Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Jan. 8, 2015, edition 1 / Page 9
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OP/ED . . Ernest H. Pitt Publisher/Co-Founder c\ebra/v ? /f/V**. T. Kevin Walker Managing Editor ( " I Donna Rogers CopyEditor 1 <2 Wear# < j? elaine Pitt Business Manager I <r/>ity V* Blair Hutchinson office Manager v~aa i-TOiawffil "ToOMEWE I n=j Criticisms Unfounded Sylvia Flack Guest Columnist (I feel) compelled to speak out about the value and the strengths of Winston-Salem State University. This article rep resents only my views and not those of the university or any segment of the uni versity. Lately, many distor tions have been published about the institution. It is very damaging when . unverified negative infor mation is released in a pub lic medium. Sharing my views is an effort to coun teract the negative press. I am both a graduate and a supporting alumnus with 25 years as an employee resulting in documented positive impacts on WSSU. My experience from having served WSSU as an associ ate dean of nursing, dean of the School of Health Sciences, special assistant to Dr. Harold Martin and currently as executive director of the Center of Excellence for the Elimination of Health Disparities empowers me to speak about the universi ty. My involvement within the community also adds credibility to what I am compelled to say. The criticism of low expectations, low student quality, faculty and student * low performance, lack of faculty engagement, out dated curricula and lack of quality improvement is not what I have experienced nor witnessed. There is always needed improve ment at any university and that is why Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and academic program accrediting bodies require institutional assessment and evaluation. In several reports, it has been stated that WSSU has not changed its curriculum in 50 years and that WSSU is lacking in liberal arts edu cation. Informed academic leaders know that universi ties would not remain accredited by SACSCOC or academic accrediting bodies unless the curricula reflect currency and rele vancy. WSSU has received in prior years some of the most coveted accredita tions, including AACSB International for the School of Business and the School of Education NCATE. ll is very easy 10 oianic the students, faculty and staff for concerns and issues within the university. On Dec. 19, 2014, the (Winston-Salem) Journal published an article listing student allegations about WSSU faculty in the areas of advising, class manage ment, teaching methodolo gy and requirements for outside classroom activi ties. The Journal repotted. that students allegedly complained that faculty members have poor atten dance at faculty meetings, committees and department meetings and participation in university activities. If the faculty is apathet ic as described in the arti cle, the question becomes why. What happened to transform an excited, enthusiastic and outcome achieving faculty? What will end these so called fac ulty issues? Is the answer to this question to act on hearsay or unverified data or is the answer to try fair ness, transparency, shared academic decision making, truth, clarity of policies and providing resources? Should the faculty be pro vided opportunities to develop skills in working with the students who enter WSSU? Is the faculty informed when changes are made in the Faculty Handbook? The belief that WSSU did not have a history of engaging in liberal educa tion before 2007 is hard to accept. As early as the 1960s, documents show that liberal arts were inte grated into the curriculum. The faculty engaged in integrating student learning outcomes and curricular themes such as multicultur al/global perspectives beginning in 1994 under then Chancellor Cleon F. Thompson and continued under the tenure of Chancellor Harold Martin from 2000 - 2006. These outcomes, initially referred to as abilities, are docu mented in WSSU catalogs published 1995-2010. Faculty and student research has always been a priority at the institution. The life science and social science faculty received many grants and collabora tions and used them to mentor large numbers of undergraduate students in research. Dr. Wilveria Atkinson from the 1970 to 1999 promoted integration of research into the curricu lum and teaching method ology. The WSSU Center of Excellence for the Elimination of Health Disparities and the Center for Community Safety have documented evidence that both junior faculty and stu dents have been heavily involved in real-life train ing in the community. In fact, the only new thing about liberal arts at WSSU currently is the creation of the Department of Liberal Studies and moving an existing program into that department. Also new is the requirement of 60 hours of general education courses focusing on learning out comes, instead of the 45. According to an inter view in the (WSSU) News Argus, the merger of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business and Economics and Education and Human Performance came about so that the students in business and education would get more liberal arts courses. Any major changes to the c utricular and degree pro grams in education and business should be at the discretion of the faculty and influenced by the stan dards of their respected accrediting body, not because of the need to pro mote liberal arts. Like the programs in health sci ences, professional pro grams in education and business and economics began an intentional process to integrate student learning outcomes such as critical and analytic think ing into their curriculum in beginning in 1990s and continue that process. One criticism promoted in the recent years is WSSU admits "poor quali ty students." What a nega tive characterization of stu dents! This theory is refut ed with a review of the data for applications, accept ance and enrollment of freshmen in the last several years. 1 noted that a large number of freshmen apply each year and a large num ber of those meeting both WSSU and the UNC crite ria are accepted. Lately, however, only a very small percentage of these accept ed freshmen enrolled for classes. The WSSU Fact Book shows in Fall 2013, 4,194 freshmen applied and 63 percent were accepted, but only 27 percent enrolled. If the students who enroll meet the increased enrollment crite ria, why are they being called poor quality stu dents? The numbers of fresh men that are admitted, as well as (total) enrollment, has been steadily declining since 2008. In 2008, the enrollment was 6,442. From that point, there has been a steady decline to fall 2014, which shows an enrollment of 5,220. Institutional Assessment & Research has received questions from UNC General Administration about the 25 percent decrease in enrollment. These are serious adminis trative problems not nor mally discussed that result in reduced state appropria tions. Prospective students and their parents pay close attention to what is being said about their future uni versity. Have the under graduate and graduate enrollment goals been derailed by the characteri zation of "poor quality stu dents?" As someone who knows the significance of WSSU to the community and the students served, our direction must 'now focus on assisting our students in achieving their educational goals. This is important not only for our students, but also for the future of our county and nation. Dr. Sylvia Flack heads the Center of Excellence for the Elimination pf Health Disparities at Winston-Salem State University. WSSU and SciWorks partner SPECIAL TQ THE CHRONICLE Winston-Salem State University and SciWorks will begin working togeth er to improve science edu cation for the university's students and increase access to science education for students in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System. SciWorks is a local sci ence-themed agency that offers innovative, educa tional, and recreational experiences via interactive programs and exhibits, col lections, and an environ mental park. Through a memoran dum of undei standing scheduled to be signed Monday, Jan. 5, the two institutions will explore cooperative, collaborative and creative ways to expand teach ing, research and service through both organizations. "This col lab or a t i v e effort will include a wide range ot opportunities such as working with the SciWorks staff to explore informal STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educa tion as a fundament part of science education for those WSSU graduates who will be teaching at the elemen tary and middle school level," said Dr. Corey D. B. Walker, dean of WSSU's College of Arts, Science, Business and Education. "We also will work togeth er to improve access to both formal and informal science education for stu dents in our local crhnnl eucfpm uviivvi Jj avvmmm through joint pro gramming." Beyond these immediate efforts, SciWorks intends to become, a demonstration laboratory for the Department of Education at WSSU which u/nnlH allnw nrn fessors and students to con duct research and test ideas with visitors to the center. The agreement would also support WSSU faculty's ability to share research with a wider public through exhibits, program ming and communication through SciWorks. "The role of a science center is not only to engage with students and encour age them to explore and innovate, but to do the same with teachers and potential teachers in our community to deepen their knowledge of science and infnrmalVQTPM fHliffl tion," says Dr. Paul Kortenaar, SciWorks' exec utive directbr. "With Sciworks and WSSU work ing together to improve access to science in both the formal and informal settings, and research and implement new pedagogies and techniques for dealing with technology in the classroom and the science center, both institutions will benefit from this excit ing collaboration ? as will visitors to SciWorks, stu dents in the Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools and the Winston Salem/Forsyth County community at large." Sci worts Photo SciWorks is located at 400 W Hanes Mill Rd. Walker Chavis from page A4 owned newspapers as it marks its 75th anniversary this year - but only if certain strategies are put in place. First, he said, the Black press must focus on a stronger economic foundation by generating more revenue. African Americans spend $1.2 trillion a year, he said, noting that black newspapers must mitVi tka klanlr nkiirr*k pcuui&l VYIUI U1V U1UVIV VI11UVII, black banks, black colleges and black organizations to network and support the black press. This strategy would require much unity* Chavis says. "This is beyond connecting the dots. The dots have to con verge?There's too much disuni ty in our community. And I'm not iust talking about organiza tional disunity. I'm talking about disunitv even amone the so called peisonalities ... In my long career in civil rights I've seen what happens when leadership goes in divergent paths...To me, it's a disservice to our community to allow personality conflicts to?get in the way." Secondly, White-owned businesses must be made to understand the value of supporting Black newspapers as business es and as a sustainable institution, the same as the broadcast media, Chavis says. Finally, Chavis said, Black newspapers must take full advantage of the digital uni verse. "Technology, particularly digital tech nology can be a great equalizer. Some peo ple think the digital will supplant the print. I don't. To me, the digital will make more valuable the print press because every day it's about the content. We have the content, but we have not aggregated the content," he said. Denise Rolark Barnes, who has been publisher of the Informer for 20 years, suc ceeded her now late father, Dr. Calvin Rolark, a prominent D.C. businessman and Black leader. Barnes recalls hovflhe black press has led America's media when it comes to many of the issues that hava now emerged as headline nCws for White-owned media, such as police brutality, economic jus tice and voting rights. liic iiiuic y\ju uu 11., uiv more stories you realize need to l . . i j ^i__ i: oe 101a; me mure yuu realize that our community, our Black history every day is .being thrown away," says' Barnes, in an exhibit hall showing historic front pages and photos from the Informer. "I've learned that history does repeat itself and is repeating itself.'" The Informer's celebration drew hun dreds of people to Carnegie Library in downtown Washington, D.C. Other special guests included radio personality Joe Madison. Barnes NCCU fiim page A4 Technical Community College for their support during his own undergradu ate years. He credited his NCCU physics professor. Dr. Kinny Ken, for instill ing in him a passion for physics research. While at NCCU, Cisse pursued experiments involving the packing den sity of various shapes using objects he had on hand, an approach he dubbed "Eagle ingenuity." By coating his "favorite candy," M&Ms, with household paint, Cisse generated new findings that earned academic awards, including a chance to study physics in Paris. He went on to earn a doctorate in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Referencing recent protests over killings by police of unarmed black men, including the choke hold death of Eric Gamer in Staten Island, he said: "It is my belief that if one of us can't breathe, none of us Can breathe." "Black lives matter - of course, all lives matter. Period. Regardless of a per son's social or community standing," he told the audi ence. Saunders-White con cluded the ceremonies by saying, "Graduates, as you prepare to take on the chal lenges of your new or bios Melissa Culbreth soming career, I urge you to remember that your voices and your actions are some of the most powerful means by which you can create positive change." NCCU PtxMos Dr. Ibrahim Cisse Dr. L'Tanya Joy Bailey 6425 Old Plank Road Suite 108 High Point, NC 27265 Tel: 336 886 7000 Pax: 336 886 7002 Email: info0drballafortho.com L'Tanya Joy Bailey i dos. ns,ku MACTICf LIMITf 0 TO OOTMOOOMTICS and suffered internal bleeding, hemorrhaging, required hospitalization or a loved one died while taking Xarelto between 2011 and the present time, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Attorney Charles H. Johnson 140M3M717
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