Category: Arts & Sciences

Academic Excellence on Display: 400 Students Present at Piedmont University’s 2025 Symposium

What does it look like when a university truly champions student achievement? At Piedmont University, it looks like nearly 400 students taking the stage — and the spotlight — to present original research and creative projects at the Seventh Annual Piedmont Symposium, held April 10 on the Demorest and Athens campuses. Launched in 2019 to…

Unexpected Application Takes Piedmont Student Paige Kluba to the NCAA National Student Athlete Advisory Council

When Paige Kluba applied to join the NCAA National Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), she did not know she was.  “I thought I was applying for our conference SAAC,” Paige says, referring to the advisory group for the Collegiate Conference of the South. Instead, her application went to the national level — and was accepted. She…

Piedmont University Speech-Language Pathology Clinic Gets a Canine Helper

Students in Piedmont’s Speech-Language Pathology graduate program get the opportunity to practice their skills at the university’s on-site clinic, helping their clients develop their communication abilities. In turn, their clients get to practice their skills and improve their speech and swallowing. Now, thanks to a new employee named Fozzie, students and clients alike get to…

Law School in Laramie: Piedmont Prepared Abby Mauldin Well 

Elle Woods aside, getting into law school isn’t easy. Just ask Abby Mauldin, who graduated from Piedmont University in May 2024 with a psychology degree. These days, she wakes up in Laramie and attends law school at the University of Wyoming. That is about 1,600 miles away from the first-generation college student Mauldin was when…

John Spiegel Answers to Professor, President/CEO, and Commanding Officer 

John Spiegel photo

John Spiegel has some impressive titles — Piedmont University Associate Theatre Professor and President/CEO of Spiegel Films — but perhaps none more impressive than Commanding Officer in the Georgia State Defense Force (GSDF). Spiegel joined the GSDF, similar to the National Guard and referred to as the Georgia State Guard, 15 years ago. Service is…

Media Lions Roar in The Big Easy, Bring Home 15 Pinnacle Awards

Piedmont students involved in Roar Student Media won 15 Pinnacle Awards at the National College Media Conference, held Oct. 30-Nov. 2 in New Orleans. “This proves that some of the best student media in the nation is being produced at Piedmont University,” said Dr. Joe Dennis, chair of the mass communications department. “These awards not…

Kanler Cumbass Focuses on Higher Education Every Day. He Would Choose Piedmont. Again.

Kanler Cumbass was a stellar Piedmont University student. A tennis player and academic scholar, he was also involved in the campus community, including serving as president of the Student Government Association (SGA).  It was not always so. As a freshman, Cumbass struggled with being so free and far away from home. It can be lonely…

Halle Foundation Grant allows Piedmont students to visit international businesses – without leaving Georgia

Not many academic programs come into existence and begin taking students on trips within just a few months. But with a Halle Foundation Grant and the efforts of Professor Brian McDermott, the German language program at Piedmont University is doing just that. Last week, Professor McDermott traveled with 12 of his German 1101 students to…

World-renowned spider expert brings knowledge to Piedmont – and Netflix

For most people, spiders are a minor fright or small nuisance. But for Piedmont’s own Dr. Rebecca Godwin, one of the world’s foremost experts on trapdoor spiders, they are fascinating, everyday companions. “I want people to know that they are more than just fangs with legs,” says Godwin, assistant professor of biology. Her expertise on…