November 27, 2023 Volume 9 Issue 8

Today's Issue

Read on for information about fall course evaluations (which are now live), Tuesday’s remote work and learning day, faculty promotion deadlines, a faculty engagement session for the Twin Memorials project, and more in today’s Faculty Focus.

Reminder: Remote Learning and Work Day Tuesday

Emory University has the honor of hosting former First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s national memorial service on campus at Glenn Memorial Church on Tuesday, November 28. Given the immense impact the event will have on parking, traffic, and limited campus access between 4 a.m. and 4 p.m., Emory will have a remote learning and work day on Tuesday. For Emory College instructors, please note the following:

  • All College faculty and instructors are expected to move their Tuesday, Nov. 28 classes to Zoom. Instructors should reschedule a class only as a last resort given the late timing of the semester. Instructors may NOT reschedule a makeup class during the College’s reading days before finals.
  • Any classes or events scheduled after 4 p.m. can meet as scheduled.
  • Staff who work in research labs may need to work in person. Consult with your PI.

If you still have particular needs or challenges in moving your class to remote learning tomorrow, please reach out to Senior Associate Dean Joanne Brzinski, or associate deans Cora MacBeth and Jason Ciejka.

Fall Course Evaluations

Emory College’s course evaluations went live today at 8 a.m. and will remain open until 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, December 5. Instructors and course evaluation liaisons are asked to check their response rates during this window to ensure prior to closure that they clear the 50% response rate threshold for full reporting. Course evaluations cannot be reopened once closed.

Instructors are encouraged to set aside time in class for evaluations, and can find basic guidance on course evaluations on the desktop of all classroom podium computers in the College. Questions or concerns can be directed to ec-courseevals@emory.edu.

Twin Memorials Faculty Engagement Session Nov. 30

All faculty are invited to participate in a facilitated discussed about the Twin Memorials project honoring the lives and legacies of the enslaved individuals who are part of Emory’s history. Walter Hood, founder of Hood Design Studio and Professor at UC Berkeley, will facilitate this discussion as the project enters its next phase. Join us Thursday, November 30 at 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Register online by Tuesday, November 28 to receive the Zoom link.

Tenure-Track and Teaching-Track Faculty Promotion Deadline

Department chairs and program directors should notify the Office of Faculty by January 15, 2024, 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 2024-25. More information is available here for tenure-track and here for teaching-track.

Undergraduate Education Updates

OUE Final Exam Proctoring

The Office for Undergraduate Education will proctor final exams for students who

  • cannot take their exam at the scheduled time due to conflicting exams; or
  • have testing accommodations through DAS.

Faculty can request that OUE proctor a final exam for students in these categories by completing the appropriate form on the Faculty Resources page on the OUE website.

Please submit questions to oue.testing@emory.edu. Because of the high volume of requests, exam requests should be made one week in advance.

Helpful links:

Student Retention Resources

Faculty or department staff may be aware of students who are struggling or uncertain about staying at Emory. We want to help connect students to resources and help them find opportunities at Emory. Please complete the forms below as appropriate:

Students thinking about transferring: OUE receives the Retention Alert Form and uses the information in advising meetings with students. Email: retention@emory.edu

Students who are having difficulties (academic, social, medical, personal): The Student of Concern Form can connect the student with academic resources through OUE, or non-academic resources through the Campus Life Student Intervention team.

Grade Deadlines

The fall 2023 grade entry deadlines are:

  • Graduating seniors and Oxford students
    • Thursday, December 14, 10 a.m.
  • Graduating seniors and students with exams held on Wednesday, December 13
    • Friday, December 15, 10 a.m.
  • All other grades
    • Tuesday, December 19, 11:59 p.m. 

New Process for Incomplete Grades

This semester faculty will no longer input I and IP grades directly in OPUS; rather, OUE will record incomplete grades on rosters once an incomplete request is fully approved. Please direct students who need incomplete grades to their OUE advisor for support.

Faculty who need to submit an “In Progress” grade for Honors courses or research courses where the student’s project extends into the next semester should contact oue.facultysupport@emory.edu with the student’s name, ID number, and course number. For questions about a particular student, please contact oue.advising@emory.edu. For general questions about incompletes, please contact oue.facultysupport@emory.edu.

Faculty Funding and Development Opportunities

Winship Awards for Teaching-Track Faculty

Emory College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce a competition for the Winship Awards for Associate Teaching Professors and Teaching Professors.

The Winship Awards, typically one or two per academic year, will provide a one-semester leave (i.e. 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 2024-2025 academic year. Read more about the Winship Awards for Teaching-Track Faculty Guidelines and the application process.

Questions and applications should be emailed to Deboleena Roy, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty. Application deadline is Friday, December 8, 5 p.m. 

SURE Funding Available for Faculty

Undergraduate Research Programs is excited to provide faculty in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences with financial incentives to mentor students who participate in Emory’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.

URP offers summer stipends to faculty in these disciplines (and for faculty in all fields who do not receive grant funding during the summer), to lead students in facilitating research on a tiered basis:

  • 1 Student: $1,500
  • 2 Students: $2,000
  • 3 Students: $2,500

For more information, visit the SURE web page.

Two New Funding Opportunities at the Fox Center

The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry announces two new programs for faculty: Interdisciplinary Research Hubs and Major Works Review Grants.

Interdisciplinary Research Hubs will engage critical themes and debates within the Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences. Convenors are encouraged to engage faculty across departments/programs/schools and rank, as well as participants from other Atlanta institutions. Beyond the familiar seminar or reading group, Research Hubs will inspire a range of activities convening faculty (and students where appropriate), visiting scholars, workshops, panels, and modest conferences to advance humanistic scholarship, methods, and interdisciplinary engagement.

Clusters may meet bi-weekly, or monthly and will be supported for one year, (with the possibility of renewal). Faculty are encouraged to be experimental and collaborative.  Those who have not been prior recipients of FCHI support are especially encouraged to apply. A modest research stipend will be awarded to the convenor(s) as well as support for programming.  

Major Works Review Grants are available to faculty as they prepare a book manuscript for publication or a major work of art for performance, screening, or exhibition, and are open to full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty in the humanities and humanistic social sciences with manuscripts nearing completion. The external reviewer will provide a detailed “arms-length” review of the work, with constructive criticism and suggestions for placing the work with publishers. The Fox Center will provide $1,000 stipends for each external reviewer.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.

For more information on either opportunity, please contact Carla Freeman, Director of the Fox Center. 

Corporate and Foundation Relations: New Grant Opportunities

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (OCFR) partners with schools and units across Emory University, to provide support where mutual impact, interests, and strengths align with corporate entities and foundations. If you are interested in grant seeking and/or pursuing any foundation or corporate funding (not limited to the opportunities below) please reach out to Nicole Dancz-Bal to learn more about how OCFR can support you. Current opportunities and deadlines include:

Interdisciplinary Social and Natural Science Research Projects on Critical Minerals and Metals in the United States

Grants are for interdisciplinary social and natural science research projects on critical minerals and metals in the U.S., led by early- and mid-career scholars. Lead principal investigator must be Assistant or Associate Professors, or in equivalent positions, based at United States universities or colleges.

  • Organization: Sloan Foundation
  • Submission Deadline: Monday, December 18

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

The Black Emory and Women of Emory Impact Circles invite Emory faculty and staff to submit funding proposals for Emory projects and programs that advance the causes of their respective communities of interest on campus, in Atlanta, and beyond. Emory students may also submit applications on behalf of registered Emory student organizations.

Learn more about grant eligibility and submit your applications for the Black Emory Impact Circle here and the Women of Emory Impact Circle here. Applications will be accepted online through Wednesday, January 24, 2024, with funds to be used during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Holiday Giving Opportunity

Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence

The College has been participating in Trade the Malls for Walls program since it began in 2008. This program helps families using Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence (wrcdv.org) 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.

The five families we are supporting are Ayyana, Takela, Jasmine, Ciara, and Stephanie.  Each mother created Target gift registries of items they need.

Please follow the links below to purchase items for one or more families.  Purchases from the family’s list are delivered directly to the family from Target.

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.

Atlanta Community Food Bank

Another giving opportunity is with the Atlanta Community Food Bank Atlanta Community Food Bank (acfb.org).

This organization is always appreciative of a financial donation but especially so at this time of the year: Donate - Atlanta Community Food Bank (engage.acfb.org).

Upcoming Events

Celebrate Faculty Books Published in 2022-23 at the Annual Feast of Words

The annual celebration of Emory faculty authors and editors of books published between September 1, 2022, and August 31, 2023 takes place from 4-6 p.m., Tuesday, December 5 in the Jones Room of the Woodruff Library. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served and there will be remarks and a toast at 4:30 p.m. Please RSVP by November 28, 2023.

This event is hosted by Emory's Center for Faculty Development and Excellence, Emory Libraries, and Emory Barnes and Noble. To learn more, please visit the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence.

Join the Inaugural Virtual Racial Healing Circle

The entire Emory University community is invited to participate in its first virtual Racial Healing Circle hosted by the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Initiative from 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m., Thursday, December 7.

A Racial Healing Circle is an opportunity for people from all backgrounds to come together and establish connections through our shared humanity. Each circle is 90-minutes in length. Participants are strongly recommended to arrive 5 minutes early and plan to stay until the end. Registration is required.