Doors Open Wider
At Chowan College
By DR. BRUCE E. WHITAKER
Chowan College, now in its 118th year, is going through a period of
consolidation and maturation. We have the largest enrollment in our his
tory with a total of 1,234. This is compared with 1,179 at this time last year.
Our emphasis is not upon increased numbers of students, although we could
have accepted many, many more. This is based on the fact that we had
more than two and one-half applications for each on-campus bed for the
Dr. Bruce E. Whitaker
current academic year.
With our facilities completely fil
led, some over used and over filled,
we are concerned with providing the
very best possible academic program
and facilities for our student body.
This means that we are trying to
look at the present with a critical
eye to the end that we will render
every possible benefit for those who
study here. For example, we are
currently evaluating our purpwse, our
academic and extra-curricula offer
ings and programs, our financial re
sources and our opportunities for an
enriched and more meaningful ser
vice. This is being done as a part of
our self-study under the direction of
the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools, our accrediting agency
This study comes about every ten
years. This means that we are maj
oring on matters of great depth and
importance.
We are also looking toward the
future. Attention has been given to
the status of Chowan College cov
ering a period of many, many years
to come. This has been accom
plished by a Long-Range Planning
Committee which gave attention
and consideration to these matters
over a period of more than two
years. This committee, authorized
by the Board of Trustees, was made
up of alumni, faculty, staff and
members of the Board of Trustees.
With the help of a skilled and ex
perienced landscape architect, a
Long-Range Master Plan has now
been devised and subsequently
adopted by the Board of Trustees.
We now know what additional facili
ties we will need, whether academic
or auxiliary enterprise, and at what
stage of students enrollment these
will be provided. This covers a
span of approximately 15-20 years.
All of these efforts are designed to
help us and our friends to demon
strate and realize the admonition,
“know thyself.”
On September 10, 1966, we held
our First Annual Planning Confer
ence on the campus. Attended by
well over 200 outstanding men and
women, the group ivas made up of
friends of the college, members of
the Board of Trustees, members
of the newly-formed Board of
Advisors, students, alumni, faculty,
and administrative staff.
Each participant now has in hand
a copy of the report from the First
Annual Planning Conference. This re
port is most helpful. By design and
purpose, this Conference and the
aforementioned efforts will help us
to “come of age” at a crucial time.
This is true as regards the life of
Chowan and as regards the fact that
there are many changes in higher
education and on the national scene.
We know, for instance, that higher
education is going through a period
of great growth and popularization.
Colleges Face Dangers
Dr. Patillo of the Danforth Found
ation, has indicated that colleges and
universities are in dcinger of losing
something in the way of dignity. He
says, “With the praise-worthy em
phasis these days on legal rights, on
social equality, and on stripping
away hypocrisy—all good things in
themselves—we tend to neglect other
values—decorum, propriety, taste,
good manners, prudence. (Indeed,
these words have come to have an
unpleasant connotation in many quar
ters.)” He continues, “Our colleges
are not alone in this. It is a char
acteristic of contemporary culture.
We see it in advertising, in politics,
in public entertainment, and in the
literary world. The liberal arts col
lege should be one of the primary
agencies for defining sound standards
of taste and manners—for preserving
what Sir Ernest Baker has called
“the tradition of civility!”
In the midst of these changes and
developments, it is obvious that
higher education is of greater pub
lic interest and concern than ever
before. It is my contention that the
Chowan College Family and friends
must be careful to keep a certain
identity and perspective during
these demanding and changing
times.
Another step must be taken and
the door opened wider in Chowan’s
program of service. In order to meet
the needs of our present student body,
we know that we must have a new
library-fine arts center. This facility
will cost a minimum of $800,000.00,
equipped. It is our intention to break
ground for this building by the first
of the year. Elsewhere in this issue
of The Chowanian you will find addi
tional information about our immedi
ate efforts to secure at least a por
tion of the necessary funds for the
purpose of constructing this critically
needed new facility. This center will
be located between the new cafeteria-
students union building and the
Graphic Arts building.
Trustees Adopt Program
Participants in the Planning Con
ference studied the needs of the col
lege and made recommendations
concerning goals toward meeting the
costs of the new library-fine arts
center. Subsequently, the Board of
Trustees, on September 26, adopted
a Phase I Development Program
goal of $500,000.00 which we hope and
expect to reach by the end of the
year. It can and will be done with
the cooperation, work and giving of
our alumni and many friends. Then,
once we have demonstrated our “in
tention to help ourselves,” we will
be in a position to go outside the
immediate area to business concerns
and foundations inviting them to con
sider opportunities for an investment
in youth through Chowan.
Chotoan alumni are being asked
to participate in this first phase of
our goal of $5,500,000.00 by 1973,
the year we mil celebrate our 125th
anniversary. I am certain that we
can count on our alumni to partici
pate. Quite frankly, we must.
We are very well pleased with the
development and organization, by au
thorization of the Board of Trustees,
of our new Board of Advisors. To
date, it is made up of 22 outstanding
businessmen, professional leaders
and friends of the college. Elsewhere
you will read more about this signi
ficant innovation. The Board of Ad
visors met on the campus, Thursday,
November 3rd.
Proud of Alumni
We are also very proud of our
alumni. They, more than anything
else, bear witness to the program
and service of this college. We have
tried to point this up in our new 16
mm. film, “Born to Serve”. We are
fortunate to have good alumni leader
ship, as well, in the person of our
Alumni President, John Roger Grif
fin, Director of News and Public
Affairs at WTAR-TV in Norfolk, Vir
ginia.
Alumni can help in many ways.
For instance, you know of indivi
duals who could very voell be in
terested in making an investment
in youth through Chowan College.
You may know a student with the
motivation and ability who would
do well on our campus. This is the
type that we should and ivant to
serve here. Encourage them to
make application by November of
their senior year in high school. If
you would like a current catalog
to assist you in talking with pro
spective students, uxrite the Direc
tor of Admissions, Mr. E. Frank
Stephenson, Jr., (a Chowan grad
uate) and request one.
On May 15, Mrs. Whitaker and I
entered into our 10th year of service
to this beloved institution of Chris
tian higher education. These have
been the happiest and most fruitful
years of our lives. I rededicate my
self, along with the faculty and staff,
in an effort to provide a program at
this college which is both academi
cally and spiritually challenging, and
to those Christian principles out of
which this “school of high order” had
its inception and has flourished
through these many years.
It is my hope and expectation
that this institution will continue to
merit the devotion and support of
its many friends as it seeks to be
of increasingly greater importance
and benefit to all mankind and the
Kingdom Enterprise. I am thank
ful for the privilege that I have
here.
Pray for and support financially
your alma mater. If we can provide
information or otherwise help you
to render a contribution to your alma
mater, contact me or the appropriate
individual at the college.
For November, 1966
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