8
Sk Becteje
VOLUME I, NO. 5
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, N. C.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8,1985
Special Committee Begins
Search For New President
INTEREST GROWING — Erwin “Doc” Berry (right) chats
with hotel management student Michael Hilton in the snack
bar. Most Wesleyan students are majoring in social sciences
like food services and hotel management, criminal justice,
and computer information services. See story on Page 4.
Petteway’s Statement
Wasting no time, the Board of
Trustees of N.C. Wesleyan has
begun the search for an individ
ual to replace President S. Bruce
Petteway, who on Founders
Day announced his intention to
resign on June 30, 1986.
According to J. Phil Carlton,
chairman of the board and
chairman of the search commit
tee, the committee had a brief
organizational meeting Oct. 25,
only hours after Petteway’s an
nouncement.
Carlton, in a telephone inter
view with The Decree, said that
the committee would be “meet
ing very soon to discern the kind
Change Now ^Beneficial
Editor’s Note: The Decree
is printing the entire text of
President S. Bruce Pette
way’s resignation an
nouncement because of the
importance of the news it
contains.
I want to take a moment now
for a personal privilege. I have
informed our Board of Trustees
of my desire to be relieved of my
duties as President on June 30,
1986.
This decision is based on my
feeling that after almost 11
years, it is time for Wesleyan to
seek new leadership. 1 will have
served for 18 years as a Presi
dent in both the public and pri
vate sectors. A change will be
beneficial for me as well as for
Wesleyan. Because my love for
this College and our community
has increased every year, this
decision has not been easy to
make.
When I came here in 1975,
Wesleyan was facing severe
problems. My colleagues in
higher education predicted that
the College would not last three
years. Total enrollment was just
over 400 students. Two dormito
ries were closed. The debts were
enormous: $1.5 million was
owed to local banks, $.5 million
to the Church, and $1.8 million
to the federal government,
which was considered in de
fault. The campus was run
down and the outlook anything
but promising.
I told you then that adversity
has a way of bringing out the
best in institutions and many of
you had a part in helping turn
that situation around. Earlier
this year, Arthur Anderson and
Company, our auditors, made a
special presentation commend
ing the Board and the adminis
tration for a remarkable recov
ery from those problems. Our
net worth has increased by
more than $4 million. All debts
(Continued on Page 4)
of person (the committee) is
looking for.” Judge Carlton,
who has been involved in presi
dential searches before, has sent
literature concerning the task to
each member of the search
committee, and he expects the
committee to meet again in
three to four weeks.
According to Carlton, the per
son would need a strong aca
demic background, preferably
would have administrative ex
perience, be capable of dealing
in the area of fundraising for the
college, be committed to the lib
eral arts concept of higher edu
cation, and be comfortable with
a Methodist-related institution.
“I am absolutely determined
that we find the person who the
trustees feel possesses the ne
cessary business skills, and who
the faculty believe possesses the
necessary academic back
ground and interest. The person
is going to have to be qualified
in both areas,” Carlton said. •
I Dr. Allen S. Johnson, chair
man of the Faculty Council,
said “One of the major concerns
is that the person have expe
rience in liberal arts education
and a concern for the liberal
(Continued on Page 4)
WESLEYAN PRESIDENT S. BRUCE PETTEWAY
Convocation Program Faces Change Next Fall
By TOM RIVERS
Relief appears to be in sight
for all those NCWC students
who cannot seem to tolerate the
convocations requirement.
According to Dr. Marshall
Brooks, chairman of the Curric
ulum Task Force Committee, a
new program is headed for its
start next fall.
The Task Force Committee
has been reviewing the present
convocation requirement and
trying to come up with a new
program that would be more
convenient for students, faculty,
and staff. According to Dr.
Brooks, the present program “is
a headache and nobody likes
it.”
In some form, convocation
has always been a requirement
for graduation at NCWC. Orig
inally; the program began as
chapel services at NCWC. Stu
dents were required to attend
chapel services two times per
week. This^ program was
dropped in the early 1970’s. Stu
dents were then required to at
tend one or two events per
month. This format was
dropped around 1979. The cur
rent convocations requirement
evolved and remains intact to
day.
As the program stands now,
full-time students must attend
ten events per semester with a
minimum of one event each in
the College Wide, Performing
Arts, Theatre, Lectures and
Speakers, Concerts, and Films
categories, of which NCWC
offers an average of four events
per week.
Students may also receive
credit from an event attended
off-campus, but the event must
be approved by the Registrar for
credit. Such activities include
church services, plays, and oth
er outside events that parallel
events offered on campus.
The new program, as it will be
proposed by the Curriculum
Task Force Committee, will
consist of some sort of merger or
union with the Orientation 101
class at Wesleyan. It will be re
quired for two semesters, carry
ing one hour credit, for all
NC WC students, including the
evening and extension program
students.
If everything goes according
to schedule, the new convoca
tions requirement will be in op
eration at NCWC next fall.