conference, go online to www.ngcsu.edu/wlc. More information available at 706-864-1446.

'Wit' comes to campus in three events

DAHLONEGA – Margaret Edson, playwright of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Wit,” about a professor diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, will speak at North Georgia College & State University and two productions of the play, the 2001 Emma Thompson film and an original stage production by the Student Theatre Guild, will take place during the months of February and March on campus. The events are free and open to the public.

Feb. 23, “Wit” starring Emma Thompson; The 2001 film starts at 7 p.m. in the Gloria Shott Auditorium and is sponsored by the Cultural Events Committee Film Festival. Emma Thompson puts in a tour de force as a renowned professor approaching 50 who is diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer. Dr. Kevin Mace will introduce the film.

March 2–6, The Student Theatre Guild’s production of "Wit"; The acclaimed play by Atlanta elementary school teacher Margaret Edson takes place at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium. Dr. Sandee McGlaun, language and literature, will play the title role. The NGCSU Student Theatre Guild, under the direction of Dr. Kevin Mace, performs the play that chronicles the personal awakening of a literary scholar who learns the importance of human kindness when faced with terminal cancer. Donations accepted.

March 9, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Margaret Edson on campus; The Atlanta elementary school teacher will speak in Hoag Auditorium at 7 p.m. Between earning degrees in history and literature, Edson worked in the cancer and AIDS unit of a research hospital. “Wit,” about a poetry professor’s fight against cancer, is her first play and won the Pulitzer Prize drama award. The event is sponsored by the Cultural Events Committee. For more information, call 706-864-1965.

North Georgia Homecoming Court announced

Gary Register, Megan Goodman (2003 HC Queen), Melissa Register (2005 HC Queen), NGCSU President David Potter

DAHLONEGA – At the Saints Basketball game on Jan. 22, eight students were recognized for their election to the 2005 Homecoming Court at North Georgia College & State University. The halftime ceremony featured candidates walking under a saber arch provided by members of the NGCSU Corps of Cadets.

Melissa Register was named Homecoming Queen. She is the daughter of Gary and Shelley Register of Freeport, Fla., and was escorted by her father. A biology major with a chemistry minor, Melissa Register is commander of the Second Battalion of the Corps of Cadets, a senior representative of the Student Government Association, and Intro Leader for new students, and a sweetheart for Sigma Omega fraternity. Melissa’s sister, Joanna, was crowned North Georgia’s Homecoming Queen in 2002 and also served in the Corps before graduating from NGCSU in 2003. Their brother, Jeremiah, who also is an alumnus of NGCSU, served as brigade commander of the Corps of Cadets in 2001-2002.

Other senior class members of the Homecoming Court: 

Corrie Duvall, the daughter of Zippy and Bonnie Duvall of Greensboro, Ga., was escorted by her father. A political science major, she also is a residence hall assistant, president of the Panhellenic Council, a member of Phi Mu, and an INTRO leader for new students.

Katie Hicks, the daughter of Mike and Cathy Howard from Toccoa, Ga., was escorted by her stepfather. A marketing major, she also is a member of Phi Mu sorority and is an INTRO leader.

Julie Sigl, the daughter of Curt and Bobbie Sigle of Snellville, Ga., was escorted by her father. She is a sociology major, a member of Phi Mu, a leader in Campus Outreach, and an NGCSU Ambassador.

Megan Thomas, the daughter of Michael and Sheila Thomas of Canton, Ga., was escorted by her father. She is a marketing major, president of Phi Mu, captain of the NGCSU Dance Team, and plays intramural sports on campus.

The freshman class representative on the court is Rosemary Cipolla, the daughter of John and Marianna Cipolla of LaGrange, Ga., who was escorted by her father. A sociology major and a member of the Student Activities Board, she serves as a freshman representative for the Student Government Association.

The sophomore class representative is Jennifer Askew. She is the daughter of Carlton and Tammy Askew of Gainesville, Ga., and was escorted by her father. An English education major with a sociology minor, she is a member of Kappa Delta sorority and was named the 2004 flag football most valuable player.

Representing the junior class is Katie Lambert, the daughter of Fred and Chris Lambert of Waleska, Ga., and was escorted by her father. An early childhood education major, she is the vice president of the Student Government Association, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, a Pi Kappa Phi sweetheart and an INTRO leader.

	Dr. Toni Barnett (center), coordinator of the NGCSU Family Nurse Practitioner program, observes two of her nursing students

NGCSU Family Nurse Practitioner program up for re-accreditation review

DAHLONEGA – Representatives of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission will visit the Master of Science in Nursing Program at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega on Feb. 1-3.

An Advisory Committee reception and meeting will take place on Tuesday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the first floor of the Health & Natural Sciences Building. The committee consists of representatives from all of the affiliating clinical agencies of the nursing department throughout the northern part of Georgia and metro Atlanta.

North Georgia’s master’s degree program admitted the first class in fall 1999 for the education of graduate students as Family Nurse Practitioners. The program received an initial accreditation from the NLNAC in 2000 for five years and, if successful, the upcoming accreditation will be for eight years.

“This is a voluntary peer review process that promotes quality improvement in nursing education,” explained Nancy Stahl, NGCSU interim department head of nursing. “The process provides recognition that a nursing education program has been evaluated and meets or exceeds standards and criteria for educational quality.” 

Stahl said that accreditation assures students that the program they are studying maintains high educational standards.

“Employers are assured that the graduates are competent nurses,” she added. “Maintaining accreditation through NLNAC enables student eligibility for funding support from federal and state agencies.” 

The two-year, six-semester Family Nurse Practitioner program, coordinated by Dr. Toni Barnett, consists of 46 semester hours at the graduate level. Students attend classes on campus and complete clinical hours to meet course objectives.

“Our students practice in physicians' offices with a physician, another nurse practitioner, or a physician's assistant, or in clinics such as health departments,” Stahl said. “Some practice in acute-care settings or hospital clinics.” 

The clinical agencies are scattered across North Georgia and included locations in Dalton, Gainesville, Toccoa, Blue Ridge, Athens, Kennesaw, Cumming, Trion, Clayton and Atlanta.

North Georgia’s FNP graduates take a certification exam before they are allowed to practice as an advanced practice nurse, and the pass rate in 2004 was 100 percent.

“The program has been very successful and maintains a positive reputation in the community,” Stahl said. “Many of the program’s graduates have remained in rural North Georgia areas to practice.” 

Faculty members meet annually with the clinical representatives from agencies used by all NGCSU nursing programs as a chance to share updates on programs, to find out about changes in the clinics and hospitals, and to discuss how to better communicate and work together.

During the accreditation visit, the evaluators will meet with agency representatives to discuss the master's degree program.

For additional information, call the NGCSU Nursing Department at 706-864-1935.

This page last modified on: Thursday, 31 March 2005 13:29:51 -0500 by University Relations    

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