This spring, the 敁珗辦畦 Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Mead Hall in honor of Mead���s 55 years as a servant leader at the university. 

Mead died Oct. 10, 2021, after a lengthy illness. She began her career at 敁珗辦畦 in 1967 in the admissions office, where she worked for more than 20 years. Her last 30 years of service were spent in student life where she was associate dean of students.  

Her years of service touched many lives through her work with the international program, dining etiquette sessions, organizing campus events such as CultureFest and Kuumba, and counseling students.  

Her love for students was demonstrated through her philanthropic efforts which included establishing the Student Emergency Care Fund during COVID, the P.O. Jr. and Margaret I. Mead Endowed Scholarship in memory of her parents, and in the countless ways she blessed those around her with financial support. 

B. Keith Faulkner, president and a 1998 alumnus, said that 敁珗辦畦 Southern students for years to come will be blessed by the $1.5 million gift from Mead���s estate which funded the Barbara ���Binky��� C. Mead Endowed Scholarship. ���It was through the generosity of Ms. Mead and many other friends of the university that gave students like me a chance at a college education. The naming of Mead Hall symbolizes her legacy that continues to live on in our泭university’s泭life. We are grateful for her servant heart and leadership for so many years.���

Retired Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Clark Carter said, ���Ms. Mead dedicated her life to serving others. She always made people feel so special. She would spend hours talking with our international students and anyone else who might be struggling to fit in at 敁珗辦畦. She loved our students so well that many of them called her Momma Mead.��� 

Mead was a graduate of Furman University and The Citadel and was a licensed counselor. 

Mead Hall opened in the spring of 2019 and has suite-style accommodations on its three floors, a full kitchen, large activity room, and houses just over 200 students. 

A celebratory event will be planned at a later date.

We are preparing for a wonderful outdoor event on Buccaneer Field this Friday evening and Saturday morning. Praise God! 

Here are some quick reminders to best prepare you for this momentous occasion.

Schedule
Friday, May 3
                  11:30 a.m. Bucky���s Bon Voyage (RSVP )
                  1:30 p.m. Undergraduate Rehearsal at Lightsey Chapel
                  5 p.m. Graduates Arrive/Rehearsal at Field House/Buc Dome
                  6 p.m. Graduate Commencement at Buccaneer Field
                  Reception with each college immediately following

Saturday, May 4
                  9 a.m. Undergraduates Arrive at Field House/Buc Dome
                  10 a.m. Undergraduate Commencement at Buccaneer Field
                  Reception with each college immediately following

Attire
Flat sole shoes are required in order to walk on the turf field for Commencement. Additional information about dress code and honor cords/stoles can be found at charlestonsouthern.edu/graduation.

Parking

Participants will park in the Women���s North Lot, walk over to the Buc Dome, and line up inside. Review the map and feel free to share with your guests here. 

New This Year

We want this to be a fun, memorable day for you and your loved ones! Enjoy the many new things we���ve added to the experience, such as:

• A reception for all our grads and their guests with each college! Complimentary sweet treats and drinks provided. College tents will be set up at the north end of the stadium in the grass to help you easily find your faculty.
• A photobooth for you and your friends and family to enjoy ��� for free. 
• Free professional photos for download of each graduate! A gallery link will be provided within 10 business days to the same email you are currently receiving these email updates.

If you have further questions, please review the  and other FAQs here.

Go Bucs!

-Commencement Committee

After earning the No. 2 seed in the Big South Tournament and winning the program’s first conference title in 14 years, first-year Head Coach Chan Metts was named Big South Women’s Coach of the Year. The conference announced this on Thursday.
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Metts led the Buccaneers to a nail-biting victory in the Big South semifinals against No. 4 Longwood on Wednesday followed by a victory over USC Upstate in the championship. This season, he picked up his first tournament victory in his head coaching career with a victory in the Pine Tree Intercollegiate in Kennesaw, GA back on March 25.
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In nine of the 10 tournaments that the team has played in, they placed in the top 10 overall. In five of those tournaments, they placed in the top five. Metts was also pivotal in the development of泭, who medaled twice this season, as well as five players who received All-Conference honors.
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To cap off this season, Metts will lead 敁珗辦畦 Southern to their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2010. The Bucs will find out where they will be playing on Wednesday, April 24. The NCAA Regionals begin on Monday, May 6.

In 2024, one of the two chosen collegiate students representing South Carolina is Allie Dombkowski, a junior at 敁珗辦畦 Southern University studying Music Education. Dombkowski entered the Horton School of Music and Performing Arts as a non-traditional student in Fall of 2022 and has since made her presence known in the music community. She currently serves as the secretary of the Collegiate National Association for Music Education���s Chapter 751, a program that aims to raise music education awareness on campus. Dombkowski is a part of 敁珗辦畦���s Concert Singers and Bel Canto choirs as the lead alto. She���s also been an integral part of the staff for 敁珗辦畦 Southern University���s Summer Music Camp.

Overall, this tremendous opportunity is a huge honor and will be an excellent chance to spread recognition for the Horton School of Music and Performing Arts at 敁珗辦畦 Southern University! We are so grateful to have Allie represent 敁珗辦畦 with NAfME in our nation���s capital.

敁珗辦畦 Southern Women’s Golf claimed their seventh title in program history and first since the 2010 season on Wednesday afternoon. They defeated #2 USC Upstate in the finals of the event by a final score of 4-1 after taking down #4 Longwood in the semifinals earlier in the day.

The Buccaneers were able to claim the championship match courtesy of quick back-to-back-back finishes from their first three players to start their rounds.  got 敁珗辦畦 their first point winning 3&2 which was shortly followed by Alsie Verhoeven taking hers at 2&1.  clinched the title and team’s berth to the NCAA Regionals with her holding on for a one-hole victory, needing all 18 holes to decide a winner.

Stephens was part of the first pairing to tee off and jumped out to an early lead of three after just three holes. USC Upstate’s player was able to bring the match back even and eventually take the lead on the 14th. Stephens responded immediately by winning on the 15th and 16th to regain a one-hole with two left to play. She tied each of the next two giving 敁珗辦畦 their third point.

Verhoeven was the second to tee off in the final round and was part of one of the narrowest decisions on the day. Neither player was able to gain a stroke on the other after the first seven holes, but Verhoeven broke on the 8th to create the needed separation. She only lost on one hole of the 17 played and stretched her lead out to as many as three during the round. She clinched the second point for the Bucs of the day.

Engelbredt had the most dominant performance in the finals for the Bucs. At the turn, she held a six-hole lead over the player from the Spartans. Her opponent was able to claim three consecutive holes on the back nine of the course to cut into Engelbredt’s lead, but it proved to be too little, too late, giving the Buccaneers their first decision of the day.

After being the player to send 敁珗辦畦 Southern to the finals for the day, Odette Garcia’s result was not even needed for them to clinch the championship. She claimed the first two holes of the round over USC Upstate and never surrendered her lead providing the Bucs with another result on the day.

USC Upstate’s Preaw Nontarux claimed their lone point of the match against . They went through 12 holes and Nontarux was having a career day as she had shot -6 at that point to get the decision.

The Buccaneers will now begin their preparations for the 2024 NCAA Regionals as they claimed the Big South’s Automatic Bid to the national event. The Regionals will begin in two weeks with action to be from May 6-8. 敁珗辦畦 Southern will also be hosting a Watch Party for the NCAA Women’s Golf Selection Show. The program will be April 24 at 2 p.m. on Golf Channel. The details for the event will be announced later in the week.

In each regional, 12 teams and six individuals not on those teams will compete. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals. Beginning in 2024, regional champion awards will be given to the team champions.

2024 Women’s Golf Match Play Results – Finals

#1 敁珗辦畦 Southern vs. #2 USC Upstate (敁珗辦畦 Southern wins, 3-1)

Order of finish:

M4: Preaw Nontarux (UPST) defeats  (敁珗辦畦), 8&6 (UPST leads 1-0)

M3:  (敁珗辦畦) defeats Suwarin Yord-in (UPST), 3&2 (match tied 1-1)

M2:  (敁珗辦畦) defeats Rylie Kosney (UPST), 2&1 (敁珗辦畦 leads 2-1)

M1:  (敁珗辦畦) defeats Alexis Reili (UPST), 1UP (敁珗辦畦 wins 3-1)

M5:  Garcia (敁珗辦畦) vs. Supatta Puttanavarat (UPST) 3UP thru 15 (unfinished)

The family of Dr. S.M. Mayo, former chair of the BCC/敁珗辦畦 religion department, has donated his personal library to 敁珗辦畦 Southern.

Mayo was a professor from 1976 until his death in 1997. Something of a Renaissance man, Mayo set out to become an aeronautical engineer until God changed his pathway. He was a graduate of Southern Illinois University, completing his degree in 10 years because he worked to pay for his education. He went on to study at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Eric Kistler, director of the Rivers Library, said, ���Dr. Mayo���s book collection contains a rich variety of very highly regarded theological treatises. The 敁珗辦畦 Southern research community will benefit greatly from this most generous donation.���

���Dr. Mayo was a kind, gentle professor who cared for his students,��� said Dr. Michael Bryant, vice president for strategic planning, faith integration, and Christian leadership. ���He invested deeply in their education and worked hard to help them learn.��� 

Mayo was an early adopter of computer technology and taught a computer class on campus, using the Apple IIe. 

His son Stacy ���S.M.��� Mayo ���90 of Lexington, and his wife, Stephanie, made the donation to the university. Dr. Mayo���s daughter, Kisa Mayo ���91, and his wife, Parmelee, are both deceased.

Fred Norris III and his wife, Tracy Compton Norris ���83, recently visited campus to deliver proceeds from The Frederick K. Norris Jr. and Mary Ann R. Norris Charitable Remainder Trust and the Fred K. Norris Jr. Charitable Remainder Unitrust.

The $321,507 gift will provide a Christian education to more young men and women. Fred and Tracy reflected on the legacy of Fred Norris Sr., Fred Norris Jr., and Mary Ann Norris. Fred and Tracy are continuing the family legacy through the Board of Visitors Scholarship Program and serving as stewards of the family trusts. 

���I���m blessed, so I���m led to give back,��� said Fred. ���Our desire is to better enable 敁珗辦畦 to carry the light and hope of the gospel into this messed up world.���

The Norris family���s involvement began before Baptist College at 敁珗辦畦 (now 敁珗辦畦) was established. Baptists were raising money in the 1950s, and Fred���s grandfather, Fred Norris Sr., was involved in funding the school.

The family���s belief in the value of higher education was ingrained in Fred and his siblings by their parents, Fred Norris Jr. and Mary Ann Norris. Fred said, ���My parents pushed to make sure we had the very best options in terms of education. We were fortunate to grow up with the faith aspect; my parent���s commitment to Jesus was unwavering. When you went home to St. Julien in Eutawville, you knew things would always be the same.���

Fred Jr. and Mary Ann met through the Baptist Student Union when Fred Jr. was a student at Clemson and Mary Ann was a student at Converse. Fred Jr. followed in his father���s footsteps of supporting BCC/敁珗辦畦. He was elected to the Board of Trustees, and for the next 40 years he served numerous terms on the board.

���My parents were very committed to the school and made a lot of friends,��� said Fred. ���They brought us to BCC for concerts in the gym, such as Al Hirt, the Temptations, and the 5^th Dimension. Robert and I even went to the first BCC SPORTS CAMP.��� 

Fred���s mother loved and encouraged the arts making sure her five children took piano lessons and were exposed to cultural events such as opera, symphonies, and ballet. Each of the children were given the opportunity to select which event interested them the most and would take the ride with mama and daddy to Township Auditorium in Columbia. ���I think my father may have slept through some of the performances after a long day on the farm, but they were a team, so he was a good sport about it,��� said Fred. Fred absorbed the music instruction and later found rock and roll and the guitar.

Fred said his father was a visionary farmer. He wasn���t afraid to try new ideas and was involved in the community. Fred Jr. joined a farming co-op, Gold Kist, eventually becoming a board member. 

���I grew up seeing how my father interacted with people,��� said Fred. ���My mother and father were comfortable in all kinds of settings. They had a relatability factor. My mother enabled us to be an encouragement to others.

���Every morning at breakfast the five of us kids would be together around the table as mama and daddy would read a devotional and then we would pray together. They steadfastly continued these devotionals their entire lives ending their morning prebreakfast time praying out loud for each of us. Our parent���s prayers of faith not only led the way for each of us to encounter Jesus but also empowered us to faithfully remain on the road of destiny He had for each of our lives.���

Tracy added, ���Fred has done a good job representing the family. I feel like I still see Mr. Fred through traits my husband has.���

Fred and Tracy met at church and married. They decided they wanted to run a business together and bought a carpet cleaning franchise in 1986. Several years later, they transitioned into the restoration/mitigation business. As services expanded, the business became Disaster Plus from an idea suggested by their friend, the late Barry Shropshire ���79.

Disaster Plus provided mitigation work in Norris and Wingo Halls a year ago just before school started. ���It was strange to be working there and reading about my grandfather, Fred Norris Sr. on the stairwell wall in Norris Hall,��� said Fred. Norris Hall, originally was named the Fred K. Norris Hall – Library for Fred Sr.

Almost 40 years later, Tracy and Fred continue to serve in music ministry while still running the business together and helping people through some of the toughest times in their lives.

���Tracy is really good at having an ear and a sensitivity to pray for customers,��� said Fred.

Looking back on their time in college, Fred and Tracy said you have to find the Lord for yourself. ���You have to find your own relationship with Jesus ��� not your parents��� Jesus,��� said Tracy. She continued, ���Think of your Christian faith as an atomic bomb ��� that���s the power we have as Christians.���

Fred and Tracy are continuing to spread the legacy of Jesus through managing the Norris family trusts, in their business, and in their ministries.

敁珗辦畦 Southern University inaugurated B. Keith Faulkner as the university���s fourth president Monday, March 25 in a service in Lightsey Chapel.

Faulkner was unanimously elected by the Board of Trustees on July 25, 2023, and began his service as president in October. He is the first 敁珗辦畦 Southern alumnus to serve the university as president. Faulkner graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a finance emphasis in 1998.

When Faulkner arrived on campus, he said he was focused on four things: Listening, Caring, Casting Vision, and Leading. He thanked the 敁珗辦畦 Southern faculty and staff and said, ���This is a team dedicated to service above self.��� He pledged to invest in people ��� in employees and the student body.

He said, ���Casting a vision is not enough. Faith requires us to act. Walking in faith requires vision and action. Vision with action can change the world.���

Faulkner concluded with a challenge to the 敁珗辦畦 family: ���One who has hope lives differently. We are people of hope. We are respectful of our past with a laser focus on the future.���

Melissa Essary, dean emerita and professor of law at Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, worked with Faulkner at Campbell and gave the keynote address.

Essary said, ���Sometimes you meet someone and you���re optimistic about who they appear to be. Sometimes, they are everything you hoped they would be and more. Meet Keith Faulkner.���

Among those bringing greetings from different groups was Dr. Maxwell Rollins, professor of business and director of graduate programs in the Nielsen College of Business. Faulkner is a former student of Rollins and also worked for Rollins in his DJ business. Rollins, representing the 敁珗辦畦 faculty, said, ���One of our Buccaneers has returned, and it is time for 敁珗辦畦 to shine.���

Faulkner���s service prior to accepting the position at 敁珗辦畦 Southern included serving in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear power plant operator and technician and an instructor. He had 20 years of higher education service as president, dean, and professor of law at Appalachian School of Law in Virginia; as dean and professor of law at Liberty University School of Law; as dean and professor at the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business at Campbell University; and as interim dean, vice dean, executive associate dean for external relations at Campbell University���s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. Before he stepped into higher education, Faulkner practiced law in the areas of insurance defense, criminal defense, estate planning, family law, and real estate litigation and transactions. 

He earned a Juris Doctor and a Master of Business Administration from Campbell University���s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and a Master of Laws in litigation management from Baylor University School of Law. 

Global 敁珗辦畦, the One Region Roadmap lead agent for the global fluency arm, officially opened its office after a ribbon cutting ceremony on the campus of 敁珗辦畦 Southern University Friday, March 15.

Stephanie LeVan, executive director of the 敁珗辦畦 Center for Global Education, serves as president of Global 敁珗辦畦���which is located in the Hunter Center.

LeVan said, ���My hope is that Global 敁珗辦畦 serves international residents and businesses well. I lived overseas for many years. Many people made my life better because they demonstrated hospitality and kindness when I was a stranger in their countries. It is a privilege to do that for others now.���

Global 敁珗辦畦 will be a center that serves international businesses and residents. There is currently no organization like it in the 敁珗辦畦 business ecosystem. Global 敁珗辦畦 will serve the community by supporting international residents who come to the 敁珗辦畦 area to establish internal companies through a variety of ways, including information about complex relocation processes, an online directory, learning opportunities, and more.

���This center serves as a declaration to our global partners that the 敁珗辦畦 Metro area walks in the ancient, proven, well-worn paths of friendship, respect, trade, and diplomacy,��� LeVan said to a crowd of global leaders and supporters on Friday. ���These pillars have built good will among nations for centuries, and we rely on these same pillars today as they have created the strong, vibrant, gloriously global community that we call home. Our mission at 敁珗辦畦 Southern and at Global 敁珗辦畦 is to strengthen these ties that bind us in our region and ensure that the global community is served well not only with the information they need to live, but with information they need to thrive.���

LeVan began working with the 敁珗辦畦 Regional Development Alliance in 2016 on their global fluency committee. She said, ���I eventually chaired that committee and was asked to be part of the One Region Advisory Committee after working with others in the community and SB Friedman Development Advisers on the global fluency portion of the latest iteration of the One Region Roadmap.���

The One Region Roadmap is a regional partnership representing the Berkeley-敁珗辦畦-Dorchester region. According to One Region, the partnership was formed to strengthen the economy and generate opportunities for all by delivering strategies and actions that will make a difference for all. ���As One Region���s Lead Agent for Global Fluency, 敁珗辦畦 Southern University has delivered a transformative resource for the region���s international community with the launch of Global 敁珗辦畦,��� Ryan Wilcox, One Region managing director, said. ���We applaud their efforts in strengthening the region���s capacity to welcome people from around the world and quickly connect them to the community, resources and support they need to begin a fulfilling and successful life here.���

Daniel Schlegel, vice president of operations and customer service for KION North America, said that Global 敁珗辦畦 is important to the community and to 敁珗辦畦 Southern. He shared a personal story of being an immigrant from Germany���first on a work visa and, ultimately, successfully working toward American citizenship. During his acclimation to life in the United States, he had a few roadblocks due to lack of guidance.

���If you come here for business, and you have other things to worry about, it is great having a resource that can help you take care of things���and having a place where you can talk to people who have experience and can guide you along,��� he said. KION North America is a major sponsor of Global 敁珗辦畦 and helped sponsor the ribbon cutting event. 

According to the One Region Roadmap, the 敁珗辦畦 Metro region hosts more than 180 foreign-owned businesses and approximately 42,000 residents who are foreign born. With the 敁珗辦畦 Southern University campus central to the 敁珗辦畦 Metro region at the intersection of Interstate 26 and Highway 78, this Global 敁珗辦畦 center is a prime locale to welcome multinational businesses and international residents and visitors. To learn more about Global 敁珗辦畦, go to  or search for Global 敁珗辦畦 on .

Cyprus 

Five students from the Nielsen College of Business, two cybersecurity majors from the College of Science and Mathematics, and three professors partnered this semester in a creative teamwork course to serve a sports company based in Cyprus. The company operates clinics, training, and camps all over the world. The 敁珗辦畦 team created a new website, a marketing plan, and assisted with branding design. They also helped with a soccer clinic. 

Each year the creative teamwork class chooses a new country and a different business. On this trip, they met with team members from Sri Lanka and Cyprus to learn more about their businesses and how the Gospel is used through them. The group, who teamed up with First Baptist Church of 敁珗辦畦, also traveled to Greece and Paphos���where Apostle Paul ended his second journey���as well as Salimas, where Paul started his journey. 

���Trips like this expand our understanding of the world in terms of business and technology,��� Dr. Emory Hiott, assistant professor of business, said. ���But it also allows students to understand differences among cultures and the overwhelming love of Christ for all peoples.��� 

Utah 

More than 30 students partnered with the Redemption Family of Churches���a group of four churches throughout northern Utah with a common mission and goal of starting 20 churches in the next 10 years. The 敁珗辦畦 group spent time in Kaysville, Ogden, and North Ogden canvassing thousands of homes with invites to church; delivered goody bags to local businesses, government, and first responders; and paid for people���s laundry at local laundromats. These opportunities opened the door for students to have Gospel conversations beyond the walls of a church.  

Bobby Wood, lead pastor of Redemption Church in Ogden, Utah, and a Send City Missionary with the North American Mission Board, said that college students have been integral to every major revival and move of Christianity throughout history.  

���We live in the last pre-Christian area in America that is 98% lost,��� he said. ���For us to see this place transformed with the Gospel, it���s going to take men and women in places where the presence of the Gospel is greater to come to a place where the presence of the Gospel is least. I believe that God will use college students to see awakening break out in our city.��� 

Wood also serves on the Board of Trustees for 敁珗辦畦, and he reiterated how thankful he was for the group. ���Having 敁珗辦畦 students come to Salt Lake City and be on mission is a direct answer to prayer, and I believe that God is going to do something powerful through their work.��� 

Tennessee泭

For more than 20 years, students and staff have traveled to Erwin, Tennessee, to serve the community and members of Fishery Community Church. This year, the largest team ever (24 students and staff) participated in their mission of serving widows and the elderly with home projects such as yard work, cleaning gutters, simple construction projects, and more.  

���Most importantly, we made sure to share the love of Christ with these people and reminded them that they are not alone,��� said Anna Ellis, residence life coordinator.  
 
At the end of each work project, the 敁珗辦畦 team prayed with the ones they served. By the end of the week, they left them with a bouquet of flowers and handwritten cards to remind them of continued prayers.  

Many of those helped were faithful followers of Christ who needed a helping hand. ���The students learned about the power of prayer from some of the greatest prayer warriors, they learned about godly marriages, how to love and serve others expecting nothing in return, how important a church community is, and most importantly how important it is to have faith in the Lord through all things because life will not always be easy, but God is always good,��� Ellis said. 

Global Impact 

Students also served in undisclosed areas of the world where the Gospel continues to be spread. Seth Friend, campus pastor at 敁珗辦畦, said, “Here at 敁珗辦畦 we are committed to following Christ’s command in the Great Commission. Making sure the Gospel reaches those overseas, as well as right next door is something we focus on in our discipleship here on campus. I am so proud of our students.”