Dear Colleagues,
As mentioned in President Edwards’ email earlier this week, each year, Wright State University honors exceptional faculty whose work exemplifies the highest standards in teaching, research, service, and community engagement. Through a competitive nomination and selection process, these prestigious awards recognize faculty who demonstrate sustained impact, inspire their peers and students, and advance Wright State’s mission. I am proud to recognize this year’s recipients of the university’s highest faculty honors.
Faculty Awards
Trustees’ Award for Faculty Excellence
Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Professor, Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics
Distinguished Professor Awards
Brage Golding Distinguished Professor of Research:
Valerie Shalin, Professor, Psychology, College of Science and Mathematics
Frederick A. White Distinguished Professor of Professional Service:
Volker Bahn, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics
Robert J. Kegerreis Distinguished Professor of Teaching:
Ramzi Nahhas, Professor, Population and Public Health Sciences, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Presidential Award for Outstanding NTE Faculty: Service:
Dave Herick, Instructor, Teacher Education, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Presidential Award for Outstanding NTE Faculty: Teaching:
Ajani Ross, Lecturer, Physics, College of Science and Mathematics
Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence in Community Engagement:
Don Cipollini, Professor, Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics
Participation Rosters
To comply with federal financial aid regulations, instructors are required to determine if a student has established attendance or participated in each course. This information must be reported each semester using the Participation Roster form (WINGS/WINGS Express). Variable date classes (known as X term) must report by the end of the eighth day after the start date of the course.
For those reporting full attendance in a course, please see these quick Instructions for Reporting Full Class Participation (PDF).
All undergraduate and graduate courses are required to report Participation Rosters. This includes any lab classes that are worth credit, thesis/dissertation classes, independent studies courses, etc. The only courses exempt from reporting are those that are not eligible for federal financial aid. This includes College Credit Plus classes taught in the high schools and zero credit classes. Additional information is available on the Registrar’s Participation Rosters webpage.
Note: Since the semester begins on a Thursday, please monitor enrollment closely to ensure your participation rosters are accurate. This is especially important for Monday-only classes, as rosters are due Tuesday, September 2, and those courses will have met only once by then. Keep in mind that some students may also add your class late as they finalize their schedules.
Faculty Intervention Due Dates at a Glance
|
|
Full Term |
A Term |
B Term |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Participation Roster Reports due from faculty by 11:59 p.m. |
Tuesday, September 2 |
Tuesday, September 2 |
Tuesday, October 21 |
|
Midterm Grades due by Noon |
Wednesday, October 15 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Last day to drop with a W grade |
Friday, October 31 |
Friday, September 19 |
Friday, November 7 |
Midterm Grades — Faculty will regularly submit midterm grades for all undergraduate courses. Further information is available on the Registrar’s Grading webpage.
Academic Success Centers Faculty and Staff Open House
The Academic Success Centers are your partners in learning. Learn more about the centers’ services at the Faculty and Staff Open House on Tuesday, September 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Success Center.
Faculty Resources — SOCHE
Formed in 1967, the Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) is a consortium of colleges and universities in Ohio that promotes educated, employed, and engaged citizens. SOCHE offers no-cost programming for faculty throughout the year.
SOCHE’s first virtual session on Tuesday, October 21, from noon to 1 p.m. will introduce the organization and highlight its commitment to workforce development and its support for education partners, employers, and students.
Wright State Online Accessibility Essentials
Wright State Online offers a compilation of resources designed to support faculty as they ensure their courses meet accessibility standards. These resources include an interactive course, which takes about 20 minutes to complete, along with comprehensive guides.
Once faculty have completed the Accessibility in Course Design training and updated their content to reflect what they have learned, they are encouraged to submit their content for a digital accessibility review. A member of the WSO team will assess the content and provide feedback on any necessary revisions to ensure accessibility standards are met.
Learn more about Accessibility Essentials Information.
Student Success
Academic Success Centers — Embed academic success in your course! Getting students connected to the Academic Success Centers early in the semester is essential to their success. Faculty are our best way to make students aware of the support that is available to them. Here are three ways you can help connect students to our support:
- Put support information in your syllabus. We have ready-made snippets you can use on our Faculty and Staff Resources webpage.
- Bring your students to the Academic Success Centers or have us visit your class. You can request tours and classroom visits through our Class Visit Request form.
- Add the Academic Success Centers widget to your Pilot homepage.
If you are unsure if your course is supported by the Academic Success Centers, check the following webpages: Course-based Tutoring, the Math Learning Center, Supplemental Instruction, and the Writing Center.
Contact Dr. Alison Witte, director of the Academic Success Centers, with any questions.
Peer Navigators — The Peer Navigator Program is designed to connect students with upperclassmen for regular support and mentorship. The program matches students with a peer navigator for regular meetings that encourage, give direction, and help navigate the university successfully. Peer navigators focus on holistic well-being by providing support, problem-solving, and goal-setting tips that assist students in reaching their educational goals.
The Peer Navigator Program seeks to:
- Increase sense of belonging with a built-in peer support system
- Initiate early intervention strategies as needed
- Provide an additional touch point via regular follow up
- Identify barriers prohibiting student success
- Allow students to see their peers model excellence
- Assist in the transition between high school and university life
- Promote healthy classroom behaviors
Learn more about the Peer Navigator Program.
Raising Early Alerts for Students — Faculty play a critical role in identifying student issues. By raising an early alert, you enable timely interventions from various campus teams, enhancing Wright State’s ability to foster student success. The Slate Student Success Portal can be accessed through WINGS using your Wright State login credentials. Learn more.
Faculty Activity Reporting
Continuing this fall, annual faculty activity reports are due September 15. As a reminder, faculty report their activities for the previous academic year (fall 2024 to summer 2025), not for the calendar year.
Activity reporting is collected through information entered by faculty in Watermark’s Faculty Success software. One-hour user training sessions are available.
Evaluation of teaching and service as well as scholarship for TETs will be based on a 0-4 scale (11.3).
Teaching and service are evaluated for the year under review only; scholarship is evaluated for the year under review, with the merit score for that year then averaged with the two prior years (11.2).
Criteria for evaluation of teaching and service are found in Article 11.6 for Bargaining Unit Faculty Members.
When a Student Needs Support
The Student Success Navigator showcases the wide range of resources designed to support our students. Whether students are interested in joining a student organization, looking for access to mental health services, playing a sport, or finding a job, all information is available in one central location.
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 am grateful for your dedication to promoting student success. I hope you have a wonderful and productive week!
Jim Denniston, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
