Heart of Barton Archives | Barton College

A Heart for Learning Together: Leslie Pittman

Posted May 25, 2018 · Add Comment

An integral part of the Barton Experience is “learning together.” The community-focused environment at Barton allows professors to get to know and spend quality time with their students, an opportunity not always afforded to students at larger institutions. And, Leslie Pittman is known for the meaningful connection that she forms with her students, and the amount of time she spends with them, inside and outside the classroom. She truly has a heart for a student-centered, collaborative learning experience. A member of the Barton nursing faculty since 2013, Pittman serves several roles within Barton’s distinguished School of Nursing — assistant professor of nursing, junior level coordinator for the School of Nursing, and […]

A Heart for Service: Debbie Larkin

Posted May 25, 2018 · Add Comment

Barton is known for its welcoming community, and no one makes our students feel more at home than Debbie Larkin, the administrative assistant in the Office of Student Engagement and Success. With a joyful heart and a helping hand, she makes sure everyone she meets feels the warmth and welcome of the Barton family when they arrive on campus. Larkin’s office is located in Hamlin Student Center, where she assists with residence life, religious life, and student activities programming. Each workday is different. Some days, it is all about creating spreadsheets for various projects or reports. Other days, she may be putting together packets for various events. She handles incoming […]

A Heart for Traveling: Carol Ruwe

Posted May 11, 2017 · Add Comment

by Giovanni Amado-Sanchez, 2017 Public Relations Intern Students and professionals, young in the workforce, often face great challenges as they step out of their comfort zones. At Barton, professors and staff often search for ways to introduce students to “new” and “different” experiences and opportunities to help prepare them for personal and professional life beyond college. Associate Professor Carol Ruwe has found that introducing students to completely different cultures by traveling abroad is an effective way to help students face unfamiliar situations with confidence and to help them gain new perspectives. Ruwe began teaching at Barton College (then Atlantic Christian College) in 1986. A full-time Associate Professor in the School […]

A Heart for Nature: Anne Pierce

Posted March 17, 2017 · Add Comment

No matter the season when guests visit Barton College, they immediately notice the expansive greenspaces and strategic pops of color across campus. So, who is responsible for the meticulous care of Barton’s 75-plus acres? The resident horticulturalist and grounds supervisor Anne Pierce, of course. Anne joined our campus community in April 2015, and she has never looked back. Officially an employee of Aramark Facility Services that manages the College’s maintenance of facilities and grounds, Anne and her dedicated grounds crew are “true-blue” as they focus on Barton’s year-round curb appeal. She and her team take pride in enhancing our beautiful campus for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests. From keeping […]

A Heart for Mathematics…and Physics: Dr. Murali Ranganathan

Posted March 17, 2017 · Add Comment

by Giovanni Amado-Sanchez, 2017 Public Relations Intern Somewhere along the mile walk between his house and a private school where he studied in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, a 10-year-old boy walks pensively while computing the product of two three-digit numbers in his head in order to keep occupied. Inspired by his next-door neighbor and high school mathematics teacher, the boy develops a foundation for his ability to understand mathematics with every number carried over in his multiplications. At age seven, he began wearing glasses and became the recipient of “professor, professor!” calls among his family. He preferred physics to mathematics, so becoming a professor of mathematics was […]

A Heart for History: Dr. Jeff Broadwater

Posted January 20, 2017 · Add Comment

With a heart for history, Professor Jeff Broadwater has spent a lifetime sharing the intimate details of our country’s heritage with all who will take time to listen. Whether teaching a class of students, presenting at an historical association, or joining an informal conversation with fellow faculty, Dr. Broadwater always brings new perspectives to past events that cause his audience to pause and reflect with renewed interest. This renowned scholar, attorney, and historian epitomizes bold thinking on campus, and, as a result, he has come to be recognized as a respected authority on U.S. founders’ George Mason and James Madison, as well as Adlai Stevenson and President Dwight Eisenhower. In […]

A Heart for Serving Barton: Frances Belcher

Posted January 20, 2017 · Add Comment

Behind that welcoming smile that greets every visitor stopping by the Office of Institutional Advancement, there is a “heart for serving Barton.” Everyone who knows Frances Belcher also knows that she is passionate about Barton College. She takes every opportunity she can to encourage others to get to know Barton and its multi-faceted story. And, she encourages them to also invest in Barton’ future. Frances knows firsthand what every dollar raised can mean for Barton and especially for its students. As the Development Projects Specialist for the Institutional Advancement, Frances juggles myriad responsibilities in the office. While corresponding regularly with donors, she is also working alongside IA officers throughout comprehensive […]

Heart of Barton: Dr. Elaine Marshall

Posted March 1, 2016 · Add Comment

by Aaron Flake, 2015 PR Intern Before televisions entered the households of American citizens everywhere, theatres were primary sources of entertainment. Westerns sped across drive-in screens with thrilling speeds, Elvis Presley swooned many hearts with his musicals, and cartoons became full-length films when Disney grew popular at movie houses. In the United States, before the cinema industry expanded into what it is today, there were drive-ins and movie houses in many small towns across the country. In one of those small towns, six year-old Elaine Marshall gazed upon the screens in wonder, watching adventures unfold before her eyes. During her childhood, going to the movies was a grand experience, a […]

Heart of Barton: Hannah Finkelstein

Posted February 5, 2016 · Add Comment

by Aaron Flake, 2015 PR Intern It was the first day of my junior year at Barton. At the time, I took a course dedicated to John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost, and had no idea who my other classmates were. “There would only be other English majors,” I remember thinking, as I waited alone in a classroom only lit by cracks of light. I arrived early and the closed blinds barely let the sun shine in. But soon after, another student appeared in the doorway. I felt a smile quickly spread across my face. Hannah Finkelstein, who was also a junior, and one of the friendliest people I […]

Mark Gordon teaching ceramics in the Dominican Republic

Sculpting Minds and Inspiring Futures

Posted January 13, 2016 · Add Comment

by Kirk Butts At first glance, finding a connection between a potter’s wheel and a college degree seems like a futile effort. It might even be considered a “stretch.” Take a moment though, and look a bit closer. Throwing a pot is hard work. It takes focus, ambition, and, most importantly, imagination. The artist must have a goal in mind, and must follow that goal to the end, even if it changes and evolves along the way. Sometimes, it is necessary to start over and begin again. When you think about pottery in this context, each action echoes the efforts it takes to earn a degree. And with that, a […]

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