By: Candice Schlaegel
At Tuesday’s convocation, Dr. Carolyn Carter was installed as the Don and Clarinda Jeanes Chair of Servant Leadership.
According to the ceremony’s program, Dr. Carter has been a Milligan professor for 28 years. While at Milligan, she has taught business and computer information system classes.
“I feel very honored and blessed to have been named to the chair of Servant Leadership and to have worked at Milligan College for the past 28 years. Coming to work every day is a pleasure,” said Carter.
The chair was established by Chancellor and former President and First Lady , Don and Clarinda Jeanes. According to the ceremony’s program, it was established to honor and help carry out the college’s mission.
Becoming a chair of Student Leadership meant that the Jeanes’ donated money to the school in order to support a salary of the person named to hold the position; in this case, Carter.
“This donation shows that they believe in the academic strength of the college and servant leadership as a strength of the college mission. My role (is) to continue to exemplify the qualities of a servant leader,” said Carter.
The Jeanes’ wanted the chair to be held by a professor who consistently demonstrated the spirit of servant leadership and they believe Carter does that.
Tuesday’s convocation marked the beginning of Milligan’s Leadership Series.
Starting this series was the speaker of the ceremony, Nancy Dishner, director of scholarship and leadership training at the Niswonger Foundation.
Dishner was previously the vice provost for enrollment services and director of the Roan Scholars Leadership Prgoram at ETSU.
In her address, Dishner discussed how she couldn’t talk about servant leadership when leaders such as the Jeanes’, Dr. Carter, and President Greer were sitting right behind her.
Along with her appreciation of these leader’s servanthood, Dishner discussed the “top ten” traits a leader should have.
She ended her address by stating that if the audience couldn’t remember anything from her address, to remember that leadership is a choice. One has to choose to use their talent.
Many members of the faculty were part of the installation ceremony, including Milton Carter, Dr. Carter’s husband. Milton Carter read scripture from Ephesians 4:1-13.
President Greer installed Dr. Carter, giving her an actual chair with the seal of Milligan College.
Dr. Carter’s response discussed her lifelong role models in servanthood, her parents.
She explained her father’s service toward complete strangers.
“…we could see through the kitchen to the back door where a black man stood outside. When dad paid our bill, he asked the waitress to add a hamburger to our bill and give it to the man outside the kitchen door,” said Carter.
She also discussed her mother’s service to one of her dearest friends who had polio.
“Mother did not do this for a month or year or a couple years. She went weekly for over 20 years to help her friend,” said Carter.
Dr. Carter explained that as a student, she would write down many memorable quotations. One she shared was from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,” quoted Carter.
She also discussed a nurse’s Christian service in her father-in-law’s last hours.
“The young woman replied, ‘last night I wasn’t a nurse; last night I was a Christian,’” recalled Carter.
At the end of her response, Dr. Carter thanked both Don and Clarinda Jeanes.
“I look forward to continuing to work with students to help them become all they can be both in the classroom and in their daily lives. I look forward to continuing my relationships with and support of faculty with whom I serve at Milligan,” said Carter.
Other Endowed Chairs and Professorships at Milligan:
-George and Janet Arnold Chair of Humanities- Pat Magness- 2011
-Henry and Emerald Webb Chair of History- Dr. Timothy K. Dillon- 2007
-Kenneth E. Starkey Chair of Bible and Christian Ministries- Dr. Philip D. Kenneson- 2007
-Mountain States Health Alliance Chair of Nursing- Dr. Melinda K. Collins- 2007
-J. Henry Kegley Honorary Chair of Business and Economics- Dr. Bill Greer- 1995
-Joel O. Mabel Stephens Chair of Bible- Dr. Craig S. Farmer- 1993
-Vera Britton Chair of Bible- Dr. Lee Magness-1983
milliganstampede
