Lee College - Vindauga Yearbook (Cleveland, TN)

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Moving Up One of the many cost cutting devices the school put into effect for this year was the creation of the position of the Associate Dean of the College. At one time there were separate deans for the divisions of Education, Religion, and Arts and Sciences. Now Dr. Ollie Lee handles all these responsibilities from one office, so that instead of three part-time deans and part-time teachers, there is one full- time dean and three full-time teachers serving as department chairmen. The Associate Dean ' s responsibilities are to help administer the academic pro- grams of the college. Part of that re- sponsibility is the maintenance of the academic distribution requirement called the General Education Core, the list of courses required of all students; the six hours of history, the eight hours of lab science, the two hours of P.E., and so on, required by the Dean ' s office for f graduation. Most students know well the ist on pages 33 and 34 of the 81-82 catalog. Some students question why they are required to take courses outside of their field. Dr. Lee states that the common core is really the heart and soul of the college education. One of the tragedies of the prolifera- tion of knowledge and the tremendous super-specialization, Dr. Lee continues, is that we have lost sight of the practi- cal value of basic knowledge. It is practical. We ' re talking about the kinds of learnings that are essential to the effective functioning of any person as a citizen, as a church member, as a pro- fessional or in other occupational posi- tions, as a parent, and as a member of volunteer organizations. The ability to function at a minimum intellectual level is something that all college graduates ought to be able to expect of their institution. The sole purpose of education is not merely to provide occupational training, or to thereby guarantee financial suc- cess. Especially not for Christians. Dr. Lee says, There are some values we hold very dear other than occupational values. There are some goals and objec- tives which we as a Christian college share that cannot be put in materialistic terms. These goals and values must be reflected in the distribution requirements of our curriculum. What then is the useful, practical pur- Eose of this expensive requirement? Dr. ee answers, The real criteria for usefulness ought to be such things as what kinds of lifestyles are formed after having this college experience, what kinds of basic value commitments does one One of the tragedies of the proliferation of knowledge and tremendous super-special- ization is that we have lost sight of the practical value of basic knowledge. build his life around. With these stan- dards in mind, Dr. Lee states that pure- ly occupational values rate low on the list. There are several elements that Dr. Lee mentions as being essential to aca- demic success. One of the things that is THE LOVE OF KNOWLEDGE If we aren ' t the leaven of the lump in society, then what ' s the hope for society? ' very crucial is a feeling of the impor- tance of academic work apart from this thing of usefulness. Dr. Lee also men- tions religious commitment as a surpris- ing factor that seems to play a substantial role in being a good student. Another important ingredient accord- ing to Dr. Lee is a basic sense of self-security. He explains, If I were to do a personality profile of the student who ' s likely to be successful, I would ask ' Does he feel comfortable when he ' s alone and can ' t think of anything in the world to do but study? ' if that panics him, if that makes him depressed, then he ' s going to have a hard time. A good student has enough sense of self securi- ty to endure that and feel good about tnat kind of situation. One of the essential elements is and always has been hard work. Dr. Lee says, Students who have enough drive can overcome a lot of limitations. There is a distinct and designed dif- ference in academics at a Christian school. Not that there is an entirely different set of facts from what students would get at a secular institution, but that there is a different philosophical framework for those truths. That Chris- tian perspective makes a difference in how the teacher views his role with his students. We have some of the best teachers you ' ll find anywhere, Dr. Lee states. The percentage of teachers holding the top degree in their field is much higher than one might find at other colleges or universities. But the difference goes beyond that. The faculty, according to Dr. Lee, also serve as Christian role models, inside the classroom and out. Dr. Lee sees the role of academic education as an important advantage in the Christian life, preparing students to cope with their own problems as well as those of a world in desperate need of the full ministries of Christ. To fail to provide that training is not only shameful, but dangerous. Dr. Lee puts it this way, If we aren ' t the leaven of the lump in society, then what ' s the hope for society? —RKO 15

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The world demands an educated ministry. Academically Speaking The world demands an educated ministry. The day is far passed when a person can say, ' Well, I think ' or ' I suppose ' or ' This may be the case. ' If a man is going to speak for Christ he is going to have to speak with some knowl- edge about the things with which he deals. If he is going to be a business- man, he is going to have to know his business, if he is going to be an educa- tor, he is going to have to know his education; whatever it is, he is going to have to be considered an expert in those fields if he is going to address those things. And with that statement, Dean of trie College Laud O. Vaught sets academics in perspective. So — the effec- tive Christian leaders of today don ' t re- ally need an education — they ' ve got to have it. And Dean Vaught is the man in charge of making sure that students have the opportunity to do just that — excel. We have a very viable program, a strong academic program, capable of being improved, but very strong, ' Vaught states. One of the areas bearing close scrutiny is Lee ' s open admissions policy. While sometimes in the past, open ad- missions has been taken to mean the acceptance of all applicants, it is now being more sharply defined to say that anyone who is academically qualified can attend. Even so, Vaught admits, You may get students that are marginal. For those students, the Dean ' s office helps to coordinate special programs like tutoring, learning centers, as well as special classes, in order to provide enough outside help so that the slower students can get that help they need to keep up with the regular class work schedule. With the college providing this special assistance to those students who desire it, Vaught says, We need to take aca- demic probation more seriously. He further explains, True, a good Church of God student needs a chance, but once he has had that chance, he needs to step aside if he ' s not willing to apply himself or cannot do the work. The state and federal budget cutting process has affected the outlook for ac- ademics. Where does the academic pro- gram look to make its savings? Through the more efficient use of our present personnel, according to Vaught. He is auick to waylay fears of a return to the ays when Lee was just a Bible College. We ' re not talking about a shrinking academic base — we ' re talking about an expanding academic base, according to Vaught. We need to take academic probation more seriously — true, a good Church of God stu- dent needs a chance, but once he has had that chance, he needs to step aside if he ' s not willing to apply himself or cannot do the work. ' Religion, Education, and Business are the biggest and most rapidly growing majors on campus. Dean Vaught states, We are looking for majors which will have the same sort of growth. He men- tions the need for a combination Music and Christian Education major. He also mentions the new Health Sciences pro- gram. His hopes are high; as he says, In the matter of a very few years, we believe Health Sciences will be as large as our Business program. Vaught admits that most of these pro- posals are in the dialogue stage, but there are several areas in which prog- ress is being made. The Dean ' s office is in the process of redesigning the aca- demic advising program. We want to make sure that each student has access to an advisor two or three times a se- mester, Vaught declares. The student would have the opportunity to sit down and talk to his advisor and plan out a long range program. Also, Dr. Vaught says that the college is looking at chang- ing the way it distributes scholarships so as to offer more assistance to the really good B + student and not just to the student who excels in everything. This change, Vaught hopes, would help to attract and to keep good quality stu- dents here at Lee. Meanwhile, Dean Vaught is tending to all the other regular duties of his office — planning and implementing the curriculum, performing and interpreting class studies, meeting with the faculty, individually and as a group, and con- cerning himself with just about anything else that goes on in the classroom. Once the Dean ' s office has done its job, it is up to the students. We have, Vaught explains, a number of very fine students who know where they are going, how to get there, and they put a very high premium on academics. But we also have, Vaught continues, a large number of students who have not de- cided where to go, who do not know how to get there, and who will need a great deal of help. Of course the Dean ' s office will do all it can, but the best thing students can do is to grow up. Maturity is the key, Vaught declares, continuing, We all have enough time to do what we ought to be doing. We all have the same amount of time — twenty- four hours. —RKO 14 DEAN VAUGHT ASSOCIATE DEAN LEE

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The Enforcer So this man is responsible for student housing, counseling and testing, student aid, campus security, student activities, career planning and placement, and the discipline of wayward students. And, of course, discipline is the part of his job most people associate him with. Conse- quently, Dean of Students Paul E. Duncan has gotten the sort of negative image you would expect of the cowboy in the old westerns who always wore the black hat. He admits that somebody has to be willing to deal with things that need to be brought into question; the job all too frequently gets shoved his way: They expect that this office should be the one to deal with negatives, and that ' s not the way it should be. In a Christian com- munity we all should be responsible to each other. But someone has to be in charge of discipline. According to Duncan, it would help if students would realize that cer- tain things have to be done in order to live in a group setting. He hopes that he would be viewed as someone who ' s re- ally fair, who really cares, and somebody well identified with the overall mission of the college — making disciples. Duncan frequently is placed in the position of being both an advocate of students and the one who must bring their conduct into question. It ' s quite stressful for a man whose whole back- ground and training has been in the helping profession to have to bring charges against a student. I don ' t go out looking for people who have violated regulations, Duncan says, but they are referred to his office by other people. They are invited in for a conference so the issue can be discussed; it ' s not a CIA-style interroga- tion with bright lights and broad sweep- ing accusations. The method used by In a community setting, you frequently have to give up certain individual free- doms for the benefit of the whole. Dean Duncan is simply saying, This is what I ' ve heard — what do you have to say about it? Each problem is dealt with on an individual basis. Sometimes, says the Dean, it ' s just a matter of counseling and persuasion — bringing to the atten- tion of the student that his behavior is not acceptable and that ' s done with — it ' s been handled. Other times though, Duncan admits, People ' s behavior re- sults in the interruption of their studies. People often have trouble understand- ing why some students can stay while others have to go. But this is no exam- ple of inconsistency. Being inconsistent, according to Dean Duncan, is not in dealing with all cases the same way, but dealing with one and failing to deal with another. Dean Duncan does not believe that even such severe measures as sus- pension or expulsion are contrary to the biblical concepts of love and forgiveness. He states, The college needs to be forgiving and longsuffering even when it ' s necessary to interrupt someone ' s studies. We frequently show our forgiv- ing spirit by saying ' Look, we care about you, we ' ll help you in your plans, but you ' re not allowed to remain here. ' People often need fairly drastic mea- sures to change some of their less than healthy perspectives. When that change has been effected, Duncan says, We show our forgiveness and willingness to help them by allowing them to return. And there are several students on cam- pus now to testify to that. We do have Sometimes it ' s just a matter of counsel- ing and persuasion — bringing to the at- tention of the student that his behavior is not acceptable and that ' s done with — it ' s been handled. a ministry of reconciliation and of grace, Duncan declares. And part of that min- istry is to help students grow from the experience. We don ' t need to buy a worldly philosophy about failur e, Duncan says. In some areas of life failure may be inevitable, but a person doesn ' t have to see that as the end of everything. When you fail, Duncan advises, ac- knowledge it, take a look at what went wrong, and try to deal with it. A lot of people misunderstand the purposes of the various rules and regu- lations the college has. It ' s not a process of trying to change people ' s beliefs through legislation, and if that were so Duncan doubts that anyone ' s mind is being changed. Still, he states, Lee Col- lege is a private college with a particular mission — it didn ' t just happen that way. It was planned and designed to be dif- ferent, and built around Christian prin- ciples, rules and regulations that are designed to fulfill that mission. It ' s not that the college refuses to recognize the rights of each student as an adult, but that part of that maturity is realizing that in a community setting, you fre- quently have to give up certain individ- ual freedoms for the benefit of the whole. That ' s part of the responsibility a student takes on when he chooses the overall package of the college. Changes in the rules are necessary and a welcome part of the college ' s growth process. Duncan says, As times change, cultural norms change. As we begin to recognize a difference between tradition and biblical principles, we ' ll see changes in areas like that. If there ' s a change to be made, it ' s discussed with I don ' t go out looking for people who have violated regulations. 16 DEAN DUNCAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS