North Carolina Newspapers

THE COMPASS U. S. Poatafle Non-Profit OrgMusattM Elizabeth City, N.C. VOLUME 32 ELIZABETH CITY, N. C FEBRUARY 4. 1971 NUMBER 2 Gulf Oil Foundation Grant Presentation. L to R: Mr. J. F. Threatt, Mrs, M. Andrews, Dr. M. D Thorpe and Mr. W. F. Ingram. EC SI: receives Gulf Oil Fo undation Grant The Special Programs area of Elizabeth City State University has re ceived a $3,000 Depart mental Assistance Grant from Gulf Oil Foundation. School officials said the grant will be used to ‘provide stipends or tui tion for a group of spe cial services disadvan taged students." The purpose of Depart mental Assistance grants is to further special pro jects proposed by select ed departments in col leges and universities. Together with other sec tions of its educational assistance program. Gulf will distribute more than $3 million in awards to students and institutions of higher education this year. The funds will pro vide for undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, employee Additional Federal Fund President Marion D. Thorpe announced that Elizabeth City State Uni versity has now received a $77,000 supplementary grant under die federal government’s Title III Program. Having earlier received $150,000 under the College Work-Study Program, this is the sec ond major federal grant to be received by ECSU, thus far this year. The supplementary federal funds came about as a result of intensive work on the part of ECSU. It is part of the $30,000, 000 package which Pres ident Richard M. Nixon made available as a re sult of the vigorous ef forts by the National As sociation for Equal Op portunity in Higher Edu cation. Dr. Thorpe is chairman of the Associa tion’s research and pub lication committee. Dr. Thorpe indicated gift matching, capital grants and other educa- (Continued on page 2) tional purposes. The check was present ed to President Marion D. Thorpe and Mrs. Max ine Andrews (proposal initiator), by Mr. J. F. Threatt, Sales Supervis or of the Gulf Oil Com pany. Accompanying Mr. Threatt, during the pre sentation, was Mr. W. F. Ingram, former mayor of Elizabeth City, N.C.,and now a local distributor. According to Dr. Thorpe, this grant, the second consecutive to be awarded by Gulf Oil Foun dation, represents a sig nificant increase infund ing by the Foundation. SELF STUDY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM In endeavor to in- hance the students edu cational progress, the Basic Education and En richment Center , has planned a program entit led “Self-Study Enrich ment”. This program is designed to inform the students of the Self-Study Program and to make them more aware of the philosophy and purposes of the University. We also hope that the ses sions will give the stu dents better opportuni ties for personal asso ciation with the commit tees on the standards of the Self-Study Program. Due to the impending arrival of the Southern Association of Colleges and School, we feel the urgency and importance of helping to inform the students of these strengths and weakness es in our programs. We would like to soli cit your help in encour aging the students and other members of the fa culty to attend the ses sions. These planned meetings will be held in Uie Viking Room of the University Center, each Wednesday night, from 6:30 - 8:00 P.M. begin ning January 20, 1971. The Chairman of each committee on standards will be invited to con duct sessions relative to his area of the Self- Study. Adult education program to be offered As a result of the con tinuous efforts of Dr. Rosaline M. Edwards, Chairman of the Depart ment of Education, Pres ident Marion D. Thorpe aooouDced that a program in Adult Education and Adult Basic Education will be initiated at the University, this semes ter. Dr. Edward’s pro posal, further corres pondence, and participa tion in the Southeastern Adult Basic Education Staff Development Pro ject, led to funding of the new program by the Southern Regional Edu cation Board, to be ad ministered in cooperation with the North Carolina Division of Community Colleges. The new ECSU program is renewable at the end of each year of success ful operation, with com mitments from SREB for at least a three year extension of the program. The approximate amount of funding is $43,200 for each year. According to Dr. Ed wards, the initial objec tive of the new program of studies is to enhance the capacity of the Uni versity to provide pre service and inservice training for teachers of adults. This capacity to offer staff training in higher education will serve to offer more qual ified teachers of adults in Northeastern North Carolina. President Thorpe projected that the program could eventually lead to a graduate pro gram, leading to the Mas ter’s Degree in Adult Ed ucation, at Elizabeth City State University. ECSU trustees release position paper In" response to a De cember 1970 request by the Honorable Robert W. Scott, Governor of the State of North Carolina, the Board of Trustees of Elizabeth City State Uni versity met on Tuesday, January 19, 1971 and adopted the following po sition with respect to the Governor’s call for re organization of higher ed ucation in North Carolina. The Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees believes that the time has come for bet ter, more centralized, and State-wide govern ing and coordination of higher education in the State. Such coordination would call for a Board and agency having at least (1) budget review and recommending authority, (2) program review and approval authority, and (3) long and short-range planning authority. Fur ther, the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees believes that such a Board and agency should not be atuched to or partisan for any parti cular institution of higher education in the State, but should be representative, on a continuing basis, of ALL the citizens of the State and ALL higher ed ucation in the State, and as soon as possible and practical, authority for the establishment of such a centralized Board and agency should become a part of the State Consti tution. The Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees believes that with the creation or strengthening of this cen tralized Board and agen cy, that some form of a Local Board of Trustees ( or at the least, a sub committee from ie Cen tralized Board, specific ally for Elizabeth City State University) should remain for each State- supported college or uni versity having at least the authority to name the President, local appellate authority, budget govern ance and budget control once the budget has been allocated, (Institutional budget requests would go to one centralized Board and agency, but the right of a public institution of higher education to appeal to the State Legislature would remain) and to otherwise be in a position to assist in the better ment of a specific State- supported institution of higher education. The Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees believes that any present or addition al centralized or re organization of higher ed ucation in the State of North Carolina SHOULD BE AIMED INTENSIVE LY AT, AND FOCUSED ON ELIMINATING ANY INEQUITY AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION IN STITUTIONS. The funds, means and support for first “catch-up’ andthen- full equality inplans,pro- grams, budgets, salaries, facilities, equipment,stu- dent financial aid, and the like should occur now. The Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees supports the Governor's plan and of fers its services, in any ways appropriate, for ac tion. Development Director resigns President Marion D. Thorpe announced the re signation of Mr. Carroll M. Rodgers from the position as Director of Development at Elizabeth City State University.Dr. Thorpe, after accepting the letter of resignation, revealed that Mr. Rod gers plans to complete final work on his disser tation for the doctorate from New York Univer sity. Elevated to the posi tion as Director of De velopment, during the summer of 1968, Mr. Rodgers came to ECSU, in January of the same year, as Co-ordinator of Research and Planning. The elevation came as a result of the University joining a consortium of some 36 colleges and un iversities, under the di rection of the Office for the Advancement of Pub lic Negro Colleges, of the National Association of Sute Universities and Land Grant Colleges. Rodgers, an alumnus of ECSU, was primarily re sponsible for “determin ing .sources of funds available to the Univer sity, for its develop ment.” Prior to the ap pointment at ECSU, he was principal of Brighton Elementary School, Portsmouth, Va. He cur rently holds a Masters Degree from Western Re serve University. MISS M. BEDELL Former dietitian dies Mias Bedell was • natlTe of Springfield, Minouri whete the attended the public achoolr of Si^ingfleld. She was a member of the Springfield United Presbyterian Church. She is a graduate of Barber Scotia College and North Carolina Central Unlrariity. She wu a former employee of Barber Scotia College in Con cord; a former employee of the Harriett Tubman Branch YWCA in Durham; and until her death of January 12, she was employed at the Elizabeth City State Universi ty as Dietitian.