Provost's Briefing - October 15, 2021

Students Talk; Faculty and Staff Listen: Students from Detroit Talk to Faculty and Staff about their Experiences at EMU

Please join the Office of Academic Success Partnerships and the College of Arts & Sciences Diversity & Inclusion Committee as we celebrate the city of Detroit by spotlighting a panel of bright and promising EMU students from this great metropolis. These students will share their stories and insights about their experiences at EMU in hopes that faculty and staff who attend will gain practical knowledge and new perspectives concerning how we all might do an even better job of mentoring our students and supporting their continuing success. In addition to this focus, this presentation is also open to all EMU students and community members who wish to learn more about EMU’s long-standing relationship with Detroit.

This panel discussion is scheduled for Thursday, October 21st at 6:30pm via Zoom. Attendance is free; however, we do ask that attendees RSVP via this form.

EMU students who attend this event will be eligible for LBC credits.

If you have any additional questions about this event, or if you have questions you would like to submit to the moderators prior to this event, please email Stephen Jefferson,  CAS DEI Chair, at [email protected] with the subject line, “Questions About the Detroit Student Panel.”

Success Plans in Starfish

In a collaboration with UACDC, the Holman Student Success Center is piloting personalized academic success plans for all first-year students in the EMU Edge program. 

The plan includes a number of to-do items for incoming students, including completing an intake survey to gauge a student's strengths and challenges; meeting with a Success Coach; creating a planning system for all assignments, exams, job shifts, study sessions, and other activities and responsibilities; and setting up tech tools like the EMU Engage app, Canvas, and Gmail. 

Coaches can also assign personalized to-do items based on a student's schedule; for example, a student taking BIO 110 will be assigned a task to visit BIO Nights on Tuesdays from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm with HSC. A student with course content questions may be assigned a task to visit their professor's office hours. 

Additional tasks may include attending a FAFSA help session sponsored by Financial Aid, one of our Winter Study Skills workshops, and scheduling the academic advising meeting for Winter 2022 ahead of the rush.

We're excited to see the return on this project, and expecting to meet our goal of a demonstrated correlation between completed success plans and student success through GPA and retention. 

Doctorate of Nursing Practice Student’s Scholarly Project Podium Presentations

The School of Nursing invites the campus community to attend their Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Project Podium Presentations on October 19 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. wherein their inaugural DNP candidates will publicly present the results of their scholarly projects as required for their degrees. They anticipate having four DNP candidate presentations. The candidates will each have 20 minutes for their presentations followed by approximately 10 minutes of questions from committee and/or audience members. Members of the public, community healthcare partners, faculty and students are welcome to attend. 

To RSVP and receive additional information along with an e-mailed calendar invitation to the event and option to receive a recording of the event, please register online.  You may also join us the day of the meeting by using the following Zoom link: https://emich.zoom.us/j/83875808256

Student Wellness in the Classroom Series

A series of events on student wellness in the classroom will begin with the workshop “Student Wellness and Crisis Management in the Classroom” on Tuesday, October 19, from 9:30 - 11:00 am in the Collaboratory (109B Halle). This workshop is a collaboration between the FDC, Office of Ombuds, Disability Resource Center, and Office of Wellness and Community Responsibility and will focus on how to respond to your students in crisis, what services are available to your students, and how to maintain rigor in your classes while attending to issues of student wellness in EMU’s unique student population. More information can be found here. You may register for the workshop using this form  . Save the date as well for a second workshop in this series, “Building a Positive Classroom Community,” on November 4, from 2:00-3:30 pm in the Collaboratory!

 Mandatory Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Training for Students

EMU is committed to preventing sexual assault and relationship violence. As part of that commitment, we continue to develop and update educational initiatives to increase the knowledge and awareness of how the University responds to, addresses, and prevents the effects of sex-based discrimination that occur within and affect our community. 

The University is pleased to announce a new mandatory online training program for all students focusing on sexual assault prevention and awareness.  The 30-minute course covers several important topics, including:

• The rights and protections of students under Title IX,
• Prohibited conduct under the University's Title IX Policy,
• The role of bystander intervention in responding to incidents, and
• Other practical guidance for preventing harassment and sex-based discrimination, and working towards our collective learning at EMU that promotes mutual respect and consent.

Students will not be permitted to register for winter semester classes until they complete this training.  We ask for your help in encouraging students to participate in this important training prior to the opening of Winter 2022 registration period.

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.

Academic Service Learning Presents Fulbright Scholar Alžbeta Gregorová

Engage@EMU and the Faculty Development Center are thrilled to announce that visiting Fulbright Scholar Alžbeta Gregorová will be holding a presentation and discussion about her experiences and insights while working in service-learning in Central & Eastern Europe. Alžbeta is a senior lecturer in Social Work and Service-Learning Coordinator at Matej Bel University in Slovakia.  She is the author of several publications related to AS-L and has coordinated multiple international service-learning projects.  In this presentation, she will share insights and experience in order to compare AS-L practice and development in Central/Eastern Europe and the U.S.

If you are interested in attending, please register here. We hope to see you there! For more information email: [email protected]

Calling All Honors Instructors!  FDC hosts a Discussion on Getting the Most out of your Honors Experience

Are you slated to teach an honors course for the first time? Or, have you taught honors courses for a while, and want to figure out how to make them stand out? Join the FDC for a discussion featuring Honors instructors and students, focusing on what makes for a successful honors course, and how you can make whatever you are doing (or planning to do) even more successful. Dr. John Staunton and Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein will facilitate the discussion on Tuesday, October 19, from 12:30 - 1:30 pm in the Collaboratory (109B Halle). More information can be found here; you can sign up using this form (you can also find the Zoom link there if you wish to attend virtually). 

Save the Dates! Research Writing Collaborative Workshop #2: Goal Setting for Writing During Winter 2022 and Shut Up and Write!

On Monday, December 6, at 10:30 am via Zoom! Dr. Stephanie Wladkowski will join the FDC again as facilitator of the Research Writing Collaborative Workshop. More information can be found here. You may register for this event at this link.

In addition, there are 4 more drop-in, 2-hour, virtual writing sessions called “Shut Up and Write.” The goal is to have space with limited distractions to focus on writing. Dr. Wladkowski will be hosting these sessions via Zoom.  You do not need to be on camera, but you should be prepared to share your writing goal(s) for the session.

• October 21, 2021 10:00 AM
• November 4, 2021 10:00 AM
• November 18, 2021 10:00 AM
• December 2, 2021 10:00 AM

You can join the Zoom Meeting for these events at the following link:  https://emich.zoom.us/j/82227061297?pwd=M2twYWpTOFJaWDhrcFdkYU9JWGNyZz09

Faculty Spotlight: Regenerational Storytelling Project

The Regenerational Storytelling Project was devised by Jessica ‘Decky’ Alexander with the goal of uniting generations through the power of storytelling, improvisation, performance and writing. 

Students participated in the use of improvisational storytelling tools to engage in and with seniors, recognizing the power of art as a tool or a medium to foster collaboration, wellness, and community. Additionally, working with someone from a different age and generation broadened their understanding of the world, economically, socially, and emotionally. 

Funded through the Ford Community Corps  program, the project worked in collaboration with the Ypsilanti Senior Center   and the office of Engage@EMU to recruit participants from the community. Once the participants were selected, the group met weekly to explore their creative storytelling styles together. Time flew, and before they knew it, their work with this project had come to an end. Thankfully, those who had participated in the first workshop series were so invested in the continuation of the project that they were able to conduct a second round. From the second round of workshops, they devised the creation of this book: a collection of our stories, poems, quotes and conversations shared and developed during our time together. We hope you’ll take a moment to flip through its pages and reflect on your own stories and who you might want to share them with. To view the Regenerational Storybook click here. 

On-Campus Vaccination Clinics

In partnership with the State of Michigan, Eastern will host two upcoming vaccination clinics.  Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be offered, as well as Pfizer booster shots for those who qualify.  These clinics are open to Washtenaw County residents; no appointment or registration is necessary.  Please share this information with others.

Friday, October 15, 2021

11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

310 A/B Student Center

Saturday, November 6, 2021

11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Ballroom B, Student Center

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.

Invitation to Participate: Higher Learning Commission Comprehensive Four-Year Accreditation Review.

On October 25 and 26, the Higher Learning Commission will be visiting the campus of Eastern Michigan University to conduct a comprehensive review of the institution as part of our ongoing accreditation. The Higher Learning Commission is the regional accrediting body charged with advancing the common good through quality assurance of higher education. HLC last accredited Eastern Michigan University in 2017 for a period of 10 years. This visit is a comprehensive four-year accreditation review.

As part of this visit, the team of Peer Reviewers will conduct four open forums with four university constituent groups (Faculty, Non-Faculty Instructional Staff, Non-Instructional Staff, and Students). The purpose of these forums is to gain perspective on the institution from a broad representation of members of the university community. The Review Team will provide a number of discussion prompts to facilitate perspective gathering. We encourage participation in these forums and hope you will participate in this review process, which is vital to EMU’s continued success.

Listed below are dates and times for each forum including the links to the required registration form for each group.  We hope to see you there!

 Monday, October 25 

• Faculty Open Forum from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. via Zoom; Register here.
• Student Open Forum from 1:30 to 3 p.m. (SC Auditorium; limited to 50 participants)

Tuesday, October 26

• Non-Faculty, Instructional Staff Open Forum from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (SC Ballroom; limited to 50 participants; Register here.
• Non-Instructional Staff Open Forum from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (SC Auditorium; limited to 50 participants); Register here.