Jerry and Linda Butler

Dr. Ralph Butler is chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering Science at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. His research interests include High Energy Physics. He is participating in study of production of mesons containing the charm quark with Professors Johns, Sheldon, and Webster from Vanderbilt University.

The Lipscomb News, July 1996: More News/Butler moves back to Physics

Students looking for Dr. Ralph Butler this fall won't find him in his usual place.

Butler, who has been director of campus information systems since 1982, is usually found in the Information Systems Services office.

But after 14 years in that role, Butler has decided to go back to the classroom and to the job he had before ISS came calling - as chair of the department of physics and engineering science.

Butler is one of six new department chairs at Lipscomb this fall. Joining him are Hazel Arthur, sociology and social work; Dr. Gerald Moore, music (from acting chair to chair); Dr. Michael Moss, Bible; Dr. Joyce Rucker, education; and Dr. Jim Thomas, communication.

"I'm looking forward to being back in the classroom. I miss the students. Every time I go to Homecoming I know fewer and fewer people. It's a good way to get back in contact with students and be on the front lines of what the school is all about," Butler said.

Most folks associate Butler with the development of administrative computing on campus, but his involvement really dates to the beginning of academic computing instruction on campus in 1971.

One computer course, taught by Frank Kyle, was in the curriculum when Butler returned from graduate school in 1971. Kyle and Butler put together an academic computing system that featured a remote connection to Vanderbilt University's system in 1972.

Several computer courses were added as the years progressed. Several terminals were added to the system in 1978, ultimately leading to establishment of computer science and computer science-business majors.

The university purchased a Digital Equipment Corp. VAX 11/78O in 1982, and administrative functions were brought on campus. That launched a progression toward today's system which features about 250 times the computing power of the 11/780. And that's before considering the 600 personal computers on campus, each of which are several times more powerful than the 780 and are linked by a fiber optic network installed in 1991.

"With respect to resources we have for students, we are certainly above average by a considerable margin for schools of our size," Butler said.

"We believe we have a strong curriculum. We have already started a project to reevaluate the curriculum in light of current practice and see what we need to change. We need to emphasize more desktop applications, more of the network client-server environment," Butler said.

Even with changes in curriculum, the goal of the department remains the same, he said.

"Our goal has always been to train students to be leaders, managerial material, who know how to keep up with the field and not just be mechanics," Butler said.

"We need to teach skills, but we need to teach students that there's more to it than that. That's been our philosophy all along."