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

DATE: SUNDAY, December 19, 1993                   TAG: 9312190093
SECTION: NATIONAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Allison Blake
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TORGERSEN STRESSES CONCERN FOR UNDERGRADUATES

On the university's commitment to teaching undergraduates: "I think taxpayers and legislators are worried about a university's commitment to undergraduates - there's a feeling, which may be incorrect, that we've begun to ignore the undergraduates. One way I can make a statement is to teach an undergraduate course."

Concern that faculty at some universities have forsaken their undergraduates in favor of doing research has grown in recent years. Torgersen cited wide publicity when graduate students picketed several years ago at the University of California at Berkeley, forcing cancellation of 75 percent of undergraduate classes.

"Almost all our undergraduate courses are taught by faculty. People pick up on that Berkeley incident and think, `Oh, boy.' We're all indicted with the same crime."

On the university's commitment to teaching, undergraduate vs. graduate: "To some extent, it depends on faculty interest. If you've got a professor interested in research and graduate students, it would be a shame to force that person away from teaching graduates. On the other hand, some faculty get really turned on teaching undergraduates. I'm not sure it's something you mandate."

On campus diversity: "You have to say it, then follow through with appointments where diversity is important. If you have a vacant faculty position, you seek out a minority, you seek out a woman to fill that position - if at all possible. What you have to be careful of is you don't compromise.

"We're attempting to counter the old-boy network. That system has to be broken down and discarded. [Provost] Fred Carlisle has really crusaded for diversity. But, in part, it's a pipeline thing. If you say, `Why aren't there a lot of women department heads in professions that are historically white male?', women just began as undergraduates 20 years ago. They're now becoming full professors. It just takes a while for any group to work its way through the total system and be available for department headships, or deanships."

On plans for his administration: "I don't have an agenda. But I'm starting to do some thinking, and I think there's going to be some change in the next few years." - Allison Blake