VPAA candidate visits MC

By Julie Trac
News Editor

Steve Griffith, the second of four vice presidents for academic affairs (VPAA) and dean of the faculty candidates, visited Monmouth this past week.

On Thursday and Friday, Jan. 26-27, Griffith had brief receptions and question and answer sessions in the Barnes Electronic Classroom in Hewes Library and the Morgan Room in Poling Hall, respectively.

The former VPAA, George Arnold, held the position from 1996 to 2004 before he left MC to assume the presidency at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, Wis. Since then, the position has been open.

According to MC, one of the primary tasks of the next vice president will be to implement the newly adopted general education program.

Moreover, the vice president will play a major role in shaping the continuing growth and development of the College’s dedicated faculty, and, as a member of the President’s senior management team, will play an important role in guiding the future development of this liberal arts college.

Griffith visited from Gustavus Adolphus College (GAC) in St. Peter, Minn. where he has worked 1979. Griffith received a B.A. degree from GAC and an M.F.A. in theater design from the University of Minnesota.

The candidate has a great deal of experience with liberal art institutions.

GAC is similar to Monmouth in the respect that it is a private liberal arts college with approximately twice as many students as Monmouth.

Griffith has held different positions while at GAC, including associate dean from 1997 to 2000.

He also chairs the theater and dance department where he is also a professor, co-coordinator for faculty development and serves as a special assistant to the President.

Presently, he is working toward a Ph.D. in Higher Education policy and the topic for his dissertation is about faculty fit, specifically what factors help faculty fit into a new environment.

Griffith said the dissertation is about “who we [existing faculty] are, how to invite new faculty in and make everything fit together,” like a puzzle.

One of Griffith’s main goals in his career is to “educate people for leadership positions in society,” because higher education is “coming back to a value that may have been lost.”

On Friday, Jan. 27, Griffith answered several questions from the faculty and staff concerning his involvement in GAC’s study abroad program in Ireland and changes he would make to MC if he came in as a consultant.

GAC has an extensive study abroad program in countries like Vietnam, South Africa and Jordan.

For the past 15 years, Griffith has taken students abroad to Dublin, Ireland, every other year.

The students attend acting classes every morning and lectures in the afternoon. Three nights a week, the students visit theaters and other entertainment venues.

He encourages all students to study abroad for a month, a semester or even a full year if his or her schedule permits.

If Griffith came in as a consultant, he would advise MC on the growth issue and the new curriculum.

He said, “MC is growing while other schools similar to MC are collapsing.”

He also added how the new curriculum is exciting, great, integrated and future oriented; however, sufficient staffing is required for the process to work.