Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of President Edwards, I am excited to announce an inaugural event where we will honor the first recipients of the University Awards for Student Success Champions. This special event will be held on Thursday, April 20, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Berry Auditorium, 009 Student Success Center. I hope that you are able to attend and celebrate your colleagues in this premier affair! Food and refreshments will be served. Information about this event is included below.
During last week’s Faculty Senate meeting, I announced our incoming Provost Fellows. I am happy to provide information about these selected fellows and their contributions to student and faculty success.
- Dusty Columbia, associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education, will serve in the Center for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Columbia will assist with ongoing initiatives and develop and implement a required teaching community of practice program for new faculty hires.
- Sarah McGinley, senior lecturer of English in the School of Humanities and Cultural Studies, will work closely with Tim Littell, associate vice provost for student success, on student success and retention issues, including D, F, W rates and curricular analytics.
- Daniel Warshawsky, associate professor of geography in the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, will work closely with Carol Loranger, vice provost for faculty affairs, to develop and implement faculty mentoring programs, new faculty orientation, and development for mid-career faculty.
All three fellows will collaborate on the development of training modules for adjunct faculty. I look forward to announcing our fellows at the Board of Trustees meeting in April.
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 will be required and will be available next week.
- The Raj Soin College of Business will host the Final Wright Venture Presentations on Thursday, April 6, from 3 to 5 p.m. in 160 Rike Hall. Wright Venture is an entrepreneurial opportunity for Wright State students modeled after ABC’s Shark Tank. Wright State entrepreneurs will present their business ideas to a panel of industry experts called the “Wolves.” See who wins a $5,000 investment in their business!
- The University Libraries and the Friends of the Libraries invite you to join us at the annual Friends of the Libraries 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 is required for Dayton Campus ceremonies and is open through April 10. Registration for participation in the Lake Campus ceremony is not required.
Faculty Resources and Workshops
- 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.
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 6, at 1 p.m.: Transitioning Away From Lectures: How To Adopt A More Active Approach To Teaching & Learning
- Tuesday, April 11, at 1 p.m.: Active Learning: A Formative & Summative Assessment Approach To Teaching & Learning
- 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
Research and Sponsored Program Events
- Pre-Award Training and Events:
Research and Sponsored Programs is excited to announce that the Cayuse Sponsored Projects module will be live April 1. 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 will host a series of Cayuse Sponsored Programs hands-on trainings 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:
Wednesday, April 12: 1:00–3:00 p.m., 043 Millett Hall
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 will host four weekly sessions 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 7, April 14, April 21, and April 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
