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Archives: Spring 2014

Alumna Named Clayton County Schools Library Media Specialist of the Year

Alumna Named Clayton County Schools Library Media Specialist of the YearLinda Johnson ’11 has been named Clayton County Public Schools’ 2014 Library Media Specialist of the Year. She currently works at Riverdale High School in Riverdale, Georgia.

“It is often said that if you do what you love, you never have to work a day in your life,” she says. “I’m here to say that is definitely not true. Being a media specialist is hard work , but it is so rewarding.” Read more ...




A Heart to Give Beyond the Classroom

UWG Alumni Awards Celebrates an “Evening with the Stars”Stevie Hoskins Jiles ‘12 has always had a special place in her heart for children. As a daycare worker, nanny and big sister to three siblings, she decided education was a better fit for her instead of her original theatre major.

“I knew I wanted to teach special education when my cousin was born with Down syndrome,” Stevie says. “He made me want do more than just teach, but truly make a difference in a child’s life.” Read more ...

 



UWG Alumni Awards Celebrates an “Evening with the Stars”

UWG Alumni Awards Celebrates an “Evening with the Stars”The University of West Georgia will honor 12 individuals at the 38th Annual Alumni Awards Gala. This year’s gala, themed “Evening with the Stars,” will be hosted by Shaunya Chavis ’88, and honors the school’s most notable alumni, staff, faculty and friends of the university. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts, with a reception at the school’s brand new Tanner Health System School of Nursing building at 6 p.m. Read more ...



Alum Nominated for Brigadier General

Alum Nominated for Brigadier General Colonel J. Dale Alford ’87 has been nominated by President Barack Obama for promotion to the rank of brigadier general in the United States Marine Corps. He is currently the branch head of current and future operations for Plans, Policies and Operations Division at the Marine Corps Headquarters.

He is one of 10 Marine colonels selected for promotion. The U.S. Senate must confirm all the nominations before the promotions are finalized. Read more ...



It All Began Here at West Georgia

It All Began Here at West GeorgiaAs I look back over my 20+ years in public education I certainly have a lot to be proud of, but one cornerstone has always stood strong--the advice from Dr. Cecelia Lee I received one evening while leaving a Spanish Literature class still rings in my ears: “No matter where you go, no matter what you do, nobody can ever take your education from you, but you have to decide if you are willing to work for it.” When those words went from my ears to my heart I went on to receive a bachelor's degree in Spanish and began teaching Spanish at Central High School. After spending 14 years in the classroom I went on to receive my master's in educational leadership and a specialist degree in curriculum and instruction. Read more ...


Alum Gives Budding Reporters a Fresh Outlet

Alum Gives Budding Reporters a Fresh OutletStudent journalists now have the opportunity to showcase their sports reporting abilities via the website Peach State College Sports. The outlet is the brainchild of University of West Georgia alum and 11Alive news anchor, Sam Crenshaw. The site was created in the fall of 2013 for Georgia college students enrolled in a four-year or junior college. It was recently expanded to include those from around the southeast.

Sam is no stranger to sports reporting. One year after graduating in from UWG in 1981 with a degree in mass communications, Sam was on the sidelines working for WLRB in Columbus when his alma mater won the NCAA Division III National Football Championship in 1982. Read more ...


Introducing AlumniDEN

Introducing AlumniDENThis April the Alumni Association will launch a new online community, tagged AlumniDEN, to provide a virtual location to foster connections between alumni while allowing alumni more opportunity to share in blogs, classified ads, message boards, photos, etc. Alumni will also be able to submit class notes and update their records.

The new community replaces an older version that was provided through a contract with Harris Connect. The new and improved community is offered through a partnership with iModules. Read more ...


Marrero Discusses Past and Future with 101-Year-Old Alum

Marrero Discusses Past and Future with 101-Year-Old Alum Dr. Kyle Marrero, president of University of West Georgia, recently visited the home of Albert Jones, a 1936 graduate. At 101 years old, Albert is one of UWG’s oldest living alums and has lived his entire life in the Hulett community, in eastern Carroll County. Albert is a loyal friend to the university. He has established scholarships and is a long-time contributor to UWG's A Day campaign.

During the visit, Albert spoke fondly of his days at West Georgia, noting that while he was here, there were only about four cars on campus. Read more ...


UWG Alumna Soars to Inspiring Career Path

UWG Alumna Soars to Inspiring Career PathUniversity of West Georgia alumna Selwyn Edwards may be retired now, but her resume still commands respect.

Selwyn was born and raised in Hulett, Georgia. She entered West Georgia College at just 15, and she graduated at age 18 with a general degree. She went on to get a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. During her summer vacations as a student, she worked at Southwire and a furniture store. Southwire CEO Roy Richards lived on the same street as Selwyn’s parents. In 1958, after her graduation from UGA, Selwyn started her career at Proctor and Gamble as a sales administrator. Read more ...


Alumnus John Dyer Named President and CEO of Cox Enterprises

Alumnus John Dyer Named President and CEO of Cox EnterprisesUniversity of West Georgia alumnus John M. Dyer was recently named the president and chief executive officer of Cox Enterprises, Inc. John will fill the position following the retirement of outgoing CEO Jimmy W. Hayes.

John is a 36-year veteran with Cox Enterprises. He will be responsible for the company’s four major subsidiaries: Cox Communications, Manheim, Cox Media Group and AutoTrader Group, as well as corporate functions including financial operations, human resources and administration. Read more ...



Celebrating UWG's Oldest Alum

Celebrating UWG's Oldest AlumRecently, I had the honor of attending the birthday celebration of our oldest living alum – Mrs. Maynard Griggs Brown ’55. Don’t let the class year fool you into guessing her age – that strategy will fall short. She turned 105 and her special day and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of the celebration. Spry, attentive, witty and sharp as a tack, she is a retired educator, having spent 43 years teaching in Fayette County. She is beloved by her community and her alumni association.

With small children, Mrs. Brown lost her husband and had to seek a career so she could provide for her family. Enter West Georgia and the College of Education. Read more ...


Engage West!

Engage West!We have a lot of opportunities this spring for alumni to engage with UWG.

Beyond regional network receptions to introduce our exciting new president, Dr. Kyle Marrero, and head football coach, Will Hall, Alumni Weekend, April 10-12, is sure to please with activities ranging from a 5K run, spring football scrimmage, community service, geocaching, archaeological dig, reunions for a wide array of groups and the annual Alumni Awards Gala. Read more ...



UWG Alumna Wins $10,000 from Celebrity Talk Show Host Bethenny Frankel

UWG Alumna Wins $10,000 from Celebrity Talk Show Host Bethenny FrankelUniversity of West Georgia alumna Tressa Walker won the “Create the Next Skinnygirl Sparkler” competition on the November 22, 2013, episode of the talk show “bethenny.” As the grand prize winner, Tressa was awarded a trip to New York City to appear on “bethenny,” $10,000 cash provided by partner AriZona Beverages and a chance to have her winning recipe of Skinnygirl Sparkler sold in stores across the United States.

Tressa’s winning recipe was Peach Passion fruit. “I like tropical exotic flavors and I drink sparkling water all the time,” she says. Read more ...


Alumna Appointed to Georgia Professional Standards Commission

Alumna Appointed to Georgia Professional Standards CommissionGovernor Nathan Deal’s office recently named University of West Georgia alumna Terrie L. Ponder a commissioner with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. The appointment will last until 2016.

In 2011, Terrie graduated from UWG with her master’s degree in secondary education social sciences, and she received her education specialist degree in media and instructional technology in 2012. She has taught seventh grade social studies at Carrollton Junior High School since 2005. Read more ...



UWG Alum Named Artist-in-Residence Produces First Play

UWG Alum Named Artist-in-Residence Produces First PlayUniversity of West Georgia alumna Katie Watkins, who was named Hand2Mouth Theatre’s first artist-in-residence, will be premiering her first play in summer 2014 in Portland, Oregon. The play, “Paper Doll,” demonstrates that despite the prevalence of flat female characters and male-dominated media, men and women are more similar than different. As part of her artist-in-residence agreement, Katie will do a preview showing of her work-in-progress in January 2014. Hand2Mouth has donated rehearsal space at their studio, Shout House, for Katie and her team to practice the play.

Katie graduated in 2010 with a degree in theatre with a minor in marketing. “UWG contributed to my career path in countless ways,” Katie explains. Read more ...


Celebrating Alumni

Celebrating AlumniTo celebrate alumni and their experiences at UWG, the Alumni Association has partnered with the Annie Bell Weaver Special Collections at Ingram Library to develop an exhibit depicting photos, papers, and other materials that relate to your student experience. The exhibit will be up during Alumni Weekend, April 10-13.

Anyone with interesting items should contact Blynne Olivieri in special collections. She can be reached at 678-839-5455. Read more ...

 


UWG Alum and Former Grammy CEO Visits UWG

UWG Alum and Former Grammy CEO Visits UWG Michael Greene, University of West Georgia alumnus and former CEO of the Grammys, visited campus on November 21 as a part of the Presidential Leadership Series. Michael graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of West Georgia in 1971 and is now a film producer. At 6 p.m., a screening of his most recent film project was shown in the Kathy Cashen Recital Hall on campus. The film, titled “The Girls in the Band,” is a documentary that tells the stories of African-American female jazz performers and big band instrumentalists during the late ‘30s into the present day. Read more ...



Rocking Music Career Began in Hometown

Rocking Music Career Began in HometownBowdon, Georgia, native Michael Huey has come a long way from his beginnings as a business and management student at the University of West Georgia. Michael, who studied business administration and management at UWG, is now a musician, producer and arranger of music records, world tours, film and television soundtracks. He is also the founder and owner of HueyTunes, a successful music production, publishing and licensing company located in North Hollywood, California. Read more ...



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