University of Central Oklahoma - Bronze Book Yearbook (Edmond, OK)

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Today, Central State University is undergoing a greater change in educational direction than at anytime in its ninety year history. Editors - Tricia Uselton and Mae Minster Downtown Oklahoma City has contributed largely to CSU's growth, As the only four-year pu Jlic institution of higher education in Oklahoma County, the university has designed programs specifically with the urban and industrial communities in mind,

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66 O klahoma should be very proud of the quality of higher educa- tion offered in the state, said Dr. Iames Perry, dean of the School of Business at Central State University. We might be more casual, more relaxed about the opportunities here because an education is so affor- dable. Perry, formerly of Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, explained: So many of our colleges in the Boston area are private schools. The dollar cost per year far outstrips the total tuition that a resident student at Central State pays for six years of full time. Our students on the average are older, serious-minded, self- supporting individuals, said Dr. Lucille Patton, dean of the School of Special Arts and Sciences. For most of our students, education is a rele- vant thing. The majority are com- muters, and Central State is respon sive to the needs of business and in- dustry as well as to the individual needs of the student. Both Dr. Perry and Dr. Patton are members of the Council of Academic Deans, an organization created to study, recommend and implement scholastic policy. The vice-president of academic affairs, the collegiate library director and the academic deans are appointed to this council. The dean's job is many-faceted, Perry explained. The primary responsibility is to provide leader- ship. That is, to merge the resources, both human and capital, that are assigned to your unit, so as to achieve Chan in World Changing Careers the objectives of the university. The duties of a dean include managing the assets of the institution by deploying departmental people and equipment in the daily opera- tions of the school. He must serve as a catalyst for action so the program meets student needs and still moves forward, and he must carry the needs of his school, faculty and students to higher administrative offices. One strong influence on CSU academic policy is Oklahoma City's rapid growth in industralization and commerce. We're in a good area, said Dr. David Hart, dean of the School of Math and Science. As industries grow, companies send their employees to CSU for further study. On the other side of the coin, we are heavily recruited. Part of this recruiting program is the large amount of funds given by industries for scholarships and faculty develop- ment programs, Another benefit of being close to a large, urban city is the surprisingly large number of CSU students who are older than the traditional college student. A beneficiary of this move- ment is the graduate program, which has tripled its enrollment in the last ten years. Dr. Bill Fisher, dean of the Graduate School, believes the age shift, which has produced an average age of twenty-seven, is a result of the changing job market. There is a great deal of emphasis on retraining. Sometimes, a student needs to pick up only one or two classes, he said, noting that many older students work during the day and take night classes. Nearly a fourth of CSU's fall '81 enrollment of 12,004 is in the graduate program. Since its beginning in 1955, the program has expanded to include twenty degrees with over eighty degree options. In 1971, we began to offer master's degrees outside of the education department, explained Fisher. In each case, the department has suggested and designed the degree, but Central State has chosen only those programs really needed by the students and the community. Nine degrees have been added in the last five years, and the State Regents for Higher Education are considering two additions to the graduate program - the master's degrees in Economics and Biology. In 1978, the North Central Associa- tion accredited Central State for five years instead of the usual ten, and called for a focused review in three years. Thus in the spring of 1982, CSU was requested to submit to the NCA a self-evaluation on the three focus questions. Dr. Patrick Cassens, vice-president of Academic Affairs, said: Central State is not on probation. In the fall of 1982 we will have two people from the NCA to look at faculty gover- nance, academic leadership and planning. Anne Lynch, professor of history and humanities, is president of the Faculty Senate. Though this group was created in 1970 at the NCA's suggestion for input into academic

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CSU's Librariy houses one of the most modern micro ilm collections in the Southwest. We are a nation with high technology which requires better training and better education. - Dr. Bill Fisher tt H' ik' F 2 , . i-e dits., rv Q' F I-,ap 4' T' l A ' - . W. 5' V -jk . 'X' -. h -f ::' 1 ,..- fi I -75' ' -':: B 'W' is lot . K, t :.: ,tt. Q A g . .. 9 ., , .S decision making, Lynch feels the Faculty Senate does not have ade- quate input. Because many schools nationwide are short of money, she said, the visitation team may be psychological- ly influenced by Central State's af- fluence. They may feel there's no grounds for coming up to North Cen- tral's recommended standards. In my opinion, we are perfectly capable of achieving those standards. The Max Chambers Library on campus provides research and sup- plementary classroom materials for over forty departments. Still, Library Director Dr. Iohn Lolley feels that most undergraduates don't unders- tand how to use the library. We need a comprehensive library instruction program, he said. We've had tours, and we've had lecturesg but we need library education. Being able to utilize the resources at hand is the mark of an educated person. Automation of the library is under- way. We handle a large amount of funds and purchases manually. That's an inventory of half a million items, Lolley said. A computer system would take the place of the card catalog, allowing students to trace materials from any floor, and freeing library personnel for other tasks. Plans to update the library con- tinue with the development of the Oklahoma Collection. Expected to open in the fall of 1982, the collection will contain documents, research materials and books relative to Oklahoma history. We want to be unique, to make Central State 6 center for a collection on Oklahoma history that no one else has, saic Lolley. Dr. Frank Finney, dean of the School of Liberal Arts, explains the advantages of a liberal education Currently, the name of the game oi life seems to be swift and constant change. The philosophy behind the liberal arts program is that it insures the kind of flexibility which is need- ed to adjust to these unsettling changes. While the short-range push seems to be toward specialization in many fields, such narrow education may be a hinderance, according to Finney. Invariably, there is a certain kind oi rigidity that accompanies vocational specialization. This high level of specialization becomes apparent once the employee reaches the level of decision making or when interacting with others in the business world. The liberal arts pro- gram tries to parry this with the varie- ty of intellectual skills needed to suc- ceed in the modern business world. Perry agreed: I am a firm believer in the fact that the cornerstone of a good university is its liberal arts program. The School of Business has flourished in the past few years. Perry believes that this is due to the efforts made to meet the needs of the student: In the short run, we would have sustained a lot of growth. Our continued and very large size had to be a function of quality programs, courses and instruction.