Shorter College Establishes Online Program, Names Director

A Shorter College education is becoming more accessible thanks to the addition of online programs. College President Dr. Harold E. Newman today announced Shorter’s plans to offer classes through an online format beginning this summer.

Initial course offerings are for students enrolled in traditional college programs who wish to complete core curriculum requirements. This summer’s courses include COM 1010 Oral Communication, ENG 1020 Freshman English II, HIS 2010 Development of Civilization to 1648, MAT 1110 College Algebra, BUS 3990 Personal Leadership and SPS 3990 Sports Leadership.

Also planned for this summer are professional development courses for practicing teachers to assist them in their license renewal requirements.

“The addition of online programs was highlighted as a priority in our strategic plan,” Dr. Newman said. “We recognize that we live in a technological world and that people are turning more frequently to the Internet for educational services. We also recognize that not everyone can go to a campus and attend classes. By utilizing an online format for the delivery of our programs, we allow that segment of the population to have the educational experiences that they need.”

Rome resident Sean Butcher has been tapped to serve as director of online programs at the college. Mr. Butcher has more than 10 years’ experience in the marketing and development of Internet services. He has served as director of product development and product management at several California, Bay-area Internet service companies. Before that he worked as a commercial litigation lawyer at Lovell White Durrant in England, one of London’s most prestigious law firms.

Mr. Butcher has an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business with concentrations in management information systems (MIS) and entrepreneurship. He was a Sord Scholar Honors Graduate. Butcher also holds a law degree with honors from the University of Birmingham, England.

Mr. Butcher lives in Rome with his wife and two children.

For additional information on Shorter’s online programs visit www.shorter.edu/online or call 706-291-2121.

The online program, Dr. Newman added, fits into Shorter’s continuing commitment to serving students. Building on its respected traditional programs, in 1992, Shorter College became one of the first institutions in Georgia to offer non-traditional degree programs for working adults.

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Shorter College Joins Council For Christian Colleges And Universities

Shorter College announced February 4 that it has been approved as the 111th member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. The membership was made official during CCCU’s Presidents Conference held Jan. 29-31.

“The integration of faith and learning within a Christian community is a foundational part of Shorter College’s strategic planning efforts,” said Shorter President Dr. Harold E. Newman. “As part of those efforts, we are committed to seeking out partnerships with sister educational institutions and with organizations that share our two-fold commitment to academic excellence and spiritual integrity. We are proud to join with the Council’s member institutions around the world.”

According to its Web site, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities “works to advance the cause of Christ-centered higher education and to help its institutions transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.” The 111 member campuses in North America are all fully accredited, comprehensive colleges and universities with curricula rooted in the arts and sciences. In addition, 70 affiliate campuses from 24 countries are part of the CCCU.

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Shorter Establishes Military Discount For Professional Studies Students

Shorter College is now offering tuition discounts for students enrolled in the Professional Studies Program who have served the United States through military duty.

The scholarship, which applies to active and retired military personnel and their spouses, will give a 20-percent discount on tuition for students enrolling in Shorter's Professional Studies Program. Geared towards working professionals in Greater Rome and the Atlanta area, the college's Professional Studies Program offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in many courses of study.

More information on Shorter's professional programs can be found at www.shorterdegree.com.

Questions about the Military Scholarship Tuition Discount should be directed to Frances Tamboli at frances.tamboli@apollogrp.edu.

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NASA Astronaut Confirmed As Shorter’s December Commencement Speaker

NASA astronaut Stephanie D. Wilson will be the keynote speaker at Shorter College’s December 13 commencement ceremonies. The commencement exercises will be held at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m. in the college’s Winthrop-King Centre.

Selected by NASA in 1996, Wilson has logged more than 28 days in space, and is a veteran of two space flights, one in 2006 and one in 2007.

In 2006, she was part of a return-to-flight test mission and assembly flight to the International Space Station. During the 13-day flight the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery tested new equipment and procedures that increase the safety of space shuttles, repaired a rail car on the International Space Station and produced never-before-seen, high-resolution images of the Shuttle during and after its July 4th launch. Wilson supported robotic arm operations for vehicle inspection, multi-purpose logistics module installation and EVAs and was responsible for the transfer of more than 28,000 pounds of supplies and equipment to the ISS.

Her 2007 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This flight was a crew rotation flight, delivering 16 new crewmembers and returning with a 15-crew member team. During the STS-120 mission, the Node 2 module named “Harmony” was delivered to the International Space Station. This element opened up the capability for future international laboratories to be added to the station. In addition, the P6 Solar Array was relocated from the Z1 Truss to the end of the port side of the Integrated Truss Structure. During the re-deploy of the array, the array panels snagged and were damaged. An unplanned spacewalk was successfully performed to repair the array.

A native of Massachusetts, Wilson graduated from Taconic High School in Pittsfield in 1984 and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science degree from Harvard University in 1988. She later earned a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in 1992. She is the cousin of Shorter graduate Sandra Terry (’88), who serves as assistant vice president for the college’s Professional Studies program.

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Shorter College Announces Plan To Transition To University Status

Shorter College President Harold E. Newman today announced the college’s intent to change its legal designation to Shorter University. The change will become effective June 1, 2010, and marks an important development for the 135-year-old institution that is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention.

The status change was approved by the Shorter College Board of Trustees at its October meeting and today (Tuesday, Nov. 11) was approved by messengers attending the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention. The convention’s approval was necessary because the status change requires an amendment to Shorter’s charter.

“Since its founding in 1873, Shorter has had a reputation for providing excellent academics within a caring environment,” Dr. Newman said. “Our aim is to create a Christian university where students will receive a top quality education in an environment that fosters spiritual growth. University status reflects what Shorter has already become through the extraordinary growth and progress of recent years.” Today, the college enrolls approximately 3,000 students who study on four campuses in Rome, North Atlanta, Lawrenceville, and Riverdale.

Dr. Newman added, “Several years ago, the college’s leadership team and I identified university status as a centerpiece of Shorter’s strategic plan, and we believe that Shorter fits nicely into the definition of a regional teaching university. Achieving recognition as a regional teaching university, as a Christ-centered community, and as a community committed to globalization are the central pillars of our strategic plans for the future growth and development of Shorter.”

Dr. Nelson Price, chairman of the Shorter College Board of Trustees, echoed Dr. Newman’s enthusiasm for the transition. “From the inception of my working with Shorter, we have had the bold ambition to see it excel, and we feel the title of university will enhance the understanding of the level of academic excellence offered at Shorter. We also desire to see the academic success enhanced by the infusion of the Christian faith.”

The status change will enable Shorter to better respond to market forces within the state of Georgia and within the higher education community at large, Dr. Newman said. “Becoming Shorter University positions us for future growth. It does not, however, change the nature of Shorter. We remain committed to providing a high quality educational experience that features personal interactions with faculty, a strong focus on students, and excellence in all areas.”

Dr. Newman added that the change will require little internal restructuring since the college already follows a university-style structure. “For much of the past decade, we have operated under a university model in that we have had separate schools headed by deans and have offered graduate programs,” he said. “This change in designation solidifies that reputation.”

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