Colleges and universities are delving into online options to meet the needs of their student body.  Charleston Southern has identified the growth of online programs as one of the top six strategic imperatives for the University.

Online programs are increasing the number of courses they offer and broadening the subject and program offerings in this format. “New Study: Over 6 Million Students Learning Online,” a recent article published by The Sloan Consortium, says a recognizable increase in online enrollments as compared to enrollments for higher education as a whole is noted, along with the acknowledgment that many institutions are incorporating online initiatives as part of their overall growth strategy.

CAPS Expansion

In recognition of this increased need for expanding delivery methods, the Charleston Southern administration has implemented additional programs in the online platform to provide opportunities for a niche of students who are unable to complete a degree in an on-campus setting.

The typical CAPS student balances a full-time job, school and family life, and a degree program offered 100 percent online is often the most favorable or only option for busy adults.

The renaming of the department to the College of Adult and Professional Studies better reflects the program and the students. To speak to this specific student population in upcoming program advertising, CAPS has adopted a theme of balance.

With increased per credit hour enrollments up approximately 40 percent for fall 2011, the strategic growth has not only been the result of meeting student demand for additional online courses but has also been a focused effort to ensure course rigor and provide student support within the platform.

“There are several key elements that are imperative to the success of these programs. These elements include an accelerated format, a superior platform that provides ease of access to professors and students and rigorous course content,” said Dr. Jim Jones, dean of the College of Adult and Professional Studies. “The importance of offering online courses for working adults is to provide an opportunity for personal, professional and spiritual growth.

“My own personal experience as an adult student required that I work full-time and attend on-ground classes,” said Jones. “The opportunities afforded to me in an online learning platform were not available. This educational pathway for online learning enables adults to meet or exceed their educational goals, which results in a chance to change their lives.”

Additional Programs       

The existing, fully online, undergraduate program, the bachelor of science in organizational management, is growing with the addition of four new programs for high growth industries.

Research of growing fields and relationships with leading Lowcountry companies led to four areas of growth.

Project Management courses launched in fall 2011.The additional concentrations will launch in the spring and summer of 2012.

The project management concentration teaches students to take projects from idea to reality and prepare to sit for the Project Management Institute certification exam.

The healthcare management concentration will aid practitioners moving into management and those new to the field in managing a complex industry.

Hospitality and tourism management will emphasize planning and development, advanced marketing, economics and organizational behavior unique to this field.

Students in the human resources management concentration will study employee training and development, labor relations, law, compensation and more.

Pearson Learning Studio 

Through the online platform provider, Pearson Learning Studio, expansive resources are made available to our students in both content and method of delivery.  Courses contain interactive components, media and discussion boards. Nearly all of the CAPS courses contain an eBook, saving students the cost of textbook purchases.

Tutorials help students learn to navigate the online classroom. An evaluation of classroom metrics shows Pearson’s enhanced resources have resulted in more than a 90 percent course completion rate for all CAPS courses.

Postitive CAPS student course evaluations for the first term of 2011 reinforce the benefits of Pearson’s resources.

Increased enrollment hours and promising data supporting the existing efforts to ensure the success of all CAPS students have led to additional plans to provide further avenues for student support in the future.

CAPS is integrating Pearson’s MyLab functionality into existing and future courses where applicable. The MyLab feature provides students with further media components and practice exercises in quantitative and qualitative subjects.

Writing manuals have been placed within various courses, and further tutorials are being developed that are subject specific.

In addition, an undergraduate course aimed toward providing skills for ensuring success in the online classroom is in the development stages.

Burgess, a native of Anderson, is a South Carolina Teaching Fellow.  The PLT test has a range of 100 to 200, with a score of 185 used to identify Recognition of Excellence winners. A Recognition of Excellence Certificate identifies those teaching certificate candidates who score in the top 15 percent nationally.

“Perfect scores of 200 on the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching K-6 test are very rare,” said Kevin Larkin of the Educational Testing Service. “Only about 0.2 percent of examinees have achieved scores this high.”

Burgess is completing a year of clinical practice at Spann Elementary School in Dorchester District Two, a Professional Development Site for CSU’s School of Education. She is on the Dean’s List, serves as treasurer of the Future Teachers’ Society and is an officer for Teaching Fellows.  She has served as a mentor/tutor at Boulder Bluff Elementary School and has worked with Lowcountry HeartWalk, Operation Charleston Child, Lowcountry Orphan Relief and Habitat for Humanity.

Dr. Norma Harper, dean of the School of Education, said, “Shannon is more than a perfect score. She lives out the CSU commitment to learning, leading and serving. Her intellectual and creative energy are already making a difference for children.”

The Principles of Learning and Teaching test is a requirement for graduation and state certification and measures the future teacher’s ability to apply knowledge and to think critically about classroom curriculum, management and assessment, as well as leadership skills.

April Knight graduated from Charleston Southern University, May 2008, bachelor of arts in religion, minor in art

Q: What was your turning point in choosing to pursue art?

A: The turning point for me in pursuing art for my life was just before the start of my junior year. I went to an event in N.C., called Worship Fest. During one of the breakouts called “the direction of your life,” I was encouraged to consider what I was most passionate about and then decide to pursue that … that possibly it was part of God’s dream for my life to share with the world and that He had entrusted it to me to make it come true. At the time I just knew in my heart that it was art and I had to pursue.   I called my mom and she said, “Are you sure”? She may have thought I was crazy but she didn’t let it show. My grandfather, who was paying for my education at the time, asked about a backup plan … considering the fact that I was halfway done with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, which by the world’s standards is a much wiser career path. I remember saying “I don’t need a backup plan because that means I don’t really trust God to make this dream come true.” Thankfully he was gracious to my radical little soul and did not relinquish his funds. The support of my family truly helped me pursue my dream with confidence.

Q: How are you involved with Seacoast; do you do live art during their worship services?

A: Seacoast is Robert’s and my home church. We absolutely love being part of the Lord’s work there. I paint at Seacoast on a monthly basis for our First Wednesday worship and communion service. Also this fall we hosted an art show called Affinities in which I had a series. In addition I help with stage design from time to time when they need a painter. Most recently I was part of the creative team for our Chosen women’s conference. My job was to transform the foyer space as well as put together an art installation wall with some of the conference’s theme scriptures. It was an incredible experience.

Q: What is your favorite medium?

A: My favorite medium is definitely acrylic. I always paint my work in acrylics. I love the colors you can achieve without having to wait long for a drying time as in oil painting. I really have only ever done one painting in oils and it wasn’t my favorite. I also love mixed media and collage. Lately I have been covering journals with collage and also fabric to sell in my Etsy shop. Collage and mixed media is my fun art that doesn’t really make me money.

Q: What are some ways that your art has impacted others on a spiritual level/personal level?

A: Well, I only know what people tell me, but from time to time people will come up after I paint and tell me that they really related with my piece, or that they felt like it was a word for them from the Lord on a specific area in their lives. There have been a couple really neat stories where I’ve completed a piece of artwork and afterward found out that it was a perfect fit for the particular place it was going to hang. Anytime that kind of thing happens it is always the Lord … and I am so thankful for His hand in my work.

Q: Have you received comments that people have been impacted by your Twitter scripture doodles?

A: Yes! The #scripturedoodle idea came straight from the Lord for me one day when I was starving for creativity in my life. My goal is to use it as a twitter Bible study of sorts to share the word of God in a creative way. Recently I asked twitter friends to do a #scripturedoodle collaboration on the book of Lamentations. A couple of the girls who took part said it really impacted their quiet time with the Lord; that they looked forward to their #scripturedoodle each day. God is using #scripturedoodle to make my dreams of encouraging creativity in worship come true. I keep telling my husband that #scripturedoodle is going to change the world … He agrees.

Q: How do you want to impact others who see your art?

A: My favorite art teacher of all time, Professor Aaron Baldwin, shared something with us in class that I often think about; he said something like, “As artists we want our art to change the world; it really just makes it a more beautiful place.” I want my art to make the world beautiful, but I really do want it to change the world. I want to draw people closer to their creator when they look at my paintings. Last year I did an art series called “Think;” it was a progressive series where each piece posed a question to ponder. The goal was to challenge people to evaluate where they were in life and cause them to ask themselves if there was more to life, to show them that a transformation can take place to reveal true life. When I paint work centered around scripture I want to bring the word to life for the person who receives it. I want them to look at my work and see Jesus.

Dr. Jim Jones, now the dean of the College of Adult and Professional Studies, was a new adjunct professor in the evening college when Collins was taking classes.

Jones had his class take an assessment to find their strengths and weaknesses. “He told us many companies will focus on our skill sets,” said Collins. “He said companies should concentrate on strengths. He shed some light on my life and made me rethink my perspective about myself.

“Dr. Jones once asked us in class, ‘What are you worth?’ I said I was satisfied with what I was making. He told me not to sell myself short. I get that now – I learned from that experience.

“I’m not a glass half full or glass half empty kind of person. I see the glass as half full of water and the other half full of air – always full of something,” said Collins.

The lessons learned in Jones’s class changed the direction Collins was headed. “The jobs I was trying to get weren’t right for me.”

“I decided on real estate,” she said. “I’m my own boss. In real estate I’m able to work as hard as I want.” Her first year in real estate she was named Rookie of the Year. Collins had found her niche.

“I agree with what Donald Trump says – that you should never feel like you’re taking a vacation, that you should love what you do,” said Collins. “I wake up excited every day about what I’m going to do. I help people leave the rental world and buy a house. It’s fun because I’m also kind of their therapist.

“I’m a busy girl; I have a lot of energy. I am my own boss, and my boss is tough on me, but I can also take down time when I need it.”

Collins said, “My father, grandfather and brother have an entrepreneurial drive, and I guess I do too.” She serves as vice president of Chucktown – a company her family owns which celebrates a laid back lifestyle. “My brother is a professional kite boarder, and it’s that kind of lifestyle,” she said. “It’s a fun, promotional kind of job to have.”

She also helps friends who are small business owners learn accounting software using the knowledge she gained in Accounting I and II. “It’s something I can do to help friends; I don’t get paid to do it,” said Collins.

At 19, newly graduated from Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, Collins headed to Arizona to study wilderness leadership. A year later, she was so homesick, she headed back to Charleston. “I met my husband, married, had a son and took core classes at Trident Tech.”

The adult business degree at Charleston Southern came up when she searched for a college for her next step. “I had a job and the challenges of being a new mom. Evening classes were perfect.”

In addition to earning a degree, Collins made lifelong friends in the program. And she learned one of her greatest lessons. “Two ladies, who were also moms, and I would stay two or three hours after class studying. I learned it was ok to ask for help. It’s important to have a group of peers who support each other.”

The support of friends and family sustained her. “I couldn’t have done it without the support of my husband,” said Collins.  “And without my dad – I called him after every class was over and he would say, what’s the question — about what I studied, and he always had the answer. Also, my sister had unconditional support for me the whole time; every “B” I got and cried about she reminded me that it was still great! I am a bit of an overachiever …”

Collins is the first person in her family to graduate from college. She earned her BA in 2008 and graduated with honors.

Note: Collins is a Realtor with Carolina One. For more information, visit www.hillarycollins.com or hcollins@carolinaone.com.

She was repeatedly told she needed more experience. She is gaining that experience by pursuing a master’s degree in international peace and conflict resolution at Arcadia University, outside Philadelphia. “How many people get to say they travel for school?” said Wentsky.

Her two-year graduate program focuses on one year in the classroom and the second year studying abroad. “I’ve been to seven countries in a year, five of them for school,” she said. She has studied ethnic conflict in Serbia and Ukraine, worked in a baby home in Uganda and traveled to Ireland, Serbia, Kosovo and Paris.

Wentsky is planning to put her background in interpersonal relations and international peace and conflict resolution to work by planning and conducting mission trips when she graduates.

“With any mission trip, there will definitely be conflict,” she said. “So many groups want to go into a country and dominate. They don’t understand the culture and what they are getting into. I want to help groups break down barriers.”

In class she studies the theory of conflict, and in her travels, she learns how to handle conflict. “Some conflicts just need to die out,” she said. “Others need mediation and help with different points of view.”

Her face lights up when she talks about her time in Uganda with Watoto, a Christian organization serving orphans. She spent a month in a baby home working with children from birth to three years old. “It’s a wonderful work they are doing to train Christian leaders for Uganda.”

Wentsky views preparation as key. “If you know a lot about a country before you go, you’ll have a better chance for success and adjustment,” she said. “When we went to Africa, we had done a lot of research. We thought we were prepared, but realized we weren’t.” She wants to spend her life preparing others to go.

“You need to know about general things we take for granted,” she said. She includes knowing what is appropriate and not appropriate to eat and drink in that category. “In Ukraine, Serbia, Kosovo and Africa we had to boil water or purchase bottled water. Packing the appropriate adaptors and converters and appropriate clothing are important too.”

Wentsky pays close attention to the climate and what people are wearing in the countries she is going to visit. Learning at least a few words in the language of the country is vital and can help with the success of your visit. “For example, Parisians and Ukrainians find it very rude if you don’t greet them. Put some effort into learning the language. Natives are more appreciative and personable if they feel you are making an effort,” she said.

The biggest preparation for a mission trip is spiritual. “Make sure you have prayed over yourself personally and ask God to prepare the hearts of those you are going to meet,” said Wentsky.

“Remember whatever plans are created, circumstances are going to change. Being able to go with the flow takes some of the stress away and allows God to work in his mighty ways!” she said.

“It is good to remember, wherever people go, they are the visitors. Individuals are there to help, not take control. Mission trips are to provide assistance and allow growth in areas to continue after the group leaves.”

Wentsky looks forward to the time she can lead her own mission trip groups and make life a little better for all she meets on her travels.

Q. How has your degree helped you in your professional life?

The knowledge I learned while attaining my management degree has allowed me to effectively manage large projects at work in a project manager role as well as perform financial analyses of defendant assets. My BMA has increased my efficiency and effectiveness while building my confidence and self-esteem and has allowed me to take on additional responsibilities.

Q. What do you do at Motley Rice?

I work on 9/11 litigation as a paralegal on the Anti-Terrorism & Human Rights Team. We partake in a comprehensive, international effort to uncover the financial and material sponsors of al Qaeda and disrupt the cash flow of their terrorist activities. Terrorist groups rely on continuous funding, often millions of American dollars, to recruit members, provide training, promote their organizations and provide logistical support for operations and attacks. We use civil litigation not only to recover for terror victims, but also to expose and punish the financial sponsors of terrorist organizations in order to deter and disrupt future acts of terrorism.

Q. How did you become involved with the CAPS Alumni Association?

Dr. Jim Jones announced that the University was starting a CAPS chapter of the alumni association. I thought that was a wonderful idea, and volunteered for the role of president and was subsequently elected president by my fellow alumni.

Q. What is the purpose of the CAPs Alumni Association?

Our College of Adult and Professional Studies Alumni Association mission is to serve; to serve God, the alumni, the University, the students and the community. With distance learning, it can be difficult to feel a real sense of unity with other students and the university outside of your cohort. It is very important to us that nontraditional students who attend CAPS feel that they are a part of the Charleston Southern family. The Alumni Association will help to promote a positive image of the University; we can do this by strengthening feelings of identity with the University and by offering opportunities for alumni to serve the University, faculty and staff, the students and the community. We will keep alumni conversant with the programs and activities of the College of Adult and Professional Studies and the University, encourage alumni to be lifelong stewards and participants in the Charleston Southern community, and promote interaction among CAPS alumni through programs and activities that enrich their professional and personal lives.

Q. What are your hopes for the Alumni Association? What plans do you have as president?

What we hope to accomplish is to create a network which brings the CAPS alumni together by promoting a sense of University pride among all graduates, allowing them to share their experiences, their stories, advice and fellowship. By embracing our alumni and getting them involved in the organization, we can make a difference in our community. We plan to host community events, such as charity fundraisers, which will foster a sense of goodwill toward the University and enhance Charleston Southern’s image. We also hope to create resources for deserving CAPS students by engaging in fundraising that will allow us to provide scholarships. We also hope to hold social events to allow the alumni a chance to network and meet one another in person.

Q. Do you have anything you would like to share with CSU Magazine readers?

We plan on sending a letter to CAPS alumni in the near future introducing the alumni chapter and the officers. I encourage involvement in this worthwhile organization and welcome any suggestions and ideas that alumni have for the organization. Contact us at CSU.CAPS.alumni@gmail.com. And go Bucs!

Take a moment; let that sink in.

This essentially boils down to this basic mathematic formula: 1,000 miles divided by 30 days equals, roughly, 33 miles per day. For the record, a marathon is 26.2 miles. What Mangini is attempting is 38 marathons in 30 days.

Simple math – with a calculator; interesting – if you are reading this over lunch; inspiring – on paper; easier said, calculated and plotted, than done.

Mangini, a full-time student in Charleston Southern University’s College of Adult and Professional Studies and a member of the Board of Visitors, is the Chief Executive Officer of SweetAngelGifts.com, a philanthropic online gift company whose mission is to partner with charities to cure and/or control disease and make a significant impact on society.

Not long after SweetAngelGifts.com launched last fall, the company partnered with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease research. Instead of simply adding The Michael J. Fox Foundation to his list of partners, Mangini invested time in researching Parkinson’s, its fundraising efforts and the overwhelming effects the disease has on human life.

The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation reports more than five million people worldwide have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (60,000 are diagnosed every year); another two million are estimated to be living with the disease – but have yet to be diagnosed. An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease.

The disease not only cripples people physically, but financially as well. The PDF states, “combined direct and indirect cost of Parkinson’s, including treatment, social security payments and lost income from inability to work, is estimated to be nearly $25 billion per year in the United States alone.”

The numbers were staggering as Mangini sat in his office pulling research off the Internet. “It shocked me,” he said. “I didn’t realize it affected so many people, and right now there is no cure. I just sat back in my chair and absorbed that.”

Mangini felt challenged. As his mind began thinking how and where he and his company could attack this problem, “the gears started turning,” he remembers. “Marathons seem to be very effective. I am in Charleston, South Carolina. The Michael J. Fox Foundation is headquartered in New York City, what if I was to run from here to there?”

His first call was to Katy Reitz, director of advancement for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. When he casually threw the idea out the phone went silent, a pause that seemed to last forever.

“This is fantastic,” Reitz finally replied. “I think this is heroic.”

“I figured she was thinking, this is either heroic or I am nuts – probably a little more nuts,” Mangini said laughing. “Team Fox is just an amazing organization of passionate people who are helping with communication and national media.”

After moving to Charleston two years ago and launching a startup company, Mangini decided to take care of some unfinished business, a college degree. He searched Google for Charleston colleges and enrolled at Charleston Southern’s College of Adult and Professional Studies.

“Two things really stood out,” said Mangini. “There is faith integrated into learning – as a Christian, that was huge – and the other was the flexibility of having an online, off-campus degree program. With my busy schedule I could work and still take classes online, on my schedule. The flexibility allowed me to run my own company and balance taking classes full-time.”

Mangini is balancing priorities — his business, life, marriage — and now, the rigorous college class work at CSU, taking 18 credit hours per semester. The journey will mean he’ll be gone 30-35 days, away from his wife, his life, his business and his school work. He called Daniela, his wife.

“I wasn’t sure how she was going to take it,” said Mangini. “When I first told her she was at work, and I said, “By the way, this is what I’m thinking of doing …”

The casual, “by the way …” query seemed to work. Daniela was encouraging and supportive.

Mangini began plotting his course on a map, figuring out ways to connect with the community along the way. The 1,000 Mile Marathon: Search for America’s Heroes will include stops in 13 major markets along the route to host fundraising events. The financial goal is $500,000, made possible by The Brin-Wojickick challenge; dollar-for-dollar fundraising match by Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google, the search-engine company, and his wife, Anne Wojcicki, a co-founder of 23andMe, a genetic-testing company.

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Mangini plans to spend his spring educating, training and promoting 1,000 Mile Marathon: Search for America’s Heroes. Since going public with his plan, people in Charleston, customers and business partners across the country have begun to rally in support of the event.

Oh, one small detail: James Mangini doesn’t enjoy running – or even walking. At age 32, he has never run a marathon. He’s never run a half-marathon. The longest distance he’s ever run was five or six miles when he was in the military. He was 19 years old.

“I’m a strength athlete,” he said. “I enjoy working out with weights and just a little bit of cardiovascular workouts to keep your heart healthy, so this will be interesting.”

Mangini began planning his physical workout schedule with a call to Sam Fox [no relation to Michael J. Fox], who ran 2,250 miles in 61 days in support of Parkinson’s. Fox’s advice to Mangini was simple: practice like you’re going to play.

“ My goal and plan will be to mimic what I am going to be doing on the road, which is to jog a couple miles, walk a couple, jog a couple; the problem is the body – remember, this is the equivalent of one-and-one-half marathons a day – is not going to have time to recover,” said Mangini.

Mangini is expected to consume 8,900 calories a day. The terrain will be rugged; the journey dangerous. Mangini will have a support team trailing in a vehicle every step of the 1,000 Mile Marathon. But he must overcome more than physical endurance. This “journey” will require intense focus and mental preparation.

“You’re pushing yourself to a physical and emotional limit every day,” Fox said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. “You don’t have time to recover. Not getting enough rest. Not getting enough food; trying to catch up because you’ve fallen behind. All those things factor in. The emotional part is going to be the biggest challenge for me, especially on the road.”

“If I am on the road 8-10 hours a day, what do I do?” Where is my mind at?” said Mangini. “There are some things we are going to do from a marketing perspective using technology to connect. But, I think, being mentally prepared, being mentally there during the trip and at the speaking engagements will be the toughest part.”

Daunting, certainly, but for Mangini this journey is a matter of the heart. Three years ago Parkinson’s was another disease on a long list of debilitating illnesses. Then Mangini’s father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and suddenly the disease had a face.

“When my father was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s it really didn’t sink in,” he said. “I didn’t see any of the symptoms, you know, the tremors and loss of body functions.”

When Mangini went home last summer the tremors were only noticeable in his father’s pinky finger. Then, last Christmas, James and Daniela traveled to New Jersey to spend time with his family. As they pulled up to the curb, James’ father came out of the house to greet them.

“From the time I saw him last summer, the disease has progressed quite a bit,” said Mangini. “His body movements, his facial expressions, there’s a lot of loss of control of movement and tremors.”

Daniela held back tears. It was in that moment James knew his father was physically in a fight with a powerful disease. “When we got out of the car to speak to him, we realized Parkinson’s also affected his ability to communicate.”

“That was tough,” he said. “In six months [since the last time he saw his father], it’s night and day. I’m still trying to put that together. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through.”

Mangini’s father has always been active and was a Little League umpire in New Jersey.

“The stages I’ve gone through, in terms of passion and level of energy for this project, obviously starts with my father, then the realization after seeing my father, it becomes personal.”

The second to the last stop on the 1,000 Mile Marathon: Search for America’s Heroes will be Hillsborough, New Jersey, Mangini’s hometown. He will have the opportunity to stop and see his father on the final leg of the journey. “I can’t even imagine what that is going to be like,” he said. “It will be really fun and emotional, but I hope we can raise awareness and honor my father.”

Mangini is driven by his father’s condition, but his relationship to Parkinson’s disease runs deeper. His father’s grandfather was diagnosed in the 1960s with the disease and lived the last 20 years of his life fighting the condition. Through his partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, he’s met and built friendships with people with Parkinson’s. Some of his customers have Parkinson’s.

“When I first spoke to my father about this he was speechless,” said Mangini, who told his father at Christmas. “He was so proud and honored. I think he’s still trying to digest everything we’re doing. The whole family has been extremely supportive.”

Pride. Honor. Courage. There are no numbers, no math, no words to define that.

###

For more information on the 1,000 Mile Marathon: Search for America’s Heroes, visit 1000milemarathon.org.

His aides follow him everywhere, guarding his precious moments, even at his alma mater, where he’s scheduled an hour for videotaping and an interview.

When he arrives on campus on an August afternoon, the heat index has climbed to 112; he has already spoken to a chamber of commerce, attended a luncheon and has a full afternoon scheduled.

For his formal photograph, we select a wingback chair in the lobby of the Chapel, and when he sits down he laughingly discovers that the chair reclines.

He’s on his home turf, among friends, feeling comfortable and relaxed.

Halfway through the interview, his feet hit the floor, he rests his arms on his knees, leans forward and speaks with intensity – because now we’re talking about Tim Scott’s faith. 

The Faith Factor

“Politics is my mission field,” said Scott. “I don’t do it well all the time, but I am an ambassador for the Lord’s love all the time.” And Scott knows sometimes that love has to be tough. He is serious about the teaching about Christians and government authorities found in Romans 13.

“As a country, I want to correct where we’re wrong and emphasize where we’re right,” said Scott. “My goal is to be a public servant who seeks divine wisdom from the Lord.”

Scott, a Lowcountry native, was attending Presbyterian College on a small football scholarship when he gave his life to the Lord. “I decided that the Lord wanted me to do something with my life besides play football,” said Scott. He received a Christian Leadership Scholarship from Charleston Southern and Morris Street Baptist Church which allowed him to enroll at CSU.

Scott describes his time at Charleston Southern as a time where he was back at home, surrounded by people who loved him and were committed to the Lord. “One of the things that happened during my four years at CSU was the ability to learn how to think, how to process, how to plan, to uncover my potential,” he said. “The Lord’s Word, the Bible itself, is an opportunity to excavate, to dig into it and bring out the pearls and the jewels that are important for what He has called you to do. And you discover that on this campus in a way that is very meaningful, and I believe it was part of the foundation that serves me today,” he said.  

He credits his professors, especially Dr. Gerald Hasty of the political science department, with showing him that our country needs politicians with strong character. “At that point I can’t pretend I was thinking about going to Congress, but I was thinking about finding ways to serve the country. I always felt like the Lord had given me a promise that if I would do all that I could do with what I had that he would expand it and make it something valuable.”

Keeping it Real

Life in the public eye in Washington, D.C., can be brutal. The pull of power can be enticing. Scott meets with his prayer partner when he is in Charleston. “Having that prayer partner is critically important to staying true,” he said.

“I recently read a book by Tim Keller called Counterfeit Gods,” said Scott. “I believe all men have an idol. It is either the Supreme God, or we are making an idol of something which is less than the Supreme God.”

Scott credits spending time with people, scriptures and prayer with keep him grounded. “Coming home is good too,” he said. “The more time I spend with God, the less I am like myself – which is a good thing.

“It’s so important to have a relationship with Jesus that’s alive,” said Scott. “Your relationship can’t just be what you experienced last week, or last year. I always want to feel my best days of faith are still ahead, that my heart is aching for what makes God’s heart ache. Right now I am more in love with Jesus and desperate for His wisdom and presence than I’ve been in a long time.”

The Mentor

Scott credits the late John Moniz, who owned a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Northwoods Mall, with turning his life around and pointing a directionless high school student toward a life of purpose. These days, Scott serves as a mentor to several people.

He is passionate about helping others realize their potential and is a frequent speaker on the topic.

“We all have the power of influence,” said Scott. Three things shape what we do when we mentor others.

“You have to maximize the purpose – to realize the specific purpose you are called to fulfill,” said Scott. He cites Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” “This doesn’t necessarily mean material prosperity, but it is based on God’s plan for you,” said Scott. “Understanding His purpose allows you to fulfill His plan.”

Scott is a planner, and he wants others to plan as well. “I like to say I’m with the GOP – goals on paper,” Scott joked. “To maximize your experience here on earth, you have to plan.”

Scott stressed that mentors have to understand their potential. “You have to understand God’s purpose to understand your potential,” he said. He likes to use the example of a mother’s purpose. Her purpose isn’t to be a friend to her children, but to parent her children. Over time the relationship changes, but her initial purpose is to parent.

“As you mature, you understand God’s purpose for you more – it leads to more illumination,” he said. “Missing this notion of purpose lets us drift, and we don’t maximize our potential.”

Scott is realistic about the problems facing our government and leaders. “I see the problems of our nation and our survival,” said Scott. “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, when my life is in His hands, I am safe as I can be.”

The freshman congressman from South Carolina is right where he wants to be.

Three days later the phone call came, asking if she was interested.

It’s a warm, sunny late spring afternoon, a lot like the day she interviewed for the job, and Hulsey is sitting behind her desk in the Derry Patterson Wingo School of Nursing at Charleston Southern as eager and excited as the day she started, July 1, 2007.

There is a framed poster above her head with a pencil sketch of young girl and a childlike scrawl in the upper right-hand corner that reads: When I grow up I’m gonna be a nurse.

“It reminds me constantly that this is what I always wanted to do,” she explained. “It’s interesting the students who come in that have that same feeling in themselves. I can’t tell you how many people see that the minute they walk in and make a comment.”

Hulsey remembers first seeing the poster while she was in middle school and thinking “that’s me.” When her grandmother passed away more than a decade ago, Hulsey found a note she had written to her as a child that said when she grew up she wanted to be a nurse.

“I’ve known I wanted to be a nurse since I was about four years old,” said Hulsey.

This is Tara Hulsey’s passion, her calling, for as long as she can remember. She thanks her grandfather, a minister, for showing her the meaning of service. “Growing up with my grandparents and being with him a lot when he was ministering to other people, I just believed it was what I was meant to do, and I was called to do it.” She said. “I’ve never wanted to do anything else.”

She attended Willington Academy High School, a modest, private school in Orangeburg. Born in Georgetown, Hulsey would move and eventually be one of two dozen in her high school graduating class.

After being accepted to Clemson University, Hulsey packed up her framed photo and moved on campus to begin work on her four-year degree in nursing. After graduating, Hulsey spent one year as a nurse at Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, then moved south and was hired at MUSC where she worked and later earned her master’s degree from the College of Nursing.

After working with and around research at MUSC, Hulsey decided it was time to earn her doctorate. She enrolled at the University of South Carolina where she traveled to-and-from one day a week, every Wednesday for four semesters, attending classes from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Hulsey was with MUSC’s College of Nursing for nine years when Charleston Southern recruited her to succeed Dr. Marian Larisey as dean of the Derry Patterson Wingo School of Nursing.

“I was in a place where I couldn’t grow a lot,” Hulsey said. “It was not nearly as exciting as coming to a place where I can grow and feel like I can make a big difference in people’s lives that were coming into nursing.”

When the call did come, Hulsey knew it was God-inspired. She relished the idea of working in a Christian environment. “I really wanted to be able to live my life with Christ all the time, and not in segments, because in the secular academic world it’s very different,” she said.

She can’t resist a smile when the conversation shifts from personal to professional. This is Hulsey’s opportunity to brag about her team.

“It’s not a ‘me’ effort, it’s the team,” said Hulsey. “The team has done great work. I am really proud of them. The successes of the program, at least since I have been here, are not my successes, but the success of the faculty and the students.”

One of Hulsey’s first initiatives was a grant application to support a national initiative for quality and safety – only 15 colleges in the country would be selected. If the CSU School of Nursing was selected the initiative would bring national recognition for the program and allow the School of Nursing to serve as a consultant school for other schools across the United States.

“If I could bring that, what a great kick-off to show the potential of what we could be and what we have here,” said Hulsey.

The University won. The students won. The faculty won. Hulsey smiled and pushed forward.

She led the charge to grow the new undergraduate health promotion , transition the RN-BSN program to an online format, and add a master of science in nursing online graduate program. The program added new technology, the iStan simulator, to leverage CSU nursing students in education.

Record numbers of prenursing students enrolled this past year, and with the national nursing shortage, the opportunity has created more interest. This is attributed to the dedication of our faculty, our involvement in national and cutting-edge initiatives, the past support of donors and the overall high quality of our program.

This past winter, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to expand enrollments in the University’s nursing program. With School of Nursing completing the first phase of the planned expansion, Hulsey said, “The partners in the community are stepping up and saying, ‘we’ll give you the dedicated spaces, the clinical spaces that you need.’”

The success of the School of Nursing, and the college, has been built on the vision of integrating faith in learning, leading and serving, an initiative that Hulsey and the faculty have embraced, in the classroom and the community at large.

Hulsey said the faculty conducted a curriculum mapping of all the courses in the program. The team reviewed the course objectives and descriptions and responded with program objectives that reflect a Christian worldview.

“At first we thought, ‘OK, we’re doing that. We role model, we say a prayer before students take a test.’ But that’s really not what faith integration is,” said Hulsey. “Nursing is a service. It’s a service to God. We serve Him through the people that we serve. If we can reach more people that can help our profession from a Christian perspective, it’s what I think we should be doing.”

The past four years have been a steady stream of success for the School of Nursing, making the program one of the most competitive and successful in the country. With the only traditional, four-year bachelor of science in nursing program in the Lowcountry, CSU nursing students have compiled a four-year average pass rate of 97 percent on the national exam required to receive a license to practice (NCLEX-RN). The 2007-2011 pass rate of 97 percent is the highest 4-year average of all accredited BSN programs in South Carolina.

But the work is not done says Hulsey. “I feel like we have not accomplished all the initiatives that we as a faculty have set out to accomplish. We are still expanding. I see more opportunities for us that will be in response to healthcare reform, that I feel the school needs to be poised to do and be a part of, seeing that through has not happened yet. And, our impact on this university, we’re not done yet, and I want to make sure we get to that point.”

When she arrived in 2007, Hulsey had a clear vision for the School of Nursing program: To be nationally recognized as one of the top Christian nursing programs in the country.

“I’m already starting to see it,” she said.

Dr. Jacqueline Fish, chair of the criminal justice department and director of graduate studies in criminal justice, was part of a six-member certified training team in Advanced Forensics Investigations for Hazardous Events who traveled to Arlington to prepare law enforcement agencies for examination and collection of forensic evidence in a contaminated environment including biological, chemical and explosives.

“We have to treat this as a crime scene, whether it is or not, collect the evidence and get out safely,” she said.

Handling the evidence and getting it safely to a lab for analysis is part of the education process, but safety is also a key concern. Most agencies are unaware of the dangers.

“They don’t think about the inhalation of anthrax,” said Fish. “Take 9-11, everything those people were breathing in is now killing people, and CSIs just don’t have that awareness.”

The training is provided by the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training (NCBRT) at Louisiana State University and is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This was the first time the training was provided for a Super Bowl game.

Preparing for the course is no small feat. The training equipment was hauled from Louisiana to Texas in a 53-foot tractor trailer, including state-of-the-art technology.

“We hope they never use these skills,” said Fish.

Fish was part of the original development team that organized the training.

She also co-authored a new book titled Practical Crime Scene Investigations for Hot Zones. The book is published by CRC Press.