Faculty Senate

Public schoolers need prize more As someone who began my education at home in preschool and continued to learn at home intermittently through eighth grade, I think the Harford County parents who criticized Subway's decision to leave home-schoolers out of an essay contest were missing the point of home-schooling ("Home-schooled kids left out of Subway contest," July 7). What I appreciate most about my home-school education was the opportunity I had to explore my surrounding environment both mentally and physically.

In your article "Universities are slowly tiptoeing into taming costs with efficiency" (Dec. 19), the argument is made that universities, by increasing class size, reducing professors and lectures, adding teaching by teaching assistants and increasing computer grading, can maintain educational standards while saving money in these tough economic times. This thesis is so oversimplified as to be simply false, or, at best, true only in a few limited cases. I cannot speak authoritatively to whether this higher education solution is ever possible in chemistry courses and some other natural sciences, but in the humanities and social sciences it is always educationally destructive.

As part of its formal case for reaccreditation, Coppin State University officials watered down a faculty and staff-written report critical of the college's treatment of its core academic staff, records show. Among the criticisms omitted or played down in a final "self-study" report to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education was that Coppin's shared-governance committee has not convened in several years, that professors are underrepresented in university decision-making bodies and that there is a general "absence of active, systematic, meaningful faculty involvement in budget planning and development."

An article in yesterday's editions about the College of Notre Dame, of Maryland incorrectly spelled the names of several people. Sister Rosemarie Nassif is currently president of the school, Mary Anne O'Donnell resigned last fall as dean of students, and Janet Marie Smith is a trustee there.The Sun regrets the error.The resignation of the president of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland last week followed intense opposition by some faculty members who blamed her for resignations of two popular officials and did not believe she could lead the college successfully.

Embattled Coppin State University President Reginald S. Avery will step down in January, nearly a year after faculty gave him a vote of no confidence for lacking vision and before his initiatives to improve the state's lowest graduation rates have shown any progress. Avery, 66, who announced the move Wednesday, said that the vote did not factor into his decision, but that he felt the time was right to "step aside" after five years leading the West Baltimore institution. He acknowledged that a turnaround hadn't occurred, but said he plans to return to the classroom where he would continue seeking to improve student engagement on the campus and in the community.

The search for a new president of the University of Maryland, College Park got under way yesterday with the announcement of an 18-member committee to scout potential successors to William E. "Brit" Kirwan.Kirwan, president for 10 years, is to leave the 33,000-student campus July 1 to take over the presidency of Ohio State University.In naming the panel, University System Chancellor Donald N. Langenberg said the final candidate chosen by the board of regents "must be one who can pick up where Brit left off" in leading the flagship of the 11-campus university system.

The task force charged with studying the way Maryland public colleges have been governed for the past 10 years heard its first round of testimony yesterday from college presidents whose main complaint about the system was that not everybody stays within its rules."

Some Western Maryland residents are perplexed about Herb F. Reinhard Jr.'s resignation as president at Frostburg State University, effective Jan. 20. Dr. Reinhard compiled an impressive record in 4 1/2 -years, after all. Student registrations climbed 33 percent to 5,000. More money is being spent on classroom materials than ever before. Why resign?The reason: Dr. Reinhard evolved from an educator into a regional personality. He thought the flattery he received was real power. His ship sprang a leak after he diverted a $10,000 estate gift earmarked for scholarships to his own discretionary fund.

K.-Peter Lade, a professor of anthropology at Salisbury State University who received international attention for his work in computer imaging, died Tuesday at University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 67 and lived in Salisbury. Mr. Lade, who died of complications from internal bleeding, became ill in Germany last fall and was hospitalized there for several months before being transferred to the hospital in Baltimore. "Peter was both a colleague and a friend, and he had a wonderfully broad perspective on the issues facing higher education in Maryland," said University System of Maryland Chancellor Donald N. Langenberg.

The suspension of Anne Arundel Community College physical education instructor Bruce Springer on charges of making student records publicwithout permission is pending the completion of a grievance procedure.Springer received the one year without pay suspension followinga college investigation ordered by President Thomas E. Florestano after transcripts for basketball players James Sharps and Butch Williams were sent anonymously to the National Junior College Athletic Association and others outside the college in February.