Season’s ^
.The Compass
Serving ECSU and Community
24th year
1
Greetings
UNC ’ S Show Previews Future System
m
staff photo by Julius Hunter
by Dreena Birdsall
Staff Writer
/The ECSU Business
Department is currently
adopting progressive trends in
their curriculum much the
same as other universities by
upgrading their respective
programs, according to John
Carson, chairman of the business
department.
A marked increase of 17V2 per
cent in Business Department
enrollment from 1981-83
indicates the popularity of
business related fields and points
to one reason why ECSU’s
Business Department is one of
the largest departments at the
university and produces the most
graduates.
Carson said accounting
enrollment began in 1982 and has
since doubled.
Restructuring prerequisites
has been implemented for
business related majors. This
involves phasing out various
courses and replacing them with
a new sequence of accounting
courses. Business law has been
added to accounting majors
curriculum, enabling them to
pass the CPA exam, and future
students will be required to take
algebra.
A workshop for high school
teachers in economic education
is being planned for February.
Also in the planning stage is
Voluntary Income Tax
Assistance (VITA), a program
whereby accounting students
actively participate and assist
qualifying low-income families
in tax form preparation at no
charge. Dates and location of
program will be posted.
Carson recently devised a
questionnaire survey of ECSU
business grads from 1977 to
present to determine the status
of these individuals, and he hopes
to get a 25 per cent return.
Results have been favorable thus
far.
Combined efforts of the
department to achieve optimum
level potential are evident. Vera
Storey, departmental secretary,
is presently taking a course in
computer science to assist
students and accomplish
proficiency.
Carson also announced that
two new faculty members have
joined the staff, Emma Sutton,
Business Administration and Jill
Walton, Business Education.
Journalist Advises Future Reporters
“I had to make a choice
between journalism and law
school, and journalism won,”
said Jon Charles Frank, a staff
writer for The Virginian Pilot, as
he spoke td" ECSU journalism
students.
Frank, 34,* was born and raised
in Dayton, Ohio. While a senior in
high school, Frank tried
journalism: “I had the job of
editing the sports section in our
school paper but I did not like it.”
While in college, he did not
take any journalism classes or
work on the school’s newspaper.
He majored in English, and after
graduation he went overseas and
taught for two years. Frank
returned home and did some
literary work but eventually
began travenng again.
Finally, Frank had to choose
between law school and
journalism. “I realize that
lawyers make more money, but I
am enjoying my job,” Frank
said. He obtained his master’s
degree in journalism from the
University of Missouri in 1980.
His first journalism job was as
an environmental reporter in
Biloxi Gulfport, Miss, for The
Sun Daily Herald. Frank joined
the Pilot last March and is
responsible for covering six
counties in northeastern N.C.
Please see Frank, Page 8
Players Create Puppets
Kathleen Mudge, professional
puppeteer and co-founder of the
Charisma Puppets, appeared on
the ECSU campus recently to
give two workshops for the
University Players. In the
workshops conducted on
December 3rd and 5th in the
Little Theatre, Ms. Mudge
demonstrated how to make
various kinds of hand puppets
and discussed the value of puppet
theatres for children and adults.
She also performed with many
of the puppets she had created
for her professional puppet
troupe which was formed in 1975
with Jerry Barco. Barco is now
manager of radio station WWOK
in Columbia.
The more than twenty students
who attended the workshop were
encouraged to make puppets of
their own. Many did, bringing in
puppets made from gloves, old
socks, paper bags, and pieces of
wood. “Ms. Mudge is certainly a
creative woman,” Joycelyn
Proctor commented, “and I
learned a lot about the profession
of puppeteering; it’s really
fascinating.”
^Igie H. Mabry, Jr.
Editor-in-Chief
The Kermit E. White
continuing Education and
Graduate Center was the
destination where all roads led to
when Dr. and Mrs. Jenkins and
the ECSU family hosted one of
eight UNC meetings.
“You are the people we turn to
to be our advocater, our
interpreters, our critics and our
defenders,” said UNC President
WiUiam Friday.
His appearence at this meeting
was his seventh slide
presentation which depicted the
UNC system. Entitled “Partners
in Progress,” this slide show
reflected the progress of our 16
schools within the UNC system.
It also gave insight on what the
future has in store for our
colleges and universities, which
have served North Carolina for
almost two centuries.
Research, advance technology
and student education was the
theme flashed across the screen
slide after slide. The UNC
system has been an excellent
contributor to education for those
who matriculate at one of its 16
campuses. Preparation for
tomorrow’s qroblems was
illustrated and directed mainly
to our medical needs.
This slide show gave all
present an opportunity to see the
value of the UNC system. Each
of the 16 campuses has
something to contribute to the
growing needsof the state and to
their specific areas. From
“Elizabeth City to Cullowhee...,”
the UNC system is a strong force
soliciting the importance of a
college education and the
support of its alumni.
Divided into regions, ECSU
was a part of Region G. This
region included those alumniof
the UNC systeih from Bertie,
Camden, Chowan, Currituck,
Dare, Gates, Hertford,
Pasquotank, Perquimans,
Tyrrell and Washington counties.
Dr. Anne Henderson, served as
chairman of the ECSU steering
committee for this regional
meeting.
Cluster Focuses On Interaction
Business Department
Aims For Changes
Algie H. Mabry, Jr.
Editor-in-Chief
Some fifty business firms,
corporations, and industries will
meet when Elizabeth City State
University host its first of its
semi-annual Cluster meeting.
This year’s meeting will serve as
a revitalizing stage for both this
union between ECSU and
Industry.
The ECSU Cluster program
anticipates the participation of
many prominent corporations
and business firms. Among those
invited have been CBS
Records/Radio and Systems
Management.
Preparation for this Cluster
meeting started early October
and will culminate on
Thursday,December 13, 1984.
The agenda for the evening will
include a dinner to be held at the
Our Nation's Strongest Defense
by Da Via Purnell
Each year a week is set aside
to express the importance of
education in America. This year
Nov. 11-17 was chosen as
American Education Week and
the theme was, “Educational
Excellence: our Nation’s
Strongest Defense.”
The Kappa Delta Chapter of
Kappa Delta Pi, an International
Honor Society in Education in
connection with the Office of
Teacher Education and the
Department of Education and
Psychology, sponsored this
year’s observance.
Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs, Dr. Johnny L. Houston,
was guest speaker. Houston
expressed the importance of
education in America. Houston
said that the term education has
many different meanings:
“Education is one of the nation’s
strongest defenses.”
Who’s responsibility is it to
educate? Houston believes that
national, state and community
leaders, institutions, faculty
members, and students share
this responsibility. Critical
issues must be met by people
with visions and insight. Good
professors stimulate those who
want to learn. But, the most
important ingredient is the
student.
It takes time to achieve
educational excellence: America
first reserved a national
Educational Week in 1921.
Chancellor Jenkins said,“
Education is truly what America
is all about: it is a serious
business.”
Kermit E. White Continuing
Educaton and Graduate Center.
“The Expanding Role of Cluster
in 1984-85 and Beyond” is the
theme of this meeting and will be
addressed on this night by Dr.
Jimmy R. Jenkins, chancellor of
ECSU.
Cluster is a program
which focuses on
shaping college
or university students
to meet the
management and
technical requirements
of the business
community
by allowing a close
interaction between
the academic
community and
the corporate world.
Several new corporations have
added their names to the
membership roster of the
ECSU/Industry Cluster
Program. Interest in Cluster is
still being generated by several
business firms who have
continued to support the
program at ECSU. Local
cooperations expected to be in
attendance are the Daily
Advance, Wachovia Bank and
Trust Company, and City
Beverage Company, Inc.
Friday, December 14th will be
a day business for Cluster.
Presentations will be made by
ECSU departmental
chairpersons giving insight on
the professional objectives of
their departments in assisting
student in career preparation.
The National Alliance of
Business, whose main concern
has been employment for
competent graduates, formed a
program which would unite
industry, colleges, and
universities. In 1969 Cluster
made its debut on many college
campus with the goal of molding
college students for professional
employment.
“The Cluster concept provides
the vehicle! for and facilitates
collaboratbii between Iqdustrjr
and the University for the mutual
benefit of both,” said Dr.
Norman Camp, vice-chancellor
for development/planning.
Camp serves as University Co-
Chairman for Cluster and is
assisted by Industry/Business
Co-Chairman Brooks
Whitehurst. A former chemical
engineer with TexasGulf,
Whitehurst is a freelance energy
engineer in Virginia and North
Carolina.
HOUSTON DELIVERS EDUCA TION
Submitted by
Richard Newby
Dr. Johnny L. Houston, Vice-
Chancellor for Academic Affairs
and Dean of the Faculty at
Elizabeth City State University,
was the the principal speaker
during the observance of
American Education Week Nov.
13 in Moore Hall Auditorium at
ECSU. The program was
sponsored by Kappa Delta
Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, an
International Honor Society in
Education, in connection with the
Office of Teacher Education and
the Department of Education
and Psychology.
Dr. Houston challenged
students, faculty and others in
the assembly to strive for
educational excellence, using the
1984 American Education Week
theme: ‘‘Educational
Excellence: Our Nation’s
Strongest Defense.”
He gave a brief history of the
development of American
Education Week, examples were
given of critical times in our
nation’s history when
Educational Excellence was
indeed the Nation’s strongest
defense, and he gave a graphic
view of education at the
collegiate level in 1984.
Responsibility to insure
Educational Excellence at the
collegiate level must be a shared
responsibility, he said, calling on
a full committment on the
WEEKADDRESS
national, state and community
levels-a shared committment
' involving institutional
leadership, faculty and student
body.
“Good professors and good
teachers are those who stimulate
students to want to learn as they
provide them with challenging
and appropriate learning
activities that assist the students
in the development of his
capacities of analysis, problem
solving, communication, and
synthesis. They provide students
with the fundamental content as
they also teach them to learn how
to learn.”
At the conclusion of the
program, Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins,
Chancellor at ECSU, thanked
Vice-Chancellor Houston for his
scholarly presentation.
Dr. Houston was appointed
Vice-Chancellor for Academic
Affairs prior to the beginning of
the 1984-85 school year. His
presence has been keenly felt on
the campus of ECSU.
Prior to joining ECSU, Dr.
Houston was Callaway Professor
of Computer Science at Fort
Valley State College, while on
leave from Atlanta University
where he had been Professor of
Mathematics and Chairperson of
the Department of Mathematical
Sciences since 1975.
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