Host an International Student this Thanksgiving

The International Student Leadership and Advocacy Board (ISLAB) is an organization dedicated to empowering international students at Emory. Based on feedback from the international student body, ISLAB is planning a Thanksgiving Partners Program, during which international students will be paired up with willing faculty members to be part of a traditional Thanksgiving experience in their homes.

A link to sign-up is available here: https://goo.gl/forms/kHn0RITLmiy2v0pD2. It includes a short form to gather information for logistical and pairing purposes. Interested faculty should sign up by Friday, Nov. 17. For questions about the form or the program itself, email: ali.murad.buyum@emory.edu or mengxin.chen@emory.edu.

Final Exam Make-Up Dates Now Available

The Office for Undergraduate Education will once again provide a proctored exam room for students who need a makeup time for a final exam. This year, there will be one morning exam time, 8:30-11 a.m., and one afternoon exam time, 2:30-5 p.m., on the following dates:

• Friday, Dec 8
• Monday, Dec 11
• Tuesday, Dec 12.

To request this service, complete the form on the Office of Undergraduate Education website here: http://college.emory.edu/oue/faculty/proctored-exams.html. You can attach your exam to this form, or email the exam to oue.dean@emory.edu at least 48 hours in advance of the exam. Questions about the process may be directed to Andrea Lentz (alentz2@emory.edu).

The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) can assist faculty in scheduling exams for students who need accommodations through their office. For more information contact OAS at oas_testing@emory.edu.

Other important upcoming dates to note for Fall 2017 include:

Nov. 22: No classes on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
Dec. 5: Last Day of Classes
Dec. 7-13: Final Exams
Dec. 20: Grades due (including senior grades).

New Waste Policy in 2018

Emory University is transitioning to a new waste, composting, and recycling policy in January 2018, which seeks to divert 95% of the University's landfill waste by 2025. To prepare people in each department or building and to answer questions about the policy, the Office of Sustainability has scheduled half-hour briefings for clusters of buildings in the College.

Several briefings have already occurred. All are welcome to the remaining briefing in Emory College, which will take place at 11:30 a.m., Nov. 16, in 323 Bowden.

For questions about the policy change and the briefings, email emorysustainability@emory.edu. For more information: http://news.emory.edu/stories/2017/11/er_waste_policy/campus.html

Retirement Incentive Program

Emory College recently launched one-time voluntary retirement incentive plans, which are available until April 2019 to all members of the faculty who are retirement-eligible under University policy and who are nearing age 65 or older. Full details are available at the links below:

• Tenure Track: http://college.emory.edu/faculty/faculty/voluntary-retirement-program/tenured-faculty-voluntary-retirement-incentive-program.html
• Lecture Track: http://college.emory.edu/faculty/faculty/voluntary-retirement-program/lecture-track-faculty-voluntary-retirement-incentive-program.html

Public Scholarship Opportunities

CFDE Writing Groups Available

The Center for Faculty Development and Excellence seeks faculty participants for its annual program of writing groups with different goals, groupings, frequency, and format, based upon participants' preferences. Participants may opt for an in-person or a virtual group, including online writing accountability groups and Sit Down and Write with the CFDE. To participate, complete the questionnaire at this link by Nov. 27, 2017. The writing groups begin meeting January 2018 for the spring semester and are given the option to continue into the following fall. For more information, contact Allison Adams, 404-727-5269. More information is available at cfde.emory.edu.

Teaching Resources

Winship Award Applications Due Dec. 6

All Emory College Senior Lecturers and Professors of Pedagogy, Practice, or Performance are invited to apply for the Winship Award, which provides one semester of leave (including a release from both teaching and service) and a $1,500 budget for professional expenses during the year of the award. Winners of the Winship Awards may take their leaves during either semester of the 2018-19 academic year.

During this leave, the Winship Award winners will pursue activities described in written proposals in their applications, which are due Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. Applications should include:

• A proposal (not more than one single-spaced page) describing the applicant's project for fostering professional development related to teaching, preparation for carrying out this project, and plans for implementing and/or disseminating the results of this project upon return to regular duties in Emory College. The proposal should also include any contributions the successful completion of the project might make to the teaching mission of the winner's department or the College overall.
• Applicant's CV
• Two letters of support to include comments directly addressing the merits of the proposal, including a letter of support from the applicant's department/program chair. The chair's letter should indicate the amount of additional financial resources, if any, the department/program will require to mount its curriculum in the event the applicant's application is successful.
• A report on the status of all other grants the applicant holds or has applied for that pertain to the project or the time period in question.

Applications should be sent to:

Carla Freeman, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty
Emory College of Arts and Sciences
400 Candler Library

Questions about applications for the Winship Awards for Lecture-Track Faculty should be addressed to Dean Freeman at Dean_of_Faculty@emory.edu or call 404-727-6059.

Website Training for College Departments

The Emory College Office of Communications will hold its final basic Cascade web training sessions this semester from 1-3 p.m., Monday, Dec. 4 in Room 314, Woodruff Library, Electronic Classroom (across from the Jones Room).

These sessions are for staff and faculty who maintain department websites and are especially good for people new to website work or who need a refresher. Register for the class on the Emory College Office of Communications website. Contact senior web producer Jill Hennecy with any questions about the training.

Holiday Schedules

The University will be open Dec. 27-28. In keeping with College practice, chairs may decide whether it is reasonable to close their department during this time. If you decide to close your department, it is expected that someone from your department will check departmental messages — phone and e-mail — at least daily, so that anyone trying to reach your department can receive timely assistance.

Should you decide to close your department, each member of your staff must either take vacation leave, or work from home, meaning, in particular, that they must be accessible, and responsive to any appropriate requests. Anyone who will not be available must take vacation time. Official University holidays are: Monday, Dec. 25, Tuesday, Dec. 26, and the New Year's Eve holiday Friday, Dec. 29. For questions about this practice, contact Laura Papotto, laura.papotto@emory.edu, for assistance.