Quicknotes | october 2017

Several generous alumni and friends have challenged the Southern community to support students during our second annual Giving Day, which begins November 7 at 12:28 p.m. and ends November 8 at 8 p.m. In 2016, donors contributed more than $97,000 during Giving Day.

In honor of Southern’s founding year, gifts to The Southern Fund will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, during an 1892-minute challenge. When 500 people give, the university will secure an additional gift of $25,000 to the Student Scholarship Fund. Additional donor-incentive bonus challenges will increase scholarships and benefit academic departments, campus organizations, and many other areas on campus.

Save the date! Every gift brings Southern closer to meeting its goal and securing the challenges.

-by Ashley Fox, ’15, annual giving officer

On October 9, Southern’s Career Services team introduced jobZology to students. The online career counseling platform assists users with discovering their calling through the use of assessments that gauge interests, personality, values, and workplace preferences.

“We are excited about jobZology because it can be accessed anytime, anywhere,” said Daniel Olson, ’02 and ’10, Career Services coordinator. “This program will allow us to reach more people, including users who don’t live near our campus.”

In addition to the career assessments, jobZology provides detailed reports, career matches, occupational descriptions, internship and job boards, and work preparation tools. The program is available without charge to Southern students as well as faculty, staff, and alumni.

JobZology was created by Kurt Kraiger, PhD, and Bryan Dik, PhD, psychology professors at Colorado State University. Dik visited Southern in August to speak with faculty and staff during Colloquium. His book Make Your Job a Calling was provided to all Southern employees through funds from a grant.

Alumni can make an appointment for a jobZology introduction by emailing Career Services or calling 423.236.2069.

-Staff Report

Race relations and other social justice issues have been a key point of division, both leading up to the 2016 election and in the months since. Alumni and friends of the university are invited to join a group from Southern in downtown Chattanooga for an exciting evening of relevant conversations framed within a Christian context. Organized by Q Ideas, a national nonprofit, and facilitated locally by Camp House, the event’s speakers will address the theme “Healing Our Divided Nation.”

On Thursday, October 26, from 7-9 p.m., more than two dozen past, present, and future Southern students, along with a handful of faculty and staff, will join other community members at Camp House in Chattanooga for Q Commons, a TED-style program combining local speakers with three national speakers via live streaming. Attendees will sit at round tables and discuss the presentations afterward. The event is open to the public.

Southern’s Alumni Relations, Campus Ministries, and Enrollment Management teams are sending a group of students and recent graduates representing their areas. They will sit at tables reserved for Southern and connect with familiar faces and stories during this educational and enlightening evening.

Alumni are encouraged to share in this critical conversation by joining the Southern group. Tickets can be purchased online. For more information, call 423.236.2781.

-by Lucas Patterson, staff writer

On November 5, alumni and students will be going global at an event to impact childhood hunger through a partnership with Feed My Starving Children, a Christian nonprofit. During a nearly five-hour window, volunteers will pack 100,000+ meals in the campus gym for shipping around the world, including islands in the Caribbean devastated by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

In order for the Feed My Starving Children MobilePack to successfully make a difference in the lives of these vulnerable people, Southern is recruiting 500 volunteers and asking for help to raise $25,000 toward the cost of the meal supplies. 

MobilePack is a fun community event; volunteers work in groups of 13-15 at a packing station. This is a great way to build camaraderie with new friends or to reconnect with former classmates and professors in teams built around graduation years or majors.

» Create Your Own Team 
(simply estimate team size when creating a group)
» Join Existing Team
(search by team keywords such as biology, social work, or religion)
» Volunteer Individually
(just pick a shift and register to attend)

Each volunteer packs $50 worth of food during a shift. Both individuals and teams are encouraged, but not required, to fundraise the cost of the food they’re using. Feed My Starving Children provides tools that simplify this process using Facebook and other online resources.

Can't make it to the Feed My Starving Children MobilePack? Financial support from non-attendees goes a long way toward encouraging participation from students and young alumni.

For more information, email the event leadership team or call 423.236.2781.

-by Lucas Patterson, staff writer

After hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria brought devastation to parts of the United States and much of the Caribbean, Southern students jumped into action and found ways to assist. A variety of trips and local events demonstrated the campus’ heart for helping those who lost much during these storms.

“Sitting in the comfort of our air-conditioned offices and classrooms, with safe drinking water and abundant food, it is hard to imagine the life-altering conditions Puerto Rico and other islands are facing,” said President David Smith, PhD. “Our team has been researching, making connections with people on the ground, and formulating a long-term plan for tangible ways we can get involved.”

Antillean Adventist University in Puerto Rico suffered tremendous damages from Hurricane Maria. Southern took up a love offering during an October vespers that raised funds for helping the sister school purchase generators and repair their well. Southern’s response doesn’t end there.

Southern’s uQuest Missions program is in the process of organizing trips during Christmas Break to a variety of locations – both domestic and abroad – affected by the storms. Service opportunities are being scheduled for the spring and summer, as well.

Additionally, students from the School of Journalism and Communication sponsored an on-campus bake sale. Since a member of the Public Relations Campaign class was from Houston, Texas, and her home church was damaged by the storms, that class spearheaded the effort. With the original goal of $250, the fundraiser brought in approximately $600.

“We set aside the syllabus and focused on putting together a small campaign,” said Kaitlin Colon, senior public relations major. “Students were extremely generous, and most people added a donation on top of their purchase!”

Individual Southern students have also been proactive in finding ways to help. Alexandria Martin and Jennifer Vigil, senior nursing majors, originally planned to host a bake sale and fundraise for disaster relief. After they reached out to Pastor Dave Ferguson, PhD, at the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists, Student Association President Phillip Warfield, and others, their simple event grew into a larger-scale benefit involving not just Southern students, but the entire community.

On September 17, hundreds came out for this fundraiser at Cambridge Square in Ooltewah. The three-hour activity included food items as well as T-shirts for sale, live entertainment, and a successful blood drive. More than $3,500 was raised as a result.

“It’s like He took our loaves and fish and multiplied them,” Vigil said.

-Staff Report

On October 5, community leaders, friends of Southern, and university employees and students came together in Iles P.E. Center to honor servant leaders. President David Smith, PhD, hosted the gala, recognizing three outstanding individuals from the Chattanooga area.

Wilmer Perez, a junior from Howard High School, was honored for his involvement at school and in the Hispanic community. Irvin Overton was recognized as a community member who goes above and beyond; as a retired healthcare administrator, he volunteers through various organizations and regularly gives Bible studies at an assisted living facility. The third recipient was Ron Lowe, executive director of Every Valley Leadership Academy; he was selected for his investment in the education of young people.

“Being a servant leader means putting yourself, and your ego in the back seat,” said Dan Bowers, Arts Build president and master of ceremonies for the evening. “It means that no job is too small.” 

Many representatives from Chattanooga businesses attended, supporting Southern’s mission and making generous contributions to Southern’s endowment and scholarships. Thanks to these individuals, more than $300,000 was given to help make the dream of a quality Adventist education at Southern a reality for more young people.

-by Natalie Boonstra, freshman journalism major

Want to discover the “why” in your business? Ask Seth Hill, ’17, founder and CEO at SWAYY Insulated Hammocks. He attended Fruition Lab in August 2016 and came away energized and equipped with the tools to tackle entrepreneurship.

Southern is hosting an all-day seminar in Ackerman Auditorium on November 2 to encourage another wave of purpose-driven professionals, including both current students and alumni in search of fresh perspectives.

“Fruition Lab gave me the confidence and connections to be able to continue down the road of truly useful business,” Hill said. “I now have a more defined perspective on why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

Fruition Lab’s mission is to inspire, connect, and educate impact-driven entrepreneurs. Participating students, alumni, and other entrepreneurs will hear inspiring stories from Adventist business owners as they identify their mission. Attendees will learn how to sustain a business and network with others.

Guest speakers include:

Ruben Harris, ’10 (co-founder, Breaking Into Startups)
Maranatha Hay, '07 (co-founder, Tower Films)
Seth Hill, ’17 (founder/CEO, Swayy Hammocks)
Tyler Kiley, ’08 (founder, InQuickER)
Bridgett Massengill (president/CEO, Thrive 2055)
Rusty McKee, ’87 (McKee Foods)
Annette Thurmon, ’05 and ’06 (founder, Chaviano Couture)
Greg Vital, ’78 (co-founder/CEO, Morning Pointe Assisted Living)
Jeremy Weaver, ’10 and ’15 (co-founder, Wind River Tiny Homes)

Early arriving participants will be able to network from 6-8 p.m. on November 1. Registration for the seminar is $100 ($20 student rate); lunch is not included. For more information, visit southern.edu/fruitionlab.

-Staff Report

Southern’s 60^th annual Homecoming Weekend begins November 2, providing thousands of alumni, employees, and students the opportunity to reconnect as a community through convocations, shared meals, vespers, and programs designed specifically for this special time of year. This year’s homecoming celebrates Southern’s 125^th anniversary and also focuses on a theme central to the university’s history: missions and service.

Convocation on Thursday kicks off the long weekend with reports from students who are returning from a year abroad as missionaries. Alumni who are serving in the mission field will reinforce the theme as they speak during Friday evening vespers. A flag processional and Missions Expo follows.

“Alumni participation in all of these events will encourage a lifetime of service for students,” said Chaplain Brennon Kirstein, DMin, ’94. “It’s side-by-side recruitment—our graduates and staff strengthening the desire of a young person who may be on the fence about serving as a missionary.”

James Appel, MD, ’96, is speaking on Sabbath for all three worship services in the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists. His stories from working at various hospitals in the Republic of Chad, as well as a daring trip to Liberia to assist with the Ebola outbreak in 2014, will inspire alumni and students alike.

Homecoming Weekend includes an enormous service activity this year, as well. During the Feed My Starving Children MobilePack event, more than 500 alumni, employees, and students will pack 100,000 meals of rice and soy for children around the world, including those devastated by recent natural disasters in the Caribbean. (See “Alumni Invited to Global Service Event on Campus” article, above.)

As powerful as mission and service work are, they aren’t the only opportunity alumni and students have to bond and build mentoring relationships; a shared hobby can help develop similarly strong ties. The fifth annual Bird Count and Continental Breakfast will take place Saturday morning. Birding, an increasingly popular national pastime, can trace much of its growth directly to several Southern alumni.

For more information on Homecoming Weekend, email the Alumni Relations office or call 423.236.2830.

-by Lizzie Williams, junior public relations major

During the summer after her freshman year at Southern, Keri Mau, ’12, discovered that God could use her love of traveling to help others. She’s been living that calling ever since.

Mau’s passion for service began during her freshman year at Southern, when her roommate asked if she wanted to go on a summer mission trip. An eagerness to explore and serve took Mau to Fiji for two weeks, where she worked with Quiet Hour Ministries. While there, she felt called to devote her life to serving God however she could.

Since then, Mau has led trips with Quiet Hour Ministries to Mongolia and Malaysia and has become the ministry’s youngest team leader. She has also interned with World Vision International and ADRA. After graduating from Southern with a degree in music, Mau earned her master’s degree in public health from Loma Linda University.

“I knew in my heart that I wanted to serve people, and public health would be a great outlet for that,” Mau said.

God has used Mau’s experiences at Southern to aid others both domestically and internationally. She has worked in Fiji, Tonga, Panama, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Philippines, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Nepal. Although originally unsure how to use her music degree in her calling to service, Mau supported a community outreach music program for low-income children in San Bernardino, California, and taught violin at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory while in Nepal with ADRA. She is currently working on a curriculum for that conservatory.

“The music degree did not go to waste!” Mau said.

Mau also credits Southern’s community service days with influencing her burden to care for others, and she believes her work as Asian Club president and vice president shaped her leadership skills in preparation for life after college. While she is unsure about her next professional step, Mau knows God has a specific plan just for her.

“He hasn’t let me down yet, and I can’t wait to see where He will lead me!”

-by Gavin Finch, senior English major