Inside Furman March, 2003

Libby named president at Stephens
Wendy B. Libby, who has served as vice president for business affairs at Furman since 1995, has been named president of Stephens College in Missouri.

She becomes Stephens 23rd president and will take office on July 1. Stephens, located in Columbia, Missouri, is a private, liberal arts, undergraduate women's college.

Founded in 1833, it is the second-oldest women's college in the nation and the only four-year women's institution for higher education in Missouri.

"We saw in Dr. Libby a visionary leader who has had experience in a small school environment and whom colleagues, students and faculty at Furman laud as a collaborative manager who is inclusive, decisive and action oriented," says Stephens trustee and alumna George Ann Harding, chair of the search committee.

As chief financial officer and a member of the senior management team at Furman, Libby helped develop the university's vision for the future and directed the creation of the first campus master plan since the late 1950s. She has been responsible for the management and planning of the university's financial and facilities resources.

"The thing I miss the most at Furman are the wonderful friends. This is not a place that people often leave. It is wonderful," says Libby. "In our travels Richard and I have always kept in touch with our friends. To us, we have added another layer of friends."

As president of Stephens, Libby says her immediate priorities will be to boost enrollment and fundraising, two things that "play to my strength."

Prior to coming to Furman, Libby was the chief finance and business officer at Westbrook College, a private liberal arts college in Portland, Maine (1989-95). She served as special assistant to the president/senior human resources officer at the University of Hartford in Connecticut from 1987 to 1989.

CCLC awarded Mellon Grant
The Center for Collaborative Learning & Communication has been awarded a $25,500 grant from the Mellon Foundation that will be used to develop an online teaching database.

The database, which will be accessible to faculty and students, is being developed by Jane Love, director of the CCLC and Kevin Treu of Computer Science. The pair hope to have a prototype of the database functional by fall. Most interdisciplinary studies currently require the creation of new course.

Love envisions that the new database will stimulate more collaborative learning because it can be incorporated into existing classes. Professors and students from different areas of study would use the database to conduct joint research and communicate.

Get organized
Have you ever pawed through the junk drawer looking for a wrench or a rubber band? Can you find the craft supplies you bought months ago? Do your garden tools disappear every spring? Is your workbench or garage so cluttered you can't find anything? Tired of being disorganized?

Have we got a deal for you!

The James B. Duke Library is holding a silent auction to retire our outdated card catalog units. With the advent of the computerized online catalog, the card catalog units are now empty and waiting to organize something else. The units can be used to help store tools, cassette tapes, bottles of wine, art, office or craft supplies, and even Barbie dolls.

Each card catalog unit is solid wood and sturdy. Most are 40"x 60" and contain 60 drawers 19" deep. The silent auction will be held April 21 through May 9. The minimum bid for a unit is $150. Each buyer is responsible for pick-up. For a full description of the silent auction, visit the Friends of the Library web site .or call Linda Schinck, x 2193 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Attention all administrative assistants!
The South Carolina College Personnel Association (SCCPA) is sponsoring an Administrative Assistant Drive-In Workshop April 4 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Columbia College.

The workshop will offer administrative assistants the opportunity to enhance their skills, communicate with others, and learn different techniques and practices for working with students, faculty, and administrators. It is open to all administrative assistants in the college setting.

The cost for this opportunity is $20, which covers lunch and other registration materials. However, for every four people that attend, a fifth person can attend free. If you have further questions or would like registration information, please contact Beau Seagraves in University Housing. The deadline to register is Monday, March 24.