Centre News

1. “Live What You Learn”: Interning in the Yucatan
Alex Ginn ’13 studied abroad this past term in Merida, Mexico. Ginn had an internship at a local elementary school teaching English as a second language, which transformed him as a student and person. This Sights & Sounds takes a look at his enriching experience.

2. Three professors team-teach Introduction to Global Commerce
This past fall, Centre students had the opportunity to take a new class and learn from three perspectives all at once. Associate professor of international studies Lori Hartmann-Mahmud, assistant professor of economics Marie Petkus and assistant professor of biology Brian Storz collaborated to teach Introduction to Global Commerce, a class inaugurating the new global commerce minor.

3. Centre to add study abroad option in Scotland in 2012
Eighty-five percent of Centre students study abroad at sites across the world, and beginning in the fall of 2012, they will be able to add Glasgow, Scotland, to that list, thanks to the new Centre-in-Glasgow program. Up to four Centre students per semester will be able to live on campus and study at the Scottish university.

4. Recent graduate wins prestigious Jack Nicklaus Award
Standout Centre athlete Chris Morris '11 has added another feat to his already outstanding record. Following his first-place finish at the men's golf Division III national title on May 13, Morris was named a 2011 Jack Nicklaus Award recipient as a GCAA Collegiate Player of the Year. Morris was honored during the final round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

5. Brockman Residential Commons under construction at Centre
Progress is underway on the $15 million Residential Commons project funded by the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust. The 125-bed facility, comprised of six separate buildings offering apartment and townhouse living for upperclassmen, is on schedule for completion in August 2012. The Brockman Residential Commons will blend seamlessly with the new and historic architecture of the nearly 200-year-old campus.

6. Oxford American names Beth Glazier-McDonald among South’s Most Creative Teachers
Beth Glazier-McDonald, Centre College professor of religion and interim associate dean, was featured by Oxford American magazine as one of the most creative teachers in the South. The online article boasts that the professors featured are “influential educators admired by their students and colleagues, whose classrooms serve as forums for social change.”

7. Senior Chrys Jones wins second-straight triple jump indoor national championship
Chrys Jones ’11 won his second-consecutive national championship in the triple jump at the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. This marks Jones’ fourth national championship, a record for any Centre student-athlete. Jones is the only Centre student-athlete to hold a national championship: two in indoor triple jump and two in outdoor triple jump.

8. Sarah Baird ’09 launches non-profit aimed at helping students pay for college
Sarah Baird ’09 recently founded Takeashine, a non-profit corporation based in New Orleans that will enable low-income students to crowdfund money for college. Takeashine will officially open up the platform to all students in the city of New Orleans on February 1, 2012.

9. Yale professor collaborates with Centre on amulet research
Aaron Butts, lector in Semitics at Yale University, spent three days at Centre editing a Mandaic amulet from Late Antique Mesopotamia — the area now known as Iraq and Iran. The editing process consisted of deciphering the letters of the text, translating it and providing notes. The end result will be a published edition to make the amulet available to a larger audience.

10. Centre College sets single-year giving record at $14 million
Donors provided unprecedented support to Centre this past fiscal year, nearly doubling last year’s total of $7.5 million and setting a new single-year giving record. In total dollars, Centre received gifts from 7,565 donors amounting to $14,015,443 for the period ending June 30, 2011. This is not only the highest single-year total in a non-capital campaign year but also the third-highest giving total ever in College history.