Coalition of Black Faculty and Staff

Minutes for February 17, 2004

Present were: Jonnie Wilson, James Mathews, Dr. Laurie Fluker, Dr. Joanne Smith, Beverly Woodson Day, Jacqueline Cooper, Sallie Miller, Becky Woodson, Vincent Morton, Dr. Sandra Mayo, Dr. Sherri Benn, Keithon Kerley, Dr. Joni Charles, and Jeanine Bias.

Vision: To promote togetherness, develop a strong unified body, and gain recognition within Texas State and the surrounding community, and to empower and encourage other faculty and staff to be about the coalition.

Agenda Items:

I

Introductions

Everyone present stated their name and department. The ones present were:

Jonnie Wilson	MSA
Michael Corke	Campus Recreaction
Dr. Rod Fluker	Dean of Students
Willie Burleson	Emergency Maintenance
James Mathews	Student Learning Assistance Center
Dr. Laurie Fluker	Mass Communications
Dr. Joanne Smith	VPSA
Beverly Woodson Day	Admissions
Jacqueline Cooper	Admissions
Sallie Miller	Residence Life
Becky Woodson	University Library
Vincent Morton	Dean of Students
Dr. Sandra Mayo	College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Sherri Benn	MSA
Keithon Kerley	University College
Dr. Joni Charles	Finance & Economics
Jeanine Bias	Graduate Student

Interview Session with Dr. Kweku Bentil

Dr. Bentil recognized culture as a challenge to overcome at Texas State. He stated that understanding its conservative nature, the politics behind it, and knowing the key players at the university would be key. Another challenge to face at Texas State might be managing the change of the existing culture and they way things have operated in the past.

With regards to recruitment and retention of both African American faculty/staff and students, Dr. Bentil commented that with a previous employer, he acquired training on the recruitment of African American students for the African American faculty. The key to retention was to have support systems and mentors in place for students, both academic and social, to familiarize the African America students with their surroundings and the resources that are available to them. Encouraging students to continue their education beyond a bachelor degree entails the existence of a survival mechanism. African American faculty/staff need to instill in the students that they should go where the opportunities are. Dr. Bentil stressed the importance and impact of motivational speaking and personal interaction with black faculty with regards to this issue. Dr. Bentil stated that the recruitment of African American faculty is extremely competitive. Those with the qualifications are few in number, and the recruitment process should begin as they near the end of their doctoral program. If and when African American faculty is acquired, a strong orientation and mentor program needs to be in place to keep them on track and guide them to tenure.

In promoting our appreciation of black faculty and staff, Dr. Bentil commended the publication (The African-American Presence at SWT: Celebrating Forty Years) that exhibited the black faculty and staff, their accomplishments, and important African American figures in the history of the university. He stressed the importance of telling the story of black student retention here at Texas State.

When faced with the question of whether his race was a factor, Dr. Bentil said that he looks at himself as a well qualified provost candidate and he doesn’t see race as an issue. He feels strongly that his qualifications greatly outweigh his race.

The issue of monies going to the recruitment of black faculty/associates/assistants was raised. Dr. Bentil shared that department chairs and deans have the discretion to use the funding as incentives for black assistants and professors and scholarships. This practice isn’t something that can be made formal, but it is done informally with the knowledge of the department.