Faculty sign off on new lectureship, English class

With a sigh and a “hallelujah,” McKay Coble celebrated the advent of a third lecturer position on Friday.

In her last Faculty Council meeting as chairwoman, Coble saw the approval of a master lecturer position that would come in addition to the lecturer and senior lecturer positions that are already in place for fixed-term faculty within the College of Arts and Sciences.

It will not include a pay raise, but will be a higher recognition for faculty members who have spent considerable time at the University.

Coble said she has spent almost 20 years trying to get the master lecturer position approved and Jean DeSaix, the fixed-term faculty committee chairwoman, said the addition is welcomed.

“We just want a third ranking,” said DeSaix, also a senior biology lecturer. “This is just a title and we’re just happy to have it.”

Susan Irons, a fixed-term faculty committee member and a senior English lecturer, said the addition will appease concerns that fixed-term faculty lack a clear career trajectory.

“It’s timely and we have distinguished lecturers who have been working hard and deserve this,” Irons said.

The decision to approve the endorsement only came after much debate between council members about the possible gender connotation of the word “master.”

But Chancellor Holden Thorp said the council needed to approve the proposal to allow it to move on to the Board of Trustees­, adding that wording should not hold it back.

“I don’t like to tell the trustees what the building should look like, but I will tell them what it will do,” Thorp said.

Faculty Council also voted to endorse a proposal for a new introductory English class, beginning in the fall of 2012, would be required of all new students entering UNC without an associate degree.

Andrea Biddle, educational policy committee chairwoman, said the class would merge ENGL 101 and 102 into a single ENGL 105 course and would better prepare students for college-level writing.

Students would not be able to place out of the class with Advanced Placement, SAT or International Baccalaureate credits.

Only students who already have an associate degree from an N.C. community college would be exempt from the class.

Students who transfer from N.C. universities, out-of-state universities or community colleges would not be exempt.

But Bobbi Owen, senior associate dean of undergraduate education, said those parameters might change if the board decides those students should be exempted.

“As this is an entirely new course, the equivalents will have to be identified — from other N.C. universities, out-of-state schools, etc.,” Owen said.

Thorp praised the proposal.

“I think it’s absolutely great,” Thorp said.

“This gives students a chance to get a taste of college writing.”

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