ThinkPint2

Welcome Back…
A brief history of university administration.

By Jack Loughary

***
SOUTHERN STATE COLLEGE

September 1, 1986

To: My Colleagues

Re: The New Academic Year

From: Bill Goodwell

Welcome back from what I hope was a restful summer vacation. Marge and I spent our usual four weeks at Lapping Shores, our little place at the lake. We were pleased that several of you paid us a visit. It looks to be another good year for the department, and I’m looking forward to our first meeting. A special welcome to our three new faculty members. Bob Walsh comes to us from Penn State. He has just published an undergraduate text, and I hope we can all take at least a quick look at it. I have a copy in my office. Bob and his lovely wife Janet have three live wire youngsters, Janet, Mary and Bob jr. You will meet them all soon.Steve Williams is ABD from Texas A & M, and will be handling the extra lower division sections this year. We’ve kept his teaching load a little on the light side so that he will have plenty of time to complete his dissertation. Go get ’em Steve! Steve’s wife, Betty, is the new manager of the Dollar Rent A Car desk at the airport, so some of you will be seeing lots of her on your trips to here and there. Beatrice Murphy (I hope we can call you Bee) joins us most recently from a year in Iceland where she was doing post graduate work and "just relaxing". Bee has taught at Central State, Brown Mountain and Northside Community College. Bee is in a doctoral program at Central and so will spend some of her weekends commuting. Welcome all of you to our faculty. I have asked June Anderson to represent us on the University committee for instructional improvement. Art Nelson is the new member of the guest lecturer committee, and Chris Neet has been appointed to the building committee. We thank you all for your willingness to serve.

Marge and I are both looking forward to seeing all of you at our annual "Back Yard Barbecue" in our back yard this coming Saturday afternoon. Come early and please "bring the kids"! Marge has some special surprises for all of them.

***

SOUTHERN STATE COLLEGE

September 1, 1987

To: Faculty

Re: The New Year

Welcome to another great year for the department. I hope your summer was restful and enjoyable. As some of you know, I spent a week at meetings in Washington D.C., and thus had to cut short the usual month at Lapping Waters.Welcome especially to Mary Slovack, who will replace Steve Williams. We were all sorry to see Steve leave us, especially as he received the John Dewey Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching. We wish him well at Central Community College. Mary brings some strong research background to us, having served the last two years as a staff member of the Southern States Research Consortium. Bob Walsh had an offer from Midwestern University which he said was just too good pass by, and he also has our best wishes. We have not replaced Bee Murphy, who left us at the end of Fall Semester, but I am pleased to report that the Provost has approved our request to rewrite that position description to reflect a greater research emphasis. We will begin our search this term. We have been able to add three graduate assistantships this year. They will assume responsibility for the undergraduate service courses which Bee and Steve taught last year. Marge and I hope that you and your significant other (to use what seems to be the new all inclusive term) join us for cocktails next Saturday evening. Say eightish, which allows those of you with children plenty of time for family responsibilities.

***
SOUTHERN STATE COLLEGE

September 1, l988

Welcome to another productive and satisfying year. We are pleased to share faculty changes which were firmed up during the summer. Mary Slovack learned in July that her research proposal is funded. This frees her from teaching, and also provides support for three additional graduate teaching assistants. We were fortunate to persuade Herman Ochwald to accept the newly created position of Director of Undergraduate Instruction. All teaching assistants have been assigned to Herm, and he assures me that by the end of Winter term nearly all faculty with outside funding will be relieved of undergraduate courses. Norman Billings and Sally Reily received a favorable preliminary review of their graduate training grant proposal, and should have final word by December. My office has organized a set of research and training RFPs and grant announcements for the year, and you are welcome to review them. I especially urge our younger colleagues to see what might correlate with their research interests. A reminder that the new promotion and tenure procedures go into effect this year. Two of us are being considered for associate professor with tenure, and three associate professors are being reveiwed for full professorships. Professor Thelma Romack is coordinating our internal promotion and tenure review procedure, and she has asked that I remind those being considered to have complete resumes, names of referees, and copies of all major publications to her by October 15.It seems only fair for me to remind us that the new procedures have adjusted the criteria for promotion and tenure, and consequently some who are technically eligible with regard to years of servic in rank, may not, in the judgement of their departmental colleagues, have cases which are sufficiently strong enough to put forward. For example, the President’s Office has let it be known that with the possible rare exception, text books will no longer meet the scholarly contribution criterion. Thelma has served on the University Promotion committee for several years, and I encourage you to seek her wise and informed counsel.

Finally, Marge and I invite you and your spouse to a dessert this Sunday afternoon between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m. RSVP Regrets only.

***
SOUTHERN STATE COLLEGE

September 1, 1989

I hope you all enjoyed your much deserved summer vacations.New faculty members joining us this year are:Werner Brownstein, Ph.D. Professor
Norman Lockman, Ph.D. Professor
Elizabeth Rockwell, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Robert Welbert, Ph.D. Associate Professor
E.H. Bellview, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Margaret Heilbrun, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Millard Millman, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Martin Stickles, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Neeman Trock, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Esther Wilson, Ph.D. Assistant ProfessorRockwell and Welbert are part of Brownstein’s grant which he brought with him from Cornell. Welbert, Bellview, Millman, Stickles, and Wilson are members of the Agnew Research Institute which Norman Lockman brings with him from the recently dismantled Southern States Research Consortium. Mary Slovack will be associate director of the Institute. By the way, congratulations to Mary and Norman on their recent engagement. Our total grants now exceed $39,500,400, with another $7,890,000 submitted. I have asked Mary Slovak and Werner Brownstein to represent us on the President’s University Conversion Committee. There will be a faculty lunch this Friday at the Oak Tree. Cost is $9.50, including tip.

***

September 1, 1990

To: Faculty

From: Office of the Dean

There will be a dinner for Principal Investigators, and their spouses (partners) at the Agnew Center next Saturday evening. (RSVP Ms Rogers, regrets only.)Marge sent a note saying that Bill is recovering nicely from his heart attack and that they are enjoying their early retirement at Lapping Waters.

Mary Slovak
Dean