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  • The Reporter, August 2002
    Hunter Library Digital Collections Western Carolina University Cullowhee NC 28723;, 2019
    Co-Authors: Western Carolina University
    Abstract:

    The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for Faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.August 12, 2002 News for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University It's More Than a Name Change Information Technology Describes Priorities— Resources, Strategic Planning, Expansion Communication and information access by computers has become an integral part of campus life at Western—for students, Faculty, and staff. To help make sense of this rapidly expanding tool, Tom Franke, chief information officer, is developing plans for a new division that will encompass all aspects of information technology campus-wide. "In recent years, the university has moved into a networked environment with pervasive technology," said Franke. "In order to get the greatest value from our networked resources, we need a strategic technology plan that helps us to prioritize and prepare for the future. The new division will help us to create a reliable, comprehensive information technology environment to enhance teaching, learning, services, and business operations. This will be possible only if we address support needs, as well as hardware and software replacement, on a campus-wide basis." The Office of the CIO is now located in 106B Outreach Center, next to the Developmental Evaluation Center. In addition to Tom Franke, the office includes Jenny Owen, Barbara Ashe, and Debbie Justice, who will be assisting with planning and resource management. Administrative Programming The administrative programming unit headed by Edna Waldrop is still located in Forsyth Building. This group is working to implement the latest version of the Campus Pipeline portal for use by students and Faculty. The group also is analyzing the possibility of updating the university's business systems to SCT Banner, a fully inte­grated database system. This is a multi-campus project initiated by the Shared Services Alliance in The University of North Carolina Office of the President. If the project is approved, it will involve thirteen UNC campuses working together over a five-year period to implement the Banner program. All major business systems would be affected—student information, financial records, alumni, admissions, human resources, and financial aid. Network Services Scott Swartzentruber has been appointed acting manager of the systems, networking, and operations unit. This unit is responsible for maintaining the campus-wide data network, including the campus fiber-optic structure and the network servers. Other functions under this unit include systems programming, operation of the central computer systems for academic and administrative use, and ResNet. A significant change in the networking area is the installation of a new connection to the Internet that will be operational by the start of the fall semester. The new connection is provided by DukeNet and will give the campus a "pipe" that is more than three times bigger and faster than the current connection. This high­speed connection will be very useful to Faculty and students who want to do research over the Internet2 Abilene research network. WCU now has access to Abilene through membership in the Internet2 Sponsored Education Group Participants (SEGP) program. Continued on page 2 Award Presentation Chancellor John Bardo presents Shirley Bateman her award as Outstanding Support Staff person. The honor was announced during the annual Service Awards ceremonies earlier this summer. Bateman was nominated for her work as the office assistant in elementary and middle grades education. She now works in th e Division of Advancement and External Affairs. Season Tickets Provide Best Deal Theatre Season Offers Exciting Variety Cullowhee may be a few miles from Broadway, but the lights shine brightly as the University Players offer evenings at the theatre with comedy, music, drama, and mystery during the 2002-2003 main stage theatrical season. Tartuffe (The Hypocrite) by Moliere, translated and adapted by Ranjit Bolt, will be presented evenings September 25-28, with September 28 and 29 matinees. Moliere's comic masterpiece will be directed by Claire Eye with a delightfully modern twist. A contemporary spin illustrates that a centuries-old play is still relevant. A family falls for a smooth-talking preacher who disrupts their lives and cheats them out of their money. The only way to salvage family and fortune is to expose the hypocrite for what he is—a devious scoundrel. The Kentucky Cycle by Robert Shenkkan details 200 years of Kentucky history as seen through the eyes of three families. Winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize, the play blends nine short plays into a sweeping epic beginning in 1775 when Cherokee hunters roamed the hills of the Cumberland Gap. Michael Rowen, an indentured servant from Ireland, watches his wife and children massacred by Indians. In return, he sets in motion a legacy of c orruption that will curse his valley and its people for generations. This is a tale of greed, sacrifice, murder, and betrayal. Stephen Michael Ayers will direct this play, which is divided into two parts. Part 1 is offered November 16 and 17 at 2 p.m. and November 20, 22, and 23 at 7:30 p.m. Part 2 is presented November 16, 17, and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and November 23 and 24 at 2 p.m. The third main stage production of the season will be The Fantasticks by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, February 26-March 1 evenings with matinees March 1 and 2. The longest-running, most frequently produced musical ever will be directed by Dennis Jackson, who holds the new endowed professorship in musical theatre. The Fantasticks showcases a number of familiar show tunes, including "Try To Remember." Fathers meddle to make sure their children fall in love, including a phony kidnapping so the boy next door can be a hero and rescue his neighbor. Trouble ensues when the young lovers find out they have been manipulated. The final production is the light-hearted spoof Sinners by Norm Foster, April 23-26 evenings with April 26 and 27 matinees. Directed by Steve Carlisle, this comedy/mystery has it all—love, lust, death, and deception. She's beautiful, she's sexy, and she's married—to the preacher. There is her affair, a case of mistaken identity, murder times two, and a host of nosey parishioners and neighbors, all with their own little secrets. It's a funny, who-done-it, dark comedy. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with weekend matinees at 2 p.m. All productions are staged in Hoey Auditorium. The Theatre Patron Club offers multiple tickets for all main and second stage productions (depending on the level of membership) along with the opportunity to meet the cast and crew at a reception in the Hospitality Room of the Ramsey Center after the opening night performance of each main stage production. Club memberships start at $250 for two tickets. Proceeds from the Theatre Patron Club memberships provide special support for the University Players' activities. Season tickets for the four productions are a special price of $40 for Western Faculty and staff, instead of the regular season ticket price of $50. Regular at-the-door prices are $12.50 for adults for each of the non-musicals and $15 for The Fantasticks. Student tickets are $6 each. For more information, to become a member of the Patron Club, or to purchase season tickets, call the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts at 227-7491. Information Technology continued from page I Client Services This area has been reorganized into two new areas: —Information Technology (IT) Services Dixie Lawson is the manager of this new unit and is responsible for operating the Help Desk, conducting IT workshops, and providing desktop support and consulting services. New Help Desk software and a new phone system are being implemented that will help IT services respond more effectively to calls. Callers will be asked various questions in order for staff to handle the call appropri­ately. This information also will let staff members collect data on the types of calls coming into the unit. —Academic Computing Support Services and Computer Repairs The academic computing support services staff will focus on assisting instructional users on campus. Faith Dabney has been appointed acting manager of this unit. This area includes management of the general student computer labs and the electronic classrooms. Computer repairs, currently part of this new unit, will continue to provide services for all university-owned IT equipment, not just instructional IT hardware. Jeff Kiska from Hunter Library will serve as interim lab coordinator. "During the fall semester, we will be seeking input on how to best implement these changes in order to support university needs," said Franke. Information Technology Phone Numbers Office of Chief Information Officer Tom Franke: 227-7282 IT Services Questions/Staff: 227-7ITS (7487) A u g u s t 1 2 , 2 0 0 2 • T h e R e p o r t e r uu Calendar August 12-25, 2002 Look for regular updates on the university's Web site at www.wcu.edu/cal.html Monday, August 12 New Faculty orientation, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., begin­ning in MHC auditorium. (227-7495) Tuesday, August 13 New Faculty orientation, 9-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m., and 3:15— 5 p.m., 105 and 202 Coulter. (227-7495) Wednesday, August 14 New Faculty orientation, 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4:30 p.m., Room 186, Hunter Library. (227-7495) Thursday, August 15 Reception and general Faculty meeting, 8:30-11 a.m., RH. (227-7100) Deans' meetings with department heads, 1-4 p.m. (227-7495) Part-time Faculty orientation, 1-5 p.m., MHC. (227-7495) Registration in Asheville, 3-6 p.m., Karpen Hall. (828-251-6642) Friday, August 16 College Faculty meetings, 9:30-11 a.m. Departmental Faculty meet­ings, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Open Faculty assembly, 1:30-3 p.m., Killian 104. (227-7495) Saturday, August 17 Residence halls open to freshmen only. (227-7303) Saturday, August 17- Sunday, August 18 Orientation—for new students. (227-7234) Sunday, August 18 Orientation—for transfer students. (227-7234) Residence halls open for all students. (227-7303) Advising for transfer students, 10:30-11:30 a.m. (227-7170) Registration for transfer students, 11:30 a.m. (227-7232) Advising for freshmen, 2:30- 3:30 p.m. (227-7170) Registration for freshmen, 3:30 p.m. (227-7232) Monday, August 19 New graduate student orienta­tion, 8:30 a.m.-l p.m., RH. (227-7398) Registration and drop/add in Cullowhee, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (227-7232) Workshop—graduate teaching assistants, 1:30-3 p.m., RH. (227-7398) Valley Ballyhoo, 5 p.m., UC lawn. (227-7206) Classes begin, 5 p.m. *** Now Showing ••• Exhibitions: North Carolina Women Making History, the trials, triumphs, and changing roles of women during the past 400 years. Through May 2003. MHC. (227-7129) Let's Play, a look back at the ways Americans enjoyed leisure time at the turn of the twentieth century. Through September 6. MHC. (227-7129) Migration of t he Scotch-Irish People. (permanent exhibition). Information, illustrations, artifacts, and murals. MHC. (227-7129) Key: $ - Admission fee; HA - Hoey Auditorium; HFR - H.F. Robins on Administration Building; HS/CF - Hen non Stadium/Childress :ield; MHC - Mountain Heritage Center; NSA - Natu ral Sciences Auditorium; RRAC - Ramsey Regional Activity Ce nter; RH - Recital Hall, Coulter Building; BB - Belk Buildi ng; UC - A.K. Hinds University Center; UOC - University Outreach Center; WS/BW - Miitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field; SSF - Shrader Soccer Field. Thursday, August 22 Faculty Senate meeting, 3-5 p.m., Hospitality Room, RRAC. (227-3321) Friday, August 23 New Faculty orientation, 3:15-5 p.m., Hospitality Room, RRAC. (227-7495) Sunday, August 25 Spring into Summer program— A natural history series for children and adults presents "Bugs in the Creek." No charge, but reservations required, 2:30 p.m., MHC. (227-7129) Reporter Now Web Accessible Starting with this issue, the Reporter will be accessible online along with printed copies that are distributed on campus. When possible, the online version will feature color photos. A campus-wide e-mail will be sent indicating the new issue is available and a link will be provided. You also may reach the newsletter from the Western homepage through news and publications. Submissions: Send news items and calendar notices to WCU Calendar, 1601 Ramsey Center, Western Carolina University, Cullovuhee, North Carolina 28723 or e-mail to Reporter@email. wcu. edu. Submit items for the university's calendar online at least one week prior to the event. A u g u s t 1 2 , 2 0 0 2 • T h e R e p o r t e r Police,Traffic Office Moved; Vehicles Need Parking Permits The operational office for university police and traffic services has moved to the ground floor of the H.F. Robinson Administration Building in preparation for renovations at the Jordan-Phillips Fieldhouse. University police will be occupying the space formerly utilized by auxiliary services, and traffic services will be located in what was the mail room. Renovations of the fieldhouse are anticipated to be completed next summer. With the move, university police has expanded the visitor and short-term parking area located beside the Mountain Heritage Center to accommodate police vehicles and traffic customers. Additional spaces were added in the lot, so no spaces were lost. Police will strictly enforce parking in the visitor and short-term parking spaces, said Gene McAbee, director of university police and traffic services. Reminder Vehicle registration continues through the beginning of the fall semester. New parking permits must be displayed on your car by 8 a.m., Thurs­day, August 22. Parking permits are $40 for Faculty and staff, and a transferrable permit is an additional $ 1 for each addi­tional vehicle. Drivers must provide auto insurance information per new state law. Silent Meditation Group To Begin Sessions Counseling and Psychological Services will begin offering weekly, half-hour meditation sessions for beginning and experienced meditation practitioners starting Thursday, September 12. Focus of the group is silent sitting practice. Meditation may be used for relaxation, stress management, or spiritual practice. The group meets Thursdays, 12:15-12:45 p.m., at the Counseling Center in 116B Scott Hall. The first session will include half an hour of instruction for beginners. For more information, call Beth Johnson at 227-7206 or June Wytock at 227-7469. 2002 Faculty and Staff Fund Drive Celebrates Success Thanks to the generosity of the Western family, the 2002 Faculty and Staff Fund Drive was deemed a huge success. Overall participation increased from 28 percent to 31 percent with more than $100,000 raised for the university. "We are thrilled with this year's increase," says Tori Ellison, director of annual giving. "It is wonderful to see that so many Faculty and staff members believe in and support Western" While the 2002 Faculty and Staff Fund Drive has come to a close, a contribution to support a program, department, or college is always welcome. Contributions can be made at any time during the year-including payroll deduction. For more information, contact University Advancement at 227-7124. The Reporter is published by the Office of Public Information. Debie Connelly, editor. Mail Faculty/staff notes, events, notices, and changes of address to The Reporter, 1601 Ramsey Center, or send them via e-mail to Reporter@email.wcu.edu. Reporter Office of Public Information Publications Unit 1601 Ramsey Center Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CULLOWHEE, N.C. PERMIT NO. 1 A u g u s t 1 2 , 2 0 0 2 • T h e R e p o r t e r Reporter JL News for < August 26, 2002 News /or the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University Welcome to the 2002-2003 Academic Year Remarks from the August 15 General Faculty Meeting* Dr. John W. Bardo, Chancellor Welcome back to the new year! 1 want to give a special welcome to our new Faculty members. We are very glad you are here. This morning, I want to further elaborate on some of the items 1 mentioned in the spring regarding direction and institutional development. Before 1 do, however, I also want to let you know where we are with enrollment and with the budget situation. Overall, enrollment looks reasonably good. We will have a larger freshman class than last year. Things don't actually settle out until the fourth or fifth class day, but we expect between 1,230 and 1,240 freshmen. The average SAT should be about 1012 and the average high school GPA is creeping up. Last week, the average student entered with a GPA of more than a 3.25 (but remember, this will change). Our Honors College should have around 125 freshmen with an average SAT above 1235. Our overall enrollment should be up, with the vast bulk of the growth in off-campus graduate pro­grams in Asheville and distance education. We will not know our final enrollment for two more weeks, but we should be up and total enrollment could be the highest in the institution's history. Despite the overall growth, our under­graduate enrollment will be flat. The lack of growth in our undergraduate program has significant implications for us, and we need to be very cognizant of them. The state wants us to grow our undergraduate program, and there are significant expectations that we will. At the same time, growth of our off-campus programs indicates increased attention to the region and its educational needs. More on this later; let's turn to the budget. Both houses of the Legislature have treated us reasonably well given the state s economic issues. In fact, if th e budget holds as written by both houses we should be in reasonably good shape going into the year. 1 need to mention just a few elements that are yet to be settled. First, the potentially bad news: the House budget funds all salary categories at ninety-eight percent. This means legislators are assuming that there will be salary savings from turnover of at least this amount. For us, this is a problem because these savings are what we use to buy academic equipment at the end of the year. We are going to work with President Broad and the Board of Governors to see if we ca n't get this provision changed. Now, the good news. Western, as you may recall, is a "focused growth institution." This means that we are expected to take actions that will cause us to grow signifi­cantly over the next several years. Both budget proposals call for cuts in the Univer­sity of between 2.4 and 3 percent. However, both budgets also recognize that the focused growth institutions need to have funding if they are to achieve growth. Therefore, both budgets replace most of the cuts for the seven focused growth institutions with one-time money (this does not include the two percent cut in the House budget). What this means is that we should be able to handle any layoffs from vacant positions that have accumulated because of the hiring freeze. It also is important that neither house chose to attach local tuition to offset the fall in state revenues. Both legislative staff and some legislators recommended that the local The state wants us to grow our undergraduate program, and there are significant expectations that we will. At the same time, growth of our off-campus programs indicates increased attention to the region and its educational needs. continued on pae[

  • The Reporter, August 2001
    Hunter Library Digital Collections Western Carolina University Cullowhee NC 28723;, 2018
    Co-Authors: Western Carolina University
    Abstract:

    The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for Faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.Ai ark Your Calendars Programs Set for Speaker Series An adventurer who has climbed Mount Everest and traversed the Arabian Desert via camel, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning world leader, and a former U.S. surgeon general will visit campus as part of the Chancellor's Speaker Series for 2001 -02. The series will begin October 2 with adventurer, author, and film­maker Jamie Clarke, the ninth Canadian to summit Mount Everest and the first man in forty years to complete the 700-mile journey across Arabia's vast Empty Quarter. Clarke, who has written two books and produced three documentary films about his adventures, will speak on the topic "Above All Else." His appear­ance at Western is sponsored by Joan and Malcolm MacNeill of Sylva. The speaker series turns to world politics November 5 with the visit of Lech Walesa, former president of the republic of Poland. Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 as a champion of human rights for workers living in the then communist-controlled Poland. Leader of the Solidarity labor union, he was elected president of his country after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, serving from 1990 to 1995. Walesa will address the topic "Democracy: The Never-Ending Battle." Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, the first African- American and the second woman to hold that post, will wrap up the year's Continued on page 2 Training Offers Skill Development Western is not just devoting its energies to educating students. The univer­sity is expanding its offering of programs in communication, management, supervision, and personal and professional development skills for Faculty and staff. Chris Dahlquist joined Western in February and became WCU's first full-time training and development coordinator through the Office of Human Resources. Several existing programs will continue and expand while new programs are being implemented now and this fall. "Effective and targeted training programs for Faculty and staff have the potential to influence work life at the university in many positive ways," Dahlquist said. "Managers and supervisors can learn skills to cultivate an effective, efficient, and loyal workforce, and front-line employees can both sharpen their leadership skills and stay informed of the latest policies and procedures. It all boils down to a workforce that is better prepared to exceed expectations in challenging initiatives such as student retention and enrollment growth," he said. During the summer, forty-five supervisors and five management-level staff from all divisions were invited to participate in the new WCU Leadership Institute. Over the next two years, participants must attend five required classes and utilize self-study programs. The purpose is to develop and fine-tune leadership skills at all levels across campus. The leadership committee of the University Advisory Committee assisted in recommending the pool of nominees and is helping with the implementation of the program. Dahlquist participated in a special work­shop and visited other campuses with the same program. Beginning in September, the Management and Supervisory Essential (MASE) course will be required training for EPA and SPA managers and supervisors. Sessions will include such topics as time and attendance, disciplinary and grievance process, recruitment, safety, university gover­nance, workplace violence prevention, and performance management. At least twenty hours of training will be provided during a three-month period. This is not a skills class, but an informational session regarding specific policies and procedures for Western and for the state of North Carolina. There will be three to four sets of classes per year and missed modules can be made up in the next series. Newly hired managers will be the first through the class, then established managers will take the class. Training Tuesdays will continue as a weekly two-hour program with two Continued on page 4 Ecology of a Cracker Childhood Author To Make Two Presentations For Western Carolina University's incoming freshmen, the road to the mountains of Cullowhee this year includes a detour through the longleaf pine forests of southern Georgia. The first-year students are spending part of the summer touring the backwoods of Georgia through their Freshman Reading Program selection, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, an award-winning combination of memoir and natural history by Janisse Ray. Western's new freshmen will hear first-hand from their "tour guide" when Ray addresses them as part of the annual Freshman Convocation, set for 4 p.m., Monday, August 20. The students-only event will be h eld in the Ramsey Center. Other members of the campus and surrounding communities will have an opportunity to hear Ray discuss her book during a public program later that evening. The panel discussion—to include WCU Faculty members from the fields of history, sociology and ecology—will begin at 8 p.m. in Hoey Auditorium. In Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Ray writes about how her childhood spent in rural isolation grew into a passion to save the almost vanished longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered the South. The 1999 book won the American Book Award and the Southeastern Booksellers Association Book Award for Nonfiction. The New York Times compared Ray to the author of the nonfiction classic Silent Spring, proclaiming ". . . the forests of the Southeast find their Rachel Carson." Employees May Check Web Before Making Computer Purchase Buying a new computer may have just gotten easier for state and local government employees, and retirees. On a new Web site, http://www.getapcnc.net, employees will find links to computer vendors offering government employee pricing and special deals and low-interest financing of loans to purchase computer equipment. The Powerful Computer Connections program is a new servi ce provided by the State's Information Resource Management Commission. IRMC Chairman Ralph Campbell, state auditor, initiated the effort and appointed a committee of IRMC members, headed by Mike Ward, state superintendent of public instruction, to develop the program. Some of the world's leading computer vendors have signed on to offer employees government employee pricing and special deals via the Web. Most vendors will accept orders online, by phone or at local sales outlets. Another benefit of the program is the financing. The state and local employees credit unions are offering loans at a rate of 7 percent with a three-year term, up to $3,500, for the purchases. Employees must be a member or join a credit union to be eligible for the financing. To learn more about the program, go to http://www.getapcnc.net. Speaker Series, continued from page I schedule when she speaks on February 7. A pediatric endocrinologist, Elders was appointed surgeon general by P resident Clinton in 1993. She resigned in 1994 to resume her position as a member of the Faculty at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock. A proponent of better health through prevention, particularly for the poor, she has won several national awards and honors. Each of the Chancellor's Speaker Series guests will deliver public presentations during their visits to campus, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Ramsey Center. The presentations are open to the public free of charge. Child Care Center Waiting List Information In anticipation of the WCU Child Care Center opening in January 2002, adminis­trators, Faculty, staff, and students inter­ested in placing their children's name on the waiting list must call 1-800-662-4158 from 8 a.m. -5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and ask for Maria Crawford. Children with special needs or the need for child protective services will have priority. The waiting list is bein g coordinated by the Southwestern Child Development Commission. The opening date depends on meeting current construction deadlines. Network Provides Access to Community In what is hoped to be the start of a series of programs, this past spring Western and Southwestern Community College hosted an innovative program over the Community Link Interactive Network. This first attempt was an introduction to two- and four-year colleges enabling students and parents to learn about the ins and outs of higher education. Representatives from WCU and SCC fielded questions pertaining to types of colleges, admission requirements, and financial aid. The Community Link project is coordinated by Todd Powell, coordinator of enrollment support. It originates at the University Outreach Center and is sent to various high school locations through­out the area. Plans for this link include an evening program once a calendar quarter for students and their parents, possible teacher sessions after school, and curriculum enhancement in reading and writing. "This innovative technology - oriented program series, conducted in collaboration with Southwestern Community College, provides yet another opportunity for us to provide service to the region and to assist students and families with the college planning process," said Bob Caruso, vice chancellor for student affairs. Site locations include Blue Ridge and Highlands Schools, as well as Cherokee, Franklin, and Swain County High Schools. A u g u s t 1 3 , 2 0 0 1 • T h e R e po r t e r Tuesday, August 14 New Faculty orientation, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., RRAC and Room 186, Hunter Library. (227-7495) Wednesday, August 15 Cooking class—Including a mix of hands-on cooking and demonstra­tion. Recipes, shopping lists, and nutrient analysis information will be provided for each menu item, and the entire menu will be served to participants. Today's cuisine— Middle Eastern. Registration fee of $8 must be received in Health Services by 5 p.m. the Monday prior to the class. Noon, Room 409, BB. (227-2088) New Faculty orientation, 9-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m., and 3:15-5 p.m., 105 and 202 Coulter Building. (227-7495) Thursday, August 16 Reception and general Faculty meeting, 8:30-10:30 a.m., HA. (227-7495) Deans' meetings with department heads, 1-4 p.m. Part-time Faculty orientation, 1-4 p.m., Hospitality Suite, RRAC. (227-7495) S-fiJi Calendar August 14-26, 2001 Look for regular updates on the university's Web site at www.wcu.edu/cal.html Fall semester registration in Asheville, 3-6 p.m., Karpen Hall, UNC-Asheville. (227-7102) Friday, August 17 College Faculty meetings, 9:30-11 a.m. Departmental Faculty meetings, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Faculty Senate meeting, 1:30 p.m., Killian 104. Saturday, August 18 Residence halls open to freshmen only, 10 a.m. Saturday, August 18- Sunday, August 19 Orientation—for new and transfer students and their families. (227-7234) Sunday, August 19 Residence halls open for all students, 10 a.m. Advising for new freshmen and transfers, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Registration for new freshmen and transfers, 3:30 p.m. Monday, August 20 Assisted Web registration and drop/add in Cullowhee, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Room 220, Forsyth Building. Freshman Convocation, 4 p.m., RRAC. Valley Ballyhoo, 5 p.m., UC lawn. (227-7206) All classes begin 5 p.m. ••• **• Exhibitions: Works. By Winston Wingo, featuring large-scale narrative paintings and sculpture of the Spartanburg, South Carolina, artist. Through August 17. BB. (227-3591) Louis Finkelstein Paintings. An overview of noted lyrical abstractionist Louis Finkelstein, August 22 through October 26. BB. (227-3591) Finely Crafted. Through December. Woodworking hand tools and furniture. MHC. (227-7129) The Old Barn: By the Creek and In the Cove. A year-long display of Jackson County barns photographed by Lloyd Cowan. Current exhibit features the Savannah area. Through August 14. MHC. (227-7129) Working the Land. Through December 18. Display showing the importance of agriculture in North Carolina's past, present, and future. MHC. (227-7129) Migration of the Scotch-Irish People. (permanent exhibition). Information, illustrations, artifacts, and murals. MHC. (227-7129) Discussion—Janisse Ray discusses her book, includes panel discussion, 8 p.m., HA Monday, August 20- Thursday, August 23 Textbooks issued, 8 a.m- 8 p.m., bookstore. Monday, August 20— Monday, August 27 Registration/drop-add for new and continuing graduate students, Room 440, HFR. Tuesday, August 21- Monday, August 27 Late registration and schedule changes in Cullowhee. Workshop—repeat of earlier Purchasing workshop. Compre­hensive review of purchasing process; essential for supervisors and administrative personnel who have purchasing responsibilities, 1-3 p.m., Room 278, BB. Registration required. (227-7218) Friday, August 24 New Faculty orientation, 3:15-5 p.m., Hospitality Suite, RRAC. (227-7495) Football—high school football at WCU: Robbinsville vs. Charlotte Christian, 7:30 p.m., WS/BW. (227-2112) Key: $ - Admission fee; HA - Hoey Audito rium; HFR - H.F. Robinson Administration Building; HS/CF - Hennon St adium/Childress Field; MHC - Mountain Heritage Center; NSA - Natural Sciences Auditorium; RRAC - Ramsey Region al Activity Cente r; RH - Recital Hall, Coulter Building; BB - Belk Buil ding; UC - A.K. Hinds University Ce nter; UOC - University Outreach Center; WS/BW - Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field Submissions: Send news items and calendar notices to WCU Calendar, 1601 Ramsey Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 or e-mail to Reporter@email.ivcu.edu. Submit items for the university's calendar on the Internet at least one week prior to the event. A u g u s t 1 3 , 2 0 0 1 • T he R e p o r t e r • Anne Rogers, professor of an thropol­ogy and sociology, and Jane Brown, research assistant in anthropology and sociology, conducted excavations at two archaeological sites this summer. For the tenth year, WCU students continued examination of the Appletree camp­ground site in Macon County. This project has produced evidence of human occupation extending for more than 10,000 years. Eighteen students, under the direction of Brown, worked there for four weeks. The second excavation was conducted by nineteen students participating in Summer Ventures. This is a state-funded program for academically gifted high school juniors and seniors from through­out the state. Directed by Rogers and Brown, these students worked on an archaeological site located at the Wayehutta ATV parking area. This project produced evidence of occupation of the area just prior to European influ­ences. Both projects were supported by the U. S. Forest Service in North Carolina. • Robert Gurevich, associate professor of anthropology, spent June as a consultant to USAID in Serbia, Kosovo, and Bulgaria to assist in the development of an institutional strategy for the American University serving the Balkan region. Nursing Seeks Accreditation The department of nursing at Western Carolina University will be hosting a site visit for national accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) on November 5, 6, and 7. As part of the accreditation process, CCNE invites written and signed third-party comments regarding the depart­ment of nursing's program, which will be accepted until thirty days before the visit. Comments should be directed to: Mr. Mark Jenkins CCNE Accreditation Coordinator One Dupont Circle, NW Suite 530 Washington, DC 20036-1120 Training, continued from page I types of offerings—informational topics for all employees, and professional develop­ment for managers, supervisors, and aspiring supervisors. Recent informational sessions included an investor's session with the financial representative, Employee Assistance Program, and a day-long diabetes workshop. Upcoming fall programs will feature a special leave program, time management, and women and investing. Two to three informational programs are scheduled each month. At least once a month, Training Tuesday topics will be aimed at professional development for managers, supervisors, and aspiring supervisors. Credit can be earned toward a professional development certifi­cation after eighteen credits. Class credits will vary according to subject matter. CatLinks, developed as a communica­tion tool for key Departmental contacts, will have at least one meeting every two months and include employee- and university-related information. For more information about any of these programs, contact Chris Dahlquist at 227-2388 or visit the new training Web site at wcu.edu/hr/training. The Reporter is published by the Office of Public Information. Debie Connelly, editor. Mail Faculty/staff notes, events, notices, and changes of address to The Reporter, 1601 Ramsey Center, or send them via e-mail to Reporter@email.wcu.edu. 1,800 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $329.15, or $0.18 per copy. Western Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity Institution. Reporter Office of Public Information Publications Unit 1601 Ramsey Center Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CULLOWHEE, N.C. PERMIT NO. 1 A u g u s t 1 3 , 2 0 0 1 • T h e Re p o r t e r Welcome to the 2001 -2002 Academic Year Remarks from the August 16 General Faculty Meeting* Dr. John W. Bardo, Chancellor Welcome back, colleagues, to the new academic year. This has been an interesting summer with the state budget situation. I know that several decisions the legislature felt it needed to make were very difficult for each of us indi vidually and the university collectively. Health insurance premiums and deductible changes were especially difficult. Please understand that we will continue to focus on improvements in the fringe-benefit package both in terms of the optional retirement system and our health insurance package. Despite the very tight budget this year, there have been some significant improvements in our situation. Most notably, the state Department of Insurance has allowed the university to begin the process of advertising for bids for t he Fine and Performing Arts Center. This has been a long time in coming, and it will have major impact on our art and performance programs. I also need to mention another milestone that was passed th is year. For the first time in the history of the university, our student athletes achieved an overall GPA above 3.0. Seven of these students obtained a perfect 4-0 while competing and practicing many hours a week. The approach that Jeff Compher is bringing to athletics is beginning to pay off. We all enjoy it when our student athletes win a championship, but we l ike it even more when they begin to win at the game of life. Academic achievement is the key to their future, and our coaches are focusing efforts there. I want to focus on athletics for just a mi nute because I thi nk they have been able to put into words a concise statement that captures the essence of all you have worked for over the last five years. We are "raising the bar" and increasing expectations across all areas of the institution. Last spring, the athletics department began a process of strategic planning that involved coaches, students, Faculty, members of the Catamount Club, and outside facilitators. Out of that planning process came a Departmental statement that defines the essence of Western: "One goal... to be the best." Doesn't that say it all? Isn't that what we all come to work for every day—to be the best? How did we do with enrollment this fall? Reasonably well. The current freshman class is composed of around 1190 students—remember, until the tenth class day numbers are not final—and it is t he very best class in our history. The average SAT of entering students is 1015, and the average high school GPA is a strong B+. You will recall that the state average SAT is 998, so we are now attracting significantly better students than the typical North Carolina student who is considering going to college. A few weeks ago when the new Board of Governors members toured our campus, Vice Chair of the Board, Jack Cecil, told the new members that over the last five years Western has become a university of choice for students from this region. He recognized that our position in the region is changing and shared with them his excitement and pride in your accomplishments. Over the summer, the folks in the Office of University Planning and the admissions and retention offices reviewed our admissions situation and criteria. First, the number of applications has grown from 3,270 to over 4,050 since 1995 (a growth of approximately 24 percent). "One goal.. . to be the best/' Doesn't that say it all? Isn't that what we all come to work for every day—to be the best? continued on pag e 2 *Please note: This issue includes written texts excerpted from addresses given at the August 16 General Faculty Meeting; they will vary slightly from the versions as delivered. The texts of speeches by Drs. Bardo and Hurley, as well as UNC Faculty Assemby Delegate Dr. David Claxton, appear in full on Western's Web site. This board has an agenda for Western that comports very closely with the internal agenda as expressed in our mission and aspiration statements, but they expect action. In addition to having the best freshman class in our history, we also have five National Merit Scholars, sixteen North Carolina Teaching Fellows, and several high school valedictorians. The Honors College has 127 new freshmen with an average high school GPA of about 4.1 and an average SAT of 1232. Last year, the Honors College SAT was 1222. There are currently four major sources of outside interest to which we will need to respond most immediately. The implications of not responding successfully to these cons

  • The Reporter, August 2003
    Hunter Library Digital Collections Western Carolina University Cullowhee NC 28723;, 2018
    Co-Authors: Western Carolina University
    Abstract:

    The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for Faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.Boxes, boxes everywhere! Departments Find New Homes Students aren't the only ones moving in as the campus gets ready for the fall semester. Some renovation projects are complete, allowing several departments to move into new homes. One of the major renovation and relocation projects involves University Health Services. Now moved into the Bird Building, health services left the Graham Building after 64 years. Sharing space with health services is Counseling and Psychological Services, located on the second floor. The University Police left the H.F. Robinson Admin-istration Building and are now operating from the Outreach Center Annex, the small building located behind the main Outreach Center. The building also houses mail operations. Several student support areas are now calling Gra­ham Building home. Students, Faculty, and staff can find the Advising and Catamount AcademicTutoring Centers on the second floor of Graham, while Career Services and the Student Support Center are housed on the first floor. Finding just t he right place for supplies in University Health Services' new home in the Bird Building are, left to right, Barbara Starnes, Wanda Makhyoun, and Norma Cowan. Jordan-Phillips Fieldhouse is the center of opera­tions for athletic academic support services as well as the new home for the student orientation staff. Computer repairs staff is now located in the base­ment of Forsyth. Completion of the work on McKee Building has eased the space crunch on some academic depart­ments. History, special programs, modern foreign languages, social work, anthropology/sociology, and speech and hearing are in the process of moving back into the building, said Paul Voigt, acting director of university planning. Philosophy and religion has moved to the second floor of Stillwell. In the next several weeks, the Web design staff of the Office of Public Relations will move into the space previously occupied by University Police on the first floor of the administration building. "We appreciate the continued patience of our Faculty, staff, and students during this time of improve­ments to our campus," said Voigt. You're Invited To A "ThankYou" Celebration Chancellor John Bardo cordially invites Faculty and staff to a "thank you" celebration and barbecue luncheon from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 14, in the main arena of the Ramsey Center. The luncheon is in recognition of everyone's hard work in making a reality Western's record-breaking number of students this fall and for the increase of SAT scores of the freshman class. The Bobby Sullivan Band will provide entertain­ment. Shuttle tours will be available for the new and recently renovated buildings on campus. Bicycles Become Another Vehicle for Patrol Law enforcement personnel participating in a recent bicycle certification program held on campus were, left to right, Cheng Her and Bob Scott,Western; Ivan Brown, instructor from Davidson; Davis Woodard, Sylva Police Department; Kent Davis,Western; and Bobby Barcafer, UNCA. In an emergency, help may be just a short bike ride away as Western's University Police add three more bike patrolmen to the vehicle and foot patrols already on campus. Police officers Sgt. Kent Davis, Cheng Her, and Lt. Bob Scott join Officer Doug Bates as certified bicycle officers. A recent 40- hour course featured numerous training rides to Sylva, on Wayhutta Road, in town, and, of course, in the rain. Learning defensive riding tactics was crucial as officers will be intermingling with foot traffic and automobiles. Also, officers honed their bicycle repair skills throughout the course. After all of the training, the officers passed a written and a riding test to gain certification. "Bicycle patrols, in general, have proven themselves a valuable tool. It gets the officer closer to the people they are serving. Our group is ready," said Scott. "When officers are on bike patrol, the response time can be much quicker than with an officer in a vehicle or on foot," said Gene McAbee, director of University Police. The opportunity to use these officers will depend on the needs at the time. Having the officers out will provide better views of areas on campus. This will be important when Centennial Drive is closed." WWCU-FM Takes First Step To Expand Coverage Area Western Carolina University's radio station WWCU-FM was off the air from 8 a.m. until past midnight August 2 as engineers and station staff completed the technical preparations to move to a new transmitter site later this fall. The station has been granted permission by the FCC to move the station's main transmitter to Cutoff Mountain overlooking Balsam Gap. The move will quintuple the station's coverage area, extending from Canton west to the Cherokee area. Tim Neese of Multi-Tech Consulting in Asheville replaced the station's 1988 equipment with a new processor typically used by major market radio stations in New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. As a result, listeners should hear a cleaner, clearer sound, said Don Connelly, assistant professor of communication and theatre arts and the station's Faculty adviser. Additionally, all of the station's critical transmitting equipment is now protected by two large uninterruptible power supplies to help the station remain on the air during brief power outages. High above the work taking place on the ground was Marcel Klauser of Klauser Corporation, an Anderson, South Carolina, tower company. Klauser installed a microwave antenna for the first link of a two-link microwave system to take the station's signal to the new transmitter site. Klauser also repaired and rebuilt the station's present antenna and reattached antenna cables that had loosened over the years. The old equipment will remain at the present antenna site at Moore Building as a 100 percent backup system to the new tower site. Connelly said that August 2 was one of those typical 16-hour-plus days when engineeers take the station down to make major repairs and improvements. With the move to Cutoff Mountain, WWCU will complete a transition to a full professional learning environment. "The proof is in our students," he said, pointing to recent graduates working in Asheville, Charlotte, and Raleigh. "Our graduates are walking out of college and straight into major markets at a time when jobs are tight in the broadcast industry," said Connelly. Marcel Klauser, tower climber, spent a recent Saturday with radio station staff repairing cables and installing the first link in the microwave system that later this fall will allow the station's signal to be broadcast from a new location on Cutoff Mountain. A u g u s t I I , 2 0 0 3 • T h e R e p o r t e r ?s?' Calendar 8 a.m. Monday, August 11-24, 2003 August 25. Look for regular updates on the university's Web site at www.wcu.edu/cal.html Chancellor's Thank You Celebration and Barbecue Thursday, August 14 11 a.m.-2 p.m. RRAC Monday, August 11 Orientation—new Faculty, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. MHC. (227-7495) Tuesday, August 12 Orientation—new Faculty, 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m., Room 186 Hunter Library. (227-7495) Wednesday, August 13 USI 130 Instructor Work­shop. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 316 Stillwell. (227-7495) Learning Community Workshop, 1:30-5 p.m., 104 Killian. (227-7495) Thursday, August 14 Reception and Fall General Faculty Meeting, 8:30-10:30 a.m., RH. (227-7100) Deans' meetings with depart­ment heads, 1-4 p.m. Registration—in Asheville. 4-6:30 p.m., Karpen Hall, UNCA, Asheville. Friday, August 15 College Faculty Meetings, 9:30-11 a.m. Departmental Faculty Meet­ings, 11 a.m.-l 2:30 p.m. Open Faculty Caucus, 1:30-3 p.m., 104 Killian. Saturday, August 16 Residence halls open to freshmen only. 9 a.m. Sunday, August 17 Residence halls open for all students. 10 a.m. Tuesday, August 19 Orientation—new Faculty, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 104 Killian Building. (227-7495) Luncheon—Faculty, spon­sored by the Coulter Faculty Center, noon-2 p.m., Grandroom, UC. RSVP by August 14 to Jane Kneller. (227-7196) Wednesday, August 20 New graduate student orienta­tion and luncheon, 8:15 a.m., Coulter Auditorium. Registration and drop/add in Cullowhee, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., through August 27. Graduate Teaching Assistant Workshop, 1:30-2:45 p.m., Coulter Auditorium. Faculty Senate meeting. 3-5 p.m., 104 Killian. Valley Balleyhoo, 4 p.m., lawn, UC. (227-7206) Thursday, August 21 All classes begin, 8 a.m. Thursday, August 21- Wednesday, August 27 Late registration and schedule changes in Cullowhee. Friday, August 22 Orientation—new Faculty, 3:15-5 p.m., Hospitality Room, RRAC. (227-7495) Help Still Needed for Move-in Day Volunteers for Freshman Move-in Day are still needed. Contact Lisa Wilson, Residen­tial Living, at 227-7303, as soon as possible. Submissions: Send neu's items and calenda r notices to WCU Calendar, 1601 Ramsey Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, Ntrrth Carolina 28723 irr e-mail to Reporter®email.wcu.edu. Submit items for the univ ersity's online calendar at lea st one week prior to the event. *** Now Showing *** Exhibitions: Yeehaiv: Letterpress for th e People. Features the work of Yeehaw Industries, a design and print shop in Knoxville, Tennessee. Through August 15. Belk Gallery, BB. (227-7210) North Carolina Women Making History. The trials, triumphs, and changing roles of women during the past 400 years. Through December. MHC. (227-7129) Migration of the Scotch-Irish People. (Permanent exhibition). Information, illustrations, artifacts, and murals. MHC. (227-7129) Over, Under, Around, and Through. Multicultural exhibit of baskets and their makers, examining the connections, crossovers, and cultural paths of Southern basketry. Through August 31. MHC. (227-7129) Key: $ - Admission fee; HA - Hoey Auditorium; HFR - H.F. Robinson Administration Building; HS/CF - Hennon Stadium/Childress Field; MHC - Mountain Heritage Center; NSA - Natural Sciences Auditorium; RRAC - Ramsey Regional Activity Center; RH - Recital Hall, Coulter Building; BB - Belk Building; UC - A.K. Hinds University Center; UOC - University Outreach Center; WS/BW - Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field; SSF - Schrader Soccer Field. A u g u s t I I , 2 0 0 3 • T he R e p o r t e r Faculty Center Introduces Initiative Energizing teaching and learning is the premise of a new university initiative at Western. The Coulter Faculty Center invites all Faculty to learn about this and other personal and professional enrichment opportunities at a luncheon 12-2 p.m. Tuesday, August 19, in the University Center Grandroom. The luncheon program will feature brief presentations on Faculty Center offerings for the classroom. These include new Faculty mentoring, formation of Faculty learning communities, and the open classroom project. The Faculty Center will introduce the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at WCU initiative (SoTL). Goals of this project are the improvement of student learning, teaching effectiveness and enjoyment, Faculty development, and the creation of a collegial community of and for teaching and learning. Faculty interested in attending the luncheon should contact Jane Kneller by e-mail or by calling 227-7196 by 5 p.m. August 14. New Walking Trail Define d north end will take place when the Greek Village housing project begins. The trail will shift south to be outside of the Construction on campus will continue to be a way of life for the near future. For those individuals who take advantage of the track, the morning or evening walk or jog will take a different direction. The intercollegiate track was sched­uled to close August 8 because of work on a new soccer field inside a new track facility. At present there is only a minor adjustment in the walking trail because of the expansion of the Walker "A" parking lot. Some modifications to the trail on the construction zone. Walking and running patrons can now use a new half-mile path which circles the intramural fields near the Outreach Center. The path from the Outreach bridge, behind the Outreach Center and back around and along the creek is another half-mile loop. The trail consists of the same material as the original walking trail. • Pavel Wlosok, assistant professor of jazz in the Department of Music, was one of 12 semifinalists chosen to compete in the prestigious Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, in July. The piano competition is designed to allow young pianists to express their talents in an international event. It is open to musicians of all nationalities born since 1973. Wlosok is a Czech composer, arranger, and educator. • A.J. Grube, assistant to the chancellor for Equal Opportunity Programs, attended the Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration sponsorred jointly by Bryn Mawr College and Higher Education Resource Services, Mid-America. The residential program was held on the Bryn Mawr College campus with 66 participants from 30 states, South Africa, and Puerto Rico. The Reporter is published by the Office of Public Relations. Debie Connelly, editor. Mail Faculty/staff notes, events, notices, and changes of address to The Reporter, 1601 Ramsey Center, or send them via e-mail to Reporter@email.wcu.edu. 1,800 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $329.15, or $0.18 per copy. Western Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity Institution. Reporter Office of Public Relations Publications Unit 1601 Ramsey Center Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CULLOWHEE, N.C. PERMIT NO. 1 A u g u s t I I , 2 0 0 3 • T h e R e p o r t e r Reporter -•L News for the Faculty c August 25, 2003 fFora culty and Staff of Western Carolina University Welcome to the 2003-2004 Academic Year Excerpts from speeches during the August 14 General Faculty Meeting* Dr. John W. Bardo, Chancellor Welcome back, friends. 1 do hope that all of you had a restful summer; we'll need you to be in good shape because this year is shaping up to be a pip. If you remember, the theme of my closing address last year was one of those very intellectual themes, one I spent a long time thinking about. The theme was "wow!" There's a book out that I had the deans read this summer called The Tipping Point. And what happened, 1 think, last year is that Western went through "the tipping point." It felt for so many years that we were pushing a rock uphill. We did a lot of work, but we just didn't seem to change. Everybody tried hard, and everybody worked hard, and that is so frustrating when you can't see the outcomes. But we lived through it. We went through those times. Colleagues of mine tell me that it takes about 10 years, at a minimum, to change the reputation and the image of a university. And I real ize that we're really now just entering the eighth year of trying to make this work and trying to make it move, but, my friends, we can actually see some of the outcomes this year. It really is a pleasure to be on the other side of "the tipping point." Back on a cold day in 1996,1 asked Faculty to think seriously and to push seriously to "raise the bar," to make Western a better school. That was a difficult message, but it was a message that was well received by the Faculty. I t hink I finally heard what it was that you were expecting and hoping to have happen, which was a raising of the academic stature of the institution. Raising the bar doesn't have to do with making things harder on people. It has to do with energizing people, raising standards, teaching better, and putting in the effort to make it so that our students really can learn—that they really know what it is like to have a first-class education. And that's what you've done. And that's what's happening. Our average SAT this morning was 1023. It was 965 in 1995. We've gone up 58 points. We'll settle in right around 1022, 1023. We are in the upper third, or so, of UNC system campuses in the change in academic stature of the institution, even given the hole that we started in. Think about that: We first had to dig ourselves out of a hole before we could start building a hill. And with that, we still are in the upper third. That's a great testament to the work that you've done. Also, take a look at enrollment. Again, you see a similar pattern. After we started raising standards, we lost enrollment. Then, slowly, each year we gained enrollment back. We grew a little each year until this year. This year, we're going to end up with a freshman class of around 1,500. That is the largest class since the 1960s. The typical student coming in this fall, who's already registered, has a B+/A-average, where, in 1995, they had a C+/B- average. Raising the bar doesn't have to do with making things harder on people. It has to do with energizing people, raising standards, teaching better, and putting in the effort to make it so that our students really can learn—that they really know what it is like to have a first-class education. Continued on page 2. The entire texts of s peeches, edited here for length, by Drs. Bardo and Smith appear in full on Western's Web site: http://www.wcu.edu/chancellor/meeting/Faculty/bardo03.htm and http://www.wcu.edu/facsenate/smith03.htm. n /ou don't improve the quality of a university by raising admissions standards. Admissions standards go up because the quality of the university increases; therefore, you can attract better students. By the way, about the SAT of 1023—last year's average SAT in North Carolina for all high school students who took the SAT was 998. This is the first year that we are also above the national average of 1020. Increasing student quality certainly came at some cost. There was a lot of work that had to be done. Some of that work, obviously, was frustrating. But we had to push to become a 21st-century university. We had to implement technology. We had to focus on what kind of institution we were going to be. And we had to continue to press to make sure that the programs that we had were competitive, that they could enroll students, and that they could really position the university for the future. Things at times got a bit bumpy, and things at times got very difficult. I don't have to tell any of you that, those who lived through the last few years. But there's a reality out there now, and the reality is that the people of North Carolina have discovered Western, they're coming to Western in increasing numbers, and, more than that, better students are coming to Western on a regular basis. It's an exciting time. I want to come back to that, but there have been a couple of folks this summer and this last year who have really been particularly important. Are Keith Corzine and Elizabeth Shelly here? Would you all stand up? I don't know how many of you know Keith and Elizabeth, but they are the people who are leading our housing operation, and the changes that they made in the quality of residential living last year were absolutely awesome. Folks, thank you. I just wanted folks to know who you are. Gordon Mercer, are you here today? We're going to have between 1,450 and 1,500 graduate students this year. We had 1,180 last year. And the reason [for the increase] is that Gordon Mercer took it as a personal challenge to make sure that we got graduate enrollment that we deserve. Gordon, thank you. Now how about the members of our Admissions Office? Are folks from Admissions here? They're probably busy registering. Brenda? Y'all did a great job. Thank you. And Financial Aid? Thank you. None of this could have happened if they'd done this on their own. It doesn't work that way. So many Faculty members jumped in and pushed to make this happen. And it's such an exciting time when you see the excitement on the campus, and you see the excitement of the parents and the students. We're expecting a freshman class up about 20 percent and maybe even a little bit more than that. We're expecting at least a 20 percent increase in graduate enrollment. But we're also seeing a significant increase in retention, as well. 1 think most of you know that retention is something that has bugged us and plagued us for a long, long time. The numbers are looking really good. I won't give you a percentage yet because it's so fluid until we get through open registration, but it does look like it will be the highest in the university's history. It feels really good to be on that side of it. When I first came to Western I was told by a lot of people that we needed to raise admission standards. Well, now that we're on this side of the tipping point, I th ink we can be honest with each other in public about what most of us knew in private. You don't improve the quality of a university by raising admissions standards. Admissions standards go up because the quality of the university increases; therefore, you can attract better students. Higher admissions standards are the consequence of quality, not the cause of quality. What's happened here is that you've changed real standards, base standards, the poor educational standards of the institution. You were willing to create a nationally competitive, high-quality education. Quality education brings students success, not failure. High standards excite people, engage them, and people move to try to achieve. High standards lead to pride and accomplishment, not failure. You can see the impact of increased quality across the campus. Think for a minute about the entire College of Education and Allied Professions. It's one of the best in the state. And, those of you in Arts and Sciences who

  • The Reporter, July 1998
    Hunter Library Digital Collections Western Carolina University Cullowhee NC 28723;, 2018
    Co-Authors: Western Carolina University
    Abstract:

    The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for Faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.The Reporter News for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University July 30, 1998 Cullowhee, North Carolina Abdul Turay Appointed Research and Graduate Studies Dean at WCU Abdul M. Turay, former dean of graduate studies and research at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, is the new dean of Research and Graduate Studies at Western. Turay, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in the West African nation of Sierra Leone, arrived in Cullowhee July 1. Steve Yurkovich, professor of geology, has been serving as acting dean for the past year. Professor of economics and dean of graduate studies and research at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville since 1995, Turay was previously chair and professor of economics at Radford University from 1991 until 1995. He was an administra­tor and a professor of economics and international trade at Mississippi State University from 1978-1989, serving as acting head of the department of finance and economics, and assistant to the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in addition to his teaching duties. Turay earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1972, his master's degree in economics from Atlanta Univer­sity in 1973, and his doctorate in economics from the University of Oklahoma in 1978. Assessing Oral Communication Skills: Students Learn to Speak Freely and Fearlessly At first glance, Patti Cutspec . wouldn't appear the warrior. Yet the communication and theatre arts assistant professor leads a fierce charge in the battle against what many Americans list as their worst fear: speaking in public. And she's winning. A comprehensive assessment program that Cutspec has developed addresses the anxieties of WCU students faced with completing the General Education oral communication requirement and places them in sections according to their needs. Upon arriving for orientation, students are asked to rate the level of their own apprehension toward a variety of typical communication situations, such as participating in meetings, discussions, and even informal conversations, and, more specifically, toward preparing and delivering a speech. Next, students are placed in small groups and asked to reach consensus on an exercise adminis­tered and evaluated by a trained student assessor, who is almost always a communication or education upperclassman. And, finally, in a feature of the assessment process unique to Western's program, parents are asked to rate how skillfully their sons or daughters practice "communication behaviors" such as eye contact, gesturing, listening, and speaking. The resulting data are then analyzed and used to direct students to any of five different "branches" growing out of the existing oral communication classes, says Cutspec. Instructors Student assessors evaluate group dynamics during orientation. Inset: Dr. Patti Cutspec, director of Oral Communication Competence, at left, shown with student assessors Jenifer Pressley, Carmela Brooks, and Tasha Turner. also receive the results of the assessment process, allowing them to shape course content according to their students' diagnosed difficulties in communicating. Students who are identified as "reticent communicators" are steered toward either regular or honors sections taught by Cutspec and Suzon Hawley, which incorporate more concentrated attention to overcoming shyness, developing social skills, and participating in a group. "More than anything, the assess­ment program has proved to be an effective way of keeping students from falling through cracks due to fears that we can help them overcome," says Cutspec. The program, now in its fourth year, has been so effective that word is spreading, and schools from across the country contact her regularly for information. Through two offshoots of the assessment program- Project Speak and Project Gift— Cutspec and her student volunteers venture into grades K-12 in public and private schools to help teachers become aware of how to build more opportunities for training and exposure in communication skills. Also gratifying, Cutspec says, are the numbers of students from the dedicated army of assessors she selects and supervises each year who have begun to present their own research and who have gone on to graduate-level work in communication. But what speaks most eloquently of the program's success, according to Cutspec, are the letters and cards of thanks she and other instructors receive from students who have conquered their phobias and now find themselves able to speak more freely. Outside Art: Winning Sculptures Installed Two works chosen as winning entries in the 1998-99 Outdoor Sculpture Competition have been installed on campus. *Listening Benches," a work by Nitin Jayaswal, shown above, proves an inviting addition to the A.K. Hinds University Center grounds, while "Turitella," by Anne Alexander, (see calendar photo) lends a playful presence to the Killian courtyard. These works will be joined by two others yet to be placed fo r the sixth annual showing of the Outdoor Sculpture Competition winners. Staff Spotlight Water Plant Operator Receives Top Regional Award WCU •Robert Caruso, vice chancellor (Student Affairs), co-presented "Leadership 21: Preparing Student Leaders for the 21st Century" at the Association of College and University Housing Officers- International Annual Conference in Charlotte in July. •Bruce Frazier, a two-time Emmy Award-winning composer and music engineer with extensive credits in the motion picture, television, and music industries, has been selected as the new Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor in Commercial and Electronic Music. Frazier is the first professor selected through a $1 million endowed professorship created in 1996 with a gift from Irwin and Carol Belk of Charlotte and matching funds from the state. The professorship is designed to benefit students seeking training in electronic and commercial music composition, arrangement, production, and design. Frazier holds the bachelor's and master's degrees, both in music, from East Carolina University and the doctorate from the University of Southern California. •Robert Gurevich, director (Office of International Programs and Services), has been appointed to the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Governor's School. •John Ritchie, director (Counsel­ing and Psychological Services), was named Administrator of the Year by the Association of Educational Office Personnel. Audrey Cox, assistant (Chancellor Emeritus Office), was named Educational Office Professional of the Year. The two top awards were presented at the association's annual Bosses' Day Celebration recently. •Yvonne N. Saddler, retired assistant professor (Communication Disorders), received the Honors of the Association award at the annual convention of the North Carolina Speech, Hearing, and Language Association recently in Charlotte. The award, the highest honor bestowed by the association, recognizes "consistent, distinguished contributions to the association or to the communication disorders profession." In acknowledgement of Saddler's many contributions and long service to WCU, the Yvonne N. Saddler Service Award was established this year to recognize contributions by students in the communication disorders field. •John Slater, assistant professor (Communication and Theatre Arts), will participate in C-SPAN's Summer 1998 Seminar for Professors in Washington, D.C., August 6-7. Professors from thirty-five colleges and universities across the country and from a variety of disciplines will participate. The seminar will focus on creative ways to use C-SPAN's public affairs programming in the classroom and in research. Participants were selected through a competitive application process open to all of the 4,900 college Faculty members of "C-SPAN in the Classroom," the cable network's free national membership service for educators. •Gary Smith, director (Environ­mental Health Program), received a $50,000 contract from the U.S. Public Health Service to conduct a workshop in Las Vegas, Nev., for Faculty members in environmental health/science from universities and colleges across the country. The workshop, conducted by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council, which Smith chairs, drew Faculty from over thirty-five universities and colleges. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry provided funding for the workshop. As chief operator and supervisor of WCU's water plant, Fayne Aldridge makes certain that the campus and surrounding community have safe drinking water. Water drawn from the nearby Tuckaseigee River is treated, run through a conventional water treatment plant, and pumped into the system for consumption. Aldridge and other water plant workers constantly monitor the water to ensure its quality. When school is in full session, Aldridge said, the water plant draws about 686,000 gallons a day from the Tuckaseigee. Every gallon is treated and tested, a job that requires technical skill and constant vigilance. Aldridge has seen much change and growth in his almost thirty years at WCU, both in the university and surrounding area. Despite the growth, Aldridge said he has noted a marked improvement in the quality of water from the Tuckaseigee River. "The river is much cleaner now," he said. "We used to have a lot of problems with people straight-piping sewage into the river or with sewage leaking into the river from inadequate septic systems." With no industrial pollution above the university and strict laws preventing raw sewage from entering the river, Aldridge said the only pollution in the river now is from agricultural runoff—usually more notable after heavy rains. The agricultural pollution, however, is insignificant, he said. "We're really very fortunate to have such good quality water." Aldridge recently was recognized for his professional contributions, both at WCU and on a regional level. The North Carolina Rural Water Association presented Aldridge the annual J.A. Younts Award as the top water plant operator in his region. The award comes at a timely juncture in Aldridge's career. He plans to retire in August. July 30,1998 • The Reporter WCU Calendar "Turitellaby Anne Alexander July 30—August 21, 1998 Look for regular updates on the university's web site at www.wcu.edu/cal.html Continuing Education/ Summer School Offering a variety of classes, profes­sional development opportunities, and educational enhancement programs. For complete information, check WCU Calendar of Events on the web or call 227-7397. Computer Center Help Client Services hours—Monday- Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., closed weekends. (227-7284) Library Hours Through Friday, August 7: Mondays to Thursdays, 8 a.m.-midnight; Fridays, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 2-10 p.m. (227-7306) Fitness Center Hours Through Friday, August 7: Monday- Friday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday, August 8-9. Call for break schedule. (227-7069) Golf Driving Range (WCU Track) Open to the public. Summer Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (293-3514) Thursday, July 30 Symposium—Ulster-American Heritage, examining relationships developing out of historical emigration links among England, Scotland, Ireland, and North America. MHC sponsored. Prior registration required. Registration information 227-7397. Conference information 227-7129. August Tuesday, August 4 Council of Deans Retreat. 8:30 a.m.-noon. (227-7495) Wednesday, August 5 Western Open Golf Tournament/ Preseason Social. Sponsored by Alumni Association and Catamount Club. Waynesville Country Club Inn. (227-7377 for fees and registration) Friday, August 7 Summer Commencement. 7 p.m., RRAC. (227-7222) Wednesday, August 12 Orientation for New Faculty. 8-4:30 p.m. Beginning at MHC. (227-7495) Thursday, August 13 Reception, General Faculty Meeting. 8:30-10:30 a.m., RH. (227-7495) Deans' Meeting with Department Heads. 14 p.m. (227-7495) Friday, August 14 College Faculty Meetings. 8:30- 10 a.m. (227-7495) Departmental Faculty Meetings. 10:30 a.m.-noon. (227-7495) Computer Training for New Faculty. 1:30-4:30 p.m. (227-7495) Faculty Senate Meeting. 1:30-3 p.m., Room 104, Killian. (227-7495) Sunday, August 16 Residence halls open for all students. (227-7303) Freshman Summer Orientation. Through Tuesday, August 18. RRAC. (227-7234) Monday, August 17 Registration in Asheville. 3-6 p.m., Karpen Hall, UNC-A campus. (227-7423 or 828-251-6642) Transfer Student Orientation. (227-7234) Tuesday, August 18 Registration for new freshmen and transfers only. 9-11 a.m., RRAC. (227-7234) « New graduate student orientation. 9:30 a.m.-noon, RRAC. (227-7234) Registration for new, readmitted, and continuing students. 11 a.m.- 1 p.m., RRAC. (227-7232) Drop-Add. 1-4 p.m., RRAC. (227-7232) Wednesday, August 19 Freshman Convocation. 4 p.m., RRAC. (227-7495) Valley Ballyhoo. A welcome back celebration featuring music, food, games, and more. Free. 5-9 p.m. Cookout beginning at 5 p.m. $5.75 adults, $2.50 children 6 and under, WCU students may use meal cards. UC lawn (rain location: UC). (227-7234) Thursday, August 20 All classes begin. Friday, August 21 New Faculty Orientation. Hunter Library Classroom. (227-7495) Now showing Exhibitions: "George Hildrew: paintings"—Through August 7. Chelsea Gallery, UC. (227-7206) "Aspects of Representation: Nine Painters"—Through August 6.9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., weekdays. Belk Gallery, BB. (227-7210) "Going Places"—Current rotating exhibition and slide show on travel and tourism in Western North Carolina. Featured through August: "Migration of the Scotch-Irish People," slide show on history of early Appalachian settlers from Ulster to Pennsylvania, the Shenandoah Valley, and Western North Carolina. Free. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., weekdays, MHC. Note: Permanent exhibition, "Migration of the Scotch-Irish People," closed temporarily. (227-7129) Key: HA - Hoey Auditorium; HFR - H.F. Robinson Administration Building; HS/CF - Hennon Stadium/Childress Field; MHC - Mountain Heritage Center; NSA - Natural Sciences Auditorium; RRAC - Ramsey Regional Activity Center; RH - Recital Hall, Coulter Building; BB - Belk Building; UC - A.K. Hinds University Center. Submissions: Send news items and calendar notices to WCU Calendar, 1601 Ramsey Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723 or e-mail to calendar.wcu.edu Submit items for the electronic bulletin board on campus (cable channel 39) and for the university's calendar on the World Wide Web at least one week prior to the event. The Reporter • J uly 30,1998 wcu • Summer commencement exercises are set for Friday, August 7, at 7 p.m., in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. Bruce B. Henderson (Psychology), recipient of the UNC Board of Governors' Award for Excellence in Teaching, will deliver the primary address for the exercises, during which more than 300 students are expected to receive undergradu­ate and graduate degrees. Chancellor John W. Bardo will preside over the ceremony and deliver the charge to the graduates. Richard J. Collings, vice chancellor for academic affairs, will preside over the presentation of degrees. Faculty marshals for summer commencement are Karen Lunnen (chief), LeVon Wilson (vice chief), Mark Honegger, Kathy Ivey and Katie Ray. The Master of Physical Therapy degree will be awarded to some thirty members of the program's inaugural class during the exercises. A pinning ceremony and reception for the graduating MPT students are planned for Friday afternoon in the University. Call 227-7070 for more information. • The North Carolina Personal Care Plan (PCP) will no longer be available as of October 1 to current plan members in the western part of North Carolina. This change is part of a statewide reduction of HMO services by PCP, according to Human Resources Director Kathy Wong. At present, the program, administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield, is offered to employees who live or work in sixty-two counties in the state, but this number will be reduced to twenty-nine counties on October 1. Plan members should receive notification in writing of the change by PCP at their home addresses. Health insurance coverage through the North Carolina Teachers' and State Employees' Comprehensive Major Medical Plan remains the only other available option at the present time. PCP members may elect to enroll in that plan by completing the necessary forms during the upcoming annual enrollment period. This year's enrollment period begins August 3 and continues through September 4. Change in coverage is effective October 1. Enrollment forms may be obtained from the Office of Human Resources. • WCU's Industrial and Engineering Technology program was recently awarded a $9,349 grant by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' Education Foundation. The grant money will be used to purchase new programmable logic controllers for the department's automation laboratory, said Associate Professor Aaron Ball. The new equipment will boost the department's capability for advanced networking and high speed scanning and communication. "Students will be provided an opportunity to work with state-of-the-art industrial equipment and enhance their theoretical know­ledge of manufacturing systems," Ball said. "Western will now have one of the most advanced automation laboratories in the region." • WCU's graduate program in Communication Disorders has received national accreditation in speech-language pathology. The master of science degree program received eight-year accreditation from the Council on Academic Accredita­tion of the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association. Accreditation runs from August 1, 1998, through September 30,2005. "Our program has been outstanding for a long time," said Billy Ogletree, head of the Department of Human Services. "Eight-year continued accreditation by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Associa­tion is just external verification of what we know to be true." The Communication Disorders program prepares speech-language pathologists in the prevention, evaluation and management of human communication and its disorders through relevant academic experiences, clinical work and research opportunities. The Reporter is published by the Office of Public Information. Mail Faculty/staff notes, events, notices, and changes of address to Rebecca Caldwell, The Reporter; 1601 Ramsey Center, or send them via e-mail to PUBLICATIONS REPORTER.WCU.EDU 1,600 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $299.15, or $0.14 per copy. Western Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity Institution. This is a special summer edition of The Reporter. Please continue to send story ideas, notes on accomplishments, and event information for possible publication later and for inclusion on the WCU Calendar of Events on the web or on the closed-circuit Campus Bulletin Board. The Reporter Office of Public Information Publications Unit 1601 Ramsey Center Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CULLOWHEE, N.C. PERMIT NO. 1 July 30,1998 • T he Reporte

  • The Reporter, August 1989
    Hunter Library Digital Collections Western Carolina University Cullowhee NC 28723;, 2018
    Co-Authors: Western Carolina University
    Abstract:

    The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for Faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.THE REPORTER News for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University A Community of Scho larship Cullowhee, North Carolina August 4, 1989 Reducing freshmen's registration anxiety Early Bird prog ram shows off Western's personal touch Western's reputation for providing care and personal attention to its students is a valuable resource for the university. And the staff of the Career and Academic Planning (CAP) Center is making the most of that resource with a special advisement program for incoming freshmen. The Early Bird Advising and Registration program, now in its second year, was designed and initiated by Raymond Ledford, director of the CAP Center, to help reduce freshmen's anxiety about registering for classes for the first time. New freshmen get a chance to sign up early by mail for their fall semester classes, reserving spaces that might be filled if th e students wait to sign up at regular registration in August. 'The purpose of the program is to improve the quality of advising and make things go easier for students when they get here," Ledford said. Comments from participants have been overwhelmingly positive, and Ledford hopes the program's advan­tages for new students will mean con­tinuing improvements in admissions and retention records for Western. Perhaps the best feature of the program is that by giving students contact with individuals from the university early on, Early Bird person­alizes the institution and makes the start of college a bit less intimidating. For Early Bird workers, Ledford said, "advising means really becoming a friend to the student." The CAP Center coordinates academic advisement for all students with undeclared majors, Early Bird participants and otherwise, with help from personnel from various points on all general education courses, specially written by Faculty members in terms for new students. Using this guide, students send the CAP Center a list of ten courses they'd like to take, along with any additional information on goals and interests. Then, also using high school records and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, Ledford and his staff develop schedules that are returned to students by mail before summer orientation. At orientation sessions in June and August, "other students have to start from scratch," Ledford said. "Early Bird students bypass a lot of the registration process." While students who didn't take advantage of Early Bird sta nd in regis­tration lines, hoping desired courses won't fill up too soon, students who did participate sit down with advisers to discuss schedules and any other concerns about beginning college life. More than 480 Early Bird students attended orientation sessions on campus in June. Among students attending the orientation that begins August 16, an additional sixty-five Early Bird participants are expected, a large number of them out-of-state students getting a welcome early look at the campus. In all, during the program's first two years, about fifty percent of all entering freshmen have participated in Early Bird. Ledford hopes to see that number, already appreciable, grow as word of Early Bird's advantages spreads. - Joey Price Led^d ^ ^ ^ ' don, under the Center's auspices, a course entitled Career Opportunities and Decisions (Counseling 130) is taug ht for all freshmen with undeclared majors, offering guidance in choosing a major and career and understanding the me­chanics of university study, such as the computation of grade point averages. The Early Bird program begins quite a while before these others, however. As soon as an applicant is offered admission to the university, his first Early Bird contact occurs. Begin­ning each November, when the Admissions Office mails out its notices of acceptance, letters from Ledford about Early Bird go out to the same potential Western students. Participating in the program is entirely the student's choice. He or she has only to fill out the enclosed form and return it to WCU, and soon a full packet of information about Early Bird follows. The packet includes descriptions of The Calendar A.™,.* Monday, August 7 No events listed. Tuesday, August 8 No events listed. Wednesday, August 9 No events listed. Thursday, August 10 Institutional SAT. Forsyth 203, 8:30 a.m. Friday, August 11 Registration for new transfer students, new graduate students, and readmitted students. Ramsey Center, 11 a.m.-l p.m. Saturday, August 12 No events listed. Sunday, August 13 No events listed. Monday, August 14 Council of Deans. 8:30 a.m.-noon. Reception and general Faculty meeting. Music Recital Hall, 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, August 15 Deans' meetings with department heads. 8:30-11 a.m. Cullowhee Campus Capers. Ramsey Center, 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. School Faculty meetings. 2:30 p.m. Special registration for graduate students. 250 Robinson Building, 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, August 16 Freshman and transfer student orientation. Through August 17. Check-in at residence halls for new students. 8:30-11 a.m. Departmental Faculty meetings. 9 a.m.-noon. Meeting of general education Faculty and department heads. Killian 104, 2-3 p.m. Faculty Senate. Founders Audito­rium, Mountain Heritage Center, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, August 17 Orientation for new Faculty. Hospitality Room, Ramsey Center, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Residence halls open for all students. Noon. Friday, August 18 Textbooks issued. Book and Supply Store, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., through August 19. Registration for new freshmen (by reservation only). Ramsey Center, 8-11 a.m. Registration for new graduate students and readmitted students. Ramsey Center, 11 a.m.-l p.m. Registration for continuing students. Ramsey Center, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, August 19 Registration and drop/add. Auxiliary gym, Ramsey Center, 9 a.m.-noon. Sunday, August 20 Reception in honor of all Faculty and staff. Chancellor's residence, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Dinner in honor of new Faculty and staff. Ramsey Center, 6 p.m. Exhibits Paintings and other works by Roger Stephens. Chelsea Gallery, University Center, 8 a.m.-l 1 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-11 p.m. weekends. Paintings by Stanford Ashcraft, Jan Clawson, Charles Atkins, and Julie Buchanan. Gallery 250, Office of Research and Graduate Studies, 250 Robinson Building, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. "Mountain Trout," a historical exhibit on trout and trout fishing in the Southern Appalachians. Mountain Heritage Center, through August. "Migration of t he Scotch-Irish People," a permanent exhibit on early settlers of western North Carolina. Mountain Heritage Center. "Camera Anglers: Fishing Forebears on Film," photographs of people fishing in western North Carolina, 1890-1943. Mountain Heritage Center, through August. "Mountain Trout," a nine-projector slideshow on trout and trout fishing in the Southern Appalachians. Mountain Heritage Center, through August. Mountain Heritage Center hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday. Special programs and camps ONGOING Iredell Institute and Fellows Program, an NCCAT seminar (ends August 11). STARTING THIS WEEK Flute Master Class, with renowned flutist William Bennett, August 10-15. August 4, 1989 The Reporter is publi shed by the Office of Pub lic Information . ,450 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $66.25, or $.04 per copy. The Reporter rHE • ^ m ^ w| News for the Faculty and Staff | A f | U 1 L< L/ of Western Carolina University 1 ^ 1 y y 1 x*. J L * ^ JL V*. A Community of Scho larship Cullowhee, North Carolina August 18, 1989 Fall general Faculty meeting Speakers discuss u A number of s ignificant comments were made during the general Faculty meeting in the Music Recital Hall on August 14, opening the 1989- 90 academic year. This issue of the Reporter includes a summary of comments delivered at the gat hering, attended by most of the Faculty. DR. JIM WALLACE, Chairman of the Faculty: It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this academic year. Today we are starting to celebrate the hundredth year of the existence of Western Carolina University. We've come a long way from when we start' ed in 1889 with the so-called Cullowhee Academy with forty students. As we evolved from the Cullowhee Academy to Western Carolina University, our service role has changed. We started off very regional. Now our service role has gone national and international. Similarly, the number of students we serve has increased dramatically, from forty in 1889 to last year over 6,000 students. We (the Faculty) hold approximately fifty elected positions for professional organiza­tions. In 1988-89, as a group we published approximately 296 articles. We published three books, submitted 335 abstracts for professional meetings, participated in 343 meetings throughout the year. We presented about 250 workshops and seminars for the region and national groups. We wrote eighty-four book reviews and we attended eighty-nine workshops. There is an earnest movement to modify the current Western Carolina University Faculty governance document. Thousands of person hours have gone into reworking this document during the past two years. If this document is approved by the Faculty Senate, the entire Faculty will get to vote on its approval during this academic year. When the opportunity arises, I hope you will give this very serious consideration. miversity goals, ac; DR. MYRON L. COULTER, Chancellor: We had a year last year that had its ups and downs in this university's life, but most of them were ups. I want to recount some of t he work which you accomplished and some of the milestones which this university established. University goals. We have five major goals to work toward in the coming five-year period for this institution. We still and will always maintain our highest goal of continuing to define and pursue quality in all of our academic and student life, ad­ministrative, and other support activities. A second goal is t o enhance the image of Western and to broaden public recognition of the institution's significant contributions to our region, state, nation, and indeed the world. We are operating currently on five continents, and in some forty or forty-five nations. We are having a little slow-down in some of our activities in China with recent events there. We are keeping all lines open and staying in close communication. There have been some little breaks in our steady progress, but we're assured that certainly from some points of view things are normalizing. We're still willing to cooperate and work closely with our friends in the People's Republic of China, as well as other nations. We had a goal of attaining 5,300 full-time equated students on this campus. We're reaching that goal this year, it appears. So we've raised that goal to 5,700 full-time equated students. That will probably bring us very close to or just over 7,000 headcount students on the campus. Two new goals have been added. One is to strengthen the identity of the university as the major center of scholarship, instruc­tion, cultural resources, and services within the region. We must continually remind ourselves that we are the people to whom ademic quality so many hundreds and thousands of people in western North Carolina turn when they need assistance in economic, cultural, social, and educational development. We've added that as a goal to reemphasize. A fifth goal that is new, not in practice but in emphasis, is to increase funding from private sources, to strengthen the university's programs, expand its services, and support its students. We are launching new approaches to attracting more and higher quality funding from the private sector. Appropriations from Qeneral Assembly, The Legislature has approved a six percent salary increase for all of us who work for the state of North Carolina. That increase will be totally awarded on the basis of merit this year. There is no across-the-board. So there will be prob­ably more fluctuation in the level of awards than we have seen in some years recently. They also gave us no increase in our basic program support. That is something that we could have used very much for increased purchases of equipment, and needed services, and colleagues. But that is statewide; they are not singling us out. They did do some partial funding of enrollment increases. We will not share in that this year, and the reason for that is simple. They award on a historic basis. That is, the data are already a year old when they make the awards. They award on the basis of what we had last year. So next year we are looking forward to some good increases in enrollment funding. There was also a modest increase for enhancement of teacher education programs across the state and quality assurance programs. We did receive funds to continue our Centennial celebration through this coming year and also we received some funds for the planning of the completion, after twenty years, of the Belk Building. We are still projecting 1,350 new freshmen and 400 transfers for the fall Speakers cont'd semester. We had over 4,600 freshmen applications this year. That's the largest that Western Carolina University has ever had for admission. We also rejected 1,060 students, which is a 32 percent increase over last year. The freshman class is not only looking larger, it's looking brighter. The strategic planning process is in place and operating. And it's operating well enough that we felt it was one that we could take from the statement of the four major goals. Dr. Judith Stillion's title has been changed to associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and university planner. She will be the person in the central administra­tion who will be the touchstone for strategic planning efforts across the institution. Academic quality. Our programs in Asheville continue as a major component of our educational mission. Those are very im­portant programs both to the Asheville community and to our community here on campus. Our graduate instruction program, for instance, continues to represent 95 percent of all graduate instruction which is coordinated through the Asheville Graduate Center. They are our courses taught by our Faculty. We've had our first colloquy on college teaching, which was developed and hosted by our Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence. That program was held July 13- 15, the first one of that type, to our knowledge, in North Carolina. That colloquium was designed to enhance collaboration with our sister institutions throughout the UNC system for the purpose of promoting teaching excellence through­out our system. Each institution of the sixteen of us appointed at least three persons to attend. We had a total of fifty-eight persons who came to this colloquium, and it was determined to be very successful. The School of Arts and Sciences has distinguished itself through the hosting of a number of activities for high school students in this past year. In fact, they brought in over 3,100 students from our high schools to the campus for the annual science festival. Also included were a foreign language con­test, History Day, the annual high school mathematics contest, and the annual ROTC Day. In addition, more than 900 students participated in the Odyssey of the Mind tournament which is hosted by the School of Education and Psychology. These events are important expressions of our ser­vice function to the secondary schools in our part of the state, and they also serve directly as fine recruiting opportunities. Continuing Education received a number of distinctions this year. One was the "Creative and Innovative Program of the Year" award from the North Carolina Adult Education Association. They also received the Outstanding Achievement award from the Learning Resources Network and the "Most Successful Non- Credit Program" award from the Associa­tion for Continuing Education, one of fifteen such awards made in the United States. Dr. Diana Henshaw, the director, was awarded the "Continuing Educator of the Year" award from Region Five of the Association for Continuing Education. Our Elderhostel program continues to flourish and is the largest Elderhostel program in the state. We also had seven hundred people attending a number of teleconferences. We've had several curriculum innova­tions and changes—first the innovation of a graduate program in public history, and now the authorization to plan a degree in physical therapy, and we've just submitted a request to plan a bachelor's degree in philosophy. We are continuing to submit to the Board of Governors our plans for improving and expanding the academic offerings of this institution. The natural resources management program and the Geosciences and Anthro­pology Department are jointly involved in a new geographic information system lab which is funded through an NSF grant. This is a system for the capture, manipulation, and output of mapped information. Western is one of the few universities in the country who have this system. At the request of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, a team from the School of Education and Psychol­ogy developed a training program and a training manual that will be used to train the members of onsite teams which will review the state's teacher education programs. We have another record in the pass rate of our students in communication disorders programs on the American Speech and Hearing Association examination. It's a 100 percent pass rate for six years in succession. The Honors Program has now grown to 140 students, has twenty-six different courses taught by twenty-two of our Faculty. The Emergency Medical Care program is the first four-year paramedic training program in the United States to receive national accreditation. Our criminal justice program is the first such four-year program in the United States to received national accreditation. Our nursing program has been approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing. Fifty-seven Faculty members, including fourteen first-time applicants, submitted 117 grant proposals, totaling more than $8.8 million. The dollar value per application has increased approximately 88 percent since 1985-86. We offer twenty-three courses in Cherokee, and the enrollment at Cherokee has increased by almost 14 percent. Those programs are flourishing. During the first week of our summer session, 135 educators representing sixty-four colleges and universities from thirty-one states attended the second Smoky Mountain Seminar on College Teaching and Learning. The seminar was cosponsored by our Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence in collaboration with the National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning. We had six distinguished researchers from the University of Michigan and one from the University of California here serving as the Faculty for that fine meeting. We continue to receive some very good reports from the people at Michigan on Western's work in teaching effectiveness. Campus improvements, activities. The Alumni Tower is a centennial gift from the Alumni Association to their university. It's now under construction. We're going to dedicate that building at our Homecoming festivities October 28. It will feature a carillon and clock faces on all four sides and we expect it to become a traditional symbol for this institution. Ninety percent of the $300,000 cost has been received or pledged by alumni, friends, or student organizations. We're now cleaning up that little strip across from Dodson Cafeteria. We acquired that early this summer. We're going to landscape it and put a nice walking area through there, as we can acquire the funds. Our pictorial history of this institution, the one hundred year history, is a publica­tion of our Mountain Heritage Center. It's authored by Curtis Wood and Tyler Blethen. It's in press, and we already have 800 prepublication orders. Our Development Office has had another fine year in fundraising. The total receipts for 1988-89 from private sources rose sixteen percent over the last year. We now have raised this year a total of $1,424,920, and the combined assets of the foundation and our endowment are up 30 percent now to $4,848,000-plus. The Center for Improving Mountain August 18, 1989 The Reporter Living is very active. Our Joint PVO/ University Center for collaboration in developing nations continues to grow, with our membership now including nineteen private and voluntary organizations and fifteen universities. The prospects for funding of a multi-year, multi-million dollar project in Burkina Faso are now excellent. Last year we completed the first year of the Walker Living Learning Center which housed many of our honors program stu­dents, teaching fellows, and other students of high academic standing. We consider this effort to be extremely successful and will be continuing it this year. Our campus facilities have been improved by the completion of five capital improvement projects, including a new warehouse and storage building with a total cost of $2.7 million. Fifteen projects are in progress at this time with an overall value of a little over fifteen million dollars. Promi­nent among these are the renovation of Hoey, McKee, and Stillwell Buildings and the construction of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Over $32 million in projects have been completed or are under way since 1986. Now our major efforts are going to be toward renovations, remodelings, upgrading our facilities, because we have adequate space for the size institution we are. In 1988-89 our Liston B. Ramsey Acti

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  • business information literacy teaching at different academic levels an exploration of skills and implications for instructional design
    Journal of Information Literacy, 2012
    Co-Authors: Mariela Gunn, Cynthia E Miree
    Abstract:

    This study investigates the difference among students' discipline-specific information literacy (IL) skills by studying first-year and final-year undergraduate business students. An online IL tutorial was designed and delivered to both student groups with a two-fold goal. First, the researchers wanted to compare students' IL skills to test the Faculty's assumptions that business students who are about to graduate have already acquired the requisite IL despite the lack of mandatory business-specific IL sessions. The findings suggest that first-year and final-year business students are not significantly different in their performance and that both groups received a significant positive impact as a result of taking the same IL tutorial online. Second, the study analyses how well the online IL tutorial, with its focus on combining instructional videos with active learning exercises, performs in delivering content related to different elements of IL, as defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL 2010). The findings indicate that the online IL tutorial is more effective for some skills than for others, suggesting that it will be beneficial to explore different instructional designs in collaboration with the Departmental Faculty to improve the current IL tutorial in these areas. This study adds to research on the effectiveness of online tutorials and raises questions related to their design. The findings can inform librarians' decisions on how to design online learning targeting students from different academic levels.

Richard A Hodin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • development and initial results of a mandatory department of surgery Faculty mentoring pilot program
    Journal of Surgical Research, 2016
    Co-Authors: Roy Phitayakorn, Emil Petrusa, Richard A Hodin
    Abstract:

    Abstract Background Mentoring of junior Faculty by senior Faculty is an important part of promotion and/or tenure and enhanced job satisfaction. This study reports the development and results to date of a Faculty mentorship program in surgery. Methods We implemented a Departmental Faculty mentoring program in July 2014 that consisted of both structured and informal meetings between junior Faculty mentees and assigned senior Faculty mentors. All senior Faculty mentors attended a brief mentor training session. We then developed an evidence-based mentorship instrument that featured standardized metrics of academic success. This instrument was completed by each mentee, and then reviewed at the junior Faculty's annual career conference with their division chief. A survey was distributed in July 2015 to assess junior Faculty satisfaction with the new mentorship program. Results Junior or senior Faculty consisted of six of three women and 16 of 11 men, respectively. Junior Faculty members were aged 40 ± 3 y and had been an attending for 4 ± 2 y. Mentorship meetings occurred approximately three times during the year (range = 0-10). Total meeting time with senior mentors per meeting was a mean of 40 min (range = 0-300 min). Over 75% of junior Faculty members were very or somewhat satisfied with the mentorship program and would like to continue in the program. The best aspect of the program was the opportunity to meet with an accomplished surgeon outside their division. Opportunities to improve the program included better matching of mentor to mentee by disease or research focus. Interestingly, almost the entire junior Faculty members tended to have at least two other mentors besides the mentor assigned to them in this program. In terms of program outcomes, junior Faculty members agreed that the mentorship program improved their overall career plans and enhanced their involvement in professional organizations but has not yet helped with academic productivity, home and/or work balance, and overall job satisfaction. Conclusions A mandatory, structured mentorship program with senior surgeons benefits most junior Faculty members in terms of academic career planning and becoming more involved with surgical organizations. More research is required to understand the best method to pair mentors and mentees and more objective measurements of academic surgery success.

Mariela Gunn - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • business information literacy teaching at different academic levels an exploration of skills and implications for instructional design
    Journal of Information Literacy, 2012
    Co-Authors: Mariela Gunn, Cynthia E Miree
    Abstract:

    This study investigates the difference among students' discipline-specific information literacy (IL) skills by studying first-year and final-year undergraduate business students. An online IL tutorial was designed and delivered to both student groups with a two-fold goal. First, the researchers wanted to compare students' IL skills to test the Faculty's assumptions that business students who are about to graduate have already acquired the requisite IL despite the lack of mandatory business-specific IL sessions. The findings suggest that first-year and final-year business students are not significantly different in their performance and that both groups received a significant positive impact as a result of taking the same IL tutorial online. Second, the study analyses how well the online IL tutorial, with its focus on combining instructional videos with active learning exercises, performs in delivering content related to different elements of IL, as defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL 2010). The findings indicate that the online IL tutorial is more effective for some skills than for others, suggesting that it will be beneficial to explore different instructional designs in collaboration with the Departmental Faculty to improve the current IL tutorial in these areas. This study adds to research on the effectiveness of online tutorials and raises questions related to their design. The findings can inform librarians' decisions on how to design online learning targeting students from different academic levels.

Roy Phitayakorn - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • development and initial results of a mandatory department of surgery Faculty mentoring pilot program
    Journal of Surgical Research, 2016
    Co-Authors: Roy Phitayakorn, Emil Petrusa, Richard A Hodin
    Abstract:

    Abstract Background Mentoring of junior Faculty by senior Faculty is an important part of promotion and/or tenure and enhanced job satisfaction. This study reports the development and results to date of a Faculty mentorship program in surgery. Methods We implemented a Departmental Faculty mentoring program in July 2014 that consisted of both structured and informal meetings between junior Faculty mentees and assigned senior Faculty mentors. All senior Faculty mentors attended a brief mentor training session. We then developed an evidence-based mentorship instrument that featured standardized metrics of academic success. This instrument was completed by each mentee, and then reviewed at the junior Faculty's annual career conference with their division chief. A survey was distributed in July 2015 to assess junior Faculty satisfaction with the new mentorship program. Results Junior or senior Faculty consisted of six of three women and 16 of 11 men, respectively. Junior Faculty members were aged 40 ± 3 y and had been an attending for 4 ± 2 y. Mentorship meetings occurred approximately three times during the year (range = 0-10). Total meeting time with senior mentors per meeting was a mean of 40 min (range = 0-300 min). Over 75% of junior Faculty members were very or somewhat satisfied with the mentorship program and would like to continue in the program. The best aspect of the program was the opportunity to meet with an accomplished surgeon outside their division. Opportunities to improve the program included better matching of mentor to mentee by disease or research focus. Interestingly, almost the entire junior Faculty members tended to have at least two other mentors besides the mentor assigned to them in this program. In terms of program outcomes, junior Faculty members agreed that the mentorship program improved their overall career plans and enhanced their involvement in professional organizations but has not yet helped with academic productivity, home and/or work balance, and overall job satisfaction. Conclusions A mandatory, structured mentorship program with senior surgeons benefits most junior Faculty members in terms of academic career planning and becoming more involved with surgical organizations. More research is required to understand the best method to pair mentors and mentees and more objective measurements of academic surgery success.