Faculty Member Meets Lecture Subjects The Smothers Brothers
By Melyssa Allen

Associate Professor of Mass Communication Doug Spero includes a segment on the Smothers Brothers, Tommy Smothers and Dick Smothers, and their impact on television censorship, in his Media, Culture and Society course.

Spero got the chance to meet the pair while in Las Vegas for the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) Conference earlier this spring.

Spero’s class includes a full-length lecture on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” The Smothers Brothers’ official bio describes the role “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” played in popular culture during the 1960s.

“‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour’ had become as controversial and influential as it was popular, satirizing politics, racism and the unpopular Vietnam War among other topics. Despite the show’s success, in April of 1969, the Smothers Brothers were fired by the CBS Television Network. “Smothered,” a film by award-winning director Maureen Muldaur, documents the Brothers’ struggle against censorship and, as a lawsuit later determined, the wrongful firing by CBS.”

Spero said he expected a five minute hello, but instead was able to spend an extended period of time discussing his class with the Smothers Brothers.

“I have met and interviewed hundreds of famous people during the 25 years when I was a reporter for NBC and CBS but these guys could not have been nicer,” Spero said. 

The comedy team was interested in the Media, Culture and Society course.

“They couldn't believe my course included them. They wanted to know what I lectured about and how the Meredith students reacted to it,” Spero said. “They sent me back with autographs for the Meredith students and their very best wishes.”

Spero said while the Smothers Brothers seemed pleased with their role in the class, they didn’t want to influence its direction.

When Spero asked if there was anything else he should include in the lecture, Tommy Smothers told him, “You be the judge … we don't want to prejudice the audience.”

SACS Update: Quality Enhancement Plan Taking Shape

“Educating and Equipping Women to Excel: Improving Critical Thinking” is the aim of Meredith College’s proposed Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which is being developed as part of the SACS reaffirmation of accreditation process.

The QEP committee has developed student learning outcomes focusing on the areas of cognitive growth, personal intellectual development, effective communication, and ethical and effective leadership skills. For more information, visit www.meredith.edu/sacs/qep/. The site includes a draft of the proposed outcomes, and a blog to provide feedback.

Ann Gleason, co-chair of the QEP committee, said the committee’s current focus is to gather feedback from the campus community on these learning  goals and to begin developing a possible freshman seminar that would be designed to foster the desired student learning outcomes.

There are several opportunities for faculty and staff to learn more and to provide feedback.

• Gleason invites those who are interested to attend one of the QEP committee’s regular meetings, which are held each Monday from 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. in 144 Martin (except Easter Monday).
• Faculty and staff can also provide input on April 21 and 22 when the committee hosts QEP discussion tables on the Stringfield side of Belk Dining Hall from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Participants will be able to hear about the committee’s ideas and possible strategies for the freshman seminar.
  
• During the week on April 27, a campus-wide forum on the QEP will be held. Look for more information later this month on Enews and via emp_all messages.

The QEP committee will also be holding student focus groups in April.

In May, the Office of Faculty Development is sponsoring a program featuring Terry Roberts, director of the National Paideia Institute. The workshop topic is critical thinking tools and strategies for the classroom. Interested faculty should consult with their department heads, who will have more information on how to apply for the workshop.

For more information, email QEP committee co-chairs Ann Gleason at gleasona@meredith.edu or Mark O’Dekirk, at odekirkm@meredith.edu.

SACS Compliance Report Update
At this time most of the responses to requirements and standards in the  Compliance Report of the SACS-COC reaffirmation process have been entered into Dataliant’s ComplianceAssist!, the web-based system that Meredith is using for reporting.

Members of Meredith’s SACS Leadership Team have begun reviewing the responses and documentation for clarity, completeness, and accuracy so that any necessary revisions can be made. This summer Associate Professor of English Laura Fine will edit the report. The Compliance Report will be submitted to the SACS Commission on Colleges in early September.

For more information on the SACS-COC reaffirmation process, visit www.meredith.edu/sacs.

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