OntheQeuni9i€S
Dr. Gowler named assistant dean of college
Dr. David Gowler, assistant professor of religion and philosophy,
has been appointed assistant academic dean of Chowan College,
according to a joint announcement earlier this month by Dr.
Herman E. Collier, Jr., interim president, and Dr. B. Franklin Lowe, Jr.,
vice president for academic affairs.
In his new position, Dr. Gowler’s principal focus will be that of leading
and enabling all aspects of curriculum develop
ment and will be responsible for the oversight,
planning and structuring of the academic
program.
Dr. Lowe noted that Chowan is preparing for
an institutional self-study, required for reaffir
mation of accreditation by the Southern Asso
ciation of Colleges and Schools, during which
time all aspects of curricula development will be
addressed.
“It is timely and essential that we have able
and suong leadership for this undertaking,” he
said, “and we are indeed fortunate to have
someone with the abilities, interests and
commitment of Dr. Gowler to fill this very
important position.”
President Collier said that as assistant dean
of the college Gowler will report directly to the
vice president for academic affairs. In addition
to serving as the institutional resource person
for program development, he will plan, direct,
coordinate and supervise all academic program
studies. Collier stated.
A member of Chowan’s Strategic Planning
Council, Dr. Gowler will also chair the Curricu
lum Committee of the faculty.
A native of Illinois, Gowler received his
undergraduate degree in religious studies at the
University of Illinois. He earned both his master of divinity and doctoral
degrees at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of Louisville, KY.
He completed additional study at Cambridge University in Cambridge
England and also at Yale University’s NEH Summer Seminar: “The
DR. DAVID GOWLER
Assistant Academic Dean
Sacred, Secular and Profane: Bible and Literature in Bakhtinian Perspec
tive.”
Gowler was a Garrett Teaching Fellow, research assistant and instruc
tor of New Testament at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to
joining the faculty at Chowan, he was an assistant professor of religion at
Berry College in Rome, GA.
In addition to his teaching and student
advising responsibilities, he developed and
directed “Thinking and Writing Across the
Curriculum,” a cross-disciplinary program for
the college.
The new dean has authored a number of
articles for prestigious publications and has
edited and reviewed many books and texts. He
was the author of Host, Guest, Enemy and
Friend: Portraits of the Pharisees in Luke and
Acts for which he was nominated as a finalist
for the “1991 Awards for Excellence in Reli
gious Studies,” by the American Academic of
Religion. He is completing What Are They
Saying About the Parables?\hM will be com
pleted this fall.
Gowler has presented a number of papers at
scholarly meetings throughout the United Slates
as well as in Australia, Scotland and Norway
and has reviewed many books by various
authors. He serves as associate editor and a
member of the advisory board of Emory Studies
in Early Christianity.
A member of many professional organizations,
Gowler was included in the 1993 edition of
Who’s Who in Biblical Studies and Archaeol
ogy, and the 1994 issue of Who’s Who Among
American Teachers.
Gowler was the faculty representative to the
Chowan Board of Trustees, 1993-96, and is currently serving on the
presidential search committee and the steering committee for the college’s
self study for re-affirmation of accreditation.
To be
responsible
for
curriculum
development
Chowan seeks leadership role in computer technology
Chowan College continues to take “giant
steps forward” as a leader in educational
technology with the installation of a
campuswide computer network that will open
new worlds of information and opportunities for
students and faculty.
The Long Range Technology Plan, adopted
by the Baptist coeducational senior college,
focuses on global issues and addresses the goals
of the college that are applicable to every
educational institution. Work is well underway
to provide advanced technological insu^ction
that will make Chowan a leader among the
thousands of colleges recruiting top high school
students and seeking outstanding and noted
professors and instructors.
“It is imperative that Chowan continue its
development as a strong and distinctively
competitive baccalaureate institution,” said Dr.
B. Franklin Lowe, Jr., vice president for
academic affairs, “and we must stay abreast
with technological advancements that are
occurring so very rapidly in our society.”
Chowan’s technology plan is designed to
ensure that completion requirements in all
curricula include the use of computers and that
students will be equipped with requisite skills
and U-aining for employment in today’s market
place.
The campus network will comprise subnets
to serve the administfative operations of the
college, the faculty and students. Future access
will extend to individual residence hall rooms
to give students access to Whitaker Library as
well as worldwide resources available through
Internet.
The technological emphasis and computer
network will allow “students, faculty and staff
to have access to worldwide information that
only major urban universities and colleges have
been able to provide in the past,” Lowe contin
ued.
Installation of the campuswide fiber optic
network backbone, that will have the capacity to
meet computer needs well into the 21st century,
is scheduled to be completed by late spring.
Peter Squire, director of development for
information technology, said that “parts of the
network will necessarily change as technology
advances, but we will add new hardware and
software versions as they become available.”
Squire noted that the new network is “a
switched Ethernet technology that is the newest
technology available and will last well into the
next century.”
The administrative and faculty networks will
allow the accessing of information in areas such
as student records, financial aid, housing,
accounting, fiind-raising, alumni services and
special events. The various academic depart
ments of the college are making plans to utilize
the networks according to their respective
needs.
The Texie Camp Marks Computer Center,
established in 1992, is the primary computing
center for the college. Currently more than 50
computers with fast Pentium processors and
Apple Macintosh units are connected to the
local area network to provide a mixture of
workstations.
“The network operating system is Novell
Netware running dual protocols—IPX and TCP/
IP—and a Cisco router and 56K leased line
provides Internet access to the campus commu
nity,” Squire added.
Chowan’s leadership in educational technol
ogy includes plans to integrate current computer
and network use into campus programs.
“By sharing our expertise,” said Dr. Andrea
Eason, director of information technology, “we
can help this region of our state utilize new
technologies and prepare students for successful
employment and service in the increasingly
technical marketplace.”
Eason noted that Chowan plans to make
networked classrooms and laboratories available
to area secondary schools and share information
resources and technical support. Educational
technology meetings, demonstrations and
seminars in the continuing education program
will be held on the campus.
Several students
are shown working
on computers
recently installed
for instructional
purposes and
connected to
a local network.
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CHOWAN TODAY, March 1996 — PAGE 3