Enjoyed tonight's dinner

The entire time I was at the President's home this evening I was thinking that instead of hello I should be saying thank you to the people who were there. Tonight was a thank you event for some of the large donors to Coker College from the Hartsville area. In addition, there were a large number of Coker Board of Trustees at the event. In addition to their time, they also contribute to the college. I got to go as a faculty trustee. It was really encouraging talking with so many people who have a strong belief in Coker and the difference it can make in the lives of students.

Basketball season now officially opened

The Coker College basketball teams jumped off their seasons officially on Tuesday evening with a Midnight Madness event that began at 8:30 and ended about 9:30 p.m. In small cities, we have a different idea about midnight. Had it been the real midnight I would have had to decline the invitation to judge the dunking competition among the guy basketball players. Derek Bailey won that competition.

The Coker Midnight Madness was set up to be just a fun event introducing the Men and Women's team. It was an enjoyable evening.

Coker is in Fall Break

Coker College is in Fall break. There were no classes on Thursday or Friday and this came as a major RELIEF to nearly all parts of the Coker community, even those who would not have time off during this Break.

This year the Fall Break coincided with an Executive Round Table put on by the South Carolina Association of Non Profit Organizations (SCANPO) so I took advantage of not having classes to attend that meeting, "Tomorrow's Philanthropy Today." I thought it would have good information for The Byerly Foundation and there is no question it was a useful conference.

And, most of the athletes were on campus despite the Fall Break. The Coker Volleyball Team snapped their losing streak and beat Converse College on Friday. The Men and Women's soccer teams were heading to Wilson, NC, to play Barton College on Saturday evening. The Coker softball team had a three-game tournament scheduled for Saturday and I think both the basketball teams might have been having individual work outs as they get ready for the season opening practice on October 20.

For many, Fall Break is a time to catch up on grading or catch up on papers or just continue studying because until the semester is over, the work part of the college experience never seems to end.

Coker College Soccer on WBTW

WBTW Channel 13 out of Florence and Myrtle Beach was in Hartsville recently to stage a "Matchup" challenge between sports reporter Matt Lincoln and some of the Coker strikers. The report is fun and interesting and great coverage for a team that has gotten off to a very strong start this season. This past Saturday they came through with a last minute win over Belmont Abbey in conference play.

Saturday at Coker College

There is volleyball that starts about noon.

There is women's soccer that begins at 2 p.m.

There is men's soccer that begins about 4 p.m.

There are going to be a good number of visitors on campus this morning as the Admissions Department hosts the October Open House.

The Coker College Dance Department had a great performance on Friday night to a large and receptive crowd. The creativity, hard work, range of movement and talent the dancers display is awesome.

The Dance Showcase has its last performance at 8 p.m. Saturday night.

The campus is busy early this morning (about 7 a.m.) as the cross country team was out running, in fact, crossing paths with a Hartsville Saturday morning running group. May have been a couple other teams out early -- could not tell. I believe there is some Fall baseball this weekend. Several people on the Housekeeping staff are busy putting last minute touches on the Performing Arts area, after the reception last night for the Open House this morning.

And, all of that activity says nothing about the grading of papers, speeches and the studying the students have to be doing as the last of mid-term exams are given prior to the two-day Fall break coming up next Thursday and Friday.

Faculty-Staff Softball Match Up at Coker College

There is a tradition that is starting (now in its fourth year, I believe) of a faculty/staff softball game in the early fall of the year. It is fun even though it can be sort of dangerous. The 2009 game is set to start in about two hours and while I have committed to play I am thinking maybe I should be committed for committing. Playing a game like softball one time a year is not all that bright when you are at an age when going up stairs you are accompanied by the timpani-sound of cracking knees. It is not all that smart when about the only throwing you do on a regular basis is paper into the trash can. It really isn't all that brilliant a choice when the only acceleration that is really left is what you can manage from your right foot on the gas pedal. That said, I am playing unless we are blessed with enough other faculty to catch, throw, hit and run the bases and letting me coach third or first in the one position that maybe a kid of my age can safely play. There are a couple of home run hitters on our faculty, hope they show for today's game or we may be invoking the ten-run rule.

Coker College Dancers in Dress Rehearsal tonight

Sometimes people who have not been to a college dance program will look at me a little strange when I urge them to attend because of what they can learn about communication. Since joining Coker back in 2000, I have come to appreciate dance not only as an art form but also as a communication medium. I will never know anything about choreography but after every dance performance or showcase I come away amazed at the depth of communication that results from an intricately choreographed piece. This week the dance showcase involves two senior thesis presentations that are certain to be striving for that communication depth. Being able to experience new forms of communication, different forms of art and discussion forums are some of the reasons being part of this Coker learning community is so important a part of my life.

"Change in Motion" is the theme of the Coker College Fall Dance recital that will be performed on campus in the Watson Theater on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. Here is the announcement shared with faculty by Angela Gallo, assistant professor of dance:

This Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm the Dance Program is proud to present Change in Motion- The Fall Student Choreography Showcase in the Watson Theater.

The show will feature the senior thesis projects of Jessica Welch and Corrine Sutton, as well as six other works by choreographers Hannah Beard, Kayla Webb, Jasmine Stevenson, Tara Haynes, Paige ManWaring and Alicia Nelson.

It is an exciting show that will feature many styles of dance. Please come out and support the dancers and choreographers who have worked so hard to put this great show together.

Homecoming over, Coker activity is classroom focused

I am heading out to my 8 a.m. class in a couple of minutes ready to listen with the rest of the class to eight informative speeches. The informative speeches have begun in all three of my speech classes and they will take us to the Fall Break that is Thursday and Friday of next week.

Noticed from comments that students are making in class that they are feeling the intensity and pressure of the classroom as the exams are piling up on one another. One speech student told me he also has an Organic Chem test the day of his speech and he knows one of those two is going to suffer. Went by the library last night and must have been the end of one of the team's study halls, because there were a lot of guys coming out but at the same time there were many individuals heading in. Earlier in the day I stopped in the library and nearly every computer was taken and few of those students appeared to be on Facebook.

For the Coker dance students, the classroom is often the stage and there is an intensity around the Dance Department and dancers this week as they began their technical work on stage Monday night and they will open the Fall Dance concert on Thursday, with performances also on Friday and Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. The theme of this Fall's concert is "Change in Motion" and it includes two Senior dance thesis projects.

With mid-term grades due this week, you can feel and see some of the extra classroom pressure.

Coker College Homecoming Festivities

Here are a couple of shots from the Coker College Homecoming and Parents Weekend happenings. The conversations with returning grads were a lot of fun. It is great to see and hear what they are doing. Some of them are saying things like, "I can't wait until..." and as I listened to what they were doing I could not help but think they should revel in the moment because they are living lives that are getting them where they want to go.


First photo shows Coker Homecoming Queen Henna and Homecoming King Rober

Second photo shows a selection of the Homecoming Court at Coker

Photo Three shows Beeze Chastain talking to members of the Coker Parents Council about being a student at Coker.

Coker Feud asks -- Name a Character on Saved by the Bell

This is Homecoming Week at Coker College and I got the opportunity to play Family Feud as a member of the Senior Class team. My performance led to their very ugly defeat by just about the same 100 points that I did not score. What do you mean Horseshack is not a character on Saved by the Bell -- he was certainly a comic relief on WELCOME BACK KOTTER. Name a Denzel Washington movie. Okay, I know Denzel but I have no clue as to the movies. Some kind of hospital flick. (They me that one for John McQ of whatever.) My guess is that it is not likely I will be chosen any time soon for another game involving popular culture from now back to 1980. Truth is, Mason called because others were not able to make it. The Seniors presented the Family Feud and I would bet that anyone asked would tell you it was a fun time.