Spring 2013 Edition | Parent Advisory Council

I ♥ COFC

Were your students part of the #CougarEffect? Were you swept into the #Cougar Effect craze? Thursday, February 28 was National Student Philanthropy Day. The idea behind National Student Philanthropy Day is to have campus events and activities that enhance awareness and engagement of our students in philanthropy. 1000 of our students are on scholarships powered by philanthropy. Our students benefit from amazing faculty focused on their success. Our students and alumni benefit from unique networking and educational experiences. This is all powered by philanthropy. We were excited to see over 350 of our students participate in this Day.

Clyde’s Top 10 List

This month, Clyde asked David Watt and Laura Ricciardelli of Annapolis, Maryland (parents of Hanna, ’11 and David, ’17) about their Top 10 List of FAVORITE CofC and Charleston activities.

Here is David and Laura’s top ten list of Charleston favorites:

The College’s vibrant Art Center and Halsey Art Gallery
The beautiful Addlestone College Library and its third-floor rare books display
Walking the Ravenel Bridge
The College’s annual fall Italian Film Fest
The of live oaks at the College’s Dixie Plantation
Mike Lata’s amazing restaurant Fig, or its sister The Ordinary, or its tiny, but fabulously creative neighbor, Two Burroughs Larder
The Charleston Tea Plantation, and neighboring Angel oak tree, reputed to be over 1,500 years old
A Cougar basketball game, baseball game, or sailing regatta
A lazy afternoon at the beach on Sullivan’s Island with a stop at Poe’s Tavern
The back-alley Charleston tour, or a self-guided gallery walk in downtown Charleston, or the First Friday Art Walk!!

5-Minute Professor

Justin Wyatt, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Dr. Wyatt has been influencing the lives of our science majors for the past 12 years.

Here is a quick Q&A to get to know Dr. Wyatt better.

Why did you come to work at the College?
I ended up at the College by luck. Growing up on the West coast I was not familiar with the College at all. When I was lucky enough to get an interview here I knew that it was the place that I wanted to be. The students, the campus, the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department all made me feel like I was home.
What do you enjoy most about working with students?
I work with students both in lecture and in research, but overall I am fortunate to be involved in each student’s development as a professor. What I love about my lecture students is making a subject that is traditionally very hard as understandable as possible. Organic Chemistry is about learning to learn again, which is very difficult. Watching a student break down this barrier and finally learning to approach the subject systematically is exciting. That “I got it” moment is amazing.The students in my research group are my family. I have had the honor of working with 40+ undergraduates and I not only get to watch them grow scientifically, but I get to see them become amazing individuals. Research has been a valuable tool in many of their careers in ways that many of them did not truly understand until after they had moved onto their next stage. However, for some of them research changed their lives and made them realize where they wanted their future to go. The enjoyment that I get from being in a position to help a person realize their potential is rewarding. The most important part is that I keep in contact with as many of my past research students as possible. I love hearing about their accomplishments.
Thinking of some of your recent students, what kind of accomplishments have they had since leaving the college?
The easy answer is some of my students have gone off to become very successful research scientists, dentists, and medical doctors. Specifically, one of my first research students now owns a very successful dental practice in NC. One research student went off to do a high powered PhD and Post-doc and is now working for a company that is grooming him to take it over. Many of my students are just getting out of professional school and so their accomplishments and life adventures are just beginning.
What do you think of the new science center?
The new science center is beautiful! Everyone should check it out, especially the natural history museum-that’s the best part!
What is your area of research/what have your students been involved with?
The major focus of my research is the development of novel anticancer and antibiotic agents. This gives students the opportunity to work on a project that is meaningful to them. Each team member becomes an important part of the group for the research and for team. Students have been involved with the development/design of the molecules we are interested in, synthesizing the compounds, purification, isolation, and then testing these compounds for antibiotic and anticancer activity. Currently my research team has developed three new anticancer agents that they have tested at MUSC with our collaborator and found them to be active against prostate cancer cells but not healthy brain cells. This is very exciting.

Here is a video by the College featuring the cancer research I did with undergraduate John Coward: Faculty-Student Team on Cutting Edge of Cancer Research Video.

Events You Don’t Want to Miss

There is always something to do in Charleston, whether on campus or off campus! Spring is filled with wonderful events that showcase the beauty that is downtown Charleston and our beloved campus.

What We’re Watching

Did you know about our alternative break program? Has your student participated in one? Look at what some of our students did as service learning this past January. Check out the alternative break program to learn more and watch the latest video.

What Your Kids Don’t Tell You

One thing for certain is that the College of Charleston puts our students first! Here is a host of workshops and activities offered to make sure that the time your student spends on our campus benefits their intellectual, physical, social, and emotional well-being. I wanted to make sure you knew about the opportunities provided for your student—you know; all that important information that doesn’t always get passed along.

Graduation Information: It’s never too early for you and your student to prepare for the process of graduation. There is more to it than just the ceremony.

Senior Information

Academic Calendar: Make sure you and your student know about deadline for dropping, adding, or withdrawing from a course; registration, semester starting and end dates, and so much more.

Center for Student Learning: We don’t want your student to ever feel like they don’t have the tools to succeed. CSL is here for that extra academic support.

There is always a fun, safe activity happening on campus somewhere. Whether a concert on the Cistern, a late night movie, or a group gathering for a sporting event-your student has plenty to do when they need a break from the library. Make sure they know all of what Student Life has to offer.

Did you know you can keep an eye on campus? Check out our webcams!

Parents’ Fund

The Parents’ Fund supports scholarships, networking opportunities, and exceptional faculty focused on your student’s