October 7, 2020 Volume 5 Issue 5

New and Promoted Faculty Virtual Reception this Thursday

Emory College will host a virtual celebration to recognize our new faculty, newly promoted colleagues, and named chair appointments on Thursday, Oct. 8, 3-4 p.m. In addition, Jericho Brown, director of the College’s Creative Writing Program and winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, will read selected poems and faculty will have time to mingle in breakout rooms on Zoom.

Please RSVP by emailing Susan Lee (slee05@emory.edu) to receive the Zoom link.

COVID-19 Reporting Guidance Now Available

Detailed guidance for responding to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 for department chairs and program directors is now available on the Office of Faculty website. The guidance includes the appropriate contacts and protocols for reporting COVID-19 cases, including communications from chairs to your department or program in the event of an active case. Please email ECAS_Connections@emory.edu with any questions.

Election 2020

Faculty and staff who are registered to vote are encouraged to make a plan for voting in the Nov. 3 election. Here are available voting options:

Vote with an absentee ballot (mail-in or drop off): Request an absentee ballot here. Make sure to carefully follow the directions in preparing your ballot. You can use your county’s drop boxes if you don’t want to mail in your ballot. Find drop box locations here.

Early Voting (in person): The advance voting period for the general election is from October 12 – October 30, 2020. Locate early voting locations in your county here.

Vote on Election Day (in person): You can vote in person on official Election Day, November 3, 2020. Find your precinct here.

Voting Policy: Emory now allows up to 4 hours paid time, as needed, for voting on Election Day or advance/early voting. If you plan to use paid time to vote, let your supervisor know in advance.

In-Person Voting Reminders: If you decide to vote in person, be prepared for a wait as it is expected voter turnout will be higher than usual. Also, remember to stay safe by wearing a mask and keeping a 6-foot distance from others while waiting to cast your vote.

Your Classroom and Election Day

The Emory College Faculty Senate passed a resolution that urges all College faculty to allow and encourage students to participate in Election Day activities without negative repercussion to their academic performance. Per the resolution, all faculty are encouraged “to either: (1) suspend mandatory synchronous class meetings or activities on November 3, 2020, or (2) provide a mechanism for students to make up for missed synchronous class meetings or activities that occurred on November 3, 2020.”

The College administration fully supports this resolution and also encourages and supports all faculty and staff to take the time to vote. All faculty and staff will be granted the time to do so per University Policy.

Online Teaching Support

ECOTS Training for New Online Instructors

The next session of Emory College Online Teaching Strategies (ECOTS) training will be offered from October 26- November 15 to all faculty, visiting faculty, and graduate students who are planning to teach online courses in the fall and who have not already completed ECOTS training. Details have been sent to chairs, and we have requested that departments submit ECOTS registrations by this Friday, October 9. Please contact emorycollegeonline@emory.edu with any questions.

Online Course Workload

Emory College administrators have heard from students and some faculty about a perceived increase in workload this semester. The Emory College Online website now houses resources addressing contact hour requirements and suggestions for determining and reviewing the asynchronous workload in your course(s). 

Video Help and Other Online Training

In response to your feedback on the September teaching survey, Emory College Online is working to provide additional support for creating and using videos in online courses. Thursday, October 8, we will offer a Video Creation workshop focused on Screencast-O-Matic and Studio from 1-2pm (Video Creation workshop Zoom Link here; no pre-registration necessary). Future workshops will focus on additional video creation support.

2021 Spring Course Planning Resources from Emory Libraries

Emory Libraries offers numerous resources for faculty course planning, including course materials, undergraduate research and instructional support. Learn more on the Emory Libraries blog.

Undergraduate Education: Upcoming Deadlines

Partial Withdrawal Deadline Oct. 9

 

The partial withdrawal deadline and grading basis deadline for the Fall 2020 semester is Friday, October 9.

The Office for Undergraduate Education has moved the partial withdrawal process to an online process. Faculty are no longer required to sign a paper form acknowledging that they have been notified of the withdrawal; instead, they will receive an automatic email notification from OUE when a student has withdrawn from their course.

Faculty Funding Opportunities

The Chronos Faculty Fellowship

The Chronos Faculty Fellowship is a new opportunity for a tenured faculty member in the Humanities or Social Sciences that will support one academic year of leave (salary and $10,000 in research/travel funds). It aims to support ambitious scholarship in the post-tenure period, when time for immersive research and writing can be difficult to secure. The Chronos Faculty Fellowship is funded through a generous grant by the Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation, and a single fellowship will be offered in each of the next five academic years.

The successful fellowship recipient will advance a bold research question and demonstrate the capacity to disseminate the results of that research through clear and compelling writing. In concert with this gift, the College will fund a Visiting Assistant Professorship (or similar instructional opportunity) in the successful Chronos Fellowship recipient’s field.

Fellowship applications should include:

  • A research/writing proposal no longer than three single-spaced pages;
  • A brief letter of endorsement from the department chair; and
  • Courses to be released during the academic year of leave.

Proposals should be submitted to Dean_of_Faculty@emory.edu no later than Monday, Nov. 2. Proposals will be judged on the creativity of the research question; the need for an extended research period; and the demonstration of a record of clear and effective writing.

Community-Engaged Learning Grants

The Center for Faculty Development and Excellence announces the availability of the Community-Engaged Learning Grants. Anyone currently teaching at Emory is eligible.

Grants may be used to support activities related to well-structured community-engaged and university partner learning experiences in courses or academic programs. Proposals should address how community-engaged pedagogy is leveraged to assist organizations with addressing critical community needs in the metro Atlanta area.

The grants cover amounts up to $1,500 and are intended to support both new or ongoing opportunities for faculty to incorporate community engaged learning (service-learning) into their courses or programs.

Applications are due Monday, November 2. To submit a proposal, please visit the Community-Engaged Learning Grant form.

Hightower Speaker Funds

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.

The College has typically committed funds of $75,000-$100,000 annually. These include small allocations for partial funding of a single speaker to large amounts to support conferences with several speakers. Applications for Spring and Summer events are currently being accepted.

The deadline to submit applications for Spring events is Monday, November 16.

More information about the application process can be found on the Office of Faculty website. Applications should be submitted electronically to Dean_of_Faculty@emory.edu.

2021 MP3 Initiative Offers Faculty Startup Supplement

Emory’s MP3 Initiative seeks to facilitate and grow basic and applied infectious disease research across the university, from molecules and pathogens within hosts to populations and pandemics. As part of this effort, the initiative provides supplements to start-up packages for new faculty whose research fits within the theme of infectious disease across fields. This program is on a rolling deadline throughout the year. For more information go to the MP3 Initiative website. Contact Todd Swink at tswink@emory.edu to apply.

Connecting Globally: Project Proposals Due Oct. 10

Emory University has partnered with Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Agnes Scott College, and Spelman College to form the Atlanta Research and Education Collaborative (AGREC).

AGREC seeks to build and strengthen collaborative networks of multi-institutional scholars and practitioners to support global research and education initiatives in greater Atlanta. AGREC invites scholars to submit collaborative projects across disciplines, institutions, and universities that address a need in our global and local communities. Submit a proposal by Saturday, October 10. Visit the AGREC site for details and links.

Health & Wellness

Get Your Flu Shot

As an Emory employee, you have several options for getting a free flu shot. Learn how. Getting an annual flu vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk of getting sick with seasonal flu and spreading it to others. It is even more critical to get a flu shot this particular flu season because of the added complexities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Refresh from Stress in October

Emory’s Faculty Staff Assistance Program is offering Refresh From Stress: 30-Day Inspiration, an opportunity to engage in daily activities to enhance emotional health and well-being. Activities will promote self-care, mindfulness, social connections, gratitude and resilience to help boost your mood and improve stress management. The program will take place through the month of October. For more information and to register, visit the FSAP website.

Reminder: Campus Gathering Policy, Daily Operating Conditions Now Online

The University recently approved a policy to guide planning for in-person activities and gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic that is based on real-time data and current conditions in Georgia. Emory is now using a color-coded meter system to easily show its current operating conditions. The university’s operating status will be updated daily based on the COVID-19 dashboard data. The status will in turn determine what types of events can be held and hosted on campus. The up-to-date gathering policy and guidance and full guidelines can be found on the Emory Forward webpage

Emory Forward

For the latest Emory University COVID-19 guidelines and information, visit the Emory Forward website.