News Releases

Occasionally scholars develop a love for a period of history or literature at a very early age and that interest blossoms into a lifetime of research. Such is the case with Lander University assistant professor of English Dr. Lillian Craton.

It's no stretch to say that the voices of students published in New Voices, Lander University's journal of student nonfiction, are being heard.

Lander University student Andi Mills is often found sitting in front of her personal computer in the ground floor atrium of Lander's Carnell Learning Center, her companion, Mr. Tibbs, dozing nearby. Or she can be spotted walking to classes with Mr. Tibbs trotting along at her side. Mills is legally blind. Mr. Tibbs is a yellow Labrador Retriever, a guide dog who, as she puts it, " gets me were I have to be."

Every year Lander University's English honor society Sigma Tau Delta welcomes new members and congratulates graduating members during an induction and medallion ceremony. Pictured front row, from left, are: Veronica Fuller of Greenwood, graduating senior; Janie Allison of Moonville, inductee; Jesse Timmons of Greenwood, inductee; Alayna Joseph of Greenwood, inductee; and Wendy Polk of Hampton, next year's president of Sigma Tau Delta and Lander's English Club. Back row, from left, are: Daniel Camak of Ware Shoals, graduating senior; James Johnson of Greenwood, inductee and graduating senior; Michael Going of Greenwood, graduating senior; and Sharon Gordon of Greenwood, graduating senior. Medallion recipients became 2009 Lander graduates at the university's spring commencement ceremony May 2.

Lander University English students Wendy Polk, left, and Paula Birch of Hampton have received scholarships to the state university. Polk is the recipient of the Alumni Departmental Scholarship. Each year the Lander University Alumni Association provides a scholarship for a student in each of the university's 14 academic departments.

Lander University English student Alayna Joseph of Greenwood is the recipient of the Pat Sease Scholarship, which was established in 1997 by family and friends in memory of Pat Sease, a member of the Class of 1965 and a former English teacher at Clinton High School.

Lander University English student Rose Cox of Greenwood is the recipient of the Tolbert Family Humanities Scholarship and the Dr. John M. Rast Scholarship.

Lander University English student Rebecca McKay of Graniteville is the recipient of the Dr. John M. Rast Scholarship, which was established in 1993 in memory of former Lander President, Dr. John M. Rast, by his son and daughter, Carlisle L. Rast and Sue Rast Foy.

Lander University English student Jesse Timmons of Greenwood is one of the recipients of the Dr. John M. Rast Scholarship, which was established in 1993 in memory of former Lander President, Dr. John M. Rast, by his son and daughter, Carlisle L. Rast and Sue Rast Foy.

Lander University English student Sharon Gordon of Ware Shoals is the recipient of the Ann Hare Scholarship and the Seab Coates and Ruth Ball McEntire Scholarship.

Lander University English student Bryce Griffith of Anderson is the recipient of the Bob and Debra Cumming Scholarship. Griffith is interested in fiction writing and horror literature.

Lander University alumna Theresa Gunter Lawson, an instructor in Lander's William Preston Turner Department of Nursing, is one of nine doctoral candidates selected to share in a $1.5-million fellowship grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation to the South Carolina Nurses Foundation.

With just two years at Lander University behind him, assistant professor of English Dr. Lloyd Willis has a lot to show for it. He was a featured lecturer in the College of Arts and Humanities Distinguished Speaker Series. He has continuously revamped his classes to make them pertinent to student interests, and he has also made great strides toward integrating technology into his curriculum.

Students in Dr. Lloyd Willis' classes at Lander University have been learning about the ethics of food production but the topic is not part of a science curriculum. Willis is an assistant professor of English and he chose food ethics as a topic for his freshman writing course, which requires students to analyze, interpret and evaluate information and ideas and put into words their findings and impressions.

Behind the veil of Mexico's Cancun and Cozumel exists an area of the world rich with literary history. A key aspect of that past is the story of the survival and progressive flourishing of Mayan literature throughout the Yucatan peninsula.