About Us

Carole Ann Golder spent her entire career as an administrator in college student personnel because of her love of and devotion to students. She began her career in higher education at Boise State University in 1981. She met the love of her life, Alan E. Ware while working at The Ohio State University (from 1984-87). They married in 1990 in Toledo, Ohio while she was working at the University of Toledo. Her last 15 years as a student affairs professional were spent at Georgia State University, where she began as Assistant Director for Center Services in August 2000, co-supervising the Information Center and overseeing Event Management.  She was later promoted to Associate Director for Center Services and Programs, a role in which she also co-supervised Campus Tickets and oversaw both campus programming and Student Center marketing and assessment.

During her tenure at Georgia State, Carole was actively involved with campus programs, event services, student development, and advancement programs for women. She was highly regarded as someone who would make things happen with a very high level of customer service and professionalism. In addition to her everyday job commitments, Carole’s services were often requested for various committees, one of which was University Ceremonies and Events.

Throughout her career, she was also affiliated with several professional associations at both the regional and national levels as an editor, facilitator, presenter, and chairperson. With such a distinguished and extensive career in higher education, Carole was often honored for her ongoing dedication. At Georgia State, she received the George M. Sparks Award for Outstanding Service in 2010.

What seemed to give Carole the most joy was the act of giving. She was an avid and talented quilter and a member of the Cotton Boll Quilters Guild of Conyers, Georgia. She always shared her quilting projects with her closest friends and co-workers and made many of them personal gifts for weddings, baby showers, or simply, just because. Carole was dedicated to her dogs, Star and Comet, as well as the plight of shelter and rescue dogs.

At age 58, Carole passed away after a year-long battle with cancer. To honor Carole’s career and love of giving, her husband of 25 years, Alan Ware, established the Carole Ann Golder Memorial Scholarship Fund to continue her legacy of devotion to students.

The purpose of the scholarship is to provide financial support to undergraduate students at Georgia State University who are actively involved as volunteer committee members or stipended student leaders or hourly student employees in the Division of Student Success.

The recipient of the award(s) must:

• Be in good academic standing at Georgia State University
• Be a matriculating sophomore or junior
• Have a current 2.50 or better GPA
• Be a volunteer committee member or stipended student leader or an hourly student employee in the Division of Student Success.

The donor has expressed a preference that the annual scholarship be awarded to students that are volunteer committee members or stipended student leaders of Spotlight Programs Board or Panther Activities Council or hourly student employees of the Student Center and/or is interested in pursuing a career associated with Student Affairs roles within higher education.

Applications for Spring 2024 are available via Academic Works February 1 - 15, 2024.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the Carole Ann Golder Memorial Scholarship Fund can do so on the Donate website by searching for 021146 under the "Designations" section.

• 2024- Breanna Jones
• 2023- Ruth Nore
• 2022- Janet Isibor
• 2021- Valerie Lambo
• 2020- Vanessa Edokpa
• 2019- Aniyah Jones
• 2018- Joshua Akinola-King
• 2017- Aaron Lightner

In the year 2000, the Student Center management team sought a meaningful and perpetual way to recognize outstanding student employee achievement each year. As the team identified various traits and distinguishing characteristics that they felt were important to acknowledge, the response to almost every attribute was, “…yes, just like Tommy Young,” a longtime employee of the Student Center.

Tommy Young exemplified the characteristics and dedication that are so important to the success of the Student Center. Therefore, Student Center proudly dedicates the center’s premier student employee award in his name.

The recipients of the Tommy Young Outstanding Service Award demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Outstanding commitment to the success of the Student Center
• Tireless devotion to “making things happen”
• Regularly going beyond the call of duty
• Demonstrate a high level of accountability
• Exhibit a devotion to customer service

Any student who is currently employed by the Student Center, and who has been employed by the Student Center for more than the current semester, is eligible for this award. Current Student Center students and full-time employees may submit nominations. An anonymous committee will review the nominations and select a winner.

The nomination form is due by Noon p.m. on April 4, 2024.

• 2023-24- Ezra Adams, Building Manager
• 2021-22- Maia Bliss, Building Manager
• 2020-21- Kaija Boddie, Building Manager
• 2018-19- Phoua Thao, Student Center Administrative Office Assistant
• 2016-17- Samantha Jefferson, Information Center Manager
• 2015-16 - Alexis Collier, Information Center Manager
• 2014-15 - Amber Strickland, HR Assistant
• 2013-14 - Chance Howard, Building Manager
• 2012-13 - Dareja Finney, Information Center Manager
• 2011-12 - Brandon Lowe, Information Center Assistant
• 2010-11 - Jalisa Cruver, Event Technician
• 2009-10 - Nathan Boyd, Information Center Assistant
• 2008-09 - Christina Diamond, Event Technician and April McCoy, Account Assistant
• 2007-08 - Nicholas Carlyle, Building Manager
• 2006-07 - Gereen Francis, Information Center Manager
• 2005-06 - Edweina Stewart, Student Center Administrative Assistant
• 2004-05 - Rachel Knowles, Information Center
• 2003-04 - Shinri Nakano, Event Technician
• 2002-03 - Sekou Amadou, Event Technician and Rob Landers, Building Manager
• 2001-02 - Ebony Martin, Information Center Manager
• 2000-01 - William Brown, Building Manager and Manjula Charles, Information Center Manager

New Award Opportunity
In 2021, the Student Center and Student Life management team sought a way to recognize our new student employees (with 3 semesters of experience or less). It was determined that the criteria (other than the length of employment) would be the same as the Tommy Young Outstanding Service Award.

The recipients of the Panther Cub Outstanding Service Award must demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Outstanding commitment to the success of the Student Center and/or Student Life
• Tireless devotion to “making things happen”
• Regularly going above and beyond the call of duty
• Demonstrate a high level of accountability
• Exhibit a devotion to customer service

Any student who is currently employed by the Student Center, and who has been employed by the Student Center for three semesters or less, is eligible for this award. Current Student Center students and full-time employees may submit nominations. An anonymous committee will review the nominations and select a winner.

The nomination form is due by Noon on April 4, 2024.

2023-24- Derek Ogorry, Event Operations Technician I

No animals other than trained service animals are permitted in the Student Center without prior approval from the Student Center director. Requests for exceptions should be sent in writing to the director at least 10 business days before the event.

For your safety, security, and convenience, the Student Center building managers conduct periodic rounds throughout the facilities and must be able to enter all spaces at any given time. Doors to event spaces must remain unlocked and free of obstruction while events are in progress.

The use of collection boxes for money or other items, such as canned goods, clothing, etc., in the Student Center, requires advance approval from the Coordinator for Event Support, Anthony Banks. Only registered student organizations may request permission to set up donation sites in the center.

All individuals using Student Center facilities are to act responsibly. Individuals who display disruptive, dangerous or inappropriate behavior will be asked to leave and may be prohibited from using center facilities in the future.

All individuals using Student Center facilities are expected to take reasonable steps to ensure proper care of its buildings and equipment. Accidental damage, repair and replacement costs are the responsibility of the sponsoring organization.

Emergencies
The Student Center Administrative Office, building manager or the Information Center (404-413-1850) should be notified in the event of an emergency. All groups using the center should become familiar with fire codes and safety policies when planning an event.

Medical Emergencies
In the event of an accident or injury, contact University Police at 404-413-2100 for assistance.

All individuals in the Student Center will be notified of any emergency or threat to safety by an alarm, center staff or University Police. If necessary, the facility will be evacuated in a calm and orderly fashion.

In case of evacuation:
All persons are required to evacuate the facility when an alarm sounds.
Use the stairs, not the elevator, in evacuation situations.
All persons must remain outside the facility until instructed to return.

University departments that want to arrange for a food truck on a Georgia State University campus must use that the university contract available at Legal Services and Forms - Office of Legal Affairs (gsu.edu) to insure the health and safety of the Georgia State University community.

Articles that are discovered can be turned in to the Information Center located on the 1st floor of the Student Center. The Information Center staff transfers items to the University’s Lost and Found located at Georgia State University Police Headquarters at 15 Edgewood Avenue Southeast (404-413-2100). The Student Center assumes no responsibility for lost articles. 

The laws governing intellectual property rights do not permit a public performance of a movie unless public performance rights are obtained or one of the two exceptions described below applies.

Public Performance Rights

Event Sponsors who wish to show a movie in the Student Center must demonstrate that they have secured a public performance license authorizing them to do so or that one of the exceptions listed below applies to their event. A receipt from an authorized distributor/public performance licensing agent must be presented to SC Event Management staff prior to the scheduled event unless the event organizer has shown that an exception to the PPR requirement exists. You may contact the SC Event Management office for information about securing public performance rights (PPR).  If a student organization wishes to show a move on campus, RSOs can request assistance with securing the public performance rights using this form.

Exceptions to the PPR Requirement for Showing a Movie at an Event

If your showing fits the definition of a public performance, you can show it without PPR if one of the exceptions described below applies.

1. The movie will be shown by an instructor in the course of face-to-face teaching activities in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction. The showing must be for instructional purposes (not for recreation, entertainment, or general cultural value) with the instructor or a student leader personally present. Typically, the movie must directly relate to a course’s curricular goals as described in the course syllabus. The copy of the movie being shown must have been lawfully made. A legal copy purchased or rented from a store or distributor or borrowed from a library may be used. A movie taped or recorded from television or copied without permission may not be used.

1. The movie you will be showing is in the “public domain.” Generally, this means that no person or organization has any proprietary interest such as a copyright or that any copyright to the movie has expired. Even movies that are quite old may still be protected by copyright.

There is no general “educational,” “nonprofit,” or “free of charge” exception. This means that most movie showings outside the context of face-to-face classroom teaching require obtaining Public Performance Rights.

Charging Admission Fees

No admission fee may be charged for a movie showing nor may the movie showing be publicized to the general campus unless public performance rights have been secured.

No portable radios, portable personal audio devices, MP3 players, compact disc players, instruments or other sound devices can be operated without personal earphones in the public areas of the Student Center, Unity Plaza, or Urban Life Plaza without prior approval. 

Rollerblades, skateboards, bicycles, and similar devices are not to be operated in the Student Center. 

The use of all tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) is prohibited in all university facilities, including the Student Center. This includes all offices, leased spaces, and doorways, meeting rooms, restrooms, dining areas and loading docks.