Library
exhibits focus on Coker and his legacy
William
Chambers Coker hated pruning.
Fungi
fascinated him -- especially mushrooms. He helped Chapel
Hillians decide what to plant where in their yards, identified
plants for people all over the Southeast and, judging by
letters from his students, was one of the best teachers ever
at Carolina.
The
letters and much more about Coker, Carolina's first botany
professor, can be seen in four exhibits up through spring
in the University Libraries. The displays herald the 100th
anniversary of the campus arboretum that Coker developed
and later was named in his honor.
Also
in anticipation of the centennial in April, the libraries
will co-publish a biography of the botanist by his niece,
Mary Coker Joslin of Raleigh, a former member of the Board
of Visitors. The co-publisher is the North Carolina Botanical
Garden, which oversees the arboretum. On March 20, Joslin
will attend a 5 p.m. reception in Wilson Library and discuss
and sign copies of the book at 6 p.m.
The
event will highlight the signature exhibit of the libraries'
remembrances, "William Chambers Coker: The Legacy of a Lifelong
Botanist," open through April 13 in the Melba Remig Saltarelli
Exhibit Room on the third floor of Wilson. This exhibit focuses
on the life and achievements of Coker, 1872-1953, who taught
at the University from 1902 to 1945 and headed the first
botany department, created in 1908. Today he is known for
the classroom building named for him.
Also
in Wilson is "`All the Charms of Nature': A History of Landscaping
at UNC-Chapel Hill," which tells that story in photographs
and lithographs from 1795 to the present and looks at some
plans for the future. This 40-piece display will be up through
May in the North Carolina Collection Gallery.
Davis
Library will offer an exhibit March 5 through April 15 on
Joslin's book and the libraries' venture into publishing.
Items will be in the 72-foot display case on the first floor.
Davis opens 8 a.m. to midnight Mondays-Thursdays, 8 a.m.
to 10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.
to midnight Sundays.
The
fourth exhibit, "William C. Coker As Collector of Fungi" in
the biology library in Coker Hall, includes photographs,
articles about the professor in the 1926 "Chapel Hill Weekly," two
of Coker's books and information on students he influenced.
The
biology library exhibit includes a list of 26 graduate students
that Coker advised, said botany section librarian Bill Burk,
exhibit curator. They earned, collectively, 25 master's and
nine doctoral degrees. "Three of them were elected as members
of the National Academy of Sciences," Burk said.
Besides
students, Coker was protective of his plants. His letters
in "Legacy" include one to a dean, said Guthrie, "about some
suspicious activity he believed was taking place in his arboretum.
He didn't like the way some of the students were behaving
there in the summer, especially at night. He singled out
one student who had picked the finest bouquet in the arboretum
to give to his girlfriend. He wanted the dean to make sure
that student was reprimanded."
Coker
arrived in Chapel Hill in 1902 as associate professor of
botany, fresh from studying at a German university that had
an arboretum, Guthrie said. Carolina owned the land that
is now Coker Arboretum, at the corner of Cameron Avenue and
Raleigh Street, but considered it useless for building.
Coker
convinced UNC President Francis Preston Venable to allow
him to turn it into an arboretum -- a place where trees,
shrubs and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific
and educational purposes.
From
the large scale to the small, Coker glorified greenery. "Legacy" includes
plant specimens that Coker dried and mounted himself and
a microscope from his era. He even wrote poetry, mostly about
plants, which fills a whole case in the exhibit.
Among
the diversified professor's specialties was the study of
fungi, and he discovered (as new to science) and described
many species, Burk said. "He became particularly enthralled
with mushrooms," he said.
"`All
the Charms of Nature'" recognizes Coker and others who contributed
to the present beauty of the campus, said Neil Fulghum, keeper
of the North Carolina Collection Gallery. "The gallery's
exhibition intends to place the Coker Arboretum in a broader
historical context with regard to this campus's development
over more than two centuries."
Photographs
and lithographs recount the first real landscaping efforts,
in the late 19th century, and a push southward in the 1920s.
A member of the buildings and grounds committee from 1913
to 1942, Coker was party to the planting of many trees and
shrubs that helped beautify the campus.
"At
one point, very elaborate gardens were proposed behind South
Building, but those were never developed because of the cost
involved and the pragmatic concerns of serving students," Fulghum
said.
In
another pragmatic move documented in the exhibit, professor
of chemistry, mineralogy and geology Elisha Mitchell had
stone walls built around campus to keep out pigs and cattle. "Back
then there were no restrictions about penning up animals," Fulghum
said.
He
also documents that Coker helped beautify campuses across
North Carolina, not just in Chapel Hill. And it was Fulghum
who learned that unlike modern gardeners, Coker spared the
shears.
"We've
included a booklet by Coker in 1921 in which he talked about
the `barbarous act of pruning.'"
Grow
forth, arboretum, and prosper. Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. weekdays in Coker (962-3783) and Wilson and 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Saturdays in Wilson. Call 962-1345 for information
on the "Legacy" exhibit and 962-1172 about the history of
landscaping exhibit.
Web site debuts, showcases sciences
For
the past two years, Carolina junior Ben Wilde has worked toward
creating a three-dimensional force microscope that will allow
researchers to touch small structures contained in living cells.
The
computer science major is working in the physics laboratory
of Associate Professor Richard Superfine and under the guidance
of his adviser, Russell Taylor, research associate professor
in the computer science department.
Showing
high school students how they, too, may immerse themselves
-- as undergraduates -- in the physical sciences and technology
at Carolina is a major reason behind a new web site: sciencecarolina.unc.edu.
The
web site particularly focuses on how undergraduates and world-renowned
faculty work together in the classroom and in research settings,
University officials said. It also showcases Carolina's leading
programs in science, engineering and technology; illustrates
how a liberal arts foundation can prepare students to better
communicate in their careers and emphasizes the general undergraduate
research experience.
"At
Carolina, students can participate in research programs at
the frontier of science through close, one-on-one interaction
with many of the world's great scientists," said Holden Thorp,
director of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and
a chemistry professor.
As
a Carolina alumnus, Thorp said, his praise stems from firsthand
experience. "Being able to do these things in the rich, overall
undergraduate environment is an opportunity available nowhere
else," he said.
Visitors
to the new web site will find featured stories on students,
faculty members, successful alumni and academic programs --
including a story on Wilde's ongoing research.
In
the laboratory, Wilde and Taylor place tiny magnetic beads
in, on and around living cells. Then, they use electromagnets
to "touch" the beads and pull them against different parts
of the cell, giving them a better sense of its properties.
"The
coolest thing is that it's a fun job, so I enjoy every minute
I spend in the lab," Wilde said.
Rohit
Prakash, a sophomore physics major, studies carbon nanotubes
with Superfine, Michael Falvo and Sean Washburn in the physics
and astronomy department's nanoscience research group. Nanotechnology
is the science behind building increasingly fast devices in
dramatically smaller packages. It affects everything from sensors
and computer chips to medical implants.
Prakash
said he values the interdisciplinary approach to research at
Carolina.
"What
I enjoy most about the lab is the wide variety of specialties
we have here. There are all kinds, from physicists to chemists
to computer scientists at every corner."
Undergraduate
research experiences extend beyond campus laboratories, too.
Senior environmental science major Liz Veazey traveled to the
U.S. Virgin Islands with classmates from her coral reef management
course and professor, Greg Gangi. She later spent a summer
with the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.
This
year, she will journey to New Zealand, thanks to a Morris K.
Udall Scholarship, where she will study conservation and biodiversity
with the School for International Training. Her research experiences
are profiled on sciencecarolina.unc.edu.
The
web site also demonstrates how science programs offer excellent
preparation for medical school.
Senior
biology major Kristin Benjamin looks forward to working directly
with patients, but for now she's helping people through her
research with mutant flies in professor Stephen Crews' neurogenetics
lab. Eventually, Benjamin's findings may further the development
of treatments and cures for diseases resulting from abnormal
central nervous system development.
The
new web site is one component of a larger initiative including
faculty scientists campuswide and the Office of Undergraduate
Admissions. They are telling high school students about what
the University offers in the study of science, in research
opportunities for students and in preparation for science careers.
The
admissions office also is arranging for Carolina faculty members
and students to meet with high school students in select North
Carolina cities, contacting outstanding students throughout
the state and hosting on-campus events for science teachers
and their students.
Faculty pay issue sparks debate
There
is firm agreement among Faculty Council members that professors
here should be paid in accordance with their credentials and
experience and productivity in all the ways those things can
be subjectively evaluated and objectively measured.
The
council gave voice to that agreement when, at its Feb. 7 meeting,
it unanimously passed a resolution aimed at ferreting out inequities,
particularly among female professors. The focus on pay disparities
for women springs from the results of a salary study completed
last fall that revealed female faculty are paid less than their
white male counterparts, particularly within the School of
Medicine.
But
at the Feb. 28 Faculty Council meeting, a fault line emerged
among faculty that had less to do with the ultimate goal of
fair pay for all but the steps that should be taken to reach
it by remedying existing inequalities.
The
discussion was prompted when Executive Vice Chancellor and
Provost Robert Shelton reviewed for the council some of the
recommendations that already have been made by the advisory
committee formed as a result of the Feb. 7 resolution.
The
recommendation from that committee that sparked debate at the
Feb. 28 Faculty Council meeting addresses the question of which
faculty members should have their salaries reviewed for possible
raises.
The
committee's decision was to review only the salaries of women
and minorities who fell below the norm -- and it was this decision
that some men called into question.
Richard
Pfaff, history professor, asked why only the salaries of women
and minorities would be reviewed. "In seems some inequalities
are more unequal than others," he said.
In
response, Shelton cited the intent of the original salary study,
which was commissioned specifically to find out whether pay
disparities existed for those two groups.
Pfaff's
concern prompted Faculty Chair Sue Estroff, who serves on the
advisory committee, to offer a more detailed explanation of
the committee's rationale. "It's not a question of either-or," Estroff
said, "but sequencing."
"We
are concerned about inequalities across the board," she said. "This
time, for one of the first times, we are going to look at these
groups first."
Kenneth
Bollen, sociology professor, objected to that idea by saying
it wasn't obvious to him why a female faculty member who is
closer to the statistical norm should have her pay inequity
remedied before a male faculty member whose pay might be twice
as far below that norm.
Thomas
Shea, a professor in the School of Medicine, argued a similar
point about the importance of addressing all pay inequities
the same, and at the same time. There should be one process
to address pay inequities, he said, that covers all, all at
once.
The
criticism prompted Estroff to elaborate on her earlier defense.
The committee had "no intention of being disingenuous," she
said. "It really is a question of sequencing."
But
again Pfaff objected to the notion this process could be judged
to be fair.
"Sequencing
is not an abstract exercise," Pfaff said. It's not abstract
because the funding that it will take to redress the pay for
women and minorities may leave no funding available to redress
the group left to wait. "There is a significant injustice potentially," Pfaff
said.
But
Diane Kjervik, who splits her time as a professor in the School
of Nursing and as director of the Carolina Women's Center,
suggested that these complaints ignore a long history of disadvantage
for women.
"It's
time," Kjervik said. "Women have waited long enough."
Also
at the meeting, Chancellor James Moeser recognized the University's
School of Law for the amicus brief in support of the University
of Michigan in the lawsuit filed against it that is now headed
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The
lawsuit challenges Michigan's practice of using race as a factor
in its admissions process for both undergraduate and law students.
On
hand for Moeser's remarks from the School of Law were Dean
Gene Nichol, Professor Charles Daye, who is a member of Faculty
Council, and Professor John Charles Boger.
Nichol
said both he and Daye were appearing under false pretenses,
because Boger did most of the writing of the brief and most
of the work.
Nichol,
in defending the admissions policies both here and Michigan,
quoted legal scholar Karl Llewellyn, who said, "Technique without
compassion is a menace, and compassion without technique is
a mess."
Moeser
said the brief the three men put together was both eloquent
and compelling in a legal battle that will have strong implications
for higher education throughout the country.
The
argument it makes, which is that diversity benefits not only
minority students who attend the University but the University
community as a whole, is in step with that of this University,
Moeser said. A copy of the amicus brief is available via the
law school's web site at www.unc.edu/law/ brief.pdf.
In
other matters, the council approved a series of recommendations
from the Task Force on Appointment, Promotion and Tenure. The
council completed some of the recommendations at the Feb. 7
meeting.
The
recommendations fell within three broad categories: flexibility
in the process of promotion and tenure, policies and procedures
for appointment and promotion of fixed-term faculty, and review
of tenure-track appointments and promotions.
Carolina
jumps to fourth in Peace Corps volunteers
Carolina
has jumped to number four among large colleges and universities
in the number of alumni who serve in the Peace Corps, and the
University ranks first for the entire mid-atlantic region.
There
are 76 Carolina alumni serving in the Peace Corps -- a 52 percent
increase from 2002. More than 848 Chapel Hill alumni have served
since 1961 or continue to do so.
Last
month, Henry McKoy, Peace Corps Africa regional director and
a North Carolina native, recognized Carolina for its support
of Peace Corps service around the world.
McKoy,
a former adjunct instructor in the University's Institute of
Government, was elected to the North Carolina senate in 1995
and earlier worked as deputy secretary of the North Carolina
Department of Administration.
The
recognition came against the backdrop of the University opening
a Peace Corps recruiting office on campus in Hanes Hall as
part of University Career Services. Recruiters Badi' Bradley
and Erin Shaughnessy Zuiker both served as Peace Corps volunteers
in Guatemala and Vanuatu respectively. Bradley is a master's
degree candidate in city and regional planning, and Zuiker
is master's degree candidate in public health.
While
she said the office has helped, Zuiker also attributed Carolina's
high ranking to its emphasis on incorporating service learning
into the academic curriculum, as well as organizations here
that give students the chance to join service projects in the
community and overseas.
Zuiker
also said many students arrive at Carolina from high schools
that have service requirements, so serving is something they're
used to.
There
are practical benefits, too, she said.
"Many
students realize that the job opportunities with Peace Corps
afford an incredible experience to work hands-on in a relevant
field that many college graduates would not usually get in
their first work experience," she said. "And the opportunity
to learn a second or third language is a wonderful asset in
our global economy."
Zuiker
said the "future is wide open for students to get involved
with the Peace Corps."
"With
the presence of on-campus recruiters providing many events
on the campus and class talks as well as a strong and supportive
community of Peace Corps alumni within the University as well
as the Triangle area, there is great potential to increase
the number of volunteers from Carolina," she said.
The
majority of volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps over
the past 42 years have been college graduates. Currently, 86
percent of the volunteers have an undergraduate degree and
12 percent have graduate degrees or have studied at the graduate
level.
Since
1961, more than 168,000 volunteers have served in the Peace
Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health
and HIV/AIDS awareness and education, information technology,
business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace
Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years
of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.
Carolina-schools
partnership
breaks ground
Special
to the "Gazette"
By
Linda Baucom, School of Education
It
is widely accepted that learning takes place in schools. But
learning about learning needs to take place in schools as well.
Based
on this conviction, Carolina's School of Education has formed
an unprecedented partnership with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
City Schools to build a School of Education wing onto the new
R. D. and Euzelle P. Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill. Capping
five years of planning, Carolina and school system officials
broke ground for construction of the wing on Feb. 24.
"We're
building these walls to break down the walls that have separated
the study of education from the public schools," said Madeleine
Grumet, dean of the School of Education. Grumet praised the
patience and commitment of all the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
School and University personnel who worked to realize the vision
of this collaboration.
The
wing will be a workplace bringing together University faculty,
practicing teachers, public school students and Carolina undergraduate
and graduate students. It will house the School of Education's
Carolina Teaching Network, a series of distance education programs
that bring University faculty into schools to work with teachers,
administrators and school service personnel.
The
wing will serve as a meeting place for teachers across the
region, as well as boast the technology critical to communications
between the School of Education and its public school colleagues
across the state, including high-speed web access and videoconferencing.
Along
with flexible classroom space and ample room for ongoing staff
development seminars and gatherings, the wing will include
a fully equipped, state-of-the-art mathematics and science
teaching laboratory funded by the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration. This will be a place where teachers and
faculty will conduct demonstration lessons with middle school
students and participate in professional development.
The
wing also will house an educational counseling center where
school counselors and psychologists will be trained and will
provide services to students and their families as well as
support groups for new teachers.
The
7,200-square-foot, $1.2 million wing will extend the facilities
of the School of Education, which has been housed in Peabody
Hall on the Carolina campus since 1913. Because Smith Middle
School is located between an elementary school and a high school,
the addition of the wing will create an innovative pre-kindergarten
through grade 16 campus.
Construction
is expected to begin in March and be completed in the fall.
The wing is scheduled to open in January 2004.
Joining
Grumet in the ceremonial ground-breaking were James Moeser,
chancellor; Valerie Foushee, chair of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
City School Board; Neil Pedersen, superintendent of the Chapel
Hill-Carrboro City Schools; and Valerie Reinhardt, principal
of Smith Middle School. The audience was serenaded by the Smith
Middle School "Cyclone" Sixth-Grade Chorus, directed by Amy
Evers.
Graduate students honored for work in state
By
Brian MacPherson,
"Gazette" Student
Assistant
For
100 years, students in the University's Graduate School have
conducted research that has benefited North Carolina in countless
ways. Thousands of graduate students working across the state
-- and across the world -- have studied issues that affect
the lives of Tar Heel residents.
In
the first event of a year-long celebration of graduate education
at Carolina, five Centennial Awards will be presented to students
for outstanding research that helps the state. Twelve other
students will be recognized with Dean's Awards for their work.
All
eight Centennial Award winners will speak briefly and present
their research at the Graduate School's Centennial kickoff
celebration, "A Celebration of Graduate Students and Their
Contributions to the State of North Carolina," which will take
place at The Carolina Club on March 6 at 3 p.m.
"Focusing
on the benefits that graduate research provides for our state
is a logical way to being the celebration of the centennial
year, given Carolina's long history of success in this area," said
Linda Dykstra, dean of the Graduate School.
One
award winner, Mahyar Mofidi, analyzed disproportionate access
to dental health care for children in North Carolina from the
point of view of parents. He divided a cross-section of poor
North Carolina families into 11 focus groups by race, but the
message of every group was the same.
"They
said, `We are experiencing a lot of barriers accessing dental
care for our children,'" Mofidi said.
Families
described their difficulties in finding dentists who would
treat families on Medicaid. Once they found a dentist, they
had difficulties making appointments, finding transportation
to the office and finding treatment once at the office -- some
reported waits of up to four hours.
They
said that dentists held their financial status against them
due to the low rates paid by Medicaid for dental health care.
"They
felt stigmatized and discriminated against being on Medicaid," Mofidi
said. "They felt like they were receiving inferior care because
of their ethnicity and race."
Mofidi
plans to use his findings to educate health-care providers
and legislators as well as the families who encountered the
barriers.
"Lawmakers
cannot wait too long to try and resolve this issue," he said. "The
longer they wait, the more and more patients suffer -- and
we're talking about children."
Katie
Otis, along with partners Angela Hornsby and Joe Mosnier, won
a Centennial Award for work with "Listening for a Change: North
Carolina Communities in Transition" as part of the University's
Southern Oral History Program. Otis' component documented how
flooding from Hurricane Floyd affected the lives of victims,
especially the elderly.
"I
was really impressed by their courage and how they were able
to repair and recover their lives," she said.
Otis
told a story of one man she met -- a blue-eyed "flirt" who
was about 80 years old -- who lived independently but was hooked
up to an oxygen machine during the interview because of breathing
problems he developed because of the flood. Another elderly
couple, during the height of the flooding, had to swim from
their backyard to their front yard and cling to a tree for
four hours until their rescue. The husband admitted in a later
counseling session that he had even considered suicide, so
deep was the depression into which he had fallen after the
traumatic experience.
"Even
for folks who were financially OK," Otis said, "just the experience
of going through something like that can really shake you up."
Otis
plans to host a seminar in June in eastern North Carolina to "celebrate
the tenacity and strength of the flood survivors." The program
tentatively includes a multimedia presentation and a question-and-answer
session with flood victims and state disaster relief officials.
Award
winners were chosen after submitting an application detailing
research methods, results and relevance to the state along
with a faculty recommendation. A panel of 10 faculty members
from a variety of disciplines reviewed the applications and
selected the winners.
The
quality of applications was so high, noted Graduate School
Associate Dean Michael Poock, that the Dean's Award was created
in rder to recognize more students.
"There
was some really good research," Poock said. "The committee
felt like, `We have to recognize these somehow,' and that's
how the Dean's Awards came about."
The
event will also feature poster displays about the research
of each applicant for the Centennial Awards. The posters will
be on display prior to the 4 p.m. award presentations, followed
by a reception with a jazz band.
For
information about the Graduate School's entire Centennial Celebration,
see gazette.unc.edu/archives/03feb19/morestories.html#7.
Center
for Public Service debuts
Ned Brooks Award
Special
to the "Gazette"
By
Carmen Woodruff, School of Journalism
and
Mass Communication
Edward "Ned" Brooks
was born to serve others. Since the day he entered this world,
the spirit of "servant leadership" has been embedded into his
soul.
The
phrase "servant leadership" was first coined by Robert Greenleaf,
a noted author, lecturer and consultant for the Center for
Applied Ethics. Greenleaf died in 1990, but people like Brooks
continue to carry his torch.
Brooks
credits his parents, who aided people in the midst of the Great
Depression.
"They
still felt they were in a position to help," he said.
Margaret
Henderson said Brooks possesses the qualities of a "servant
leader," which include building community, empathy, foresight
and awareness. Henderson recalled Brooks' contribution to the
Rape Crisis
Other
2003 public service awards
In
addition to the Ned Brooks Award, the Carolina Center
for Public Service offers two awards that recognize
extraordinary service and engagement. Detailed information
and online nomination forms for all of the public service
awards are available at www.unc.edu/cps. Nominations
are due March 28 by 5p.m.
Call
the Carolina Center for Public Service at 843-7568
for more information.
Office
of the Provost Public Service Award
Established
in 2000 by former Provost Richard "Dick" Richardson,
this award was created to recognize outstanding public
service at the University. It honors University units/departments,
including officially recognized student organizations,
for service to the state of North Carolina. The service
should exemplify the concept of engagement, including
responsiveness to community concerns and strong community
partnerships.
Up
to four awards will be given -- two awards of $2,500
each for departments/units and two awards of $1,000
each for student organizations.
Robert
E. Bryan Public Service Award
This
award honors the memory and accomplishments of alumnus
Robert E. Bryan of Newton Grove, who worked diligently
to become a successful businessman, entrepreneur and
public servant.
The
award recognizes individuals who, as representatives
of Carolina, demonstrate exemplary public service to
the state of North Carolina, working in partnership
with community members; provide direct service; inspire
and involve others; or, through their support, enable
others to serve; and work to assure the sustainability
of their efforts.
Students,
staff and faculty are eligible. This award is for a
particular effort carried out through the individual's
role(s) in the University rather than that as a private
citizen. Up to four awards will be given -- two for
students and two for faculty/staff. Each award includes
$500 for the individual and $500 for the public service
program they have worked with.
|
Center
as the first male in history to serve on the board of directors.
"He's
one of those fellows who keeps showing up," said Henderson,
a research associate and visiting instructor in the School
of Government.
Along
with earning numerous personal honors and achievements, Brooks
was instrumental to the founding of the Carolina Center for
Public Service in 1991 and served as its interim director from
June 2001 to December 2001.
Even
though he is "retired," Brooks keeps things moving onward and
upward. He continues his commitment to service through teaching
and other engagement efforts.
The
father of two, Brooks also has mentored hundreds of students,
faculty and staff, as they work to address important community
issues.
Why
such a strong commitment to service?
"I
think it goes to the core of our reasons for being," Brooks
said.
The
Ned Brooks Award for Public Service honors the contributions
of Brooks, who has served Carolina since 1972. The $500 annual
award is funded through an endowment created by the generous
support of many friends and colleagues of Brooks. Nominations
for the inaugural award are due March 28; see www.unc.edu/cps
for more information. The award recognizes one faculty or staff
member of the Carolina community who:
Facilitates
active involvement of others in public service to the community
beyond the University and/or directly provides public service;
Embodies
the spirit of "servant leadership," inspiring and providing
opportunities for others, emphasizing the "we" not the "I" and
making a difference in the larger community; and
Demonstrates
commitment to service over a period of years carried out through
the individual's faculty or staff role(s) in the University.
"We
are very excited to announce the call for nominations for the
first Ned Brooks Award for Public Service," said Lynn Blanchard,
director of the Carolina Center for Public Service. "Ned personifies
the best of public service and engagement at Carolina; it is
only fitting that we honor him by recognizing others who contribute
in outstanding ways.
"This
award, along with the Robert E. Bryan Award and the Office
of the Provost Award, provide a meaningful way to pay tribute
to those who make a difference and exemplify Carolina's culture
of service."
That
sentiment was echoed by Linda Carl, associate director for
distance education and e-learning.
"The
Ned Brooks Award honors a premier citizen of the University
and the community," she said. "His style and substance are
in harmony. By the force of his optimism, moral integrity and
hard work, he leads quietly and measures his success though
the accomplishments of others."
Dance
Marathon breaks record
This
year's Dance Marathon raised approximately $168,000 to benefit
the patients of the N.C. Children's Hospital -- $46,000 more
than the 2002 total.
Nearly
700 dancers participated in the 24-hour event that ended Feb.
22 in Fetzer Gymnasium. The marathon is one of the largest
fund-raisers for the children's hospital and is organized solely
by Carolina students.
Money
raised by the Dance Marathon goes to the For the Kids Fund,
benefiting children receiving care in the N.C. Children's Hospital.
The Dance Marathon Committee has left this money unrestricted
because its members want it available for the programs and
patients most in need.
New
archivist aims to preserve
campus history
Janis
Holder loves history.
And
now she's got another 100 years to work with.
Holder
became Carolina's University archivist Feb. 3, arriving on
campus from UNC- Greensboro, where she was assistant university
archivist for the past six years and an employee of Jackson
Library for more than 30 years.
"I
actually began my library career as a student assistant in
the Reserve Division in 1972," Holder said, "so I pretty much
grew up there."
After
completing her bachelor's in English at UNC-G in 1975, Holder
worked full-time as a library assistant in reserves and decided
to pursue her master's degree in library science there. "It
took me five years to do it while working full-time, and my
daughter was born about midway through," Holder said. "That
nearly derailed me!"
With
the MLS degree under her belt, she transferred to Jackson Library's
Catalog Department in 1984 and ended up cataloging materials
for Special Collections and University Archives. Working with
these unique
Service,
seminar can help manage records
Carolina
units and departments may find the University Archives
and Records Service particularly helpful right now,
as campus renovation and construction projects will
require many offices to relocate.
The
service is available to consult about departments'
stored records and will create a customized records
schedule for offices that identifies records with historical
significance to be transferred to University Archives
or that authorizes the destruction of files that have
no current administrative value.
The
unauthorized destruction of public records is illegal
in North Carolina. For help with record-keeping questions,
call 962-6402.
Also,
a seminar scheduled at the Ida and William Friday Center
for Continuing Education on April 8 will address various
challenges surrounding successful management of an
electronic records system.
"From
Promise to Reality: Surviving the Implementation of
an Electronic Records Program," will be held from 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event's speaker is John Phillips,
highly regarded as one of the most knowledgeable speakers
on the topic of records and information management.
Sponsors
for the event are the Academic Affairs Library, the
School of Information and Library Science, the Triangle
Chapter of ARMA International, the Society of North
Carolina Archivists and Duke University Archives.
Advance
registration and payment of fees are required by March
21. Cost is $40, or $30 for members of ARMA International
or the Society of North Carolina Archivists.
For
additional information and to request a brochure and
registration form, contact Frank Holt, 962-6402 or
fholt@email.unc.edu.
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materials
sparked an interest in both rare books and university history,
so when a new position was added to
the Special Collections Division in 1993, Holder jumped at
the chance to work there.
"I
wouldn't say that patience is one of my virtues," Holder said, "but
I have learned that good things sometimes come to those who
wait."
When
one of the two staff members in University Archives retired
in 1996, she was promoted to the vacated archivist position.
"Although
my route to archives was a circuitous one, once I landed there
I realized that I had finally found my niche in the library
world," she said. "Part of what makes archives work so fulfilling
is the awareness that as an archivist you play such an important
role in preserving and providing access to your institution's
history.
"The
whole concept of `institutional memory' is supported by the
quality of the records preserved in the archives, and it is
the job of the archivist to make decisions about which records
have historical significance. A school like UNC-G is important
not only because of its historical role in higher education
for women in North Carolina, but also as a teacher training
school, or `normal' school. The women who were trained there
in the late 1800s and early 1900s made a very real difference
in the quality of public education in North Carolina at that
time."
As
the first state-supported institution of higher education in
the United States, Carolina was in operation almost 100 years
before UNC-G got its start in 1891 as the State Normal and
Industrial School. With this long, rich history and emphasis
on research and academics, Carolina has achieved worldwide
prominence, and faculty, staff and students here seem to be
aware of the historical importance of their institution, Holder
said.
"I've
been given a wonderful opportunity to be a part of this University's
history, and I'm very excited about the challenges ahead," she
said. "If we can make University Archives synonymous with University
history, then we can assure that the history of this University
will not be lost."
Losing
history is a very real concern these days, with more and more
reliance on electronic records to conduct business at every
level of operation. Finding a way to ensure that electronic
records are being created in a responsible way, with provisions
for preserving and providing access to those records of permanent
value, is one of the biggest challenges facing any university
today.
Carolina
is involved in a National Historical Publications and Records
Commission (NHPRC) grant-funded project with Duke University
called "Managing the Digital University Desktop: Understanding
and Empowering the Individual; Preserving the Public Record
and Institutional History." Under the direction of Helen R.
Tibbo, associate professor in the School of Information and
Library Science, and Tim Pyatt, Duke University archivist,
the goals of the study are to document how faculty, administrators
and staff use and manage files and records from electronic
mail and to develop policies and "best practice" guidelines
and educational opportunities for the universities involved.
This will eventually lead to an evaluation of electronic records
management systems that might best suit the needs of Carolina
and Duke.
"We
are at the point of doing field interviews now," Holder said, "so
if they call you up to schedule an interview, please say yes.
Nobody's going to come in and criticize how you manage your
e-mail and other files; that's not what this is all about.
The whole point is that we learn the needs of the University
community and come up with some recommendations that will ensure
the proper management of electronic records."
There
are other, more basic, challenges in records management as
well.
"University
Archives is only as good as its holdings," Holder said, "and
it is unfortunate that many early records were either discarded
or allowed to leave the campus with their creators. There is
still much to be done in terms of identifying records with
historical significance that may be lurking in file cabinets
and closets in various buildings on campus.
"Many
people are still unaware of the Public Records Act -- G.S.
132 -- and don't know the legalities involved in managing the
enormous amount of records created in the course of doing business
here at the University."
Carolina's
Records Management Program grew out of another NHPRC grant-funded
project begun on this campus in 1992 and supported by University
monies. The original goal of the grant was to survey the records
in Carolina's many offices and departments, disposing of non-essential
ones in a legal and efficient manner, and identifying those
needing preservation in the University Archives.
When
the separate Records Management Program evolved under the direction
of Tim Sanford, former assistant provost, much progress was
made in writing records retention and disposition schedules
and in educating the University community about records issues.
Budget
cuts forced the elimination of the Records Management Program
in February 2002, but the Academic Affairs Library rescued
one full-time staff position and combined the records management
function with University Archives.
The
resulting University Archives and Records Service has a full-time
staff of three and is a part of the Manuscripts Department
in Wilson Library. The staff includes Holder; Susan Ballinger,
records processing supervisor; and Frank Holt, records services
coordinator.
Holder
believes that it makes perfect sense to have records management
and archives working together, because the archivist is able
to have direct input into identifying records that may have
historical significance, thus smoothing their transfer to University
Archives.
The
merged office will continue to develop records schedules, offer
workshops through Human Resources and consult with offices
and departments about their records and try to help them in
any way possible, Holder said.
Holder
also plans to spend a significant amount of time promoting
the University Archives in various venues across campus and
beyond. One thing she's particularly interested in is documenting
student life on the campus and encouraging student use of the
University's records.
"I
would like to see more undergraduates utilizing the resources
of University Archives," Holder says. "There are significant
research opportunities here using primary sources. Many undergraduates
never set foot in Wilson Library -- I'd like to see that change."
Robertson Scholars build bridges
in Krzyzewskiville
Editor's
note: The following story by Katherine Porter, a Duke University
junior, is reprinted from the Feb. 14 "Dialogue," Duke's
faculty/staff newspaper. To see a "Gazette" story about Robertson
Scholars from Duke University who are spending this semester
at Carolina, go to gazette.unc.edu/archives/03jan22/morestories.html#6.
When
you are a UNC-Chapel Hill student dropped right into the middle
of campus at Duke University for a semester, there are some
things you're just not going to give up.
"I
cheered for Duke against UVA," said Melissa Anderson, one of
15 Robertson Scholars from UNC living at Duke this semester. "But
I tented for the Duke-UNC game, and I definitely cheered for
UNC."
The
student exchange is one of the unusual aspects of a unique
program. The Robertson Scholarship, initiated with this year's
sophomore class, was founded by Julian Robertson and his wife,
Josie. Robertson, a Salisbury native, Carolina alum and Wall
Street investor, is the father of both a Duke grad and a Chapel
Hill grad.
The
program serves two primary goals equally, said Eric Mlyn, the
program director.
"Our
first goal is to attract outstanding and unusual undergraduates
to these universities, and the second is to build a collaboration
between Duke and UNC," he said. "This is not a simple merit
scholarship. We want these students to be ambassadors for collaboration."
The
program has been the source of a number of joint activities
that are attracting interest, from grants funding groups working
on both campuses to the Robertson Bus, which shuttles daily
between the two campuses. The student exchange started this
semester and is the newest initiative.
In
the classroom, there has been little adjustment to make, the
UNC students say. The two schools feel similar academically,
said Anderson and Brittain Peck, a sophomore from UNC. While
certain classes are offered at only one of the universities,
such as the film animation course he is currently taking at
Duke, Peck said he has not noticed a difference between the
workloads at Duke and Carolina.
The
primary academic difference lies in student attitudes, he said.
Duke students are more scholastically focused than their counterparts
down the road, said Anderson, citing the constancy of frisbees
on the Chapel Hill quad and students on Franklin Street.
Social
life is a different matter, they said. The difference in the
schools' populations makes for very different student bodies.
At about 7,000 undergrads, Duke is relatively tiny compared
to its rival with an undergraduate population of 14,000.
"UNC
has a lot more people, but I feel like it is easier to interact
and communicate with each other (there)," said Peck. "UNC has
more of an outspoken, loudspeaker tone and buzz."
This
may be due to the campus layout, or to the inherent commonalities
found in a population comprised largely of people from the
same state, he said, or simply because the UNC Robertsons arrived
mid-year.
The
ways in which students interact reflects a major difference
between the students, Anderson added. Carolina students seem
to be constantly meeting new people, she said. Heavier involvement
in non-Greek organizations helps the networking there, she
said. Dorm blocks, selective houses and fraternity sections
often determine friendships at Duke, she said.
On
the other hand, geographic diversity among dorm-mates is a
real advantage at Duke, said Peck. The five-person hall he
lives on now is much more varied than his eight-person freshman
year suite.
Greek
life stands out more at Duke than at UNC, the Robertsons said.
Lodging frats in dorms rather than houses, as is done at Carolina,
increases their proximity to many students, and thereby increases
their influence over Duke's social scene, said Peck. Non-Greeks
at Chapel Hill find it much easier to distance themselves from
frats, said Sarah Pickle, another Robertson sophomore living
at Duke this semester.
Another
point of comparison is student space, Peck said. The Pit, a
major Tar Heel gathering place, provides a venue where thoughts
and organizations are publicized, he said. The excitement of
this crossroads, which he compared to the Bryan Center walkway
but with more "energy," helps information spread on the Chapel
Hill campus better than at the Duke campus. Paintings on the
Campus Drive tunnel and cluttered flyer poles give communication
at Duke a "read if interested" vibe that feels less personal
and makes it harder to get involved, he said.
On
the other hand, Peck has been impressed with some of the intellectual
and cultural opportunities at Duke, citing slam poet Saul Williams
and jazz musician Maceo Parker.
In
general, the UNC students said they've been made to feel very
welcome at Duke. The exception is that some noted encountering
a feeling that students from state universities are inferior
to those at Duke.
"I
feel like I need to constantly defend myself because, maybe,
some people don't believe I belong here," one UNC student said
in an e-mail. "I'm not saying that all Duke students feel this
way, but ... with this kind of an attitude, Carolina students
won't really be taken seriously."
Others
note that the Robertson program may help end such attitudes.
All of the UNC scholars have immersed themselves in campus
activities; Anderson said the students have made inroads into
the Duke population. One of the least expected places for this
bridging of cultures has been at Krzyzewskiville while tenting
for men's basketball games.
"My
tentmates stood up for me even when the Duke fans got a little
vicious during the [Duke-UNC] game," Anderson said.
"I
am very thankful for the opportunity to live here at Duke and
get to know people here and now," Peck said.
Sontag
brings Hollywood savvy
to classroom
David
Sontag, an award-winning motion picture writer and producer,
has been a senior executive at major studios and broadcast
networks. He has managed the careers of big-name movie stars.
Now
he's using his Hollywood expertise to launch a new undergraduate
minor in writing for the screen and stage at Carolina. The
new minor degree program will start this fall; plans call for
expanding the curriculum later to add a major in the field.
"The
new program will tap the University's historic strengths in
dramatic art, communication studies and the English department's
creative writing program," said Sontag, a communication studies
professor.
Sontag
has worked on developing the new program since joining the
University three years ago. In 1998, alumnus Michael Piller,
co-creator of two "Star Trek" television series, pledged $500,000
to launch a
And
I'd like to thank
the Academy ...
Carolina
faculty who have helped David Sontag shape the curriculum
for the new undergraduate minor in writing for the
screen and stage and who will advise or teach in the
program are:
Joan Darling, visiting
professor in communication studies and dramatic art;
Ray
Dooley, professor and chair of the Department of
Dramatic Art;
Paul
Ferguson, associate professor of communication
studies;
Marianne
Gingher, associate professor of creative writing;
David
Hammond, dramatic art professor, playwright and
artistic director of PlayMakers Repertory Company;
Joanne
Hershfield, associate professor of communication
studies and women's studies;
Bland
Simpson, creative writing program director, author,
composer, lyricist and musician;
Bill
Svanoe, visiting professor in communication studies
and dramatic art and a screenwriter, playwright and
songwriter; and
Francesca
Talenti, assistant professor of communication
studies, a specialist in live-action narrative filmmaking
and animation.
|
nationally
distinctive screenwriting program at his alma mater. Piller,
a 1970 graduate, also was screenwriter
for the 1998 movie "Star Trek: Insurrection."
"Carolina
is ideally suited for this kind of program to prepare students
to write intelligently and creatively for both film and theatre," Sontag
said. "This is the only undergraduate liberal arts program
that I know of that will encourage students to write in both
arenas, something that is becoming increasingly relevant today."
The
minor will require courses in creative writing, screenwriting
and playwriting, the history of film and play analysis. Students
also will take electives in acting, directing and other related
topics.
Courses
will emphasize the craft of writing while including social,
political and cultural history as explored in film and theater,
Sontag said. The program is designed to help students develop
skills in critical thinking and analysis as well as creative
techniques for written and visual communication.
That's
a formula for success, said Carolina alumnus John Altschuler,
executive co-producer and co-head writer for the hit television
series "King of the Hill."
"What
distinguishes UNC from all of the budding film schools is its
tradition of great writing programs," Altschuler said. "The
University is creating an artistic space for young writers
to learn their craft, combined with access to people who are
in the business."
Students
also will work with Carolina faculty who have expertise in
writing, adapting, producing, directing and acting for film
and theatre. Sontag, the program's director, has written and
produced films and television programs for 35 years for Columbia
Pictures, MGM, Hollywood Pictures and other major studios.
He
was a senior executive at Twentieth Century Fox, ABC-TV, CBS
Films and NBC TV, and he continues as president of David Sontag
Productions Inc. He also has managed the careers of stars including
Steve McQueen, Mel Brooks and James Coburn; he has taught or
consulted at the American Film Institute, the universities
of California and Colorado and the Institute for American Indian
Art.
Talenti
film wins honorable mention at Sundance festival
Francesca
Talenti was one of the last to hear the news.
The
assistant professor in Communication Studies left Chapel Hill
in mid-January to accompany her film "The Planets" to the Sundance
Film Festival where it had been accepted into the Short Films
category. She hung around for all of its showings but ultimately
needed to leave early to get back to campus and her classes.
The
awards were announced Jan. 25, but she didn't find out she'd
won an Honorable Mention until the next day when a friend e-mailed
her to send her congratulations.
Now
that "The Planets" has made its successful debut, it has garnered
interest and been invited to several film festivals in 2003,
including ones in San Francisco, Ann Arbor, New York and the
Cucalorus Film Festival to be held in March in Wilmington.
In addition, it's been booked for the Hi Mom! Film Festival
at the Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, April 3 - 5.
"The
Planets," which is six minutes long, also will screen for a
week in front of a feature film at the Carolina Theatre in
Durham -- either beginning March 7 or March 14. Talenti said
they'll be plugging her film in their ads, so anyone interested
in seeing it can be on the lookout for it in the movie listings.
In
addition to making short films, Talenti wrote, produced and
directed "Snake Tales," a feature-length film that she completed
in 1998 while teaching at the University of Texas at Austin.
She's learned that Chapel Hill video store VisArt will be buying
multiple copies of "Snake Tales," and she thinks those should
be available for rental within the month.
To
read the original "Gazette" story about Talenti, see azette.unc.edu/archives/03jan08/file.4.html.
