| Floyd named to Academic Affairs committee |
by James Boozer
Editor-in-Chief |
In an effort to stabilize the current administrative structure at Columbia, the College Council voted 33 to 11 Friday to name Dr. Samuel Floyd, Columbia’s interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, as administrative officer for the Academic Affairs committee.
“The vote was quite overwhelming,” said Charles Cannon, chairperson of the Science and Math Department and council member.
The council’s decision to name Floyd now means that Bert Gall, Columbia’s Provost and Executive Vice President will no longer serve as administrative officer for the Academic Affairs committee. However, Gall has been invited by Sheldon Patinkin, chairperson of the Academic Affairs committee to attend meetings held by the committee each month.
According to council records, several council members and visitors at the group’s meeting on Oct. 1 raised the issue of the timing of the administrative change considering Columbia is currently in a search for a new president. Columbia’s current president, John B. Duff is leaving at the end of this school year.
“I feel it is important to have faculty participation in major changes regarding the college structure,” said Randall Albers, chairperson of the Fiction Writing Department. “I’m a great admirer of Samuel Floyd. I was very happy when he was appointed to [the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs],” Albers said.
Cannon introduced a motion to revise the council’s bylaws at the Oct. 1 meeting to make the Vice President for Academic Affairs the administrative officer for the Academic Affairs committee. The new addition would amend the number of members on the council. The council voted on Friday to keep the total number of members to 50.
In July, Duff named Floyd interim Vice President for Academic Affairs based on the final report from the North Central Association which recommended the creation of the new administrative position.
Duff created the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs to curb growing concerns that the college’s increasing enrollment is too much for the top management to handle. Floyd assumed the academic responsibilities once held by Gall to relieve the workload of the office of the Provost. |
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