Bob Sutton
The MC faculty is getting the first shot at coming up with ideas for the McDonough Center for Leadership and Business, Dr. Stephen Schwartz said Tuesday.
Marietta College is set to receive $5.5 million to create the center. The College has already received $1 million.
Schwartz is the chairman of the McDonough Faculty Advisory committee appointed by MC President Sherrill Cleland in August. Also on the committee are Fraser MacHaffie, assistant professor of economics, Dr. Whitmore Hancock, associate professor of physics, and Dr. Mabry O’Donnell, associate professor of speech.
Over the past two weeks the faculty has been having brainstorming dinners on the Becky Thatcher showboat, Schwartz said. Six groups met last week with four more meetings this week. About eight or nine faculty members were in each group.
“These are intended to be free-wheeling sessions to generate ideas,” Schwartz said. A facilitator to keep the group on task and a recorder were in each group. The committee will get together with each group leader to discuss ideas, he said.
Schwartz said the committee has three main objectives: to advise on hiring a director for the program; to design a program; and to take inventory on things going on at MC that are descriptive of leadership and its qualities.
“We want to see what it is the faculty wants the McDonough Program to be about,” he said. “The faculty will do the sign work for it.” Schwartz added he believed the faculty would continue to have input.
“If the faculty doesn’t want to participate then there may not be a McDonough Program ever developed,” Schwartz explained.
Students should get input in the future, he said. “At some point, I assume, once a director is hired the students will become involved.”
“It is altogether possible that our committee may solicit the opinion of students,” he continued.
The McDonough funds will be put to use tomorrow when MC hosts 26 area high school students for a leadership conference.
This article was first published 30 years ago, in the Oct. 3rd, 1986 edition of The Marcolian and was adapted into digital form by the editor-in-chief. If you have any suggestions for the next “Blast from the Past”, contact The Marcolian staff.
