News

Spring Preview Days are approaching! RSVP here.

The Board of Trustees at Richmont Graduate University gladly invite alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff to join in celebrating Dr. Jeff Terrell’s 14 years of faithful service to the university on February 28, 2013 from 6:30-8 p.m.

“We are thankful for all Dr. Terrell has done during his years at Richmont Graduate University,” said Board Chair Jan Linder. “Some of the outstanding accomplishments made during his presidency include: his compelling vision, his unwavering commitment to Richmont’s mission, his aggressive plan to achieve accreditation, and his ensuring that the school would maintain the highest possible academic standards. We look forward to a time of celebration with Dr. Terrell and honoring his legacy.”

Reflecting on his tenure at Richmont, Dr. Terrell said, “The past fourteen years of work together has been the most meaningful professional achievement of my life. I am grateful for the leadership lessons the Lord has taught me and for the opportunities the trustees have provided me as President … I hope to see Richmont Graduate University flourishing and growing to ever-brighter heights in the years ahead.”

In order to honor Dr. Terrell, an open evening of fellowship and commemoration will be hosted at the university during which heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served and dress will be business casual.

Date: February 28, 2013 Location: Richmont Graduate University

Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. 2055 Mt. Paran Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30327

In order to anticipate an appropriate number of guests, please consider sending a courtesy RSVP email to Jennifer Cooper at: jcooper@richmont.edu or call: 404-835-6117.

Atlanta, Georgia – Following Dr. Jeff Terrell’s resignation as president of Richmont Graduate University, the Board of Trustees is pleased to announce Bob Rodgers as Interim President.

Rodgers has been a Richmont Graduate University trustee and donor for seven years prior to joining the staff in 2010 in order to lead the university’s development efforts. He has served as Richmont’s Executive Vice-president since 2011. As Executive Vice-president, Rodgers has been in the position as COO, overseeing of the day to day operations of the school.

Before joining Richmont Graduate University, Rodgers’ was the Founder and President of Quantum Search and has more than 22 years in leadership development, consulting and executive search in the not for profit, healthcare and general corporate arenas. He also previously served as Vice President of People for Waffle House, a nationwide restaurant company, with oversight responsibilities for 20,000+ associates in 21states.

Trent Gilbert was recently named the new Vice President of Enrollment at Richmont. He is a fantastic individual, a hard worker, and he loves to talk about all things Richmont. Recently Trent took time out of his day to answer a few questions about Richmont, Atlanta, and what he likes to do in his free time.

What are you most excited about for Richmont’s future?

Growing enrollment and name recognition at Richmont. This is a place that is making an impact not only on our students lives, but also on the lives of those they touch through their work.  As a part of this enrollment growth, we will be able to gain more name recognition for Richmont within both the Chattanooga and Atlanta communities, which will lead to increased interest from students, donors and community involvement.  I view it as a cycle that keeps feeding itself.

Why do you love living in Atlanta?

Atlanta is a city of little neighborhoods.  I love exploring each neighborhood, finding the local restaurants and hanging out with each different people. I also love all the trees (except during the spring pollen season).  Most major cities don’t have nearly as much green space as Atlanta and it makes me feel like I’m not living in a big city.

How do you spend your time when you’re not at Richmont?

I love to spend time with my wife Adrienne and our two rescue dogs, Sara and Hunter.  We enjoy hitting the trails for a hike, and we love exploring new restaurants (especially if they have a outdoor seating).  My wife and I also love to travel and explore different parts of the country. Our former lives had us on the road quite a bit, so it is in our blood.

Richmont Graduate University announced today that Dr. Jeff Terrell, President since 1999, has resigned. The school also announced that Bob Rodgers has been installed as Interim President.

“We are thankful for all Dr. Terrell has done during his years at Richmont University,” said Board Chair Jan Linder. “Some of the outstanding accomplishments made during his presidency include: his compelling vision, his unwavering commitment to Richmont’s mission, his aggressive plan to achieve accreditation, and his ensuring that the school would maintain the highest possible academic standards. Richmont enjoys a stellar academic reputation, faculty and a strong leadership team who serve on the Administrative Council. These individuals form the core and heartbeat of Richmont Graduate University and are the key to a vibrant future. We look forward to a time of celebration with Dr. Terrell and honoring his legacy.”

Terrell said, “The past fourteen years of work together has been the most meaningful professional achievement of my life. I am grateful for the leadership lessons the Lord has taught me and for the opportunities the trustees have provided me as President. Please know that you will have my prayers and unqualified support in the future. I hope to see Richmont Graduate University flourishing and growing to ever-brighter heights in the years ahead.”

The university looks forward to hosting an open reception celebrating Dr. Terrell’s 14 years of faithful service on February 28, 2013 from 6-8 p.m. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served and dress will be business casual. Please contact Jennifer Cooper, Assistant to the President, with any questions: jcooper@richmont.edu or 404-835-6117.

Chattanooga, Tennessee - The Richmont Community Counseling Center (RCCC), a subsidiary of Richmont Graduate University, received a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Chattanooga on Friday, December 14, 2012. This generous grant will provide Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (C.A.R.E.) training for caretakers of at-risk children throughout Chattanooga.

Building on the evidence-based principles found in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, the skills taught in C.A.R.E. are found to be highly effective in improving interactions between children and adults. Presently, C.A.R.E. has been approved by the Department of Human Services Child Licensing and can be easily conducted in three hour group sessions. During the trainings, RCCC’s therapists will teach and individually coach participants using probable real-life situations. Utilizing the grant from the Community Foundation and sponsoring free C.A.R.E. training throughout the city will allow service providers to be better equipped to connect with children and give more effective directions that children are more likely to obey. The C.A.R.E. training will also help caretakers increase positive appropriate behaviors, and manage problematic behaviors more efficiently.

“This grant is an incredible opportunity to offer highly effective and practical training to individuals who are directly influencing and shaping the next generation of Chattanooga residents,” said Christianna Luy, Richmont Graduate University’s Director of Grants. “We look forward to collaborating with service providers and increasing positive behaviors in children.”

Established in 2005, the RCCC, led Michelle Shelley, provides access to counseling and mental health services for uninsured or underinsured individuals, families and groups. Today, the RCCC has a permanent facility, two masters’ level counseling staff members, and five counseling interns. The staff members are highly educated, bilingual and ethnically diverse allowing for a greater breadth of populations served. Thus far, the Center’s services have been in such demand that all seven team members hold full client caseloads and yet there remains a lengthy waiting list of clients who desire to begin the counseling process.

As a subsidiary of Richmont Graduate University, the RCCC offers services to all of Chattanooga’s residents regardless of religion, age, race, gender or lifestyle. Presently, the most requested services include: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), child and adolescent therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), depression/anxiety counseling, grief/loss counseling, marital counseling, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder counseling, and self-esteem/body image counseling. With a full-time Latina therapist, the RCCC also remains closely connected with Chattanooga’s Latino community.

To receive more information about the Richmont Community Counseling Center or to schedule an appointment, please contact Michelle Shelley at: mshelley@richmont.edu or 423-648-2436.

Atlanta, Georgia – On November 16, 2012, Richmont Graduate University’s Director of Grants, Christianna Luy, was named as the 2013 Chamberlain Scholar for the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Greater Atlanta. As this year’s scholar, Luy will receive free admission to the Association of Fundraising Professionals International conference in San Diego, California in April 2013 as well as $1,000 in chapter support to be used toward conference travel and lodging expenses.

As a current Executive Master’s student in the School of Philanthropy at Indiana University-Purdue University, Luy is looking forward to expanding her knowledge base, skill sets and professional affiliations and relationships at the 2013 AFP Conference.

“As a young professional who is committed to the nonprofit sector, I am confident that, by attending the AFP conference in April and conversing with numerous fundraising professionals from around the globe, academic concepts will be solidified in my mind and I will grow in my understanding of how financial development trends and styles are actually put into practice,” said Luy.

Luy joined Richmont’s advancement team last spring after spending several years serving in development roles at Operation Mobilization and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.  A graduate of Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, Ms. Luy is currently pursuing an Executive Master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies while also serving as a Giving USA 2013 author.

In 2005, I entered the marriage and family program at Richmont University (then known as Psychological Studies Institute) with great anticipation of one day being able to work with hurting individuals and families. I had just exited a program at another local university where I was working towards getting a masters in finance after becoming convinced that my calling was to focus my life work on helping people versus micro managing cash flow and numbers through the field of accounting. In 2008, I graduated and was promptly hired by Focus Healthcare of Tennessee as a primary counselor, serving both the chemical dependency unit as well as the Center for Eating Disorders. Today, Focus trusts me to provide clinical oversight for the clinical staff and our patients as Program Director for both units. It is a privilege to be able to serve both counselor and patient alike. I am truly grateful for every aspect of the training given to me through Richmont and happy to give anyone who asks me a raving reference about my experience. Thank you to all of the staff, my fellow classmates and the curriculum for assisting me in becoming another Richmont contributor to the world via the counseling profession.

Diane Monteleone, MAMFT LMFT NCC
Program Director    
Focus Healthcare of Tennessee