Dear Colleagues,
April is such an exciting and celebratory time of year. In this week’s newsletter, you can read about many opportunities to celebrate our students, celebrate our colleagues, and participate in professional development opportunities. I hope you are able to participate when you can and enjoy the warmer weather that accompanies these events. Coming up in just under two weeks is our Focused Visit with the Higher Learning Commission. The schedule for the visit is now available. Thank you all for your ongoing dedication to our students and to Wright State.
Events
- University Awards for Student Success Champions event on Thursday, April 20, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Berry Auditorium, 009 Student Success Center. Come and celebrate your colleagues! Food and refreshments will be served. Registration is required. To register for the event, contact Tim Littell, associate vice provost for student success, at tim.littell@wright.edu.
- The University Libraries and the Friends of the Libraries invite you to join us at the Friends of the Libraries Annual Luncheon on Wednesday, April 26, at 11:00 a.m. in the Wright State Nutter Center Berry Room. Our featured speaker, Erin Flanagan, professor of English, will share her thoughts on how creativity provides the tools to process the world through inquiry, risk-taking, and problem-solving, and why that is so important for a well-functioning society. A lunch buffet will be provided.
Registration is required and must be completed by April 19. Patron registrations help support the Friends of the Libraries. If you need accommodations for this event, please call 937-775-2380 five business days in advance.
Spring Commencement Ceremonies
Lake Campus Ceremony: Thursday, April 27, 5:30 p.m.
Graduate Ceremony: Friday, April 28, 7:00 p.m.
Undergraduate Ceremony: Saturday, April 29, 10:00 a.m.
Commencement is an event that marks a significant moment in the lives of our students and their families. The granting of a degree and the admission to the “rights and privileges” associated with a given degree are extraordinarily important events for those receiving degrees.
The presence of faculty is especially important for the graduates and their families. All faculty should prioritize their attendance, and bargaining unit faculty are reminded of their responsibility under Article 7.4.8.
Registration for the Dayton Campus ceremonies is closed. Registration for the Lake Campus ceremony is not required.
Faculty Resources and Workshops
- The College of Liberal Arts presents its first Student Showcase at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 14, in the Millett Hall Atrium. Undergraduate and graduate students will present their research and creative work visually and in short oral presentations as visitors circulate through the exhibits. Light refreshments will be served. Awards will be handed out in a ceremony starting at 4:30 p.m.
- Working with College Students on the Autism Spectrum
Thursday, April 13, from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m. in 154 Rike Hall
Register for the workshop
Heather Rando, associate director of disability services, and Evan Mason, case manager in the Office of Disability Services, will explore neurodiversity as it relates to working with college students on the autism spectrum.
The term “neurodiversity,” a portmanteau of “neurological” and “diversity,” was first introduced in the 1990s by Judy Singer, an Australian social scientist. The paradigm suggests that neurological differences have existed across time and are normal variations that should be supported and embraced, versus a medical model approach with an emphasis on fixing or curing something deemed disordered. Students who are neurodivergent with an Autism Spectrum Disorder may have traits such as lack of consistent eye contact, communication differences, and repetitive movements, which can be viewed as not conforming to societal norms for classroom interactions and etiquette. Through education to further develop an understanding of the traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder, faculty and staff can learn how to best address these differences and foster a class environment that is both productive and inclusive for all students.
- SOCHE provides our members access to free unlimited live webinars. To access the webinar, you will first need to create an account on our webinar site. If you encounter difficulty while creating your account, please contact support@ieinfo.org.
- Thursday, April 13, at 1 p.m.: First Generation Students: Creating Services & Initiatives To Help Them Succeed
- Friday, April 14, at 1 p.m.: Imposter Syndrome: Management Techniques For Supporting Staff & Strengthening Self-Confidence In Yourself & Others
- Friday, April 21, at noon.: Friday 5 Live! The New Normal: Learning After Trauma
- Friday, April 21, at 1 p.m.: Mental Health, Depression, & Mood Disorders: How To Identify, Support & Refer Students
- Tuesday, April 25, at 1 p.m.: Teaching After A Traumatic Event: How To Applying Social Emotional Learning Theory
- Thursday, April 27, at 1 p.m.: Supporting The Mental Health Of LGBTQ+ Students: What We Learned From The Pandemic That Impacts Current Services
Recognition
Noeleen McIlvenna, professor of history, has been invited to serve as the historian at a National Council for History Education Saturday Seminar for 30 elementary school teachers in Osceola County and Brevard Public Schools in Florida. The seminar, “Colonies to Country,” will take place in Kissimmee, Florida, and is part of a program designed to improve teachers’ content knowledge of history, civics, and geography in underserved school districts thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Research and Sponsored Program Events
- Research and Sponsored Programs and the Office of Technology Transfer—Ask the Expert!
These 30-minute virtual sessions are a wonderful opportunity for Wright State University researchers to discuss potential commercialization of your research and intellectual property protection.
Online appointments are available on Thursday, April 13, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Schedule your appointment with Dr. Julie Nagel. For more information, visit the Office of Technology Transfer’s resources webpage.
- Pre-Award Training and Events
Research and Sponsored Programs is excited to announce that the Cayuse Sponsored Projects module is now available. Instead of completing the proposal set-up questions, principal investigators will now complete sections in the proposal’s area of sponsored projects. Principal investigators will still work with their pre-award point of contact in advance on the budget and submission of the proposal.
RSP pre-award staff is hosting a series of Cayuse Sponsored Programs training sessions in April. Attendees will be given an overview of the proposal screens and the opportunity to input a proposal in Cayuse Sponsored Programs.
Cayuse Sponsored Projects Training Dates:
Thursday, April 20: 10:00 a.m.–noon, 009 University Hall
For additional information, contact Marianne Shreck at marianne.shreck@wright.edu or your pre-award point of contact (POC).
- Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) Training Dates:
Research and Sponsored Programs is hosting weekly sessions this month to address the core areas of responsible conduct and discuss the future of the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) program. Provisions of the sponsored research contracts may require researcher participation in RECR development activities.
Contractual RECR Requirements: Faculty, staff, students, and external collaborators whose research is supported by these agencies are required to periodically participate in responsible conduct of research forums. This includes anyone who can influence the results and validity of your research. Essentially if their behaviors can influence the validity of the funded research, the requirement applies.
This requirement extends to anyone whose research is supported by an NSF or NIH grant, but all are welcome to attend the weekly sessions. Since undergraduate students have a limited ability to adversely affect the results of research, at the discretion of their PI, they will be able to meet the obligation by attending a one-session workshop.
The topics covered include data management, conflicts of interest, publication practices, collaborative science, mentoring, research misconduct, and research as a member of society.
These sessions will take place from 9 to 9:50 a.m. in 101 Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration Building on Fridays, April 14, 21, and 28.
Register for these sessions. For additional information, contact Neal Sullivan.
When a Student Needs Support
Wright.edu/help is a great resource for helping students or making referrals. This site contains contact information for emergency or essential departments that can assist your students all in one location.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! You are appreciated!
Amy Thompson, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
