Four-Year Degrees Become A Reality

ABAC Public Relations
ABAC 30, 2802 Moore Highway ● Tifton, GA 31793-2601 ● (229) 391-5055
January 14, 2008
Volume XLVI, Issue 23
www.abac.edu
FOCUS
Four-Year Degrees Become A Reality
Division of Agriculture and Forest Resources Chair Tim Marshall cuts the ribbon to signal the beginning of four-year
degree classes at ABAC with the start of the spring semester on Jan. 7.
Tickets on Sale This Week For Smith Concert
Corey Smith will perform at the UGA
Tifton Campus Conference Center Feb.
19 at 8 p.m. as a part of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s 100th Birthday Celebration.
Smith, a Georgia native, melds country, rock and blues into a sound that is
all his own. That distinctive musical flair
combined with his pensive, well-crafted
lyrics and soulful Southern voice has
earned him an enthusiastic legion of
fans. Smith grew up in Jefferson, soaking up an array of music from George
Jones to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Nirvana to
Tupac.
Although he got his feet wet in the
music business right out of high school,
performing mostly cover tunes in local
venues, he eventually decided to forego
live performance and focus on his studies. After graduating from the University
of Georgia in 2001, Smith took a job
teaching Social Studies at North Gwinnett High School in the northern suburbs of Atlanta and soon thereafter,
married his college sweetheart, Shannon. Now a full time singer song writer,
Smith travels all over the United States
performing his heartfelt songs.
“It’s just about writing songs that, for
one reason or another,
connect with people
and impact their lives,”
Smith says.
Ticket will go on sale Jan. 16. ABAC
student tickets are $10 and can be purchased at John Hunt Town Center Monday thru Thursday 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
and Friday 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. with a
student ID. General admission tickets
are $17 and can be purchased from the
UGA Tifton Conference Center Monday
thru Friday 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The
office is closed for lunch from noon until
1 p.m.
Students Presenting at National Conference
Three Honors Program students
who won the presentations showcase at ABAC will present their research at the
Georgia Collegiate Honors Council Conference
at Kennesaw State University Feb. 23-24.
Evan Durcovic won
first place, Samantha
Tankersley came in second place,
and Zach Abell placed third
Durcovic also was a top finisher at
the Lew Akin Speech Showcase.
All three students will present at
the state conference and the Honors
program will pay for their participation in the conference. A campus
showcase was established last year
to decide which ABAC honors students will present at the conference. Students from the Honors
seminar vote for the finalists, and a
panel of former Honors program
students and ABAC professors
decided the winners. This year
Miles Drummond, a former
Honors program student currently at Northwestern University; Wendy Harrison, Assistant
Professor of English; and Dr.
Luke Vassiliou, Honors Program Director, judged the presentations.
In addition to the honor of proceeding to the state conference, the
three winners also received Barnes
and Noble gift cards, courtesy of the
ABAC Foundation. Student participation in the conference is also
made possible through foundation
funding. Dr. Luke Vassiliou is the
president of the Georgia Collegiate
Honors Council for the current year.
Chancellor at ABAC
On Thursday
Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, Jr.,
from the
University
System of
Georgia will
visit ABAC
on Thursday for a
close look at
the state of
Chancellor Davis
Tift, Lewis,
and Herring Halls.
He will also be involved in information sessions with various groups across campus.
All Aboard the Canadian Mountaineer With ABAC
Words can not begin to describe
the natural beauty and the sights
included in this wonderful trip to the
Canadian Rockies with ABAC Public
Service and Business Outreach.
Travel to Vancouver, a perfect gateway to many sights of the Great
Northwest.
The trip will leave June 23 and
return July 1.
Board the Rocky Mountaineer for
a two-day train trip across British
Columbia. Spectacular views are
yours when we cross the Coastal
Mountain Range, Frazier Canyon,
and Rocky Mountains. Enjoy majestic views of Jasper National Park, a
wildlife hunt, and a luncheon cruise
on Lake Maligne. A “snow coach”
provides a thrilling ride on the Athabasca Glacier, the largest mass
of ice outside the Arctic Circle.
“Discover Banff” and enjoy a gondola ride to the top of Sulphur
Mountain and a delicious buffet at
the famous Castle in the Rockies,
the Baronial Banff Springs Hotel.
Package price includes all tours, 8
nights lodging, 15 meals, roundtrip
airfare, motorcoach transportation,
tour director,
luggage handling. NOTE:
A passport is
required –
please allow
up to 4
months to secure a passport.
$3249 Double Occupancy/Single
Supplement add $850
For more information on all upcoming trips call ABAC PSBO at
(229) 391-5070 for more information .Also, check us out online at
www.abac.edu/psbo.
Vote For Golden
A Commemorative Service
for
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
will be held in
the Chapel of all Faiths on
Jan. 18 at 11 a.m.
Everyone is invited to
attend.
The Guardians Relay for Life
Team, kicked off their second
annual Kiss-The-Pig contest last week.
From now until April 18 at noon, votes will
be cast for which of the public safety department heads will get the honor of kissing the
pig.
ABAC’s own Bryan Golden is a participant, so for $1 you can cast your vote and
help a good cause.
To place a vote for any of the above candidates, contact Christine Day, assistant
director of Tift County E-911, at 388-6069. All
proceeds of the vote will go to benefit the
American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
Montana Skies Performing in Ocilla Jan. 24
Be transported into a relaxed and carefree place by
the music of Montana Skies, a
unique trio of cello, guitar and
drums. The creations of these
three musicians are stirring,
imaginative and packed with
passion.
Montana Skies will perform
as a part of the Arts and Entertainment Series on Jan. 24, at
7p.m. at the Ocilla United
Methodist Church in Ocilla.
Single event tickets are $15 for
adults and $10 for students.
Tickets can be purchased by
calling the ABAC Arts Connection at 229-391-4820 or online
at www.southgaarts.com.
ABAC students are admitted free with a
valid ID. Tickets can also be purchased
as part of the series package including
six major productions and numerous
bonus concerts for $65 for adults and
$20 for students under 18.
Winners of the Lifestyle Radio Music
Awards for Best New Artist of 2004 and
Best Contemporary Acoustic Album of
2005, Montana Skies has created a "new
acoustic" sound with their pairing of
cello, six-string electric cello, Spanish/
classical guitar, and steel string guitar. Not only able to compel audiences
with their instrumental prowess and
fusion of music styles, these artists incorporate percussive techniques and
state of the art pedals, and effects to
create a full-bodied blend. Montana
Skies has an extensive tour schedule
which has taken them all across the US,
Canada and to Asia.
The core of Montana Skies is the husband-wife team of Jennifer and Jonathan
Adams who met while studying music at
the University of Georgia. Recognizing
a kindred spirit in each other's devotion
to their music, the desire to share music
together was ignited immediately, and
so they decided to perform as a
duo. The two assumed they would be
performing classical recitals and great
works for the cello and guitar; then, in
one trip to the library to select music,
their whole world of classical intentions came crashing
down. The discovery: music
written for cello and guitar
was as rare as the combination itself- no great classical
works existed.
"It was a scary and strangely
wonderful realization of intense freedom of expression. No one had played the
music that we were going to
create before, and it was
exciting to us," remembers
Jennifer.
Their music is influence by
musical styles ranging from
American folk to flamenco to
pop. To hear a sampler of
their creations, go to
www.montanaskiesmusic.com.
The series is presented by the South
Georgia Arts Alliance comprised of the
arts councils of Tift and Turner counties
in conjunction with the ABAC Arts Connection. The series is funded, in part,
by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the
Southern Arts Federation, and with the
Georgia Council for the Arts through
appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. Additional funding is
from the governments of Tift County and
the cities of Ashburn, Ocilla and Tifton.
Support is also receiving from individual and corporate patrons.
The ABAC acrobats practice on the front of campus in 1951. Multiple events are planned for Feb. 20.
The 100th birthday of ABAC is only 37 days away!
Open Campus Day
on Feb. 7
Mark your calendar for the single
biggest recruitment day of the
year on Feb. 7. It’s
called Stallion Day
2008, and it represents a time when the entire
campus opens itself for prospective students. Registration
begins at 9 a.m. in Gressette
Gym. The event ends at 12:30
Celebrating
Birthdays
January
14 Rhonda Lewis
20 Joann Brannen
College Closed on Jan. 21.
The entire ABAC
campus will be
closed on Jan. 21
in observance of
the Martin Luther
King, Jr., holiday.
Classes will resume, and offices
will reopen on Jan. 22.
Fellowship of Christian
Athletes meeting
Today at 6 p.m. at the BCM
FREE FOOD from a local church
and uplifting music! Plus a special message from Stallions
coach Todd Sheppard.
The night should wrap up
around 7:30 p.m.
This meeting is for students, athletes, coaches and their families, other students, faculty, and
staff. Come one, come all!
We are excited about this opportunity, and we hope you will
come!
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Thank You
Thanks to all who have given us encouragements over the last few weeks and
months through prayers and comments
and cards. The cancer moved so quickly,
and my Dad sorely misses his wife of 34
years. Also, thanks for the beautiful
arrangement at Sallie's funeral. We
sincerely appreciate the support of our
ABAC family. God bless you.
Geoff Clement
ABAC at Middle Georgia Wednesday Night
The basketball Fillies and
Stallions face their
biggest rival on the road
in Cochran Wednesday
night when ABAC takes
on Middle Georgia. Game
time for the Fillies is 5:30 p.m. followed by the Stallions at 7:30 p.m.
Both games will be broadcast live on
Tifton radio station WTIF (107.5
FM). Public Relations Director Mike
Chason will handle play-by-play duties. Both ABAC teams will be back
at home on Saturday when the Fillies, GJCAA 2nd ranked team, host
Darton at 2 p.m., and the Stallions
welcome Albany Tech at 4 p.m.
NEXT FOCUS
The next edition of the FOCUS will appear on your email on Jan. 22. If you have
information for that issue, please email it
to Ashley Williamson at awilliamson@abac.edu by noon on Jan. 17.
MLK Jr. Breakfast
Jan. 21 in Dining Hall
The Martin Luther King Jr.
breakfast will be held in the
Donaldson Dining Hall on Jan. 21
at 8 a.m.
The speaker for this year’s program is Dr. John Gaskins, Professor of Communications and Theatre at VSU.
Tickets can be purchased from
Bertha Daniel for $9.
Note of Sympathy
Dr. Rosemary Johnson ,retired Director of
Counseling, passed away this past weekend
after a battle with cancer. Johnson was with
the ABAC family from Sept. 1966 until
Aug. 1995.
Please keep all who loved her in your
thoughts and prayers.
Calendar of Events
This Week— Corey Smith Tickets Go
On sale!
Wednesday, January 16
5:30 p.m.—Fillies vs. Middle Georgia
(Cochran)
7:30 p.m.— Stallions vs. Middle Georgia
(Cochran)
Thursday, January 17
Today—University System of Georgia
Chancellor, Erroll B. Davis, Jr. ,visits
ABAC
Friday, January 18
Today—Opening of Michael Collins Exhibition (Tifton Museum of Arts & Heritage)
Saturday, January 19
2 p.m.—Fillies Basketball vs. Darton
College (Gressette)
4 p.m.—Stallions Basketball vs. Albany
Tech (Gressette)