The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Mate

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Newsletters
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2003-01-21
  • Date digitized: 2018-05-04
• Extent
  • Dimension: 11" x 8.5"
  • Pages: 4 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • The Reporter, Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_Reporter_2003-01
• Related material
  • Https://news-prod.wcu.edu/the-reporter/
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library

Trustees Honor Dowel I with Award; Make Appointments Judy H. Dowell, assistant to the chancellor at Western for more than seventeen years, became only the sixth person in the university's history to receive one of the institution s highest honors when the WCU board of trustees presented her with the Trustees' Award. Retiring in December after a distinguished career in academics and administration at Western, Dowell received the surprise award, presented only on rare occasion in recognition of exemplary service to the university, as part of the board's quarterly meeting December 6. "We, as a board of trustees, really wanted to show our appreciation to Judy for what she has done for this university, for the students, for the faculty, for the administrators, for the staff of the university," Joseph Crocker, chairman of the board of trustees, said in presenting the award. "Judy Dowell has been exemplary in her service to this university and to the region, not just here on campus, but in Sylva and surrounding towns and cities." Past recipients of the Trustees' Award are Wallace N. Hyde, E.J. Whitmire, Barbara B. Coulter, Ruth C. Shuler, and Burton B. Fox. Dowell, recipient of the 2002 Paul A. Reid Distinguished continued on page 2 Faculty Center Creates Climate forTeaching, Learning Some see it as a resource for sharpening tools or honing skills. Others go there to either obtain or keep that professional edge. And some view it as a place where they can learn something new and exciting. It is the Coulter Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, the campus connection for expanding the horizons of teaching and learning. "The center is meant to be a catalyst or agent of transformation to help create an atmosphere that brings faculty together in the spirit of scholarship, teaching, and learning," said Alan Altany, director of the Coulter Faculty Center. The goal of the center is to establish a collegial academic culture. Designed as a forum for faculty to initiate and partici­pate in discussions and to share ideas about their teaching and learning oppor­tunities with students, the center offers consultations, programs, activities, resources, and other services. This voluntary and formative program is available to all full- and part-time faculty and graduate teaching assistants who want to enhance and expand their teaching methods and skills. With teaching enrichment as a mission, the Faculty Center has become the focal point for faculty professional development. It can be as simple as playing in the proverbial sandbox—learning and experimenting with computers in an area tagged "the Faculty Sandbox"—or participating in the mentoring program. Once a week this spring, faculty members share their expertise on a variety of subjects during the Faculty Series on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Topics scheduled include multimedia resources, time and career management, service and coopera­tive learning, and Cherokee views of teaching and learning. The Open Classroom Project encourages faculty to open one or more of their classes to non-evaluative, observational visits by colleagues. "Most faculty love teaching, but just as in a lot of other professions, we need to be steadily renewed," said Altany. "This is a great non-threaten­ing way to get new ideas and regenerate enthusiasm for teaching." Two or three times a semester, Renaissance of Teaching and Learning continued on page 4 "Thegoal ofthe center is to establish a collegial academic culture." Alan Altany Director Coulter Faculty Center Godfrey Receives Lifetime Achievement Award Robert Godfrey, professor of art and former head of the art department at Western Carolina University, is the recipient of a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the Butler Institute of American Art. The institute selected Godfrey for its Butler Medal for Life Achievement in American Art in part because of his role in planning Western's new Fine and Performing Arts Center, a $30 million showcase currently under construction on the WCU campus. An artist of international renown himself, Godfrey has helped Western obtain art from around the world to be displayed in the facility's art galleries, including works by some of the nation's foremost artists. "Because of Bob Godfrey's knowledge of the American art world, it is no surprise that the new museum will hit the ground running," said Louis Zona, director of the Butler Institute of American Art. "To have such a permanent collection that includes so many major artists will mean that the museum will begin its foundation on very good footing." A member of Western's faculty since 1985, Godfrey received his bachelor's degree in painting from Philadelphia College of Art and his master's degree in painting from Indiana University. His paintings have been exhibited at major museums in the United States and Europe. The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, is often called "America's Museum" because it is home to one of the world's largest and most acclaimed collections of U.S. art. LCE Presents West African Group Showcases Culture West African percussion ensemble Les Percussions de Guinee will bring music, dance, and drumming from the Republic of Guinea to Western on Thursday, January 23. The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Ramsey Regional Activity Center. It is part of WCU's Lectures, Concerts, and Exhibitions Series for 2002-03. The group was formed in 1987 by the Republic of Guinea's minister of culture as a showcase of the country's best percussionists. Featuring seven master drummers and balafon, kora, and flute players, along with a troupe of spirited dancers, the company creates an uplifting performance designed to transcend language and culture. continued on page 3 Trustees Honor Dowell... continued from page I Service Award for Administrative Staff, had served as assistant to current Chancellor John Bardo, former Chancellor Myron Coulter, and interim Chancellor John Wakeley. During the same meeting at which the board honored Dowell for her contributions to Western, it approved the appointment of the person who would soon be filling the assistant to the chancellor position. Dianne Lynch, who oversaw equal opportunity programs, assumed Dowell's former post on January 1. Lynch came to Western in 1996 from the Jackson County School System administration. Other administrative appointments approved by the trustees: Bill Clarke, former assistant director of A.K. Hinds University Center, was named director of the Ramsey Regional Activity Center and coordinator of university events. Clarke, a member of the National Association for Campus Activities, had been acting as interim director of the Ramsey Center and coordinator of university events since November 2001. Elizabeth L. Haynes, program officer and acting executive director of the W.H. Brady Foundation in Maggie Valley, was named grants officer and director of research and graduate studies. Haynes was previously director of technology and learning resources at Haywood Community College. Gordon E. Mercer, professor of political science and public affairs at WCU, was named associate dean of the Graduate School. Mercer, a member of the Western faculty since 1980 and former head of the department of political science and public affairs, will remain as director of WCU's Public Policy Institute. Joseph Crocker, chairman of t he board of trustees at Western, presents the Trustees' Award and an engraved chair to Judy Dowell, long-time assistant to the chancellor at Western who recently retired after a nearly thirty-year career with the university. J a n u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 0 3 • T h e Re p o r t e r BUUJ Calendar January 21-February 3, 2003 Look for regular updates on the university's Web site at www.wcu.edu/cal.html Tuesday, January 21 Catamount basketball— vs. Appalachian State. Southern Conference game, 7 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Wednesday, January 22 Only Monday classes meet Thursday, January 23 Dance/Lectures, Concerts, and Exhibitions Series—Les Percussions de Guinee, national dance, drum­ming, and music ensemble of Guinea, 7:30 p.m., RRAC. $ (227-7206) Friday, January 24 Orientation—for new faculty, session 11, 3:15-5 p.m., Hospitality Room, RRAC. (227-7495) Saturday, January 25 Lady Catamount basket­ball— vs. UNC Greensboro, Southern Conference game, 4 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Catamount basketball—vs. Georgia Southern, Southern Conference game, 7 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Tuesday, January 28 Recital—Faculty Showcase, solos and ensembles, 8 p.m., RH. (227-7242) February Slideshow spotlight for February at the Mountain Heritage Center: Going Places: Travel and Tourism in Western North Carolina. Saturday, February I Lady Catamount basket­ball— vs. Davidson, South­ern Conference game, 7 p.m, RRAC. (227-7338) Catamount basketball—vs. Davidson, Southern Confer­ence game, 7 p.m., RRAC. (227-7338) Recital—guest flutist Mary Stolper, 5 p.m., RH. (227-7242) Sunday, February 2 Arti-Facts!—cultural arts program for children, UA11 Tied Up." No admission charge but reservations required, 2:30 p.m., MHC. (227-7129) West African Group ... continued from page 2 Les Percussion de Guinee's performances are inspired by traditional music drawn from the four natural regions of the country: highland, coastal, midland, and forest. By incorporating music from across Guinea, the ensemble produces an authentic musical experience in African culture. Tickets for the concert are $2 for WCU students, $10 for the general public, and $8 for senior citizens, WCU faculty and staff, and non-WCU students. For more information about the LCE Series, call 227-7206. Old Yearbooks Available Some older Catamount yearbooks are available at no cost to interested members of the campus community on a first-come, first served basis. If i nterested, contact Donna Welch in the Office of Student Affairs at 227-7147 by March 1. Welch will make arrangements for the pick-up of the books. Yearbooks, in limited quantities, are currently available for the following years: 1980-87; 1989-91; and 1993-95. Submissions: Send news items and calendar notices to WCU Calendar, 1601 Ramsey Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 or e-mail to Reporter@email.wcu.edu. Submit items for the uni versity's online calendar at least one week prior to the event. *•* Now Showing*** Exhibitions: North Carolina Women Making History. The trials, triumphs, and changing roles of women during the past 400 years. Through December 2003. MHC. (227-7129) Migration of the Scotch-Irish People. (Permanent exhibition). Information, illustrations, artifacts, and murals. MHC. (227-7129) AsheviUe Quilt Quild Presents, colorful array of traditional, art, antique, and award-winning quilts made by members of Asheville Quilt Guild. Through March 31, MHC. (227-7129) By Design: Alumni Design Exhibition, through February 26, Belk Gallery, BB. (227-3591) Justice Runs Down Like Water, paintings and calligraphy by Kichung Lizee. Through February 6. Chelsea Gallery, UC. (227-7206) Key: $ - Admission fee; HA - Hoey Auditorium; HFR - H.F. Robinson Administration Building; HS/CF - Hennon Stadium/Childress Field; MHC - Mountain Heritage Center; NSA - Natural Sciences Auditorium; RRAC - Ramsey Regional Activity Center; RH - Recital Hall, Coulter Building; BB - Belk Building; UC - A.K. Hinds University Center; UOC - University Outreach Center; WS/BW - Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field; SSF - Shrader Soccer Field. J a n u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 0 3 • T h e R e p o r t e r Faculty Center ... continued from page I Booklet Series is published in a hard copy and electronic format. This provides an opportunity for faculty to discuss various visions and goals of teaching and learning opportunities with students, said Altany. Coming this spring will be a new publication, MountainRise. Altany hopes the e-joumal will develop into a peer-reviewed publication on the scholarship of teaching and learning. In addition, a new quarterly newsletter, the Buzzard's Roost Road Re view, will soon be published. The Wisdom Project will tap into the wisdom and experiences of senior and retiring faculty, providing an audio, video, and narrative record of their experiential and contemplative wisdom about teaching and being a teacher. Another new program being developed is the Certificate of Profes­sional Development in Teaching and Learning. This is designed as a one-year voluntary and formative program for faculty who wish to engage in various forms of professional development. "When we faculty were in school, our focus was on the content of our disci­pline. It was assumed that adequate, even good teaching, comes almost automatically," said Altany. "Teaching is often seen as very individualistic and private. Wisdom and experiences about teaching and learning of students are not really shared as they could be. Unlike researchers who, when they have questions or problems ask for help, teachers are reluctant to seek help," Altany said. "We want the Faculty Center to be a competent source for assistance and ideas and to help make teaching both a private and a community experience." For more information about the many programs and projects of the Coulter Faculty Center, go to the Web site at http://facctr.wcu.edu/. It is regularly updated with features, schedules, resources, activities, and programs. • Jackie McHargue, university judicial coordinator, was recently elected national secretary of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs. A Catherine Carter, visiting instructor of English, had her poem "The Fall" accepted for publication in Poetry magazine for January 2003, and her article "Not a Woman: The Murdered Muse in 'Ligeia'" accepted by Poe Studiesf to appear sometime late in 2003. A Brian Railsback, .department head of English, published chapters in two books: "Dreams of an Elegant Universe on Cannery Row" in Beyond Boundaries: Rereading John Steinbeck and "Sharing the Immeasurable View with John Steinbeck" in John Steinbeck: A Centen­nial Tribute. The Centennial book features invited tributes by prominent scholars and writers, including John Kenneth Galbraith, Arthur Miller, and The Reporter is published by the Office of Public Informat ion. Debie Connelly, editor. Mail faculty/staff notes, events, notices, and changes of address to The Reporter, 1601 Ramsey Center, or send them via e-mail t o Reporter@email.wcu.edu. 1,800 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $329.15, or $0.18 per copy. Western Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity Institution. NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CULLOWHEE, N.C. PERMIT NO. 1 Reporter Office of Public Information Publications Unit 1601 Ramsey Center Cullowhee, North Carolina 28723 J a n u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 0 3 • T h e R e p o r t e r