Provost's Wednesday Briefing - January 15, 2021

2021 Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

The 2021 Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and legacy will take place starting January 15 through January 18. The theme of this year’s celebration is, “We the People Speak: No Justice, No Peace” All events will be streamed online and/or offered through Zoom to allow participation from the EMU community and the public. We encourage all members of the Eastern community to participate in the academic programs, performances, and presentations as your schedules permit. Visit Eastern’s MLK website for additional information and a schedule of events

Eastern’s National Association of Black Accountants Receives 2020 Student Chapter of the Year Award

Eastern’s chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) has been awarded the 2020 NABA Student Chapter Award. Only four chapters from around the country receive this distinction, granted for outstanding campus engagement, conference involvement, reporting, and student leadership. Eastern’s chapter was recognized at the virtual 2020 National Convention and Expo. This recognition is a wonderful and richly deserved tribute to the phenomenal work Brionna Bryant and Faculty Advisor Anthony Kurek have done to make our NABA chapter the best anywhere and to create unprecedented opportunity for its members.

Center for Digital Engagement’s Successful Summer Clinic

The Center for Digital Engagement’s Summer Clinic, which was held virtually this year, shattered its records of prior years. In its best recruiting year ever, the Center received 426 applications from 15 colleges and universities within and beyond Michigan, leading to 116 interviews and the selection of 48 interns. On the client side, 36 companies applied, from which 24 were selected. These outcomes show Eastern’s leadership in the dynamic field of digital marketing.

The Center's leadership extends beyond the services provided to client companies to include providing timely guidance to the marketplace through virtual workshops and on its website. Recent themes, for example, include how to avoid Zoom bombing, lighting options for video conferences that don't break the bank, Zoom tips for beginners, and working remotely.

Eastern’s ESports Team Places in Tournament

This summer, Eastern Michigan University placed in the top three at the ESports Tournament hosted by Wayne State University in June. Congratulations to our team who have worked so hard to bring these early successes. I appreciate how well they are representing themselves, the EMU Esports program, and our entire University.

Update on Internal Research and Sabbatical Leave Awards

The winners of the 2021 Summer Research/Creative Activity awards will receive their award letters by email on Friday, January 15, from the Internal_Research_Awards email account. The Summer Research Activity awards provide faculty with a $12,000 stipend to pursue their scholarly/creative activity in lieu of summer teaching assignments. We congratulate the 41 award winners, who collectively represent all five colleges and the Library. We thank the members of the University Research and Sabbatical Leave Committee, who thoughtfully reviewed more than 70 applications. The deadline for receipt of Faculty Research Fellowship and Sabbatical Leave applications is February 1, 2021.

Hot of the Presses!

The latest issue of the Global Advances in Business Communication (GABC) Journal has been published. The GABC Journal, which is housed here at EMU, is co-hosted by EMU with three co-sponsoring institutions of the University of Antwerp, the Technological University of Malaysia and the Delhi College of Business in India. The journal’s Editorial Review Board consists of 28 scholars from 12 countries, including Matthew Sauber of EMU's Department of Marketing, who joined the board this year. We offer our special thanks to Professor David Victor, Editor-in-Chief of the GABC, for his leadership and commitment to advancing EMU in research and global reach.

Eastern Faculty Publishes First Book

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of History Ashley Johnson Bavery on the recent publication of her first book, Bootlegged Aliens: Immigration Politics on America's Northern Border (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2020).

As Bootlegged Aliens explores how undocumented immigration in Detroit created the framework for America's contemporary immigration system, this book will be of particular interest to readers both because of its focus on Southeast Michigan and because of its relevance to current policy debates.

Faculty in the News

Dr. Judy Foster Davis, whose research concerns the intersection of race, marketing, and advertising, was quoted on the subject of racism in branding by three significant publications over the summer: the Los Angeles Times on June 17, Consumer Goods Technology on June 19, and the Washington Post on June 23. It is great to see the expertise of our faculty coming to light nationally under any circumstances, but particularly on a subject so germane to our mission and vital for our society at this time.

Eastern Faculty Receives Health Equity Award

Dr. Tsu-Yin Wu received the Health Equity Award from the National Civic League and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She was nominated by her colleagues on behalf of the EMU Center for Health Disparities Innovations and Studies. Congratulations, Tsu-Yin on this well-deserved recognition!

Eastern Faculty Receives Major Music Award

We are thrilled to announce that Assistant Professor, Deborah Pae, a member of the Namirovsky-Lark-Pae Trio, was was awarded the German Record Critics' Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik) in the category of Chamber Music for their debut album "Masterpieces Among Peers." Next to the GRAMMY Awards in the United States, the Echo Klassik, and the ICMA-International Classical Music Awards, we are told that the German Record Critics’ Award is one of the most notable honors in Europe. Congratulations to Deborah and her fellow musicians on this esteemed award!

Eastern Faculty Secures National Science Foundation Grant

Please join me in congratulating Matt Cook, Assistant Professor of Cultural Geography and Historic Preservation, on the award of a National Science Foundation grant titled "The Role of Museums in the Landscape of Minority Representation." Matt serves as a co-Pi on this $508,380 multi-year grant.

Sonia Chawla a Featured Speaker at Cayuse Conference

Dr. Sonia Chawla, Research Compliance Officer, was a featured speaker at the Cayuse users conference in September. The conference organizers requested she address the topic, Reopening Research Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Congratulations to Sonia and thank you for all of your hard work to keep Eastern’s research programs moving during the pandemic!

Eastern Staff Receives CMU’s 10 Within 10 Award

Dr. LaMarcus D. Howard, Associate Director of Eastern’s Disability Resource Center, was recently recognized by the Central Michigan University (CMU) Alumni Association as a recipient of the Class of 2020 10 Within 10 Award. This program recognizes young alumni who bring honor to CMU through work in their career or community. LaMarcus was nominated by many of his peers, faculty, and higher education administrators for this award.

Criteria for this award consisted of excelling within the first 10 years post-graduation and have shown potential for continued success, receiving recognition for significant professional/personal achievements, discoveries, or creative work and serving as an outstanding young role model for current and future Central Michigan University students and alumni by exhibiting the values of integrity, respect, compassion, inclusiveness, social responsibility, excellence, and innovation.

LaMarcus is humbled to receive this award as he follows fellow CMU alumnus Dr. Eric Reed who was a Class of 2019 recipient of this prestigious award. Please check out LaMarcus’ Class of 2020 10 Within 10 Award bio!

Another Award Winning Eastern Faculty!

Please join us in congratulating Professor David Victor, recipient of the 2020 Award of Merit in Memory of Francis W. Weeks from the Association for Business Communication. The purpose of this award is to acknowledge contributions to the profession and to recognize outstanding achievement through a singular accomplishment or a series of accomplishments in the discipline of business communication and its related areas of study. Dr. Victor distinguished himself for this recognition through his excellence in teaching, pedagogy, and methodology; research and publications; and professionalism. We invite you to read this article highlighting Dr. Victor’s award.

A “Rising Star” in our Midst!

Congratulations to Ms. Susan Schanne, Part Time Lecturer and Writing Center Consultant in the College of Business, on receiving the Association for Business Communication (ABC) 2020 Rising Star Award. ABC’s Rising Star Award recognizes the meaningful contributions to the mission and membership of the Association and to the business communication field at large through excellent teaching, research, and/or practical applications. In particular, ABC lauded Ms Schanne for her outstanding service and inspiring work as a conference chair.

Eastern Faculty Works to Identify Treatment for COVID-19

Dr. Renuka “Ray” Roche, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, along with her husband, Dr. Joseph Roche from Wayne State University, graced the cover of the local SEEN magazine. They were recognized for their efforts to combat COVID-19. Please take a moment to read this article highlighting their important work.

Call for Nominations: Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty Awards

A reminder that nominations are now being accepted for the Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty Awards. Visit the webpage for a description of the awards, instructions, and the application link.

The Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty Awards are offered in the following six categories: Teaching I, Teaching II, Research I, Research II, Creative Activity, and Service. Each award carries a $3,500 stipend given as a one-time lump sum (not included in the faculty member's base salary). All tenure-track and tenured faculty members are eligible to receive only one EMU Ronald W. Collins Distinguished Faculty Award. The awards will be presented at the Distinguished Contributions Awards Ceremony, March 24, 2021.

A faculty member may be nominated in the following way:

1. Self-Nomination
2. Nominated by another faculty member
3. Nominated by three (3) or more students
4. Nominated by a department/college

The nominee is ultimately responsible for the completion and submission of the application.

If you have any questions, please contact Konnie Kustron at [email protected].

Student Center and Rec/IM Hours of Operation

For the month of January, hours for the Student Center and Rec/IM have been reduced. For your information, we are listing the hours of operation below:

Student Center Building Hours

January 4-24, 2021

• Monday thru Friday – 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Closed Saturday and Sunday

Beginning January 25, 2021

• Monday thru Friday – 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday – 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Rec/IM Building January Hours

• Monday thru Friday – 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Saturday – noon – 4 p.m.
• Sunday – noon – 4 p.m.

Jones Pool-January hours

• Monday thru Friday – 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Saturday – 10 a.m. -Noon
• Sunday - closed

Personnel Updates

A special thank you to all who participated in the many search committees over the past academic year. Your hard work and dedication has resulted in successful searches for the following faculty and administrative positions. Please join me in welcoming these colleagues to their new positions at Eastern:

• Peter Blackmer, Assistant Professor of Africology & African American Studies in the Department of Africology & African American Studies
• Adam Bogedain, Instructor of Construction Management in the School of Visual & Built Environments
• Sarah Cox, Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Department of Special Education & Communication Sciences & Disorders
• Elizabeth Donovan, Assistant Professor of Paralegal Studies in the School of Technology & Professional Services Management
• Amy Fyn, Assistant Professor and Business Librarian in the University Library
• L’Meese Greaney, Lecturer I, Retention Services
• Imandeep Grewal, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education in the Department of Teacher Education
• Michael Koscielniak, Assistant Professor of Urban & Regional Planning in the Department of Geography & Geology
• Sheila Longpré, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health Sciences
• Amanda Maher, Assistant Professor of Social Studies Methodology in the Department of History & Philosophy
• Uttara Manohar, Assistant Professor of Intercultural/Interracial Communication in the School of Communication, Media and Theatre Arts
• John Smith, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Bands in the School of Music & Dance
• Michael Switzer, Assistant Professor of Clinical Research Administration in the School of Health Sciences
• Christine Uthoff, Lecturer I in the School of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts
• Moira Visovatti, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing

Faculty Tenure and Promotions

Congratulations to the following faculty who recently achieved tenure:

• Jennifer Avery, School of Nursing
• Meriam Caboral-Stevens, School of Nursing
• Jihung Choi, Marketing
• Karen Ann Craig, Accounting & Finance
• Claudia Drossel, Psychology
• Jennifer Farley, School of Social Work
• Audrey Farrugia, Special Education
• Brendan Fay, School of Art & Design
• Tricia Finger, School of Health Sciences
• Christopher Gellasch, Geography & Geology
• Charles Graham, School of Social Work
• Naomi Hashimoto, Special Education
• Holly Hopkins, School of Nursing
• Qin Hu, School of Engineering
• Khairul Islam, Mathematics and Statistics
• Maria Keelon, Physician Assistant Program (HPHP)
• You Li, School of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts
• Angie Mann-Williams, School of Social Work
• Laxmikant Manroop, Management
• Dorothy McAllen, School of Tech Prof Serv Mgt
• Carmen McCallum, Leadership & Counseling
• Rodney McCurdy, School of Health Sciences
• Laura McMahon, History & Philosophy
• Christina Mirtes, Teacher Education
• HakilMoon, Marketing
• Eric Paradis, Physics & Astronomy
• Caren PutzuSchool of Social Work
• Chalice Randazzo, English Language and Literature
• Rema Reynolds, Leadership & Counseling
• Rita Shah, Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology
• Perigrine Silverschanz, School of Social Work
• John Sonnega. School of Health Promotion & Human Performance
• Tucker Staley, Political Science
• Angela Staples, Psychology
• Erica Zonder, School of Health Promotion & Human Performance

Congratulations to the following faculty who recently received promotions:

• Amanda Allen, Professor, English Language & Literature
• Jennifer Avery, Associate Professor, School of Nursing
• Joseph Badics, Associate Professor, University Library
• Zenia Bahorski, Professor, Computer Science
• Stephen Blair, Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
• Laurie Blondy, Professor, School of Nursing
• Meriam Caboral-Stevens, Associate Professor, School of Nursing
• Howard Cass, Professor, School of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts
• Jihung Choi, Associate Professor, Marketing
• Karen Craig, Associate Professor, Accounting & Finance
• Claudia Drossel, Associate Professor, Psychology
• Jennifer Farley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
• Audrey Farrugia, Associate Professor, Special Education
• Brendan Fay, Associate Professor, School of Art & Design
• Frank Fedel, Professor, School of Health Promotion & Human Performance
• Tricia Finger, Associate Professor, School of Health Sciences
• Ronald Flowers, Professor, Leadership & Counseling
• Christopher Gellasch, Associate Professor, Geography & Geology
• Charles, Graham, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
• Katherine Greenwald, Professor, Biology
• Naomi Hashimoto, Associate Professor, Special Education
• Holly Hopkins, Associate Professor, School of Nursing
• Qin Hu, Associate Professor, School of Engineering
• Khairul Islam, Associate Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
• Jesse Kauffman, Professor , History & Philosophy
• Maria Keelon , Associate Professor , Physician Assistant Program (HPHP)
• Raul Leon, Professor, Leadership & Counseling
• You Li, Associate Professor, School of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts
• Angela Lukomski, Professor, School of Nursing
• Angie Mann-Williams, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
• Laxmikant Manroop, Associate Professor, Management
• Dorothy McAllen, Associate Professor, School of Tech Prof Serv Mgt
• Carmen McCallum Associate Professor, Leadership & Counseling
• Rodney McCurdy, Associate Professor, School of Health Sciences
• Laura McMahon, Associate Professor, History & Philosophy
• Christina Mirtes, Associate Professor, Teacher Education
• Hakil Moon, Associate Professor, Marketing
• Eric Paradis, Associate Professor, Physics & Astronomy
• David Pawlowski, Professor, Physics & Astronomy
• Caren Putzu, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
• Shawn Quilter, Professor, Teacher Education
• Kim Rescorla , Professor, Mathematics and Statistics
• Rema Reynolds, Associate Professor, Leadership & Counseling
• Jodi Schumacher, Associate Professor, School of Health Promotion & Human Performance
• Rita Shah, Associate Professor, Sociology, Anthropology & Criminology
• Perigrine Silverschanz, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
• John Sonnega, Associate Professor, School of Health Promotion & Human Performance
• Tucker Staley, Associate Professor, Political Science
• Angela Staples, Associate Professor, Psychology
• David Wozniak, Professor, Accounting & Finance
• Yu Zhang, Professor, Accounting & Finance
• Erica Zonder, Associate Professor, School of Health Promotion & Human Performance

Honoring our Emeritus Faculty

We are proud to announce that the EMU Board of Regents approved the awarding of emeritus status to faculty and lecturers at the past few meetings. Please join us in honoring each of them for the contributions they made during their careers here at EMU.

Emeritus Faculty Status Approved February 2020

• Elizabeth Broughton, Department of Leadership and Counseling from 1997 to 2019 who retired after 22 years
• Nancy Copeland, Department of Teacher Education from 1990 to 2019 who retired after 29 years
• Sam Fullerton, Department of Marketing from 1982 to 2019 who retired after 37 years
• Susan Gregory, School of Technology and Professional Services Management from 2002 to 2019 who retired after 17 years
• William Moylan, School of Visual and built Environments from 2002 to 2019 who retired after 17 years
• David Pierce, School of Music and Dance from 1990 to 2019 who retired after 29 years
• Rebecca Sipe, Department of English Language and Literature from 1997 to 2019 who retired after 22 years
• Toni Stokes Jones, Department of Teacher Education from 1999 to 2019 who retired after 20 years
• Darcelle White, School of Technology and Professional Services Management from 1995 to 2019 who retired after 24 years
• Diane Winder, School of Music and Dance from 1988 to 2020 who retired after 31 years
• Rick Rogers, Lecturer, Department of History and Philosophy from 1992 to 2019 who retired after 28 years

Emeritus Faculty Status Approved June 2020

• Marcia Bombyk, School of Social Work from 1996 to 2019 who retired after 23 years
• Susan Moeller, Department of Accounting and Finance from 1990 to 2019 who retired after 29 years.

Emeritus Faculty Status Approved October 2020

• Gregg Barak, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology from 1991 to 2020 who retired after 29 years
• Mary Brake, School of Engineering from 2004 to 2020 who retired after 16 years
• Margaret Davis, Art and Design from 1994 to 2019 who retired after 25 years
• Sandra Defebaugh, Department of Marketing from 1986 to 2020 who retired after 33 years
• Badie Farah, Department of Computer Information Systems from 1982 to 2020 who retired after 38 years
• Bob Lahidji, School of Engineering from 1994 to 2020 who retired after 26 years
• Virginia Maceda Lan, School of Nursing from 1997 to 2020 who retired after 23 years
• Jean M. McEnery, Department of Management from 1980 to 2020 who retired after 40 years
• John Whitney Prince, School of Music and Dance from 1981 to 2020 who retired after 39 years
• Keith Judd Stanger, University Library from 1974 to 2020 who retired after 46 years
• James Stein, School of Visual and Built Environments from 1991 to 2020 who retired after 29 years
• Jeanne L. Thomas, School of Social Work from 2004 to 2020 who retired after 16 years
• Pam Walsh, School of Health Sciences from 2005 to 2020 who retired after 15 years
• Patricia Zimmer, School of Communication, Media and Theatre Arts from 1980 to 2020 who retired after 40 years

Emeritus Faculty Status Approved December 2020

• Paul Bruss, Department of English Language & Literature from 1969 to 2019 who retired after 50 years
• Bernard A. Miller, Department of English Language & Literature from 1987 to 2020 who retired after 33 years
• Marilyn Wedenoja, School of Social Work from 1992 to 2020 who retired after 28 years

Compliance with COVID-19 Rules and Regulations

As we continue our safe return to campus, my sincere hope that we can all hold one another accountable for keeping our community safe. I strongly believe that most community members will adhere to the new COVID-19 new rules and regulations. At the same time, as a University we are well positioned to address the behavior of any community members who choose not to. Here is some guidance for faculty on dealing with issues of non-compliance that may arise in the classroom.

• Instructors should immediately end any class session if students are non compliant.
• Instructors should report all violations to the OWCR.
• Incident reports should be filed using our online reporting system.
• Students will be charged under existing Code violations.
• Instructors may use the Classroom Removal procedure to prevent the students' return pending a resolution.
• Students may receive both probation and deferred suspension as part of this resolution.
• Future incidents may result in a separation from the University.