Dear Colleagues,
As we continue our work to strengthen recruitment, retention, and student success, I want to highlight an important opportunity available to our university community. The Wright State University Foundation is now accepting applications for Students First Fund grants. This program supports innovative ideas that have the potential to make a broad, meaningful impact on our students across both the Dayton and Lake Campuses.
If you or your colleagues have a creative concept that could benefit a large number of Wright State students, I encourage you to explore this year’s funding cycle. The Foundation will award $75,000 to initiatives that advance student success in tangible and transformative ways.
The application deadline is March 27, 2026, and proposals are welcome from faculty, staff, and students. Please note that the Students First Fund does not provide grants to individual students; instead, it supports projects and programs designed to enhance the overall student experience.
You can learn more and access the application at wright.edu/StudentsFirstFund.
Pilot Course Content Retention and Upcoming Purges
CaTS will soon begin implementing Wright State’s Pilot course content retention schedule to ensure compliance with our contractual storage limits and university data‑retention policies. Pilot currently houses 16 years of course content totaling more than 60 terabytes, while our Brightspace/D2L agreement allows for 6 terabytes. To remain compliant and avoid significant cost increases, CaTS will begin systematically deleting older course content starting in March.
Beginning on March 1, CaTS will purge all 2010 course offerings from Pilot. One year of content will be removed each month for approximately 10 months, concluding with the deletion of 2019 content. Before each monthly purge, CaTS will send three targeted communications to the faculty of record for the affected courses. Only currently employed faculty will receive these notices.
Faculty who would like to retain materials from older courses will receive instructions on how to download and store course content before deletion. During the process, faculty may see courses temporarily labeled with “2BPurged” in the My Courses widget. For additional information, see:
Resource Alignment and Retention Project
For questions, please contact the CaTS Help Desk at 937‑775‑4827 or helpdesk@wright.edu.
Midterm Grading Begins on Monday
Midterm grade reporting opens on Monday, February 16, for all full-semester spring classes. A, B, and X term classes are not included in midterm grade reporting. Midterm grade reporting is required for all full-term undergraduate courses, with some exceptions.
Midterm grades are due by noon on Wednesday, March 4. Detailed instructions for posting grades can be found on the Registrar’s grading webpage.
Faculty reporting grades in WINGS Express (and not via Pilot) only need to enter the midterm grade and can ignore the “Last Attend Date” and “Attend Hours” fields.
Grades of Incomplete (I) should only be issued at the end of a term if requested by a student for documented extenuating circumstances that prevented completion of the final part of the course.
Faculty teaching graduate courses are encouraged to submit midterm grades but are not required to do so.
For technical questions about reporting grades (such as reporting from Pilot), contact the CaTS Help Desk at937-775-4827 or helpdesk@wright.edu.
For additional grading questions, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 937-775-5200 or wsu-registrar@wright.edu.
Wright State Online Hosts Webex Wednesdays: Drop-In Accessibility Support
Wright State Online will offer Webex Wednesdays, providing faculty with an open drop-in hour each week to receive help with accessibility questions. Sessions will be held every Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. through April 1 and are designed to support faculty as they continue strengthening the accessibility of their courses. Use the links below to access the February sessions:
- Wednesday, February 18, 1–2 p.m. (access the meeting on Webex)
- Wednesday, February 25, 1–2 p.m. (access the meeting on Webex)
This additional support aligns with Wright State Online’s ongoing accessibility initiatives, including the Accessibility in Course Design training and the option to submit course materials for a digital accessibility review after updates have been made. Faculty are encouraged to take advantage of these resources as part of the university’s commitment to creating accessible learning environments for all students.
Learn more about Accessibility Essentials Information and review the available accessibility content in the Resource Library.
HLC Assurance Argument Review and Student Survey Reminder
Thank you to everyone who has contributed information and evidence for Wright State’s Assurance Argument, which will be submitted to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) ahead of our Comprehensive Visit on April 20–21, 2026.
The draft Assurance Argument is now available for review, and all faculty and staff are invited to provide feedback by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18.
As you review the document, please note that embedded links are not active, as all evidence is housed in HLC’s accreditation system. Bracketed numbers indicate evidence still being collected. Questions regarding specific evidence or context may be directed to Nick Christian, director of assessment and chief accreditation officer, at nick.christian@wright.edu.
Your comments, questions, and suggestions are invaluable as we refine the final document.
The HLC student opinion survey is also open through today, and we ask that faculty continue encouraging students to complete it before it closes. The feedback gathered through this survey will help inform the peer review team as they prepare for their campus visit in April. Strong participation ensures the reviewers receive a broad and accurate picture of the student experience at Wright State.
Celebration of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities — Student Presentation Registration
Faculty are encouraged to invite their students to participate in the 2026 Celebration of Undergraduate and Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities, which will take place on April 1. This event provides an excellent platform for students to present their research, scholarly projects, and creative work, and to gain valuable experience sharing their accomplishments with the broader university community.
Your encouragement plays a key role in helping students take advantage of this meaningful academic and professional development opportunity. Students interested in presenting should register by February 27.
Details and student registration.
Green and Gold Admitted Student Days: Faculty Involvement
Throughout the Spring Semester, the Office of Admissions will host five Green and Gold Admitted Student Days. Your involvement during this time is important and encouraged — your deans and college recruiters can provide ways for you to welcome admitted students and families and help us show them what a welcoming and supportive community we foster.
Green and Gold Admitted Student Days will take place on February 18, March 11, March 24, April 9, and April 21.
ODHE Changing Campus Culture Initiative Survey
The Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) has requested all Ohio colleges and universities collect information regarding perceptions of safety from sexual harassment/violence on campus. The survey questions are part of the ODHE Changing Campus Culture initiative, which supports the work of all Ohio institutions of higher education to end sexual violence.
Your participation is encouraged and will help evaluate, frame, and improve efforts to keep all students and employees safe. Participation is voluntary and completely anonymous. The questionnaire takes about five minutes to complete, and you can choose to stop at any time.
Take the survey: wright.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cIRj190CIZz8OqO
If you need to speak with someone confidentially or want more information about resources at Wright State, please visit wright.edu/title-ix.
Faculty Resources and Workshops
Pilot now offers the New Content Experience: To learn more, view the introductory video from Wright State Online or register and attend a training session on February 20 or March 27 at 10 a.m.
Wright State Online Accessibility Trainings:
- Session 1: Document Accessibility — Organizing content structure, creating effective links, choosing accessible fonts, ensuring proper color contrast, performing basic PDF remediation, and using accessibility checkers: March 13, 10–11:30 a.m.
- Session 2: Audio and Video Accessibility — Adding closed captions, providing audio transcripts, writing alternative (alt) text, designing accessible PowerPoint slides, and using accessibility checkers: February 13 and March 20, 10–11:30 a.m.
When a Student Needs Support
The Student Success Navigator showcases the wide range of resources available 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.
Issuing an Early Alert is an important way to connect students with needed academic or personal support. Faculty can submit Early Alerts through the Slate Student Success Portal, enabling advisors and support staff to intervene early and guide students toward available resources.
