| Summary: | 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 Materials” field to access recent issues. w H Reporter August 2, 1985 A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff o f We stern Carolina University / Cullowhee, North Carolina WORKING AMID TROUBLE ABROAD When you work in international programs, you have to get used to the dangers. When CIML's Ralph Montee was in Africa a couple of years ago studying the feasibility of a primary health care facility for a private voluntary organization, he and his colleagues were captured by dissidents who probably intended to hold them as propaganda, he says. Luckily, the dissidents blew a tire and Montee escaped with the others. They walked 40 kilometers without water through the desert to reach a road, weaving through brush to keep out of sight. "That was the most harrowing, life-threatening part of the experience," he says. After they reached the road, the government helped them to the capital and out of the country. Nancy Blanks is getting ready to go to Africa to train indigenous workers for American PVOs in water harvesting, aqua-culture, and integrated agriculture. She has not only Montee's experience to put her on her guard, but her own experience last spring, when she contracted an exotic strain of typhoid in Central America. Yet her main concern is the despair she saw there, mostly a result of the political tensions. "We work with really poor people," she says, "and the vast majority felt there was absolutely nothing they could do. These were neither right nor left, but just people trying to make it. They were powerless and had no where else to go. It was really sad. You just get a lump in your throat." Ms. Blanks said many times high school boys are picked up for one army or the other on the way to school and are never seen again. This had happened to the sons of two PVO workers she met. "They simply disappear. There's nothing you can do and no one you can appeal to. It doesn't matter which side gets them when you won't see them anymore." In such areas, where normal marketing conditions are disrupted, the water-harvesting project can help people provide for their own needs. Rainwater is harvested in ponds, then the people can grow fish and animals and irrigate gardens and trees. It's an integrated system where the waste of one part feeds another part. At one place in Panama Ms. Blanks visited, there had been no rain in a year. The forest had been cut down and nothing was alive except lizards and people. She came over a knoll and there was a pond, with animals and fish and tree seedlings growing. A teacher came with a group of children, all very small for their ages and many with active tuberculosis, and each of the children took a seedling to plant. The teacher wanted to give them a vision of what could be. "It's those kinds of people that bring about change," Ms. Blanks says. In another place, among barren mountains, Indians with the help of a priest have built 70 pond complexes and had enough water for flowers around the church. They called it "God's water." Their children were the healthiest Ms. Blanks saw. The project is working to develop such complexes in Asia as well as Latin America and Africa. JULIE WALTON (CIML), who was chosen as a Presidential Management Intern last spring, will take a position as program analyst in health care financing for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services beginning this fall. A recent graduate of Western's M.P.A. program, she currently works with the water harvesting project at CIML and teaches a WCU political science course in Morganton. The PMI pro gram is designed to bring well qualified persons to higher-level government work. Ms. Walton is one of 200 chosen nationwide. OFFERING HELP FOR STUTTERERS The telephone rings in David Shapiro's office, but silence and an occasional rasping sound greet him at the other end of the line. He knows not to hang up. The caller may be a stutterer. Dr. Shapiro works with stutterers to overcome this fluency disorder that can be devastating to children and adults. He also teaches courses here for student clinicians and speech-language pathologists, supervises clinical practicums, and gives statewide workshops on treatment for stutterers. Dr. Shapiro came to Western last fall after completing a doctorate in speech-language pathology at Indiana University and teaching, supervising, and providing services for speech, language, and fluency. He has seen strikingly positive results. He defines stuttering—the most common of fluency disorders—as the involuntary interruption of the flow of speech. Repetitions, prolongations, or otherwise disrupted sounds in words and a range of negative emotions may result. The breaks in words may be accompanied by pauses, struggle, and tension in the voice or face or even in other parts of the body. "There are as many different forms of stuttering as there are stutterers," Dr. Shapiro says. Speech-language pathologists don't know exactly what causes stuttering, Shapiro says, but theories abound, including that it is inherited, that it is learned, that it results from emotional or psychological factors or from structural or neurological complications. Parents often feel they caused their child to stutter, he says. "I point out to them what is known and not known about stuttering. Building their understanding typically brings them relief, confidence, and direction in what we can do." "That we don't yet have a handle on the cause clearly does not mean we can't work successfully with stutterers," Dr. S hapiro says. "We have enough clinical evidence to know how to design effective individual programs to help stutterers." "We don't speak of 'cures' because stuttering is not a disease," Dr. Shapiro says, "but we've had tremendous success with stutterers." He has worked with people of all ages, from young children to senior citizens. At the Speech and Hearing Center, he emphasizes an individual approach. "The treatment plan that's developed results from a thorough analysis of the individual, his attitudes and communication abilities, including speech, fluency, and language," he says. "We involve the individual in developing a program to meet his or her needs." Fluency can result rapidly, says Dr. Shapiro, who used to be a severe stutterer, but permanent fluency takes the commitment of the individual, the clinician, and others close to the stutterer. As treatment progresses, Dr, Sh apiro consults with family members and interested friends. Dr. Shapiro wants to develop an intensive residential summer program here to expand current services. "Lives can be ruined, but it doesn't have to be that way," he says. "Help is available, but it takes commitment." IN PRAISE OF LAUREL According to Jim Horton of Western's biology department, the biggest argument for landscaping with native plants has been amply evident in this area recently. "You may have noticed a lot of dead shrubs," he says. "Most of those dead shrubs are exotic plants that were brought in for horticultural purposes and they simply didn't survive last winter's severe cold." Dr. Horton was the coordinator last week of a conference on landscaping with native plants, sponsored by WCU, TV A, and the N.C. Museum of Natural History. w H Reporter August 16, 1985 A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University / Cullowhee, North Carolina FALL SEMESTER BEGINS The campus begins to stir again next week as faculty return to prepare for the opening of school and to join with colleagues for meetings and amusement. Students begin to arrive on Wednesday for the 1985-86 academic year, with classes beginning the following week. About 1,400 freshmen and transfer students are expected to enter Western this fall. The university"^ faculty convenes for its annual fall meeting at 9 a.m. Monday, August 19, in the Music-English Recital Hall. The fifth annual "Campus Capers," featuring games, a barbecue dinner, and entertainment for WCU employees, begins at 3 p.m. Tuesday, August 20, on the intramural field behind Reid. Pre-registered students in Cullowhee may pick up fall schedules from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday, August 23, in the university center. Advising and registration for new freshmen and transfer students is from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. On Saturday, August 24, registration for courses in Cullowhee continues in the u.c. Grandroom from 8 a.m. until noon. Students may pick up class schedules and drop-add at this time. Classes in Cullowhee and Asheville begin Monday, August 26. Registration for courses offered at WCU's Cherokee Center may be completed at the center August 26-30 from 5:30 until 7 p.m. Classes begin in Cherokee Tuesday, September 3. Late registration in Cullowhee is scheduled August 26-28 and in Asheville August 30 and September 3-5. Orientation for new faculty members begins at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, August 22. A dinner honoring new faculty and staff is scheduled Sunday, August 25, at 6 p.m., in Brown Cafeteria. Earlier that afternoon, Chancellor and Mrs. Myron Coulter will host a reception honoring the entire Western Carolina faculty and staff from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. at their home. On Wednesday, August 21, registration begins in Hinds University Center for students who have not pre-registered. Residence halls open at 10 a.m., but only for students attending orientation; halls open at noon Thursday for all other students. Registration for WCU Programs in Asheville takes place Thursday from 4 until 7 p.m. in Carmichael Humanities Building at UNC-Asheville and continues August 26-29 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Phillips Administration Building. Other activities associated with the beginning of fall semester include the annual "Meet the Cats Night" introducing the 1985 Catamount football team with a dinner and scrimmage Thursday, August 29, and the quarterly meeting of the university's board of trustees September 11 at 2:30 p.m. REGIONAL CENTER STILL BEHIND Western's regional activity center, first projected for completion in November 1984, appears unlikely to be ready before early in 1986, says Chancellor Coulter. As a result, Dr. Coulter said, events scheduled in the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center for late this year and early 1986, including a November basketball game with N.C. State, will be rescheduled. A revised construction schedule now calls for completion in February 1986. Dr. Coulter says the university is "greatly concerned about the repeated delays in the construction of this project. They are extremely frustrating to us in our efforts to schedule university activities as well as events for the entire region. "The university has done everything within its power to get this building completed. The problems in scheduling of work and delays in the delivery of materials are problems of the various contractors completely beyond the immediate control of the university." The $16 million facility, which is to seat about 8,700, is the largest structure ever undertaken on the WCU ca mpus. Construction began in October 1982. Dr. Coulter says the university won't occupy the building "until all of the contractors have met all of the specifications established for this project." RURAL JOBS, EDUCATION LAG, HIPPS SAYS North Carolina's smaller rural counties face an impending economic crisis as high-tech industries concentrate in metropolitan areas and traditionally rural industries decline, said state Sen. Charles W. Hipps of Waynesville at Western's summer commencement August 2. "Glowing reports about the desirability of our state for industrial investment and relocation are glossing over potential problems," he said. Legislators and educators share a common commitment to provide "complete and continuing educational opportunities," he said. "There is no surer means of improving the quality of life in North Carolina." Hipps said growth in the state economy was slowing and becoming very uneven. The 10-county 29th Senatorial District of WNC that he represents includes some of the state's smallest and more economically depressed counties. Conditions here and in small eastern counties are not nearly so good as those in the Piedmont. "The highly technical industries concentrated in the metropolitan areas, particularly the Research Triangle, remain confident of sustained growth. But the traditional 'smokestack' industries, such as textiles, furniture, and rubber, most likely to be in smaller counties, are not healthy," Hipps said. The farm economy is threatened by debt and the loss of tobacco as a reliable cash crop. Hipps also warned against placing too much reliance on the services industry, often cited as important to the economy of western North Carolina. "The services economy in any area is dependent on a reasonably sound industrial payroll base pumping money into the local economy. Areas dependent upon these troubled industries cannot rely on the service sector to revive their economies." The smaller western and eastern counties are unable to compete for high-tech industries and are seeing their existing industrial bases move into a steady decline, he said. With small local tax bases for their educational systems, they cannot provide the highly trained, skilled labor pool that highly technical industries demand. Even though these small counties may make a "sacrificial" effort, they cannot provide their children the education and tools they need to compete, Hipps said. The legislature has begun to address this "almost intractable" problem, he said, and has made strides toward equalizing the educational programs in the state's counties. But Hipps warned that "less prosperous times" could undermine the efforts. "Not only do we owe to our children the best possible education we possibly can provide, we owe ourselves the capacity to compete effectively in the context of the developing economic realities we now face," he said. "The geography of birth should never restrict the expanse of a child's horizon," he said, and "access to higher education. cannot be contingent upon their family's wealth." Chancellor Myron Coulter conferred 111 graduate and 165 undergraduate degrees during the commencement ceremonies in Reid. WCU IS FIRST IN NATION WITH MASTER'S IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT Western has become the first university in the United States authorized to offer a nationally accredited master's degree in project management. The UNC Board of Governors authorized the Master of Project Management degree at its July meeting. The action was described as a "landmark" by Bonnie Riggins McGarr, the international executive director of Project Management Institute, a professional organization backing the WCU program. She said Western's program "establishes a model for other universities to follow, and will be highly significant to American industry." Western expects to start the new program in the fall of 1986 with an initial enrollment of 30 students. Chancellor Myron Coulter said the new graduate program "is a major addition to the educational resources of western North Carolina." The program will be significant to the region's efforts to attract major industries, he said, while also serving a nationwide need for an advanced educational program in project management. Project management is a relatively new field of business that deals with management of temporary organizations set up to accomplish specific, goal-oriented tasks (for instance, power plant construction) within certain time frames. The new master's program will be offered in WCU's School of Business. It will prepare students to use project management techniques in government, industry, and nonprofit organizations. The program is designed principally for persons trained in technical disciplines such as engineering and the physical sciences and will prepare them for promotion to such positions as project director, program director, and project manager. Western's proposal for a project management degree was endorsed in 1989 by the 6,000- member Project Management Institute. That international organization solicited proposals from 229 accredited business schools throughout the United States and elected to support WCU's graduate proposal. At a meeting with business leaders in Asheville last October, the PMI board of directors outlined the international need for the program. They said project management had become a profession over the last 10 years but that no college or university course curriculum had been developed and implemented to provide training. They said trained project managers are hard to find. A PMI review in 1983-89 found no institutions in the country offering a similar project management degree program. It identified only a handful of project management programs worldwide—including a doctoral program at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, a developing doctoral program at Oxford University in England, and a scattering of master's programs in Australia, England, and Canada. HYDE GIFT IS MATCHED A $200,000 challenge gift by Asheville insurance executive Wallace N. Hyde has been matched, Chancellor Coulter announced at a news luncheon August 1. The result, he said, is a $900,000 endowment for athletic scholarships at Western. Dr. Hyde, president of Hyde Insurance Associates, Inc., is a 1999 graduate of WCU and chairman of its board of trustees. His original gift, announced in January 1989, was an outright contribution of $100,000 and a challenge gift of a second $100,000, to be turned over to the university when it matched the full $200,000. "Western Carolina University already owed a great, uipayable debt to Wallace Hyde for his many years of service, loyalty, and leadership," Dr. Coulter said. "Now we are and will be deeply indebted to him, not only today but through the years as this magnificent gift makes a college education possible for students who excel in athletics." He s aid the Hyde challenge gift will con stitute the largest endowed athletic scholarships program in the history of the university. Matching the gift are contributions from many individuals and firms who helped the institution respond, Dr. Coulter said. Robert L. Waters, director of athletics, said the $400,000 endowment "is a major boost to our athletic program. Wallace Hyde has always been a great friend to this institution and to its athletic programs. Our players really appreciate the support that he has always shown for them. The coaching staff values his role in the leadership of the university, and what he has done for young athletes is going to be remembered for as long as these scholarships are awarded." H.F. Robinson, who was chancellor here when Hyde issued his challenge, praised Hyde for "leading the way in this and in so many other things for the good of Western Carolina." "I intended for my action to stimulate other gifts and I am happy that it did," Dr. Hyde said. "Without the scholarship I received in 1941 from the athletic department, I would have had great difficulty obtaining a college education. I know that this is still true for many young people, and that athletics are an extremely important part of college life. "I believe in athletics and the good things that can result from wholesome, positive athletic programs. I know others believe in athletics, too, and I felt it was time we took some steps to provide a broader base for our athletic scholarship program." Dr. Hyde is one of Western's best known graduates. He played football and basketball here and in his early career was a teacher, coach, and athletic director in North Carolina public schools. FACULTY STUDIES AVAILABLE H inter Library is now accepting applications for faculty studies. Application forms are available from department chairmen, and completed applications should be sent to William Kirwan, University Librarian, Hunter Library. The deadline for receipt of applications is August 30. R.E.A.C.H. REACHES OUT Several members of the university community serve on the board of R.E.A.C.H. of Jackson County, which offers resources, education, assistance, counseling, and housing for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. According to FBI statistics, one woman is beaten every 18 seconds and 25 percent of all murders happen in the family; over half of these involve a spouse. Each year, more than 40 percent of murdered women are killed by their husbands or lovers. Since it began offering its services last January, R.E.A.C.H. has served more than 55 clients, including several members of the university community. Services of the non-profit community organization include crisis counseling via a 24-hour hotline, emergency counseling in the office, temporary shelter, information and referral, legal and medical advocacy, and education for the community. WCU people serving on the board are Margie Allison, an administrative assistant at CIML; Rebecca Dennis, director of continuing education for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences; Wilburn Hayden, head of the department of social work; and Barbara Mann, dean of student development. Volunteers are still needed to staff the hotline, accompany clients to court, provide transportation, and assist on board committees for fund-raising, community education and public relations, and volunteer recruitment and training. Perhaps you would like a speaker for your class or group on the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault. Perhaps you would like to be a R.E.A.C.H. volunteer. Call Catherine Scott, director of the R.E.A.C.H. program, who is eager to talk to you. The office number is 586-8969. For emergencies, call 586-3604 from Sylva or Cullowhee or, in Cashiers and Cherokee, dial 0 and ask for WX6103. All contacts with R.E.A.C.H. are strictly confidential. H Reporter August 23, 1985 A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University / Cullowhee, North Carolina NEW FACULTY FROM FAR AND WIDE Western's faculty will have a number of new members this fall, both full-time and part-time. The entire faculty and staff are invited to meet these new people at the home of Chancellor and Mrs. Myron Coulter Sunday afternoon, from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m., and to join them for dinner in Brown Cafeteria at 6 p.m. School of Arts and Sciences Art has a new department head, Robert Godfrey, a painter who has an M.F.A. from Indiana University and a B.F.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art. He has been an associate professor at Westminster College in western Pennsylvania for many years. He and his wife, Therese Abranovich-Godfrey, have one grown child. Also new in art is Cathryn Griffin, an assistant professor who will teach photography. She has a B.F.A. from Massachusetts College of Art and an M.F.A. from Yale. She has been teaching at Hartford Art School in West Hartford, Conn., and last year was a visiting instructor at the University of Tennessee. The department of speech and theatre arts will have two new instructors this fall. Stephen M. Ayers comes here from the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he completed requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation in May. He has a B.A. from Maryville College and an M.S. from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. He and his wife, Donna, have two children ages 3 and 8 months. He will be working on his dissertation, which concerns the effect of the national endowment on regional theatres 1964-1984. Between 1977 and 1982 he was artistic director at the Strand Street Theatre in Galveston, Texas. Paul M. Gold holds the B.A. and M.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has spent nearly 30 years in broadcasting, primarily radio programming and announcing, and comes here from Durham Broadcasting Corp. in Durham, N.C. He is married to Marilyn Gold. Martin Crawford will be visiting exchange lecturer in history. He comes here from the University of Keele in Staffordshire, England, where WCU professor Max Wiliams will teach in his stead. Dr. Crawford will teach American Studies. Janet Beasley will return to Western as instructor of Spanish. She holds the B.A. from Georgia State and an M.A. from the University of Georgia. Ms. Beasley, who taught here 1979-1980, has been with the CIAL-Centro de Linguao, Lisbon, Portugal. Don C. Reed, a new instructor of philosophy and religion, is completing his doctoral work at Vanderbilt University, where he received his master's in 1984. He specializes in ethics and moral education and moral development. He is married to Charlotte Reed. Several people will join the English faculty. William C. Herbert, an assistant professor, will specialize in mass communications and journalism. He has 27 years experience as a teacher and as a writer and editor for newspapers. In 1975 he received the Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Missouri; he also holds a master's in journalism from Southern Illinois University and a B.S.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. Daniel S. Preston will be an instructor of English. A specialist in writing, he is a poet and short story writer. He received the Ph.D. in creative writing in 1984 from the University of Virginia, where he earlier received the M.A. Thomas H. Towers will be taking William Higgins's place in English as part of the faculty exchange program. A professor at the University of Rhode Island who has been at that university since 1971, when he completed the Ph.D. at Tulane, he has done many articles on the American realists as well as on Hawthorne and others. The English department will have two new lecturers. Von E. Underwood received the Ph.D. in 1984 from Boston University, the B.A. in 1972 from UNC-Chapel Hill. His specialty is comparative literature and modern poetry. John Zubizarreta returns to Western, where he was an English instructor 1979-82, after completing his Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina and traveling to pursue interests in water sports and skiing. His wife, Margie, received a master's in guidance and counseling at Western in 1982. New to the science faculty is Lawrence Kolenbrander, who will coordinate the new program in natural resources management. He received the Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from Colorado State University. His doctoral dissertation involved evaluating landform classification systems for renewable resource assessment and planning, and he has been an independent planning consultant in Loveland, Colo., since 1982. His wife's name is Nancy. Bruce D. Idleman will be instructor of earth science. A native of Heidelberg, Germany, he holds an M.S. and B.S. in geology from SUNY-Albany. He has held an NSF grant for study of oceanic fracture zone and transform fault tectonics in the coastal complex of western Newfoundland and is currently completing his dissertation. Coming to the math department as part of the faculty exchange program to replace Lee Minor, who will be spending the year at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, is David Travis from Glassboro State College in New Jersey. Peter R. Vaughan will be an instructor of physical chemistry. He comes to Western from Tuscola High School, where he has taught since 1971. He graduated with a bachelor of science in geology and chemistry from Durham University in Durham, England, and received a master's in education at Western in 1974. His wife, Marilyn, teaches in Canton. Karen W. Tice will be an assistant professor of social work. She has been teaching at the University of Kentucky, where she received the M.S.W. in 1978, and Eastern Kentucky University. Previously she was executive director of a program for battered women. Ms. Tice received the B.A. in psychology and sociology from the University of Connecticut. Two new people will be teaching in the music department. John T. West is coming to Western as band director and assistant professor. He completed the Ph.D. in music education at Florida State University in Tallahassee earlier this year. Previously he was band director at Cocoa High School, Cocoa, Fla. Michael A. Miles, a trumpet player, will teach instrumental music. He recently received the M.A. degree from Florida State and has a bachelor's degree from Hartt School of Music in Bloomington, Conn., where he conducted a brass choir. His current research is on ornamentation in trumpet music. He is married to Stacey Miles. School of Business Carroll D. Aby, Jr., is new department head and professor of economics and finance. A native of Baton Rouge, La., he received the Ph.D. in 1968 from LSU and is a graduate of the National Trust School at Northwestern University and the Merrill Lynch Securities Training Program in New York. He taught at Mississippi State University for eight years and in recent years has been adjunct professor at LSU for professional short courses in investments, tax shelters, and security analysis while working in Baton Rouge with Paine Webber Jackson Curtis. He is the co-author of numerous books and many articles. He and his wife, Carol Ann Stevens, have two children. Elizabeth L. Brandon of Cleveland, Miss., will come as instructor of marketing and management. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration at the University of Mississippi and taught last year at Delta State University. B. Ann Clottey will be an assistant professor of management and marketing. A native of Lithuania, she received the bachelor's CHANCELLOR OUTLINES MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF 1984-85 IN ADDRESS TO FACULTY The major investments in and support for Western Carolina University by the State of North Carolina call for an all-out effort in 1985-86 to justify the confidence placed in the institution. That thought was a key element in the address to the faculty last Monday by Chancellor Myron L. Coulter, opening the new academic year. "In the year ahead," he said, "we must complete all our projects and keep our eyes upon the overriding purpose of this fine academy — to do our utmost as a total faculty, and as individuals, to assure that the confidence which the State of North Carolina and the parents of our students have placed in us — t o give those students the best education within our power — is a confidence which we can justify." He noted that "this institution and this system of higher education has had a 20 percent increase in pay in the past two years. The members of the state General Assembly are giving us a message that they believe in the worth of a university education, even when some of them have not had that advantage. "We must accept that message for what it is -- a strong commitment to the best education our state can give to its young adults who will inherit and perpetuate our contemporary society. "We also must acknowledge that we are the keepers of a public trust in education, and that we have a solemn obligation to discharge our responsibilities as educators to the fullest measure of our abilities -- to make our citizens and our state as strong as the commitment we have been given. I assure you, not every state makes such a pledge to its education system. "Let's be able to say (to paraphrase actor John Houseman), 'we earned it.'" The General Assembly this year was good to Western, the Chancellor said, noting significant salary improvement for the second year, academic program support, and encouraging capital outlay allocations. Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs C. J. Carter outlined principal details of the budget improvements: Continuation Budget. About $134,000 in additional operating funds to offset inflation and higher rates; these funds primarily are to increase library acquisitions, to meet increased telephone and postage costs, to provide support for the Southern Association self-study and other accreditations, and to start a preventive maintenance program in the physical plant area. Change Budget. About $832,000 in program expansion funds, of which some 87 percent is for the academic and academic support functions, including $95,000 for the Math/ Science Summer Ventures program; $90,000 for instructional and other academic computing functions; $140,000 for scientific equipment; $35,000 for the Rural Education Center; $19,000 for Highlands Biological Station; $99,000 in enrollment change funds; $102,000 in salary enhancement funds to bring the average WCU faculty salary more in line with the national norms achieved by doctoral-level institutions; and $340,000 in basic program support for a wide variety of purposes but principally for improved clerical support and telephone service in the academic areas, increased preparedness for budget adjustments to accompany any enrollment declines that might be experienced, and preparation for developing a comprehensive student information system. Faculty Salaries. Funds are provided to award an average of a 10 percent faculty salary increase, including five percent across-the-board increases and five percent for merit awards and increases resulting from promotions. Capital Improvements. Advance planning funds were allocated for two large projects: a new warehouse and storage facility, and renovation of Hoey, McKee, and Stiilwell buildings. The planning awards are especially significant because usually such action indicates likely approval of funds for actual construction in the future. On the Chancellor's list of major achievements last year were these items: --The new Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management and Master of Project Management degree programs. —Full accreditation of the Manufacturing Engineering Technology program in the School of Technology and Applied Sciences by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology on the first attempt, and with high recommendations. — A highly successful first Summer Ventures program for high school math and science students, directed by Dr. Richard Berne, brought 120 high school juniors and seniors to the campus for a month. —The new Rural Education program, started at WCU this year to match the program initiated at East Carolina a year earlier, is now being directed by Dr. William Clauss. —Continued funding, at the instigation of Sen. Charles Hipps, of the Institute of Government at WCU to train local government officials. —Increased funding for the Mountain Heritage Center to make the Scotch-Irish exhibit permanent. — The MicroNet Program, directed by Dr. Linda Perry, was named a national runner-up in the prestigious Mitau competition sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities; it also has received additional grant funding for this year. —A $200,000 challenge gift by Dr. Wallace Hyde, chairman of the board of trustees, was matched, establishing a $400,000 endowment for athletics grants-in-aid. —The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching to be established at WCU, had a highly-praised first summer session, thanks to the work of Chancellor Emeritus Robinson, chairman of a planning committee; Dr. Gurney Chambers, interim project director; Dr. Yvonne Phillips, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Mrs. Martha McKinney, assistant to the project director. Actions taken to achieve major objectives announced last February include: —A new consortium of WCU, Georgia College, and the University of North Florida will begin studies of the improvement of teaching effectiveness. —Committees will be appointed soon to develop criteria for awards of $10,000 each for programs of excellence in the academic and support areas. —Special, extra funds have been assigned to each dean and the librarian to support faculty travel for professional development. —A search for a new Graduate School dean is in the final stages; the Graduate School will be reorganized, and the new dean will be responsible for program development in Asheville and on the campus. —A study of administrative reorganization is underway for better coordination of outreach and service functions, including Summer Sessions, Continuing Education, Rural Education, Mountain Heritage Center, Cherokee Program, Cooperative Education, International Programs, and Center for Improving Mountain Living. —A restructuring of development programs will focus on new and extended activities in corporate and individual giving to support endowed professorships, chairs, and a capital facilities campaign, in addition to scholarships and athletics funding. —A market analysis firm has been retained to study and make recommendations for improvement of the university image and increased effectiveness of student recruitment and admissions procedures. —A committee to develop a role and mission statement and task forces to study international and summer programs have been appointed. —A university/economic development team will visit China this fall; the first WCU commencement in Jamaica will occur next spring; WCU has been asked to spearhead, with A-B Tech, a project to improve technology programs in Swaziland. degree in 1969 from Ohio Northern University, the M.B.A. in 1970 from Bowling Green State, and the Ph.D. in business administration this year from Okalahoma State University. She has one child. Patrick A. Hays, a new associate professor of economics and finance, comes to Western from Texas Tech University. He received the Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1977 and an M.B.A. from California Western in 1970. His bachelor's from the University of Arkansas is in civil engineering. He and his wife, Deborah, have two children. Donald O. Mayer comes as an assistant professor of administrative services. He majored in the philosophy of political science at Ken yon College and went on to earn a J.D. at Duke University and an LL.M. this year from Georgetown University. He has been chief law clerk with Wiles Artis Hedrick <5c Lane in Washington, D.C., and previously practiced law in Asheville. He has taught classes at Mars Hill and UNC-A. School of Nursing Elizabeth Simmons-Rowland returns to the Western faculty full-time as an assistant professor of nursing. Last year she taught part-time. Mrs. Rowland hold the M.S.N, degree from Boston University and was previously coordinator of nursing education in the obstetrics and gynecology division of the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing. School of Technology and Applied Science Returning to the department of industrial education and technology as assistant professor is Woodridge Calvin Brown. He taught here 19 79 - 80 and since 1981 has been teaching at Davidson County Community College in Lexington, N.C. He received the B.S. from Iowa State, the M.S. from Florida State, and in 1983 completed the Ed.D. in occupational education and psychology at N.C. State. He a nd his wife, LaVera, have one grown child. Frank Baran will be an assistant professor of industrial education and technology. He holds the B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in engineering technology from Rochester Institute of Technology. He taught at SUNY in Alfred, N.Y., from 1965 until 1983. Jonathan A. DeGrove will be an instructor of industrial education and technology. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial technology from Western and has considerable work experience in the field, including four years of aviation sheet metal work. He is married to Carolyn DeGrove. School of Education and Psychology New in education is William A. Clauss, who will be the new director of the Office of Rural Education and an associate professor of administration, curriculum, and instruction. He holds the Ph.D. from the University of Miami and most recently directed continuing education at the University of New Orleans. He was also adjunct associate professor in the School of Urban and Regional Studies there. He held similar positions at the University of Arizona. He will apply his interests in outreach development and needs assessment in developing the activities of this new office at WCU. Dr. Clauss's wife, Judith Enz Clauss, also joins the school's faculty as assistant professor of elementary education and reading and will teach early childhood and elementary math. She holds the doctorate from the University of Arizona. Most recently she was visiting assistant professor at the University of New Orleans, and she previously directed non-credit programs in continuing education at the University of Arizona. She is interested in software development and programming for microcomputers. In addition, Dr. Clauss is a scientific and medical illustrator and a juried watercolorist. Zoa L. Rockenstein, a new assistant professor in the human services department, received her Ph.D. this year from the University of Georgia and holds two master's degrees. She comes here from a position as vice president of Trillium Press in Madison Square Station, New York. Her research interests are in whole-brain learning, methods for developing creativity, problem-solving, and effective programs for gifted in rural areas. She and her husband, Joseph, have a three-year-old child. Media Center A new research assistant in the Media Center, Howard G. Hill, holds a bachelor's from Northwestern University and two master's degrees. Last year he produced a video on the use of computers in schools for Macon Program for Progress and was a guidance counselor at Highlands High. Previously he was in Heidelberg, Germany, doing human resources research on large unit training management with the Army. Athletics Tony Baldwin will be the new head coach for women's basketball. He comes to WCU from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., where he received the Ed.D. this year. In 1979 he received a master's at UNC-Chapel Hill. He previously was assistant athletic director and women's basketball coach at Belmont Abbey College. At UNC he was assistant varsity women's basketball coach. He and his wife, Angela, have two young children. CREATIVE WRITERS TO READ MONDAY Charlotte Holmes and James Brasfield of the WCU English faculty will read from their works Monday, August 26, at City Lights in downtown Sylva. The reading begins at 7:30 p.m. After the two featured writers read, refreshments will be served. The second half of the program will be an open, round robin reading for all who desire to participate. Ms. Holmes is primarily a writer of short stories, Brasfield of poetry. Both completed the Master of Fine Arts degree at Columbia University and have won recognition for their writing in competitions. The couple came to Cullowhee last year from Palo Alto, Calif., where Ms. Holmes held Stanford University's Wallace Stegner Fellowship. They have a two-year-old son, Stanhope. Ms. Holmes has published her work in The Carolina Quarterly, Grand Street, The New Yorker, Southern Review, Calliope, Plum, Poetry Northwest, and Mademoiselle. She won first prize in the Mademoiselle College Poetry Competition in 1977 and has attended the Breadloaf Writers Conference. Brasfield has published his poetry in Poetry Now, The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, The Vanderbilt Poetry Review, Antaeus, Plum, Southern Poetry Review, and Iowa Review. He has published a chapbook, Inheritance and Other Poems, and has read at the Spoleto Festival. The series of readings at City Lights, which began last winter, receives support from the Jackson County Arts Council. The public is invited to come and to bring a folding chair, as seating is limited. CAMPUS EVENTS Art - An exhibition of oil paintings by Robert Hessler of Haywood County will be on display Aug. 29-Sept. 19 in the Chelsea Gallery of Hinds University Center. A public reception at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, will open the exhibition. Hessler was advertising art director for Newsday for 29 years. A prize-winning artist who has exhibited his works throughout the New York area, he studied painting at the American School of Design in New York and was field instructor in landscape painting at the school's summer location in Maine. He retired six years ago to the White Oak section of Haywood County. Art - Ceramics by Martha Holt will be displayed in the season's first major exhibition in Belk Gallery. The artist will discuss her work in "Holt on Holt" after the opening reception in 104 Belk. The reception begins in the gallery at 7:30 p.m. August 28. ANNOUNCEMENTS Hunter Library is now accepting applications for faculty studies. Application forms are available from department heads. Send completed forms to William Kirwan, Hinter Library, by August 30. This fall the Media Center will be open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 7 p.m. on Friday. It will be closed weekends. Equipment should be returned to the media desk or loading dock. [H Reporter August 30, 1985 A Weekly Newsletter for the Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University / Cullowhee, North Carolina SIFTING THE DIFFERENCES IN DEATH Death may be universal, but how you die, and when, depends a lot on whether you are a man or a woman. In 1979, the average life span of a man was 69.9; that of a woman was 77.6. More men than women die of murder, lung cancer and other lung diseases, including emphysema, motor vehicle accidents, suicide, other accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and arteriosclerotic heart disease. Researchers have been working for years to untangle the reasons for the statistics-biological, social, and psychological—and Judith Stillion recently published a book that pulls the research together. Head of the psychology department at Western, Dr. Stillion has specialized in the study of death and dying as well as in the study of sex roles and the effect they have on the way we live. According to Dr. Stillion, much of the differential may be attributed to social messages associated with the "real man" stereotype. The roles have been summarized by researchers in terms of these messages: 1. "No sissy stuff." 2. "Be a big wheel." 3. "Be a sturdy oak." k. "Give 'em hell." Involved in these messages are competition, power, self-reliance, and being different from women. Motor vehicle accidents, Dr. Stillio n says, may reflect the qualities of dominance and competition associated with "masculinity." And "no sissy stuff" may be behind the higher incidence of male death by suicide. Females attempt suicide twice as frequently, she says, but three to five times more males complete the act. Males use more violent means, but in every method used they are more successful than females. Dr. Stillion asks, "Could it be that males' socialization messages are still functioning in times of severe stress, blotting out even the strong urge toward survival?" Perhaps, she says, they still hear "Take your medicine like a man," "Be a man about this," or "Big boys don't cry." Perhaps the achievement motive works to prevent the humiliation of failure even in suicide. Alcohol abuse, closely associated with cirrhosis of the liver, often may be an escape from the "sturdy oak" stance, she says. Male sex roles may be associated even with diet, as men avoid "sissy" foods such as salads in favor of the heavier meats and fried foods associated with heart disease and atherosclerosis. Dr. S tillion adds that the personality type associated with heart disease, "Type A," sounds like a male trying to "be a big wheel." She quotes R.H. Rosenman and M. Friedman, who say that Type A results from "a combination of personality traits such as excessive competitive drive; persistent desire for recognition, advancement and achievement; and persistent inclination for multiple vocational and avocational involvements on the one hand, and of chronic immersion in deadlines on the other. The key area of harassment in such an individual usually is a seeming paucity of time itself." Heart attacks often follow. Dr. Stillion feels that women live in a less dangerous and violent world than do men, who are murdered more often and are far more likely to be murderers. In addition, women have felt free to express their problems and to reach out for help with a minimum of disapproval from society. Dr. Stillion was disturbed when she first learned that when women kill, they usually kill the weak, the handicapped, the infirm. "But they're the ones who take care of those people," she says. "They're the ones who have no relief. Sometimes it's commit suicide or kill the person, if there's no societal support." These gender differences affect not only the time and manner in which we are likely to die, but also the attitudes we hold toward death. Three sets of contrasting stereotypes affect these attitudes, she says. One is the "stiff upper lip" male versus the "anxious, hysterical" female. The second is the "powerful loner" vs. the "clinging vine." Third is the "provider" versus the "nurturer." Dr. Stillion says the research is clear that women, from age 10 on, admit more death anxiety. "Yet there is no psychological reason why females would be more afraid of dying than males. Death should mean the same thing to each." She believes women are more free to admit their fear than men. Dr. Stillion's book, Death and the Sexes: An Examination of Differential Longevity, Attitudes, Behaviors, and Coping Skills, has chapters on murder and suicide, bereavement and grief, and death education and counseling as well as longevity and attitudes. It grew out of a symposium several years ago at the annual meeting of the Forum for Death Education and Counseling. The book was originally to be on women and death. But the sex differences were so startling, Dr. Stillio n felt she could not talk about the attitudes of women without comparing them with those of men. "The difference that's most convincing for me," says Dr. Stillion, "is longevity. Since 1920 the differential between men and women has grown from one year to almost 8 years. Something is acting differently on men and on women in our society." At any age from conception to old age, more men die than women. More boys are conceived, and more boys are born, but more girls survive. "Society reinforces and builds upon that," Dr. Stillion says. "You'd think that when one half of the population is at risk, you'd safeguard that half—tell them to be careful, tell them to be more passive than aggressive. But we do just the opposite. It seems like an irony." She acknowledges that the male hormone testosterone is a factor in aggression; even before birth, it makes the brain waves of a boy different from those of a girl. It may make boys more aggressive and prone to rough and tumble play, she says. "But we are not our hormones," she adds. "What we do as a culture makes the difference. In our culture we reinforce aggression. The two things that have allowed us to evolve as a species—intelligence and aggression—now put us in great jeopardy. "We need to use our intelligence to encourage cooperation, to develop a less competitive and less aggressive way of being in the world," she says. "That would also encourage the longevity of males." To talk about their feelings, to accept emotional support, to live in a warmer emotional world than they've been sentenced to would help them live longer, she believes. Her book is a review of the literature on these differences, biological and psychosocial, a review that had not previously been done. Intended as a reference for researchers and students of death education and sex roles, it covers the most meaningful studies and explores their implications. Two other books are in the thinking stages with her. She and Eugene McDowell are continuing their research into adolescent attitudes toward suicide and working on a book on suicide across the lifespan— research, theories, signals, myths and facts, possible intervention. She also will edit a volume on innovative therapies for the care of the bereaved and terminally ill. Dr. Stillion is associate editor of the newly renamed journal Death Studies and recently was guest editor for a special issue on suicide, when the journal was called Death Education. PERRY KELLY (Art) won first prize in the color photography division of the "High Country Photographic Competition" sponsored by High Country Crafters in Asheville. His winning photograph was "The People's Palace—China." With the other prize winners, that photograph is on display at High Country Crafters, 29 Haywood Street. DONALD L. LOEFFLER (head, Speech and Theatre Arts) was selected as a candidate for the office of secretary on the slate of the American Theatre Association. The selection was made by the ATA Board of Nominations at the national convention in Toronto August 1-7. Dr. Loeffler is past president of the University and College Theatre Association, a division of ATA. DUANE DAVIS (Criminal Justice) participated in the Anglo American Studies Institute's five-week summer program in Great Britain as Visiting Professor of Comparative Justice. Eight WCU st udents were among 450 who studied in the program sponsored by the British Academy of Forensic Sciences, with whom Davis has worked the past seven summers. FACULTY PUBLICATIONS Lester L. Laminack (with Patricia J. Anderson of ECU). "Motivation: The Missing Ingredient," in Early Years, 16 (August/September 1985). Judith M. Stillion. Death and the Sexes: An Examination of Differential Longevity, Attitudes, Behaviors, and Coping Skills. Washington and New York: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, a Division of McGraw-Hill International, 1985. Robert Dalley (with Robert Boyle). "On the Scene," Sports Illustrated, Jine 17, 1985. ENGINEERING TECH ACCREDITED National accreditation of Western's manufacturing engineering technology program was announced last Friday by Chancellor Myron L. Coulter. Dr. Coulter said the accreditation by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), based in New York, is a "significant milestone in the development of our School of Technology and Applied Science." Western received approval from The University of North Carolina to establish the degree program in manufacturing engineering technology in February 1982. We thus became the first university in the 16-campus system to offer an independent four-year engineering technology program. Engineering technology, according to ABET, differs from engineering in that it involves the application of known engineering principles. Engineering emphasizes research, development, and the conceptual design of new theories. "We're extremely pleased to have received accreditation on our first try," said J. Dale Pounds, dean of the WCU School of Technology and Applied Science. "This is the earliest we could have been accredited because to seek accreditation a program must first have graduates in the field." Some 150 students are enrolled in the program. Pounds said the first graduates were employed by companies such as Black and Decker, IBM, Milliken, S inger-Kearfott, and TRW. He sa id their average starting salary was $19,150 and that their titles included manufacturing engineer, quality control manager, production engineer, production design associate, and associate design engineer. Through spring semester of 1984, there were 32 graduates of the program. CALL FOR PAPERS ON NEW RIVER ANNOUNCEMENTS The New River Gorge National River of the National Park Service and Wytheville Community College are sponsoring the fifth annual New River Symposium, which is scheduled for April 10-12, 1986. The three-day symposium will be held at the Wytheville Holiday Inn, Wytheville, Va. The multi-disciplinary symposium is open to all with a professional or avocational interest in the New River, from its North Carolina headwaters down to its mouth in West Virginia. Papers for the Symposium are being sought in natural history, folklore, geology, history, archaeology, geography, and other sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Papers should share the common theme of natural, physical, or human environments, or their interrelation. Proposals for sessions and panel discussions are also sought. Proposals are due by December 1. They should include a 250- to 400-word abstract for a panel review. Send them Gene Cox, National Park Service, New River Gorge National River, P.O. Box 1189, Oak Hill, W.V. 25901; telephone (304) 465-0508. Proceedings for the 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985 symposia are available at $12.50 each from Eastern National Park and Monument Association at the above address. The 1986 proceedings also will be published. ACT QUICKLY FOR NEW YORK VISIT Speech and theatre arts is planning its fall trip to New York City and deposits are due Tuesday, September 3. The trip October 18-23 will feature tickets to Broadway plays, a seminar with nationally known theatre critic Frank Rich of The New York Times, meetings with actors, and sightseeing. Jim Wood, coordinator of the trip, says the visit will include six plays and musicals, half on Broadway and half off Broadway. Most days are open for theatre-related tours, including backstage at the Metropolitan Opera House, Radio City Music Hall, and the New York Shakespeare Festival. Cost is $475 or $435, depending on number. Transportation and meals are extra, but reduced air fares may be available. Contact Wood at once if you want to go. If you are interested in singing with the University Chorus, which is open to all students, faculty, and staff without audition, contact director Bob Holquist in Music-English 466 (ext. 7242) or at home (293-3270). The chorus meets on Monday and Wednesday from 3 to 4:15 p.m. and sings a wide variety of musical styles, including popular and folk music, standard sacred classics, show tunes, and secular music. Besides participating in the annual Christmas Celebration, the group presents a fall concert. In the spring, the chorus will combine forces with the Western Carolina Community Chorus, the Mars Hill College Choir, and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra to present the Verdi Requiem under the direction of Robert Baker. Dr. Holquist says, "This promises to be a thrilling event that singers will not want to miss. It is truly one of the choral orchestral masterworks of all time." The Reporter welcomes news from faculty and staff concerning their professional activities and achievements, including attendance at meetings, offices held, and publications. Send items to Elizabeth Addison, Office of Public Information, 420 HFR Building. The WCU Counseling, Testing, and Psychological Services Center will offer the following "Groups for Growth and Change," open to students, staff, and faculty, during fall semester: Stress Management, Assertiveness Training, Coping with Family Change, Changing Self-Defeating Behaviors, The Young Adult's Guide to Parents, Bulimic Support Group, Developing Healthy Relationships, Confronting the Alcoholic System, The New Male, Couples Enhancement, Women's Personal Growth Group, Feeling Good, and Adult Students' Support Group. Most groups will start September 9-13, but they will accept new members for several weeks. You may attend a group or refer your students. For more information, call ext. 7469. Hinter Library is accepting applications from graduate students for the use of study rooms in the library. Application forms, available from department heads, should be sent to William Kirwan, University Librarian, Hunter Library, by September 13.
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