VOL. 10, NO. 14
^^The truth is out there...”
North Carolina Wedeyan CoUege, Rocky Mount, N.C.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28,1995
‘We can move this college further’
By PATRICK BRANNAN
The following is an inter\'iew
which was conducted with the
next president of North Carolina
Wesleyan, Dr. John White.
The Decree: Why did you
choose Wesleyan?
Dr. John White: “It’s a good
place, a good opportunity, a good
college. It’s got a lot of potential.
I think tbie college is a better place
than it may think it is. I think
what I’d like to do is to work
with people so that it can really
achieve what it can achieve. In
this day and age there’s a lot of
things affecting colleges and their
well being.
“There’s a spirit here at this
college and a commitment espe
cially on the part of faculty, that I
think is really wonderful. I’ve
been really impressed with the
faculty members that I’ve met.
There’s a very fine administra
tive staff here and if we can get
ourselves together and have a
good conversation then I think
we can move this college further.”
The Decree: What do you see
as the future of the college?
Dr. White: “First of all this
will be a great place for students
Decree survey results
Policies (Residence Life)
Lx>nger Visitation 62 percent
More Noise Control 17 percent
Alternatives to Meal Han
Yes 64 percent
No 12 percent
Suggestions for Alternatives
Number of meals in plan 37 percent
More variety 23 p>ercent
Events on Campus
Good 70 percent
Poor 25 percent
Great 8 percent
Recreational Facilities
Good 47 percent
Poor 44 percent
Scheduling of Classes
Good 62 percent
Poor 27 percent
Great 8 percent
Graduate in 4 years
No 56 percent
Yes 40 percent
Academics
Good 74 percent
Great 14 percent
Poor 7 percent
to come £ind learn. The thing that
impresses me about the faculty is
their commitment to teaching.
What I’d like to see Wesleyan
become is a place that gets re
nowned for taking students to the
next level. It really takes a place
where people are very committed
and dedicated to teaching, and
that’s here.
“What I’d like to do as Presi
dent, is to further the faculty’s
desire to be good teachers; focus
a lot of energy on faculty devel
opment resources. So faculty can
have support for re-tooling their
courses, going to professional
meetings and being able to fiir-
ther their own professional goals.
That seems to me to be a really
important piece of strengthening
the college.
“I would very much like to
see the college strengthen its re
sources in International Educa
tion. It’s very difficult today for
students to operate in the world
without some fundamental
knowledge about how intercon
nected the world is. I would like
to see the college develop and
encourage students to think about
the world in a more intense way.
(Continued on Back Page)
PRESIDENT-ELECT WHITE
Graduation hard
within four years
By PATRICK BRANNAN
(Editor’s Note: This is the sec
ond article in a series. Part one
ran Feb. 24.)
Vice President of Academic
Affairs and Dean of the College
Dr. Robert Bussom said, “Stu
dents here can graduate in four
years and we do the best that we
can to offer courses so that stu
dents can do that.”
Dean Bussom was interviewed
in response to issues identified
by students in a survey conducted
by The Decree. Planning within
the institution and the academic
area are major pri(»ities and will
help the school address many
various areas.
Fifty-six percent of those stu
dents that responded thought that
it was not possible to graduate in
four years. Forty percent thought
you could.
“There are a whole set of rea
sons students do not normally
graduate in four years,” Bussom
said. The fact that North Carolina
Wesleyan College is a small in
stitution places an “increasing re
sponsibility on the student and
advisor to take the courses when
they are offered,” Bussom said.
“It is possible if the courses are
selected correctly and you don’t
get out of step.”
Assistant Academic Dean Cliff
Sullivan agreed and said that the
typical Wesleyan student aver
aged 13 to 14 hours a semester.
Typically a student would need
to take about 16 hours a semester
to graduate in four years. National
trends indicate that only about.25
percent of students g^uate in
four years, according to Sullivan.
Sullivan cited the fact that more
students are employed today as a
reason why some may not gradu
ate in four years.
Retention data for Wesleyan
is the primary way to see how
students are progressing towards
graduation. Wesleyan only has
data dating back to the 1991-92
school year, according to
Sullivan. The National Collegiate
Athletic Association requires all
E>ivision II and m schools to sub
mit retention data.
For the. 1991-92 year 57 per
cent of the total student body at
Wesleyan returned in the fall of
‘92. Fifty-two percent of males
returned compared to 62 percent
of females. “We have a very dif
ficult time retaining male stu
dents,” Sullivan said.
A comparison of some other
institution finds Wesleyan ahead
(Cmitinaed on Back Page)
Transportation service forms
Former North Carolina Wes
leyan College security officer
Siierrie Hawkins is opening a
transportation service which will
be available to students in the fall.
The Shuttle Express Transpor
tation Service will be offering the
students transportation to work;
shopping centers; doctors; bus.
train, and airport terminals with
die city of Raleigh and Greenville;
and group trips to Greenville and
Raleigh.
Rates and hours are to be an
nounced later. More information
will be available regarding sched
uling and more when school
opens in the fall.