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Page 11
Campus Review
April 1, 2013
rently lives in Social Circle and is married
with two children. In her free time she
enjoys spending as much time as possible
with her friends and family.
She feels being good at mathematics is
not about knowing answers. Rather, it is
how you behave when you don’t know the
answer. Good teaching, therefore, allows
the opportunity for students to be success-
ful in their own pursuit of the knowledge,
skills, and dispositions necessary to be
successful in their chosen fields.
This is Nipper’s third nomination for the
Alice Smith Award. Also recently she
received the CIMS Award for Excellence
in Scholarship, CIMS Award for
Excellence in Service, CIMS Award for
Excellence in Teaching, and President
Obama's Volunteer Service Award.
“With many excellent faculty in CIMS, it
is an honor to have been selected to repre-
sent our college,” says Nipper.
Swearngin is a clinical instructor for the
School of Nursing, but has been a part of
the Clayton State family for more than 20
years. She is the first person to obtain
nursing degrees at all three educational
levels from Clayton State -- Associates,
Bachelors and Masters. She is also a past
president of the Clayton State Alumni
Association. While attending graduate
school, she worked part time at Clayton
State, but upon completing her degree,
she began teaching full time in fall 2010.
She teaches acute care in a hospital setting
as well as a course for the BSN program
and an online course for the RN-BSN pro-
gram. Prior to her transition to full time
teaching, she worked Neonatal Intensive
Care for Grady Health System and
DeKalb Medical Center for a combined
19 years.
“I’ve received letters from our graduates
thanking me for changing their lives. I know
they did that on their own, I was merely a
participant, but they are very appreciative of
the education and the tough love I’m known
to dish out,” says Swearngin.
Swearngin is married with two daughters
and one very needy and cuddly English
bulldog. She is a native of Atlanta and
now resides in Tyrone. She says she is liv-
ing out her second softball career through
her girls who are both starting pitchers.
She enjoys cheering them on.
“This is my first nomination for the Smith
Award and I sincerely realize the impor-
tance of this recognition. I’ve been
involved with Clayton State in some fash-
ion for literally more than half my life.
I’ve served in many roles including; stu-
dent, trustee, alumni board member and
now faculty. To me, the Smith Award is
the highest achievement for a faculty
member and represents outward recogni-
tion for continued service to my universi-
ty,” says Swearngin.
Currently residing in Lakewood Ranch,
Fla., Keebler has been commuting to
Clayton State since 2008. He is professor
of Supply Chain Management and serves
as chair of the Faculty Senate and the
Charles S. Conklin Endowed Chair. He
obtained his doctorate in Business
Administration, Marketing and Logistics
from the University of Tennessee.
Keebler served in the U.S. Army for six
years which entailed four years of active-
duty. He served as a captain in the
Transportation Corp for a year in
Vietnam. He has worked in corporate
positions in the food, pharmaceutical,
health care and electronics industries with
his last position as president of a $300
million subsidiary of Colgate Palmolive.
Then at the age of 53, made the decision
to complete his doctoral program and
since has taught courses at St. Cloud State
University, University of Minnesota, and
University of South Florida.
Keebler notes he likes teaching under-
graduate and graduate students about
Supply Chain Management and the
rewarding career opportunities it pro-
vides. He has enjoyed being able to help
build the Supply Chain Management pro-
gram at Clayton State.
Keebler is married with seven children,
two of whom are still in college, and he
has 13 grandchildren (so far). He says he
used to golf frequently, but due to his
affinity for water hazards he kept running
out of balls. He enjoys camping, explor-
ing and canoeing. He typically goes to the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area for a week
nearly every summer.
“I have never applied for a teaching
award. I consistently received high evalu-
ations at all the schools at which I taught,
in Tennessee, Minnesota, Florida, and at
CSU. I enjoy the classroom experience
and my sincere concern for student learn-
ing, job placement, and career advance-
ment is apparent. I appreciate being nom-
inated by my college for the Smith
Faculty Award. Student engagement is a
reward in itself,” says Keebler.
Dr. Karen
Weaver, asso-
ciate professor
of Nursing in
the Clayton
State
University
College of
Health, died
at her home on Sunday evening,
Mar. 31, at 10:30 p.m., after a
year-and-a-half long battle with
ovarian cancer. She was sur-
rounded and supported by her
loving and devoted family.
There will be a Celebration of
Life ceremony held at the Clayton
State University School of
Nursing in the near future.
Details on the celebration will
follow.
Her remains will be donated to
medical research, therefore the
Celebration at the School of
Nursing will be the only official
service for her. It will occur
before the semester ends.
Life’s Transitions...
Smith Faculty, cont’d, from p. 5