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- Dr. Jane Young
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Jane Young
LB: Now computers had recently arrived on the scene. Was that a part of your responsibility to get that advising the advising process computerized?
JY: Well, they were using computers when I went there. They already had a system in place. They were introducing a new system, a brand new system, that everybody had to be trained on but it was like anything else you had to sort of work with. You had students in the old system and then you bring the new ones in on the new system. So you were basically working with two different systems at the same time. That sometimes ended up where it was students caught in the middle and that was where I think some of the counseling skills I learned way back in Toronto. I was very fortunate that way and because it was hard, you know, a student would come in under one set of rules and suddenly have to graduate with what appeared to be under another set of rules. Then we showed well this is what the catalogue says. They would say, “But your catalogue says this?” I would have to say, “Technically, yes, you can graduate. But you will not get a job because you haven’t taken this course and this is what the state requires.” Those kinds of things where very hard on the advisors who also had very big loads. The advisors still do. That office eventually turned to Student Academic Services.
In fact, it was the end of that semester that I was hired when the internship program also came into that office. I was just about to perform not just the advising but also for the internship and program, the final internship program I should say. I really enjoyed that. I think I was able to parlay some of the practices that I thought we had done so well in the Physical Education Department to the rest of the different programs. As well as show them what support was available for you know some of the more difficult decisions that they might have to make. That was very helpful, I think.
LB: It was about that time although there may have been times earlier that the legislature got involved in curriculum process in terms of every other year changing the rules before you fully implemented one set they would come up with 120 hour rule and adjust for that. Did all that affect your operation?
JY: Yes. Yes it did.
LB: In your office?
JY: Yes, it did.
LB: You did the best that you could.
JY: Well, one of the things that was nice about my position was that in dealing with programs I was also able to be involved in some of the discussions that went on relative to legislation. I mean people in my position and the other program people were involved a lot in the development of the tests and developing the determining factors of what is it the real knowledge that’s needed, what’s really not needed; what is it that we’ve been doing for 50 years that we don’t need to be doing anymore; what should we be doing new, etc. Those kinds of conversations and discussions were fascinating and I give credit to the state of Florida Department of Education at that time for managing that process as well as they could within the structures of, you know, politicians who were bound and determined to get their way. Some of them did get some of their way, but we got some of our way, too. Otherwise, I think it would have been a catastrophe. It started out as a catastrophe, in my view and in my personal opinion. I can’t speak for anybody else, but my personal opinion is that it started out as a catastrophe.
LB: Now, you did quite well in that position. Weren’t there some other administrative responsibilities that you assumed or was this after your retirement that you came back as the chair in Secondary Education?
JY: Elementary. I’d been retired for about a year and a half when I got a call saying the Elementary Education Department was interested in having me as an interim chair, while they searched for a permanent chair. They were looking for somebody in their field. I was very honored that they would even think about me in particularly as an old, retired person. But in some ways that was to their advantage because they knew that I would not be applying for the position, so that was a help and I fully enjoyed those two years. I really did. It was interesting because it was a culmination of my experiences because what I learned in the physical education program and what I learned as an assistant dean it made a huge difference to what I could bring to that department, and I think to that position. And my tenure as Interim Chair was extended to two years. It was supposed to be one year, but it extended to two. And at that time, the first year that I took the position, we were having our NCATE review and I remember thinking that the last time I went through NCATE, “Thank goodness I won’t be here for the next NCATE review.” Well, I had to eat my words on that one. But we got through that too, thanks to the hard work of that faculty. I didn’t do a whole lot in terms of actual work. I just made sure that everyone else did what they were supposed to do. We just have to bond sometimes.