Updates in Academic Affairs: October 19, 2015
Inside Updates: A progress report on the College of Arts and Sciences dean search, a slate of events to honor military personnel and veterans, and University Libraries and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences partner in new venture.
College of Arts and Sciences dean candidates to be on campus this fall
The College of Arts and Sciences dean search committee has been hard at work reviewing prospective candidates. Its goal is to narrow the field down to finalists who would then be invited to on-campus interviews and public presentations in November. Following the on-campus appearances by candidates, the committee will reconvene and forward its recommendations to the provost by early December.
College of Fine Arts Dean Daniel Guyette chairs the search committee. Cathy Smith, business manager senior in the Office of the Provost, is providing administrative support. And the committee has been working with search consultants from Greenwood/Asher & Associates Inc. since summer.
Members of the search committee include Dr. José Brandão, professor and chair, Department of History; Sue Ellen Christian, professor, School of Communication; Dr. Stephen Covell, professor and chair, Department of Comparative Religion; Dr. Charles Crawford, professor, Department of Sociology; Dr. Paul Farber, professor, Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies; Dr. Leigh Ford, professor and director, School of Communication; Dr. Charles Henderson, professor, Department of Physics; Michael Nassaney, professor, Department of Anthropology; Dr. Staci Perryman-Clark, associate professor, Department of English; Dr. Richard Spates, professor, Department of Psychology; Dr. John Spitsbergen, professor and chair, Department of Biological Sciences; Dr. Mercedes Tasende, professor, Department of Spanish; Joanne Beverage, administrative assistant senior, Department of English; Sarah Gillette, graduate student representative; Salma Mumuni, undergraduate student representative; and Tim Terrentine, executive vice president of Southwest Michigan First.
The committee was charged with drafting the position description, developing an advertisement plan, and encouraging nominations and applications from prospective candidates. In September, the committee participated in a "recruiting for diversity" training session hosted by Office of Institutional Equity. The review of prospective candidates began in mid-September.
Progress reports on the search will be available from the Administrative Search website here. Updates also will be publicized through the WMU Today staff and faculty e-newsletter, the Updates in Academic Affairs online newsletter and on social media.
Veterans, military personnel honored during slate of events
WMU's main campus and locations in the surrounding community will host a number of events honoring military personnel, veterans, and their families Nov. 6 -13. A unique collaboration of WMU units came together to plan events, including the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, the Haworth College of Business and the Department of Military Science and Leadership—Army ROTC.
Members of the University community are urged to participate in events recognizing our military and veteran students, staff and faculty for their service. A listing of notable events follows, but for additional details regarding each one, visit the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs’ website here.
Friday, Nov. 6
Career Conversation for Veterans: Boots to Suits
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Schneider Hall, Dean’s Conference Room
Monday, Nov. 9
Military Family Life panel
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Bernhard Center, Rooms 157-159
Tuesday, Nov. 10
ROTC Veterans Blood Drive
Noon to 5:45 p.m.
Student Recreation Center, indoor tennis courts
ROTC color guard and keynote presentation by Lt. Col. Decker Hains
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
PNC branch headquarters, Kalamazoo
Stories from the Barracks to the Front
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Multicultural Center of WMU's Adrian Trimpe Building
Boots to Suits Career Fair
4 to 7 p.m.
Bernhard Center, Rooms 208-209
ROTC color guard ninth annual Heroes Dinner
6 to 8 p.m.
National Guard Armory, Sturgis
Wednesday, Nov. 11 - Veterans Day observance
ROTC color guard
7:30 to 8 a.m.
Perrigo Co. PLC, Allegan
"Homefront Debriefings," a talk by Benjamin Busch
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Fetzer Center, Putney Auditorium
ROTC color guard
10 a.m. to noon
Pfizer Corp., Portage Road
Rededication of the National POW/MIA Memorial with Brig. Gen. Thomas Edmonds
2 to 3 p.m.
Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo
Military Appreciation Football Game: WMU vs. Bowling Green State University
Kick-off at 8 p.m.
Waldo Stadium
Thursday, Nov. 12
Veteran panel
Noon to 1 p.m.
Bernhard Center, Rooms 157-159
ROTC luncheon for veterans
2 to 4 p.m.
WMU's Activities Therapy Building (Oakland Drive Campus), Room 1310
Friday, Nov. 13
Unit T-shirt Day
All day
Everyone is encouraged to wear a unit T-shirt
Dancing with the WMU/Kazoo Stars event
6 to 9 p.m.
Miller Auditorium
University Libraries, engineering college partner in embedded tech venture
University Libraries is partnering with the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences on an Embedded, Mobile and Real-time Systems Venture program.
Beginning with the spring 2016 semester, undergraduate students in the computer science and the electrical and computer engineering programs can engage in practical projects to gain professional experience developing embedded, mobile, and real-time systems.
Embedded systems underpin the Internet of Things—IoT—where vast numbers of objects and devices embedded with sensors are interconnected over the Internet. These devices can gather almost any kind of data about their surrounding environment, including temperature, light, sound, time, movement, speed and distance. Classes will be held at the engineering college while the systems development will take place in the IoT Lab located in Waldo Library.
"Having our IoT Lab in Waldo Library is an opportunity for better interaction between CEAS and other colleges," says Dr. Ala Al-Fuqaha, a professor in the Department of Computer Science who is leading the embedded systems venture.
"Essentially, Waldo Library will serve as a melting pot for students and faculty from different colleges to meet, discuss ideas, and experiment with IoT solutions," he says.
Dr. Steven Carr, chair of the Department of Computer Science, says "The venture concept is being brought to CEAS to engage students in real-world projects throughout their undergraduate education. The goal is to get students to operate in a business-like environment where they take on different business roles during their time in the venture.”
Students will operate a full-scale consulting and development operation that specializes in IoT systems. It will offer research, design, development and technical documentation services to real world clients. The program provides a simulation of scenarios that students will encounter when they graduate.
“This is another opportunity for the University Libraries to help prepare success-ready students," says May Chang, associate dean of University Libraries.
"With the IoT Lab, we will also be an incubator for new and emerging technologies, and can work on developing and delivering smart IoT solutions for the libraries.”
For more information about this new venture, contact Al-Fuqaha at ala.al-fuqaha@wmich.edu or Chang at may.chang@wmich.edu.