American Legion helps local baseball talent attend USCB



Scott Mullen, the Beaufort High School Baseball Coach, Rich Delmore (Adjutant, American Legion Post 9), Artie Heape (American Legion Commander, Post 9), Brian Lewallyn, USCB Assistant Baseball Coach, Weldon Smith, USCB Baseball Player, and George E. Miller (Athletic Director, American Legion Post 9).



October 25, 2011

Beaufort and Bluffton, SC- American Legion Posts 9 and 207 from Beaufort donated a $1,000 scholarship to local USCB baseball player, Weldon Smith who played at Battery Creek High School. 

Present for the donation were Scott Mullen, the Beaufort High School Baseball Coach, Rich Delmore (Adjutant, American Legion Post 9), Artie Heape (American Legion Commander, Post 9), George E. Miller (Athletic Director, American Legion Post 9), and Brian Lewallyn, USCB Assistant Baseball Coach.

The local American Legion provides a scholarship each year to a baseball player at USCB who is from Beaufort County to help bridge the gap between local baseball talent in Beaufort County with the Sandsharks at USCB.  According to Miller, “The local American Legion baseball teams are supported by and dependent upon local businesses and individuals.  As such, we want to help local ballplayers get a solid four year college education right here, at home.”

Smith, who received the scholarship, stated “I am so thankful to the American Legion and the USCB baseball coaches for their amazing support.”  According to Head Baseball Coach, Rick Sofield, “There hasn’t been any more deserving player in our program to receive an award than Weldon. He is one of finest individuals I have been associated with at any level. I’m proud to know him.”

                                                                                                                                     

Such scholarships also motivate student Athletes to remain at USCB for their entire 4 years of baccalaureate education. According to Athletics Director, Ty Rietkovich, “Many local people still view us as a short-term campus, with the intent of transferring elsewhere after two years.  But, more and more our athletes are viewing USCB as destination.  This year we will be graduating our biggest class of student athletes to date. And there’s more to come.”

MEDIA CONTACT:                                                                                                              

Candace Brasseur

USCB Public Information Director

843-208-8030 

brasse@uscb.edu

USCB recognizes Brigadier General Lori Reynolds as Honorary Coach of the Game

October 26, 2011

Bluffton, SC- Brigadier General Lori Reynolds, Commanding General of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Eastern Recruiting Region, Parris Island, was recognized as the University of South Carolina Beaufort Honorary Coach of the women’s soccer game against Emory-Riddle.

While visiting USCB’s Hilton Head Gateway Campus, General Reynolds met with students who had prior military experience and spouses of active-duty military personnel.   She applauded Ashiki Lewis, who served in the Marine Corps for 8 years, for her commitment to finishing her education, and achieving her dream of being a teacher.  “You are going to make an amazing teacher, good for you.”

General Reynolds also spoke to the USCB Soccer team, as well as the USCB Softball team. According to Athletics Director, Ty Rietkovich, "It was an honor and pleasure to have General Reynolds address our female athletes and attend our game. They were amazed when she correlated her role as a General in the Marine Corps to her days as a basketball and softball player in college."

Brigadier General Lori Reynolds is 1 of only 2 female Generals currently serving on active duty in the Marine Corps, and is the first female to be the Commanding General of Parris Island.

MEDIA CONTACT:                                                                                                              

Candace Brasseur

USCB Public Information Director

843-208-8030 

brasse@uscb.edu

USCB Students Host Annual Holiday 5K December 2, 2011

October 24, 2011

Bluffton and Beaufort, SC- Students enrolled in the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Introduction to Sport Event Management course are organizing a 5k “Trot for Tots” in an effort to raise money for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The race will take place on December 2^nd, 2011 at the Habersham Marketplace in Beaufort, South Carolina. The “Trot for Tots” is being hosted as a warm up to the Savannah Bridge Run, which takes place the following morning.

“We hope that the ‘Trot for Tots’ will promote health and fitness in the local community,” said sport event management professor Keri Olivetti. “The students have also decided to use this race as a platform to give to those who may be struggling during the holiday season by collecting toys for Toys for Tots. All of the money raised from this race will be donated to Toys for Tots as well.”

Every component of the ‘Trot for Tots’ has been managed by the thirty-seven students are currently enrolled in the Introduction to Sport and Event Management course offered through the Department of Hospitality Management at USCB.  In organizing The Trot for Tots, the class divided into 3 teams (Marketing, Environment, and Celebration), each focusing on a different aspect of the race. Students have been responsible for everything: finding a venue, securing sponsors, designing a logo, creating awards, and promoting the event.

Not only is the race an opportunity for USCB students to give back to the community, but it provides real world experience in the planning and management of an event. In an effort to make this year’s race the best yet, students are offering a reduced registration fee for those who sign up early, are in the military, or bring a toy to support the cause. The students chose to support Toys for Tots because of the strong ties to Marines in the local community.

For more information or to register, please view: http://www.wix.com/uscbtrot4tots/uscbtrot4tots#%21.

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This release was drafted by USCB students enrolled in the Introduction to Sport Event Management course.

About USCB

Located in the heart of the Carolina Sea Islands, the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) is a senior institution of the University of South Carolina system serving the southeast coast of Georgia and South Carolina. USCB has been the fastest growing baccalaureate institution in the USC system since becoming a four year university in 2002.The University has two campuses which serve a diverse student body of more than 1750 students. The Historic Beaufort campus, located on Beaufort’s downtown waterfront, houses an innovative baccalaureate studio arts program in close proximity to Beaufort’s many art galleries.  The Hilton Head Gateway campus in Bluffton, S.C., offers cutting-edge Computational Science and Nursing laboratories and is the home to Sand Shark athletics.  USCB offers students an exceptional place to learn and live in an environment focused on growth, preservation and opportunity. For more information about the University of South Carolina Beaufort, please visit www.uscb.edu online or call the university’s Office of Public Information at 843-208-8030.

About Marine Toys for Tots

The mission of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. For more information, please see http://www.toysfortots.org/about_toys_for_tots/toys_for_tots_program/default.asp.

USCB Athletes “Make the Grade” on and off the field

October 24, 2011

Bluffton, SC- The University of South Carolina Beaufort Athletics Department has reason to celebrate.  They have been awarded the Champions of Character Five Star Award through the NAIA Scorecard released on Oct. 5^th, 2011. 

Because USCB did not “Make the Grade” the previous year, student athletes worked especially hard to earn this prestigious award. And they will continue working even harder to increase their score.  “Our goal this year is to maintain our status of ‘Making the Grade’ and improve our score,” stated Athletic Director, Ty Rietkovich.  “It is my hope that every coach on staff is looking for ways to instill the 5 Core Values of the Champions of Character program into our student athletes.”

The Scorecard process is based on the NAIA’s flagship program Champions of Character, which emphasizes five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership. To learn more about the NAIA Champions of Character Scorecard and Five Star Award visit www.ChampionsofCharacter.org.

“The Scorecard supports and recognizes member institutions and conferences using sport as a vehicle to teach life lessons. No doubt this is a point of differentiation in college athletics and making a huge impact on our 60,000 student-athletes” said Kristin Gillette, NAIA Director of Champions of Character.

Institutions were measured based on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earned points in each of the following categories: character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition, and character promotion. Institutions earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by obtaining zero ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.

“Making a difference for our athletes both on and off the field is something that we should all take great pride in” said Rietkovich.  To his staff, Rietkovich stated “I am proud to be associated with each of you on a daily basis and proud of the example you set for all our student – athletes to follow.”

Drafted by:  Stefny Ankney, Social Media Intern

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About NAIA

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is the governing body for athletics programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission is to advance character-driven intercollegiate athletics while promoting the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through sport participation. The association offers equitable access and opportunities to more than 60,000 student-athletes for the chance to compete in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country.

Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. NAIA Champions of Character is the association’s innovative flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves. To learn more visit www.NAIA.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:                                                                                                              

Candace Brasseur

USCB Public Information Director

843-208-8030 

brasse@uscb.edu

USCB Center for the Arts Exhibits “Icons of the Lowcountry”

October 18^th- November 20^th

Beaufort, SC- The University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts Gallery will be exhibiting “Icons of the Lowcountry” by Barbara James from October 18^th  – November 20^th. James describes the inspiration for her fiber art as, “inspired by the lush and exotic landscapes of my home on the Sea Islands of South Carolina.  The tide, moon, marshes grass, and black-water rivers wrap around you like the soft silk of my art.”

The public is welcome to attend an opening reception in celebration of “Icons of the Lowcountry” on Tuesday, October 18^th from 5:30-7:00pm in the CFA at USCB’s Historic Beaufort Campus.    This event is free of charge. For more information, please call 521-4145.

FIBER ART

by

Barbara James

Fabric is endlessly fascinating.  It excites our senses as it moves and pushes the artist, and the collector, to fully embrace the sight, sound, touch and even smell of the cloth; it is not passive.

Intuitive dyeing and printing guide me through the layers of multiple colors and design to create each work. It starts when yards of pure white silk, arrive at the studio.  I custom mix colors to create dye baths.  Clamp, stitch or fold the fabric to create a resist and   immerse the cloth, multiple times, in the different baths to create depth and mystery. Then using any combinations of personally designed silk screens, rubber stamps, stencils, brushes, paint rollers – or found objects like bubble wrap, pine bark, tires or grids – I press, paint or roll color onto the fabric adding multiple patterns of interest. The result is a vivid original piece of art that combines both representational and abstract imagery.

My exhibit, Icons of the Lowcountry, is inspired by the lush and exotic landscapes of my home on the Sea Islands of South Carolina.  The tide, moon, marshes grass, and black-water rivers wrap around you like the soft silk of my art.   

MEDIA CONTACT

Bonnie Hargrove

Center for the Arts Director

843.521-4145

bhargrov@uscb.edu

USCB to Recognize Wounded Warrior During Sand Shark “Military Appreciation” Soccer Game

October 20^th

Bluffton, SC–The USCB Women’s Soccer Team will honor our nation’s wounded heroes during their game against Newberry College at the Hilton Head Gateway campus on Hwy 278, on October 20^th at 3pm. In partnership with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), USCB has invited a wounded warrior to be an “honorary coach” of the game.  

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor and empower these wounded warriors and make this the most successful, well-adjusted generation of veterans in our nation’s history.

Wounded Warrior Douglas Hamilton Kinard Jr. will be honored at the game. Kinard served with the Army for 20 years and was awarded a Combat Action Badge & Purple Heart. He is married to Britnee Kinard. They have a daughter, Ellerbe, and a son, Blayne.

“Wounded warriors are models of service and dedication, and being publicly recognized for their sacrifices at events like this can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them,” said Steve Nardizzi, Executive Director of Wounded Warrior Project. “Our hope is that these warriors also inspire the teams and fans around the country as they share their stories of recovery and resiliency.”

USCB has many military students, and even faculty with military backgrounds.  Nursing professor, Mary Jarmulowicz, Commander in the Navy Nurse Corps, retired from the United States Navy in 1996, after 22 years of military service.   She notes, “What I did is pale in comparison to those who have entered into battle, been injured, or given the ultimate sacrifice so that I may continue to live free.  I salute all wounded warriors along with those who have died so that I may live free.  Bravo Zulu.” 

Over 44,000 service members have been physically wounded during the current military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands more are estimated to be recovering from invisible wounds of war, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

For more information on WWP, please visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

About NACDA
NACDA, now in its 47th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,300 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations that come under the umbrella of the athletics director. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.

About Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

Top USCB Students Learn from Regional Leaders

Bluffton, SC- For the past seven weeks, influential members from the Lowcountry community have been coming to the University of South Carolina Beaufort to share their experiences and thoughts about leadership to selected students in a special class entitled Leadership in Practice, hosted by Chancellor Jane Upshaw.

State senator Tom Davis, USDA rural development state director Vernita Dore, Beaufort mayor Billy Keyserling, CEO of Hilton Head Healthcare Mark O’Neil, Commanding General of Parris Island Lori Reynolds, and Beaufort Country school education superintendent Valerie Truesdale have each spoken to the class thus far.

Six more community leaders are scheduled to appear before the end of the semester, including former Penn Center Director Emory Campbell and CEO of the South Carolina Lottery Paula Harper Bethea.

As noted by Chancellor Upshaw, “It is heartening to have busy and important community and business leaders who are willing to share their time and life experiences with USCB Leadership in Practice students.”  Upshaw added that the idea for the class was presented to her by USCB’s Department of Social Sciences chair, Dr. Charles Spirrison, who had experience with similar classes at other institutions prior to assuming his current position at USCB.

In order to enroll in the class, students had to be recommended by two professors and demonstrate leadership on campus. They were also required to submit a written essay, a resume, and were subjected to a formal interview process.

Of the 25 students invited to apply, ten were selected to participate. According to Chancellor Upshaw, “The Leadership students represent USCB well through their reflective and probing questions.  It has been fascinating to see the interaction of our students with these leaders.” 

Nine of the ten students enrolled are seniors with varying backgrounds, including Presidents of campus organizations, student athletes, and editors of the school newspaper. 

Erica Moore, USCB’s student body president and the sole junior in the class, says she is enjoying the class, and appreciates having been selected.  “Everyone who comes to speak with us is so interesting, and has so much to offer to this batch of leaders that will be coming out of USCB,” Moore said. “We’re all so grateful to be a part of this, and are hoping that one day we can follow in their footsteps, becoming leaders in our community.”

The final class of the semester is scheduled to take place on November 29 of this year.

Release drafted by USCB student newspaper Editor and former USA Today Intern, Luke Kerr-Dineen.

USDA Rural Development State director and University of South Carolina Beaufort alumni Vernita Dore speaks to the class on September 20th about her recent meeting with President Barack Obama.

State senator Davis discusses the leadership qualities that are required of elected officials on September 13th.

CEO of Hilton Head Healthcare Mark O’Neil discusses the role leadership plays in a healthcare setting during his September 27th meeting with the class.

The class pictured with Brigadier General Lori Reynolds after her time with the class on October 4th. (Back row L-R: Dr. Charles Spirrison, Luke Kerr-Dineen, Ian Evens, John Gasparini, Brigadier General Lori Reynolds, Erica Moore, Justin Barber, and Chancellor Jane Upshaw. Front row L-R: Kaitlin O'Sullivan, Spencer Jackson, Loren Mason, Jennifer Dolan, and Taylor Fisher).

Brigadier General Lori Reynolds describes the challenges leaders face on the battlefield with the class on October 4th. 

  

USCB Center for the Arts presents “Always …. Patsy Cline” performed by the Beaufort Theater Company

October 7-15, 2011

Beaufort, SC- The University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts is pleased to present “Always…Patsy Cline” performed by the Beaufort Theater Company on October 7th-9th and 14th-15th. The musical is based on a true story about the friendship between Patsy, who sang some of the most recognizable songs in American music history, and a devoted fan, Louise Seger.
Louise (played by Gail Westerfield) narrates the play from letters that Cline wrote to her after they met in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961. Their correspondence continued until the singer’s tragic death in a plane crash in 1963.

Throughout the show, Patsy (played by Maggy Norden) sings 27 songs with a live band including, “I Fall to Pieces,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Crazy,” to name a few.
According to Bonnie Hargrove, producer of the show, “The universal appeal of ‘Always…Patsy Cline’ is one of the reasons it was selected for the USCB Center for the Arts’ second season. Patsy Cline was the queen of country music, but she’s also a crossover favorite.”
“Country music is more popular than ever, and Patsy Cline’s songs are timeless,” stated Westerfield, who also directs the show.  “Patsy Cline was the first female country performer to play at Carnegie Hall; she is one of the most successful and influential vocalists of the 20th century.”

“Always…Patsy Cline,” after a successful off-Broadway run, has been performed throughout the country, becoming one of the most produced musicals in the United States, in addition to touring Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

“Always…Patsy Cline” will be performed October, 7, 8, 14, 15 at 7:30 PM with one matinee on Sunday, October 9 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults, $18 for senior/military, and $15 for youth. Group rates are available for 10 or more.  For tickets or additional information, please call the USCB Center for the Arts box office at 843-521-4145, Tuesday – Friday 10:00am- 2:00pm. 

MEDIA CONTACT
Bonnie Hargrove
Center for the Arts Director
843.521-4145
bhargrov@uscb.edu