(March 5, 2015)

190th Founders' Day celebrates past, present, and future with awards and address

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary marked its 190th year with its traditional Morning Call and Founders' Day Convocation on Thursday, February 19. This annual event allows time for Centenary students, faculty, and staff to reflect upon the history of the institution and look forward to its future. It is also the occasion at which a number of prominent awards are announced.

At Morning Call, faculty and staff were recognized for their years of service:

10 years

Chief Eddie Walker, Director of Public Safety
Coach Mike Diaz, Baseball Head Coach
Mr. Chris Brown, Archivist of the College and Louisiana UMC

15 years

Mrs. Deborah Scarlato, Associate Director of Re-Enrollment
Dr. Maureen Murov, Associate Professor of Spanish
Dr. Lisa Nicoletti, Professor of Art History & Visual Studies
Ms. Carolyn Hitt, Coordinator of Gifts Processing
Mrs. Marcia Alexander, Library Access Officer

20 years

Dr. Tom Ticich, Velma Davis Grayson Eminent Scholars Endowed Chair of Chemistry
Mr. Arthur Henderson, Facilities

25 years

Mr. David Henington, Planned Giving Officer
Dr. Steve Shelburne, Brown Professor of English
Dr. Helen Sikes, Professor of Accounting & Finance
Dr. Scott Vetter, William Woolf Endowed Professorial Chair of Geology
Mrs. Sharon Chevalier, Interlibrary Loan Officer
Mr. Sidney Johnson, Facilities

35 years

Dr. Gale Odom, Dean of the Hurley School of Music

The Charleton Lyons Summer Research Award was presented to Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Logan Sledge, who will use the award to attend the Samuel Avital BodySpeak workshop in Colorado in July of this year. The purpose of the seminar is to allow theatre artists to develop their physical abilities in order to achieve full communication with their bodies on stage. According to the award nomination, "Logan needs to be armed with diverse approaches to effectively train students and communicate with them about their instrument. Getting young actors to express themselves physically and letting that physicality inform other performance aspects is one of the most challenging components of acting instruction."

Tina Feldt, Director of Counseling and Disability Services, received the President's Excellence Award. Nominators noted that she is "compassionate," a "consummate professional," and a "reliable and supportive friend."

Dr. David Thomas, Chair of the Mathematics Department, was named from a field of nineteen nominees as the Outstanding Teacher. Dr. Thomas was nominated based on his "great teaching style," being willing to "come to campus on the weekend to allow a student to make up an exam even though (he's) not required to," and being a "fantastic and insightful teacher who, despite having really difficult exams, legitimately cares about whether or not the students are learning the subject matter."

During the convocation in Brown Chapel, President B. David Rowe delivered a "State of the College" address, in which he updated the campus community on issues important to Centenary, such as short-term and long-term financial stability, enrollment health, and collaborative leadership.