Continuum Home Page - University of Utah Home Page - Alumni Association Home Page
Questions, Comments - Table of Contents

UP FRONT

TAKING THE TRADITIONAL TO TASK

Jack Newell's tenure at the University coincided with a time of prodigious planning and re-evaluation. The U hired Newell, a professor of educational administration, to overhaul its old General Education program in 1974. A strong advocate of liberal education, Newell developed a maverick reputation as he championed new ways to encourage students to think. As dean of liberal education (a bygone post), his blueprint for making the U a less impersonal place stressed each student's individuality. He recognized that learning is a personal matter and comes from exposure to a variety of courses and subjects. He thought that time spent on campus should provide groundwork but also inspiration for what students do with their lives. Throughout his 25 years at Utah, he exemplified the good academic citizen by his contribution to the University as a whole, rather than selfish devotion to a narrow academic niche. Newell's students encountered the paradox of intellectual exhilaration and academic anxiety that stems from exposure to great teachers in a stimulating environment. One brought to Newell's low-key retirement party a recording of a discussion Newell had led on the creation of the U of U's Liberal Education program and his tenure as dean. A gift like that shows devotion. That student's fondness for the U, for the professor who chaired his graduate committee, and for higher education exemplifies the heart of the University. So does the success with which the revised Lib. Ed. Program has met as part of the continuum of intellectual development on campus. It was a gutsy undertaking. So, some might say, is Newell's latest course of action. He has answered a call to head his alma mater, Deep Springs College, a two-year school whose campus is a ranch near Death Valley. The top-tier, males-only school does not charge its students tuition, but it does require them to maintain the ranch. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for a teacher who exudes compassion and commitment. But that doesn't make me feel any better about having missed the opportunity to learn someday from a professor whom students and peers regard so highly. There's hope. Some say Jack will come back. In a related article by doctoral candidate Kathy Girton BS'91 MS'94, students in the new Educational Leadership and Policy program share their views on other types of academic and administrative change.

by Anne Palmer Peterson Editor These graduate students are studying what it will take to guide a maturing institution like the University of Utah. In a look at who leads in higher education and how the U is preparing them for adaptability to changing conditions, they reveal a range of opinions. Their experience with change, reinforced throughout their studies and work in dynamic institutions of higher education, has led them to expect change and to try to be a part of it. In this issue, Continuum invites readers to explore changes all over the U. Find out about super-sized additions to Red Butte Garden beginning May 1 (p. 16). Discover why a Utah County schoolteacher decided to donate a 1,000-piece collection of Native American art to the Utah Museum of Natural History (p. 24). Join student efforts to bring about some sorely needed improvements to the "Block U" by sending in your pictures or reminiscences (p. 4). And if something there, or elsewhere, strikes a chord, by all means tell us what you think about the changes going on at the U of U. Be apprised that even the postal service couldn't resist getting into the act: it requires that we eschew informality by changing to a more specific street address. So the Park Building is now 201 S. Presidents Circle, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112-9017. When you write, you'll need to add "Room 308" to reach the magazine. Keep that in your palm pilot. With all the changes that are being initiated, we're preparing for a great awakening of interest in the future.

Continuum Home Page - University of Utah Home Page - Alumni Association Home Page
Questions, Comments - Table of Contents

Copyright 1999 by The University of Utah Alumni Association