Augusta, GA) – Carla C. Smith, ’03 is regarded as one of Atlanta’s emerging leaders, speakers and trainers in the Social Services and Human Services arena.  Smith is passionate about assisting all people with becoming their best self, ensuring the core needs of others are being met and committed to the progression of her community.  Her passion has led to her recent recognition at the 7th Annual Atlanta Power 30 Under 30™ Awards.

The awards ceremony recognized the accomplishments of young professionals under the age of 30 who display strong leadership abilities as they consistently excel within their communities and respective professional industries.  Smith was recognized in the area of Community Service. “These exemplary young people epitomize the essence of hard work, merit and sacrifice. We commend your relentless commitment to the pursuit of excellence in all that you do, and I urge you to continue blazing a brilliant path, always inspiring the next generation of young people to follow in your footsteps. On behalf of the people of Atlanta, I salute this special group of bright and shining young stars.” said Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta

About Carla C. Smith

Smith is the CEO and Co-Owner of Georgia Counseling and Social Services Consultants (GCSSC), LLC, a social services consulting, program development and leadership training firm. Three University of Georgia School of Social Work Alumni started the firm in 2010.  Smith spearheaded the creation of the organization following her work in non-profit management and after looking at the state of the social services sector, examining the services being provided as well as the increased need for quality, results driven initiatives. The driving force behind GCSSC, LLC is its commitment and dedication to the community.

Previously, Smith served as Regional Supervisor for Youth Villages, a Tennessee based non-profit organization and was the lead team member for the new services site in Atlanta, Georgia. She oversaw all programming in the Atlanta region including staffing; work with external customers on the local, state and national level to include Casey Family Programs, leadership trainings, fundraising events and partnership trainings for customers.

She also served as the Region lead for the State of Tennessee’s Governor’s Mentoring Initiative in 2007 where she was a member of the development team of then Governor Phil Bredesen’s new program for children that were in foster care and the custody of the state. Smith was responsible for the marketing/growth of the program in the East Tennessee region, recruitment of mentors for foster children and educating the community on Governor Bredesen’s vision of the program and the impact to be made in the life of a child. Smith was fortunate enough to do a launching event in Knoxville, Tennessee with then Mayor and current Governor of Tennessee Bill Haslam in order to promote awareness for children in foster care and the need for mentors across the State of Tennessee. The event ignited a call to citizens in East Tennessee and the number of mentors quickly moved to nearly 80 mentors in less than a year.

Smith has traveled the United States as well as internationally to Lima, Peru and Montrious, Haiti providing leadership development and conducting social services research related presentations. Her expertise includes leadership/program development, evidenced based practices, project management, at-risk children, women and children issues, commercially and sexually exploited children and child welfare initiatives. Smith is dedicated to the work in the social services sector and committed to the enhancement of these services. Smith feels that superior services to our children and families are a direct investment into our community and that providing others with quality, results driven services at the onset will prove to have a direct positive impact upon those being served.

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Four short films from Saint Augustine’s College’s Film program will be screened as the opening to the PBS documentary “Freedom Riders” at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 25, at the Wake County Library in Cameron Village.

The students and the films featured will be: Porscha Lopes’ “The Realist of Patrick McDonald;” Miles Valentine’s “Believe It;” Craig Taylor’s “Mixed Emotions;” and Eric Barstow’s “Pickaninny.”

Saint Augustine’s College film professor Ellen Shepard will host the library’s screening of the “Freedom Riders” documentary. The screening is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/freedomriders.htm

About Saint Augustine’s College
Saint Augustine’s College, established in 1867, is a four-year historically black college in Raleigh, N.C. With an average annual enrollment of 1,500, the College offers 30 undergraduate degree programs in five academic divisions. Saint Augustine’s College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

 

The Morgan State University Choir recently completed a 10-day tour of Italy, a journey that spanned stops in Rome, Florence, Venice, Bologna and Milan. The choir performed at the Universities of Bologna and Padova and Vatican City.

Nine students in SC State’s Business Program recently participated in a one-week intensive Student Research and Writing Institute. Funded through a Title III grant, the institute is a component of the Writing Across the Curriculum in Business (WACB) Program that was implemented in 2009 to enhance students’ ability to discover, refine and communicate ideas in writing. The institute focuses on helping students understand the research and writing process.

During the institute students learned the difference between qualitative and quantitative research and received instruction on each component of the research process to include: selecting a topic, developing research questions and hypothesis, conducting a literature review, developing a research design, methods of collecting data, and analyzing and interpreting data. Other features of the institute included a session at the library on information literacy and how to use the databases to search for information, in addition to a one-day session with writing consultant, Dr. Mildred Rowland, who provided an overview of the writing process, writing with coherence, clarity and conciseness and using correct punctuation and grammar.

“This was a great experience for both faculty and students,” said Dr. Barbara Adams, interim assistant vice president for Programs and Graduate Studies. “This was the first time that many of the students had experienced this type of training. They were all very focused and committed.”

A unique feature of the institute was the pairing of students in teams of two. Students were assigned a faculty coach who worked with them to develop and narrow down a research topic and develop the research design for the project. On the last day of the institute, student teams presented their proposed research projects and will continue to conduct research over the next two months. They will also write a journal article to explain their research findings. Faculty coaches will stay in contact with their team on a weekly basis to provide guidance and ensure they remain on track and adhere to a timetable.

“The institute was an eye opener for me because I wasn’t aware that there were so many outlets and academic levels for me to research and write on,” said David Kershaw, May 2011 marketing major. “It was a really great experience and I encourage the University to hold this program every year while getting more freshmen and sophomores involved,” he added.

Kershaw was joined by eight of his peers for the institute, to include: Tana Isaac, sophomore, accounting major; Oyetayo Omotosho, junior, accounting major; Keisha Glasgow-Pierre, May 2011 MBA graduate; Daria Sekerina, senior, accounting major; Shavone Slocum, May 2011 graduate, business economics major; Lyudmyla Starostyuk, first year MBA major; Charisma Owens, May 2011 graduate, management major and Ruth Uthman, junior, accounting major.

Faculty coaches are: Dr. Barbara Adams, Dr. David Karemera, Dr. Marion Sillah, Dr. Muhammad Mustafa and Dr. Ann Winstead. Dr. Paul Reinstra-Munnicha and professor Anthony Masino were resource persons

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JACKSON, Miss.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–The College of Business at Jackson State University announces the launch of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) online degree program starting in the fall 2011 semester. Jackson State has partnered with Education Online Services Corporation (EOServe Corp,) to assist in the implementation of the degree program. Active graduate student recruitment and enrollment are now underway in preparation for the first MBA online degree program classes to begin on August 22. The College of Business at Jackson State University is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), the highest standard of accreditation for business schools in the nation.

“With the professional landscape and job market becoming increasingly competitive, people are investing in themselves and seeking to advance their careers through education. The MBA program at Jackson State University is accredited, respected, accelerated and specifically designed to meet the needs of working professionals and adult learners.”

“Jackson State University is at the forefront of innovation in higher education while preserving the highest standard of academic excellence,” said Jackson State University President Carolyn W. Meyers. “The global launch of the JSU MBA online degree program is another unprecedented step forward for our university.”

The MBA degree program is designed to develop students in all of the functional areas of business and economics from an applications standpoint, to train them in research methodology as it pertains to business research, and to prepare them for professional and mid-level management positions in a work environment where internationalization of business and industry are critical for remaining competitive.

“The College of Business is pleased to reach this significant milestone,” said Glenda Glover, dean of the JSU College of Business. “Students from across America and throughout the world will now have an opportunity to have access to our world-class MBA degree program online.”

Read Full Article at Jackson State University News Room