December 15, 2022 Volume 7 Issue 10

The is the last issue of the Faculty Focus for Fall 2022. Publication will resume in January. Have a great and restful winter break!

2022-23 Holiday Schedule

Emory University will officially be closed Friday, Dec. 23 – Monday, Jan. 2, 2023 through official university holidays and winter recess days. In keeping with Emory College practice, department chairs and other lead administrators may decide whether it is reasonable to also close their departments Monday, Dec 20 – Thursday, Dec 23. However, as a reminder, Tuesday, December 20 is the due date for faculty to submit fall 2022 grades.

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 Monday, December 19 – Thursday, December 22. If you have questions about this practice contact Laura Papotto, laura.papotto@emory.edu, for assistance.

New Year Teaching and Learning Mini-Sessions Jan. 5

Emory College Online invites all faculty and instructors to join a series of mini-workshops prior to the spring semester on Thursday, January 5, 2023. All sessions take place January 5 via Zoom and will be presented by the Emory College Learning Design & Online Education team:

Voicethread Workshop

9-9:30 a.m.
Do you want to increase asynchronous engagement between you and your students? Join this 30-min session to discover how Voicethread can support learning and engagement in your classroom through the use of audio and video discussions and presentations.

Panopto Video Workshop

10-10:30 a.m.
In the fall of 2022, Emory College adopted Panopto as its comprehensive video management tool to provide teaching teams a secure resource to capture, edit, and deliver engaging content to students. Panopto is integrated with Canvas and may be used by instructors and students to create video content. Join us for this session to learn more about the many features Panopto offers you and your classroom.

Productive Chatter: Engaging Student Talk through Backchannel Communications

11-11:30 a.m.
During the pandemic, instructors used online resources to foster engaging student discussions. Many instructors found that Zoom’s Chat function enriched their classroom participation and offered students a unique platform to engage in discussion. This session will explore how teachers can bring the advantages of backchannel communication into their on-campus classrooms.

You are welcome to attend individual sessions or the entire series. The same Zoom link above will connect to all sessions. Session recordings and resources will be available later in the Emory College Online & Learning Design Faculty Hub. If you have any questions, please reach out to emorycollegeonline@emory.edu.

Our team is also available to offer mini-workshops on these and other topics tailored to your departments’ needs. We are happy to discuss your specific concerns and to join a departmental faculty meeting or retreat. Please contact emorycollegeonline@emory.edu for more details.

Holiday Giving Final Call: Trade the Malls for Walls

Emory College faculty, staff and administrators have participated in the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence "Trade the Malls for Walls" program since it began in 2008. This program helps families using the center’s services have a better holiday. Common items families request include bedding, kitchen goods, and cleaning supplies. We are also asked to help with winter clothing as needed and gifts for each family member.

Please follow the links below to purchase items for one or more families no later than Sunday, Dec. 18. Each mother created Target gift registries of items they need. Purchases from the family’s list are delivered directly to the family from Target. Families we are supporting include:

Whether you can purchase one or a few items, your contribution will make a huge impact on a family celebrating their first holiday safe from abuse.

Undergraduate Education Announcements

Fall 2022 Grade Deadlines

  • 10 a.m., Thursday, December 15: December graduates and Oxford students
  • 10 a.m., Friday, December, 16 December graduates and Oxford students with 12/14 exams
  • 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, December 20: All grades due

Reminders about grading:

  • Save senior grades. Approve the roster once all grades have been entered. See grade entry instructions here.
    • Grades must be entered for all sections of cross-listed courses.
    • Remember to enter grades for all rosters assigned to you, including research, supervised reading, internships, etc. Rosters where all students have withdrawn must still be approved.
  • Enter the grade that the student earned for the course. Incompletes should only be entered if there is an incomplete form on file with the OUE and OUE Advisor. IP grades should not be used unless the course is designed to extend beyond one semester (e.g., Honors Thesis).

Applications open for SURE 2023

Please encourage your research students to apply for the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) at Emory. The SURE program is a ten-week summer program during which undergraduate research fellows conduct full-time independent research under the direction of a faculty mentor.

Our summer researchers receive a housing award for residence on the Emory campus and a stipend to support their full-time attention to research training and professional development. Student researchers benefit from hands-on research, mentorship, networking opportunities, and graduate school preparation. SURE students come from all backgrounds and disciplines including the humanities, arts, social sciences, natural sciences, physical sciences and engineering.

More information can be found here. The application deadline is January 16, 2023.

Faculty Promotion Info Due Jan. 15

Department chairs should notify the Office of Faculty (dean_of_faculty@emory.edu) by January 15, 2023 about any tenure-track faculty members who plan to be reviewed for promotion to full professor and/or teaching-track faculty members who plan to be reviewed for promotion to teaching professor during 2023-24. More information is available here for tenure track and here for teaching track.

Faculty Funding Opportunities

Fox Center Senior Fellowship Applications Now Open

The Bill and Carol Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry announces up to four annual internal Fellowships available to tenured members of the Emory College of Arts and Sciences faculty for an academic year of study and residence at the Center. The FCHI Senior Fellows Program is designed to offer research opportunities both to members of humanities departments as traditionally defined and to other scholars working with humanistic issues. The purpose of the FCHI Senior Fellows Program is to stimulate and support humanistic research by providing faculty with the necessary time, space, and other resources.

Applications are due Thursday, January 19, 2023. FCHI Senior Fellows will be released from their university teaching and service commitments for the academic year. In addition, faculty of Emory College of Arts and Sciences will receive a research fund from the Center. For more information and to apply, go here.

Grants Available for Emory Projects Supporting Black Communities, Women and Girls

Alumni and donors have come together to provide funding for Emory students, staff, and faculty.The Black Emory and Women of Emory Impact Circles invite funding proposals for Emory projects and programs that advance the causes of their respective communities of interest on campus, in the city, and beyond.

Current Emory employees or students are eligible to apply on behalf of departments, offices, programs, and/or registered student organizations. Learn more about grant eligibility and submit your application for the Black Emory Impact Circle here or the Women of Emory Impact Circle here. Applications will be accepted online through January 27, 2023, with funds to be used during the 2023-2024 academic year. Contact Julie Earnhart (julie.earnhart@emory.edu) with any questions.

Leaves of Absence Due January 31

Faculty can now complete their individual leave requests through a Qualtrics Faculty Leave Request survey. Requests are due by Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

This survey is to be used for all leaves of absence already approved or planned for the 2023-2024 year – pre-tenure, regular, special, parental leave, medical, sabbatical, and post-tenure – including those that are externally funded or unpaid.

The guidelines for leave applications are available on the Office of Faculty website. Please note that the guidelines include an explanation of the requirement that faculty applying for regular sabbaticals and those undergoing tenure review anticipating leaves must also apply for funding from a source external to Emory. A research abstract and a copy of the external application materials will be required as part of the leave request. The guidelines also include a procedure, in exceptional cases, for requesting a waiver from this policy. If you have questions, please send them to Dean_of_Faculty@emory.edu.

Inclement Weather Reminder

Please remind your department about the Emory Closing information/inclement weather hotline, 404-727-1234. Closings and delayed openings also will be posted to the main Emory web homepage, www.emory.edu and across the University’s social media channels. 

Please discuss with your department how you will distribute closing information to your staff and faculty should a closing occur. For more information regarding emergency preparedness and response, see the Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) website.

Upcoming Meetings

Jan 9, 9:00 - 11:00 AM Department Chair Mini Retreat

Location: Ackerman Hall, 3rd Floor / Carlos Museum