Tuesday, September 23, 2008
President Whitmore arrived at his first Academic Senate meeting yesterday with heavy topics to discuss: retention and graduation rates (need improvement), enrollment (needs reduction), IT (we need a chief technology officer), strategic plans (we need a new one soon), and sustainability (let's do more).
Maria Romo, lecturer, Counselor Education, Jennifer Whitmore (in background), President Whitmore and Elba Maldonado-Colon, professor, Elementary Education. Photo: Robert Bain, SJSU Photographic Services.
But a quip the president made at the end of his talk revealed his fine sense of humor. After applauding SJSU's diversity initiative (for recognizing that with diversity must come student success), Whitmore directed everyone's attention to the books on their desks. Earlier, he presented each senator with a copy of this year's Campus Reading Program selection, the bestselling novel "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen.
"Not only is it about an elephant," he said, "but a bilingual elephant."
Don't get it? Then you'll need to read the book.
Dominique van Hooff, Foreign Languages chair, Angela Rickford, professor, Special Education, Jennifer Whitmore, Judith Lessow-Hurley, professor, Elementary Education. Photo: Robert Bain, SJSU Photographic Services.
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