Legacy Society Members Honored
More than 100 Legacy Society members, Board of Trustees, special guests, and students
attended Southern’s fourth annual Legacy Society Recognition Banquet on March 17.
This annual event occurs to thank generous donors who have made planned gifts in support
of the university and to hear from current students who are benefiting from the generosity
of others. Donors and guests enjoyed dinner entertainment by adjunct professor Sherilyn
Samaan on the harp and piano, and a symphony orchestra concert.
Chris McKee, Board of Trustees member, [pictured right] presented the key-note address. As an alumnus, board member, and parent of three current students, he spoke of his personal commitment to Southern and shared how God is blessing him as he continues to consider future financial support. Chris also shared strategic initiatives that are planned for the future growth of the university.
Special honor was given to a donor family who, through selfless generosity, honored the values passed from parent to child. What began as a vision so many years ago became a reality much earlier than expected. “Southern is genuinely thankful for this extraordinary gift that exemplifies generosity at its best,” said Carolyn Liers, director of Planned Giving. Click HERE to read the full story.
Students Sarah Andrews, Joshua Barrow, and Samya Sawalha shared how generous donors
are impacting their lives and making it possible for them to remain at Southern. “Because
of your generosity, you are contributing to the advancement of a new generation of
business workers, journalists, and health care professionals,” said Sarah Andrews,
junior nursing major. “God led me here with a plan to keep me here; you were a part
of His plan.”
Sue Kaufman, planned giving coordinator, reported that 34 new members joined the Legacy Society this year bringing the total membership to 424. Everyone can be part of providing life-changing opportunities for students at Southern. If you are interested, please call Carolyn Liers at 423.236.2818 or visit the Legacy Society website.
Creative Talents and Collections Featured in McKee Library
Recently, the McKee LIbrary implemented exciting changes in an effort to enhance its atmosphere. Among those changes has been a push to display a variety of artists and collections throughout the library.
“It is our goal to have a constant rotation of collections from community members, students and alumni,” said Daniel Maxwell, McKee Library director.
Sara Mirucki, who is in charge of coordinating the displays, has the opportunity to connect with many talented and passionate people. For one recent installation, she was able to meet personally with William Lamar Phillips, Jr., a 1963 alumnus of Southern Missionary College to select pieces to be put on display.
Lamar has served as an educator, pastor, editor, and ADRA director in various countries over a span of 40 years. He has had the opportunity to be exposed to many different cultures, landscapes, and experiences. Through those experiences, his love for photography was born and grew into the passion he has today. Eight of his pieces, which focus on a variety of flowers he has seen along his travels, are currently on display in the second floor of the McKee Library. [pictured above]
Lamar, however, is not the only alumnus involved in displaying works at the library.
Featured on the first floor of the McKee Library is the currency display [pictured left] donated by Allen Borne. Allen is a 1981 alumnus who currently practices law in New
Orleans. The display, which has been a long-standing feature in the library, includes
historical items dating back to the Confederate wars. A variety of 50-cent notes are
displayed along with Baby Bonds, Confederate Bonds, and Confederate Notes. This display
provides an interesting insight into our historical forms of currency for students
and library patrons alike.
The displays in the McKee Library are updated on a regular basis and Sara is constantly looking for new feature artwork or collections. She encourages anyone with an interesting collection or an interest in displaying their personal artwork to contact her at 423.236.2792 or send her an email at smirucki@southern.edu.
~ by Lauren Halminen
PHOTO CONTEST: Where do YOU read Southern Columns?
The 2013 Spring Edition of Southern Columns should reach your doorstep by the middle of June, and we want to know where you're found reading about your alma mater! On vacation in Hawaii? On your back deck with a glass of lemonade? Or on top of a mountain? Send us a picture and enter to win your choice of Southern gear, a selection of musical CD's, or a Southern hat autographed by Dr. Bietz.
WHEN: Contest will begin Monday, June 15, 2013 and end Monday, July 15, 2013.
HOW TO ENTER: Have a picture taken of you (and/or your friends/family/etc.) holding your Southern Columns and submit it to alumni@southern.edu.
HOW TO VOTE: Go to Facebook and "LIKE" our Alumni Assocation page at www.facebook.com/SAUalumni. We will place each submission on our page and your "like" of the photo is your vote for the photo.
HOW TO WIN: Get the most amount of "likes" on your photo.
*Limit one submission per person. All photo entries will become property of SAU and can be used for Alumni Relations marketing.
LINKEDIN: Southern Adventist University - Alumni Relations [OFFICIAL] 
Request to become a member of our group and you'll see posts on job openings, helpful articles, job-related features and more! Go to LinkedIn.com and search for Southern Adventist University - Alumni Relations [OFFICIAL]
What is Your Relationship to the Adventist Church?
The Adventist Connection Study is looking at the relationship between young alumni of Adventist universities and colleges to the Adventist church. If you graduated from Southern Adventist University between the years of 2001-2012, this is your chance to share your feelings about the Adventist church. Click HERE to participate in the survey. PLEASE NOTE: CUT OFF DATE IS MAY 1, 2013.
Camels Cancel at 4 a.m.
When the phone rings at 4 a.m. it’s never good news.Sherrie Williams, SonRise Resurrection Pageant director, received the call early morning the day of the pageant that camels would be missing from the day’s performances due to a forecast of heavy rain. She was disappointed, but 18 years of experience with the event told her that things would work out just fine. Williams’ faith was rewarded with dry weather and over 9,300 people in attendance.
The annual pageant portraying Christ’s last days on Earth took place March 30 on the
campus of Southern Adventist University and featured dramatic sets, live animals,
and a cast of 500 costumed volunteers. Though numerous plans and preparations were
put into place by the SonRise cast in the months leading up to the pageant, there
was still one thing they had no control over—the weather. The week before the play,
several cast members were beginning to worry that the 60 percent chance of rain forecast
for Saturday would ruin the performance, but Williams assured them God would take
care of it.
“I told the cast members who were concerned about the rain not to worry because God wanted people to hear this story,” Williams said. “It actually did end up raining at the end of day, but only after we had finished cleaning up from the last performance.”
While the rainy forecast did prevent the usually presence of camels at the marketplace scene, that did not stop audience members from enjoying the mile-long interactive walk through biblical Jerusalem. One of the major highlights of the play was the opening scene[pictured below] that took place in the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists showing depictions of the many different tragedies that took place during the last year.
“The opening scene is my favorite every year,” said Raquel Levy, senior mass communications
major. “They take all the pain and suffering in the world today and put it into context
with Jesus’ sacrifice. It helps you remember that even through you can’t see Him,
Jesus is always with you.”
The SonRise Resurrection Pageant is a collaboration of Southern Adventist University
and the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists. For information on SonRise,
visit the SonRise Facebook page.
~by Luke Evans
"Don't be a Sitting Duck – Come Waddle With the Rest of the Flock!"
Some schools have mascots, Southern has pets. Well, sort of. The ducks that habitually
wade the creek running through campus have long been a source of nostalgia for students and alumni. This academic year, the Hulsey Wellness Center took cues from
the “campus pets” and organized two campus-wide “Duck Walks” around the Iles P.E. Center Outdoor Track for a cardiorespiratory assessment event.
The walks were all-day events on October 15-16 and February 20-21. A total of 1291 students and 66 employees participated in the fall and then 950 students and 55 employees participated in the spring. Many professors took their classes to the track for this event. Students received convocation credit for their participation and were also entered into a drawing for smoothies, gift cards, flash drives and more.
Leslie Evenson, event organizer and Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) director, said,
“the Duck Walk was a Rockport one mile walk test in a fun, feathered disguise!” The
Rockport test requires that participants warm up at a gentle pace, walk a brisk mile
recording their start and finish time, and then take their heart rate immediately
after with a heart rate monitor. This walk served to indicate each participant’s level
of cardiorespiratory health.
Evenson and her team encouraged the Southern campus to take part in the walk with several clever motivational quips throughout the weeks leading up to the even. These included: "Don't be a sitting duck – come out and waddle with the rest of the flock," "Everyone who walks is a lucky duck and will get a gift for participating," and "In case of inclement weather [rain], take a cue from our 'campus pets' down at the duck pond and think 'like water off a duck's back' it won't stop or hurt me!"
Analysis to tabulate the levels of cardiorespiratory health will be performed during the summer of 2013.
QuickNotes is edited by Jaclyn Pruehs, Alumni Relations Assistant
