Board of Trustees Remarks
Mark Taggart, Chair of the Faculty
October 6, 2006
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First of all, I
would like to thank all of you for approving
revisions to Appendices C and D to the Faculty Manual. Though we are still awaiting final approval
of Appendix D from GA, the revised
Appendix C has offered clarity in outlining the personnel policies, procedures,
and responsibilities for tenure-track
and fixed term faculty. I am also
pleased to inform you that the Task Force on Fixed-Term Appointments has
completed its final report, which is now being reviewed by the Faculty Governance Committee, in
accordance with the Faculty Senate’s Resolution on Fixed-Term Faculty.
Secondly, I
would like to comment on our Strategic Framework. When I read our mission statement, with our
commitment to serve through education, research and creative activity, and
through leadership and partnership, I am honored to be a part of this
process. I consider these aspects of our
mission as a part of the soul of our university, and as we continue to grow and
become more complex, I am confident that we will continue to hold these values
and commitments to our mission closely.
As we continue the planning process, and as you look over the five areas
of commitment to our framework: 21st
Century Education, A Region’s Health, Arts in Lives, Prosperity in Eastern
North Carolina, and The Leadership University, think not only of these aspects
as separate entities, but also how they work together and compliment each
other. At this time in history, I am
grateful to be a part of this process and look forward to providing faculty
leadership as we move forward..
This is the
time of year when faculty, going up for
tenure and/or promotion, turn in their
Personnel Action Dossiers (or PADs).
Because we are “between” current and revised Appendix D, there were concerns over what format faculty were to
follow this year. I am making every
attempt to inform faculty on personnel committees to focus on the contents of
these documents, which reviews the candidate’s work and not the format that the
faculty member has followed when they make their recommendations.. It is my hope that, by this time next year,
we are no longer between current and revised portions of the Facultyanual, and that all concerns over
document formats have been eliminated.
I would now
like to call attention to the accomplishments of two of our faculty in the
Harriott College of Arts and Sciences.
Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan Morris are faculty members from the
Political Science Department who are building impressive scholarly
records. Their collaboration on an
article for the American Politics
Research Journal entitled “The Daily
Show Effect” is groundbreaking, and has generated significant media
attention. In their article, they have
explored the effects of satire featured in the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart have had an effect on the political
attitudes and opinions of its viewers.
While the participants who are exposed to jokes about political leaders
may rate them more negatively, Professors Morris and Baumgartner have found
that viewers of The Daily Show have
reported increased confidence in their ability to understand the complicated
world of politics, even though it may contribute to their cynicism and
skepticism of political institutions and political leaders. Whereas entertainment that passes through as
news (called “soft news”) may contribute to democratic citizenship by reaching
out to an inattentive public, messages that are delivered in little packages
wrapped in humor and satire can be both persuasive and memorable. Their article
investigating the satire on political attitudes is only the beginning, as I
believe that they are furthering their research in this field. Perhaps their research may be able to detail
how “The Daily Show Effect” may
effect the 2008 presidential election.
Professors
Baumgartner’s and Morris’ work is another example of the high quality of
research that is occurring here at ECU.
I wish both of these faculty members well in their continued research, and
look forward to reading more about their groundbreaking work on “The Daily Show Effect”.
As the Chair of
the Faculty, I am constantly aware of
faculty members’ ongoing
contribution to the University’s
commitment to serve through education, research and creative activity,
and leadership and partnership. Together, with the University community, there
are no bounds to what we can achieve.
Thank you.