The Megaphone October 31, 2014
Volume CIX, Issue II
The official student newspaper of Southwestern University
Structural Changes Have Impact
By Amy Gu In an effort to adopt a more unified structure President Edward Burger enacted a proposal to revise the admistrative system’s configuration. Southwestern’s governance team now consists of one dean of the faculty supervising four associate deans who each represent academic areas (fine arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences). Revising governance entails the adjustment of previous administrative positions. These adjustments include removing the dean position in the Sarofim School of Fine Arts and introducing the dean of the faculty and associate dean of fine arts positions. Administrative restructure, according to Burger, serves to facilitate consistent and balanced communication among various disciplines at Southwestern. Burger aimed to foster equal administrative representation of each academic area in selecting faculty members to serve as associate deans. Associate deans will voice their respective areas at equal footing in collaboration with a single dean of the faculty. Previously, the provost managed the duties of the dean of the faculty. The provost position, also referred to as chief academic officer, hires, retains, and evaluates faculty while overseeing budget and personnel. Provost’s responsibilities also include solidifying decisions about academic programs. The dean of the faculty reviews sabbaticals and administers awards for research. Associate deans work with the dean of faculty to examine curriculum and faculty development. In response to increasing demands of both positions, President Burger split Dr. Jim Hunt’s provost position and
introduced a separate dean of the faculty. “[The joint position of provost and dean of the faculty] really was several full-time jobs that was being done by one individual,” President Burger said. “The external bureaucracy of having an institution has grown and amplified to the point where it is difficult to be mindful of the structural considerations of running the institutions in terms of accreditation and federal guidelines and also do the professional development of our faculty,” President Burger appointed Alisa Gaunder as the current Dean of Faculty who will serve two three-year terms. Gaunder and Hunt collectively transmit information between faculty and the president, but also maintain separate responsibilities. “The position was really exciting to me because it allowed for a faculty voice at the table of senior staff who will talk about important strategic planning issues,” Gaunder said. “[the dean position] seemed like a way to focus on the future of Southwestern.” In addition to altering administrative positions, President Burger proposed terminology revisions. Previously called “divisions,” Southwestern’s four academic disciplines are now titled “areas.” With the introduction of the new administrative system, provost and the dean of the faculty will equally supervise all four areas voiced by associate deans. Previous division chairs withhold their previous duties, only changing their title from chair to associate dean. The associate dean system removes the position of dean of the Sarofim School of Fine Arts, currently held by Paul Gaffney. Professor of piano Kiyoshi
Tamagawa will serve two three-year terms as associate dean. “By having the associate deans of four areas underneath one dean of the faculty, the idea is the create more unity among those four units, and also a way to distribute university resources in a way that takes the needs of those various constituencies into account,” Gaunder said. Gaffney will serve the remainder of the fall semester as dean, then go on sabbatical. As a tenured theater professor, Gaffney has the option to join faculty after his sabbatical. All administrative members currently strive to solidify individual duties. Gaunder works with administration to foster connections among areas. “The largest impact was felt in the school of fine arts, where there are significant changes,” Gaunder said. “We’re still in transition at this point. Everything [in the governance structure] is new. Because everything is new, it’s really hard to tell the impact of one particular [decision].” Despite the changes in the governance structure, the Sarofim School of Fine Arts will remain a separate school offering the same degree plans . With current administrative revisions, Southwestern strives to magnify its goals of inspiring interdisciplinary discussions of liberal arts. “The great gift of the Sarofim school of Fine Arts is one that we want to amplify and have grow,” President Burger said. “I hope that [with the governance restructure] there will be opportunities for the rest of the university to engage with this school and to find ways to have it be more of a centerpiece in our amazing university.”
New Committee Structure
Strategic Planning and Budget
Academic and Administrative Assessment Committee Review Board Diversity Enrichment Enrollment and Retention Facilities and Space Utilization Information Services Safety Sexual Harrassment & Misconduct/Advisory & Review Strategic Planning and Budget* Sustainability
Student Affairs
Alcohol and Other Drugs Campus Life Advisory Honor Code Council
Staff Affairs
Arbitration and Appeals Ombudsperson Staff Steering*
Faculty Affairs
Arbitration and Appeals Awards and Honors Emeritus Faculty Faculty Status Faculty Steering* Ombudsperson
Curriculum
Academic Departments and Programs Sexual Assault Risk ReducAcademic Standards Curriculum * tion FYS/AES Student Congress* Insitutional Animal Care and Use Institutional Review Board University Committee on for Human Research Intercultural Programs & PerspecDiscipline tives Paideia Pre-Med Advisory
Catalyst, ODK Host Leadership Conference
Students watch as their peers give presentation on leadership. Photo by Jason Chapman
By Katie Temple Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society, a national leadership organization composed of juniors and seniors, and the Catalyst, a leadership development organization available to first-years and sophomores, united their fronts to bring about the second annual Student Leadership Conference on October 25 in the Lynda McCombs Ballroom. The event featured presentations by Southwestern students and by keynote speaker, Odell Bizzell. The purpose of the Catalyst and ODK is to foster leadership within the student body. “The conference is about leadership and examples of leadership by the students for the students,” Jones said. “It’s really easy to listen to someone older telling you how to lead and how to do things, but I think it matters a lot more when it comes from your peers, from people you know and see around campus.” The Leadership Conference was a joint effort from both
of these leadership organizations. “We have always wanted to work together,” President of ODK Joshua Page said. “This event was naturally a good fit and I think it went really swell.” Students gave presentations on a variety of leadership topics. Catalyst president Katy Jones presented on the various styles of leadership. Joshua Page focused on leadership and ethics, while Xandria Pollard emphasized emotionally intelligent leadership. Keynote speaker Odell Bizzell presented his program “I.M.P.A.C.T.: 6 Ways to Become Unforgettable and Indispensable.” Bizzell is a motivational speaker an author who has been featured in over 200 media outlets. Focusing his speech on motivation and inner-purpose, Bizzell’s said that what he wanted students to take away from his presentation is to always be becoming, always strive to be better and to do better for others. He opened his presentation
by sharing his experience of begrudgingly attending a motivational speech at a particularly grueling juncture in his life. Fresh out of college without a job or money, Bizzell heard four words at the speech that he says changed his life forever: ‘perfected passion producing prosperity’. Ever since, Bizzell has committed himself to creating defining moments for audiences just as he had been so strongly affected by years ago. “I really enjoyed the keynote speaker,” student Katie McCance said. “I think we’re influenced by all these other aspects of life but we forget to look into what we’re truly passionate about and letting that drive our actions and goals.” “We were extremely pleased with the attendance and the student presentations that seemingly flowed into each other,” Student Activities Director Jason Chapman said. “The keynote speaker was everything we wanted him to be.”
Members of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and The Catalyst pose with the Student Leadership Conference key note speaker, Odell Bizzell, after he gives his presentation titled I.M.P.A.C.T.: 6 Ways to Become Unforgettable and Indispensable. Photo by Jason Chapman