GWU news

Gardner-Webb University announces with great sadness the death of Professor Emeritus of Religion Dr. Jack Partain, who passed away on August 3 in Shelby, NC at the age of 77. Partain served at Gardner-Webb University as professor of religious studies from 1983-1998. He was also vice chair of the faculty from 1986-88, and in 1996 was awarded the Fleming-White Award for Excellence in Teaching. That same year Partain was honored with a national Templeton Foundation Award for his work in the academic course “Issues in Science and Religion.”

Gardner-Webb recently launched a redesign of gardner-webb.edu, the University’s main website. As part of the redesign, the gardner-webb.edu homepage has incorporated information that was previously featured on a supportgwu.com blog posting each day. There are five stories featured on gardner-webb.edu that will change every two weeks. Though gardner-webb.edu should now be your primary source for University news and stories, supportgwu.com is still your home for event information, online registration, and career networking as well the Bulldog Club, Annual Fund, and Class Notes. Take a peek of Gardner-Webb’s new online look at gardner-webb.edu.

A group of Gardner-Webb University students, including rising freshman, Tray Schley, recently joined ministry groups around Cleveland County to support the Cleveland County Potato Project . The Cleveland County Potato Project was started earlier this year to help feed hungry locals in a tough economic climate. Schley was pleased to help his new community. “It’s hard work, but it will pay off.” Schley, who signed with the GWU Runnin’ Bulldogs earlier this year, was one of several area volunteers who harvested over 1,500 pounds of potatoes. The Salvation Army, Kings Mountain Crisis Ministry, Upper Cleveland Area Needs (U-CAN), and the Greater Cleveland Baptist Association are among the Cleveland County agencies that will distribute the food to the community.

Randall Hall, a 1988 Gardner-Webb alumnus in Accounting, has been named the Interim President and CEO for the Bank of Asheville. Hall, who has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary/Treasure for the Bank since 1999, assumed the post June 30, 2010. Hall, a veteran banker, served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Secretary/Treasurer for the Bank of Granite before joining the Bank of Asheville in 1997. He serves on the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County Finance Committee. Stephen L. Pignatiello, Chairman of the Bank and its holding company, believes the community can bank on Hall's experience. “Randy Hall is well qualified to lead Bank of Asheville during this transition. As the second-in-command since the Bank’s founding, he has been involved in every phase of operation and has a strong record of providing leadership. He was recruited to join the Bank when it was being established because he already was well respected in the banking industry. He has contributed greatly to the bank’s success,” said Pignatiello.

Social networks are ever evolving and largely set the pace for how we communicate in the 21st century. These communication mediums are no longer just a space for personal chit chat, but have become hubs for successful business transactions. Communicating and Marketing Using Social Networks is a new course that will be offered by the Center for Continuing Professional Education at Gardner-Webb University from July 5, 2010 to July 30, 2010. Participants will learn how to identify and use the social networking sites best suited to one's business needs in order to maximize communication, customer loyalty, and the accessibility of one’s product.

The dream of leaving high school and entering college came true for eight local students thanks to the Joseph B. Freeman Jr. Educational Fund. The Freeman Fund is a scholarship fund formed by area business leaders 19 years ago to provide financial assistance to high school students from Cleveland County schools. The fund is designed for students who qualify academically for college but whose unique situations might otherwise prevent them from attending. During a presentation at the Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, June 22, eight Cleveland County teenagers received financial awards ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 from the Freeman Fund. Since the scholarship’s inception, at least one Freeman Fund recipient has enrolled each year at Gardner-Webb University. This year, four of the recipients plan to attend Gardner-Webb.

In light of the devastation caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, environmentalism is a topic of worldwide conversation. On the home front, Dave Merryman, a 2005 Gardner-Webb University alumnus, is doing his part to maintain the safety of the most threatened river in the United States. As the Catawba Riverkeeper, he educates local groups on the effects of polluted water and warns them about agents that can harm rivers. He protects the river through patrol efforts and advocates continued protection by supporting legislation designed to safeguard the river from contamination by corporations and individuals. Merryman’s zeal for environmentalism skyrocketed while at Gardner-Webb and during a summer internship with the Student Conservation Association at Yellowstone National Park. “My whole childhood, I played in something I thought was a creek.” He learned during his studies in Biology that his playground was actually a toxic tributary for local urban runoff consisting of oil, rainwater, dirt, debris, and paint. These experiences empowered Merryman to be the voice local water sources like the Catawba River and for its protection.

A groundbreaking scholarship from The Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Association (EMBA) in conjunction with Gardner-Webb University’s School of Divinity has been established and will be presented during a special event. The Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Association Theological Endowed Scholarship Fund in Memory of Rev. Doctor Samuel Anderson Raper will be introduced during the EMBA’s annual conference on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at Palmer Grove Baptist Church in Kingstown, North Carolina.