SERVICE
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
Service in this context begins with my academic unit, Educational Foundations, located within the Department of Human Development in the College of Education of East Tennessee State University. It expands beyond the university into the fields of psychology and education. Within those larger paradigms are specializations to include outdoor therapeutic programming, cross-cultural psychology, experiential education, educational psychology, developmental psychology especially adolescence, instructional technology, naturopathic psychology, transpersonal psychology, pastoral counseling, ecological psychology, and related pursuits. These perspectives emphasize the direction of research and study taken to add breadth and depth to these fields of knowledge.
Foundations in Human Development and Learning is composed primarily of psychologists who teach courses integral to instructional and developmental processes in education and psychology. Human Development and Learning is an academic major at ETSU designed to meet the educational needs of individuals whose primary goals include graduate school, community agencies, and related professions where knowledge of how people grow and learn is necessary. Our graduates help meet the tremendous demand for bachelor level counselors, case managers, and similar professionals working with people who are having difficulty with life issues. Many continue into graduate school for master's and doctoral degrees, utilizing themselves as therapists, teachers, and researchers. FHDL specializes in educational and developmental psychology while the department, HDAL, houses other programs related to human development and learning such as Counseling, Special Education, and Early Childhood that also offer undergraduate and graduate degrees.
FHDL schedules regular meetings to communicate concerns and act upon issues related to the program. Andi Clements serves quite competently as the program coordinator who exercises a leadership role in determining class schedules and channeling administrative needs to the FHDL faculty. These individuals collaborate in numerous ways to conduct research, participate in professional associations, generate publications, and similar academic activities. Other fulltime faculty members in FHDL include Cecil Blankenship, Barbara Beauchamp, Jacqueline Eggers, William Nagy, Norma McCrae, James McLean, and John Stone. Some major issues the program currently considers surround SACS and NCATE accreditation, class scheduling for the next semesters, the HDAL minor, new course offerings, course revisions, and program identity. There is a committee initiated by accreditation that insures community input to programmatic changes on which I serve, titled the EDFN Advisory Committee and chaired by Cecil Blankenship. Feedback and collaboration from individuals in the local professional community is complementary to program relevance.
Generally, FHDL does not utilize committees except as ad hoc working groups that coalesce to resolve intercurrent tasks and issues. Presently, I serve with Barbara Beauchamp and Andi Clements to create a greater sense of identity and participation with HDAL majors. This major was recently re-organized to eliminate a degree designated with a teaching certificate which left HDAL - Career as the sole degree focus. These faculty members recognized a need to bring the students together and make certain the program of study was well grounded academically, enabled majors to receive effective advisement, and mentored students into further professional or educational opportunities. A brochure that communicates about the major and contains relevant information of use to potential students is being published. A student group recognized as a campus organization is emerging as a focal point of connected majors to one another and to faculty. Psi Chi has been opened as an honor society available to HDAL majors with appropriate coursework. The prospects are exciting as new opportunities for collaboration blossom into fruition.
The next level pertains to the department, Human Development and Learning, headed by Pat Robertson who exemplifies the leadership so aptly conveyed by Lao Tzu, "the leader who leads best...", and has captivated the admiration and confidence of faculty represented in HDAL. The department handles most administrative and operational functions for faculty, especially as contributed by secretarial staff. Office/instructional supplies, travel, textbooks, communications, equipment and technology...the place could not work without it and HDAL is blessed with Betty Rutherford and Nicole Douglas. They are two of the nicest people in the world who competently and smoothly handle the complexities of a complex organization. They supervise an army of student workers who jump to any task with smiles and motivation. It's such a positive, encouraging office environment!
Dr. Martha Collins is dean of the College of Education and administratively coordinates all departmental functions as well as building issues. The dean's office has specialized professionals who assist with accreditation, certification, scholarships, advisement, and similar academic and institutional requirements. My office is not too far from this central nucleus of power and control and, like all faculty, I have occasion to interact with these folks. I can attest to their authenticity, friendliness, and genuine concern for others. The dean and her staff can proudly proclaim an extraordinarily successful college with superlative accolades from external academic review and level of "personability". Custodial personnel are a ubiquitous and often unobserved group of staff but the ones in Warf-Pickel are a wonderful bunch of characters. There are several unique personalities and never a dull moment with these masters of the janitorial arts. They have the intimate responsibility of seeing our combined offices sometimes as much as we do so it's important to appreciate the significance of their contribution. There exists a cadre of folks dedicated to assist faculty and students in their preservice efforts. The college climate is progressive, encouraging, student-centered, and full of intellectual activity with a vital energy and enthusiasm that ebbs and flows with the rhythm of the semesters.
Before going too far into the university description, a listing of committees would be informative as a record of service to the college:
1)Teacher Education Council - a group chaired by Dean Collins and composed of representatives from the COE community of interest including COE faculty and staff, ETSU faculty drawn from departments that provide instruction in subjects certified by COE, and representatives from selected school systems that hire our preservice teachers and look to us for additional educational services while inservice. NCATE directly investigates the decisions made by this committee in approving any significant program changes that could affect teacher education. It meets monthly or as needed to process large chunks of documented education and presentations by administrative faculty seeking program alteration.
2) Technology Committee - chaired by Mike Clay who leads instructional technology efforts for COE. Members come from the many departments lodged under the College to work on issues and processes for academic technology. There are a number of subcommittees, placing all members in one and vested with responsibilities for achieving committee goals. This is a very active committee, demanding many hours of work and at least two meetings per month and often more when special sessions are offered for specific concerns. All day retreats are regularly organized once or twice per year for envisioning plans of the future. Dramatic changes are occurring in academic technology services with the initiative sponsored by Technology Access Funds. Multimedia classrooms are being constructed and active training continually provides access to effective technological utilization. Online instruction is rapidly converging as a viable component to quality instruction. And still, sometimes the TV/VCR doesn't work and the bulb's burned out on the overhead. There's a lot of work to be done and some very serious philosophical considerations to be deliberated.
3) Technology Integration Subcommittee - chaired by project leaders and including membership from University School, this group centers upon the means to involve faculty in the effective use of instructional technology. Recently, the subcommittee designed a survey (Marilyn Heath) analyzed by Andi Clements and presented to the technology committee that sought to ascertain faculty expectations concerning support from the administration for undergoing training and adding more workload to their already busy schedules.
4)Long Range Planning Committee - a COE committee destined to meet at the behest of the Dean to assist in making long term goals. It assures accrediting bodies that the administration is consulting faculty when producing plans for the direction of the College. Ed Dwyer heads this committee which was recently engaged to generate a survey related to faculty anticipation of future needs and objectives. This fueled appropriate planning processes and documented expressed perspectives on a greater vision for the future.
5) Recognition Committee - led by Dorothy Sluss, a series of annual awards are given to students, staff, and faculty to recognize exemplary achievement and contribution to the college and university. This committee requests nominations of deserving individuals in a number of categories and then divides into subcommittees to decide the award recipients. The highlight of the process culminates in a honors reception in the Culp Center where winners are recognized and dignitaries mingle amid scrumptious delicacies, glorying in the congratulations of gathered excellence.
6) Staff Recognition Subcommittee - chaired by myself, we are mandated to evaluate the nominations for awards to staff members. In so many large and small ways, these critical members of the organization provide the vital operational services that enable the college to hum smoothly in conducting business. They deserve a special appreciation for the hard work and diligent attention to the tasks of running this large and complex operation.
7) Regents Online Degree Advisory Committee - nominated by Norma McRae and coordinated by Gary Walters, this committee is helping to identify courses that could be designed for online instruction and satisfy degree requirements in collusion with other universities in the Board of Regents system. A student opting to major in one of these programs can complete the work online and take coursework from all the TBR universities. The curricula are constellations of course offerings from a cross-section of relevant academic departments equally distributed across the institutions. It's happening.
8) Faculty Senate - elected to serve this illustrious body of solemn discernment and thoughtful mediation, the Senate is a perfect example of democracy. All circumscribed organizational groups should have this type of representative body. There is power and persuasion in unity, though don't expect the meetings to be completely free of controversy. Faculty measure their comments in forceful projection and direct discussion. It's a forum for the exchange of ideas on issues relevant to the purposes of the university. Without it, the delicate balance between the practicality of the administration and the purity of the faculty would be disrupted.
9) Faculty Mentoring Center Advisory Committee - The Office of Distance Education, in collusion the the Office of Instructional Technology, opened a facility on the first floor of Yoakley Hall, stocked with computers and equipment for improving instruction thru the effective use of technology. Directed by Jeff Burleson, the center advises faculty by providing individual assistance as well as scheduled training workshops on various subjects of interest to faculty. Cutting edge techniques are demonstrated and technologically astute faculty contribute time to train and mentor other faculty. This is a tremendous resource for the university.
10) ETSU Technology Access Fee Committee - This committee is responsible for deciding how to spend a portion of the fee monies paid by students for use of technology. Groups and individuals prepare proposals for consideration of funding. The group determines which ones receive the support of the committee.
Much of service entails interacting with colleagues in circles of contexts, some for mutual information and others more active in goal orientation. The complexity of arrangements in human contact operate to sustain and energize the functions of academic life. Informal communication like hallway consultations or office talks, various training workshops like the one on sexual harassment led my Ed Kelly and required of all ETSU employees, the visiting speakers, campus events, open houses, and ceremonies like graduation or all intertwine to weave networks of recognition and discussion, not to mention those relationships outside of work. Formal organizational sessions officially inform and make decisions in an ecological complexity. Faculty meetings are nested within the president's annual speech, the College faculty meetings, the departmental faculty meetings, and the program faculty meetings plus, for some, the Faculty Senate, the coordinators' meeting, the chairs' meeting...all demanding considerable time and energy. Not to mention the committees. Yet this is a significant part of what we do that's often unseen and largely unappreciated but one very real source of defining who we are and what meaning we purpose to give the world. Service...with a smile!
Just a few added comments about service. Faculty who teach courses in teacher education are mandated to spend at least 3 days at schools in the communities served by our graduates. One way I contribute to this requirement involves consultation with Johnson City Schools. I conduct workshops on topics related to behavior management, diversity, and adventure education. Another feature of this interaction provides teacher consultation with educational issues and problems. Education is provided in a number of programs and visiting these facilities are wonderful experiences. Many students are engaged in formal observations, field experiences, internships, and student teaching so staying in touch with their situations and the key personnel regularly employed is advantageous to effective working relationships. Group homes, residential treatment facilities, child care facilities, after school programs, alternative schools, wilderness schools, boarding schools, private schools, state schools, and similar specialized educational services are located throughout the region, providing important components to the educational consumer. The human service aspect expands to many different types of similar facilities. It's really an inspiration to see what tremendous work is being done to serve our people in their growth and development and especially gratifying to observe those helping people with special needs.
These are the government workers that nobody seems to think about when we gripe about politics and moan the paying of taxes. Most of the work in education and counseling is paid for by the government, by taxation, so they are the ones that are hurt the most in a tax cut. No, nobody wants to pay too many taxes but when it comes to making a national declaration for giving a pay raise, why do soldiers get it first? Why can't we give one to our child care workers? If the Russians invaded our schools and shot people, we'd declare war. When our own children do this, we used to design programs to intercede...no more. We need counselors in our schools, equitable pay for our state contracted workers who serve as houseparents, foster parents, and residential counselors, and more programs for our youth with serious problems. Families need support and communities rest on the brink of progressive development or strip malls and microwave towers. As the wealthiest country in the world, we have the opportunity to create the vision of peaceful, vibrant communities, sustaining a balanced lifestyle in a most beautiful region of the world. It's the dream of the planet!