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The Blue Banner
"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't." -- Erica Jong
Volume 22, Number 9
The University of North Carolina Asheville
Thurs., Nov. 4, 1993
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Chancellor search committee forums have poor attendance
Tori SmRh
Staff Writer
Members of the chancellor search comniittee faced many empty seats this
week at special forums scheduled to allow the campus community to discuss
the Qualifications for the next chancellor. Only one student attended any of the
three sessions specifically scheduled for student comment There were no
more than a dozen present at each of the meetings held for faculty and staff.
I want to assure you that the small number here today docs not reflect a lack
of interest on the part of the faculty,” Cathy Mitchell, associate professor of
mass ccHnmunication, told committee members.
The forums are one of several ways we are trying to get information about
what the UNCA community and the public want in the next chancellor,” said
James Banks, chair of the committee. “Search committee members also are
gathering information from colleagues and from letters sent to the committee’s
office.
The last chancellor search ended with “several weeks of faculty discontent”
and the passing of a faculty resolution calling on President Spangler to extend
the search beyond the three final candidates,” according to 1991 reports in The
Blue Banner.
Several faculty members made suggestions for avoiding a similar outcome
during this search process.
I “I believe it is crucial to have greater openness or at least a perception of
q»nness between the search committee and faculty and staff,” said Merritt
Moseley, professor of literature. “The almost Manhattan Project-like secrecy
of the last search prepared us for difficulties. We not only want to choose the
right person, but have an atmosphere of acceptance of that person.”
Mitchell agreed with Moseley that there was a need for the faculty to be
unified. “Release a Ust of criteria for the qualifications for the new chancellor,”
said Mitchell. “Then if there is going to be a debate, it can be done early.”
Banks also served on the last search committee and is familiar with the
problems that occurred.
“The committee will be as open as possible,” said Banks. “We have ethical
and legal requirements to keep the names of candidates confidential.”
Banks said the criteria will be released. He expects it to be ready around Dec.
1.
“I am confident that the conmiittee will do the best job they can to find two
or three good candidates for chancellcM',” said Banks. “The end decision is that
of the president and the board of governors.”
Banks asked faculty members if they would feel comfortable making a
nomination if they had a particular person in mind.
“I’m not sure anyone feels uncomfortable, but I’m not sure anyone feels
encouraged to nominate a candidate,” said Moseley. “If nominations are
welcome, I believe it should be encouraged in a very strong way.”
“A lot of the problem the last time was that we weren’t unified about what
UNCA should be,” said Mitchell. “Now we are unified.”
Committee members asked those who attended the sessions if they believed
one of the necessary qualifications for the next chancellor was the abiUty to
raise additional funds for the university.
“I think that is important and an issue that needs to be addressed,” said Alan
Hantz, professor of mass communication. “Our path has been found for us and,
by golly, we are on it. Now we need someone who can help us pay for it.”
“We need a fund-raiser desperately,” said Mitchell.
“It is difficult to imagine what the image [of UNCA] will be in a couple of
years if we don’t raise money,” said Hantz. “We can only run on empty for so
long.”
“Fund raising is an important criteria,” said Jesse Ray, committee member.
“The federal government is providing less and less fiinds and the state is unable
to provide funds at the same rate of the growth of education.”
“This makes it important for the university to be able to generate unrestricted
funds,” said Ray.
Committee members also asked if it was necessary for the next chancellor to
come from “the academic world”.
“I believe the individual must be very familiar with a college campus,” said
Tom Cochran, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. “It would be
difficult for scmeone who comes out of some other sector to understand the
university culture. I believe the person needs to be in at least one of the top two
positions at a university.”
Moseley said he believes it is critical that the next chancellor come from an
academic background.
“If the person came from a non-academic background. I’m not sure they could
relate well to the loudest group on campus, the faculty,” said Moseley. “The
chancellor is usually given a faculty appointment, so in my mind they would
have to have the qualifications to be a professor.”
‘There will be no trade-offs,” said JulienneWinner, committee member.
‘The person has to be good with both internal and external communities.”
Career fair attracts hundreds of students
Suzanne Edney
Staff Writer
Staff Photo By Ryan Jor>es
The chancellor search committee faced an empty room at its forums designed to receive student input
I about qualifications for UNCA's next chancellor.
Over 300 students attended UNCA’s
career fair on Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. to 1
p.m. Representatives from 41
companies and graduate sctKx>ls came.
“We’ve had maybe a couple dozen
folks stop by. Of those people, maybe
half of them are genuinely interested in
what we have to offer,” said Lieutenant
Dave Wood, of the United States Navy.
“This was a lot better than some I’ve
been to here,” said Richard Weaver, a
stockbroker representing FN Wolf &
Co., Inc. Weaver is an alumni of UNCA.
This is the first year Dale Wachowiak,
director of the Career Center, has
organized a career fair at UNCA.
“I was very pleased. I thought there
was really good attendance by the
employers, and I thought student
participation was great,” said
Wachowiak.
He chose the participants from a list
of employers on a disc UNCA
purchased.
“There is a southeastern list of
employers that you can purchase on
disc, thousands of them. You take the
disc that lists all the employers in the
southeast and you gradually reduce it
down to ones that look relevant to you
and look hke they might be a good
prospect for coming here,” he said.
Wachowiak said he considered the
various majors at UNCA when he made
the list of 500 participants.
“A lot of them don’t do this sort of
thing. They don’t hire this way. It’s
just not their operating procedure to
do that on campus,” he said.
Wachowiak said he thought the
representatives were pleased with the
student response. He said several of
the representatives said they saw some
good prospects.
“We have a lot of opportunities for
folks and we’ re growing. We have two
new buildings coming open in the
sununer and with that growth we will
probably need some graduates from
UNCA and other areas,” said Kevin
Grant, personnel services
representative of Memorial Mission
Medical Center.
“We saw a few good people. What
would help more is if they’d brought
resumes, all the students,”Weaver said.
Wachowiak said he had suggested in
the postcards he sent senior and juniors
to bring resumes.
“Companies don’t view it [ tlje career
fair] asatimetliey’reinterviewingfor
jobs. Typically, it’s an information
kind of event to most companies in
which they’re going to give
information about the company,” he
said.
Wachowiak said tfie career fair served
anotherpuipose. “I also think there’s a
benefit to students of having to practice
the skills of walking up to a recruiter
and to an employer and talking to them
and trying to market themselves a little
bit and to ask the appropriate
questions.”
Western Carolina University,
Appalachian Slate University, Mars
Hill, and UNCA all have their career
fair the same week.
“I think it’s fairly deliberate to pick a
week in which Western North Carolina
is pretty attractive in terms of leaf
season so that it would be an appealing
place for recruiters to come at this time
of the year,” Wachowiak said.
He thought one of tiie problems with
the career fair was that space was tight
for representatives with large displays.
Lth
Inside
Opinions 2
Health care
S.E. Peake
Perspectives 3
Student questions group
Christian music
Features 4
Beanstreets review
Book review
Sports 5
Cross country places high
Volleyball victory
Comics 6
Wild Kingdom
The Far Side
Announcements 7
Job opportunities
Events
Weather Report
The weekend forecast
calls for cloudy skies on
Friday with a high of 58
and a low of 40. Saturday
will be chilly with a high of
46 and a low of 26.
Weather Report courtesy of the Nallonal
Weather Service
Unca Atmospherte Science Department
offers uplated forecasts through the 24 hour
Weatherilr>e...251-6435
North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement
to help develop Health Adventure program
Lynne Delk
Staff Writer
UNCA’s North Carolina Center for Creative
Retirement (NCCCR) will provide local scientists
for a science education and family literacy program
to be developed by The Healtii Adventure over the
next five years.
The center will use its cranputerized data base with
over 700 names to recruit local, retired biomedical
scientists living in the area to help develop the
project
“There are about 120 retired scientists, with one
kind of science background or other, living in the
Asheville area,” said Ronald J. Manheimer, director
of NCCCR.
The NCCCR will match these scientists to specific
areas of need in The Health Adventure’s developnent
of two new programs for Western North Carolina.
The Health Adventure, ahealth and related sciences
educational center, received a grant from the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute to increase science
education for families in Western North Carolma.
The program will have two parts.
“Discovery Saturdays” will consist of a curriculum
of science topics presented in two-hour programs on
Saturday mornings.
NCCCR members will present classes on subjects
like light and color, nutrition and energy, and
conservation and nature.
The program will encourage parent participation in
these sessions.
“There’s a big push in education to involve Uie
whole family,” Manheimer said.
Just the parents being there will help reinforce the
learning process, he said.
The “Traveling Trunks” program will bring a similar
opportunity to children and parents living in rural
areas, who are less likely to come into The Health
Adventure, said Manheuner.
NCCCR members will travel to schools, child care
centers, community centers, and churches to present
hands-on science demonstrations to children and their
families.
In rural areas there are fewer opportunities for students
to work with science equipment that is only available
in larger schools, Manheimer said.
Children and parents will be able to participate in
biomedical science activities through this “suitcase
science” program, said Joan Myers, of The Health
Adventure.
“Both programs are designed to help parents feel
empowered in tiie education of their children,” said
Myers.
NCCCR will participate in the two programs as part
of its Seniors in the Schools program which is only one
of eight existing [x^ograms that make up tlie center.
“NCCCR is a response to the question, ‘What are
retired people supposed to do?” Manheimer said.
The North Carolina General Assembly established
the center in 1987 as the state t>ecame more and more
popular as a place to retire.
The center is one of the largest of its kind.
“Ours is probably the most ambitious and elaborate in
the country,” Manheimer said.
One of NCCCR’s programs is College for Seniors
(CFS) where members teach courses, attend classes,
and design curricula as part of their goal of life-long
learning.
There are about 473 members of NCCCR enrolled in
classes this semester.
“CFS is a pure learning and teaching program,” said
Manheimer.
“Basically the seniors run their own program,” he
said.
CFS runs two, 8-week semesters in the fall and
spring, and one, 4-week semester in the winter.
NCCCR programs include leadership Asheville
Seniors, Senior Academy for Intergenerational
Learning, Senior Wellness Program, Research Institute,
Retirement Harming Program, and Outreach Programs.
Staff Photo By Uat Ray
The UNCA Career Center sponsored a career fair on Oct. 29.
Over 300 students attended the fair in which 41 employers and
graduate schools were represented.