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Page 9
Campus Review
May 29, 2012
1943, reflecting a growth in the number
and diversity of the institution‘s academic
programs.
Bluefield State College was integrated
after 1954. By the 1960s, the College had a
comprehensive four year program of
teacher education, arts and sciences, and
engineering technology. Gradually, a vari-
ety of two-year technical programs
evolved in response to local needs.
Bluefield State College has since emerged
as a diverse, four-year state supported col-
lege with a primary academic emphasis in
professional and technical programs.
Stephens started at Clayton State in the fall
of 2002 as director of Academic
Advisement for the Clayton State School
of Business, and as a visiting assistant pro-
fessor. He was appointed executive assis-
tant to the president in April 2005, with
duties including serving as the University’s
Affirmative Action Officer and handling
special projects and assignments for the
Office of the President.
Stephens he began serving as interim vice
president of External Relations in
September 2006 and became vice president
on Nov. 1, 2008. He has been responsible
for Clayton State’s Development, Alumni
Relations, Image and Communications,
and University Relations functions. Kate
Troelstra, currently senior director of
Development at Clemson University, will
assume the vice president’s role on June
11, 2012.
Born in Welch, W.Va., Stephens majored in
English and Social Studies at West Virginia
State College (WVSC), a historically black
college in Charleston. While attending
WVSC (now West Virginia State
University), he served in the Reserve
Officers Training Corps, playing a role in
leading the largest Corps of Cadets in the
history of WVSC.
His ROTC service led to more than 30
years of service in the United States Army.
He received the U.S. Army Distinguished
Service Medal, the Defense Superior
Service Medal, the Army Legion of Merit,
the Bronze Star with “V” device and two
oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart, the
Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Special
Forces Tab, the Master Parachutist Badge
and other various honors before retiring as
a Brigadier General in 1993. While in the
military, he graduated from the United
States Army Command and General Staff
College and the National War College.
In his civilian educational career, he earned
a Bachelor of Science in Education from
WVSC in 1962, and a Master of Science
degree in Education from Alfred
University. His other postgraduate studies
include attendance at the John F. Kennedy
School of Government, Harvard
University and the Terry Stanford Institute
of Public Policy at Duke University. He is
also a graduate of the Center for Creative
Leadership in Colorado Springs.
His civilian accomplishments include;
Who’s Who in American Colleges and
Universities, Who’s Who in America, The
African American Hall of Fame, the
Council of State Governments’ Toll
Fellowship Program and twice being
named a Distinguished West Virginian.
Those who have served with him at
Clayton State consider him a Distinguished
“Laker” as well.
ied skills, and we put together a wonder-
ful presentation,” he says.
Wagner used his video editing skills to
create a 50-second presentation promot-
ing Tesla’s technology and style, project-
ing “what we wanted Tesla to represent.
We wanted to put out an image of Tesla
being high-performance, but green. We
wanted to enhance that by showing that
they are bringing out new models for
every lifestyle.” Team member and fellow
senior Cable’s family owns a machine
shop, so the team were able to use that
equipment to create an actual car emblem.
Diversity of skills and viewpoints gained
from their different concentrations of
study at Clayton State made the team a
strong unit, says Cable, a supply chain
management major from Griffin, Ga.
“We all looked at the project from differ-
ent perspectives,” he says. “And we have
great professors at Clayton State. I origi-
nally had no idea what supply chain man-
agement was. I was into marketing at first.
But the professors show how each unit
contributes to the other.”
Fellow senior Gonzalez, who put together
a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats) analysis for Tesla
as part of the project, found the experi-
ence challenging, but very rewarding.
“Fortunately, we all got along so well. It
was perfect! Even though everyone has
their own personality, we all had pretty
much the same work ethic in regards to
getting work done right and timely,” says
Gonzalez, a McDonough resident who
was born in Cuba.
While the students were excited by the
glamorous topic of the project, they real-
ized that the lessons they all learned could
be applied to their future roles in business
no matter what industry they choose.
“It’s all about communication and collab-
oration in business,” says Cable, a self-
professed car fanatic. “That whole project
really emphasized it, the need to collabo-
rate. It showed that it is a key element to
success.”
“Working in these types of projects is very
beneficial and important for business stu-
dents about to graduate, or even students
that have years to go,” says Gonzalez,
who, like Wagner and Cable, graduated
from Clayton State earlier this month. “It
gives you some insight in the processes
real companies go through when deter-
mining strategies, improvements, and
how each department needs to work
together to reach a common goal.”
Stephens, cont’d. from p. 1
SAM, cont’d. from p. 4