Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1062077
2 6 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E M O N T H / M O N T H Y E A R 4 0 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 New building enhancing children's lives THE GEORGIA INDUSTRIAL CHILDREN'S HOME has been serving youth who have emotional and/or behavioral disorders for more than 100 years. Now, a new school and gym building on campus will allow the organization to better serve its youth. Two years after construction began, a grand opening was held Oct. 18 for the building. The Georgia Industrial Children's home is able to serve up to 60 male youth between the ages of 11-21, teaching them to live autonomously and purposefully. The new on- site school is fully accredited, allowing for residents of the children's home to have continued access to education, including summer school. In addition to classrooms, the building includes a gym with a basketball court, volleyball court and track. The 12,860-square-foot space can accommodate 60 students in four classrooms, a large meeting room, men's and women's lockers and bathrooms, faculty and staff offices, plus a kitchen space. Staff at Twin Cedars, which operates the home, hope that the building will be used by the community as well, as a place for meetings, teambuilding sessions and summer camps. WESLEYAN WELCOMES NEW PRESIDENT DR . VIVIA LAW TON FOWLER was inaugurated Oct. 20 as the 25th president of Wesleyan College. She is the college's first female president who is also an ordained minister. Fowler assumed her position as president on July 1, 2017, after having ser ved the college for a decade as provost and vice president for academic affairs. Fowler earned her Ph.D. in psychological and philosophical foundations of education at the University of South Carolina in 1994, her master's degree in religion at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, and her bachelor's degree at Columbia College. In remarks during her inauguration, Fowler said she hopes to continue to foster a community of equality and inclusion at Wesleyan, one where "we can build a community whose members learn to 'do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly.'" Fowler brings to the position significant experience in higher education, particularly liberal arts higher education for women. She has almost 30 years of experience at two United Methodist women's colleges as professor of religion and academic administrator, including more than 10 years of leadership at Wesleyan College. In 1980, she was consecrated as a diaconal minister and is now an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church. In her remarks, Fowler mentioned Wesleyan's new motto: "One Wesleyan. Many Voices. Find Yours." She said she aims to make the college to a place "where all members of the community share responsibility to raise to new standards ideals of respect and mutual understanding; where unity amid diversity is not just a slogan but the meaning of One Wesleyan; where we use our individual and collective voices to speak well and speak persuasively about the things that are important to us, whether they be our academic disciplines, our beliefs, or our demands for justice." L O C A L B U Z Z m