Monday Memo February 19, 2018

Dean's Message

Dear A&S Colleagues:

I welcome you to apply for the position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, which Julia Dietrich is vacating June 30 to resume her full-time faculty position in English. With the goal of reaching 30,000 students across campus in 5-6 years, there are many activities to address in our undergraduate programs. 

Many of these students will likely be non-traditional students, and some will pursue their degrees online, including from other countries. We will need to be ready to help these new students be successful. We want the programs we offer to be those that attract students and prepare them well for successful lives and professions. New programs, much like Sustainability and Neuroscience, are likely to multidisciplinary offerings, and some might be attractive dual degree programs. We need to make sure we have the faculty we will need to be successful in our undergraduate programs, as well as in the new pedagogies that many students expect.

The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education leads our efforts in many ways:

  • Understands the Cardinal Core Program and can advocate for its quality as a program, not merely a series of courses. As the University puts additional emphasis on Gen Ed and enters into the consortium of institutions sharing the assessment of Gen Ed, the College will benefit from having an associate dean who can serve as liaison between the College and GECC.
  • Advocates for undergraduate instruction: Act in an advisory capacity to strengthen current programs and help to establish new ones. Provides leadership and acts in an advisory capacity as the point-person for assessment of undergraduate education. In addition, if the College can support faculty efforts to improve instruction with interdisciplinary courses, advance online programs, pilot projects in active learning, or instructional grant applications, coordination from the Dean’s Ofice will be helpful.
  • Provides support for CPE and SACS reporting: As Commonwealth funding is tied to performance measures, the associate dean needs to understand state and CPE measures and how to help A&S programs. SACS accreditation is increasingly fixed on assessing the effectiveness of programs, so knowing what SACS expects and providing the evidence for SACS reporting is also important.
  • Advocates for Phi Beta Kappa ideals: The College would be well served by having someone who knows what we are most likely to need to do to make a successful application for a PBK chapter. These considerations should be a part of all our planning, if we are serious about making application. When we do apply, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education would be expected to help supply data and text.
  • Plans to support College priorities: As the College develops a plan to raise the graduate rate and increase enrollment, someone will need to monitor progress and participate in the discussion of adjustments to the plan. The associate dean also will help coordinate A&S involvement in enrollment management and student success initiatives. 
  • Keeps the undergraduate wheels turning:  The associate dean participates on behalf of the College on numerous committees, which, collectively, do shape the academic world in which we work. The associate dean also serves as a resource, providing timely answers to faculty questions about disruptive students, mysterious technology, etc. and student complaints and questions, all an important part of smooth running for the College. Periodic assessment and consultation on course scheduling (especially with efforts to increase course enrollment and prevent course cancellations).

This position is an 11-month work assignment, with the level of part-time commitment to be negotiated. 

I hope many tenured faculty members will be interested in this role. I am happy to answer any questions about the position. Interested applicants should send CV and cover letter to Jackie Gutterman by March 2 for consideration.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Kempf-Leonard, Ph.D.

Dean

Announcements

Awards nomination deadline extended

The A&S Celebration for Excellence nomination deadline has been extended until Wednesday, February 28. I’m also going to relax the requirement of 5 years of service at the university, as this has been suggested and I know our many recent hires are also very deserving. PLEASE NOTE: There’s been no announcement from the President’s office yet, but he has mentioned that he does want to proceed with awards. Normally we nominate our winners for the President’s awards, but it will depend on what criteria are associated with the university-wide awards. For more information and to nominate.

Ask the Dean session

The next “Ask the Dean” will be held on Tuesday, February 27th from 9:00-10:00 in SRB139. All faculty and staff are welcome to this informal Q&A session. If you would like to submit your question in advance or in absentia, please submit via this form.  

Research & Creative Activity

GSRRC 2018: Judges Needed

The Graduate Student Council is seeking faculty judges from across disciplines for our Graduate Student Regional Research Conference (GSRRC) at UofL. Judges will evaluate graduate student poster presentations and assign prizes to the top presenters. There are two poster sessions on March 2 on the Belknap campus and three poster sessions on March 3 on the Health Sciences campus. Volunteer to judge. More information about the conference.

46th Annual Louisville Conference on Lit & Culture Since 1900

The College will host the 46th Annual Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture Since 1900, February  22 - 24 bringing scholars from across the nation and globe. For program information, go to thelouisvilleconference.com.

A&S Research Award Opportunities

Olorunsola Award for full-time, tenure-track assistant professors in A&S
A&S is soliciting applications for the Victor Olorunsola Endowed Research Award, which is awarded to faculty in their first four years of teaching. One award of $2,000 will be made this year. The deadline for applications is March 9, 2018. Guidelines and additional information.

A&S Research and Creative Activity Grant for Tenured or Tenure-track Faculty
A&S announces funding opportunities to promote research and creative activities of faculty members with the purpose of increasing the extramural research funding, and the number of scholarly publications, refereed exhibits, and artistic performances of the college. The deadline for submissions is March 9, 2018. Guidelines and proposal template.

A&S Research and Creative Activity Grant for Graduate Students
A&S announces funding opportunities to promote research and creative activities of Graduate Students with the purpose of increasing the extramural research funding, the number of scholarly publications, refereed exhibits, and artistic performances of the college. The deadline for submissions is 4:00 PM on March 23, 2018. Guidelines and proposal template.

2018 (Spring) Internal Grants Program deadline is March 27
The call for proposals for the EVPRI Internal Grants Program is reinitiated and the EVPRI will be accepting applications for Spring 2018 review.  The Internal Grants Program (Research I, Research II and Undergraduate Research Grants) aims to assist faculty and students in new highly productive research projects.  All grant categories are open to full-time faculty, including full time faculty who mentor students for the Undergraduate Research Grants projects. Information and applications forms

Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)
The SROP provides UofL undergraduate students who would like to know more about graduate-level education at the university, with a 10-week research-intensive experience in a department that offers graduate degrees. Mentors will provide students with individualized research projects. All UofL departments with graduate programs will be supported. Students should be, preferably, in their sophomore or junior year of study. The deadline is March 15. More information.

Kudos

Congratulations to Prof. Higgins

Prof. George E. Higgins (Criminal Justice) received the Founders' Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) at the New Orleans meeting last week. This award is designated for persons who have made substantial contributions to the Academy and to the discipline of criminal justice. Dr. Higgins recently completed a term as editor of the Academy's Journal of Criminal Justice Education.

Items of Note

Summer 2018 Exchange Program to Hong Kong

Applications are now being accepted for the Hong Kong Summer 2018 Exchange Program. This summer exchange program is open to Arts & Sciences students in all majors, with preference given to Fine Arts majors. Successful candidates for this exchange must complete a preliminary application by March 30, 2018. Interested students should immediately contact Prof. Ying Kit Chan at 852-0806 or chan@louisville.edu. 

In the News

UofL’s Cressman Center to host provocative political contemporary art exhibit (Insider Louisville, 2/16/18) 

Prof. Judith Danovitch (Psychological & Brain Sciences) weighs in on the mass shooting at her high school alma mater

Higher ed, bipartisanship discussed by U.S. Senate leader during UofL visit(UofL News, 2/12/18) - About U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer's visit to UofL's campus.

No, Donald Trump didn't cancel funding for Barack Obama presidential library(Politifact.com, 2/12/18) - Prof. Benjamin Hufbauer (Fine Arts) explains the benefit of opting out of the presidential library system.

Teens across Louisville will see 'Black Panther' for free as part of a national movement (Courier-Journal, 2/12/18) - A talk by Prof. Ricky Jones (Pan-African Studies) will follow the screening of Black Panther.