The Pulse

Optimism can be defined as seeing and expecting the future in a positive manner. It is one of the most powerful predictors of future achievement. Optimism is also a learned habit of thought and has a very large impact on our feelings and behavior.

We think an average of over 60,000 thoughts per day, the majority of which are negative! Think about that… More than 30,000 internal and negative thoughts are directed at yourself every single day! Negativity about your job, about your relationships, about your appearance, about your attitude and expectations! That can make anyone’s day take a turn toward the negative!

Evidence has shown that optimism has a significant influence on health, happiness, and achievement. Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, in over 30 years of research, has shown optimists to be more successful than equally talented pessimists in many aspects of life such as business, education, sport, and politics. He found that optimistic people are more likely to be determined, decisive and persistent. They believe they will achieve success frequently and their failures will be short-lived. Their optimism inspires them to achieve success. Moreover, optimists bounce back quickly from rejection and setbacks.

The Australian Business Organization has compiled a list of optimistic research findings. Notice the following differences between optimistic and pessimistic individuals:

• Financial Services
  

Optimistic salespeople outsell pessimists by 88%.

Pessimistic salespeople are twice as likely to quit as optimists.

• Real Estate

Extremely optimistic agents outsell the extreme pessimists by 319%.

• Automotive

Optimistic managers outperform pessimists by 27%.

Optimism predicted achievement in a variety of other sales situations.

• University

Optimism predicted positive grades among college undergraduates.

• Sport - Individuals

Optimism predicted performance in top-ranked college swimmers.

• Health

Optimists have a higher chance of surviving certain serious illnesses.

Optimists live, on average, 19% longer than pessimists.

Optimistic women with breast cancer exhibit less distress and faster recovery from surgery. (Scheier & Carver, 1992)

• Happiness

Optimists are happier and have less depression than pessimists.

As you process your thoughts today……find the optimism and embrace it. That “embrace” can make a significant impact!

COHS Hall of Fame (HoF) was developed to recognize individuals who have significantly contributed to the mission of the COHS. The HoF is open to faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who have resigned or retired from Georgia College, if applicable. Faculty with emeritus status are NOT eligible for the COHS Hall of Fame.

On November 1st, during Alumni Week, we held a lunch and ceremony in the Pat Peterson Museum Education Room for two inaugural inductees, Dr. Carol Sapp and Ms. Sheila Malcolm. Congratulations ladies on being the first College of Health Sciences Hall of Fame members.

Dr. Carol Sapp

Dr. Sapp is an alumnus of Georgia State University (Ph.D. in Family & Community Nursing), Georgia College (MSN in Family Nursing & Nursing Education, & RN-BSN), and Georgia Baptist Hospital School of Nursing (Diploma in Nursing). Most recently, she completed the Foundations in Faith Community Nursing course at Gwinnett Medical Center & Georgia Baptist College of Nursing at Mercer University. Dr. Sapp has provided leadership for the internationalization of the GC undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. She developed and led interdisciplinary COHS cross-cultural study abroad courses to Belize, and initiated the study abroad partnership with the Swedish study abroad nursing student exchange program. Dr. Sapp is an active member of the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing, American Nursing Association (ANA), Georgia Nurses Association (GNA), Georgia Association for Nursing Education (GANE) and the Baptist Nursing Fellowship. Dr. Sapp’s research interests include health promotion, quality of life, asthma, end of life, and family. Dr. Sapp has provided significant service to Georgia College by serving on many committees at the university level over the years. She is a strong supporter of international programs. Dr. Sapp has also been active in the community providing leadership at the local and state level for Georgia's nurse educators. Having been the recipient of numerous scholarships, Dr. Sapp established an endowed scholarship for future undergraduate nursing students in the Honors Program to pay it forward.

Sheila Malcolm, MA, RN

Sheila Malcolm, MSN, RN is the nurse manager at Atrium Health Navicent Hospice Pine Pointe. She acted as a preceptor to many nursing students. She devotes her time and energy to GC every semester to teach and aid students' understanding of end-of-life care. She is passionate about and imparts her wisdom regarding palliative care. Her instruction helps advance the mission of the School of Nursing and College of Health Sciences by contributing to the professional development of students and helping ensure they deliver evidence-based care to clients.

See the Hall of Fame video here.

Photo credits: Anna Leavitt, GC Photography Manager

The program was established in 2019 to provide a carefully selected group of current faculty members with dedicated time to develop and hone leadership skills. In the program, members gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting higher education, specifically with a focus on issues women face in academic administration. The Women’s Leadership Faculty Fellows Program is administered by the Office of Academic Affairs. For more information, see the website.

One of the seven 2021-2022 fellows is our own Dr. Krystal Canady, College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing. Congratulations Dr. Canady!

The Visiting Scholar’s Program is part of an intentional effort to further our interdisciplinary collaborations, to support student learning, and to engage faculty with scholars across disciplines. Congratulations to the College of Health Sciences and their Visiting Scholar, who will be on campus Spring 2022!

Mr. Butch Reynolds is a world record-holding gold and silver medal winning - olympic sprinter and currently serves as one of the top applied exercise scientists in speed training. His specialty area is speed development, the biomechanics of running and overcoming lower extremity injuries for sprinters. As the former head speed coach for the Ohio State University football program, his knowledge base will serve GC’s exercise science, athletic training and human performance students, respectively. In addition, Mr. Reynolds interacts with the local community of lay coaches to deliver a cross discipline presentation specialized in ethical theory. In that setting, he will discuss issues related to illegal performance-enhancing drugs and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

Dr. Justin Adeyemi is an educator whose passion is to help students transfer textbook knowledge into practical understanding. It’s his profound belief that with practical understanding comes better decision making and that better decision making, is the key to sound clinical practice.

Dr. Adeyemi holds a bachelor of science degree in athletic training, and a master of arts in teaching degree in kinesiology/physical education from Georgia College. He also has a doctorate in education from Valdosta State University.

After completing his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Georgia College, he began serving as an instructor and was the first head athletic trainer at Central Georgia Technical College-an experience that allowed him to immediately utilize the knowledge and skills he gained to educate a diverse student body and to build the sports medicine program. In addition, he has worked clinically at Resurgens Orthopedics and Houston Clinic, two of the most well-known orthopedic practices in the state of Georgia.

Dr. Adeyemi credits the faculty at Georgia College for furthering his passion for all things related to teaching and learning.

Pictured below: Dr. Justin Adeyemi

Service Learning is one of the high-impact educational practices expected of public health students at Georgia College. Each Fall, students in the community health course engage in service learning via working with community partners outside the classroom. By serving in a community organization, students learn experientially how to identify a community health need, as well as developing strategies for addressing that need through mutual learning, critical thinking about the root causes of the health need(s), and sustainable solutions. Students also learn how to interact with community members from diverse backgrounds. A major aspect of the service learning experience is for students to learn how to work collaboratively with community partner(s) in addressing health and social issues and to apply concepts learned in class to real-world challenges. This year, students selected to perform their service learning from a list of over 20 community partner organizations working in fields such as human services, elderly care, fitness, nutrition, and after-school programs. Through the service learning experience, the public health program at Georgia College was able to give back to the community and impact the lives of individuals served by our community partners. Sixty-four community health students performed a total of 2,935 service-learning hours over fifteen weeks this Fall.

Held on December 2nd for students, community partners and the Georgia College community, a conference-like showcase appraised the outcome of our students’ efforts. The Poster Showcase is the culminating service-learning experience where students exhibit their service learning experiences and the impact in and around Milledgeville. After a hiatus last Fall due to COVID-19, public health students eagerly showcased their efforts this year in the Donahue Lounge. Twenty-one posters were on display, showcasing service learning performed at 15 community partner organizations. A panel of three judges consisting of Drs. Kelly Massey, Scott Butler, and Daniel Czech visited each poster and listened to students provide an oral presentation of their work and its impact on the community. At the end of the event, two posters received awards as the first-, and second-best posters this year. Below are photos showcasing the amazing work done by students in Fall 2021.

Photo credits: Anna Leavitt, GC Photography Manager

GURC 2011 Conference took place November 5-6, 2021. Georgia College’s participation included 33 students and 14 faculty members from various departments. Check out the GURC Poster Presentations from Health and Human Performance.

• Comparison of Maximal Fat Oxidation Rates Between Exercise Modalities in College-aged Women

  Presenters: Molly Dyer, Caroline Jones, and Ally Wahus

  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kelly Massey

• Neighborhood Blight Among Communities of Ethnic Minority in Central Georgia

  Presenter: Savannah Webb

  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Damian Francis

• Evaluation of Students Perception of the University Response to COVID-19 Outbreak

  Presenter: Savannah Webb

  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Damian Francis

• Assessment of the Food Environment in Underserved Communities in Georgia

  Presenter: Gracie Lingold

  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Damian Francis

• Ernie Kaninjing, PhD., Health and Human Performance, ABeR Training Program: Training in Implementation Science & Dissemination for Cancer Prevention and Control in West Africa, CRDF Global and NSF (National Science Foundation), $34,320. Congratulations!

• Kaninjing, E., Lopez, I., Wankie, C., Odanye, E., Ndip, R., Dokurugu, Y., Tendongfor, N., Amissah, F., Means, S., Paul, C., Sauls, D., & Vilme, H. (2022). The academic and social impact of COVID-19 among college students: Perspectives from the United States of America, Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria. International Journal of Higher Education, http://ijhe.sciedupress.com.

Dr. Krystal Canady is a “bobcat” graduate herself. She received her BSN from Georgia College, graduating as vice president of her 2002 nursing class. She returned shortly after that to pursue her master’s in nursing with a concentration in the family nurse practitioner tract. She practiced family medicine for a few years and then returned to the emergency room this time as a nurse practioner provider, as she spent most of her time as an RN in the ER. Krystal completed her post Master’s in Nursing Education and then completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2015 from Georgia Southern University. She was given a recognition award for demonstrating exemplary promise in improving patient care.

Her research interest includes stressors in the nurse’s working environment and the doctor of nursing practice role in nursing education. She has published articles in the International Journal of Nursing Education as well as the Journal of Professional Nursing. She has also presented at many local, state, and national conferences. She currently practices in a rural federally-qualified medical home as a family nurse practitioner, where she works with vulnerable populations and shares a special love for providing care for pediatric patients. She is currently serving as the interim family nurse practitioner program coordinator within the School of Nursing.

Pictured below: Dr. Krystal Canady

Dr. Sterling Roberts, Director of Simulation and Translational Research Center, has been selected to participate in the National League for Nursing (NLN) 2022 Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators. NLN 2022 Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators is designed for the experienced simulation nurse educator who wishes to assume a leadership role in simulation. The experiences that participants bring to the Leadership Development Program will make it an exciting and meaningful learning opportunity. Congratulations Dr. Roberts!

The “I Caught You Caring” program was developed by Staff Council to recognize those staff who provide exceptional service contributions to the GC Community. The goal is to encourage and reward employees who go out of their way to make that personal connection with the people they are here to help. School of Nursing Tracy Fathi and Michelle Marks were nominated to receive this award in November. Thank you Tracy and Michelle for your exceptional service!

Pictured below: Dean Noviello presenting the award to Tracy Fathi and Michelle Marks.

As part of Alumni Week held on November 1-6, 2021, the Georgia College African American Alumni Council’s Annual (AAAC) “A Night Under the Stars” Gala had two nursing educator honorees for the Keepers of the Promise Award

Mary Cook

Mary Cook was in the first nursing class at Winston-Salem Teachers College and graduated in 1958. Additionally, she completed her master of science in Nursing at the University of Maryland before moving to Milledgeville, GA with her husband, Rev. Payton Cook, in 1963.

Mary became the nursing instructor in the Psychiatric Aide Program and in-service education at Central State Hospital from 1967-1969. She joined the nursing faculty at Georgia College in 1969 and was the first African-American on the faculty. She was also the first African American tenured faculty. Mary became the first adviser of the Black Student Alliance (BSA) from 1997-1984 and was instrumental in chartering the Nu Tau Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the second-largest nursing honor organization. Mary was also an adviser to the BSA Choir and nurtured many African and African American students, most of whom were first-generation college students during the period of integration. Mary was instrumental in the foundations of what became the graduate program in Nursing at GC and was highly active in her professional associations including the American Nurses Association and the Georgia Nurses Association. Mary retired from GC in 1984 as Associate Professor Emerita.

In 1986, Mary Cook lost her battle with breast cancer after two and a half years. She had contributed enormously to the nursing profession and the next generation of nursing students, and to leveling the playing field for African and African-American students. Following her death, the School of Nursing at Georgia College named the academic award for the junior student with the highest GPA after Mary Cook. An endowed scholarship was also established in honor of Mary and Payton Cook.

Mary Cook was devoted to the Milledgeville Community and served in several leadership roles at Flagg Chapel Baptist Church, Baldwin County Ministers’ Wives, 4H, and the Georgia Association for Nursing Education. She was also a parent-leader in the Baldwin County School system, and a member of the Macon Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau Sorority, Inc.

Ella Milner

Ella Milner received two degrees from Georgia College, including an associate degree in nursing and a bachelor of science in nursing. She obtained her master of science in nursing from Georgia State University. Ella is affiliated with the following:

• Georgia Nurses Association
• Charter member of Theta Tau
• Georgia College Chapter
• Coordinator of Theta Tau & Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Induction Ceremonies
• Georgia College, President of Theta Chapter
• Chair of Senior Leadership
• Who’s Who in Nursing Practice and Leadership
• Fast Track Critical Care Coordinator for senior Georgia College Nursing students

Ella is the founder of the Black Association of Nursing Students (BANS), which provides professional development and support for African-American nursing students. An endowed nursing scholarship was established in honor of Ella Milner for her commitment to nursing education and nursing practice.

Ella is highly respected for her over 20 years of bedside critical care nursing practice and a total of 30 years in nursing education. She served as a nurse manager in critical care at formerly known as Baldwin County Hospital, now Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin. She often assigned herself to the most critically ill patients, advocating for consistent high-quality care to ensure there were no gaps in their treatment and the expected outcomes were monitored carefully. She received several awards for excellence in nursing practice for her expertise in critical care nursing, and for her unwavering commitment to the nursing profession.

Ella’s transition to nursing education as an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Georgia College was a unique and rewarding opportunity to fulfill her professional goal of educating student nurses. She provided the best nursing care possible for patients during each clinical assignment. Ella was a hands-on professional role model, teaching nursing skills at the bedside, challenging critical thinking and decision-making skills to ensure all patients received safe compassionate nursing care.

Thank you to Tre' Johnson, Assistant Director of Alumni Awards, Reunions & Collaborations for the article information and photographs.

• SHHP Dr. Justin Adeyemi, ’10, ’11, received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgia College. He transferred in from LaGrange College after deciding he wanted to pursue athletic training.“In looking for programs, I saw that Georgia College had an athletic training program,” he said. “Seeing that it was a liberal arts institution, that's what drew me here.” Read the rest of the story here.

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