ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 22, 1996 TAG: 9610220103
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RADFORD
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
As a recent meeting broke up, Radford University's new vice president for academic affairs turned to Jill Alcorn, a statistics professor.
"You know what she said to me?" Alcorn recalled. ```How are your classes going?' No one has ever asked me that from the administration before."
As far as many of Radford's 455 full-and part-time faculty are concerned, their lives took a turn for the better July 1 when Ann S. Ferren took her place among Radford's top administrators. Over and over again, the same adjectives emerge as her faculty describe her: Strong. Straight shooter. Collaborator.
"You're going to know where you stand with her," said Steve Lerch, the acting associate dean of arts and sciences. "When you work for somebody, you can't ask for a whole lot more than that."
Ferren, who spent two years as interim provost at American University in Washington, D.C., made her way to Southwest Virginia via one of the region's former higher education leaders. Former Hollins College President Paula Brownlee, now director of the Association of American Colleges and Universities in Washington, worked with Ferren last year when Ferren, on leave from AU, was a fellow at the association.
"She is a person of just remarkable acuity, brightness, very thoughtful about many aspects of higher education," Brownlee said.
Ferren's job is to be Radford's chief academic officer - known at many universities as the provost. She says she's been impressed with how seriously Radford's faculty take their work with students.
Chief among Ferren's accomplishments at American was the development of the school's general education program. Now, amid her myriad duties, Ferren will oversee Radford's assessment of the courses students are required to take under the general education curriculum.
Among the programs in which Ferren has been highly visible has been a new, five-session series of discussions on "building a community of learners." Sponsored by the university's Faculty Development Center, the idea has been to draw students, professors, staff and administrators to talk about what Radford wants to be.
LENGTH: Short : 46 linesby CNB