Morning News Sports Editor Talks Coker College Athletics

http://www.scnow.com/sports/article_6aaff4de-b2bc-11e2-96ce-0019bb30f31a.html


Photo by Coker College of Athletic Awards on May 1, 2013

Years ago. I mean, years ago I was an adjunct instructor at Coker when I had an opportunity for a rare day class. (It was a great class for me.) But, what I also remember is the college had a major discussion happening about the question of bringing a baseball team to the school. The baseball team was a way to add men, to what was still a very female focused student body, and to add students in the continuing quest to grow. But, the idea of growing through sports had not yet taken a firm hold and the debate appeared robust.

Baseball was added and the idea of sports being a significant contributor to the growth of the college took root. Today, one of the major growth strategies for Coker's reaching our magic 1500 student number is through sports.  The column linked to this post talks of some of the college's orientation to the strategy and Mark (the writer) has a good handle on the issues from the macro perspective.

Student Athletes Participate in the Classroom
From the micro perspective - the student in the classroom - this instructor finds the growth strategy to be effective. While not true in every single case, there is a motivation to a student athlete that does often carry over to the classroom. Often, those of us leading the classroom have to work a little harder to make the connection, but most student athletes (like most student performers) have been multi-tasking for much of their lives and they know they CAN -- the key is making it happen.

Years ago when the S. C. Governors School was moving from the Coker campus to their own campus we needed to grow. I suggested lacrosse then -- my favorite sport. It did not happen then but we have it on campus now. This coming semester we will also have Women's lacrosse and we will have wrestling and we are gearing up for a new conference in all sports. The strategy is working but like all strategies, it has to be worked -- nothing just happens.

New Sport Announced for 2014 Academic Year
Coker College announced today that it will be fielding track and field in the 2014 academic year.

As an aside -- Congratulations to all the MVPs honored at last night's Athletic Award Ceremony!

Provost Engages With Students In Seminar

Dr. Parkinson spoke with students in the Communication Senior Seminar

One of the classes I have enjoyed for years is the Coker College Senior Seminar, our Capstone Class in the communication major. The course covers a lot of territory with students most focused on their last major project for the degree -- a major research effort or a major communication project.

In additon to the research, several years ago I implemented a time for students to hear from others around the Coker campus with whom they might not have had much interaction. I asked those people just to come in an talk -- maybe some life lessons, maybe some life story, maybe some new ideas about life's exploration.  That section has always been a rewarding part of the class for me.

Earlier today Dr. Tracy Parkinson, the Provost and Dean of the College, sparked interest among the students by discussing several aspects of their own college life. He initiated some discussion about how we bring students into our learning community. He sparked some discussion on the role and place of liberal arts in our learning community. And, he sparked some discussion about how education and the workplace generally come together. It appeared, from where I was sitting, that the students enjoyed the interchange. Again, from my perspective, one of the really interesting things about being a Coker College faculty member is the ability to almost nonchalantly have a member of the college's leadership team take their time and become part of a class.

In a note back to the students Dr. Parkinson shared his enjoyement of the hour and also some of the articles he had used to spark some thoughts in his own head as he prepared for sharing with them. He said I could use the note for this blog:

All,

Thanks for the opportunity to visit with you.  Spending time with good students reminds me why I wanted to make a career in this field.  Personally, I both had fun and learned a lot. I was really curious to get some of your perspectives on how students successfully adjust to college (or not), how students prepare themselves for what's next (or not), what liberal arts learning means (or not).

If you get really curious, here are a few of the articles I brought with me:

The Case for College

Liberal Arts Majors Didn't Kill the Economy

Employment and College Grads

Employers Want Broadly Educated Grads, Capable of Innovation

Liberal Arts and the Workplace

Tracy S. Parkinson, Ph.D.

Provost & Dean of the Faculty

COKER COLLEGE

New Coker College Residence Hall Going Up

The new residence apartment village on the campus of Coker College is proceeding at a good pace as long as the rain stays away. This apartment village is set to open at the end of this summer in time for the Fall 2013 academic year. This is the first of several village residences that will be constructed as Coker moves forward with its "1500"growth plan. The college is planning to get to 1000 traditional-age undergraduates and 500 adult undergrads.

Admitted Students' Day
This Saturday will be the 2013 Admitted Students' Day and Adam Connolly, Coker's admissions director, says we are expecting a record number of students for the introduction to Coker College life. This is an exciting day and I look forward to both the Parent-Roundtable class I will get to do as well as the advising for the potential new students. As I told students in my speech class earlier this week when we spoke about language: "I hope the prospective students are very perceptive and able to develop a perspective on the college that will lead them to determine this is where they want to get their undergraduate education."  A major benefit of the size of Coker is that visits are important because what you see is what is offered.

Spring quickly arriving on the Coker College campus

Fort Allee - one of many beautiful places on 

                                                   the Coker College campus.

On the way back to the Coker campus after lunch today the grassy area between the dorms and Davidson Hall, the main classroom building, was swarmed with students enjoying the Spring-like weather. There is the air of excitement as we head into the last half of the semester and get daily proof of the potential of rebirth and reawakening and reward of hard work.

Another sign of Spring on the campus is the excitement of Cobra baseball and softball and the diamonds are singing the sounds of spring.

Coker College Announces Academic Celebration

The following news release discusses the Celebration of Academics that is taking place next week. One of the highlights of this Celebration will be the "Last Lecture" by Dr. George Lellis, Professor of Communication, at 7 p.m. on Monday evening. The list of events for this special event is included in the college's news release:

Fourth Annual Celebration of Academics 

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – March 19, 2013 – Continuing a tradition that began at Coker College President Robert Wyatt’s inauguration, Coker will host a campus-wide Celebration of Academics, March 25–27.

“One of the most satisfying aspects of putting these programs together is the knowledge that students, faculty, staff and the community grow as a result,” said professor of political science and philosophy Jim Lemke, who organizes the annual Celebration of Academics and directs the Center for Research in Leadership and Community Development at Coker College.

“When dozens of creative scholars – writers, scientists and artists of all forms – gather to share personal stories of their academic explorations, something quite special inevitably occurs.  Engagement becomes learning, students and faculty become collaborators and we become a more vibrant community.”

Among the many presentations in this year’s celebration is a lecture by retiring professor of communication George Lellis, dozens of poster presentations of student research and service-learning projects, and nearly two dozen presentations of student-faculty research projects.

The culminating presentation of Coker’s annual Performing Arts Showcase will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 27 in Watson Theater of the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center. 

The following events of the Celebration of Academics are free and open to the public:

Monday, March 25

Community Service Poster Display, Library                                                           9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

2013 Last Lecture - George Lellis Lecture, Davidson Hall                                   7 p.m.

2013 Last Lecture Reception, Drawing Room                                                       following lecture

Tuesday, March 26

Student Research Symposium, Library                                                                   1 to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 27

Faculty-Student Presentations*, various locations                                            1 to 5 p.m.

Performing Arts Showcase, Watson Theater                                                       7:30 p.m.
Reception, Stein Gallery                                                                                           following show

For more information about the events scheduled as part of the 2013 Celebration of Academics at Coker College, visit www.coker.edu/celebration-of-academics.html. 

COW Days delighting the Coker College campus

Dr. Jason Umfress recently sent an email discussion a long-standing tradition at Coker -- COW Days. I thought it would be interesting for readers to hear his history and perspective and I am sharing Dr. Umfress' email in this space:  (photo is from COW Day events 2012. New one comes up Saturday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m)

Dear Coker,
      You have to have been in a coma this week not to know that we are in the middle of a long-standing campus tradition / celebration - C.O.W. Days!  For those of you who are new to campus, C.O.W. is an acronym for Coker Olympics of Winter.  It is a week-long celebration sponsored by the SGA Spirit & Traditions Committee and Campus Life.  Events such as Lip Sync, the Hunk Contest, kickball, dodgeball and the crowning of Miss COW are just a few of the activities students have been and will participate in throughout the week.  This long-standing, quirky tradition culminates with the playing of the C.O.W Day Games on Saturday morning.  Students are invited to participate in the activities with their classmates to win the coveted title of C.O.W. Days Champions and enjoy a steak dinner afterwards. The  C.O.W. Days schedule is listed below.  For more information, contact the Campus Life Office or a member of the SGA.
      C.O.W. Days is just one of many events we do at Coker in the name of “tradition.”  Traditions, however, are merely repeated actions unless we pause to celebrate the meaning and history behind them.  When I first arrived to campus, I was curious as to how C.O.W. Days got started, so I did a little research.  This is what I found.  

     C.O.W. days began in the fall of 1975 when the newly formed Coker College Union (or CCU) was meeting to plan their spring events.  Professor Fred Edinger, then the Director of Student Life, was the group's advisor.  The students noted the lack of activities during the dull, gray winter months.  After a bit of brainstorming, a student suggested they have a competition where classes would compete against each other in a variety of silly games.  The competition would be modeled after a popular television show at the time, “Almost Anything Goes.”  (Watch this YouTube Video to get an idea:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDTe1h4mCGQ)  The impending Winter Olympics of 1976, to be played in Innsbruck,  Austria, provided inspiration for naming the event the Coker Olympics of Winter.   Under Professor Edinger’s guidance, the students prepared a list of games, solicited participants, and hoped for the best.  To their delight,  C.O.W. Days was an instant success!  Students loved the idea of competing against their classmates, participating in fun activities, and getting a little messy…all in the name of Coker class pride.   The 1976 games were successful, and plans were made to continue the event the next year.  The rest, as they say, is history. 

     While C.O.W. Days games have changed over the years, a few have withstood the test of time.  The egg toss almost guarantees that someone will leave with a little egg on their face.  Tug of war puts class against class in a battle that used to take place over the reflection pool (which was behind Davidson).  And the tobacco spitting contest allows Coker’s ladies to strut…or spit…their stuff for distance and bragging rights.  These, along with other games played at the first C.O.W. Days, are still a part of our celebration today. 

     As we continue the C.O.W. Days celebration, I encourage you to take an active role in contributing to Coker’s rich history and traditions.  Take part in as many activities as you can, pause to appreciate this peculiar Coker tradition, and help us write another successful chapter in C.O.W. Days history.  I hope to see you there!! 

Stay Engaged,
 Jason

Come out and support GREEN MACHINE and VOILET POWER

C.O.W. Days 2013 Schedule

1/28 - Hunk Contest @ 8pm (Davidson)

1/29 – Faculty/Staff vs. Students Dodgeball Game @ 8pm (Gym)

1/30 - Kickball @ 8pm (Bell Tower Lawn) 

1/31 - MISS COW @ 9:30pm (Music Recital Hall)

2/1 - Lip Sync Contest @ 8pm (Davidson)

2/2 - COW Day Games @ 3pm (Bell Tower Lawn)

2/2 - COW Days After Party @ 10pm (Cobra Den)

Jason W. Umfress, Ph.D

Coker College Semester at an End

A few minutes until there is a celebration/Holiday lunch to say good bye to the semester. One of the great things about working as a faculty member on a college campus is the ability to begin again in a new semester.

SPECIALTY SPEECHES
One of the highlights of the public speaking class (for the instructor) is the Specialty Speech, presented this year during the final exam period.
1 -- This speech directly relates to the use of public speaking skills in the students' real or imaginary lives.
2 -- It provides the opportunity for real fun or real-life speaking.

For example --
 a) one student was leaving the exam period to actually deliver the toast to her brother and his new bride later that afternoon.
b) another student, with a love of poetry, did a tribute to Poetry and the exhalted place it has in her life.
c) a golfer accepted the Green Jacket of the Masters and baseball player accepted a golf glove and one of the music majors accepted a grammy.  Fun stuff
d) had a really meaningful tribute to a mother by one of the students and lots more that made it a fun sort of assignment to review.

This testing period I also enjoyed having students pretend they were spokespeople for companies who were facing a crisis.  Admittedly, if it had been real some company lawyers would be scrambling right now but getting in front of a camera with a communication purpose is a good thing to have done, even if it becomes an aggravating part of a final exam.