Newspaper Page Text
Vol. XXXI No.
An ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CENTER Institution
OCTOBER 4, 1979
Dean McClure Resigns
By Michael H. Cottman
Panther News Editor
Wesley L. McClure, Clark’s
former Dean of Faculty and
Instruction, said earlier last
week he plans to resign from
his administrative position
due to “personal reasons.”
McClure who took on his ad
ministrative responsibilities
in Aug. 1978, vacated his post
September 30.
McClure said one of his
many concerns surrounding
his resignation, was the way
in which “Clark’s ad
ministration handles
managerial affairs.”
The faculty sees itself as a
separate entity,” McGHure
said. “It’s hard to make
progress with so many diverse
strengths.”
McClure said despite
problems in the present ad
ministration, the entire Clark
College staff should be
commended.
“I don’t know of any other
college where the faculty is
this competent,” McClure said.
McClure also suggested that
in any organization where
there is personal interaction,
problems are bound to arise.
McClure, who performed the
same administrative duties at
Lane College prior to coming
to Clark, said although Clark’s
administration “is not as ad
vanced as I had anticipated,”
black colleges as a whole have
their share of errors.
Although McClure said his
14 month experience at Clark
“will be hard to forget,” he said
he has “no remorese ” concern
ing his resignation, adding “I
feel I made the right decision.”
McClure said in order to
complete a full day of ad
ministrative responsibilities,
he was forced to work 12 to 16
hours a day.
He said the “intense pres
sures” of day-to-day activities
also played a major role in his
decision to resign.
“I was taking my job home
with me, and I was not spen
ding an adequate amount of
time with my family,” he con
See Related Story - Pg, 3
Dean McClure displays school spirit. (Photo by Gwinn)
tinued.
“But I guess I brought most
of that upon myself. A job had
to be done.”
McClure said he attempted
to make Clark’s faculty
stronger, while moving
students and faculty members
together in an effort to get
them both to strive to reach a
common goal.
‘The dean’s office must con
tain integrity, character and
compassion,” he said. “Itmust
also be a place where students
can talk. I feel I have ac
complished these goals.”
McClure suggested “the
community” does not fully
understand the purpose of his
job. “The dean’s office is the
most important position at the
college,” he said.
“Clark College has a lot of
competent instructors,’’
McClure said. “But the at
mosphere needs to be
cultivated. It takes practice.”
McClure labeled his primary
reason for resigning as a
“Need to deal with higher
education.”
“It’s not the money,”
McClure said. “I want to be
effective in the management of
black colleges on another
level,” McClure said, referring
to an outside consulting pos
tion.
Although McClure would
not elaborate on his next job
assignment, he did say
however, “the amount of job
offers I have been receiving
have been tremendous.”
McClure praised his
.successor Dr. Winfred Harris
who will relieve McClure of his
post Oct. 1.
McClure, who said he has
tremendous respect for Harris,
added “I feel confident he will
do a fine job.”
Harris, who is presently
chairman of the Biology
department, said he is looking
forward to a “new kind of
challenge,” adding he is
honored to be selected to as
sume greater responsibilities.
Harris has been a member of
the Clark College family since
1958, and has served as the
department head for six years.
Clark College President, Dr.
Elias Blake Jr., said he “tried
to encourage McClure to stay
on, but the dean had made his
decision.”
Blake said McClure
performed his duties “very
well” during his academic year
at Clark.
“We had a good working
relationship, Blake said. “His
resignation came as a shock to
me, and this will be a loss to
Clark. I do feel however, that
Dr. Harris will do a fine job.”
Registration Still A Hassle
By Angela Esannason
Panther Staff Writer
The enrollment figure at
Clark College skyrocketed, so
Clark has more students
enrolled than ever before.
Since Clark College’s foun
ding in 1869, there has never
been so many students
enrolled in the institution until
this semester. Some 2,031
students registered at Clark
and the figure was 181 more
than was anticipated ac
cording to some ad
ministrative officials.
Although this may seem as a
great achievement in Clark’s
history, the high enrollment
figure helped cause many of
the institution’s registration
problems.
Additional instructors were
hired to alleviate some of the
overload that was placed on
many faculty instructors,
especially for the freshmen
and sophomore courses. Some
four full time and sixteen part-
time instructors were hired, ac
cording to Dean Wesley
McClure, Former Associate
Dean.
Another problem was the in
sufficient amount of classroom
chairs available and the
relocating of classes in rooms
that were not being used,
McClure said. The problem, he
said, was ironed out by the first
week of school.
“Just the matter of working
with so many students in the
time that we did it was a
monumental achievement on
the staff,” McClure said.
Other problems encountered
during registration could have
been prevented if all the
students had pre-registered,
filled out a financial aid ap
plication and followed through
with it, said many of the ad
ministrative officials.
“Students must learn to take
care of their obligations if the
registration process is suppose
to work,” said Nathaniel
Williams, Director of Business
Affairs.
Some of the stations during
the process became backed up,
especially the fee assessment
station, said Roy Bolton,
Director of Personnel. Bolton
said, “Nothing is wrong with
the process, but we need to be
prepared to make sure the
process will work right.”
; “We don’t need computers.
The problem is money,” Bolton
said. He added that if the
students have the money,
there will be no problems
‘ The students do not foot the
entire bill at this institution,”
Williams said. He said that the
students pay only 78 percent of
the unrestricted education and
general budget which “in
cludes student tuition and
fees,” and that figure is not for
the total budget,” he said.
“The students pay 78
percent of the$6,759,000
education and general budget,
but the total budget for this
year is $9,720,000,” Williams
said. He added that the other
22 percent not paid by the
students, the president “has to
beg for.” This includes gifts,
grants, foundations, and
money from the alumni, he
said.
Why the unanticipated
enrollment figure? According
to Williams, more students
were able to get more money
because more federal monies
were made easier.
Dean McClure’s explanation
for the high enrollment was
that students are electing to
come to black institutions
instead of junior colleges and
white college and universities
because of identity.
McClure added that
students have more faith in
black college to give them a
good education, and the black
colleges in turn provide a wider
curriculum.
Dr. Gloria Scott, vice-
president of Clark along with
Dean McClure said that Clark
t
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