Retired faculty praised for their continued involvement

By Sheri Sides

UNC Pembroke's Retired Faculty Club held its 13th annual banquet on April 11.

They met students who have received support from the Retired Faculty Club's missions to aid students studying abroad. Senior art major Jamie Ellis, who spent a semester studying in Germany, shared her watercolors and her unique educational and artistic experience.

"I painted this watercolor next to the Mosel River in Trier, Germany and used water from the river to paint it," Ellis said. "The classes were taught in German, which was challenging, but my painting instructor was brilliant."

Chancellor Meadors thanked past and present faculty members for their assistance to the university. He cited several retired faculty members, including club chair Raymond Rundus, a retired English professor, who is also president of the Sampson-Livermore Friends of the Library.

He thanked Dr. Robert Reising for his efforts this spring to raise approximately $17,000 for the Jim Thorpe Endowed Scholarship.

Chancellor Allen C. Meadors with Dr. Jim Ebert, past chair of Retired Faculty Club

Chancellor Meadors also cited Dr. Dalton Brooks, who gave up half a year of his retirement to fill in for a professor who was called into active military duty after September 11.

"Thank you for setting such a wonderful example for this university," Chancellor Meadors said. "We have such a caring faculty, and you are carrying on that tradition. We thank you for your continued support."

Guest speaker was Dr. Zoe W. Locklear, associate superintendent for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Dr. Locklear, a former professor and dean in UNCP's School of Education, spoke of the latest developments in school programs, including the federal "No Child Left Behind" program and the state ABCs program.

"I believe that we are truly living in a day in which every ethnic group, and every ability level has the opportunity to be recognized and accounted for in the public school system," Dr. Locklear said.

Locklear said these programs are helping raise the quality of education in public schools.

"Under the ABCs program for the past several years, American Indian students have made the greatest gains of any ethnic group," Dr. Locklear said," Union Elementary School is one example where the American Indian females are scoring in the top categories of assessment."

While Locklear thinks these programs will help North Carolina's public school system, she thinks standards can be raised even more by involvement from UNCP's faculty.

"We absolutely must have high standards and expectations for all children, and we must encourage children to persist when the work becomes difficult," Locklear said.

For more information about the Retired Faculty Club, visit their website at www.uncp.edu/retiredfaculty/

Sheri Sides is a junior Mass Communications major.

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