CPS and School of Ed to Share Leadership for One Year
In a move to test the possibility of programmatic and administrative collaboration between the College of Professional Studies (CPS) and the School of Education, CPS Dean Larry Brewster will assume leadership of both schools for one year beginning July 1, announced Jim Wiser, provost and vice president of academic affairs.
“I expect there will be a steep learning curve this summer as I get to know the curriculum and the faculty (of the School of Education),” Brewster said. His title will be acting dean of the School of Education.
The move to put one dean at the helm of both schools is the first step toward a possible full administrative merger proposed by the Planning Action Task Force in 2001.
Both Brewster and Paul Warren, dean of the School of Education, said they support the leadership move, which was proposed by the faculty association leadership council of the School of Education.
“The deans saw the organizational benefits,” Warren said. “My hope is there will be selective coordination of some programming between the schools.”
Besides bringing the leadership and management of the two schools under one umbrella, some areas of possible coordination could be an interdisciplinary degree offering from the two schools in policy studies; a dual degree program in which CPS students could also get training in teaching; and the development of cross-disciplinary institutes, Warren said.
The state’s accreditation review of the School of Education—by the far the biggest responsibility of the school’s dean—was completed April 21 with glowing reviews. That process, which repeats every six years, was Warren’s last major administrative duty. He will step down from his post at the end of this academic year. He will continue to advise the university on education-related projects.
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Fr. Richard McBrien, a noted theologian, discussed Church politics and the Pope during a visit to campus April 3.
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Next Pope Should be Moderate Say Speakers at USF
Voicing their hopes for a more moderate papal administration in the future, two reporters on Catholicism and a prominent Catholic theologian made separate campus appearances in April to discuss the Church and the next Pope.
On April 3, theologian Fr. Richard McBrien from the University of Notre Dame discussed Vatican politics during a lecture on the role of the Catholic theologian. Touching on issues such as priests’ celibacy and sexual abuse cases, Fr. McBrien said the conservative ideologies of Polish-born John Paul II and his intolerance of pluralism have estranged American Catholics from Rome.
Picking up where Fr. McBrien left off, Vatican reporters Robert Blair Kaiser of Newsweek and John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter said during a forum April 8 that the strongest candidate to replace Pope John Paul II would be theologically moderate, in favor of decentralizing Church decision-making, and strongly committed to social justice.
That’s because the college of cardinals is divided, broadly, between those whose concerns are primarily doctrine-based, such as maintaining theological consistency and protecting the Church from secularism, and those whose interests are more worldly, such as working for social justice and giving voice to the poor. It takes two-thirds of the college of cardinals to elect a pope and since neither group has two-thirds, a consensus must be reached, Allen said
The new pope will have to address several issues, Kaiser said, including allowing married clergy and women to minister, globalization and the challenge of working for a just social order, and recognizing the authenticity of other religions.
All three speakers called for administrative change in response to the sexual abuse scandal that has engulfed the Church in recent months. While the sexual dysfunction of a small number of priests is indeed a crisis, Allen said, the other grave problem is the administrative dysfunction of bishops who moved abusive priests around instead of dealing with the issue openly.
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1, 500 to Graduate in Spring Commencement
A projected 1,459 students will be participating in spring commencement ceremonies beginning May 16. Of those, 400 will be graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences, 355 from the School of Business and Management, and 50 from the School of Nursing, said Kevin Wilson, associate registrar. Another 141 will graduate from the School of Education and 320 from the College of Professional Studies. The final ceremony on May 19, for School of Law graduates, will include 193 students. All ceremonies will take place in St. Ignatius Church.
Commencement speakers include Deborah F. Tannen, bestselling author of You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, for the College of Arts and Sciences on May 17; Chicago Sun Times columnist Rev. Andrew Moran Greely for graduate students of the College of Arts and Sciences May 17; Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., creator of a youth mentoring program and employment referral center called Jobs for a Future and Homeboy Industries, for the School of Business and Management May 17; and Pedro A. Noguera, a champion of social justice and multiculturalism who teaches at Harvard University and UC Berkeley, for the School of Education May 18. Speakers will receive honorary degrees from USF.
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Dolores Huerta Speaks at School of Ed
United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta spoke April 27 at the School of Education about social justice and education. More than 100 people came to hear Huerta talk about how education is the key to correcting social inequities.
“It’s not enough to have a high school diploma or college degree if in your heart you do not want to make the world a better place,” Huerta said. Huerta’s themes revolved around the importance of committed teachers and educating children about the democratic process.
Huerta came to USF at the behest of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Social Justice, the Teacher Education for the Advancement of a Multicultural Society (TEAMS) program, and the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism.
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University Moves Fast on Disaster Preparedness
USF’s disaster preparedness plan is nearing completion as the university readies itself for an emergency.
“Since September 11 we have been moving ahead on the plan much faster,” said Ted Wight, director of public safety.
The plan, which will be published as a booklet that will hang in every university department, details what to do in case of various emergencies such as earthquakes or bomb threats. But Wight said preparation will require more than thumbing through the information. All employees should be aware of where the office fire extinguisher and first-aid kits are located and how to use them. In the event of an emergency, he instructed people to call extension 2911, the campus emergency number, rather than the city emergency dispatcher at 911. Employees should also inform someone when they leave the scene so everyone can be accounted for. He also encouraged employees to carry emergency supplies in their cars, like blankets and food or extra medication if they need it, and to enroll in CPR training.
“Have a personal catastrophe plan,” Wight said. “Have a number or a person you can call to contact your family and let them know you’re OK.”
A major part of disaster preparation is to make sure the university has the trained personnel and resources in place to deal with an emergency. All campus security officers receive training according to state standards, Wight said. “The university made a conscious decision to be able to take care of itself without relying on city services for at least two to three days,” he said.
The university has received three bomb threats and three anonymous letters filled with a white powder during this academic year. Public safety evacuated campus only once, for the first bomb threat, determining that the other five incidents were hoaxes. The university receives about three bomb threats every year, Wight said.
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USF Hosts First International Poetry Meeting
A conference featuring German, French, and American poets, translators, and critics was held on campus April 18-19. Billed as USF’s first international poetry meeting, the purpose of the conference was to promote a poetry exchange between authors of different languages and cultures. The major discussion topic of the conference was problems in translating poetry.
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Gershwin Theater Renamed
The Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Theater no longer has rights to that name after the Gershwin trust revoked its use. The theater’s new name will be the University of San Francisco Presentation Theater. Claiming that USF did not put the theater to proper commerical use, executors of the trust withdrew the Gershwin name in an amicable settlement with the university. The theater has been called the Gershwin Theater since 1996 when it received a $400,000 gift from the trust to use in an extensive renovation. This year, over 40 performances were staged at the theater.
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Summer Service Learning Institute Planned
The University of San Francisco Service Learning Committee will host the second annual Service Learning Faculty Institute Aug. 12 and 13.
A small group of faculty members and facilitators will spend two days exploring the pedagogical aspects of service learning and integrating these strategies into course syllabi. Richard Cone, a nationally recognized leader in service learning, will help facilitate the institute.
To register, interested faculty members should contact Susan Prion at (415) 422-6936 or Jack McLean at (415) 422-2156 before June 28.
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