Author Archive
Silver Petrels Program Partners Students with Seniors
Posted by: | December 12, 2011 | Comments
Dr. Bob with OU players
The Oglethorpe University Women’s Basketball team had some special fans in the stands during their recent game against Birmingham-Southern. Residents of the Sunrise Senior Assisted Living community visited the campus to support the team as part of the new Silver Petrels program.
Initiated by Head Basketball Coach Aaron Nester and organized by OU’s Center for Civic Engagement, the Silver Petrels service program was formed inspire teamwork both on and off the court, and to make a positive impact in the community. The players focus on nurturing friendships with the residents at the Sunrise Assisted Living in Buckhead. The team has made a commitment to spend quality time with the residents. The groups’ first gathering in November was spent playing bingo during an afternoon spent at the assisted living center.
“This is a great partnership and hopefully one we keep for many years,” said Coach Nester. “It is neat to see our student-athletes be involved in something bigger than themselves and, ultimately, that is what it is all about.”
“The residents were so excited…to visit a college campus and to see a sporting event,” said Heather Staniszewski, assistant director at OU’s Center for Civic Engagement. “They loved seeing new people, clapping, and of course the food. [One resident] took notes and cried he was so touched to be cheering on the team.”
The residents were impressed to find out that OU students do not play for athletic scholarships but out of pure love for the game. They hope to return for another game and in the meantime they are preparing to host the team again at Sunrise for another Bingo Day.
The Blank Foundation’s “The Future of the American Dream” Webcast to Include Oglethorpe Students
Posted by: | November 30, 2011 | Comments
Americans have always believed that hard work and education open the doors to success. Is that promise still alive for today’s generation of students?
Oglethorpe University students Christina Bayne, Will Jones, Misty Love, Katie Odell, Corey Ray, Kristy Williams, Ashley Causey, Awet Woldegebriel, Joseph White, and Maya Hayes will discuss that question during a live webcast titled The Future of The American Dream on December 1 at 6:00 p.m. The webcast is organized by the The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and is part of their Speaker Series. The discussion will feature Bob Herbert, journalist and Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos, and Deborah Bial, president and founder of The Posse Foundation. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Garrow will moderate the discussion.
“We are delighted that a number of Oglethorpe students will join us for our live speaker series event,” said Penny McPhee, president of the The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
Oglethorpe University students were invited by the foundation to take part and will participate alongside students from several other metro Atlanta universities, including Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Agnes Scott College, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Georgia State University.
Join the live webcast at http://bit.ly/ambdream, no registration needed. The page also contains links to speaker bios, interviews with area college students on The Future of the AmericanDream, and links to resources and news articles.
Oglethorpe’s First Lady on the Road in Uganda
Posted by: | November 18, 2011 | Comments
Last month the OU Blog told you about a lecture and book signing by author Twesigye Jackson Kaguri and organized by Oglethorpe’s Women’s Network.
In Kaguri’s book, A School for My Village: A Promise to the Orphans of Nyaka, he describes his amazing journey from a small farm in Uganda to the ivy halls of Columbia University, and then home again to build a tuition-free school for almost 500 Nyaka orphans.
Affected by the Kaguri’s story, Betty Londergan, President Schall’s wife, journeyed to Uganda, to see the work of Kaguri’s Nyaka AIDS Orphan School wtih her own eyes. Read about her experiences and follow her journey on her blog:
Nov. 11 – You are welcome here, Bet-ty!
Nov. 14 – Somewhere over the rainbow…
Nov. 17 – Not the same old song.
Dressing to Stand OUt
Posted by: | November 14, 2011 | Comments
Savannah Boyd, personal stylist, advices students on appropriate attire.
The OU Career Center recently hosted a Dress for Success event for students in the OU Museum of Art.
“Career Services, with the help of the Student Government Association, created this event to give students a chance to jump start their professional wardrobe. The goal of the event was to help students understand that professional attire is a key part of making a positive first impression to a potential employer” said Caroline Weimar, director of Career Counseling. “We emphasized that your clothing should enhance, not distract from, what you are trying to articulate in terms of your skills and talents.”
The event featured Savannah Boyd, a personal stylist and owner of Hearts of Style (www.heartsofstyle.com). Savannah spoke to the students about professional attire and the difference between interview dress and business casual. She shared some common mistakes that people make and emphasized the importance of having basics such as a dark suit and white or blue collared shirt in your wardrobe. Savannah told OU students that you do not have to spend a lot of money to look polished and that it’s better to invest in a few key pieces that you can use again and again.
OU students Awet Woldegebriel and Ciarra Dantzler model professional attire
OU student models demonstrated the DOs and DON’Ts of professional dress. The students included Awet Woldegebriel, Spenser Knauss, Sonya Myers, Joel Raffety, Price Hamilton, Ciarra Dantzler, and Nicole Kang.
For more than a month, Career Services collected donated gently-used professional items from OU faculty and staff. Thanks to the generosity of our Oglethorpe community, students had a large selection of professional clothing, belts, jewelry, and ties. They were given the opportunity to shop from the items to enhance their options for professional dress.
With the help of SGA, OU Career Services raffled off three gift cards to be used toward professional clothing items. Savannah Boyd also raffled off a two-hour closet audit where she will spend time going through a student’s closet and helping them put together various pieces into professional and business casual outfits.
Hats off to Career Services and SGA for another successful event! 
Find more information about OU Career Center and the services offered to OU students.
Oglethorpe Veterans Club Honors Those Who’ve Served
Posted by: | November 11, 2011 | Comments
The Oglethorpe Veterans Club handed out yellow lapel ribbons across campus.
To commemorate Veterans Day today, the newly-formed Oglethorpe Veterans Club distributed yellow lapel ribbons to raise awareness, held a campus-wide moment of silence at 11 a.m. to remember those who have fallen, and hosted a ”Lest We Forget” brunch event to honor those who’ve served and their families.
The Oglethorpe Veterans Club members include veterans, family members, students, faculty, staff and alumni who have come together to recognize the contributions of soldiers.
“Veterans are really everywhere,” said Jef Palframan ’13, founding president of the OU Veterans Club—and a veteran himself. “The club is for everyone, not just veterans, and our mission is the aid those who have served and their families.”
Jef Palframan '13, Professor Chris Benton, Trustee Fred Agel '52, Trustee Emeritus O.K. Sheffield '53
The event opened and closed with prayers for those who have fallen in battle, for those who are missing, and those who are fighting right now. There also were toasts made to those who have served and their families, as well as remarks from Dean of Students Michelle Hall, OU Trustee Fred Agel ’52, and Trustee Emeritus O.K. Sheffield ’53. Veterans who attended were encouraged to wear their uniforms and medals.
OU shares a long history with alumni veterans and veterans-turned-students. Oglethorpe’s first international students in the 1940s were four Norwegian veterans of WWII. (Read the full article: Summer 2011 Carillon, pages 10-11.) Currently there are 13 veterans enrolled as students at Oglethorpe.
An empty table symbolized those soldiers who are or were prisoners of war or missing in action.
Commemorating the Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Posted by: | November 09, 2011 | Comments
Sina Nitzsche, Visiting Assistant Professor of German
The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 was an event of epochal significance. It not only changed the existing world order, it also had a deep impact on the people who lived in East Germany. Tonight, Oglethorpe students and others will have the opportunity to hear an eye-witness account of the events that changed Germany, Europe, and the world.
Sina Nitzsche, visiting assistant professor of German, and Tamás Novák, who were both children in the GDR and adolescents in the unified Germany, will share their personal experiences about the cultural aftermath of 1989.
“It is important to understand the significance of what happened and make the connection between history books and today,” said Nitzsche. “We would like to share our personal experiences, engage in dialogue—and also enjoy a fine selection of German food.”
The evening starts off with a selection of German food at 6:00 p.m., followed by a viewing of the award-winning film Goodbye, Lenin! (2003), and a Q&A discussion with Nitzsche and Novak. The event will take place tonight, November 9, in the Skylight Gallery of the OU Museum of Art in the Philip Weltner Library. All are welcome to attend this special event.
‘A School for My Village’ Author at Oglethorpe this Thursday
Posted by: | October 19, 2011 | Comments
Don’t miss this lecture and book signing by author Twesigye Jackson Kaguri on Thursday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art.
In his book, A School for My Village: A Promise to the Orphans of Nyaka, Twesigye Jackson Kaguri captures his amazing journey from a small farm in Uganda to the ivy halls of Columbia University, and then home again. He will share his story of returning to his village of Nyaka, Uganda and building a tuition-free school for almost 500 Nyaka orphans. The author lost two siblings to AIDS leaving behind their children as orphans.
The event will include author’s remarks, a book signing, and a Taste of Uganda Feast.
Presented by the Oglethorpe Women’s Network and The Georgia Center for the Book.
Career Services Expands Resources, Opportunities
Posted by: | October 10, 2011 | Comments
Do you know about all the career resources offered at Oglethorpe’s Career Center? The Center helps both students and alumni with career development and planning through self-evaluation, the exploration and pursuit of career interests, and by offering opportunities like one-on-one appointments, job seminars, educational programs and recruitment events. Now, Career Services has its sights set on expanding internships opportunities for current students.
Director of Career Services Caroline Weimar was recently joined by Robin Brandt, who assumed the brand new position of Director of Experiential Learning. Robin is focusing on developing and expanding opportunities for OU students to participate in internships, with the goal to significantly increase the overall number of students who benefit from the practical, hands-on experience that internships offer. She recently convened a steering committee of OU students who will help support and advise the Career Center in its ongoing efforts to increase OU students’ participating in internships.
“Internships can be a beneficial experience for students of any major,” said Brandt. “They help formulate career goals, gain valuable work experience and enhance marketable skills. Internships also help establish reference and networking contacts and can possibly open doors to full-time employment. Some positions even qualify for academic credit.”
When it comes to finding internship positions, Brandt advises students to do research on their own, along with using the resources available through the Career Center, such as Career Connect. Center staff offer professional advice on writing resumes and cover letters and holds mock practice interviews. OU students also are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to meet face-to-face with potential employers during on-campus Career Fairs. The recent Nonprofit Career Fair brought more than 35 potential nonprofit employers to campus. View photos from the event here. Throughout the year, students also can look forward to guest speakers and panel discussion series with professionals from various fields, as well as another career fair scheduled for spring 2012.
For more information about Career Services or internship opportunities visit the Career Center office in Emerson Student Center or email careerservices@oglethorpe.edu.
Photos: (top) Robin Brandt meets with an OU student in the Career Center; (middle) Caroline Weimar consults on career planning; (bottom) Snapshots from the recent Nonprofit Career Fair.
Harp Soloist Alice Giles in Concert at Oglethorpe
Posted by: | October 07, 2011 | Comments
Alice Giles, one of the world’s leading harp soloists, will perform at Oglethorpe University Museum of Art this Saturday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. The performance is part of OUMA’s Skylight Gallery Concert Series and is the perfect choice for a relaxing Saturday date night! Concert admission is $10 or FREE with a Petrel Pass.
The Australian-born musician first attracted international attention when she won First Prize in the 8th Israel International Harp Contest at the age of 21. Since then she has performed extensively with orchestras in Europe, America, Australia, and Israel. She presented her first solo recital at age 13 at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, was awarded the coveted Churchill International Fellowship and an Australia Council Grant to study in the U.S., and made her New York debut recital at Merkin Hall in 1983. From 1990 to 1998 she taught at the Hochschüle für Musik in Frankfurt, and was recently appointed to the School of Music, ANU in Australia.
The concert is presented in conjunction with OUMA’s current exhibition, Chagall: The Early Etchings of the 1920s, which runs through December 11. OUMA is open Tuesday- Sunday, 12 noon – 5 p.m. Find out more information about Skylight Gallery Concert Series and other OUMA events here.
Oglethorpe presents “Chagall – The Early Etchings of the 1920s”
Posted by: | October 03, 2011 | Comments
The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art is now featuring an exhibition of sixty-five rarely viewed etchings and aquatints by Russian-born painter and printmaker Marc Chagall. The exhibition also features five colored lithographs from the private collection of Drs. Isaac and Yolanta Melamed. The show will run through December 11, 2011.
Oglethorpe students are invited to a special students-only opening reception at the Museum on Tuesday, October 4, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Hear about the artwork and enjoy some refreshments as well!
The exhibit focuses on the early etchings of the 1920s when Chagall and his young bride Bella (Berta) Rosenfeld moved to Paris following the Russian Revolution of 1917. Included in the exhibit are the famous etchings based on Dead Souls and the La Fontaine Fables. Chagall was prolific in his artistic endeavors and he became a master in many pursuits that included painting, tapestry design, stained glass, mosaics and the graphic arts. His interest in etching began when he was thirty-five years old while still living in Berlin before moving to Paris. He was passionate about learning all the technical aspects of using the burin and drypoint in this newly discovered art form.
During the exhibit’s run, OUMA will also offer lectures and the Skylight Gallery Concert Series. Visit the OUMA website for more information.
OUMA is open Tuesday-Sunday, 12 noon – 5 p.m., with docent tours offered at 2 p.m. on Sundays. General admission is $5.00, but if you have a Petrel Pass it’s free! OU students, you can earn a Petrel Point by attending the student reception or by checking out the exhibit. Don’t miss it!
Pictured: Lloyd Nick, director of the OU Museum of Art.
