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Campus Review
October 8, 2014
Clayton State’s Ninth Annual New Student Convocation
“Our Goal is to Have Your Dreams Made Real”
by John Shiffert
University Professorship
Michelle Furlong – Mentoring and Empowering
The keynote speaker at any major
event always has the most important
message for the audience.
That was certainly the case at Clayton
State University’s Ninth Annual New
Student Convocation, held on Friday,
Aug. 15 in world-famous Spivey Hall.
Naturally enough, the keynote speaker
to a packed house of incoming fresh-
men, faculty, administrators and staff,
was Clayton State President Dr.
Thomas Hynes.
“Our goal is to have your dreams
made real,” he said in the opening of
his keynote address.
Now, that wasn’t all the president said,
but he clearly set the tone for the cere-
mony right from the start... all of the
assembled Clayton State faculty, adminis-
tration and staff are part of the
University’s student-centered culture that
is designed to make dreams real.
The New Student Convocation is a time
when faculty, staff and all new students
assemble to mark the beginning of a new
academic year. New Student Convocation
is a formal ceremony intended to inspire,
motivate and officially welcome new stu-
dents. As has been traditional, Hynes
offered encouraging words to incoming
students and the campus community dur-
ing the ceremony.
In addition to stating the University’s goal
to make dreams real, Hynes also offered
the new students congratulations (“You’re
now party of Georgia’s economy of the
future.”), reasons why they should fin-
ish what they’ve started (“We want you
to be a part of Georgia’s future.”) and
some advice to improve the students’
chances of completing their degrees.
Hynes was also quick to point out that
the latter advice was not the view from
the mountaintop, but consisted of
observations from previous first-year
Clayton State students who have suc-
ceeded.
These observations fell into three cate-
gories; academic advice (“Show up to
class on time and study hard.”), gener-
al well-being advice (“Consider your
career plans and watch the use of social
The word professor is derived from Latin
as, “a teacher of highest rank.” Typically,
colleges and universities reserve the title,
“University Professor,” for members of
the faculty who make a meaningful
impact in the lives of students and col-
leagues. The rank is a significant designa-
tion serving as tangible evidence of the
University’s commitment to attracting and
retaining stellar faculty; thus ensuring a
high quality learning experience for all its
students.
Thanks to the generosity of several key
donors and the Clayton State University
Foundation, the University recently
bestowed the title, “University Professor,”
on six faculty members.
“This spring we began a tradition of
awarding University Professorships, a
designation which I think is emblematic
of the celebration of faculty and their con-
tribution to the education of our students,”
says Clayton State President Dr. Thomas
Hynes.
One of Clayton State’s initial University
Professors is Dr. Michelle Furlong,
department chair of Natural Sciences,
biologist, and an empowering mentor for
Clayton State students for more than a
decade. This is her story…
“Back when I was an undergraduate stu-
dent my goal was similar to the other 90
percent of all biology majors — to go to
medical school, help people, cure cancer,
etc.,” she says. “While I pursued that path
I met some pretty amazing professors who
ultimately influenced me to pursue a dif-
ferent dream — teaching. I think back to
how these professors mentored me, pro-
vided me the opportunity to use my cre-
ativity to solve problems in the laboratory,
provided me the opportunity to tutor and
mentor other students and I realize that
they empowered me to make my dream
real.
“As my academic and professional jour-
ney continued and I came to Clayton State
I quickly recognized that I had the oppor-
tunity to provide my
students with the
same support, men-
torship and empow-
erment that my pro-
fessors provided me.
Teaching at Clayton
State University has
been
extremely
rewarding. I have
had the opportunity to teach and mentor
some amazing students with extraordinary
backgrounds and diverse life experiences.
I have grown tremendously over the years
and have learned the art of adapting my
lessons and activities to engage a student
population with diverse learning needs. I
am thrilled when my students latch on to
something I introduce to them and THEY
get excited about it. Their excitement
often encourages them to learn more
about the topic and frequently inspires
them to want to conduct research on it in
the laboratory. When a student asks me to
Convocation, cont’d, p. 13
Furlong, cont’d, p. 11