Provost's Briefing - October 1, 2021

Eastern Students Highlight Cybersecurity at Motor Bella

Eastern Cyber Security students were front and center at Motor Bella showcasing autonomous vehicle cybersecurity. Led by Dr. Samir Tout, Professor of Information Security and Applied Computing, the student’s display featured them hacking a car that the university uses for research, as well as providing information on how to prevent hacking and cyber attacks.  Take a couple minutes to check out this short video taken at the event. Kudos to Professor Tout and the cyber security students on representing EMU at this prestigious event!

Kappa Delta Pi International Honor’s Society for Educators - EMU Chapter Creates New Award to Honor Administrator

Eastern’s College of Education (COE) chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) International Society for Educators recognized Dr. Wendy Burke, Department Head and Professor, Teacher Education, for her “fierce outreach and exhaustive service” to COE students.   Dr. Burke's dedication to student success and wellbeing was demonstrated by the diverse logistical means by which she would engage in self-care conversations and offer support during the pandemic. Because of her commitment to caring for her students and colleagues, the KDP students created a special distinction legacy award for Dr. Burke called the “Humanitarian Award.”  Congratulations, Dr. Burke and thank you for making such a powerful impact on the lives of our COE students.

Eastern’s Office of the Ombuds Receives Regional Award

Eastern’s Office of the Ombuds is the recipient of the 2021 NASPA Region IV-East Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award. Congratulations to Julia Heck and her team on this well-deserved recognition of the impactful work you do supporting our students! 

Undergraduate Research Stimulus Program - Funding Increase

The Undergraduate Research Office invites undergraduate students, with the assistance of their faculty mentors, to submit applications for the Winter 2022 Undergraduate Research Stimulus Program Award. 

The Undergraduate Research Stimulus Program (URSP) is intended to facilitate research partnerships between undergraduate students and Eastern Michigan University faculty. Successful student applicants will receive a $2,200 fellowship in support of their research efforts. The collaborating faculty member may receive $600, which can be used for lab/studio supplies or equipment, professional travel, or other professional expenses.   

The deadline to apply for Winter 2022 awards is 11:59 PM, November 2, 2021.  More information may be found on the EMU Research website.

Faculty Spotlight: Eastern Faculty’s Contributions to Multidisciplinary Textbook

A new textbook -- co-edited by Dr. Sarah Ginsberg, Professor, Special Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders -- has just been released and it includes chapters authored by nine EMU faculty and lecturers.  This multidisciplinary work shows educators how to use evidence to inform teaching practices and improve educational outcomes for students in clinically based fields of study.   

Evidence-Based Education in the Classroom: Examples from Clinical Disciplines  (https://www.slackbooks.com/evidence-based-education-in-the-classroom-examples-from-clinical-disciplines/) includes work from a variety of clinical fields and includes  the following chapters from EMU authors:

• "Assigned Groups as Learning Communities In and Beyond the Classroom" by Cassandra Barragan & Stephanie Wladkowski
• "Training Future Health Professionals Using an Interdisciplinary Approach" by Judi Brooks, Diane Fenske, Lydia McBurrows, & Andrea Zakrajsek
• "Using Flipped-Course Pedagogy to Promote Competence in Professional Education by Ken Saldanha & D. Mark Ragg
• "Collaborative Course [Re]Design" by Sarah Ginsberg & Lauren Mead, graduate of the EMU Speech Language Pathology Program

As Dr. Ginsberg shared, “It makes me so proud to see EMU educators' presence in the world of SoTL and evidence-based education (and to be part of that myself). I think that it reflects the teaching excellence that conveys the best of who we are and what we do.”  Thank you, Sarah, we couldn’t agree more!

Congratulations to all of the authors and thank you for the work you do to ensure Eastern’s legacy of excellence in education continues!

Last Call for Applications: James H. Brickley Endowment for Faculty Professional Development and Innovation

The purpose of the James H. Brickley Award is to facilitate faculty professional development and innovation through a broad range of activities, including but not limited to, things such as: 

• Reassigned time from teaching for scholarly, creative and innovative endeavorath
• Conference presentations
• Travel
• Hiring of research assistants  
• Purchase of special equipment or supplies for teaching, scholarly, research, creative, or innovative activities
• Development of a grant proposal for external funding 
• Similar or related academic activities

Special emphasis is given to innovation, such as the application of newer techniques and technologies for creating mental health programs for immigrants, providing special workshops for parents with autistic children, or working with students, parents, teachers, and community leaders in addressing drug addiction.

Ordinarily, the awards will be kept small so that more faculty members can benefit.  Newer and untenured faculty members are encouraged especially to apply to this program.  All applicants are encouraged also to seek matching funds from other internal and external sources.  The deadline for applications is October 1, 2021.  For more information visit the EMU Research website.

Faculty Development Center Presents Internal Research Award Writing Workshops

Are you thinking about applying for a Summer Research Award?  If so, please consider attending sessions devoted to helping you with your applications!  Hosted by Dr. Lois Mahoney, Professor of Accounting, these workshops are designed to assist faculty with writing successful EMU Research proposals.  Participants may attend in-person or via Zoom.

Part I : Monday, October 4, at 4 p.m., 217 Halle

Professor Mahoney, who has served on the University Research and Sabbatical Leave Committee (URSLC), will go over the application requirements and strategies for writing successful proposals. 

Part II: Tuesday, October 19 or Monday, October 25, both at 4 p.m., in the Collaboratory (109B Halle) 

Professor Mahoney will be back to help people with the actual preparation of the application, including peer review with other attendees at the session.  

More information on the Workshops can be found here; you can sign up for these sessions using this form. 

Eastern Faculty Receives Order of Merit 

Congratulations to Dr. Carla Damiano, Professor of German, who received the Order of Merit from the Federal President of Germany, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier.  The Order of Merit is the highest form of honor for outstanding achievements that the Federal Republic of Germany recognizes. This honor acknowledges the commitment of Dr. Damiano to further the German language and literature in the United States, her support for students of German, her active role in academic exchange and her participation in keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive. 

Save the Date: CONNECT Mini Conference

Join the Faculty Development Center and EMU Partners on February 11th, 2022 for the 11th Annual CONNECT Mini Conference; an event packed full of presentations, shares, and panels. Drop in for one or two sessions or stay the whole time.  Learn about the eFellows grant program, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Research Writer's Collaboratives, CANVAS, high impact practices, research techniques, and much, much more. Additional details will be provided as we get closer to the conference.

Call for Applications: EMU Women in Philanthropy Grant

The Women in Philanthropy at EMU (WIP) group supports projects that align with the mission and vision of Eastern Michigan University. They are committed to funding projects that demonstrate the following priorities:

• Enhance learning opportunities for Eastern Michigan University faculty, staff, alumni and/or students;
• Improve the Eastern Michigan University climate through support for diverse groups and collaborative efforts;
• Foster creativity and innovation as it relates to Eastern Michigan University; and
• Expand partnerships between Eastern Michigan University and the community.

All Eastern Michigan University employees, university-sponsored alumni and alumni groups, faculty-sponsored students, and university-recognized student groups without regard to gender are eligible to apply for awards for up to $5,000. 

Applications must be submitted online.  The deadline to apply is 4:00 p.m., October 11, 2021.  Questions may be directed to Grant Co-Chair Dr. Linda Pritchard at [email protected].  

Attention Staff: New Web Page for Entering Timesheets and Submitting Leave Reports 

Eastern’s Division of IT has launched a new timesheet entry/Leave Report webpage that is part of the Self-Service Banner 9 (SSB 9) upgrade. A link for the new page (SSB 9 Time Entry) appears next to the current Time Sheet link in My.Emich.

The new SSB 9 Time Entry web page is easy to use, with a calendar display for better visualization and data entry. An information session on SSB 9 Time Entry will be available in a webinar on Thursday, October 7 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (Registration required).  Video of the session will also be available.

The IT website also has a resource for the new SSB 9 Time Entry pages. View the SSB 9 Time Entry web guide.   

The current Time Sheet link will remain in My.Emich until Winter 2022. So if you have trouble with SSB 9 Time Entry the old webpage is still available.

New Email Encryption Tool Available - Virtru

EMU’s Division of Technology Security Team is offering faculty and staff a new tool that we will be using to encrypt emails and attachments. Virtru is a leading email and file encryption provider that will help us protect sensitive information to ensure our organization stays safe and compliant with various regulations. With Virtru, you’re able to send and read encrypted messages and attachments without ever leaving your inbox—and without your recipients downloading any software or creating a password. In addition to its ease of use, it will also allow our organization to:

• Meet compliance requirements and avoid potential penalties.
• Reduce the risk of data breaches.
• Have the freedom to collaborate with confidence and productively share data in the cloud.
• Maintain control of our data, and see who’s accessing and interacting with it.

If you share sensitive information as part of your job, it’s important that you download and activate Virtru. Follow the instructions to download  the appropriate plug-in from the Virtru website. Once the plug-in is downloaded on your machine, please follow these instructions to activate Virtru.  I.T. recommends the Chrome browser for the best end-user experience.

Please review the Sensitive Data Guide to see the sorts of information for which Virtru is appropriate.