News Releases

Myra Greene Shaffer, executive director of Greenwood Lander Performing Arts, was honored Tuesday evening, Nov. 30, before the sold-out Vienna Boys Choir concert at Lander University's Josephine E. Abney Cultural Center Auditorium. Shaffer is stepping down from her GLPA position and moving into an office across campus to become the university's director of Alumni Affairs.

Myra Greene Shaffer, executive director of Greenwood-Lander Performing Arts, has accepted the position of director of Alumni Affairs at Lander University, her alma mater, beginning in December. She will succeed longtime Alumni Affairs director Steve Grogan who, in July, was appointed assistant athletic director and manager of the Jeff May Complex, Lander's new recreation, wellness and sports center under construction on Montague Avenue.

Hugs and tears, remembrances of years past and a sense of pride in their alma mater were a few of the themes during Lander University's 2010 Alumni Reunion Weekend, which began on Friday, Sept. 24, with a 50th reunion dinner at Lander on the Square, followed by an alumni happy hour at T.W. Boons, both in Uptown Greenwood. On Saturday, Sept. 25, events focused on 60th-, 50th-, 40th- and 30th-year reunions for the classes of 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980. Several alums from various graduating classes were also in attendance, including a 101-year-old alumna from the Class of 1930, Virginia Taylor Rushton. Rushton was accompanying her daughter Virginia Lynne Rushton Ouzts, who was on campus celebrating her own 50th reunion with fellow Class of 1960 alums.

Lander University has received a sizeable gift from the estate of a longtime Greenwood resident whose generosity will benefit the university's nursing program and its students.

Lander University has set a goal of raising $2 million for the Lander Loyalty Fund during the 2010-2011 academic year. Ralph Patterson, vice president for University Advancement and executive director of The Lander Foundation, said, "Our alumni and friends need to know that every dollar donated to the Loyalty Fund goes directly to students in the form of scholarships, academic programs, athletics and student services."

Adam Taylor, Lander University's vice president for University Advancement, has been appointed by President Daniel Ball to fill a new position, and Ralph Patterson, Lander's director of Development, will move into the spot Taylor is vacating.

On any given summer night in 1960s Simpsonville, S.C., the joyful sounds of music and the laughter of children as they danced across the kitchen floor could be heard seeping through the open windows and the screen door of the Standridge home. The 12-inch LPs on the turntable spun to life the unforgettable voices of Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Brook Benton while the hot and humid atmosphere of the south faded into darkness.

Lander University graduate Beth Summer-Strait of Jonesville found her calling in behavioral health when she began working as a volunteer in the Union County Mental Health Association in 1995. Because of her achievements in that field, she has received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian award.

Lander University conferred degrees upon 219 graduates at the university's fall commencement ceremonies in December. Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins delivered the keynote address to a full house at Lander's Horne Arena.

Lining a shelf in Adam Taylor's office at Lander University are South Carolina legislative manuals for each of the eight years his father, David S. Taylor, was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and for the 12 years he served in the South Carolina Senate. Below that is a shelf containing the manuals for Adam Taylor's 10 years as a member of the House from District 16. The display is a testament to the Taylors' commitment to the state of South Carolina.