A Better Campus Community through Participation

Recent events had me thinking about PSU’s level of internal community engagement. In the past few weeks, I attended a first anniversary session for faculty, the monthly College of Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Research Brown-Bag, Second Thursday Social Club, my monthly Drop-in Provost Sessions, the Administrative Briefing, a “First Thursday” at a Pearl District Gallery featuring work of faculty in the Arts, and our Winter Symposium.

While a number of faculty and staff participated in these events, attendance was minimal. Even the Second Thursday Social Club that attracts about 100 faculty and staff each month reflects a small percentage of our total PSU faculty and staff.

Watch: Interview Vlog on Winter Symposium 2016

The Office of Academic Affairs has sponsored a Winter Symposium for over 15 years. The symposium was an initiative by former Provost Michael Reardon as a way to bring faculty together to learn, discuss, reflect and take action of important issues that shape our curriculum.

This year’s symposium, “What does it mean to be educated in the 21^st century,” will have us explore this topic through multiple lenses.  View the video below to hear more about what Professors Gina Greco and Maurice Hamington have to say about the upcoming Winter Symposium 2016.

National Conversation about Race Increases PSU Students’ Demands of Faculty

The start of PSU’s Fall Term was no different from years past. We welcomed new students, faculty and staff; launched new academic programs; deepened our community partnerships; and made advances in both research and scholarly efforts. It soon, however, became different—punctuated by a nationwide student of color movement that quickly brought attention to issues of race, ethnicity, identity intersectionality, and feelings of marginalization and isolation leading to a call for action.

Groups and individuals at PSU are engaged in this national conversation. Students are expressing their experiences and perspectives on race, equity and campus climate through meetings, large gatherings, letters, protests, one-on-one conversations, and social media. They organized a day-long event on December 1 in the SMSU with the help of the Vice President of Student Affairs, Office of Global Diversity and Inclusion and the Multicultural Resource Center. President Wiewel was present for the culminating four-hour listening session, along with myself, other members of the President’s Executive Committee, many deans, a number of department chairs, directors and staff, and some faculty.

Importance of Funding and Advancing Research at Public Universities

I recently attended two events that spoke to the great importance of research and innovation in higher education. Advancing excellence in research is integral to the soon-to-be-completed Strategic Plan at PSU.

A National Conversation about Research
In late October, Lisa Zurk, our Associate Vice President for Research, and I took a trip to Eugene to participate with members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for a discussion on “The Role of Public Institutions in Higher Education.”

Convocation 2015: Awards, Successes, and Highlights

Faculty & Staff Convocation 2015 marked the start of the new academic year. New and returning faculty and staff came together for PSU’s traditional acknowledgment and honoring of their accomplishments and to set the table for the coming year.

Let Us Talk Liberal Education
Gina Greco, professor of French and Presiding Officer of the Faculty Senate, opened the event and invited faculty to a campus conversation about liberal education.

As Gina stated, this is “an opportunity for us, as a campus, to launch a conversation about what it should mean to be a PSU graduate, and how we can best articulate that to our students, our community and ourselves.”

She continued, “I would like us to assess where are we succeeding, and where can we improve in our work to prepare students for success in the workplace, for meaningful participation in their communities, for personal growth, and for the pursuit of lifetime learning.” I encourage all faculty to participate in this important conversation and hope you will stay informed of the progress the Faculty Senate makes.

Celebrating Our 2015 Graduates…And Their Shoes

Eric Noll, Outgoing ASPSU President (left)
Rayleen McMillan, Outgoing Vice President (right)

 

On Sunday, June 14, PSU held its university-wide 2015 Spring Commencement Ceremonies. I attended ten ceremonies throughout the week, and witnessed great excitement, joy and recognition at each. The accomplishments of our students was evident in their speeches; faculty, family and friend recognitions; and plans for the future.

Highlights

• It was wonderful to see graduates at the Native American and Pacific Islander Ceremony wrapped in beautiful blankets by staff and faculty.
• In the same lecture hall I handed out chocolates to students at the fall opening of the Collaborative Life Sciences Building, I also got to address graduates in the Biology Department.
• It was impressive to see the great turnout for the Speech and Hearing Department’s first hooding ceremony.
• I enjoyed spending a good part of a day with the School of Social Work faculty at their two commencement ceremonies (undergraduates and graduates).
• It was an honor awarding the Kamelia Massih Outstanding Faculty Award in the Arts to Professor Corey Griffin and the Outstanding Student Award to Margaret Heath at the College of the Arts Ceremony.
• At the Lavender Graduation, there were warm and gracious individual thank-you’s from graduates to their faculty, partners, family, and friends.
• It was heart-touching when one of the student speakers at our Multicultural Graduation said to her fellow students:

“We all came to PSU as a grain of sand. PSU was our oyster and turned us into pearls.”

Time to Celebrate Provost’s Challenge

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015, from 3 to 5 p.m. in SMSU Ballroom, join your colleagues for an informal celebratory and interactive event to honor the outstanding accomplishments of Provost’s Challenge faculty and staff teams, Office of Academic Innovation and the Provost’s Challenge project managers.  

Responding to Needs of Students with Disabilities at PSU

Did you know?

• 19% of U.S. citizens identify as having disabilities (2010 U.S. Census Bureau)
• 11% of post-secondary students identify as having disabilities (National Center for Education Statistics, 2006)

And even closer to home:

• Approximately 4.5% of the PSU student population (1300 students) are registered with our Disability Resource Center (DRC)
• DRC has seen a 53% increase in registration since 2013

Changing Landscape for Non-tenure Track Faculty

At PSU, like many universities, our Promotion and Tenure Guidelines (pp. 13-18) recognize different faculty classifications. We have tenure-track and tenured faculty; full-time instructional and research non-tenure track faculty (NTTF) (formerly fixed-term faculty); and part-time faculty. Regardless of category or rank, every faculty member contributes to the high quality learning environment and overall student experience.

While we recognize there are differences between classifications and rank, it is vital that we support and respect all faculty; for the benefit of the individual, our students and the University.

Make Every Second Thursday of the Month a Social

Have you noticed some of your colleagues leave their offices with a smile on the second Thursday of each month? If so, they are most likely heading over to the Student Union for the monthly gathering of the “Social Club.”

The Social Club is a time to relax and enjoy the company of colleagues. On each second Thursday of the month, faculty, staff and administrators gather in the Office of Academic Innovation (209 Smith Mezzanine) for food, drink and collegiality. There is a cash bar with food provided courtesy of an administrative unit. The doors open at 4 p.m. and the bar closes at 6:30 p.m.

There is no program. I repeat—there is NO program. Because alcohol is served, students cannot be included.