New Online Course Evaluations Debut this Fall

Starting this fall, Emory College of Arts and Sciences will conduct all standard course evaluations online. With the exception of some department-level evaluations, no paper course evaluations will be used.

The need for a simple and reliable process for course evaluations was reinforced this past spring in the final report of the College's Faculty Senate Teaching Evaluation and Mentoring Working Group, which concluded in its Spring 2018 report that the student evaluation process "should be as comprehensive, convenient and relevant as possible."

In support of that need, the University has partnered with EvaluationKIT, a commercial cloud-based solution for administering and reporting on course evaluations which fully integrates with Canvas.

• For detailed information, see the updated EvaluationKIT FAQ. If you have a question not addressed by the FAQ, email Lane DeNicola, Emory College Director of Institutional Research, ec-courseevals@emory.edu.
• Information and training sessions on how to use EvaluationKIT will take place with representatives from the College, Emory Undergraduate Project, and the Registrar's Office on the following dates:
  • 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 24, White Hall 111
  • 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 30, White Hall 207
  • 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 1, White Hall 207
  • 2:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 5, White Hall 110
• If you would like to schedule a presentation for your area, send an email to ec-courseevals@emory.edu.

Important Dates for Fall 2018 Course Evaluations

Each instructor's course evaluation will open online through EvaluationKIT in Canvas two weeks prior to the last meeting of their specific section as recorded in OPUS. Broadly, course evaluations take place for most College courses from Monday, Nov. 26 until the day last day of fall classes on Tuesday, Dec.11. Faculty are encouraged to still set aside time in final class meetings for course evaluations, as has been done in the past.

If instructors want to narrow the window for course evaluation submissions for their individual sections, they can constrain it to specific dates (not times). Send email requests for narrowed evaluation periods to ec-courseevals@emory.edu no later than Thursday, Nov. 15.

Some departments and instructors may still want to administer additional departmental or instructor-level evaluations via paper. For this semester, departments and instructors may do so. Departments will need to produce, distribute, and collect these additional evaluations. Departments can also incorporate their additional evaluations into EvaluationKIT. To do so, email your additional questions by Thursday, Nov. 1 to ec-collegeevals@emory.edu.

100 Senior Honorary Nominations

The Office of Alumni Engagement, Emory Alumni Board, and the Student Alumni Board invite Emory College faculty and staff to nominate exceptional College seniors for the 100 Senior Honorary for the Class of 2019. The 100 Senior Honorary members are chosen from the graduating classes of the undergraduate schools: Oxford College, Emory College, Goizueta Business School, and the School of Nursing.

These seniors are campus leaders, thought provokers, dynamic athletes, academic mentors and community influencers. They are committed to their passions and pursuits and have made significant contributions to their Emory community. Nominations are accepted from students, alumni, faculty, and staff (students may not nominate themselves).

Learn more about the program and submit a nomination. The deadline for nominations is Thursday, Nov. 1.

Faculty Development: News & Opportunities

Using Interfolio for Review and Promotion of Faculty

The College is now using the Interfolio Review, Promotion, and Tracking application for managing review and promotion for the lecture-track and tenure track appointments. Refer to the Office of the Faculty website for guidelines on using the system and navigating the review and promotion processes.

Becky Gunter ( becky.gunter@emory.edu) is overseeing the administrative side of faculty review and promotion. She is a good resource for any questions about loading dossier materials or case workflow.

Please also copy the Dean_of_Faculty@emory.edu for all questions concerning faculty recruitment, retention, research, review, leaves, promotion, tenure, and teaching.

Reminder for Chairs and Directors: Faculty search requests for 2019-2020 and beyond are due Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018.

Tenure and Promotion Meetings

The Emory College Office of the Faculty is hosting a series of upcoming meetings for faculty and department chairs and directors to learn more about the processes involved for tenure, promotion and mentoring. Meetings include:

• Lecture-Track Faculty Promotion
  For Chairs, Directors, and their Lecture-Track faculty interested in promotion
  Leaders: Carla Freeman, Mark Risjord
  When: Tuesday, Oct. 30, 3:30-5 p.m.
  Location: Room 360, Atwood Chemistry (*Please note date and room change)
• Tenure, Promotion, and Mentoring
  For Chairs and their Tenured or Tenure-Track faculty
  Leaders: Carla Freeman, Dwight Duffus
  When: Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, 3-5 p.m.
  
  • 3 - 4 p.m. (Assistant Professors)
  • 4 - 5 p.m. (Associate Professors interested in the promotion process)
  Location: Room 215, Atwood Chemistry (*Note room change)

Orientation Sessions for Department Chairs

The Emory College administration hosts several orientation sessions for new and returning department chairs and program directors to assist them in their development as academic administrators. The next session, "Business Operations Overview," will be held 4-5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 11, in Room 360, Atwood Chemistry Building. The full schedule can be found on the Office of Faculty website, and sessions are open to all chairs and directors.

Teaching Consultations Available through CFDE

The Center for Faculty Development and Excellence is offering consultations to help faculty members strengthen one or more aspects of their teaching and/or help faculty members think through and develop or revise a course. Consultations are designed with a flexible but structured model to focus on what each individual faculty member wants to work on. For more information, visit the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence website.

Undergraduate Education Updates

Partial Withdrawal Deadline

The partial withdrawal deadline for the fall semester is Friday, Oct. 19. Students must turn their completed withdrawal forms into OUE no later than 4 p.m. on Oct. 19. Students are required to have their instructor sign their withdrawal form.

Student Absences from Class

The OUE no longer provides official absence excuses for missed classes, quizzes or assignments. Please note that this is a change in process. The OUE may provide an official absence excuse for a missed midterm or final exam, as noted in the Emory College Catalog. The OUE defers to the judgment of course instructors to make decisions regarding missed classes, quizzes, or assignments. Emory Student Health Services does not provide absence excuses and students are not required to disclose confidential medical/personal records to their instructors. In the case of an extended absence, the OUE will work with faculty and students to determine next steps.

Degree Tracker Launched

Degree Tracker, released in OPUS on Oct. 1, is a new advisement report that allows students and advisors to monitor progress on graduation requirements, such as the GERs, as well as major and minor requirements. Using “What If” functionality, students also have the ability to model their progress towards different majors before declaring or changing a major.

New features will continue to roll out this year. More information is available on the Office of the University Registrar website.

Class Rosters

The Office of the Registrar no longer provides a paper roster as a means of verifying student enrollment. Faculty are encouraged to verify their class roster with the information that can be found in OPUS. If you become aware of any discrepancies between the OPUS record and actual class attendance, these can be reported to oue.advising@emory.edu. Please give OUE Advising the course and section number affected, along with the student name and ID number.

Finance and Business Operations

FY19 Non-Personnel Commitments Approved by the Dean

ECAS Finance Administration is reviewing and processing FY19 commitments, which should be completed by the end of October. If you have any questions regarding the transfers or your department and program accounts, please contact your assigned College Finance Representative.

FY19 Faculty Travel Allocation

Beginning in FY2019, departments can transfer the allocated faculty travel budgeted funds (excluding approved search funds) to Non-Sponsored Projects at the start of the fiscal year (after September 1). Please note that only the budgeted faculty travel allocation may be transferred. If you have questions regarding the faculty travel allocation, please contact your assigned College Finance Representative.

Academic Year Salary (AYS) and Indirect Cost (F&A) Recovery Programs

College Finance Administration and the Office of Research Funding Support (ORFS) will review submitted requests for the Academic Year Salary Recovery and Indirect Cost Recovery programs. Recovery funds for approved submissions that were received by the deadline in September will be distributed before the end of the semester. If you have questions regarding these programs, please contact Connie Copeland, ORFS Sponsored Research Administrator.

Research and Grant Support Opportunities

Call for PERS grant proposals

The Program to Enhance Research and Scholarship (PERS) will consider proposals from regular Emory College faculty for modest seed funding for new research, research travel, other research related activities, and matches for equipment grants. The Fall 2018 deadline is 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12. Proposals must demonstrate, where appropriate, efforts to seek other sources of funding, and will be evaluated on the basis of merit and need.

Hightower Funds Available for Spring 2019 Events

Each year Emory College receives funds from the Hightower endowment, which memorializes the late Robert E. Hightower Sr. This endowment provides funds to bring outstanding visiting lecturers to Emory and are limited to honoraria.

The College has typically committed funds of $75,000-$100,000 annually. These include small allocations for partial funding of a single speaker to larger amounts to support conferences with several speakers. The criteria for a successful Hightower request includes:

• Other funding sources, including departmental or program support, committed to the program or event must be outlined in the request;
• A program or event that promotes interdisciplinary, College-wide discussion and dialogue on important topics in a variety of fields; and
• Requestors should describe in a brief paragraph, student (undergraduate and graduate) engagement.

To apply, follow the directions on the Hightower Fund Application.  Applications are due Thursday, Nov. 15 and should be submitted electronically to Dean_of_Faculty@emory.edu.

CFDE Launches New Public Scholarship Advancement Fund

The Center for Faculty Development and Excellence has launched the new Public Scholarship Advancement fund, a grant program designed to help faculty advance public scholarship-related activities. A limited number of grants from this fund for up to $2,500 are available. These grants are intended to support Emory faculty members interested in moving their research and writing into the realm of public influence. For eligibility requirements and application information, visit The Center for Faculty Development and Excellence.

Call for Levy Scientific Research Award Nominations

The Office of the Provost, in cooperation with the University Research Committee (URC), annually recognizes the outstanding contributions to scientific research by Emory faculty. The URC invites Levy Scientific Research Award nominations in the categories of junior faculty and senior faculty. Nominations of faculty peers as well as self-nominations are welcomed from the following academic disciplines:  biological sciences, chemical sciences, mathematics, physical sciences and social sciences. Please refer to the URC website www.urc.emory.edu for nomination requirements. Applications are due Friday, Nov. 16.

Special Events: Provost Lecture Series

The Office of the Provost and Provost Dwight A. McBride are excited to announce the 2018-2019 Provost Lecture Series. The series will begin with a lecture by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Princeton University William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African-American Studies, on Thursday, Oct. 25. The second lecture will be by Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019. Carrie Mae Weems, photographer and video installation artist, will give the final lecture on Monday, April 8, 2019.

The Provost Lecture Series offers faculty, students, staff, and the public the opportunity to learn from groundbreaking scholars and to support inquiry and collaboration on the Emory campuses and beyond. More information on the Provost Lecture Series is available on the Office of the Provost website.