Provost's Wednesday Briefing - October 30, 2019

Eastern is Working to Improve Transfer Student Experience

Eastern was selected to participate in the “Foundations of Excellence® Transfer Focus,” a significant self-study and an improvement planning process that addresses collegiate transfer.

A diverse set of faculty and staff from across the University are lending their expertise to the project.

A critical component of this process is a survey that will elicit the opinions of faculty and staff about the degree to which our University facilitates an effective transfer experience for our students. The anonymous survey responses are an essential source of information for this project, as we evaluate this institution’s effectiveness in facilitating transfer and recommend appropriate institutional improvements.

If selected to participate, you will receive an email from Dr. Doris Fields, Director of Undergraduate Studies, on November 4th. The email will include your unique link to the survey. You will only need 10 to 15 minutes to complete the online survey. 

Your participation is crucial, as you offer a unique perspective that is not captured by other means. Thank you for joining your colleagues in supporting this effort to strengthen the learning environment for our students. 

Please direct your questions to [email protected].

Eastern’s SROTC Program Achieves Viability Standards

Please join me in recognizing Lt. Col. Matthew Stanley for his leadership of the Army’s Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (SROTC) program.  A recent annual assessment by the Secretary of the Army showed the program achieved the required viability standards. Further, the program was lauded for the many quality officers it has produced throughout the years.  Congratulations to Lt. Col. Stanley and all the staff and faculty who contribute to this important partnership.

2020 Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Awards Nominations

As part of our 2020 MLK Celebration, Eastern continues its tradition of recognizing individuals from within the University and surrounding community who exemplify the values and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Each year, a key part of the celebration is the presentation of three awards at the MLK Day President's Luncheon, to be held on January 20, 2020. These awards include the:

• MLK Student Scholarship
• MLK Humanitarian Award
• Evans-Strand Peace Award

Nominations for these awards will be accepted through Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 5 p.m. For a full description of each award and information on the application process, please visit Eastern’s MLK Celebration website. 

Eastern Approves New Academic Program

The EMU Board of Regents approved the Quantitative Economics, Bachelor of Science program at its regular meeting on Friday, Oct. 25.  This program will teach complex data analysis skills and combine economic theory with a foundation in mathematics and statistics. More quantitatively oriented than the BA in Economics, the program is designed to prepare students for jobs requiring data analysis skills or ready them for graduate programs in economics, business or other related fields. Read more about this exciting new program!

Aging Studies Program Annual Lecture: Helping Caregivers Manage Behaviors in Persons with Dementia

The Aging Studies program is proud to welcome to campus Dr. Katherine Marx, a research associate scientist working at the Center for Innovative Care in Aging at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Dr. Marx will give a lecture focused on common behavioral symptoms that the majority of persons living with dementia experience at some point during the disease and a variety of evidence-based interventions to help manage these behaviors.  The lecture begins at 4:30 pm on October 30 in the McKenny Ballroom. This event is free and open to the public.

Personnel Update: Office of Advancement

Congratulations to Mia Milton on her appointment to the position of Interim Executive Director of Alumni Relations & Engagement. In this new role, Mia will provide the necessary leadership and support of the upcoming Comprehensive Campaign by working with the Alumni Association Board to build a plan for increased alumni engagement.  We wish her much success in this new role! 

Reminder: Academic Regalia Orders Due by November 1

Faculty who plan to participate in the Winter 2019 ceremony must inform their department head or school director by November 15 to ensure we have adequate seating at the ceremony. All commencement participants must attend the ceremony in academic dress. If you do not own regalia and need to rent a cap and gown, please place your order online. The deadline for ordering regalia is November 1. We look forward to seeing you at the ceremony!;

Smile!  Dates are set for Faculty and Staff Photos

The Office of Communications provides studio-quality headshots of faculty, staff and students to be used for university purposes.  If you don’t have an official university photo, or if it’s time to update your existing photo, you may register for one of the following sessions: 

November 4, 2:30 to 4 pm
November 21, 1:30 to 2:30 pm 

All photographs are taken in 102 Welch Hall and should take approximately 10 minutes.  For more information email Deb Burke or call 734.487.6895.

Get your Tickets for the Thanksgiving Luncheon

The Thanksgiving Luncheons will be held Wednesday, November 20, 2019 and Thursday, November 21, 2019 in the Grand Ballroom of the Student Center Building. From 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. each day.

The cost to attend is subsidized by the President's Office, and remains only $6 per person. Tickets must be paid for personally, and no University Payment Card or departmental funds may be used. Individual tickets and tables of eight can be purchased at the Convocation Center ticket office in person, by phone at 734.487.2282, or online at the EMU tickets website. 

As part of Eastern’s tradition of making giving back a part of the Thanksgiving Luncheon, we have partnered with the VISION Volunteer Center to collect donations for SOS Community Services at the Thanksgiving Luncheon. To learn more about the amazing work SOS Community Services does in our community, please visit their website. As you consider donating, please consult the SOS wish list to inform your giving. 

For questions regarding the Thanksgiving luncheons, please contact William Pollard at (734) 487-4600 or [email protected]

Be sure to bookmark the EMU Today site to keep current with all the news and events taking place on campus!

Events

• October 31 – Academic Service Learning Lecture: Deborah Appleman: Teaching
• Literacy at a High-Security Prison, 5:30 p.m., Student Center, room 350
• November 5 – An Evening with Dominique Jackson, 6:45 p.m., Student Center Ballroom.  
• November 7 – Creating Barriers to Personal Safety Workshop, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Room 300 Halle Library
• November 8 – Global Engagement Council Campus 2 Career Retreat [PDF] 
• November 22 – Social Justice Fellowship applications due

Deadlines

• October 31 Summer Research/Creative Activity Awards applications due
• November 12 – Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, In Our Neighborhood Grant applications due
• November 20 – Academic Service-Learning/Community Based Seminar applications due
• January 31 – Faculty Research Fellowship (FRF) and Sabbatical Leave Awards applications due