ECSU Salutes Black History Month
Saundra Dunson Franks
The Compass
Isiol ^3 ^
Editorials 2
Greetings... 4
Lifestyles 6
Sports 7
25th year
Serving Elizabeth City State University and Community
Circulation 12,000
ECSU Teacher Ed Program Receives Nod Of Approval
by Algie H. Mabry,Jr.
Editor-in-Chief
“Their visit was confirmation
that we have an excellent
teacher education program. We
made a lasting impression that
proved our program was vital,”
said Dr. James H. Townes,
assistant vice-chancellor for
academic affairs-administration
and Chairman of The Self-study
Steering Committee.
Consisting of 22 members, the
Self-study Steering Committee,
in early 1983, began marathon
preparations for the North
Carolina State Department of
Public Instruction Visitation.The
committee spent many months
compiling material to be
reviewed by the visitors.
State law requires that all
institutions with a Teacher
Education Program must be
evaluated for re-accreditation
i
Wachovia Donation Kicks
Off '85 Campaign
Wachovia Bank and Trust
Company Foundation presented
a $10,000 check to Chancellor
Jimmy R. Jenkins, kicking off
the 1985 Advancement Campaign
for scholarships to recruit top
students from high schools in
Northeastern North Carolina.
The check was presented by J.
Stanley Peel, senior vice
president for Wachovia in
Elizabeth City and Chairman of
the ECSU Foundation Board.
The gift is part of a $30,000
commitment.
Chancellor Jenkins
commended Peel for his long
term commitment to ECSU and
the continuing financial support
through the Wachovia
Foundation. The Elizabeth City
banker has been a member of the
ECSU Foundation Board since
its inception, serving as
chairman the past two years. He
also served on the ECSU Board
of Trustees for 11 years.
every five years.
“The primary purpose of this
visitation was for the visiting
team to assess what you say you
are doing,” said Townes. “The
team looks at the programs you
offer and how they are
implemented.”
The State Department Team’s
last visit to ECSU was in 1979
during which all Teacher
Education Programs received
their reaccreditation.
“For our 1984-85 review, the
visiting team was amazed at the
amount of material we were able
to produce in six volumes,”
Townes added.
“We had the chance to set the
precedent for future evaluation;
what we have done has been a
mark for other schools to
follow,” injected Townes.
ECSU’s Teacher Education
Program was the first to be
evaluated by a new set of
guidelines which were
established to relate to the state-
wide Quality Assurance
Program.
In addition to an exemplary
and voluminous Self-study
Report, the institution was well
prepared and organized, and
because of this the visit was
welcomed.
Students played a major role in
this visitation. Thirty-three
students served on several sub
committees. Further, there was
a meeting of the visiting team
with Teacher Education majors
who were about to begin to begin
their student
teaching. Regretfully, of the 59
invited students, only a few
attended. The senior English
Teaching majors (who were
among the few who did meet with
the team) were also requested by
a State Department official to
meet with him to discuss teacher
education in N.C. and the
profession of teaching. This
meeting lasted for almost two
hours.
“We received very positive
comments about the
performance of our students,”
said Townes, who congratulated
the students for representing
ECSU so well m these meetings.
“In addition to our classroom
work, there is going to have to be
a greater exchange between the
public schools and our University
faculty, administrators, staff
and students,” said Townes.
“This would enable us to
articulate programs which would
give the public school systems a
chance to see closely what we
both are doing,” Townes
explained.
Dr. Johnny L. Houston, vice-
chancellor for academic affairs,
was also a vital force behind the
Self-study project in his role as
ex-officio member of the
Steering Committee.
“The Teacher Education
Program has been an integral
part of ECSU’s mission since its
original charter,” said Houston,
who joined the faculty in 1984.
The final stage of the visitation
was an exit conference for
members of the visiting team,
Chancellor Jimmy R. Jenkins,
Dr. Houston, Dr. Townes,
members of the steering
committee and departmental
chairpersons.
Houston described this
conference: “The Visiting Team
commented on the excellent six-
volume Self-study document and
on the excellent quality that they
discerned of 12 of the 13 Teacher
Education Programs, with the
thirteenth program being a good
program but needingsome
changes.”
Houston believes that this one
program will soon meet all
standards and will be approved
without reservation.
“The team also commented on
how impressed they were with
our facilities,” added Houston,
who also attributes ECSU’s
outstanding evaluation to our
instructional resources and the
quality of our faculty.
Regarding ECSU students
about to enter student teaching,
said Houston, “The team
members were pleasantly
surprised and highly impressed
“They noted that any
university would be proud to
have such a dedicated and
quality group of prospective
teachers,” Houston added.
CLUSTER PROVIDES RESOURCES
Vikings To Attend HU Media
Conference Feb. 14-17
Elizabeth City State University
will be a part of Howard
University’s School of
Communication history making
when the 14th Annual
Communication’s Conference
convenes February 14.
Held on Howard’s main
campus and at the Howard Inn,
the conference is expected to
draw minority journalists from
across the country.
Chosen as this year’s stipend
recipients to represent ECSU are
Rick L. Jones, Algie H. Mabry,
Jr. and DaVia M. Purnell. Both
seniors, Jones and Mabry have
worked on The Compass staff for
three years. Purnell, a senior
English and News Media major,
has worked on The Compass staff
as Associate Editor for two
years.
Scheduled to address the Open
Plenary Session of the
conference on Thursday is Jet
and Ebony publisher John ,H.
Johnson. An Arkansas native,
Johnson has an extensive
association with the media
world. President of Fashion Fair
Cosmetics, Johnson is also
president of Chicago’s first
black-owned radio station.
Also slated to address the
conference is Congressman
William Gray of Pennsylvania.
Gray will be the guest speaker at
the Frederick Douglas Dinner
which will be held in the
ballroom of Armour J.
Blackburn University Center.
During the dinner, stipend
recipients and Howard
University’s School of
Communications students who
qualified for the Dean’s list will
be recognized. Winners of the
Essay, Multi-Media, and the
Lionel C. Barrow, Jr. Oratorical
Contests and the Doctoral
Student Research Session will
also be announced.
By Ron Lewis
Squeezed by competition,
regulation and taxes, business
and industry are constantly on
the lookout for ways to enhance
finances and capital gain.
An equally difficult task
shouldered by many colleges and
universities is to increase the
prospects of graduating seniors
out into the job market. These
conditions make it important,
more than ever, for business and
industry and higher education to
put their heads together for
mutual benefit. And that is
exactly what the “Cluster”
program at Elizabeth City State
University aims to do.
From ECSU’s point of view.
Cluster can facilitate the
University’s acquisition of
everything from needed funding
to equipment and supplies. It is
designed to enhance graduates’
job propects, although that goal
can take many forms.
Through Cluster, the
University gains insight into
what training and educational
credentials are expected of job-
seeking graduates. From that
input, curriculum is adjusted to
meet "the job market
requirements. In many cases,
this aim might be translated into,
funding from participating
business for needed equipment
or supplies.
Also, fectures from the
business and industrial sectors
offer excellent exposure of
students and faculty to the real
world and potential employment.
On-the-job training, through
internships or co-op education.
From business’ point of view,
there are both short and long
term benefits. For donation of
equipment, supplies and funding,
a tax break can offer the donor
considerable savings. Also,
internships provide tax benefits
and the advantage of additional
personnel at reduced payroll
costs.
Greater still in benefits is the
added incentive of being able to
“mold” a future full-time
employee by charting both the
job-related experience and his or
her educational curriculum.
In the long run, Cluster’s goal
is a better prepared employee
market.
Cluster Club Officers: back row from left, Fredrick Spencer, Aljournal Franklin and
Shawn Curtis; second row, Sean Sharpe, Shannon Kegler; and first row, Fredryn Jenkins, Gwen
White and Ron Lewis. Cluster is a program which focuses on shaping college or university
students to meet the management requirements of the business community by allowing
a close interaction between the academic community and the corporate world.
ECSU Selected For N.C. Small Business and Technology Center
A North Carolina Small
Business and Technology Center
has been approved for Elizabeth
City State University to provide
management and technical
assistance to entrepreneurs and
existing small businesses
throughout Northeastern North
Carolina. According to Dr.
Norman Camp, Vice Chancellor
for Planning and Development,
an executive director will be
appointed and headquartered on
the ECSU campus by January
1985.
“The services of the center will
rely on faculty resources of the
Departments of Business and
Economics and Industrial Arts
and Technology, involving one-
on-one consultations at no cost to
the small business or
entrepreneurs. Faculty
consultants will be paid through
the SBTDC program,” Dr. Camp
said.
An application for a $200,000
grant from the Technology
Development Authority,
Department of Commerce, was
submitted December 10 by
Northeastern North Carolina
Tom orrow, an ECSU based
regional development
organization, to be applied to an
Ahoskie (NC) Small Business
Incubator facility. An old hotel,
will be the site for the
incubator, and $82,000 in local
contributions will provide
matching funds for the grant
money.
ECSU assisted in planning the
regional facility and faculty
resources will play a major role
in providing services to small
businesses which may seek to be
involved in the incubator
process. “This will be in addition
to services provided by our Small
Business Center and will greatly
enhance our services to the
northeastern region in economic
development,” Dr. Camp said.
ECSU is one of four
universities selected by SBTDC
to begin operation in 1985. Other
centers are located at Western
North Carolina University,
Fayetteviljfe State and through a
consortium at Winston Salem
State.
Funds to support a Central
Office in the Raleigh area and for
the four regional centers have
been provided through a special
legislative appropriation of
$300,000 and with an initial grant
of $264,160. Once fully
operational, the SBTDC will have
an annual budget in excess of one
million dollars.
The SBTDC is an
interinstitutional organization
within the Univprsitv of North
Carolina. During its early
operational phases, it will be
operated by the General
Administration offices of The
University, but will be managed
by Executive Director Scott R.
Daugherty, appointed by
President William C. Friday and
reporting to him through the Vice
President of Research and
Public Service Programs.
see Camp, page 3