Dean of Arts and
Science has a new face
by Shea Chancey, news editor
A new face can be found in the office of the
dean of arts and sciences. Dr. Jay Driver has taken the position of former
Dean of Arts and Sciences, Darrell Grimes, who has been promoted to vice
president.
“ As a dean, I will have opportunities to teach,
but also get to work with faculty and their invitations in teaching,” Driver
said, “But I do look forward to teaching a class in the future. There have
been some deans in the past that have taught some classes; I will be a
model.”
He admits that it takes everyone to get the job
of dean completed.
“People such as Brenda Dunlap, who makes this
job work, the student assistants, other deans, vice-president, and the
president.”
Dr. Driver has been part of South Plains
College’s faculty for 11 years. He was hired in 1994 by Robert Pearce, who
stepped down as the department chairperson last fall after 39 years in the
position.
As dean of the arts and sciences, Dr. Driver
will be working with the chairpersons on such things as schedules, planning
and budgeting. He will also be working with the faculty to better education
for the students.
Dr. Driver is married to Dollie Driver and has
two children; daughter, Joy, and son Michael. They have been living in
Levelland for three years. Driver went to college at Texas Tech University
to major in math. At Texas Tech, he earned a bachelor’s degree in math in
1991, a master’s degree in 1993, and his doctoral degree in education in
2001. Before working at SPC, Dr. Driver was first employed at Frenship ISD,
where he had done his student teaching, then worked at Lubbock ISD for three
years.
Dr. Driver said that he loves teaching and
working with students. It is his passion.
“ That’s one of the core requirements of
teaching, getting to know your students,” Driver said, “You start to see
patterns oh how they think and you can teach them what ever it is you want
to teach them and new ways of teaching them.”
Dr. Driver does not plan on retiring anytime
soon. He said, “ I assume the position of chair to be there when you
retired, but there are some opportunities that come along and can change
that perspective.”
He explained what SPC has brought to him
personally.
“I have found an environment where I see faculty
who really care about students, and, for me, that is the heart of teaching,”
Driver said, “ That is an environment I enjoy working in.”
Mathmatics and Engineering Dept. has a new Chairperson
by Amanda Hurt, news editor
The Mathematics and Engineering at South Plains
College has received a new Chairperson.
The new Chairperson is Dr. Phil Anderson, who
had served six years as a math instructor in the department.
“I am very excited about my new position and
excited to be working with such great people,” said Dr. Anderson. “We have a
lot of potential in our math and engineering department.”
Dr. Anderson was born and raised in San Antonio,
and he graduated from Howard Payne University with a bachelor’s degree in
mathematics in 1996. He later received a master’s degree in 1998 and a
doctoral degree in education in 2002 from Texas Tech University.
Before teaching at South Plains College, Dr.
Anderson served as a part-time math instructor at Texas Tech from 1996 to
1998.
In 1998, he became a member of the Mathematics
Department at SPC as a math instructor.
Dr. Anderson and his wife Tiffany, along with
their two kids, Hudson, 1, and Corrie Elizabeth, 3, have lived in the area
for eight years. They now reside in Levelland.
“ I’ve always liked to solve puzzles and loved
the information used from math models so I decided to make a career out of
it,” Dr. Anderson said. “My desire to teach is to help students realize the
different skills in math used for decision-making.”
“ I can’t brag enough on the people that work in
this department and the students that study here. South Plains College is
very lucky.”