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Beckford guides faculty through historic vote
The university's 215-member faculty is a diverse group, a blend of men and women who represent a variety of academic backgrounds and philosophies. Traditionally, those selected to chair the faculty have reflected this diversity. Recent chairs have included David Rutledge (Religion), Bill Pierce (HES), Doug Rall (Math) and Jane Chew (Languages).
As Rutledge prepared to step down from his two-year term in 2004, a six-member committee charged with developing a list of candidates to succeed Rutledge learned that it had been more than 30 years since a member of the Fine Arts Division had served in that capacity.
“We work hard to balance gender and youth and we try to have different divisions represented,” says Jay Oney, a theatre arts professor and member of the committee. “We decided that the search for our next faculty chair would begin in the arts division.”
However, with university-wide debate over proposed revisions to the university's calendar and curriculum looming in the 2005-06 academic year, the committee knew it needed to take extra care. With passions running high over the potentially divisive changes, the next chair would need to be well respected, organized, fair and task-minded.
After brief debate, the committee unanimously chose to ask music professor John Beckford to serve during this critical juncture.
“The choice,” says Oney, “seemed so obvious.”
A native of Iowa , Beckford has served on the Furman faculty for 30 years. Colleagues describe him as congenial, thorough and organized.
These qualities — along with a healthy sense of humor — served Beckford well throughout the fall as he steered proposed revisions to the academic calendar and curriculum through the faculty debate and ultimate passage.
With the proposed changes the talk of campus late last spring, many speculated that the debate would spill into 2006. But entering fall term, Beckford's goal was to push for a final vote by the holiday break.
“I wanted it to be behind us after the fall term,” he says. “This is something we could debate forever. To string it out over Christmas would do more harm than good.”
With that deadline in mind, Beckford requested that the Curriculum Review Committee, a 19-member group drafting the proposed changes, complete its work by September. Copies of the final CRC proposal were distributed to all faculty in early September, and debate began at the October 24 faculty meeting.
Explaining that the issue had the potential to divide the faculty, Beckford successfully appealed for all CRC-related votes to be cast by secret ballot.
“This preserved the anonymity of the voting process,” says Beckford. “Counting the votes also helped break the tension. It gave us a break in the action that I think we needed. I needed it as well.”
With a steady beat of the drummer, the percussionist conducted the curriculum and calendar debate through approximately 30 proposed amendments. The CRC proposal was passed mostly intact. While the vote on the measure, which dramatically reshapes the university's curriculum and calendar, was not unanimous, most agree that the debate was orderly, civil and fair.
At times, Beckford says, he wondered if the faculty would meet the December deadline. “A couple of times I thought the train would come off the tracks,” he says. “This was a very contentious issue and had the potential to slide into personal attacks or territorial entrenchment.”
But it did not. And many give credit to Beckford, who kept the debate focused and moving while ruffling few feathers.
Beckford, however, says accolades are deserved by all.
“Our faculty remained respectful of all ideas. They knew the stakes on the table were important and they put on their Sunday best. I am extremely proud of the way they conducted themselves. I couldn't ask for a better collection of colleagues.”
Looking ahead, the music professor is now working to develop steering committees that will determine how and when the new initiatives will be implemented. But he admits to being a bit awestruck by the process and his position as faculty chair.
“At one point I found myself sitting on the Trustees Academic Affairs Committee with former U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley and Nobel Laureate Charles Townes and thinking, what is this drummer from Iowa going to tell them about the best curriculum for Furman,” he says. “At that time and several times throughout the fall I thought, Oh Lord, just let me play my drums.”