tl20041111_001 "Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Thursday, 11/11/04 Scholar discusses virginity meaning 5 Computer security problems rising 5 Villa Julie hosts Chinese drama TU student finds production niche Departments Opinion News 5 PawPrints 9 Police Blotter. 10 Arts 15 Scheer Cinema 16 Now Showing. 16 Sports 24 In this corner. 24 Punt, Pass, & Pick 22 Classifieds 17 Caret addresses USM relations President discusses faculty workload, Towson's role in state higher education at open forum Brian Stelter The Towerlight President Robert Caret addressed Towson's role in implementing the University System of Maryland's Effectiveness & Efficiency recommendations in an open forum Wednesday afternoon - and in the process, revisited the University's vision of its future. """"The Board of Regents unequivocally feels that the challenges we are going to be facing ? in the short term but more importantly in the long term - are going to require major re-structuring, not just minor tinkering, in our budget,"""" Caret said in his introduction. The USM report, titled 'Efficiency Studies' and prepared for the Maryland General Assembly, was released last month. It outlined 16 action items for institutions. About 50 attendees, mainly faculty members and administrators, attended the meeting, which was held in Chesapeake I in the University Union. The forum concluded 10 minutes early, after only a few questions were posed to Caret. Dialogue regarding faculty workload and cost containment efforts transitioned into discussion of Towson's role in the state system of higher education-. Among the system's four """"comprehensive Universities,"""" Towson is the largest. """"It seems that we're not really like the other comprehensives,"""" College of Fine Arts and Communications Dean Christopher Spicer said. """"It seems that we're somewhere in between the University of Maryland and the other comprehensives. Is there any argument that would get us out of the comprehensives?"""" """"We as a group have been talking about that quite a bit,"""" Caret responded. """"We don't have a 10- year plan to become Research I. We do have a 10-year plan to become more research-intensive."""" Caret said the maturation process of a campus includes additional research output. Much TU research will be of the applied type, rather than pure. Caret spoke of trying to develop """"a research-intensive [University] for the new century."""" See E &E, page 10 Lisa Johnson/The Towerlight President Robert Caret spoke to faculty and administrators Wednesday. University eliminates World Music Congress File Photo The First World Guitar Congress attracted more than 14,000 people to TU. Sarah Breitenbach The Towerlight Citing budgetary concerns, University officials have pulled the plug on the World Music Congress program at Towson University. Vice president for University Advancement Gary Rubin said the action came as a result of a """"joint decision at the top management level."""" In 2000, over 17 thousand people, including famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, descended on Towson's campus for the World Cello Congress III, raising an estimated $175,000 in revenue for Towson University. This June, the University hosted the First World Guitar Congress, attracting world-renowned guitarists and representatives from 23 countries. But the 2004 event failed to match the financial success of the Cello Congress. The program began at TU in 1995 when its founders at the University of Maryland College Park were unable to run the Congress. Towson professor Helene Breazeale took charge with the approval of then- president Hoke L. Smith. Breazeale who had previously been chair for the dance department and associate dean for the College of Fine Arts and Communication became the program's executive director. In 1997 Breazeale organized the World Cello Congress II in St. Petersburg, Russia. The success of that event led to a Cello Congress at TU in 2000 and the First World Guitar Congress earlier this year. """"This was the first time for the Guitar Congress, but we weren't given a second chance,"""" Breazeale said. See BREAZEALE, page 6 Today High 59 Low 43 Friday High 49 Low 32 * Saturday High 46 Low 26 Sunday High 45 Low 30 Monday High 53 Low 35"
