Outgoing President William H. Harris and President-Elect Joseph H. Silver Sr. greeted ASU faculty members during the annual opening conference. Nearly 300 faculty members attended ASU’s annual faculty opening conference held in the Ralph D. Abernathy Auditorium on Wednesday, Aug. 15.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Improving Academic Quality and Accountability.”
Dr. Sharron Herron-Williams, interim associate provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, delivered opening remarks and told the 25 new faculty members present that she is pleased they chose to join the Hornet Nation.
“You could have elected to be anywhere else and you chose us. This year, we want to focus on improving academic quality and accountability. We have new programs, we have new faculty, and now we need to re-examine what we have to do to make sure we are giving our best to our students and make sure we are ready for the challenges that are presented in this new global market,” Herron-Williams said.
Dr. William H. Harris, who will retire as ASU’s president next month, received two standing ovations when he delivered the President’s message. Harris began by welcoming president-elect Joseph H. Silver Sr. and congratulating him on his appointment.
Harris then told faculty members that they hold the future of the University in their hands.
“We have, during the last two decades, been involved in making the University a new place, and we have stepped the pace up during the last four years. We have added new programs and facilities and brought in new ideas and a lot of those new ideas come from you,” Harris said. “I request that you dedicate yourselves to making sure the future is bright for our students because of what you do on a daily basis.”
