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Shepherd System links faculty, administration
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by David
Forbes
Staff Writer
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The Office of Business
Affairs has done their best to communicate with faculty about
on campus construction, and wants to co-operate further,
Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Jane P. Helm said Friday.
“I’d say we’ve definitely tried to improve
on communication. We can’t always do what we’re
asked, but we try to be receptive,” Helm said. “One
of the issues we’ve always run into at this university
is that no project we’ve done has been funded at the
level the faculty like to see.”
Last Monday, Faculty Senate passed a resolution stating that
Business Affairs has not cooperated with faculty enough on
construction, and called for more cooperation.
Several senators voiced complaints about an alleged lack
of concern from Business Affairs.
Helm said some complaints are inherent to any construction
project, specifically the complaints about sand on the sidewalks.
“Yes, you can go sweep the sand off, but vehicles move
through every day with more of it. There’s only so
much you can do about that,” Helm said.
Dr. Wilbur H. Ward, associate vice chancellor for academic
affairs, said the relationship between Business Affairs and
faculty has usually been good.
“It has been awhile since we’ve had a Vice Chancellor
for Business Affairs so attuned to the university’s
academic mission as [Helm] is. She cares a lot about faculty
and students on this campus,” Ward said. “There
are miscommunications between the faculty and [administration]
about construction, and that’s what we need to work
on, but it’s not a problem that originates in the office
of Business Affairs.”
One of Business Affairs’ methods to increase communication
with faculty is the “Shepherd System,” in which
a faculty volunteer acts as a liaison to improve communication,
Helm said. This system is already in place at Walker Hall,
Rankin Hall and Belk Library, and may be expanded to other
buildings in the future.
Dr. Norman E. Clark, associate professor in the department
of communication, has been a “shepherd” with
the Walker Hall renovations for several months, and said
the system simplifies communication.
“The shepherd acts as a go-between for the faculty,
the contractors and the [administration],” Clark said.
“I communicate both ways. I take information I get
from either the contractors or the design and construction
office and pass it to the faculty in the building, and if
faculty have concerns, they bring them and I send them to
the right people.”
Clark said he believes the system works well, but construction
still poses problems.
“Things go well when the system has been used. There
were some problems earlier when faculty were just going to
the dean,” Clark said. “When they knew there
was one contact person, things went more smoothly.
“There are still problems. There are complaints faculty
have that nothing can really be done about. The work has
to be done, and there’s a certain amount of inconvenience
and disruption that comes along.”
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