Wednesday Briefing for March 8

The Provost's Wednesday Briefing is a complement to the Provost's Update, intended to be a quick update on achievements and opportunities in Academic and Student Affairs. Please forward any comments or submissions to [email protected].

EMU Named to Phi Theta Kappa's 2017 Transfer Honor Role

This honor, which recognizes excellence in community college transfer pathways, was bestowed upon 63 institutions nationwide. Scores were determined based on institutional partnerships, community college collaboration, pre- and post-transfer institutional support, data tracking, and pathway innovations. As a Transfer Honor Roll institution, EMU will receive materials for marketing and promotion, and will be featured in several Phi Theta Kappa publications. Congratulations and thanks to Pat Cygnar, Colleen Kibin, Molly Weir and Caroline Horste, for overseeing the application process. Here is the Phi Theta Kappa web page focusing on the award.

Phelps Hall Fire

Last Tuesday, Feb. 28, a fire broke out on the fist floor of Phelps Hall; fortunately, there were no injuries. DPS is investigating the cause of the fire, which is still unknown. 49 students from Level 1 of Phelps had to be permanently reassigned to other spaces in Wise and Buell Halls. To assist the students in this unfortunate transition until they were allowed to retrieve their belongings, basic amenities were provided such as sheets, toiletries, towels, and personal items. Students were able to access their belongings on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, and laundry room machines in Phelps, Wise, and Buell were set to “free” from Wednesday through this past Monday to facilitate cleaning the smoke odor out of their clothes and linens. Cleaning continues on the first floor, and there are fans on each floor continuing to air out the building. Additional extensive work including examining the electrical system; replacement of lighting; duct and vent cleaning; and painting will occur in the summer.

Provost Candidate Open Forums

Finalists for EMU's next Provost and Executive Vice President are coming to campus next week. All are welcome and encouraged to attend open forums, which will be held in the Student Center Auditorium from 8–9:20 a.m. on March 13, 14, 15 and 16. Details on the candidates will be distributed later this week.

Part-Time Lecturer Negotiations

Contract negotiations have begun between EMU and the EMU-Federation of Teachers Part Time Lecturers' Union. The current contract expires August 31, 2017. The members of the negotiating teams are listed below.

For the Administration:

Dave Woike, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs
Pat Henry, Academic HR Generalist
Debra Ingram, Department Head, Mathematics
Beth Kubistskey, Associate Dean, College of Education
Chris Herman, School Director, Health Promotion and Human Performance

For the EMU-FT:

Lisa Laverty, President, EMU-FT
Sandra Johnson, Part-Time Lecturer (PTL), Mathematics
Daric Thorne, PTL, Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology
Phillip Bloomer, PTL, Music and Dance
Russell Rhoton, PTF, Engineering Technology
Joe Montgomery, PTL, English Language and Literature
Amy McBain, Full-time Lecturer (FTL), Nursing
Tom Wagner, PTL, Geography and Geology

Many thanks to these individuals in advance for their hard work and collaboration on this important effort.

Walking on Campus

As the weather improves, walking outdoors becomes more appealing for a healthy break from work. Please see walks in University park [PDF] for measured walks, as an option for outdoor break walks.

Academic & Student Affairs