Students are the lifeblood of a college like Coker

Our first and our ultimate mission at Coker College is to provide a quality education for our students that will prepare them for a lifetime of learning and earning.

As part of the Sabbatical that I have had the privilege of having this shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifemester, I was able to undertake a research project that has involved trying to determine the impact of the Coker College communication education on the lives of the students who have graduated during the ten years I have been serving on faculty. If I can develop an effective report, our department is hoping to be able to use this research as part of our evaluation or assessment of the effect of our programs. The graduates were gracious with their time. Out of 86 people on the list I think I was able to get the survey to 81 and had 64 individual responses. Of those responses, more than 60% said they would choose communication as their major if they were to redo the college experience. At the same time, nearly 70% of those responding said the field of work they are no in was not what they had thought they would be in while in college.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
That note is a preface to the idea of college admissions, which is the idea that sparked this post. Earlier in the day Dr. Robert Wyatt, Cokers' presidenthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif, noted a separate blog that was about students not getting into the colleges to which they had applied. Coker was mentioned in that blog as a college that has a rolling admissions policy and one that takes applications into May.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

A bit later in the day I had the good fortune to be introduced to a high school soccer player who has begun to look at college options in the Southeast.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif She was with Coach Dan, our women's soccer coach as he hosted her visit. Coker is pretty much the type of college that if you do visit you will have an excellent idea if this is the fit for your four-year college experience. Our Admissions people and our student ambassadors do a good job of presenting Coker as it is, giving prospective students (and parents) an authentic view of the campus.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
We are a small liberal arts college that puts our students first. All of our classes are taught by faculty members whose primary evaluation is how they do with students in the classrooms, labs, studios and other educational venues. Those faculty who choose Coker and are chosen by Coker have teaching as their first job. That is a major reason I say students are the lifeblood of our Coker Community. While research, writing and other academic pursuits are important, it is the classroom that counts.

There is an ongoing country-wide discussion of the value of a college education, the work ethic of those who provide that education and other issues that ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifre providing justifications for such ideas as decimating the Pell Grant program, that provides students with a financial need some funding for their college.

We are seeing the demise of the Middle Class in this country and actions like eliminating funds that help middle class students and even lower middle class students attend college is just going to exacerbate the divide between the rich and the rest. Good, solid college educations for students who are not from the rich is what is going to keep this country strong. That is the kind of student who is the lifeblood of Coker and we think that is the kind of student who is the lifeblood our country.

Coach Dan Gets 300th Win

Would like to throw my congratulations to Coach Dan Schomotzer of the Coker College Cobras. He got his 300th win on Monday night at the Coker gym against St. Andrews. The Coker win snapped the St. Andrews three-game winning streak.

The following story is from Christian Stryker head of Sports Information at Coker College.


Coker's Schmotzer Earns 300th Career Victory
by Christian Stryker, Director of Media Relations and Sports Information, Coker College
1/4/2011
Read this article on the web at http://cokercobras.com/article.asp?articleID=2313.
HARTSVILLE, S.C. - In his first game behind the bench for the Cobras in 2011, Head Men's Basketball Coach Dan Schmotzer earned his 300th career victory at Coker College on Monday, January 3. Schmotzer led his Cobras to an 88-73 victory over Conference Carolinas rival St. Andrews Presbyterian College.
Schmotzer is in his 24th year leading the Cobras and his earned an overall record of 300-332. Currently, the 2010-11 Coker men are 3-6 overall and 2-1 in the conference, placing them fourth in the Conference Carolinas standings.
"As I get older here, I become really thankful for what I have," said Schmotzer. "It seems like yesterday that I won that first game here at Coker and now we are going on almost 25 years. It has gone by so fast; it's hard to believe I now have 300 wins."
"When I think about all the players that I have coached and the games that I have been a part of I am very thankful," he said. "Coaching at Coker has been one of the greatest experiences of my life."
Coach Dan and the Cobras will look to make it 301 wins on Thursday, January 6 when they take on Limestone College at home. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Visit cokercobras.com for the latest news and info on Cobras Athletics.
If you wish to be removed from all Coker College Athletics mailings, click on this link:
http://cokercobras.com/maillisthandler.asp?email=dpuffer@coker.edu&password=coker&delete=yes

Cobra Basketball Men have scrimmage with UNC Wilmington

This weekend the Coker College Men's basketball team is going to get a look at how well they have been progression with their preparation for the 2010-2011 basketball season. They will be taking on UNC Wilmington in Wilmington this Saturday. The Cobras are going to be a man down as last year's high scorer, Vatrick Thompson, was injured in a collision at practice this week and he will be out for some time. Coach Dan Schmotzer and the Cobras remain focused and this should be an interesting opening scrimmage.

Coker in the news this Sunday morning

The MORNING NEWS of Florence had a front-page story by Sherisse Bell about Dr. Wyatt's vision for Coker following his first month and a half on the job. Front page on Sunday is good coverage, which should be making James Jolly head of the Coker Communication and Marketing Department pretty happy -- nice coup for the day the student athletes and student leaders begin to gather on campus for the new academic year.

And, there was a surprise for Coker on the sports page of this Sunday edition with the headline "Former Cobra Sheftic ready to tee it up in season's final major." Coach Dan Schmotzer, who used to coach golf as well as basketball, had mentioned Mark Sheftic's success in conversation earlier this week. Sheftic, a Club pro, is going to be playing in the PGA Championship in Chaska, Minn., beginning on Thursday. Coker's golf program is strong and this extra publicity from this "Former Coker College sttandout..." should be another major plus for Coach Tommy Baker's program building efforts. Lou Bezjak, sports writer for the MORNING NEWS wrote this story, which is accompanied by some good photos from the Golf Association of Phildelphia.