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Volume 6 |
March 1, 2005
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No. 13
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HOME | CAMPUS PEOPLE | CALENDAR | ABOUT THE BULLETIN | PAST BULLETINS
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The University will have a new faculty award in 2005.
Dr. Eric B. Dent, dean of the School of Business, and his wife Amy have agreed to create an endowment to support an annual award for an outstanding business faculty member.
“The purpose of the gift is to recognize our faculty and to honor the rich tradition of outstanding scholars and dedicated teachers,” Dr. Dent said. “Amy and I want to support the excellence taking place at UNCP. We are very committed to the success of this institution and its students.”
The award will go to a faculty member who demonstrates outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the University and exemplary organizational citizenship behavior.
The name of the award is the Peter B. Vaill Facultyship Award. It is named after a professor who exemplifies the ideals of the award, Dr. Dent said.
“Dr. Vaill was instrumental in my own education, and he embodied
all-around faculty excellence,” he said.
Dr. Vaill is currently the distinguished professor of management at Antioch University where he directs a doctoral program in leadership and change.
“Although Dr. Vaill devoted much of his career to scholarly research, he never lost sight of the importance of the classroom where he is able to transfer his excitement for learning to his students,” Dr. Dent said. “His prowess in the classroom, his genuine concern for students, his love of research and his flair for writing, and his out-of-the-ordinary willingness to go beyond the classroom in mentoring both students and peers make him deserving of emulation.”
Dr. Roger G. Brown, Provost and Chief Academic Officer added, “It is wonderful to see a member of the UNCP community give back to the University in this way. It is a great testament and commitment to UNCP and its mission.”
For more information about this award, please call the School of Business at 910.521.6214. For information about gifts to UNCP, please call the Office for Advancement at 910.521.6252.
UNCP offers first international business certificate program
Fourteen Chinese students from Taiwan’s Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) traveled to Pembroke recently to receive an intensive two-week training program in business.
As part of its continuing education mission, the Regional Center for
Economic, Community and Professional Development offered its first certificate
program for international students, entitled “21st Century Business:
Innovation, Change and Entrepreneurship.”
The program encompassed 11 seminars, field trips to businesses and attendance in undergraduate or graduate business classes.
It was a collaborative effort with the Offices of Outreach and International Programs and the School of Business. Business professors and administrators provided cutting-edge business techniques and perspectives.
Faculty and Regional Center staff accompanied the students on field trips to businesses in the region. Some world-class business enterprises were on display, including Wal-Mart’s Fayetteville distribution center, DuPont, Campbell Soup, Elkay Southern and First Health Moore Regional Hospital.
“The tours of local businesses were very valuable,” said Regional Center Director Sylvia Pate. “We squeezed a lot into two weeks, and they worked night and day.”
Regional Center Director Sylvia Pate said the program offered a unique opportunity to study international business.
“It was an excellent learning opportunity and experience for the CYCU students to meet American business professors and enable them to have a better understanding of entrepreneurism in the U.S,” Pate said.
A survey of CYCU students gave very positive and constructive feedback.
“Their comments were very, very positive,” Pate said. “In all areas, we met expectations and increased their knowledge.”
Dr. Gary Chun-Tsung Chin, a professor in the Department of International Trade at CYCU, accompanied the students on the trip.
“It was truly a joyful and life-enriching experience attending the seminar program,” Dr. Chin said. “The lively classroom teaching and the eye-popping company visits enhanced our understanding of contemporary businesses and their operations.”
“Moreover, the UNCP faculty and staff treated us like we were family members. Now I feel a part of UNCP,” he said. “The students will never forget the hospitability received from the UNCP community. All in all, the program was a big success and I enjoyed it very much!”
The University is seeking many avenues for adding an international dimension to its educational offerings, and a program like this one affords students and faculty an opportunity to interact with students from another country, said Business School Dean Dr. Eric Dent.
“Although the actual seminar was only for the CYCU students, they lived in a residence hall, sat in on regular classes and ate their meals in the cafeteria,” he said. “There were many times when UNCP and CYCU students could get to know each other and compare their study of business.”
The University is not entirely new to international programs. Dr. John Parnell, the Belk Distinguished Professor of Management, taught recently in China and authored the book, “Business English,” for the Chinese market. It is a primer of American business management for Chinese students.
Special classroom sections of 3-4 hours included sections on:
- International Management Styles by Dr. Alex Chen, Associate Vice Chancellor for International Programs;
- Marketing Research by Dr. Howard Ling
- Entrepreneurship by Dr. Carmen Calabrese, director of the MBA program;
- Financial Analysis by Professor Mark Dalen;
- Multicultural Management by Dr. Collie Coleman, associate vice chancellor for Outreach;
- Corporate Strategy and Innovation by Dr. John Parnell; and
- Crisis Management by Dr. Rick Crandall.
The CYCU students stayed on campus, working on assignments outside of class. They had a field trip to Myrtle Beach, where they appraised icons of American business, such as the Hard Rock Café and Abercrombie and Fitch. A second trip was to the Carolina Civic Center in Lumberton for a performance of “Reliving the 60s.”
The program was also a learning experience for UNCP.
“We are analyzing all aspects of the program to see where we might improve,” Pate said. “Probably, the students did not get enough down time. The program may be increased to three weeks.”
“This was our first international certificate program and we are hopeful this will be a viable program in the future for the Regional Center and UNCP,” Pate said. “We would like to make UNCP an international destination for global entrepreneurs.”
For more information, please contact Sylvia H. Pate, director of the Regional Center for Economic, Community and Professional Development at 910.775.4000 or sylvia.pate@uncp.edu.
Campus child care needs surveyed March 15 - 24
Students, faculty, staff and administrators will soon be asked to complete a one-page (seven questions) survey to determine their interest in establishing a University child-care center.
The survey will be available in paper form and online at the University's website, between March 15 - 24.
Members of the Student Government Association will be on hand in the University Center to distribute paper surveys and to collect completed surveys during the first three days of the survey period on March 15 - 17. Paper surveys may also be completed in the library, and faculty will be asked to distribute paper copies to their classes.
The survey is to determine whether the perceived need warrants a rigorous investigation into the cost of establishing a University child-care facility. The survey will inquire as to how many of the respondents’ children require supervised care and the cost that is associated with their supervised care. It will also ask the respondents during which hours and days of the week their children require supervision.
People who do not have children are welcome to respond to the survey, particularly if they are familiar with the child-care issues of fellow members of the University. The survey was written and approved by an ad hoc committee of the Faculty Senate’s Student Affairs and Campus Life Subcommittee.
Grants awarded to UNCP, faculty, staff
- A NC Quest "Improving Teacher Quality" grant was awarded to Dr. Warren Baker (Education), Rachel McBroom (Biology) and Mary Klinikowski (Math and Computer Science) on Jan. 31, 2005.
- A North Carolina Grassroots Arts Program grant for $1,700 was awarded to the Givens Performing Arts Center on Dec.15, 2004. GPAC Director Patricia Fields wrote the grant.
- UNCP biology student Andrai Pontious was awarded a research grant from the Beta Beta Biological Society. Dr. Robert Poage (Biology) is the principal investigator for the project.
- A N.C. Department of Public Instruction contract for the “Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program” was awarded to Dr. Kathleen Hilton (Graduate Studies) and the School of Graduate Studies for $75,000.
- A N.C. Department of Public Instruction contract for “21st Century Learning Community” was awarded to Dr. Kathleen Hilton (Graduate Studies) and the School of Graduate Studies for $70,000.
- A N.C. Department of Public Instruction contract for a “Statistical Support Program” was awarded to Dr. Warren Baker (Education) and the School of Education for $91,500.
- A N.C. Department of Public Instruction contract for Reading First Teacher Education was awarded to Dr. Betty Brown (Education) and the School of Education for $272,500.
- A U.S. Department of Education FIPSE grant for the development of environmental biotechnology curriculum totaling more than $450,000 over three years has been awarded to Dr. Len Holmes and Dr. Siva Mandjiny.
- For the 6th year, the UNCP Family Life Center’s after-school program for middle school youth has received continuation funding for $245,000 from the U.S. Office of Minority Health.
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