May 13, 2010
For Immediate Release

By Ashley Zsedenyi, staff writer

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - “Tonight is an opportunity for our graduates to say thank you to all those who have done everything they can to help you graduate,” said Dr. Darlene Eastridge, dean of the Carver School of Social Work and Counseling, during their annual undergraduate pinning ceremony.

She said this class is the 15th graduating class of undergraduates from the Carver School and Counseling at CU.

Eastridge said she is “proud” to add the graduates of 2009-10 to the more than 160 alumni of the Carver School, and said, “You have developed the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the field of social work.”

She mentioned the numerous service projects the graduates had been involved in, which includes Cardboard Nation, Prevent Child Abuse, numerous mission trips and participating in the Angel Tree program during Christmas.

The graduates pinned during the ceremony are pictured from left: front row: Phoebe Dewar-Williams, Shannon Nottingham, Gene Greynolds and Danelle Coomer. Back row: Tracy Murray, Aimee Morris, Juliana Brown, Krissy Cooper, Anne Adcock, Leslie Newton, Misty Curry, Patricia Scott, Baerette Daniel and Tony Rutherford. (CU Photo by Munk-Amgalan Galsanjamts)

The 2009-10 graduates of the Carver School of Social Work's first group of master of social work degree recipients were pinned during a separate ceremony. They are: Anne Adcock of Somerset, Ky., the wife of Allen Adcock, mother of Ashley and Nathan and who completed a field placement with Lake Cumberland Children's Advocacy Center in Jamestown, Ky.; Juliana Brown of Nashville, Tenn., the daughter of Brenda Brown and the late Doug Brown and who completed a field placement with Day Treatment Program at the Virtual Learning Academy at Taylor County High School;

Danelle Coomer of Jamestown, Ky., the daughter of Richard and Judy Draper, wife of David Coomer, mother of Julie England and her husband Adam, Jason Rainwater and Whitney Coomer and grandmother of two, who completed a field placement with Lake Cumberland Children's Advocacy Center; Kristina Cooper of Russell Springs, Ky., the daughter of Sammy and Lynsey Cooper and who completed a field placement with Taylor County Family Resource Center and Taylor County High School Day Treatment Program;

Misty Curry of Greensburg, Ky., wife of Brian Curry and who completed a field placement with Green River Ministries; Phoebe Dewar-Williams of Elizabethtown, Ky., daughter of Jim and Kim Dewar, daughter-in-law of Mary Williams, wife of Dwaron Williams, mother of Ava Williams and who completed a field placement with SpringHaven Inc.;

Allison Driskell of Hardinsburg, Ky., wife of Chris Driskell, mother of Madison, Alexis and Weston and who completed a field placement with Communicare; Baerette Daniel of Greensburg, wife of James Daniel II and who completed a field placement with Sunrise Children Services; Gloria Greynolds of Liberty, Ky., the daughter of Ottis and Lois Sandusky, wife of Andy Greynolds, mother of Abbie Greynolds and who completed a field placement with Adanta Group;

Aimee Morris of Campbellsville, the daughter of Stephen and Carolyn Morris and who completed a field placement with Summit Manor Nursing Home in Columbia, Ky.; Tracy Murray of Hodgenville, Ky., the daughter of Paul and Glenda Wathen, wife of Michael Murray and who completed a field placement with Communicare Elizabethtown Outpatient Clinic and G.C. Burkhead Family Resource Center;

Leslie Newton of Campbellsville, the daughter of Delitha and Mark Shreve and Tim and Barb Smith, wife of Troy Newton, mother of Addison and who completed a field placement with Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency Inc. and Lynda Wilkerson Consulting; Shannon Nottingham of Leitchfield, Ky., formerly of Louisville, the daughter of Kenneth and Cheryl Ryan, wife of Jeff Nottingham, mother of Joshua Nottingham, Andrew DeMasters and Stephan Nottingham and who completed a field placement with Communicare Inc. in Leitchfield;

Tony Rutherford of Somerset, husband of Beth Rutherford and who completed a field placement with Metcalfe County Health Care Center; and Patricia Scott of Columbia, the daughter of Murray and Juanita Scott and who completed a field placement with Lake Cumberland Child Advocacy Center.

The undergraduates receiving bachelor of social work degrees who were pinned are: Ashley Boyd of Simpsonville, Ky., the daughter of Steve and Gerri Boyd, who completed a field practicum with Washington County Family Resource Center; Adrienne Butler of Harned, Ky., the daughter of Dwight and Cindy Butler, who completed a field practicum with Adanta Taylor Clinic in Campbellsville;

Katie Daniel of Georgetown, Ky., the daughter of Kristie Daniel and Steve and Gail Daniel from Nicholasville, Ky., who completed a field practicum with Independent Opportunities; Kim Davis of Campbellsville, the daughter of Howard and Patricia Chaney of Honey Brook, Pa., married to Gordon Davis, the mother of Billy, Danny, Tony, Kelsa and Lisa and grandmother of four, who completed a field practicum with Alternative Recovery Center in Campbellsville;

Diana Gardiner of Erwin, Tenn., the daughter of Toby and Donna Gardiner, who completed a field practicum with Taylor County Family Resource Center; Erica Hockstedler of Bumpass, Va., the daughter of Kim Zetterstrom and Eric Hockstedler from Bowling Green, Ky., who completed a field practicum with Rappahanock Area Community Services Board Adult Drug Court in Virginia;

Jessica Miller of Rushville, Ind., the daughter of George and Cheryl Miller, who completed a field practicum with Bethany House Shelter in Somerset, Ky.; Joseph Christopher Mills of Lebanon, Ky., the son of Tommie and Jane Mills, married to Cindy and father of Joshua, Hunter and Amber, who completed a field practicum with Village of Lebanon;

Lauren Toadvine of Hustonville, Ky., the daughter of Dennis and Emily Toadvine and Lee Toadvine, who completed a field practicum with Step By Step Ministries in Lexington, Ky., and the Central Kentucky Crisis Pregnancy Center in Campbellsville; Clarence Sayles of Ashland, Ky., the son of James and Connie Pettress, who completed a field practicum with Alternative Recovery Center in Campbellsville;

Sherman Williams of Louisville, Ky., the son of Charlotte West, who completed a field practicum with Greater Cane Run Neighborhood Place; Ashley Dykes of Science Hill, Ky., who completed a field practicum with Bluegrass Oakwood in Somerset;

Maria Probus of Lebanon, the daughter of Mary Lee, engaged to Frank Spears and mother of Chloe Spears, who completed a field practicum with Taylor County Resource Center; and Donna Wilson of Elizabethtown, Ky., the wife of Tom Corcoran and mother of J.T., Kelli and Katie, who completed a field practicum with LaRue County Department for Community Based Services.

Upon being pinned, the graduates recited the Social Work Professional Oath.

Dr. Helen Mudd presented special awards to several of the undergraduates for their outstanding academic and service achievements.

The following awards were presented: Diana Gardiner, Service Award; Lauren Toadvine, Academic Excellence Award with a 3.92 grade point average; Clarence Sayles, Professional Growth Award; Erica Hockstedler, Outstanding Field Project Award; and Ashley Boyd, Outstanding Field Student Award.

“Every graduate is special,” Mudd said. “They have worked really hard.”

“They are going to go forth and change the world,” Mudd said.

Toadvine and Gardiner presented a video reflecting on the group of graduates during their time together.

“One thing that ties us all together is our passion for serving others,” Gardiner said.

Toadvine said, “Students are here to learn how to help others.”

“We have gone through many challenges together,” she said. “Social work has truly grown me.”

Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of CU, said, “The accomplishments of the Carver School over the past 15 years have been astounding.”
He told the graduates, “I look forward to your accomplishments over the coming years and the good work you will be doing.”
“I am very proud of your commitment to serving others,” Carter said.

Dr. Frank Cheatham, vice president for academic affairs, congratulated the graduates on “finding their calling” at CU, because “the field of social work is definitely a calling.”

The graduates receiving master of science in counseling degrees from the Carver School were also recognized. They are: Whitney Brainard; Rasheeno Griffith; Susanne Jenkins; Elizabeth Suzanne Page; Nicole Rogers; Amy Scott; Rebecca Sidebottom; and Marie Wesselman.

Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 3,006 students who represent 97 Kentucky counties, 30 states and 37 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report's 2010 “America's Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 23rd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South, tied for fifth in “most international students” and fourth in “up-and-coming” schools in baccalaureate colleges in the South. CU has been ranked 17 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America's Best Christian Colleges® and to G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his 11th year as president.

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