Meetings

Monday, 14 September 2009, A&S 315

Agenda

1. Allen Gee (and perhaps Susan Steele) pitch book(s)
2. discuss goals of Convocation Book, Circles Program, and English 1101
   
3. discuss merits of seven potential books and attempt to narrow to three ranked choices
4. next meeting mid-October, after Chair’s October 7 meeting with Provost Jordan about Convocation Book/Circles program
   

Chair's Informal Meeting Notes

present: Alex Blazer, Beauty Bragg, Diane Gregg, Eustace Palmer, Nathan Tucker

regrets: Elaine Whitaker, Scott Butler, Will Hobbs, Bruce Harshbarger, Paul Jahr, Dee Sams

1. Allen Gee pitched Reasons to Believe
• The book is not propaganda but rather decent portrayal of Evangelicals; moreover, it does not tell the reader how to believe but rather sparks questions and free discussion on belief. Marks is a factual reporter who values informed definitions. Marks and Craig Detweiler, director of the documentary Purple State of Mind, have polished their presentation and Q&A performance on a college tour.
2. Discuss goals of Convocation Book, Circles Program, and English 1101
   • We'll return to the broader issue of the Circles Program and English 1101 after the Chair's meeting with the Provost, but for now the Committee clarified that a Convocation Book should
   • introduce students to some of the values of our mission statement
   • alternate between creative nonfiction and fiction
   • confront students with something they've not read
   • pose current and topical questions and issues related to ethics, morality, globalism, race, and/or class, and thus be no more than ten years old
3. Discuss merits of seven potential books and attempt to narrow to three ranked choices
• The Committee voted against O'Connor and Lee because their work is not contemporary. The Committee voted against Clarke and Gibbons because the issues raised were those of adolescence and the Committee wants to provoke thought regarding adult, liberal arts issues. The Committee voted against Covington because of the too narrow specificity of the Pentacostal topic and instead suggested Lee Smith's Oral History, only to discover that text had already been used as a Convocation Book in 2001. The Committee ranks Marks its first choice and Kingsolver its second. Alex has two copies of A Reason to Believe for those who want to read it before the next meeting. Although we do have a first and second choice, further recommendations are still being accepted.
4. Next meeting: mid-October, after Chair's October 7 meeting with Provost Jordan about Convocation Book/Circles program

Wednesday, 7 October 2009, A&S 315

Agenda

1. Provost Jordan's discussion with Chair
2. Consider two new recommendations and finalize ranking (excerpts available on website: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~ablazer/Convocation/index.htm )

Chair's Informal Meeting Notes

present: Alex Blazer, Beauty Bragg (until 1:00PM), Scott Butler, Will Hobbs, Eustace Palmer, Nathan Tucker, Elaine Whitaker

regrets: Diane Gregg, Bruce Harshbarger, Paul Jahr, Dee Sams

1. Highlights from Chair’s discussion with Provost Jordan
1. Need student assessment of Circles Program / Convocation Book
2. If we’re using mission statement goals, could we then highlight one goal each year to pick book from and then rotate?
• Committee members report that the Committee was highlight goal(s), but were not methodically trying to cover each of them. For example, the last few books have highlighted the issue of diversity
3. How do we integrate book into the freshman experience?
• 1101, Freshman Seminar, plays/movies/extracurricular functions fall semester
• Rather than teach Convo book in 1101 or Freshman Seminar, teach/reinforce its theme.
• For example, if Woman at Point Zero is Convo Book, then teach essays in 1101 or Freshman Seminar on gender and social justice and find play in Theatre season and film in Film Series that highlights/reinforces gender justice issue
• Committee members report that the Committee had discussed using the book in Freshman Seminar and coordinating the book with fall programming in the past. One of the reasons that the book was assigned in 1101 was because students were not reading it. The Committee does not have the authority to implement the teaching of any particular book in any class; however, it is believed that instructors teaching Freshman Seminar would be amenable to reinforcing issues from the Convocation Book.
4. Committee Representation
• If the Convocation Book is for the entire university, then need equal representation from colleges on the Committee.
• Committee members report that the Committee is composed of half English professors because the program started out, in part, as a venue for emerging novelists. Also, since the books are literary novels, it falls under their field of expertise.
2. Marks, Reasons to Believe
• While the book is written by a man (we’ve had three female authors in a row), is nonfiction (thus more conducive to the non-literary goals of 1101 which is taught in the fall) is not about diversity (like the last two books were) but rather critical thinking, research, and analysis (again, more in keeping with the goals of 1101 and highlights different aims of our liberal arts mission), and is intellectually challenging with non-confrontational language, there do exist concerns that 1101 instructors and/or Circle Leaders would not be able to run effective discussions given the nature of the subject matter (at least not without two training sessions), that Circle Leaders might quit because of the subject matter, and students would feel uncomfortable with the subject matter and/or unsafe in the discussion.
3. Cruz, Let Them Eat Coffee
• This text would continue the themes of diversity and globalism.
4. Berry, The Ties That Bind
• This book would continue the theme of diversity. However, because no present committee member actively pushed for it, the Chair did not think the spiritual self-help tone appropriate for a Convocation Book, and the Chair wanted to accomplish at least one thing in the meeting, the Committee passed.
5. The Committee will meet in early November to make a final choice between the three books on the table: Marks, Kingsolver, and Cruz. Excerpts remain available in the link marked "Dropbox" on the Convocation Book Committee page.
• While it was suggested that the Committee open recommendations to other nonfiction books that were not so controversial, the Chair decided that the Committee should choose from the remaining three texts because the invitation to the author will need to be written between November and January and opening new recommendations at this point would most likely have the Committee meeting in December.
• Bruce Harshbarger confirms that invitations are extended in January/February.
6. Agenda for Next Meeting at time/date/location TBA
   1. Finalize choice.
   2. Do we want to continue encouraging the book be taught in 1101, or suggest that it, or as the Provost suggests, its themes be taught in Freshman Seminar?

Monday, November 30, A&S 315

Agenda

1. Restate work of Committee thus far.
2. Allen Gee repitch Marks.
3. Select 2010 Convocation Book and runner up.

Chair's Informal Meeting Notes

present: Alex Blazer, Scott Butler, Diane Gregg, Bruce Harshbarger, Eustace Palmer, Nathan Tucker, Elaine Whitaker

regrets: Beauty Bragg, Will Hobbs, Paul Jahr, Dee Sams

1. The Chair summarized the meetings up to this point and read the final results of the MAPS survey administered to freshman by Paul Jahr and his staff, see below. Eustace Palmer reminded the Committee that, in its September meeting, the Committee decided not to take English 1101 into consideration for Convocation Book selection since so many students were already reading it and it no longer needed to be taught in a class to guarantee being read.
   • Q9. Did you read the summer reading book "Woman at Point Zero"? Yes 464/91.9% No 41/8.1%
   • Q10. Has the summer reading book "Woman at Point Zero" been used in any course this term? Yes 260/51.8% No 241 48.2%
2. Allen Gee repitched Marks' Reasons to Believe (see September meeting notes) and responded to issues from the Committee such as if the book would would open up too many issues with insufficient follow through during Welcome Week. Allen Gee noted that Yves-Rose Saintdic, Director of Institutional Equity and Diversity, has said that religious tolerance is the third-ranked target for needed diversity from a recent survey of GCSU students.
3. After one last discussion of the book, the Committee selected Marks' Reasons to Believe as its first choice and Angie Cruz's Let It Rain Coffee as its second.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010, Arts & Sciences 315

Agenda

1. Advertising the Convocation Book
2. Vision for Future

Chair's Informal Meeting Notes

present: Alex Blazer, Scott Butler, Dianne Gregg, Eustace Palmer, Dee Sams, Nathan Tucker

regrets: Bruce Harshbarger, Will Hobbs, Paul Jahr, Elaine Whitaker

guest: Sandra Jordan

1. Introduction of Guest: Dr. Sandra Jordan
2. Dr. Jordan gave her conditions of the book's approval. Although she has concerns (the controversial topic's effect on GCSU enrollment, the quality of the writing, the timing of introducing this book to entering freshman), Dr. Jordan will defend the Committee's decision and will allow the book selection if the Committee writes two letters and creates a website. The letters must be approved by the Public Relations office and signed by Committee members with our phone numbers. One letter will go to parents and another to students; both letters will contextualize the reason for the book selection according to GCSU's Mission as well as discuss the liberal arts learning outcomes according to our Philosophy. The website, also to be approved by PR, will offer context, research, and teachable discussion questions about the book and its topic for parents, students, and Circle Leaders alike.
3. The Chair passed out his brainstorming thoughts for "preemptively advertising" the Convocation Book, which can be used for the two letters.
   1. Convocation Book was not chosen to tell students what to believe but rather was and is intended to broach for students the self-reflective question of why and how they believe.
   2. We chose this book because of the principles of both our Mission, namely the development of "an inquisitive, analytical mind; respect for human diversity and individuality; a sense of civic and global responsibility; sound ethical principles" in our students (http://www.gcsu.edu/about/index.htm) and our Philosophy, namely "Critical and analytical thinking skills; A broad understanding of global issues; An appreciation for diversity; and A foundation for making moral and ethical decisions" (http://www.gcsu.edu/about/philos.htm). While previous Convocation Books explored global issues (Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero, 2009, about Egyptian women's rights) and appreciated diversity (Tamari Jones's Leaving Atlanta, 2008, about race and class issues in Atlanta), the 2010 Book is an inquiry into ethics and morality, religion and theology.
   3. The age-old debate between reason and faith is timeless; and we believe that religious tolerance is one of the most important topics of our time.
   4. The book introduces students to the kind of positive, sustained, rigorous inquiry into a topic that they will be expected to practice at GCSU.
   5. The book is well-rounded in expressing why evangelicals believe what they do. It does not disparage.
   6. (Assuming we invite Craig Detweiler, Purple State of Mind, http://purplestateofmind.com/, making this a multipart, multimedia Convocation and alleviating concerns that we're not programming enough with this "controversial" topic), the film will pose the counterpoint to Marks's loss of faith via Craig Detweiler's sustained faith.
   7. Detweiler and Marks's engaging discussion of faith will model positive, rich, textured, in depth theological discussions for our students--and encourage, by example, students to have their own conversations about what they believe and why they believe it.
   8. Detweiler and Marks's mission statement complements GCSU's; it puts theory into practice: "Is it still possible to find common ground? We think so, and we believe millions of Americans do as well....It’s about more than dialogue. It’s about finding ways to work together. Purple State is about finding ways to talk to one another" (http://www.purplestateofmind.com/about.php).
   9. Over 30 colleges and universities have invited Detweiler and Marks to their campuses, including Christian schools and Divinity programs: the Billy Graham Center in the Institute of Strategic Evangelism of Wheaton College, Abilene Christian University, Baylor University (the Southwest Baptist University), and Davidson College (a Presbyterian private liberal arts college). Moreover, they recently spoke at the St. John's Episcopal Church in Tallahassee, FL and the New Life Worship Center in Smithfield, RI.
   10. Communities who have invited Detweiler and Marks to speak find their discussions set a solid model for positive discourse and debate: "Inviting Purple State of Mind to your hometown makes a great event for gatherings of all kinds: As a conversation starter, as a pitch for civility, as a how-to primer on communicating across the divide, or as pure entertainment. We know, because we made a Purple event happen in Tallahassee and people are still talking about it, especially the people who can't believe that they missed it" (Liz Joyner, The Village Square, http://www.purplestateofmind.com/events.php).
4. In addition to the 10 points above, Eustace Palmer suggested that, in the letters, we differentiate high school learning from the open, criticial thinking of a public liberal arts university. The Committee and Dr. Jordan also talked about the need for internal PR (explaining the book selection to the faculty) as well as mandating that Circle Leaders attend 1-2 training/discussion sessions about leading a Circle discussion of the book.
5. The Vision of the Convocation Book Committee
   1. Dr. Jordan's longterm goal for the university is to articulate five liberal arts education learning outcomes such as perseverance and critical thinking. Each year the campus would select a different outcome to focus on and devote a year of extracurricular events and symposia to the topic. The Convocation Book Committee would select a text applicable to that goal.
   2. The Committee should access what students are learning from the Convocation Book/Circle Program through surveys, and, more importantly focus groups (Dee Sams said she could help the Committee with the latter).
6. Assignments
   1. Letters: Alex Blazer and Nathan Tucker will write the letters, and we ask that Committee members email the Committee what they think should be included in the letters.
   2. Website: Dee Sams will get in touch with the people in charge of university websites as well as Harry Batson from the PR office. Committee members should email the Committee what they think should be included on the website.