Monday Memo, February 22, 2021 — College of Arts & Sciences

Announcements

A&S 2020-21 Awards: Last Call for Nominations

Please take the time to nominate your faculty and staff colleagues for a 2020-21 A&S award. Awards will be given at the College’s virtual Celebration of A&S Excellence in late Spring. Date and time TBA. The winners of the A&S Distinguished Faculty Awards and Outstanding Performance Awards for staff will be forwarded to the President's Office as the College's nominations for the University-wide awards of the same name. Submission deadline: February 28, 2020. For more information and to nominate.

Woodcock Medal nominations due March 9

The Woodcock Medal is considered the most prestigious recognition of accomplishment by an undergraduate student in the College of Arts & Sciences. The medal is awarded each year to “an outstanding senior whose personal characteristics and superior scholarship give promise of constructive leadership in society.”

The A&S Honors Thesis Committee selects the nominee for the Woodcock Medal on the basis of a student's record and at the recommendation of members of the faculty. Students completing summa projects are often strong candidates but faculty members are also encouraged to nominate exceptional students who did not choose to engage in a summa project. Please note that students will be considered only if we receive letters of nomination/support from members of the faculty. We do not limit the number of letters that can be submitted.

Letters of nomination should be sent to Joy Hart by Tuesday, March 9th.

The UofL Annual Engaged Scholarship Symposium is an opportunity to network and learn about research and teaching activities involving community partners and service to the community.

Community of Care

Calling All Faculty: Apply for the 2021 Green Threads / Green Tapestries Workshop

Want to integrate themes of ecological, social & economic stewardship into your courses? The Sustainability Council invites full- and part-time faculty, instructors & GTA Academy members from ANY discipline to apply for the 2021 Green Threads teaching enrichment program. Former participants are welcome in Green Tapestries. We’ll explore ways to embed sustainability in your curriculum. You’ll earn a $500 honorarium & an interdisciplinary collegial network. Apply by 3/31 with Chair’s approval. Website & application

SKY Online Happiness Retreat

UofL Health Promotion and the Employee Success Center are partnering to offer the SKY Online Happiness Retreat on April 14-16 (from 9am-12pm each day) to spread mental health awareness and positivity in these difficult times. The retreat is for 100 staff and faculty participants on a first come, first served basis.

COVID-19 has tripled the rate of depression in US adults in all demographic groups according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. SKY Happiness retreat is a 9-hour nationally acclaimed program in which participants have found immense benefits in terms of increased energy and focus and reduced stress which directly translates to better performance in personal and professional life. Recent research studies on SKY showed improvements in six areas of well-being among participants: depression, stress, mental health, mindfulness, positive affect, and social connectedness as well as better sleep quality.

Venue, Date, and Time: Three live sessions conducted on Microsoft Teams by certified facilitators from the International Association for Human Values (IAHV).

Apr 14th (Wed) | 9:00am - 12:00pm
Apr 15th (Thurs) | 9:00am - 12:00pm
Apr 16th (Fri) | 9:00am - 12:00pm

Apply here: bit.ly/skyuoflstaff.

Communication

Social Media Circle

This social media circle is available to anyone who manages social media for their area. This circle includes university faculty and staff coming together to discuss innovative and effective social media practices. The group will meet from 1:00pm-2:00 pm virtually on the 4th Tuesday of each month in the spring semester. Join the Social Media Circle.

Operations

CARDS ANALYTIC back online

CARDS ANALYTICS, UofL’s platform powered by SAS VA for official data visualizations, is back online. The reports had been unavailable due to the upgrade of our three servers. The server upgrades were necessary as the application needed to switch from Adobe Flash to HTMLS.

Required COVID-19 testing

Due to recent severe weather, we are extending this month’s deadline for required COVID-19 testing to Friday, Feb. 26 for students, faculty and staff who come to campus. To schedule a test with Bluewater Lab, go here and click on the tab of your preferred testing site. If you are not coming to campus at all this semester, make sure you’ve filled out this reporting form for the spring. This form must be competed one time each semester. Anti-Racism Agenda

Campus-wide Listening Session on March 4

March 4, 11:30 to 1:30. “Retention within our non-white communities" Research shows that universities risk losing faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds for a host of reasons. As the university works toward an anti-racist agenda, CODRE wants to hear from you about how turnover impacts our entire campus community.

To register to attend these sessions click here. Registered participants will receive a link to the session.