Announcements
EMPLOYEE SERVICE AWARD PROGRAM
Thursday, November 1, 2012
11:00 AM - Noon
Olin Auditorium
There are a number of Augustana employees who are celebrating significant service milestones this calendar year. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for a brief program, presentation of service awards, and then an informal gathering to congratulate your colleagues.
CVs FOR ACCREDITATION
As you know, preparations are getting underway for the Higher Learning Commission accreditation. One of the things we need to accomplish is an archive of all current faculty CVs. Please email a copy of your current CV to Steve Klien, Chair of Faculty Welfare Committee, at your earliest convenience.
ACADEMIC STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION - PLEASE SIGN UP NOW THROUGH LINK BELOW!!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon (with lunch)
Olin Auditorium
Thanks to those of you who've already participated in discussions at the faculty retreat and during Friday Conversation on academic strategic planning. The Office of Academic Affairs wants to have faculty interests and desires reflected in the next strategic plan, and these conversations will help ensure that this happens.
Our next step in the planning process is to further refine and define the broad vision for Augustana faculty and students that we developed through the last conversations. We hope that faculty will be able to attend a planning session on Wednesday, November 7th from 9:00 - noon (with lunch). (Yes, we realize it's during break. No, it's not "required." But we hope that many people will be able to attend.) For those who want to participate but cannot attend the session, please feel free to make an appointment with Pareena Lawrence or email her to discuss your ideas.
Our goal at this session will be to discuss ways in which we can focus on and sharpen these relatively broad ideas into more well-defined goals and strategies. This includes defining what we want andhow it relates to the vision, and creating a set of goals, strategies and structures that will be needed to accomplish these goals. We will be working towards creating a cohesive and succinct case-making statement for our priorities including a robust rationale statement for why these initiatives are important for Augustana's future.
Five priorities will be discussed. Please use the shared google document to sign up for your working group preference: https://docs.google.com/a/augustana.edu/document/d/1Taa6iEO0Oicvch8h_
P8gj1dHe59VxP3HGmyHoHAiUPI/edit
- Priority1: Increased community connections within our region that is embedded in the curriculum and outside the curriculum. More intentional partnering between the Augustana community and others in our region and the global community: maximizing our place-location and global outreach-connections. (Discussion facilitated by Pareena Lawrence)
- Priority #2: A robust student success center, which would provide support for success across the curriculum for all levels of learners including resources for international, ESL, and 1st generation college students. The center could be a link to better connect student services to academic services and the curriculum. (Discussion facilitated by Kristin Douglas)
- Priority #3: Explore the potential for new interdisciplinary programs, strengthen existing programs focusing on interdisciplinarity, and cultivate relationships between departments to increase the opportunities for collaboration in the spirit of liberal education (Discussion facilitated by Margaret Farrar)
- Priority #4: Improved opportunities to better help our students see how to connect their majors, minors and our core curriculum to their careers. Better access to experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad, internships, student research and more use of Augie Choice as part of our overall curriculum. (Discussion facilitated by Ellen Hay)
- Priority #5: Identify more precisely the ways that we should use technology and online learning mechanisms (e.g. blended learning, partnering with similar institutions, etc.) to improve our effectiveness in achieving institutional and/or departmental learning outcomes without compromising 1) the role of interpersonal interactions between faculty and students, and 2) our commitment to a liberal arts mission. (Discussion facilitated by Mark Salisbury)
Please note that the two working groups on Advising and Mentoring and Faculty Development Initiatives are already working on ways to improve advising and mentoring experiences and on ways to realize our faculty vision. In addition, our General Education committee is working on ways to better connect our vision of a liberal arts education with our students and their families and EPC will work on ways to strengthen our Senior Inquiry Program. Faculty Senate as been asked to consider examining our current governance (committees)and divisional structure.
TRANSLATING IDEA FINDINGS INTO TANGIBLE TEACHING IMPROVEMENTS WORKSHOP
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Olin 305
Work on the teaching methods and styles section titled "Stimulating Student Interest" will be the focus of this workshop. Specifically, hone in on how one might increase the degree to which our teaching approach "inspires students to set and achieve goals which really challenge them" and "stimulates students to intellectual effort beyond that required of most courses" (never mind for a second the inherent problems with this question if taken to its inevitable conclusion - sort of like how 75% of adults think that they are smarter than average).
In order to get the most out of this workshop, please do three things:
- Review your IDEA feedback reports from the last year, looking specifically at your students responses to those two questions and their connections to the objectives that you chose. You will probably want to bring your reports to the workshop as references.
- Read the IDEA short papers on both items linked below. You might even have a look at some of the other pieces linked within these two IDEA papers.http://theideacenter.org/research-and-papers/pod-idea-notes-instruction/idea-item-15-inspired-students-set-and-achieve-goalshttp://theideacenter.org/research-and-papers/pod-idea-notes-instruction/idea-item-8-stimulated-students-intellectual-effort
- Come to the workshop with a particular section of a class or even a particular assignment in a class that you feel could benefit from an increase in students' responses to these items. I suspect that we all have lots of possibilities here - just pick one that you are willing to talk openly about within a small group of your peers.
A draft outline for the workshop is this:
First, a short review of the concepts behind the two questions, the principles behind making this stuff happen, and the challenges that make this hard to do in practice.
Second, some small group discussions that focus on working together to apply the principles underneath these items to your specific courses and the activities that you picked to bring to the workshop.
Third, a larger group discussion in which we talk about some of the challenges in applying these principles, the discoveries that we stumbled upon as we talked about our work, and the observations you have made as a result of these conversations.
The goal of this workshop is that each person leaves with what they believe is a tangible improvement for the section of the class or particular assignment that you brought to the conversation AND some sense of how you might apply this same process to other sections of your courses or specific assignments.
INVITATION TO JOIN ITS FOCUS GROUP
Thursday, November 15, 2012
12:30 PM
Olin 304
Please come and be part of an ITS Focus Group. ITS is looking for volunteers with creative ideas, interesting opinions and simple suggestions to enhance future technology at Augustana. A session for faculty, staff and administration is scheduled for November 15th at 12:30 PM in Olin 304. The session will last about an hour long. Lunch will be served, so please RSVP to Laura Meyers.
THREE EXCEPTIONAL POST-FINALS OPPORTUNITIES
You are invited to a series of delectable activities on behalf of the Africana Studies Program (AFSP) that will help erase the post-finals week stress. On campus, the annual AFSP dinner for students and faculty will be held on Tuesday, 27 November in the Wilson Center (tentative location). This celebratory repast is well catered and so you are invited to respond and confirm if you will attend.
The more immediate two are enriching academic and professional opportunities. The Pan-African Studies Conference, featuring an array of renowned speakers, will be held at Principia College in Elsah (on the Illinois side of the Greater St. Louis Area) from 2nd to 3rd November. Information on the conference (Human Rights in Africa) can be found athttp://content.principia.edu/sites/panafrica2012/ . If you would wish to attend, please contact Greg Tapis in Business Administration or me, and note that the Dean's Office has pledged help for participation in the conference.
Last is the reminder that the Africa Network's annual conference will take place at Calvin College in Michigan on 2-4 November. The African Network's special interest in studying and teaching about the continent in liberal arts colleges makes it particularly attractive for Augustana faculty. Information on the conference ("Africa in the Digital Age") can be found athttp://www.africanetwork.org/2012Conference/ANConf12registrationform.pdf . John Pfautz (Music) will be attending the conference and may be able to share some information on any arrangements if you contact him.
NB: While these items are of particular interest to faculty teaching or interested in the Africana Studies Program, all Augustana faculty are very welcome to participate in them. If you need further information, please contact the AFSP's faculty advisers on campus: johntawiah-boateng@augustana.edu; johnhildreth@augustana.edu; christopherwhitt@augustana.edu.
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT COURSE PROPOSALS
All new LSFY103, Learning Perspective, Suffix, and LC proposals you are scheduled to teach during SPRING TERM must be submitted electronically by noon on Monday of week 1, winter term.
All other course proposals must be submitted electronically by noon on Friday of week 1, winter term. Detailed information on the course approval process can be found at: http://www.augustana.edu/x12670.xml
To navigate to the course approval process site, click on the Academics tab from the homepage, under Resources click Dean's Office, then Resources for Faculty, then course approval process. Please contact Kristin Douglas with your questions.
CALL FOR SUMMER ACADEMY COURSES
What is Summer Academy?
Summer Academy is an enrichment program for high school students. The goal of the program is to bring high school students to campus for a week during the summer for engaging learning experiences. Ideally, students who attend the Academy will build strong connections to Augustana faculty and students and will apply for admission during their senior year.
Students participating in the program stay in the dorms, take a course, and participate in organized group activities in the evening. This year, we are going to add informational sessions discussing what to look for in a college, and the college application process. We are also going to discuss what the liberal arts are, and how a liberal arts education is different than other types of college experiences.
When is Summer Academy?
Students will arrive on campus on Sunday, June 23, 2013. Courses will run June 24-June 28.
What types of courses do student take?
Short answer: It depends. What do you want to offer?
Longer answer: Courses last year ranged from CSI:Augustana to Mid-River Writers toDance: Music Made Visible. Eleven courses were offered last year, and 175 high school students enrolled. Courses can last one, three, or five days. The instructor(s) decides the length of the course. Students are in class with instructors from 9am-4pm, with a break for lunch.
Would I get paid?
Yes, faculty earn a stipend for teaching the course. Each course must be cost neutral, meaning that the cost of the supplies required, transportation, guest speakers, faculty stipend, etc must be less than or equal to student tuition for the program. I'll organize a meeting to discuss budgets with interested faculty, soon.
I'm interested! What do I do next?
It's simple. email Kristin Douglas, and we'll start discussing your course ideas.
Summer School is only 7 months away, and it is time to start planning!
CALL FOR SUMMER 2012 COURSES
Deadline for submission: December 14, 2012
The Office of Academic Affairs is implementing two structural changes to Summer School policies beginning with the 2013 Summer Session.
- Summer school faculty compensation rates will be determined on a three year cycle.
- A minimum enrollment of four students must be attained by noon May 24, 2013 or courses will be cancelled. Faculty will not be compensated on a sliding scale for teaching fewer than four students.
These policy changes were announced to Department and Program Chairs during the Fall Retreat. The rationale for these changes is that over the past five years, between 38% and 74% of our summer course offerings have been taught as under enrolled courses (fewer than four students per course) at reduced rates of faculty pay. Decisions of whether courses will be taught as under enrolled sections are made shortly before summer courses start, and students are caught in situations where their courses are cancelled with little notice to find alternate courses. In addition, courses with one or two students each might impact the pedagogy and student learning in the course and might not be the best use of faculty time. These guidelines seek to minimize student frustration with cancelled courses while at the same time fully recognizing faculty effort to teach summer school courses.
We are asking departments to carefully and intentionally identify potential course offerings that represent courses which cause bottlenecks in the major, have high interest, and are most likely to meet the minimum enrollment number of four students. Recent enrollment trends demonstrate courses which fulfill general education requirements are the most likely to meet minimum enrollment standards. Additionally, we ask that all faculty in the department be given opportunities to teach summer school courses on a rotating basis.
All on-campus course proposals must be submitted by your Department Chair (Department Chairs will receive a course proposal form under a separate email) by Friday, December 14. Please submit your course proposals to your Department Chair. Any new course offerings and/or new LP or suffix additions to courses must be approved by faculty governance before being proposed as a summer course.
The summer session runs from June 3, 2013 through June 28, 2013.
Please contact Kristin Douglas with any questions.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2014-2015 STUDY ABROAD & AWAY PROGRAMS
All new programs and any program repeating on a three-year cycle should turn in full program proposals if they are interested in running their program in the 2014-2015 academic year. The deadline for any program proposal (electronic copy, please) for a study abroad program or domestic off-campus study program for 2014-2015 will be due to Allen Bertsche by Monday, January 7, 2013, the first day of post Winter-break classes.
Information on what should be included in a program proposal is available HERE. All proposals will be reviewed by the IOSC committee and program directors will be asked to attend a January or February meeting of IOSC to present their proposal.
Program proposals can be for any of the following:
- A term or half-term (domestic or international ) program using a team of Augustana faculty or a combination of Augustana faculty and 3rd party providers. (ex. East Asia, Holden Village, Brazil ) Half term programs have traditionally been during Winter Term, but this is not an absolute rule.
- A summer language immersion or other program type. (ex. Spanish in the Andes, Rocky Mountain Geology, Lit & Music in Paris)
- An on-campus course which includes a travel component during Fall, Winter or Spring Break or in early summer (ex. Religion in Rome, Classics in Greece).
Any 5-day or longer travel experience which does not offer academic credit is exempt from IOSC committee review. If you are planning such an opportunity, you should schedule an appointment to speak with me, but you do not need to develop and submit a formal program proposal.
All new programs should also turn in a program proposal, including short travel programs, summer and terms abroad. If you are interested in leading a program in 2014-2015, I would advise you to schedule a meeting with me in the next few weeks so that I can assist you with the proposal process.
If you have lead a program and wish to repeat it, the same basic principles apply as with new programs, save that you can focus your proposal on the new or altered components of the original program. Programs due for review on a 3 year cycle are: Fall Term in London, Winter Term in Brazil, Winter Term in Vietnam.
Programs running on a 2-year cycle (For 2014-2015 this includes Jamaica, Norway and Religion in Rome) may turn in a brief report in the Fall of 2013. For details on this brief report, just contact Allen Bertsche after the program has run this year.
2012-2013 IMPORTANT DATES
Convocation Symposia Days - All Classes Cancelled
- Wednesday, January 23, 2013
- Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Deans' Meeting with Department & Program Chairs
5:00 - 6:00 PM
Wilson Center
- Thursday, November 15, 2012 Rescheduled for Wednesday, November 14, 2012
- Thursday, December 12, 2012
- Wednesday, January 17, 2013
- Thursday, February 14, 2013
- Thursday, March 21, 2013
- Thursday, April 18, 2013
- Thursday, May 16, 2013
Faculty Senate Meetings
4:00 - 5:00 PM
John Deere Lecture Hall
- Monday, November 26, 2012
- Wednesday, January 9, 2013
- Friday, February 1, 2013 - Olin Auditorium
- (this will be a Faculty Meeting perhaps with Senate business)
- Monday, March 18, 2013
- Wednesday, April 10, 2013
- Friday, May 3, 2013
Full-Faculty Meetings
Olin Auditorium
- Monday, November 12, 2012
4:00 - 5:00 - Friday, February 1, 2013
4:00 - 5:00 - Thursday, April 25, 2013
4:30 - 5:30
Division Meetings
| Fine & Performing Arts | Thurs. October 4, 2012 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Bergendoff 12 |
| Thurs. January 17, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Bergendoff 12 | |
| Thurs. April 4, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Bergendoff 12 | |
| Language & Literature | Thurs. October 4, 2012 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Olin 305 |
| Thurs. January 17, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Olin 307 | |
| Thurs. April 4, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Olin 110 | |
| Natural Science | Thurs. October 4, 2012 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Hanson Science 402 |
| Thurs. January 17, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Hanson Science 102 | |
| Thurs. April 4, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Hanson Science 102 | |
| Business & Education | Thurs. October 4, 2012 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Evald 315 |
| Thurs. January 17, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Evald 315 | |
| Thurs. April 4, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Evald 315 | |
| History, Philosophy & Religion | Thurs. October 4, 2012 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Sorensen 327 |
| Thurs. January 17, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Sorensen 327 | |
| Thurs. April 4, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Sorensen 255 | |
| Social Science | Thurs. October 4, 2012 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Evald 21 |
| Thurs. December 13, 2012 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Evald 21 | |
| Thurs. April 4, 2013 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Evald 21 |
LSFY Meetings
Wilson Center
4:00 - 5:00 PM
- Monday, December 3, 2012
- Monday, January 21, 2013
- Monday, March 25, 2013
- Monday, May 6, 2013 - Evald Great Hall
- (Augie Reads Kickoff)
Educational Policies Committee
Tuesdays
4:30 - 5:30
Swenson Geosciences Conference Room 103
General Education Committee
Wednesdays
4:00 - 5:00
Evald 305
Celebration of Faculty Scholarship
Monday, February 18, 2012
12:30 - 4:00 PM
Celebration of Learning
Saturday, May 4, 2013
9:30 - 2:00
Hanson Science
Recognition of Student Honors Program (for underclassmen)
Saturday, May 4, 2013
11:30 - 12:00
Hanson Science 102
Augie Reads Kickoff
Monday, May 6, 2013
4:00 - 5:00Evald Great Hall
Senior Honors Convocation
Saturday, May 18, 2013
12:00 - 1:00
Centennial Hall
Baccaulaureate Service
Sunday, May 19, 2012
10:00
Centennial Hall
152nd Annual Commencement Convocation Ceremony
Sunday, May 19, 2013
3:00 PM
iWireless Center