
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, December 14, 1993                   TAG: 9312140186
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

TECH NAMES DEAN FOR ARTS, SCIENCES

Virginia Tech has again chosen the candidate close to home, naming the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Robert Bates, as the college's new dean Monday. Bates, a professor of microbiology and associate dean for research and graduate studies, has been with the university since 1972 as both a professor and administrator. He was named associate dean of the college in 1987.

He succeeds Herman Doswald, who stepped down as dean last December to return to teaching, citing the stress of dealing with the state's continued budget cuts. Robert Paterson had served as interim dean.

Bates' appointment follows the university's announcement last week that Paul Torgersen, the university's former engineering dean and twice interim president, had been chosen Tech's president.

In an interview Monday, Bates spoke of the hostility shown toward higher education both from the keepers of the purse strings and the public. "We're basically almost going back to square one . . . . reinventing everything we do and learning to look at our problems in new and fresh ways." As a professor who spent time in both the classroom and laboratory, he questioned the perception that teaching and research must fight to the bitter end. One of his priorities is expanding undergraduates' role in research through work teams and laboratory work.

"I think the thing is we already do that, but we don't touch enough students," he said. Bates is also known on campus for working to attract and retain a faculty that includes more women and minorities.

"We've developed workshops to educate faculty and students about climate issues or culture of the university," he said. "We've had speakers in that have talked about ways to include other viewpoints in the curriculum. We are working on developing mentoring program to help retain women and minorities."

The pool of doctoral candidates is definitely included in that goal, he said. He described progress in increasing minority representation as slow.

A raised consciousness of why diversity is necessary has already been accomplished to a large degree, he said. "[We] promote diversity as a positive enriching environment and not as a limitation."

Bates questioned the concept of a college education as a commodity you can buy in four years. "I'm concerned that we worry too much about teaching them everything we know. They need the skills for problem solving, and they need the ability to approach problems from a number of different directions," he said. "I think that ties in with the undergraduate research. Many of our societal problems are very interdisciplinary or multiple disciplinary in nature."

Bates started out as a microbiology professor, but with the demands of what he calls his "1.6 jobs" hasn't taught for quite some time.

"I miss the interaction with the students, particularly in the research and classroom environment," he said, and added with a chuckle, "I don't miss making up final exams."

by CNB