26 February: New Courses
Date: February 26, 2003
To: All Faculty
From: Sabine U. O'Hara Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the
College
Subject: New Courses
At our recent CLV retreat we discussed the possibility of offering
certificate programs or, as a first step, individual summer courses that follow
a different course format than other common 5-week summer courses. Alternative
formats under discussion include intensive 2-week courses, weekend block
courses, or evening courses.
Carnegie guidelines suggest that 14 hours of contact time are equivalent to 1
credit hour in course credit. Please also keep in mind that you may want to
consider a later date at which final assignments are due if you choose an
intensive 2-week format.
If you are interested in offering a summer course in such a new format please
submit a proposal to Shanda Schmidt in the Academic Affairs Office by Monday,
March 17, 2003.
We will include additional summer courses in our electronic schedule and will
also put an informational piece together to advertise the courses in the
community. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
26 February: Faculty Development Opportunities
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003
To: Faculty
From: Sabine O'Hara Academic Vice President and Dean of the College
Subject: Faculty Development Opportunities
Two new faculty development opportunities will be available for the first
time this coming academic year 2003-04. They are the Strategic Initiative Grant
and the Regents Scholar Award.
One Strategic Initiative Grant of $15,000 ($5,000 per year over three years)
will be awarded to a faculty member whose proposal shows particular promise in
providing an innovative approach to research and/or student mentoring. Proposals
by junior faculty members, who seek to advance their research, and by more
advanced career faculty members, who seek to explore new directions for their
work, will be considered. The focus for the 2003-04 academic year will be on
proposals that strengthen the college's goals of advancing international and
multicultural awareness. Proposals that address issues like diversity, cultural
or international awareness, cross-regional or global resource management or
health, or related themes will be given priority.
Two Concordia Regents Scholar awards in the amount of $5,000 each will be
awarded to advance innovative teaching and course development and innovative
research and student mentoring initiatives respectively. This prestigious award
will be presented by the Board of Regents and as award recipients complete their
work they will be invited to a presentation/discussion that will provide an
opportunity for Board of Regents members to become better acquainted with
faculty work.
If you are interested in applying for these awards please submit a proposal
describing the project/work for which you seek funding and submit it to the
Dean's office by Friday, April 4, 2003.
Your proposal should not exceed five pages and must include the following:
- A description of your project.
- Project goals and their contribution to the award objectives.
- Project timeline.
- A preliminary budget.
A panel will be appointed to review applications and it is expected that
award recipients will be notified during our graduation weekend. Please feel
free to contact me if you have any questions.
25 February: Community Time on Friday
Date: February 25, 2003
To: The Concordia Community
From: Sabine U. O'Hara Academic Vice President and Dean of the College
Subject: Community Time on Friday
Our Community Time on Friday, February 28 is entitled "Strategic Plan
Initiative - Academic Excellence". The focus will be on strategic plan
goals for the college's Academic Affairs area and the status of our
implementation discussions and plans. You can find a copy of the full strategic
plan as approved by the Board of Regents on Sept. 22, 2001 on the college web
site at http://www.cord.edu/dept/strategicplanning/.
Our community time discussion will focus on the specific goals and objectives
listed below. Specific initiatives that we have been discussing this academic
year and that link to these selected strategic plan goals and objectives include
the recently announced new faculty development initiatives, the plans discussed
at our recent CLV retreat for a new student orientation, certificate programs,
internships and other initiatives for collaboration between the college and CLV,
and discussions about first year advising and first year curriculum.
I look forward to your comments and feedback as we continue our discussion
about how to advance the college's strategic goals and objectives within the
five year time frame of the strategic plan (2002-2007).
GOAL #2: ENHANCE THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
- Objective 1: Strengthen the academic program.
- Objective 2: Prepare students to better serve in the culturally diverse
and increasingly integrated world of the 21st Century.
- Objective 3: Provide a seamless transition into college by developing a
program that connects advising, orientation and a academic learning.
GOAL #3: CAPITALIZE ON CONCORDIA'S INTERNATIONAL AND MULTICULTURAL DIMENSIONS
AS A SPRINGBOARD TO DISTINCTION
- Objective 1: Establish a Center for International and Multicultural
Programs.
- Objective 2: Realize potential synergy through more intentional
collaboration between the college and the Concordia Language Villages.
- Objective 3: Provide a campus environment that reflects Concordia's
commitment to international/multicultural awareness.
GOAL #4: ENRICH THE QUALITY OF FACULTY AND STAFF
- Objective 1: Establish a Center for Excellence and Innovation for faculty
and staff.
- Objective 2: Invest in our most valuable resource - faculty and staff.
GOAL #6: FOSTER A LEARNING COMMUNITY THAT IS SUPPORTIVE AND ENGAGED
- Objective 2: Uphold and reinforce the importance of a complete student
learning experience.
- Objective 3: Develop teamwork among and within currently defined college
divisions to address critical issues.
- Objective 4: Enhance communication and working relationships among members
of the campus community.
21 February: Celebration of Excellence weekend schedule
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003
From: Jim Postema
To: All faculty
Subject: Celebration of Excellence weekend schedule
This year we are adding a new event to the Celebration of Excellence weekend
schedule--a reception and exhibit/poster session at noon on Saturday, March
29th, honoring teaching excellence at Concordia. The Academic Affairs Office
invites faculty members who would like to show what they're doing in the
classroom to contact Jim Postema to express interest in presenting. We would
also encourage you to suggest colleagues who have done excellent things in the
classroom, but who might be too bashful to put their own work forward....
The kinds of things we would like to feature are effective and/or innovative
approaches to help student learning, such as the use of technology, or service
learning, or group research projects, or some other specific approach. This is
part of "telling the Concordia story," by featuring the good
student-centered work that you do in your teaching.
The audience would be the students and parents who attend the Celebration of
Excellence weekend. The reception and exhibits would be in the Centrum from noon
to 1:15pm; Academic Affairs is prepared to cover costs of poster materials,
enlargements of photographs, etc., as faculty might need such things to put
together their displays.
If you have any questions about this event, or would like to participate,
please don't hesitate to contact me--thanks in advance for your consideration.
Jim Postema
11 February: Nobel Peace Prize Forum Update
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003
To: Campus Community
Subject: Nobel Peace Prize Forum Update
From: Lowell Larson
I am pleased to announce that Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury will represent
the United Nations and Secretary-General Kofi Annan at this week's Nobel Peace
Prize Forum on campus. Chowdhury serves as the U.N. undersecretary-general and
high representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing
Countries and Small Island Developing States.
Prior to his current appointment, Chowdhury was ambassador and permanent
representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations. His extensive experience in
multilateral affairs includes two terms as president of the United Nations
Security Council (2000-01), where he headed the council's first-ever missions to
Kosovo and Belgrade.
Chowdhury's other prominent leadership roles included service as president of
the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Board, vice-president of
the U.N. Economic and Social Council and chair of the Fifth (Administrative and
Budgetary) Committee, U.N. General Assembly.
Chowdhury also led the United Nations' groundbreaking initiative on culture
of peace, chairing the nine-month-long negotiations that produced the landmark
document "Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace,"
adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1999. Subsequently, he guided efforts
resulting in the declaration of the "International Decade for the Culture
of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (2001-10). In
recognition of his many contributions to such causes, Chowdhury has been honored
with the U Thant Peace Award and the UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal for Culture of
Peace.
As our keynote speaker, Chowdhury will discuss "Building a Culture of
Peace" at the opening Nobel Peace Prize Forum session, 1 p.m., Friday, in
Memorial Auditorium. For more information on our distinguished guest, visit http://www.un.org/ohrlls.
4 February: Peace Prize Forum
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2003
To: Faculty
From: Sabine U. O'Hara Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the
College
Subject: Peace Prize Forum
Concordia College is privileged to be hosting the 15th Nobel Peace Prize
Forum February 14 - 15. This prestigious event is the Norwegian Nobel
Institute's only such program or academic affiliation outside Norway and we are
fortunate to be part of the five-college partnership that has been privileged to
serve as host of the Peace Price Forum. The Forum was created to offer an
opportunity for Nobel Peace Prize laureates, diplomats, scholars and the general
public to take part in a dialogue on the underlying causes and manifestations of
conflict and war in modern society, as well as the dynamics of peacekeeping. As
we seek to sustain this unique collaboration with the Nobel Institute and the
four other ELCA colleges that have hosted the Forum it is important that we use
this event to its fullest potential.
Exposure to world leaders who work tirelessly for peace can be life changing
for our students as they learn that peacemaking is both possible and honorable.
The accomplished scholars, diplomats and dignitaries coming to our campus will
engage our students in thought-provoking and poignant dialogue concerning the
most critical issues facing the world today.
Keynote speaker Dr. Shashi Tharoor, U.N. Undersecretary General for
Communications and Public Information and award-winning author, will discuss
"The U.N.: Humanitarian Intervention." He brings 25 years of U.N.
leadership and front-line peacekeeping experience to the dialogue.
Richard Holbrooke, former United States ambassador to the U.N., will examine
"The U.N.: Flawed, But Still Indispensable." These two plenary
sessions are particularly timely given the complex challenges facing the U.N. in
addressing the situation in Iraq.
Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, will present
"The Historical Record and Political Significance of the Nobel Peace Prize
Through 101 Years." There are many other sessions throughout the weekend
that will serve to make this a memorable and meaningful academic experience for
our entire campus community. The complete program schedule is now available
online at www.peaceprizeforum.org.
As you build the upcoming Peace Price Forum events into your course syllabus
please remind your students that the first 1000 Concordia College students who
register for the Forum will be admitted at no charge. Thank you for your
contribution in making the Nobel Peace Prize Forum a distinctive example of
academic excellence at Concordia.
3 February: Summer Collaboration Workshop on "Improving Student
Learning through Institutional Change"
Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003
From: James Postema
To: facultydev
Subject: Summer Collaboration Workshop on "Improving Student Learning
through Institutional Change"
The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning's
14th Annual Summer Institute: "Improving Student Learning Through
Institutional Change" June 7-11, 2003 St. Olaf College, Northfield
This institute offers teams from all higher education institutions a chance
to build momentum on an important campus change initiative. Teams participate in
an intensive, hands-on leadership development experience that includes designing
a new or improved program destined to win broad campus support and improve
student learning. Team projects might focus on such topics as: engaging
undergraduate students in the institution's research mission; promoting
understanding of racial, cultural, and economic differences; strengthening
departmental programs with fewer resources; or assessing & communicating the
value of liberal learning. Collaboration members receive major savings on the
program fee (almost 60% off for a team of six). For maximum impact, minimum
recommended team size is four. Campus groups wishing to participate must submit
proposals by 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, 2003. For more information, see http://www.collab.org/institute.html.
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