USD Annual Report 1982/83

Faculty growth . ..

University, is well-qualified to observe continuity. "The basic commitment of the faculty," she says, "has always been present. We believe that the real process of education takes place between two human beings, in and out o f the classroom . Personal relationships are at the core of this place . There's an attitude of caring . .. .There's an unspo ken rule among the faculty that you spend as much time on can1pus as possible, available to students. The time we spend together and the quality of that time create a sense of community. That, I think, is the real strength of USD, and that's why USO has grow n ." Barton Thurber, Ph .D., chairman of the Department of English , sees the campus from a somewhat sho rter perspective- fi ve years-but an equally insightful and enthusiastic one. "The ideas of the people who began this University have enabled us to be in the right place at the right time. The country is thinking about educatio n, about the impo rtance of the liberal an s curriculum, and because USD

USO measures the growth o f its faculty in two fundamental ways. One is by conventional quantitative methods. For example, the number of full-time faculty reached 182 in 1982-1983, an increase of 75% over the full-time contingent a decade befo re; and 88% of the 1982- 1983 faculty (exclusive of the School o f Law) held the docto rate degree, compared to 82 % five years before . The number o f faculty with significant records o f publication, research , and service to professional societies and community has risen dramatically. The other kind o f measure-in a son of paradox- evaluates growth no t in terms o f change but in terms of co ntinuity. From USD's inception , its faculty has been dedicated to quality teaching and to close interaction with students. Those attitudes still prevail, and in the context of USD's commitment to values, that means growth . Iris H.W. Engstrand, Ph.D., chairman o f the Department of Histo ry, having just entered her sixteenth year w ith the

has histo rically-and tenaciously-insisted on the value of liberal arts education , we are positioned very well to let it be known that we do something about it ... .The spirit of the faculty in terms of the academic nature of what we're doing and in terms of prospects fo r the future is very high . I don't know of anyone on the faculty who isn't excited about USO . . . .The University has done an outstanding job of recruiting excellent young faculty. Fo r the past several years, we have had our pick of the cream of the crop across the nation , and w hat that means is that students are taught by experts in their disciplines . . . .Because of our small classes, education takes place in dialogue. Therefore, it's impossible fo r teachers-even if we wanted to-to prepare lectures and let them stand fo r years and years. Education here is a living process .. .. I will make a prediction : within the next five to ten years, USO is going to explode into national awareness as a place known for the excellence of its teaching."

Robert L.Simmuns. J.D., prof essor of ta u,.

( I.) Sister Eliza/Jetb \f-alsb. RSC}, Ph.D.. pmfessor of English ... ( 1:) /ris H. W E11Rstra11d. Ph.D. , cbain11a11 of the Ilistory Dep a rtment and p,·uf essor q( bistu,:v.

Robert E. Nelson. Ed.D., prof essor of educatio11.

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