The Pendulum
Thursday, January 10,1985
Volume XI, Number 14
Francis named dean of academic affairs
By Vicky Jiggetts
Student Affairs Editor
Dr. Gerald L. Francis has
been named dean of
academic affairs here at
Elon. Francis previously
served as associate dean of
academic affairs since the
summer of 1983. He joined
the Elon College faculty in
1974 as assistant professor of
mathematics, he served as
chairman of the department
from 1978 to 1984, and was re
sponsible for the develop
ment of the Computer In
formation Science Program.
In other administrative
changes, Bertie Belvin and
Barry Bradberry have been
appointed to the positions of
associate dean of admissions
and financial planning, re
spectively.
A major goal which Fran
cis would like to achieve is
“To continue to keep a good
eye on the curriculum, and to
see if we can put some quali
ty into it.” He said, “We want
to keep the program as cur
rent as possible.” Francis
said that he hopes that the
college will soon have a jour
nalism and communications
major (Journalism and Mass
Communications) which will
replace the present Journal-
ism-English major.
Another positive aspect in
the curriculum is the hiring
of a new chairman in the fine
arts department. “They are
doing a tremendous amount
of work to keep the program
virile,” said Francis. ‘We
want to keep everyone look
ing at what they’re doing,
what they have done, and
what they are going to do in
regard to academics.”
Francis said that the col
lege has plans to accept stu
dents with certain averages.
“The college really foresees
Dr. Gerald Francis
itself gradually moving-
situation permitting-to
admit all students with a 2.0
average or better,” said
Francis. “That’s aithrust in
a positive direction for the
college. We will always be
striving for quality.”
The MBA (Master of Busi
ness Administration) prog
ram was a successful one last
fall, and Francis said that
the variety of students was
an asset. “We had 35 MBA
students in the fall through
out four different classes,”
Francis said. “The students
ranged in age from 22 to 56.
We had them from colleges
everywhere, such as Guil
ford, Campbell, University of
Mississippi, Ohio State,
UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State,
and West Point. They came
from very diverse back
grounds, such as AT&T,
Kayser-Roth, Burlington In
dustries, and Duke Power.”
Francis said that he ex
pects approximately 10 or 11
more new people to enter the
program during the spring
term. “From my conversa
tions with both faculty and
students, there was satisfac
tion on both sides of the coin.
The faculty really liked
working with this group, and
there was a good classroom
atmosphere,” Francis said.
As far as his duties are con
cerned in his new position,
Francis said, “In the past
years, I have been greatly de
pendent on Dr. White. Those
responsibilities fall on me
now. I’ve been doing the
majority of the work in this
new position, but now it’s
official.”
Francis is a native of
Washington, D.C., and a
graduate of Applachian
State University. He re
ceived his master’s degree
from Applachian, and his
doctorate from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and
State University. Before he
joined the Elon College
faculty, he taught in the pub
lic schools of Virginia and
Appalachian. Francis was a
previous recipient of the
Daniels-Danieley Award for
Excellence in Teaching.
Winter temperatures warmer,
damage ski slope business
^ wpather Bureau at the Gre
By Susan Simpson
Staff Writer
Weather Bureau at the Greensboro-Winston-
Salem Regional Airport, December was the
warmest recorded December in North Carolina
Winter term at Elon. To Elon College students history. *
it usually means a cold, hard month. A long “In November the
month. The same class for three hours a day 3 0 degrees below the usual te^
for?a?at^oixi'm'at'^fy ^1 degrels above the normal 48.3 de-
But then comes the weekend and to college grees,” unable to even
“skhnT"*'®’’^ mike artificial snow in December because the
S not thfs winter. This 1984-85 winter’s air was so warm^
above normal temperatures have made it feel moved backt clones are beginning to
like early spring instead of winter. So far the freezing and the slopes are beginning
warmth-79 degrees on Dec. 30, for example- a^umujatea^^
have cost the ski slopes thousands of dolla National Weather Bureau, promises to
Dr.^D^ Brooks Cates, assistant professor of remain the same. “Above m
pography, says that the reason for the unusual^ and P Malpass.
ly warm weather this winter is simple. The ^st o however, accord
Jetstream” says Cates, “is the upper winds^ iJSocal meteorologist. A
They mark the dividing line between the hot ingto iirrp^n channel 11 in Durham, pre-
and cold parts of the country. This winter the snow or freezing rain some
jetsream is farther north than usual. die Thnrsdav and Saturday.”
^ According to Arnold Malpass of the National time between Thursday ana t»aiuraaj^
VanHorn resigns position
Director of Student Activites
Drew VanHorn has resigned
from his position to become
Assistant State Director of the
North Carolina Fellowship of
Christian Athletes. In another
staff change, Allan Nowell be
gins work Monday as the Direc
tor of Campus Safety and
Security.
According to Ron Klepcyk,
Dean of Student Affairs, a
search has begun to find a re
placement for VanHorn. Klep
cyk said that contact is being
made with local universities
and colleges as well as adver
tising in the Chronicle of High
er Education to locate the right
person.
Klepcyk noted that the situa
tion is “sad for us, but good for
him.” He said that VanHorn
had always been interested in
youth ministries. During his 18
month employment with Elon,
VanHorn was also adivser for
the Elon Fellowship of Christ
ian Athletes.
Assistant Director of Stu
dent: Activites Jonathan
Whaley will be taking over
VanHorn’s position until a re
placement can be found.
Whaley is the East Area Coor
dinator.
Although VanHorn is no longer
on the Elon payroll, he still
works in the second floor of the
Long Student Center for a few
hours a night. Student Union
Board member Todd Taylor
who worked closely with
VanHorn and said, he “thinks
it’s a loss to the college, but I
can understand why he left.”
With the departure of
VanHorn arrives a new Safety
and security director Alan
Nowell. Nowell begins work
Monday. He was previously em
ployed at a deaf school in
Washington, D.C.; he was the
assistant director of safety and
security at Galludet College for
seven years.
JonuQfy 15 mofks bifthdoy
Dr. Martin Luther Kino Jr.
Dqu is celebrated
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USFL drafts
Fentress
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