Marye Anne Fox Science Teaching Laboratory
Title
Marye Anne Fox Science Teaching Laboratory
Description
Known as Fox labs, the building contains all the necessities for scientists: organic chemistry lab, general chemistry lab, chemistry tutorial center, physics lab, physics visualization lab, physics tutorial center, and greenhouses. According to students, Fox Labs was a big step up from the labs at Withers Hall. Senior in botany, Firas Naji commented in 2004, "The study rooms are the best part of the building. Not like Withers, which was very depressing. Here I don't feel like I am being to do something." The lab was first named the Undergraduate Science Teaching Laboratory (USTL) upon its completion in June 2004. The lab was a partnered project between the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; deans of both colleges, Daniel Solomon and Johnny Wayne (Interim Dean), respectively, attended the ceremony. Fox was also in attendance. On July 12, 2004, the lab was renamed after Marye Anne Fox.
Dr. Marye Anne Fox was NC State’s first female chancellor. Before becoming chancellor in 1998, Fox was a chemistry professor, researcher, and later, Vice President for Research at the University of Texas, Austin. Fox was also a member of the National Academy of Science, NC State’s first chancellor to be part of the academy. While at NC State, Fox worked hard to increase the university’s prominence in STEM. Fox established the joint Master’s and Doctoral program in Biomedicine between NC State and UNC Chapel Hill. She also supported the request to create a bachelor’s of art and science programs in Science, Technology, and Society in the Multidisciplinary Studies Department and a master’s of science program in Computer Networking. Fox also supported community engagement, such as the 4-H TEAMS project in 2003. NC State Agricultural and Human Sciences professor, Dr. Ben Silliman led the program, which taught STEM skills to middle schoolers from populations that were under-represented in STEM. Fox’s support of the project demonstrated her mission to increase opportunity and diversity.
In 1999, Fox updated the university’s stance on sexual orientation. The updated version affirmed that academic abilities and job performance are the deciding factors for education and employment decisions, not race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or nation of origin. The policy, however, did not apply to outside organizations such as the federal government, the military, ROTC, and private employers. Fox stood by her revision saying, “Traditionally we [NC State] have viewed race, sex, religion national origin as among those factors which are not connected with educational and employment decisions." Whether Fox realized it or not, her statement misrepresented NC State's history. The university has a strong history of making academic and employment decisions based on the aspects listed above. For example, NC State did not have their first female full professor until Doris King in 1966. NC State had female instructors, librarians, and staff since 1902, 1903, and 1889 respectively. However, these titles do not garner the same respect and responsibilities as a full professor. Keeping women at the periphery was not uncommon at universities, UNC Chapel Hill hired their first female faculty member in 1927.
On occasion, Fox also clashed with students. In August 2002, in preparation for a four percent or larger budget cut, NC State fired more than fifty staff members, increased class size, decreased graduate student tuition remission, and library hours decreased from full-time to open until midnight on weekdays and 10 p.m. weekends. All of these changes, especially the last, prompted students to hold a nighttime read-in at the D.H. Hill Jr. Library on September 12th, 2002. At 1 a.m. the students marched to the chancellor’s house shouting “No more budget cuts!” At Fox’s home she told the students, “As soon as we get a budget, it’s our first priority to restore the library hours. I can pledge this to you.” Fox also talked about her commitment to the school and her efforts to obtain a budget that will provide quality education. Most of the students were pleased with Fox’s responses, but also felt there was more to be done. Kassaudria Lockhart stated, “I think a lot of people out here were thinking that she didn’t give a lot of direct answers, but I don’t think that they understand that she can’t give direct answers because she really doesn’t know. ...I think people wanted more, but she gave all she could.”
Fox also clashed with the administration. In January 2003, Fox fired Senior Vice Provost and Chief Liaison with Faculty, C. Frank Abrams Jr. and the Provost’s Financial Officer, Bruce I. Mallette. Fox explained that the pair would not resign and the Provost Stuart Cooper would not fire them. Therefore, Fox fired Abrams and Mallette. The details are not clear because information on Mallette's and Abrams's work is confidential due to state personnel laws. But, according to Fox, issues such as, “overcrowding, department operating budgets, and graduation rates” were not being presented at meetings. And according to Faculty Senate Chairman Phillip Carter, “Fox was disappointed with the way the administrative team was working.” Faculty and the Faculty Senate were angry. At the Faculty Senate meeting, representatives asked Fox, “‘Are we running a corporation here?’” and “‘Just because you can do something, should you do it?’.” One person commented, “‘One of the problems is your reputation of ‘my way or the highway’.” The Faculty Senate censured Fox towards the end of the month. Throughout the whole month Fox defended her decision, despite people telling her otherwise.
As of 2018, Fox is one of eight female chancellors in all seventeen universities in the history of the UNC system. Dr. Marye Anne Fox, saw NC State as “North Carolina’s leader in science, engineering, and technology” and strove to uphold this vision. Achieving this was not without difficulties. But no matter other people's reasons for disagreeing, she always stood with her decisions.
References
Original Source References
NC State Special Collections:
North Carolina State University, Office of the Chancellor, Marye Anne Fox Records, 1998-2004. UA002.001.008.
University Archives Reference Collection: University Buildings. UA50.4.6
Nubian Message
Technician
Secondary Source References
Catholic Women's Colleges in America. Edited by Tracy Schier and Cynthia Russett. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.
Gender, Power and Management: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Higher Education. Edited by Barabara Bagilhole and Kate White. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
Summit, Jennifer and Blakely Vermeule. “The ‘Two Cultures’ Fallacy: Stop Pitting Science and the Humanities Against Each Other”. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Washington (July 1, 2018).
Wadelington, Charles W. and Richard F. Knapp. Charlotte Hawkins Brown & Palmer Memorial Institute: What One Young African American Woman Could Do. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
Wilson, John T. Academic Science, Higher Education, and the Federal Government, 1950-1983. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.
Women Leading Education Across the Continents: Overcoming the Barriers. Edited by Elizabeth C. Reilly and Quirin J. Bauer. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
"Historical State Timelines: Women". North Carolina State University Libraries. Accessed November 16, 2019.https://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/women
Multimedia
Banner, Isabella. "Defying Expectations: The Life of Dr. Marye Anne Fox". NC State University Public History Program. YouTube. December 6, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZizhG12ByA8
Parker, Grace Anne. "Take a Chance(llor) on Dr. Marye Anne Fox". NC State University Public History Program. YouTube. December 1, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U8vaN5UdzA&t=8s
"Women of Carolina: the Faculty Story". UNC- Chapel Hill. YouTube. March 30, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=u_YRZy_ZlNA&feature=emb_title
Dr. Marye Anne Fox was NC State’s first female chancellor. Before becoming chancellor in 1998, Fox was a chemistry professor, researcher, and later, Vice President for Research at the University of Texas, Austin. Fox was also a member of the National Academy of Science, NC State’s first chancellor to be part of the academy. While at NC State, Fox worked hard to increase the university’s prominence in STEM. Fox established the joint Master’s and Doctoral program in Biomedicine between NC State and UNC Chapel Hill. She also supported the request to create a bachelor’s of art and science programs in Science, Technology, and Society in the Multidisciplinary Studies Department and a master’s of science program in Computer Networking. Fox also supported community engagement, such as the 4-H TEAMS project in 2003. NC State Agricultural and Human Sciences professor, Dr. Ben Silliman led the program, which taught STEM skills to middle schoolers from populations that were under-represented in STEM. Fox’s support of the project demonstrated her mission to increase opportunity and diversity.
In 1999, Fox updated the university’s stance on sexual orientation. The updated version affirmed that academic abilities and job performance are the deciding factors for education and employment decisions, not race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or nation of origin. The policy, however, did not apply to outside organizations such as the federal government, the military, ROTC, and private employers. Fox stood by her revision saying, “Traditionally we [NC State] have viewed race, sex, religion national origin as among those factors which are not connected with educational and employment decisions." Whether Fox realized it or not, her statement misrepresented NC State's history. The university has a strong history of making academic and employment decisions based on the aspects listed above. For example, NC State did not have their first female full professor until Doris King in 1966. NC State had female instructors, librarians, and staff since 1902, 1903, and 1889 respectively. However, these titles do not garner the same respect and responsibilities as a full professor. Keeping women at the periphery was not uncommon at universities, UNC Chapel Hill hired their first female faculty member in 1927.
On occasion, Fox also clashed with students. In August 2002, in preparation for a four percent or larger budget cut, NC State fired more than fifty staff members, increased class size, decreased graduate student tuition remission, and library hours decreased from full-time to open until midnight on weekdays and 10 p.m. weekends. All of these changes, especially the last, prompted students to hold a nighttime read-in at the D.H. Hill Jr. Library on September 12th, 2002. At 1 a.m. the students marched to the chancellor’s house shouting “No more budget cuts!” At Fox’s home she told the students, “As soon as we get a budget, it’s our first priority to restore the library hours. I can pledge this to you.” Fox also talked about her commitment to the school and her efforts to obtain a budget that will provide quality education. Most of the students were pleased with Fox’s responses, but also felt there was more to be done. Kassaudria Lockhart stated, “I think a lot of people out here were thinking that she didn’t give a lot of direct answers, but I don’t think that they understand that she can’t give direct answers because she really doesn’t know. ...I think people wanted more, but she gave all she could.”
Fox also clashed with the administration. In January 2003, Fox fired Senior Vice Provost and Chief Liaison with Faculty, C. Frank Abrams Jr. and the Provost’s Financial Officer, Bruce I. Mallette. Fox explained that the pair would not resign and the Provost Stuart Cooper would not fire them. Therefore, Fox fired Abrams and Mallette. The details are not clear because information on Mallette's and Abrams's work is confidential due to state personnel laws. But, according to Fox, issues such as, “overcrowding, department operating budgets, and graduation rates” were not being presented at meetings. And according to Faculty Senate Chairman Phillip Carter, “Fox was disappointed with the way the administrative team was working.” Faculty and the Faculty Senate were angry. At the Faculty Senate meeting, representatives asked Fox, “‘Are we running a corporation here?’” and “‘Just because you can do something, should you do it?’.” One person commented, “‘One of the problems is your reputation of ‘my way or the highway’.” The Faculty Senate censured Fox towards the end of the month. Throughout the whole month Fox defended her decision, despite people telling her otherwise.
As of 2018, Fox is one of eight female chancellors in all seventeen universities in the history of the UNC system. Dr. Marye Anne Fox, saw NC State as “North Carolina’s leader in science, engineering, and technology” and strove to uphold this vision. Achieving this was not without difficulties. But no matter other people's reasons for disagreeing, she always stood with her decisions.
References
Original Source References
NC State Special Collections:
North Carolina State University, Office of the Chancellor, Marye Anne Fox Records, 1998-2004. UA002.001.008.
University Archives Reference Collection: University Buildings. UA50.4.6
Nubian Message
Technician
Secondary Source References
Catholic Women's Colleges in America. Edited by Tracy Schier and Cynthia Russett. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.
Gender, Power and Management: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Higher Education. Edited by Barabara Bagilhole and Kate White. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
Summit, Jennifer and Blakely Vermeule. “The ‘Two Cultures’ Fallacy: Stop Pitting Science and the Humanities Against Each Other”. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Washington (July 1, 2018).
Wadelington, Charles W. and Richard F. Knapp. Charlotte Hawkins Brown & Palmer Memorial Institute: What One Young African American Woman Could Do. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
Wilson, John T. Academic Science, Higher Education, and the Federal Government, 1950-1983. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.
Women Leading Education Across the Continents: Overcoming the Barriers. Edited by Elizabeth C. Reilly and Quirin J. Bauer. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
"Historical State Timelines: Women". North Carolina State University Libraries. Accessed November 16, 2019.https://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/women
Multimedia
Banner, Isabella. "Defying Expectations: The Life of Dr. Marye Anne Fox". NC State University Public History Program. YouTube. December 6, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZizhG12ByA8
Parker, Grace Anne. "Take a Chance(llor) on Dr. Marye Anne Fox". NC State University Public History Program. YouTube. December 1, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U8vaN5UdzA&t=8s
"Women of Carolina: the Faculty Story". UNC- Chapel Hill. YouTube. March 30, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=u_YRZy_ZlNA&feature=emb_title
Creator
Jordan Scott
Date
2019/12/10
Tags
Citation
Jordan Scott, “Marye Anne Fox Science Teaching Laboratory,” Brick Layers: An Atlas of New Perspectives on NC State’s Campus History, accessed January 26, 2025, https://bricklayers.history.ncsu.edu/items/show/13.