Dear Colleagues,
Something I look forward to each spring semester is the opportunity to recognize the outstanding achievements of our faculty. As announced earlier this week, nominations for the 2023 Faculty Awards for Excellence are now open. The Faculty Awards for Excellence recognize select faculty members for their excellent work in the areas of teaching, research, community engagement, professional service, and early career achievement. These awards are truly a highlight of the year.
As also announced this week, the university is thrilled to honor faculty, staff, and student employees who have performed exemplary work in student success through the inaugural University Awards for Student Success Champions. These awards recognize the nominees’ contributions to programs and services that significantly support and impact student success metrics and student satisfaction. We are setting lofty goals and continue to make progress on student success initiatives—your dedication does not go unnoticed, and we are thrilled to have an opportunity to celebrate your good work.
Learn more about the Faculty Awards for Excellence (PDF) and the University Awards for Student Success Champions. The linked information includes deadlines and procedures for nominations. I look forward to reviewing all of your nominations.
Mental Health First Aid Training
Wright State University and Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio are hosting Mental Health First Aid training sessions on April 6 and 13. Mental Health First Aid (PDF) teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.
Midterm Grading: Open through February 26
Midterm grade collection is underway for spring semester! Midterm grade reporting is required by all undergraduate-level classes, with some exceptions.
Midterm grades are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, February 26. Reporting is available for all full-term classes. A, B, and X term classes are not included in midterm grade reporting. Detailed instructions for posting grades can be found at wright.edu/registrar/grading.
Those 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.
Slate CRM Transition
We are excited to announce the upcoming transition to a new CRM later this summer. Slate, by Technolutions, is tailored specifically to higher education and is used by more than 1,500 colleges and universities around the globe. The comprehensive platform is known as the nation’s leading higher ed CRM solution and will provide a simplified and improved user experience for students, families, and other partners in the admissions process. Likewise, it will provide countless opportunities for efficiency, process improvement, and automations throughout the university.
The first phase of implementation will focus on all aspects of admissions, from the point of recruitment through the enrollment and registration process. More information and training will be forthcoming. If you have questions, please contact nova.lasky@wright.edu.
Faculty Resources and Workshops
- The Center for Faculty Excellence will offer a Course Design Institute (CDI) on the Lake Campus with assistance in designing or redesigning courses. The CDI wants all students to be successful, and we believe that given the right course experience, all students are capable of learning difficult things and being successful in their courses.
The CDI will assist in reviewing and creating student-centered outcomes and objectives, plan for effective activities and assessments, and create lessons that will set students up for success. The institute will be a mix of short videos, in-person discussion, and time to create your own course—with feedback.
The workshops will be held Monday, February 27, and Tuesday, February 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Faculty will need to plan on attending both days. Register online.
- The Center of Faculty Excellence will host its Faculty Research Symposium today from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Endeavour and Atlantis Rooms in the Student Union. Faculty from COLA, COSM, CECS, RSCOB, and CHEH will present their original research throughout the day. Information about the faculty presentations and online registration are available on the CFE website.
- Open Access Publishing vs. Predatory Publishers
Thursday, March 16, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., 441 Dunbar Library
Register online
Presenters: Joanna Anderson, medical librarian, and Ximena Chrisagis, nursing, kinesiology, and health sciences librarian
You’ve heard of “predatory” publishers, but what exactly are they and how do you avoid them? It is increasingly common to receive email solicitations from questionable publications and to encounter journals with poor quality control or deceptive publishing practices. Although some clearly come from “junk journals,” in many cases, the journal or publisher’s reputation cannot be determined by looking at the solicitation alone. In this workshop, participants will learn the signs of “predatory” venues compared to legitimate open-access publishers, identify how to benefit from OhioLINK open-access deals, and develop strategies to check publisher reputations to feel more confident about where to publish.
- SOCHE Webinars: SOCHE provides members access to unlimited live webinars. To access the webinars noted below, you must first visit the webinar site and create an account. Once your account is created, you can log in and access all webinars. Contact support@ieinfo.org for assistance with creating an account, if needed.
Thursday, February 23, at 1 p.m.: Supervising Early-Career Professionals: Challenges, Support Strategies, & Motivation Techniques
Friday, February 24, at 1 p.m.: The Student Mental Health Crisis: How To Meet The Increasing & Lasting Demand For Services
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.
There will not be a newsletter next week—I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break!
Amy Thompson, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
