A Georgia Baptist Institution
Welcome to the April / May 2012 Virtually Shorter!
2012 NAIA Small Coed Division NCA Collegiate Cheerleading National Champions |
Shorter Cheer Hawks: 4-4-4
Our Shorter Cheer Hawks make winning four national championship titles in a row look like a cakewalk. Shorter’s Small Coed Squad captured the first-ever NAIA national championship in the NAIA Small Coed Division at the 2012 NCA Collegiate Cheerleading National Championships. The title is the fourth straight for Shorter’s competitive cheerleading program, which competed for the first time as a varsity program in 2009. Since its inception, the program has won a national championship in every trip to the NCA Nationals in Daytona.
Click here to travel back into Shorter’s cheering past to see photos from the ’60s and ’70s.
Trey Smagur |
Did you know that senior Trey Smagur was selected as the first-place winner of the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist voice competition? Smagur previously competed at the state and division level, winning both rounds to qualify for the national level of the competition. The national level of the young artist competition, which took place in New York, boasted the best singers in the country under the age of 25. Additionally, on the same day Smagur competed at National MTNA, he learned of his acceptance into a young artist program at one of the most prestigious opera companies in the country. This summer, Smagur will spend a week in Houston, Texas, training at Houston Grand Opera. While there, he will receive daily voice lessons and coaching, as well as classes in stage movement, foreign language vocal diction, score and role preparation, and participate in master classes geared towards audition techniques. |
QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN
As part of the requirements for reaccreditation, Shorter has introduced a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Titled “Christ-Centered Critical Thinking,” the plan focuses on promoting a Christ-centered worldview and on improving critical thinking skills. It’s a unique approach to enhancing the quality of our students’ critical thinking skills through the lens of Christ’s teachings. Read more about the QEP
ALPHA CHI
Shorter seniors Megan Seddon and Jake Kirkpatrick recently won first place for their work presented during the 2012 Super-Regional Alpha Chi Convention in Baltimore, Md. Senior Megan Seddon won first place for her presentation titled “The Trend in Mean Total Cholesterol in Gordon County Over a 25-year Span.” Jake Kirkpatrick, also a senior, won first place for his presentation titled “The Analysis of Organic Decomposition Rates in Limestone Caves in the Southeastern United States.” Both Seddon and Kirkpatrick received a $100 prize.
Megan Seddon and Jake Kirkpatrick
Also, Shorter University’s Alpha Chi was named a Star Chapter for the second year in a row. Our chapter was one of 25 chapters selected for this honor nationwide. There are 300 chapters of Alpha Chi in the United States. Chapters earn a Star Award by meeting several criteria, including having a faculty sponsor and a student member at the annual national or regional convention, having a student presenter on the convention program, having a national scholarship or fellowship nominee, sponsoring a campus program with an academic emphasis, registering new members, and filing the annual chapter report.
SINGING SHORTER STUDENTS' PRAISES!
Which school earned 25 vocal awards at regional competition? That’s right – Shorter did! Our voice students recently earned 25 awards at the Southeastern Region of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Over the course of two days, Shorter University students won a grand total of 25 awards, including five first-place finishes. Shorter’s 25 wins comprise 41 percent of the 2012 SER-NATS winners, more awards than any other school in the three-state area. This year, the competition was held at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., and included students from many of the major vocal music programs in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
GO HAWKS! The Hoop Hawks made it all the way to the NAIA Fab Four this season and the Lady Hawks advanced to the second round of the NAIA national tournament. Or in other words, the Hawks were on fire this season! Though the Hawks’ dream ride came to an end one game too early at the hands of eventual champion Concordia (Calif.), the Hawks accomplished many feats that secured them a spot in Shorter history. The team won a record 34 games, including a 22-game winning streak to open the season. Shorter’s rise to the nation’s No. 1 ranking – a title the Hawks held for five of 12 weeks – was its first time ever at the top of the national polls. The Lady Hawks tied a program-best 28-7 record and maintained the program’s winning tradition of securing 20 or more victories for the fifth-straight year and claimed a third consecutive appearance in the national tournament, where they advanced past the first round for the first time ever. |
 |
FOLLOW SHORTER!
Stay up to date on the latest campus news and activities by visiting us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shorteru or following us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/shorteruniv.
COMING EVENTS
 |
Commencement |
 |
Summer Arts Institute |
 |
Baseball Camps |
 |
Girls Basketball Junior Day Camp June 13-19 Winthrop-King Centre Get more information |
 |
Softball Summer Camps |
 |
Tennis Camps |
 |
Wrestling Camps |
 |
Strength and Conditioning Athlete Development Camps - All Sports |
 |
Hawks Cheer Camps |
 |
Boys Soccer Camp |
See all the events at Shorter for Summer 2012
Got news? Maybe a new job or a new baby? Recently married? Share the good news with your friends through class notes in Shorter University magazine. E-mail your news to alumniupdate@shorter.edu. Be sure to include your full name, class year, e-mail address, mailing address and phone number. Please let fellow alumni know that they can subscribe to Virtually Shorter by visiting Shorter's alumni web community Hawkspace. You also can reach the Alumni Office at (800) 868-6980.
Virtually Shorter is compiled by Shorter Public Relations. If you have questions, comments or suggestions for our e-newsletter, e-mail Aimee Madden at amadden@shorter.edu.
Read past Virtually Shorter issues.
For website problems or questions, please email dthompson@shorter.edu