tl20040126-000 "ThB Touierlinhb Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com km tmW Monday, 1/26/04 'BobBucks' new on-campus cash Master's offered with U Baltimore Winter style, from big bags to boots Kutcher changes past in Butterfly 19 Departments Opinion... News 5 Nation 6 HeSaysSheSays 19 Entertainment briefs Classifieds 22 Sports Inthiscorner.... Face-Off..... Athlete of the Week 25 Parker resigns; interim found Search committee forms to find new vice president; interim arrives this week The Less than a month after the selection of Towson's next provost, yet another search is underway. Tuesday President Robert Caret announced the committee to find a replacement for Vice President of Student Affairs Paul Parker, who departed Jan. 9. Meanwhile, a campus e-mail sent Friday announced the selection of Veril L. Phillips to serve as interim. Phillips will arrive on campus to begin in the role Tuesday. The search committee, which is set to begin meeting in early February, will be under pressure to fill the position by July. Phillips is scheduled to step down June 30 and reportedly will not be considered for the post. The campus-wide announcement of Phillips' appointment came as a surprise to those unaware of Parker's departure, which was not publicly announced. Student Government Association President Bobbie O'Connell said she knew Parker as a confidante and friend, and met with him for lunch on the day of his resignation. She learned of the situation from a call later that evening. """"I think it was unexpected, but also in higher ed it's not uncommon at all for vice presidents to give their resignation when a new president comes in,"""" O'Connell, a senior finance major, said. """"I would think it was just maybe that we needed some new blood in student affairs. Sometimes a president and vice president's styles don't quite mesh,"""" she said, adding that perhaps Parker was ready to move on. Parker served at TU for more than a decade. From his home Thursday afternoon, Parker would not comment. O'Connell said she it was not her place to speculate over the reasons for Parker's departure, but said she believed Caret and Parker shared a mutual respect. See SEARCH page 7 Brennan named to provost position Cailin McGough The~ After a search process that spanned five months, James F. Brennan emerged from four finalists as the selection for Towson's next provost. Brennan, who is currently dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisville, will begin March 1. From his office in Louisville, Brennan said he's """"excited about being a part of Towson's next move."""" The University has been able to strength coming out that hit higher education very hard, he said, pointing to Towson's superb faculty and location. If Towson as an academic community is successful in implementing its metropolitan vision, the resources will come, he explained. """"People in Maryland are going to realize what a fantastic resource this is for the state and the region,"""" he said. """"In my view, Towson's real strength is that they've been able to merge the traditions of a liberal arts education that teaches students to think critically, creatively and to communicate ... with a very applied focus ... a pragmatic standard of preparing students for the world they're going to enter."""" """"I love to teach. The best way to know an institution is to teach, because the students will tell you everything."""" James Brennan incoming provost Brennan's experience at Louisville, which also touts its metropolitan connections, may have helped him stand out, explained Hara Henshell, an Student Government Association senator and University System of Maryland student representative who served on the provost search committee. """"He was definitely one of the frontrunners. I think his experience in a similar university setting just really made him stand out,"""" the senior elementary education major said. """"Dr. Caret had explained to him his visions for a metropolitan university, and everything sort of seemed to be in line."""" Louisville has advanced its own vision with the """"Challenge for Excellence,"""" an outline for the University that spans over a decade and breaks down into smaller goals for individual colleges. There are over 100 goals that must be met for his college alone, Brennan said. """"I'm not sure the extent to which it can or should be translated exactly, but it's a nice way to implement a strategic vision,"""" Brennan said. """"... It's a way to take lofty rhetoric See PROVOST, page 7 Today High 29 Low 27 Wednesday /yswg High 28 Low 25"
