Updates in Academic Affairs: February 15, 2016

Inside Updates: An Assessment in Action conference to take place in April, nominations are now being accepted for faculty and staff awards, and a campuswide forum on suicide prevention set for late February.

Assessment in Action conference to take place on April 8

The campus community is invited to attend discussions and workshops featuring two nationally recognized speakers at the 2016 Assessment in Action conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the Fetzer Center.

The morning plenary session will feature Dr. Julia Williams from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Her talk will focus on using change management theory to engage faculty and staff in the assessment process. She also will lead a workshop on “closing the loop” with assessment data.

Kathy Collins from Michigan State University will lead an afternoon plenary session focused on assessment information related to basic concepts and best practices in student engagement and involvement. Collins also will offer a workshop focused on effective assessment of student engagement and involvement.

Registration and the complete conference schedule are available at wmich.edu/assessment/resources/aaconference.

For more information, contact Karen Stokes-Chapo at (269) 387-3867 or karen.stokeschapo@wmich.edu.

Nominate your colleagues for their exemplary work

Nominating colleagues for formal recognition of their professional accomplishments is an excellent way to acknowledge their contributions to their profession, to their department or unit, and to the University as a whole. 

The WMU community is invited to nominate eligible faculty and staff members for the following awards:

2016-17 Emerging Scholar Award

2016 Distinguished Teaching Award

2016 Distinguished Service Award for faculty and staff

The nomination deadline is Friday, April 1. Find award eligibility, criteria and nomination guidelines on Office of Faculty Development website at wmich.edu/facultydevelopment/awards.

For more information or assistance, contact Tonya Dean at (269) 387-0397 or tonya.dean@wmich.edu.

Campuswide forum on suicide prevention set for Feb. 26

Members of the campus community are invited to attend a suicide prevention program set for 8:15 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at the Fetzer Center.

Dr. Kathryn Lewis-Ginebaugh, director of the Campuswide Suicide Prevention Program, will be the featured presenter. Her talk is titled, "CampusWide Forum on Student Mental Health Difficulties and Suicidality.”

Following her presentation, Lewis-Ginebaugh will moderate a panel discussion focused on student mental health and assisting students who may be in crisis.

The forum will be live-streamed and will include online discussion so that staff members at off-campus locations can participate.

Find the live-streaming link and more information about the forum at wmich.edu/suicideprevention/forum.