Volume 124 Issue 28
kansan.com
Thursday, September 29, 2011
the student voice since 1904
ADMINISTRATIVE SHUFFLE
PROVOSTS REORGANIZED
ADAM STRUNK
astrunk@kansan.com
The dismantling of the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Success resembles a game of musical chairs. Yet University officials said the moves are intended to fill other empty seats on campus: the ones left by low student retention rates.
The University announced a reorganization on Sept. 9 that creates four new provost positions but leaves
Gavin Young, provost communications coordinator, said the University made the moves to help improve retention and graduation rates.
The newly created units — the vice provost for student affairs, the vice provost for enrollment management, the vice provost for diversity and equity and a future vice provost for undergraduate education — can focus more on specific segments of the University's new strategic plan rolled out on Sept. 14 called Bold Aspirations.
"We're looking for ways to expand on the first-year experience," he said.
four positions, including the Vice Provost for Student Success, unfilled. Marlesa Roney, the former student success vice provost, informed the University she was stepping down during the summer.
"What we are trying to do with the change is to position the units to attack those goals and the goals that are outlined in the strategic plan," Young said.
The University hopes these changes will improve low retention and graduation rates, while also improving students' overall college experience.
Young said the departments will focus on helping students with stronger recruitment programs and better student orientation and services.
the Provost instead of to the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Success.
Currently, 61 percent of students attain degrees in six years or less at the University. Twenty percent of
freshmen drop out. Both of these numbers rank among the lowest in the Big 12.
Young said no employees lost their jobs in the reorganization but only transferred departments.
'rankings are important because people look at the rankings, but that's not why you make the changes," Young said. "You don't increase your graduation and retention rates because it's good for your rankings, but because it's good for your students."
"It's like the chancellor likes to say,
Young said the new structure will do this in a number of ways. First, it will improve interdepartmental communication since all four of the new positions will answer directly to
Edited by Jayson Jenks
RONEY'S PLANS
is to arum betowers more
Marlesa Roney, former Vice Provest of Student Success, said she made the decision to step down after an administrative teaching position became available at the University.
"My career plan has always been to end my career in a teaching position," Roney said. "It's very rewarding to work with young professionals who want to work in a university setting."
Roney said that the biggest adjustment for her would be the extra free time.
"For 17 years I have pretty much had back-to-back meetings every day," she said "Now my entire day is not packed back-to-back-to-back."
Roney will also receive three months off each summer. She said she hadn't made any plans yet for her vacation period, but promised she would come up with them by the first of May.
Roney worked for nine years with the University's administration.
Provost
BY THE NUMBERS
With the movements and shake-ups, four employees, Matt Melvin, Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle, Tammara Durham and Jason Hornberger, take over new positions and responsibilities. According to Young these four will receive raises amounting to $97,000.
Roney Resigned
The savings of not filling Roney's position amount to $111,000 after accounting for Roney's new salary of $75,000 as a professor. These $111,000 in savings offset the raises and put the University $14,000 in the black for the next year.
trunk
While Young said the finances of the reorganization were not the main issue, the change may save in some short-term money for the University.
However, a number of positions, including the future vice provost of undergraduate education, are either not filled or are filled an interim basis. It remains unclear in the future if the reorganization will either cost or gain the University money.
Tuttle
Special Adviser to the Provost
Melvin
VP for Enrollment
Management
Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle, previously an assistant vice provost, becomes a special adviser to the provost with Chris Hauler. Both positions will be replaced by the new vice provost for undergraduate education, once the University hires someone to fill the position.
Marlesa Roney leaves the position of Vice Provost of Student Success to become a professor in the subject of university administration. Matt Melvin moves up from associate vice provost to become the new vice provost for enrollment management.
Tammara Durham leaves the position of associate vice provost to become the interim vice provost for student affairs.
MUSICAL CHAIRS
Hornberger
Provost Business
Manager
Three associate vice provost positions remain unfilled. Jason Hornberger will take over the position of provost business manager,
Durham
Information provided by Gavin Young.
Durham Interim VP for Student Affairs
Rodriguez VP Diversity and Equity
CAMPUS
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
Bioscience Center brings businesses
The Bioscience Technology and Business Center, 2029 Becker Drive, houses laboratories and offices for companies and companies firms involving KU researchers.
A view of Teller's from the Eldridge Hotel in the 1930s. Clyde Barrow observed First National Bank from the hotel in 1932.
CLAIRE MCINERNY
Up until this summer, Lizzie Alonzi needed a lot of guidance from teachers in her computer science labs. But after interning with Garmin at the Bioscience Technology and Business Center (BTBC) on West Campus, Alonzi, a senior from Tulsa, Okla., is nearly proficient in classes because of the skills she picked up over the summer.
cmcinerny@kansan.com
The BTBC offered Alonzi this opportunity because Garmin is one of its tenants. The BTBC attracts companies in the technology and bioscience fields, and with the opening of its third facility at the University of Kansas Medical Center on Wednesday,
The BTBC not only provides office and lab space for these companies, but also offers guidance writing business plans and helps them access students
Between the two facilities in Lawrence and its newest one in Kansas City, Kan., the BTBC is the largest incubator program in the state with 11 tenants. The goal of the BTBC is to help fledgling bioscience and technology companies. University research projects, and to collaborate with large, established corporations. Many of the BTBC's clients are software and pharmaceutical businesses seeking help launching their businesses.
the institution is expanding.
CONTRIBUTED BY P&N PHOTOGRAPHY
LOCAL
Lawrence's latent lawlessness
SEE BTBC PAGE 3
Theater Lawrence to reenact Clyde Barrow's robbery of First National Bank
BOBBY BURCH
bburch@kansan.com
History, some say, is cyclical. And this Friday at Teller's restaurant, 746 Massachusetts St., a little-known piece of Lawrence history repeats itself as members of Theater Lawrence reenact the heist that began Clyde Barrow's bank-robbing career.
Teller's, the Eldridge Hotel and Theater Lawrence are working together to stage the reenactment to inform and entertain the Lawrence community. Lawrence actor Shawn Trimble plays the role of Barrow.
THE HISTORY
"Clyde is an interesting character," Trimble said. "He doesn't fit the stereotypical East-Coast, Brooklyn-accented figure that a lot of us evoke in our memories. He's a Texan. He's charismatic, good-natured, a little devilish, but by all accounts a personable individual when you encountered him — as long as you weren't standing between him and his goal."
In April of 1932, Barrow — just two months after a two-year stint in a Texas prison — and two cohorts were driving north from Texas to Minnesota to rob a bank. The Great Depression had led to the closure of thousands of banks and left many
Barrow typically worked with Bonnie Parker, and the two led the Depression Era's most notorious gang as they tore through the Midwest on a two-year robbery and murder spree. But Barrow's trip to Lawrence didn't include Parker.
After reaching the town, however, a snowstorm complicated the group's escape route and they decided to head back south. On the journey southward, the driver, Ralph Fults, became tired and decided to stop at a town they drove through on their way to Minnesota — a little city named Lawrence.
others struggling to survive with little money in the vaults. Despite the economic situation, the gang decided to head toward Okabena, Minn., where they heard a bank was thriving.
The possie booked a room at the Eldridge Hotel with a view of the
The First National Bank never reported the robbery to police and there was no news coverage of the event. However, John Neal Phillips, a professor at Tarrant County Col-
prosperous First National Bank at the corner of Eighth and Massachusetts streets. The bank was so busy that the large crowds concerned the inexperienced bank-robbers. But after three days of observation, Barrow noticed that the bank's president let himself inside the building about 15 minutes before any security or employees arrived. The gang agreed that they would rob the bank the next day.
outside the bank in the stolen Ford getaway car. After a few minutes, Barrow and Fults exited the bank with two sacks of money containing roughly $33,000 — the equivalent of about half a million dollars today. Cash in hand, the robbers drove across the Kansas-Missouri state line toward St. Louis.
The following morning, Barrow and Fults greeted the bank's president and two employees with sawed-off shotguns and .45 caliber pistols. Raymond Hamilton waited
CLASSIFIED 8 CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 10
CROSSWIDTH 4 DPINION 5 SUDBUOK 10
Don't forget
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Today's weather
SEE REENACTMENT PAGE 3
The story slam is tonight at 7:30 in Woodruff Auditorium at the Kansas Union.
Forecasts done by University students. For a more detailed forecast, see page 26.
HI: 76
L0: 49
see page 2A Comfortably sub'lime