Lee College - Vindauga Yearbook (Cleveland, TN)

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DEAN OF ADMISSIONS Private colleges everywhere are feeling the effects of a poor economy, and Lee is no exception. Dr. Stanley Butler, Dean of Admissions, can see these effects directly through enrollment fluctuations. Our enrollment is not growing as it did for six years, I believe, primarily because of economics, he states. Butler explains that the need for funds is great among those desiring to attend private colleges, but unfortunately the aid does not meet the need. Therefore we have a lot of people who are choosing to attend local community colleges, or even putting off going to college for a year, working and saving their money to go to school. Another contributing factor to the numbers problem is the drop in the number of high school graduates. This situation has led the community and state-supported schools to do more recruiting. Butler points out, For many years, they had a full enrollment; therefore they didn ' t worry about private colleges, but now the competition is really keen with state universities. Lee is not standing by idly but instead is taking steps to be more competitive in recruting practices by using faculty, students, and alumni in new capacities. There are to be some expansions in course offerings and some cutbacks in majors that are not producing. We ' re putting all of our monies into things that are making people ready for jobs and helping with their vocations for the future. The steps Lee is now taking make Butler confident of Lee ' s future desirability as a private college. We think that we ' re making some headway against the tide, but it ' s going to take some time in order to do these things, he concludes. —Allan Hill DEAN OF STUDENTS The office of Student Services is one that every student is aware of at some time during his time at Lee, and the man most students will need to see for one reason or another is Paul Duncan, Dean of Students. Most know him as Dean Duncan, and during his 13 years at Lee, Duncan has seen the times ' impact on many students. He sees the times as a challenge to students to make the most of the era in which they are living, and he has a sincere desire to help towards this end. Our whole purpose for being in Student Services ... is to serve the students and to help them deal with the times in which we live. Duncan thinks that it is a sign of maturity to accept the times in which you are and to meet the challenge of the times. In contrast to this view, he then says that the Christian student should be more like Christ and be a person for all times as Christ is a man for all seasons. Duncan feels that the Christian has a better chance to withstand the pressures of the times than does the non-believer because of the foundation that the Christian stands upon. According to Duncan, the Christian has a responsibility to shape and mold the times in which he lives rather than to be overcome by them. We can not only cope; we can become overcomers and changers, he declares. We definitely are more than just spectators to what ' s happening — we are actors on the stage. —Allan Hill ®tmraA

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ACADEMIC DEAN Dr. Laud Vaught, Academic Dean, has a firsthand view of the effects that the times have on the student body as a whole. He notes a definite change in attitude toward education on the part of the younger generation and he sees two negative factors contributing to a lower motivational level among students. The present generation does not come out of a ' depressed mentality ' but comes out of a ' subsidized living arrangement ' in which education is not seen as a great necessary factor since many people make as well without education as with education. ' This has affected somewhat the motivation which we see within a student. We also are looking at a circumstance in which the federal government has taken a strong position in helping to subsidize education. This, in part, has led to a lack of motivation on the part of the individual; so he gets into college; all he has to do is do reasonably well. There is no drive for excellence in a large number. This does not suggest that we do not get excellent students, but by and large the number of students who work up to their capacity is relatively small. However, the times do, according to Dr. Vaught, have a bright spot. The average student seems to know more before coming to college than other generations due to the mass media ' s informational emphasis. Dr. Vaught sees this media influence in the students ' perception of education. They may not feel that it is as important because they have other sources of being educated. In other words, you do not necessarily have to come to a classroom. TV, taped classes, extra campus activities, all of these things — they know well that these are educational opportunities, and many of them take advantage of them, and therefore do not see college per se as being the only route to success. Perhaps Dr. Vaught ' s views could help explain the student ' s attitude toward recent educational issues. Only the individual can control complacency in a society of convenience in education. —Allan Hill ASSOCIATE DEAN Basically, our function is to carry on the fundamental operation of academics, in terms of serving students ' needs, and assisting the faculty in carrying out the educational program. This is Dr. Ollie J. Lee ' s brief description of his office ' s responsibilities. As Associate Dean of the College, he is the man behind the scenes and inside the workings of the college. He is also Director of the Institutional Self Study Process which comes to a close this year. This unique vantage point coupled with Dr. Lee ' s background in the study of sociology provides a view unlike that of other administrators. Pertaining to their influence on Lee, he sees the times as two external factors: the demographic transitions and the overall economic situation ' s impact on the sponsoring denomination. Lee states, I think that the institution tends to respond to the conditions surrounding us much more than we would like to think. According to Lee, the declining enrollment, government cutbacks and the economic crunch go hand in hand in producing, internally, a sense of real pressure. This pressure is not just indigenous to Lee College; other private colleges are feeling the effects of the factors Dr. Lee mentioned. Dr. Lee says the self study is responsible for quite a bit of pressure to get the self study completed and to have a favorable report and a favorable review by the committee this April. I think that ' s very much at the forefront of an examination of these times. —Allan Hill ®tm?BA)

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DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI The times have had a tremendous effect on the fund- raising for Lee College, and the Offices of Alumni and Development are Lee ' s battle front in a recession-plagued economy. Gerald Redman, director of these offices, sees the alumni ' s capacity as that of undergirding the process of development, which helps to sophisticate the fund-raising aspect of the college. With unemployment high and all economic indicators doing badly over the past year, one would think Mr. Redman ' s job to be more difficult. This may be true in part, but he points out that the history of church-related institutions shows that in the most difficult of financial times, people seem to give the most. Redman backs up this paradoxical statement by pointing to the success Lee has had in fund-raising this fiscal year. We have just finished the most successful year that we believe Lee College has ever had in fund raising — current gifts of over $1 million, and this does not include any trust funds or gifts coming by pledges or by any parts of people ' s estates, Redman says. This is actual money raised by the college president, the Board of Directors, and the Development Office. This is an impressive record under today ' s diminishing odds, and Redman ' s philosophy for succeeding may be contained in his statement on the times: Although the times are difficult, they present a greater challenge for us to work much harder and to become more innovative. —Allan Hill DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE Students and faculty alike realize that any request or questions relating to the finances of Lee, be it budgets or bills, will eventually find their way to Mr. David Painter ' s desk. As Director of Business and Finance, Painter is responsible for authorizing many different transactions. Probably the largest of his responsibilities is budget control. It is here that the times have been beneficial to the business office, specifically in the use of the computer. It helps me quite a bit with the budget, he explains. I get an update each week on all the budget accounts, by line item, by percentage, balance remaining, and I use that to approve checks and to approve purchase orders. Before, this process was done completely by hand, and it was not practical to update the budget as often as it is now done. Painter says that the computer not only assists him in budget control but also helps with the accuracy and efficiency of procedures dealing with student relations, such as bill inquiries and updates. The only problem with the system ' s wide use is that when it is down, no records can be tapped. This is sometimes very bothersome because, as Painter puts it, We are in the ' now ' generation . . . whatever we ask for, we want it now. It seems the computer allows quick transactions and information access for this generation, and the business office is developing new ways to put the computer to work. Painter adds, In the last couple of years we have entered just about everything on computer. This virtually closes the door on many previous human errors but, on the other hand, gives new credence to the recurring excuse: It ' s the computer ' s fault. —Allan Hill ©trnrs LEADERS 9