Administration changes coming to NGU
Taylor Deaton, Assistant Editor
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com
Some academic changes are being made to North Greenville University’s Administration; changes that will take effect in the upcoming new semester.
Effective Jan. 1, 2019, Paul Thompson, Dean of the College of Humanities, will be the dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences.
As written in a statement by the NGU Office of Academic Affairs, the College of Humanities and Sciences “will offer academic programs in English, history, and modern languages & linguistics” in the School of Humanities, “programs of political science, criminal justice & legal studies, and psychology” in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and undergraduate programs in “biology, chemistry & physical science, computer science, health sciences, and math” in the School of Science and Math.
Thompson was first approached by the university about combining the two colleges during the first week in Oct. “It’s the same as a school of arts and sciences,” explains Thompson, “so here, because we had a humanities [college], we decided to use the word humanities rather than arts.”
NGU decided to combine the two schools because “for a university with our number of students…the layout we had was too divided for a school our size, so creating this school is part of a plan to rethink how we organize all of our academic programs.”
“This change is part of a package…its value is in the rethinking of the whole university,” states Thompson.
Thompson explains that “part of the vision that’s tied into this restructuring of deans is to bring the graduate and online programs together with the Tigerville campus programs.”
The growth being envisioned with the changes is “growth in quality of facility, instruction and the value that students get from their education.”
“The full effect of these changes, even if you’re a freshman this semester at North Greenville, won’t be experienced,” states Thompson discussing the long-term plans for the changes being put in place.
The College of Humanities and Sciences is “unique” because it will be the only college with associate deans who are also associate deans over undergraduate programs.
Cheryl Collier will be the associate dean over the School of Humanities, David Tyner will be the associate dean over the School of Social and Behavior Sciences and Jeff French will be the associate dean over the School of Science and Math. “These deans will also remain as chairs over their departments,” Thompson includes.
“[Dr. Fant] wants [NGU] to be a school where faculty was to teach because of the Christian collegiality here,” states Thompson.
Another change being made to administration at NGU includes that of Linwood Hagin, current dean of the College of Communications, who will become associate provost for undergraduate studies and academic administration, effective Jan. 1, 2019.
Two other colleges are being founded in the upcoming year, the first one being the new College of Wellness and Sport Professions, which will be run by founding dean Jeff Briggs, who is the current dean of the College of Business and Sport Professions. This will be effective Jan. 1, 2019.
John B. Duncan, current associate dean of the College of Business, will be the dean of the College of Business and Entrepreneurship, effective Jan. 1, 2019.
