Fanning The Flame Of Friendship Serving Harding and its students in a multitude of ways was required to face the challenge of being an Academic Dean. The deans were responsible for the development of the departmental curriculum, the evaluation of teacher performance, and the planning for the future of their departments. Academic Deans were required to teach two classes per semester in their departments, and they served on numerous university committees. Most deans also found time to be involved actively in the state and national organizations pertinent to their expertise. Because each dean worked independent of the others, an effort was made to dose the gap between departments. This year the deans along with their spouses planned group social outings. "The activities gave us a chance to get to know each other as people, away from our roles as deans," said Dr. Bobby Coker, Dean of the School of Education. The activities included a trip to see the musical Bobby Coker Dean of the School ofEducation Carl Mitchell Dean of the College of Bible and Religion George H. Oliver Dean of the School of Business 18 ACADEMICS Les Miserables and a night-out at the Grand Old Opry. A two-day retreat was planned for the spring semester. The deans also met every Thursday for a lunch meeting with Vice President Neale Pryor. The meetings had an open agenda and served as a forum for dealing with any inter-departmental problems as they arose. The deans as a group viewed these changes with approval; and with the anticipation of more good things to come Dr. Carl Mitchell, Dean of the College of Bible and Religion, expressed his favorable outlook on these changes toward communication: " I think there is a real benefit to seeking more social contact beyond our academic positions. I personally view it as very important because it sets a good tone for the compromises that have to be made in the natural give-and-take between departments:+ - Amy Johnson
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