TL20040216_001 "The TaiueNinhb Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Jl Ikw Monday, 2/16/04 Free U lowers cost of learning Assault occurs close to campus Class recalls Italy Minimester trip Sandler repeatedly charms in 'Dates' Departments Opinion... Nation Campus briefs.... Arts He Says She Says Entertainment briefs. 15 Sports In this corner. Face-Off 19 Athlete of the Week 18 Student Affairs looks to future Cailin McGough The Towerlight A search committee for the vice president for student affairs is set to begin reviewing applications this week, two weeks after the committee's first meeting. Meanwhile, the division of Student Affairs is undergoing its own evaluation process of sorts under the direction of Interim Vice President Veril Phillips. Since his arrival Jan. 26, Phillips has met with staff in Student Affairs to familiarize himself with the workings of the division. A tour last Wednesday with Assistant Vice President for Counseling and Student Affairs Jim Spivack included visits to the Student Day Care Center, Dowell Health Center, the Counseling Center and Career Center. """"If you read about something on paper and then you actually go into the situation and experience it, it really brings it to life,"""" Spivack said. Phillips is trying to learn as much as he can in a short time about a division with hundreds of employees, Spivack explained. """"So he has a vertical learning curve, not only in terms of what each department does but who the people are and what they do,"""" he said. While his time at the University will be brief, Phillips feels it will be adequate for a short-term analysis of the division. """"The knowledge is in all the heads of people who have been here far longer than I, so it's a matter of asking the right questions and getting the information,"""" he said. Barry Evans, assistant director for housing and residence life-another area under the auspices of Student Affairs?said Phillips recently toured residence halls and met staff. """"He's a mathematician, that's part of his background. I think that he's looking to see what all the parts are, what the components are, what makes our division what it is,"""" Evans, a member of the search committee, said. Phillips, who will serve as interim until July, called his role at Towson two-fold: to keep day- to-day operations in Student Affairs running smoothly and to lead the unit in preparing itself for permanent leadership. """"It is a unique situation. It's not that I will stick around after this period of service in order to see the results of what I do, but it's an interim project, getting all the groundwork laid and some ideas,"""" Phillips said Friday. """"I hopefully will raise questions that a lot of people haven't thought about in Student Affairs and get them thinking so that they're prepared for new leadership when that leadership is determined."""" Phillips said right now he is gathering information, though he considers analysis and synthesis of data to be one of his strengths. A former mathematics professor and administrator, Phillips began his own higher education consulting firm in Dallas in July 2000. Much of his consulting work has been for San Jose State University, where Phillips worked for 22 years and where he met President Robert Caret during his tenure as president there. While he has done policy development for SJS and non-profits in the past, Phillips said this is the first job that requires a continuous presence on campus. """"This is not my typical consulting assignment; indeed I'm not a consultant. Technically I'm a contingent employee of the University for this five month or six month period of time,"""" Phillips said. Spivack said he believes Phillips is an action- See REVIEW, page 9 Today High 31 Low 20"
