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Georgian Court University
Georgian Court Retention Program Garners National Recognition Lakewood, N.J., July 20, 2010—Georgian Court University’s Lion Heart program, an initiative designed to help women who are first-time, full-time, first-generation college students, has won the national 2010 Noel-Levitz Retention Excellence Award. The honor recognizes Lion Heart as an innovative campus retention program that helps students reach their goals and persevere through graduation. The award is sponsored by Noel-Levitz, a nationally known higher education consulting firm, and will be presented to Georgian Court during the July 21–23 National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing, and Retention in Atlanta. “Georgian Court has always been committed to helping students realize their dream of earning a degree,” says GCU President Rosemary E. Jeffries, RSM, Ph.D.. “Reaching that goal isn’t always easy, and often, students who are the first in their families to attend college need extra support. They need someone to mentor them on, to tell them what they can achieve, and to unlock their hidden potential. That’s where Lion Heart succeeds.” Launched in 2008, Lion Heart helps GCU attract, enroll, and retain female students whose academic and financial challenges might otherwise chip away at their chances of finishing college. Since the program began, student success at GCU has flourished:
“This program works because faculty and professionals across campus are passionate about seeing students do well, and they share in the responsibility of making sure students find their way at Georgian Court,” says President Jeffries, noting the unique ways Lion Heart reaches students. In their first semester, those who show signs of trouble in the classroom are quickly identified by faculty members. Within 24 hours, GCU advisors follow up with personalized strategies to help the student. Administrators use a specialized survey to examine the student’s feelings about their commitment to completing their degree, their involvement in campus life, and how they feel about their major. Students are then paired with peer mentors or get referrals to GCU’s Office of Career Services, the Counseling Center, or the Office of Financial Aid. Georgian Court University Names Evelyn Quinn New Provost
“Evelyn Quinn is an exceptional leader whose vision, experience, and leadership have benefited Georgian Court in countless ways,” says GCU President Rosemary E. Jeffries, Ph.D. “She brings enormous gifts, talents and expertise to this very important post.” Provost Quinn takes on the role of chief academic officer after working as interim provost since January 2010. President Jeffries’ formal announcement came in late May following weeks of work with Myers McRae, an executive search firm charged with finding the right person for the job. Consultants from the firm conducted interviews with a broad spectrum of the university community, including an 11-member leadership panel and an array of faculty, staff and students, who had input during the search process. The firm heard repeated endorsements for Provost Quinn, a career educator and champion of student affairs who has also served GCU as a professor, faculty leader, dean of students, and as associate provost for academic support. Throughout her career, she has cultivated a reputation for being an idea-driven, solution-oriented, inspirational leader. She also knows and understands the needs of Georgian Court. “The campus community certainly viewed this appointment as appropriate, timely, and critical for Georgian Court at this moment in our history,” says President Jeffries, noting some of the comments offered in the final report from Myers McRae. Supporters commented on Provost Quinn’s “solid leadership skills and ability to get things done,” as well as “her ability to hit the ground running and continue to move the academic program forward.” The report also references several of Provost Quinn’s achievements at GCU, including the creation of Women in Leadership Development and the Mercy Collegiate Society, both of which are touted as successful national models. She has also worked diligently to develop a seamless learning environment that bridges academic and student life, and has worked to re-engineer GCU’s academic offerings by identifying new majors, specialty courses, and certificate programs. Provost Quinn, who holds the terminal degree in her field, has a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in policy from Rutgers University, and a master’s degree in Education, Counseling and Special Services from Seton Hall University. She has held a variety of posts in higher education, including several at Georgian Court where she conceived and implemented the university’s Bachelor of Social Work program. She also shepherded the program through its initial accreditation and eventual reaffirmation by the Council on Social Work Education. Georgian Court, Brick Schools Partner for I.M.P.A.C.T. Lakewood, N.J., Mar. 30, 2010-More than two dozen area classroom educators are working to become "highly qualified teachers" through a special partnership that taps the resources of Georgian Court University, Brick Township Public Schools, and the Southern Regional Educational Technology Training Center. The effort, which has received $235,833 in first-year funding, is one of only five Improving Partnerships and Active Collaboration for Teaching (IMPACT) competitive grants awarded by the New Jersey Department of Education. The three-year program, underwritten with U.S. Department of Education's No Child Left Behind, Title II funds, will assist 30 middle and high school teachers meet the standard for "highly qualified" teaching status in mathematics, language arts, and additional humanities. The grant, which offers an additional $300,000 in funding later this year, allows Brick teachers to enroll in specially designed classes taught by Georgian Court faculty. Teachers in the program will have access to the latest in university-level coursework and research, and will take what they learn from GCU professors to create turnkey content-information and best practices that can be immediately shared with other educators and quickly put to use in classrooms. "This is a way for us to help teachers improve their skills, and all of us in the Georgian Court University School of education see this as our mission," says the project's director, Russell Pritchard, Ph.D. "We work to educate teachers who, ultimately, reach students." Dr. Pritchard, a GCU assistant professor of education and former high school physics teacher, is working with a team of university faculty to implement the grant. Other participants are co-directors Joel Pitt, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics, and Sandra Zak, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics; Stacy Abate, director of grants development; Timothy Briles, assistant professor of education; Mary Chinery, Ph.D., associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences; and Kathy Froriep, Ph.D., assistant professor of education. The program's first year is actually a seven-and-a-half-month planning period that continues through August 2010. In the fall, GCU and its partners will apply for continued funding. Additional money will help provide professional development to mathematics, science, and humanities teachers through courses, workshops, and in-class support. IMPACT classes begin this summer for classroom teachers. Participants will spend a week at the Southern Regional Educational Technology Training Center learning to infuse Web 2.0 technology-blogs, podcasts, wikis, searchable databases, and more-into their teaching. While there, educators will also study information literacy; ways to integrate 21st-century knowledge, skills, and themes; and the Universal Design for Learning, a framework that helps teachers create multiple strategies to reach diverse learners. Although teachers are at the heart of the program, its benefit isn't limited to Brick educators, says Dr. Pritchard. "While it's important for teachers to become highly qualified in the areas they teach, this is important for our faculty, too," he says. "On the university level, educators need to maintain a high level of contact with teachers in the classroom. This is also an opportunity for us to see what we need to bring to our pre-service teachers." Green to Gold: Georgian Court Wellness Center Takes Environmental Honors Lakewood, N.J., Jan. 26, 2010-Georgian Court University was awarded LEED gold certification for its Wellness Center, the university's eco-friendly athletics and academic building that highlights the school's commitment to environmental responsibility. The 66,000-square-foot Wellness Center incorporates structural and aesthetic features that conserve energy and water, and make the most of sustainable materials. The recent Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold rating stems from the university's conscious efforts to construct a facility that works for students and the environment. The LEED gold certification reinforces Georgian Court's holistic approach to promoting balance and well-being across the board, says GCU President Rosemary E. Jeffries, RSM, Ph.D. "The Wellness Center is more than a place where we can work toward physical wellness; it's evidence of the many ways we can grow and still be in concert-not conflict-with nature," she says, noting the Sisters of Mercy's core value of respect for all living things. "And while the environment certainly benefits, so does the GCU community. The Wellness Center is a prime example of how we can work together toward sustainability." The university, which is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, applied for LEED status shortly after the center was completed in 2008. Officials expected the center to earn silver certification, but quickly realized that key elements of the project might qualify the building for LEED gold. Andrew Christ, P.E., GCU assistant vice president for operations, believes the long evaluation period was worth the wait. "We were able to make smart decisions that led to LEED gold, and this is something that truly that complements our values and our mission," he says. The $26 million facility includes a two-court arena that seats 1,200 fans for basketball and volleyball, a training/exercise science lab, a state-of-the-art fitness center, two professional-level dance studios, an exercise science lab, and athletic and academic offices. The complex extends outdoors with fields for softball, soccer, and lacrosse, an eight-lane track, and tennis courts. In planning the Wellness Center, GCU:
"Increasingly, companies and institutions that are building projects are seeing that construction can be done in an environmentally friendly way, and it does not have to increase costs," says Mr. Christ, who worked with architects, project managers and construction crews on the project. "The GCU Wellness Center was completed to LEED gold standards with little to no impact on the final cost," Mr. Christ says. "We built what we wanted to have, and we did it with quality materials and good choices." LEED certification, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is not easy to attain. Projects submitted to the council for consideration must meet high standards in several areas, including water efficiency, energy efficiency, use of materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and design innovation. The ratings are recognized worldwide and highlight the many ways builders and building owners demonstrate responsible stewardship of natural resources. Georgian Court Green Purchase Sends Powerful Message; University Turns to Biomass, Wind for Electricity University Turns to Biomass, Wind for Electricity “For two years in a row, we’ve offset 100 percent of our electricity usage,” says Andrew P. Christ, PE, assistant vice president for operations at GCU. “It shows that we’re making a true commitment. We’re in this for the long run.” The university is working with Eneractive Solutions, an Asbury Park, NJ, firm that provides virtual energy management services to GCU. They assisted the university in procuring renewable energy certificates from 3Degrees Inc., a San Francisco-based group that helps organizations fund clean energy and carbon reduction projects. GCU’s purchase of Green-e Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) reflects 5 million kWh of biomass energy—created with organic waste—and 665,280 kWh of wind energy from national wind farms. The purchase mirrors the university’s historic mission to be environmentally conscious, says Mr. Christ. “From the very beginning, GCU has been about sustainability,” he says. “The campus was repurposed from what was once the country estate of a wealthy homeowner to become Georgian Court University as we know it. There’s nothing more sustainable than the reuse of a building or a facility.” Georgian Court, which is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Leadership Club, is the first college or university in New Jersey to offset 100 percent of its electricity with renewable energy. According to EPA calculations, GCU’s credits this year avoid an estimated 4,069 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s like eliminating the pollution from:
The purchase of RECs is only one way Georgian Court works to protect the environment. President Rosemary E. Jeffries, RSM, Ph.D., is a signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and is leading GCU’s many efforts to become carbon-neutral. The university has migrated to green cleaning chemicals, purchased a hybrid vehicle for college use, and incorporated sustainable building design on campus. Energy efficiency and conservation projects are underway, and environmental awareness among students is growing. GCU also is a leader in recycling and reducing waste among colleges in the United States and Canada.
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Lakewood, N.J., June 24, 2010—Evelyn Quinn, a former social work professor and a demonstrated leader in academic program development and student affairs, is Georgian Court University new provost.