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Image provided by: SUNY Polytechnic Institute
/ f Profile of Dean Meijer PHOTO CONTEST Here are the two photos entered in the PaperSun Photo Contest! It has been decided, since they were received too late in the day of the deadline for the staff to judge them, that the judging of the photos will be open to all Utica-Rome students and faculty. So pleas« drop off your vote for the best photo in the PaperSun mailbox. Votes will be counted on Thursday, April 3, at 4:00 during the regular PaperSun meeting. The winner will be announced in the Snowflake. “ Always strive to improve.” That is Dr. Robert R. Meijer’s philosophy of life. As the newly appointed Dean of the Arts and Sciences Division, it seems that he is fulfilling this philosophy. The interests of the students is still Dr. Meijer’s primary concern. His whole philosophy of education centers around the needs of the students; and concern for these needs is the goal toward which he is trying to encourage the other members of the Arts and Sciences faculty. He is concerned with generating an interest in and an appreciation for the various arts and sciences. This is especially relevant in a school where at least half the students enrobed in arts and sciences courses are professional students. For these nursing and business majors, the courses required to fulfill the requirements frequently seem irrelevant and useless. However, Dr. Meijer points out that often these general education courses can be valuable assets in meeting and understanding people. A general introduction to a course provides sufficient knowledge for general con versation and can lead to enrichment. Following this idea, Dr. Meijer feels that an in troductory course for students majoring in an unrelated field should be shown the value of that subject. He realizes that there are many divergent interests and backgrounds represented in most arts and sciences courses and therefore it is a challenge to the in structor to present the material so that all the students gain an appreciation of the subject. Eipphasis should be on the subject’s relevancy to the various majors rather than on the highly theoretical aspects. He tends to shy away from the dry presentation of facts and favors instead showing the value of the subject and the A second meeting to vote on the constitution and elect of ficers will be announced soon. It is hoped that all students in the department will be able to participate in this new organization. underlying basic processes, reasoning that the specific facts can be looked up if and when they are needed. He believes that this method of instruction will create an in tellectual curiosity in the student about the subject that will last throughout his life. The changes he envisions be “ evolutionary rather than revolutionary” and will be made as a team involving all of the faculty. He notes that any change in courses or programs involves a long process of acceptance by SUNY and the state legislature prior to being initiated at the school. Dr. Meijer would like to start a program in natural science with a series of concentrations in biology, chemistry, physics and computer science, then expand it to include en vironmental studies and eventually medical technology as a greater need for these arise. The main block to these programs at present is the lack of laboratory facilities at the temporary campus, Until facilities are available, demonstrations will have to be substituted for laboratory experiences and emphasis will necessarily be on the theoretical aspects of the subjects. In order to enable him to teach college level physics, Dr. Meijer did graduate work at Cornell University in nuclear physics after graduating from Oberlin College. Much of his career has involved teaching, first as an associate professor at George Washington University in Washington, D. C., and later at Parsons College where he became the head of the Chemistry and Physics Department. During the interim, he spent several years working in the semiconductor field with Bendix Corporation. From Parsons College he came to Utica-Rome as a professor in 1973. When asked if he ever regretted not having devoted his energies to doing research, he replied that his primary interest has always been teaching. To him, the challenge has been to get knowledge across to others rather than burying himself in research to gain fame. Although Dr. Meijer is not currently teaching, he still considers his job a challenge. As Dean of the Arts and Sciences Department, he supervises the largest department on campus. He notes that his new job is quite different but quickly adds that he is “ always excited about challenges.” In the future he hopes to incorporate some teaching into his schedule. Behavoioral Sciences Club Formed By LINDA ANN BRAZIL Among the proposed future events of the recently formed Behavioral Sciences Club are guest speakers, field trips, and a wine and cheese party. In addition to these specially planned activities, the club will meet on a regular basis to discuss department business and proposals, such as the hiring of new facility and scheduling of classes. At their first meeting the group discussed a constitution, future activities and proposed courses for the upcoming summer, spring, and fall semesters. The club is being organized by the behavioral sciences students with the advisement of Dr. Robert Feldman.
