Georgia Southern Expert Shares Wellness Tips for the New Year
Getting into shape, losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle often top many New Year’s resolutions lists. This New Year’s Nigel Davies, Ed.D. , of Georgia Southern University’s Wellness Program, offers advice on how to improve all aspects of your health and wellness in 2009.
- Set specific goals for the upcoming year. These should be behavioral and be designated as daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. Display them where you will see and read them each day. These goals should cover all seven dimensions of wellness (emotional, environmental, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual).
- Create a budget based upon your take-home pay. Prioritize and include a specific amount for savings. Stick to your budget. Consolidate any debts to make them easier to pay off.
- Identify at least one new activity and one new hobby you will try this year. Identify how you will learn and do the activity and the hobby. Encourage your friends and family to do the same.
- Identify and completely remove at least two processed foods (anything not produced naturally) that you regularly eat from your diet. Replace them with fresh fruits and/or vegetables.
- At least once a month, visit the wonderful state and national parks of this great country. Take friends and family for a picnic. Hike the trails to enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
- Use reusable bags whenever you go shopping. To reduce your carbon footprint, car pool with your neighbors and friends when you go shopping or run other errands.
- Search for and contact a long lost friend. Share your adventures and life happenings with each other.
Georgia Southern University offers wellness programs and events to the public throughout the year. For more information, contact Dr. Nigel Davies at 912-478-5436.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Acquires Two Properties Adjacent to Campus
Georgia Southern University has acquired two pieces of property adjacent to its campus formerly occupied by Legends and Apex. The property will be used for University Auxiliary Services operations including storage and maintenance. Terms of the purchase have not been disclosed.
The purchase, part of the University’s Campus Master Plan, has been on the University’s list for consideration for some time. ‘Georgia Southern University has wanted to purchase the two properties for some time,” said Bruce Grube, president of Georgia Southern University. ‘The proximity of the property’s location to our main campus and the need for additional space for auxiliary service operations were our primary reasons for purchasing these properties. In addition, the desire to improve safety in that immediate area was also a major consideration.”
Both properties were previously known for their reputation for criminal activity. Local law enforcement has responded to numerous incidents at the two properties including fights, shootings, underage drinking and driving under the influence (DUI).
‘From a public safety standpoint, we are very pleased that the University purchased these two properties,” said Ken Brown, chief of Georgia Southern University’s Police Department. ‘My number-one concern is for the well-being of our students and this purchase, especially given its location and its reputation, will improve the overall safety of our campus for our students.”
The University continues to work with the local community to improve safety on and around its campus. ‘Georgia Southern University is a growing and vibrant institution attracting students from across the United States and from more than 80 countries. We want to ensure that when they are here, they are provided the opportunity to live and learn in a safe, but enjoyable environment,” said Grube.
As the University pursues its goal of reaching 25,000 students by the year 2020, the need to expand the campus has become an important part of the institution’s long term master plan. ‘Considering the need to support our growth both now and in the future, we have been interested in purchasing the property for some time,” said Grube.
Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.? Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu. – See more at: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/news/pressrelease.phpid=1743#sthash.TWsho6fD.dpuf
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Students Spend Winter Break Serving Community
Sixteen Georgia Southern University students will spend the first days of their winter break revitalizing historical sites in Liberty County.
The Winter Break Service-Learning Trip is an opportunity for students to give of themselves during this holiday season. Students will work at five sites this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday doing light construction and maintenance while learning about the historical significance of each location. The students will serve at the following Liberty County locations:
Geechee Kunda Cultural Center: This is a museum created to preserve an African-based culture that still exists in coastal Georgia.
Dorchester Academy: The academy was once a school for freed slaves and a retreat for Martin Luther King, Jr. It now serves as an African-American history museum.
Fort Morris: This American Revolutionary fort now serves as a museum.
Seabrook Village: This living history museum provides re-enactments of post-Civil War life in coastal Georgia.
LeConte-Woodmanston Botanical Garden: This nature preserve was founded by the LeConte family.
This trip is sponsored by Georgia Southern University’s Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement which provides students opportunities to volunteer and serve the community in a variety of ways.
Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 110 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Celebrates Fall 2008 Commencement
Georgia Southern University honored approximately 1,250 graduates and their families at the Fall 2008 Commencement at Hanner Fieldhouse on Dec. 12.
The Fall 2008 graduates represented 21 countries and 22 states; however, 92 percent of the graduates were native Georgians. The youngest graduate was 21 years old, and the oldest was 61. The average age for the fall graduating class was 25.
Thirty-two students received doctoral degrees from the College of Education, the youngest of whom was 29. Women comprised 55 percent of Georgia Southern’s Fall 2008 graduates (689 of 1,250).
A Georgia Southern alumna recognized as the nation’s top principal was the speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony for the College of Education, College of Health and Human Sciences and Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. Molly Howard, principal of Jefferson County High School in Louisville, Ga., was chosen as the 2007 Georgia High School Principal of the Year and was most recently named the 2008 National High School Principal of the Year, sponsored by MetLife and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
The speaker for the 11 a.m. ceremony for the College of Business Administration and College of Information Technology was Ann Bordelon, the Senior Vice President/Chief Audit Executive of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In her current role, which she has held since June 2007, Bordelon is responsible for overseeing a global staff of 500 in 14 countries. Prior to her current role, Bordelon was the Vice President of Finance for Wal-Mart’s U.S. real estate division.
Georgia Southern University alumnus Chris Hobson was the speaker for the 1 p.m. ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology. Hobson is the Senior Vice President for Research and Environmental Affairs for Southern Company. He is responsible for system-wide environmental issues and environmental compliance planning as well as research and development of new technology to address future challenges.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Releases Retailers Survey Information
A recent survey by Georgia Southern University’s Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development found local retail businesses were pessimistic about the 2008 holiday shopping season outlook.
During a survey conducted the last week in October, the Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development completed 278 phone surveys of retailers in eleven Georgia counties (including Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham and Bryan) and three South Carolina counties (Hampton, Jasper and Beaufort). The retail businesses were asked a series of questions regarding the economy and how they believed they would fare during the 2008 holiday shopping season. Here is how retailers responded to key questions in the survey:
- Eighty-seven percent said the national economy was doing worse in 2008 compared to 2007.
- Fifty percent said their company’s financial status was the same as last year.
- Twenty-four percent said their company was worse off than last year.
- Forty-one percent said they think their holiday sales will be the same as last year.
- Thirty-four percent said they believe their holiday sales will be worse than last year.
- Seventy-six percent said they would not hire additional employees during the holiday season.
- Fifty-six percent said they are concerned that high levels of consumer debt will curtail consumer spending during the holiday season.
This is the sixth year that the Bureau of Business Research and Development has conducted this survey of retailers leading up to the holiday season. The Bureau of Business Research and Development is a unit of Georgia Southern University’s College of Business Administration.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY EXPERT OFFERS TIPS ON REDUCING HOLIDAY STRESS
The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, but many people feel overwhelmed by the extra cooking, shopping, spending and expectations that come with the celebrations.
Dr. Pamela Feldt, Assistant Professor in Georgia Southern University’s Department of Psychology, offers these five tips to keep holiday stress in check.
Keep Expectations Realistic
Become aware of your stress inducing ideas about the holiday season and challenge them. No one’s house, children, gifts or baking is perfect. Yours don’t have to be perfect, either. It’s a better idea to focus on what gives you and your family pleasure, rather than what you think you ought to be doing.
Watch What You Eat
It’s OK to eat some cookies and other sweet treats if you follow two simple rules. First, don’t beat yourself up for doing so. Second, don’t skip real food (like vegetables and protein) in order to cut calories after you’ve eaten sweets. It is entirely possible to sugar-stress your body, which makes it more difficult to cope with other stressors.
Only Drink In Moderation
If you drink, drink no more than two drinks per day. Also, make sure that you give your body time to metabolize the alcohol before you go to bed. If you don’t, you may wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep. Getting enough sleep is an important stress reducer.
Exercise
Make time for some exercise. Even minimal exercise (ten minutes at a time) outside in the sunshine and fresh air helps to reduce stress and improve your mood.
Organize
Make a calendar on which you put everything that needs to be done during the holiday season, including special activities for all family members and routine things that need to be accomplished, such as car maintenance and medical appointments. Once you have all of your appointments down on a calendar, you can see if you are scheduled to be in two places at once and make plans to deal with the schedule conflict. Creating the calendar can be a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy together. – See more at: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/news/pressrelease.php?id=1741#sthash.xNahLbrM.dpuf
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Shows Its Holiday Spirit
The Georgia Southern University community made a very special delivery this holiday season.
Volunteers with the University’s 15th annual Holiday Helpers campaign delivered presents this week to those less-fortunate in the Statesboro community. Georgia Southern students, faculty and staff donated gifts to more than 800 people this year.
‘This program serves as Georgia Southern University’s gift to our community for the holidays,” said Holiday Helpers coordinator Eileen Sconyers. ‘It’s just awesome to watch the enthusiasm by our campus family every year. They go all out.”
Local agencies provide the Holiday Helpers campaign with names and gift ideas for local individuals or families who need a hand during the holiday season. Tags listing the names and desired gifts are displayed on the Holiday Helpers tree at Lakeside Cafe, and anyone affiliated with Georgia Southern is encouraged to take a tag or two and buy the gifts.
‘Every year they do such a beautiful job,” said Almarita Donaldson, director of Statesboro Head Start, after volunteers delivered gifts to the center. ‘We have 80 families who will be so grateful for these donations.”
About 200 volunteers helped in some way to make Holiday Helpers a success again this year, according to Sconyers. She said the organizers started contacting agencies in September and volunteers have put in countless hours since then, assisting with the daily tag checkout at the tree, wrapping presents as they were brought in, and delivering the gifts.
For many of the volunteers, being a Holiday Helper is an annual tradition. Beau Turpin, a senior Communication Arts major, said he has participated since his freshman year, along with many of his Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers.
‘It’s really rewarding to see the children’s faces when we give them the gifts,” Turpin said. ‘You’re really giving these children a Christmas.”
Other people in the community, like Lisa Alderman, have experienced Holiday Helpers from more than one perspective. Alderman first was a Holiday Helpers volunteer when she was a Georgia Southern student. Following her graduation from the University earlier this year, Alderman became an instructor for the High Hope Foundation, an agency that assists people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
‘I used to be [at Georgia Southern] collecting gifts, now I’m here seeing people receive them,” Alderman said. ‘I get to see their expression and how happy they are to receive even the smallest gift, like a handkerchief or a bar of soap. They talk about it all the time.”
The volunteers look forward to it as well. All of the more than 800 tags were taken from the Holiday Helpers tree before the deadline, and every last one was turned in with the requested gift.
‘Hopefully this program instills in our students the importance of helping people in the community who need it,” Sconyers said. ‘We’re in the middle of final exams, and they took time to help.”
The Holiday Helpers program is sponsored by the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. For a complete list of participating agencies, visit http://students.georgiasouthern.edu/leadership.
Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 110 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.
Visit:www.georgiasouthern.edu.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
Georgia Southern University Announces Fall Commencement Speakers
Georgia Southern University announced speakers for its Fall 2008 Commencement ceremonies that are scheduled for Dec. 12, 2008 at Hanner Fieldhouse.
Due to the expected number of graduates, the Fall Commencement has traditionally been divided into three separate ceremonies at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Speakers for the Fall Commencement ceremonies will be:
9 a.m. Dr. Molly Howard
Principal, Jefferson County High School, Louisville, Ga.
2008 Metlife/NASSP National Principal of the Year
2007 Georgia Principal of the Year
Georgia Southern alumna
11 a.m. Ann Bordelon
Senior Vice President Chief Audit Executive
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
1 p.m. Chris Hobson
Senior Vice President, Research and Environmental Affairs
Southern Company
Georgia Southern alumnus
For information on Georgia Southern University’s Fall Commencement ceremonies, please visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu/commencement.
FALL 2008 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER BACKGROUND INFORMATION
December 12, 2008
9 a.m. Ceremony Speaker – Dr. Molly Howard
Principal, Jefferson County High School, Louisville, Ga.
Dr. Howard serves as principal of Jefferson County High School in Louisville, Ga. She has been the principal since the school’s opening in 1995.
Howard was chosen as the 2007 Georgia High School Principal of the Year and was most recently named the 2008 National High School Principal of the Year, sponsored by MetLife and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Howard received her Ed. D. in Educational Leadership from Georgia Southern University in 2000. She also earned her Education Specialist degree from Georgia Southern. She earned a Master’s degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Augusta State University and is certified in the areas of mental retardation, interrelated special education, and learning disabilities.
11 a.m. Ceremony Speaker – Ann G. Bordelon
Senior Vice President – Chief Audit Executive
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Ann Bordelon currently serves as the Chief Audit Executive of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., a role she has held since June 2007. In her current role, Bordelon is responsible for overseeing a global staff of 500 in 14 countries. Prior to that, Bordelon was the Vice President of Finance for Wal-Mart’s U.S. real estate division. She also previously held the role of Vice President ? Assistant Controller.
Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Bordelon served as a Senior Manager in Ernst & Young’s Assurance and Advisory Services Business where she served two Fortune 100 clients and other clients in the retail and consumer products industry. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and computer information systems. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Institute of Internal Auditors and Finance Executives International.
Currently, she serves on the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board and International Accounting Standards Board Joint Working Group on Lease Accounting. Bordelon is also a trustee for the Delta Gamma Foundation.
1 p.m. Ceremony Speaker
Chris M. Hobson – Senior Vice President, Research and Environmental Affairs
Southern Company
Chris Hobson is Senior Vice President Research and Environmental Affairs for Southern Company. In this position, he is responsible for system-wide environmental issues and environmental compliance planning as well as research and development of new technology to address future challenges.
Hobson joined Georgia Power in 1973. He held a number of positions, including Manager of Environmental Laboratory, Manager of Agency Affairs in Washington, D.C., and most recently served as Vice President Environmental Affairs for Georgia Power.
A native of Georgia, Chris is a graduate of Georgia Southern University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Hobson also received a degree from Georgia Tech in Chemical Engineering and, in 2002, he graduated from Harvard’s Advanced Management Program. He has been a member of various environmental organizations, including EPRI’s environmental committee and the research advisory committee, and UARG’s steering committee.
Last updated: 2/2/2018
