27 March: Faculty Development opportunities
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003
Subject: Faculty Development opportunities
To: Faculty
From: Sabine O'Hara Academic Vice President and Dean of the College
This memo is a reminder of the awards available to faculty. The deadline for
applications has been extended to Wednesday, April 9.
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 time line.
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.
26 March: Accreditation Update #11
Subject: Accreditation Update
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003
Accreditation Update #11 Accreditation Update, Number Eleven Comprehensive
Onsite Evaluation: November 3-5, 2003
After a slight (and unexpected) delay during the month of February,
preparations are continuing for the November comprehensive evaluation by the
Higher Learning Commission. The self-study report is being prepared; the
Steering Committee hopes to have a draft available by the end of April.
This report will attempt to document the extent to which Concordia meets the
five criteria for accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission. It will
address the concerns raised during the 1993 comprehensive evaluation and respond
to the suggestions and advice given at that time. In addition, the report will
document Concordia's ability to offer and support a graduate program in nursing.
Finally, the report will seek to have our stipulation removed that limits the
number of graduate courses that we can offer. In additional to describing the
ways in which the college meets the criteria, the report will highlight the
goals listed in the Strategic Plan, as well as the recommendations made by
various campus committees and individuals last semester.
After the draft is prepared, the Steering Committee will ask a number of
individuals on campus to review the document to provide suggestions, assist in
the editing, and to consider recommendations. If any members of the campus
community are eager to assist in this process of reviewing the draft, please let
any of the steering committee members know.
If you have any questions about accreditation, please contact Michael
Wohlfeil or any of the members of the steering committee.
26 March: Honors Convocation
Subject: Honors Convocation
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003
To: the Concordia Community
On Friday, March 28, at 4:30pm in Memorial Auditorium, we will continue a
tradition at Concordia College. The Honors Convocation will begin an impressive
schedule of Celebration of Excellence events. They include programs honoring
student achievements in the areas of art, music, poetry and writing, speech, and
many other areas of academic leadership and achievement.
Student government president Aaron Kjelland will bring greetings on behalf of
the graduating class of 2003 and first-year student Julie Tickle will also
speak. Senior Elizabeth Schmieg will read an award-winning poem and senior Molly
Miller will perform "Laurie's Aria" from The Tender Land by Aaron
Copland.
Please note that all classes scheduled between 4:00pm and 6:00pm on that
Friday afternoon will be canceled.
We look forward to joining with you at Friday's Honors Convocation, and at
events throughout the weekend, as we pay tribute to the excellence of student
accomplishments at Concordia College. Please also note the opening of the
teaching excellence exhibit and recognition of faculty accomplishments on
Saturday, March 29 at noon in the Centrum.
Sabine U. O'Hara, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College
Thomas W. Thomsen, President
24 March: Orientation Mentors
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003
To: All Faculty
From: Sabine O'Hara, Academic Vice President and Dean of the College
Re: Orientation Mentors
A second informational meeting for our new orientation mentors program will
be offered on Tuesday, April 1 at noon in Jones 340. Several participants in the
teleconference on "Moving Toward Excellence" on March 27 are also
interested in the new orientation mentors program. I hope that the additional
meeting on April 1 will make it possible for most faculty who are interested in
the new program to attend one of the scheduled informational meetings. Thank you
for your interest.
24 March: Division Structure Nominations
Subject: Division Structure Nominations
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003
To: All Faculty
From: Sabine O'Hara, Academic Vice President and Dean of the College
Thank you for your comments on the proposed division structure model during
the comment period that ended Friday, March 21. I am accepting the
recommendation of Senate Coordinating Committee (SCC) to implement a
five-division structure.
Your questions and comments regarding the division chair's nomination and
appointment process during last Friday's Community Time were most helpful. Based
on these comments the following nomination and appointment process commences
today, March 24, 2003:
- Please forward nominations and self-nominations of division chairs to the
dean's office using the nomination form that will be distributed to your FPO
this afternoon. All nominations and self-nominations must be received by
Friday, April 4, 2003.
- SCC will contact five faculty members within each division to confirm
their willingness to serve on a nomination committee. The five nomination
committees will provide the dean with the opportunity to receive feedback on
division chair nominees. A list of committee members representing a broad
representation of departments and programs within each division is attached.
- Since staggered terms for division chairs are desirable, I expect to
appoint one or two division chairs for two-year terms, two for three-year
terms, and one or two for four-year terms. Future appointments will be for
four-year terms.
- While department chairs may not hold both the position of department chair
and division chair simultaneously an exception can be made for the Division
of Core and Integrative Studies since this division will not house any
departments but will provide the coordinating, review and planning functions
previously envisioned for the institutes of environmental, international and
interdisciplinary studies.
- Ideally, division chairs enjoy the support and confidence of their faculty
colleagues, the dean and the president. Consequently I will appointment the
college's first division chairs taking the feedback/comments of the
nomination committees into account and will review my appointments with the
president.
It is my hope that we will be able to announce the division chair
appointments by Monday, April 7, so that we can conclude all committee and
senate elections before the end of the spring semester on May 2. As proposed by
SCC a review of the departmental affiliations within the college's division
structure will take place in two years. Thank you all for your support and for
your participation in this important nomination process.
24 March: Celebration of Excellence Weekend
Date: March 24, 2003
To: The Campus Community
From: Sabine U. O'Hara Academic Vice President and Dean of the College
Re: Celebration of Excellence Weekend
The opening event of our Celebration of Excellence is our Honors Convocation,
which will be held on Friday, March 28, at 4:30 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium.
Students who have received special recognition during the 2002-03 Academic Year
will be listed in the convocation program and will be recognized during the
ceremony.
This special event celebrates the accomplishments of our students here at
Concordia College during the 2002-2003 Academic Year. The list of
accomplishments is long and distinguished and includes students who have
received named scholarship, students who have achieved a GPA that allows them
membership in the Alpha Society, students who have written an award-winning
essay, students who participated in the college's Student Lecture Series and
much more.
Many other college wide and departmental events are scheduled during the
Celebration of Excellence weekend and during the week following convocation. A
new addition to our Celebration of Excellence events is an exhibit of teaching
excellence and a reception in honor of our faculty. The opening of the exhibit
will be on Saturday, March 29 at noon in the Knutson Center Centrum with a
reception immediately following.
Please consult the calendar of events listed below to review the list of
events showcasing our students' impressive achievements as scholars, musicians,
athletes, orators, and citizens dedicated to service.
We are pleased to host these events and hope you will be able to join us as
we celebrate academic excellence at Concordia and the many accomplishments of
our students and faculty.
Celebration of Excellence March 28-30, 2003
Friday, March 28
4:30 p.m. - Honors Convocation, Memorial Auditorium
6 p.m. - Honors Banquet, for senior honors students 7:30 p.m. Reception
and Awards Ceremony for Juried Student Art Exhibition, Cyrus M. Running
Gallery, Frances Frazier Comstock Theatre
9 p.m. - Frosh Finale, Knutson Center Centrum
Saturday, March 29
9:30 a.m. - Departmental Events:
Classics Department Breakfast for Eta Sigma Phi Honor Society, Martin
Luther King Lounge
Education Department Induction, Pi Lambda Theta nominees, Birkeland
Alumni Lounge
Family and Nutrition Sciences Department Reception for Graduating
Seniors, Florence Kruger Lounge, 3rd-floor Jones Science Center
German Department Breakfast for majors and minors, Frida Nilsen Lounge
11 a.m. - Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society Induction Ceremony, Birkeland
Alumni Lounge
Noon - Opening Ceremony for Exhibits Honoring Teaching Excellence at
Concordia College, Knutson Center Centrum
12:15 p.m. - Exhibits and Reception Honoring Teaching Excellence at
Concordia College, Knutson Center Centrum
1:30 p.m. - Departmental Events:
English Department Reception, Bishop Whipple 249
Psychology Department Reception for graduating seniors, Ivers 262A
Spanish Department Honors Society Induction, Frida Nilsen Lounge
3:30 p.m. - Forensics Showcase, Jones Science Center 212S
7:30 p.m. - Senior Honors Concert, Memorial Auditorium
9:30 p.m. - AfterWork Reading / Post-Concert Coffeehouse, The Normandy
Sunday, March 30
10 a.m. All-campus Worship Service, Knutson Center Centrum
Related events:
Business/Accounting/Economics Department Honors Breakfast, March 19
ACCORD Outstanding Adult Learner Celebration, March 27
Nursing Department Banquet for Graduating Seniors, April 5
Chemistry Department Senior Honors Banquet, April 6
German Department Banquet for Delta Phi Alpha National Honors Society,
April 7
Religion Department Honors Colloquium, April 24
Senior Banquet, May 2
Communication Studies and Theatre Art Picnic for Graduating Seniors, May 3
24 March: Undergraduate Assistant awards
Date: March 24, 2003
To: Faculty, Administrators and Staff
From: Sabine U. O'Hara
Re: Undergraduate Assistant awards
Congratulations to the 2003 recipients of Undergraduate Assistant awards! A
total of 12 proposals were submitted, a strong response to this new initiative.
My sincere thanks to the faculty committee who reviewed the submitted proposals
and recommended the selected proposals to my office for funding. They are Mike
Bath, David Boggs, Barb Olive and Darin Ulness. The faculty members whose
proposals were selected for funding of one or more Undergraduate Assistants are:
Jeff Meyer - Music, 1 freshman, 1 sophomore
Dawn Duncan - English, 1 freshman, 1 sophomore
Heidi Manning - Physics, 1 sophomore
Mark Covey - Psychology, 1 freshman
Vijayakumar Shanmugasundaram and Sandra Andersen - Math/Computer Science,
1 freshman, 1 sophomore
Karen Hamilton - Music, 2 freshmen
David Moewes - International Business, 1 freshman
Stephen Grollman - German, 1 freshman
Jim Hewitt - Research Library, 1 freshman
Jim Cermak - Theatre, 1 freshman, 1 sophomore
20 March: "Concordia your gateway to the world" - orientation mentors
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 15:13:29 -0600
To: All Faculty
From: Sabine O’Hara, Academic Vice President and Dean of the College
Re: “Concordia your gateway to the world”
This is the title of our 2003 new student orientation program. The newly selected Communicators who will serve as orientation club leaders for the
incoming class of 2007 will begin training this coming week.
As we move toward an orientation program theme and format that connects orientation with some of our first year courses and with our academic
programs in general we are looking for faculty to serve as orientation mentors for this new orientation format.
Who qualifies as orientation mentor?
Faculty who teach a first-year course and who will want to link some of their course content to the broad theme of
international/multicultural education and service to the community/world around us, implied in the orientation theme “Concordia your gateway to the
world.”
Faculty who are willing to meet with orientation club leaders to plan activities, discussion topics etc. that orient new students to
academic life at Concordia and that address the orientation theme “Concordia your gateway to the world.”
Faculty who are willing to participate in one training event offered by Concordia Language Village staff that is designed to acquaint
you with activities that CLV has used to engage students in international/multicultural themes. Two events will be offered: one during
the first week of June and one during the second week of August.
Faculty who are willing to commit to participating in the 2003 orientation events from Sunday evening, August 24 to Wednesday, August 27.
Faculty who are willing to write up a brief summary of the activities, discussion themes etc. they developed so that we have a
starting point for evaluating, tweaking, revising and further developing future orientation materials.
Faculty who serve as orientation mentors will receive a stipend of $1200.
You can elect to receive this stipend as a one-time payment or as summer salary for the months of June, July and August.
Up to 15 orientation mentor positions are available for 2003. If you are interested or would like to learn more please contact me per e-mail
(ohara@cord.edu) or phone (3001) or come to a brown bag lunch meeting on
Thursday, March 27 at noon in Jones 340.
Application deadline is Friday April 4. Thanks for your consideration of this important new orientation initiative.
17 March: March 21 Community Time
Date: March 17, 2003
To: All Faculty
From: Sabine O'Hara
Subject: March 21 Community Time
As you learned from a notice sent out this morning by President Thomsen, this
Friday's community time discussion has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 9.
Given the questions that several of you raised about further details
regarding the division chairs positions responsibilities, how division chairs
will be chosen, and given other issues that might be on your minds, I will be
available for an open discussion on Friday during community time. I realize that
this is advising week and that many of you are busy, so this is not an official
faculty-as-a-whole meeting and Faculty Executive Council has not prepared an
official agenda for this meeting. However, it is an opportunity for us to share
questions and/or comments. So I look forward to seeing you on Friday during
community time, should you be available.
Our next faculty-as-a-whole meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 4, 2003
from 9:20 a.m.-10:20 a.m.
17 March: 'Invite a Faculty/Staff Member'
Date: March 17, 2003
To: Faculty and Staff
From: The Retention Committee: Sabine O'Hara & Morrie Lanning, co-chairs
Maddy Burchill, Jane Grant-Shambaugh, Mary Larson, Jim Legler, Jim Meier,
Lindsay Rhodenbaugh, Carole Stalheim, Kay Schneider, Jim Postema
Re: 'Invite a Faculty/Staff Member'
Improving student retention is a critically important goal for all of us at
Concordia College. Studies on student retention show that a significant factor
in improving student retention is the interaction between students and faculty
outside of the classroom, and, more broadly, the interaction between students
and non-student members of the college community.
To foster opportunities for such interaction with our students we are
promoting a 'invite a faculty/staff member' initiative. This initiative works as
follows: all first-year students, sophomores and juniors who are on the college
board plan will receive two meal coupons. These meal coupons can be redeemed if
a student takes a faculty member or staff member to share a meal with them
between advising week (starting March 17) and the end of classes (April 29).
We hope that many of our students will make use of this opportunity to extend
an invitation to a faculty or staff member. We also hope that you will agree to
join them if asked. As we enter the critical final weeks of the spring semester
a shared meal may provide an opportunity for you to find out what we can do as a
college community to improve student success, how we can address a problem that
a student may have, how we can encourage them to continue their studies, or you
may simply enjoy some relaxed conversation during the fast paced end-of-year
activities. Issues that sometimes seem insurmountable particularly for our
first-year students are often easily resolved once students are comfortable
having an open conversation.
Please feel free to ask any retention committee member if you have questions
about this initiative and thank you in advance for your participation and
support of our students.
12 March: Division Structure Proposal
To: All Faculty
Date: March 12, 2003
From: Sabine U. O'Hara Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the
College
Re: Division Structure Proposal
Attached please find the report
on a division structure for Concordia College that Senate Coordinating
Committee submitted at the March 10 Faculty Senate meeting.
The report recommends 5 divisions. A division of Arts and Humanities;
Literatures, Languages, and Cultures; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social
Sciences and Professional Disciplines; Core and Integrative Studies. Division
chairs would receive a 3-course release time and a 10th month salary. The
rationale for these recommendations is detailed in the attached report. This new
structure constitutes a significant increase in time committed to academic
affairs with 2.5 FTE of the division chairs' time (precisely 2.0 FTE associate
deans) and 4.0 FTE of support staff time (currently 1.6 FTE).
My sincere thanks to the faculty member of the Faculty Executive and Senate
Coordinating Committees - Per Anderson, Polly Fassinger, Ron Twedt, Barbara
Ronningen, and Larry Papenfuss for their service in ascertaining faculty
preferences and opinions and in preparing the Division Structure report. Thanks
also to all who participated in the discussion process and contributed their
opinion and perception on a suitable division structure.
I would appreciate it if you would take time to review the attached report
and submit your comments by Friday, March 21 to Marsha Hendrickson in the
Academic Affairs Office. A website set up for the purpose of soliciting comments
on the division structure report will also be available when the current server
problems are solved. This site will be available on the Academic Affairs
website. I anticipate that we will be moving toward the selection process of the
division chairs and the implementation of the division structure following the
comment period.
Thank you for your continued commitment and support as we take this important
step in the life of the college.
10 March: Grant Support
Date: March 10, 2003
To: Concordia College Community
From: Sabine O'Hara, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College
Tracey Moorhead, Interim Vice President for Development and Assistant to the
President
Re: Grant Support
The college encourages faculty and administrative staff to be active in
applying for grants to support their scholarship, teaching, student mentoring,
student services and program activities that encourage our growth as a living
learning community. At the same time, the college also seeks support through
Federal and foundation grants that support new program development and
initiatives under the Centers for Academic Excellence, International and
Multicultural Education and Responsible Citizenship as outlined in the college's
Strategic Plan. In an effort to coordinate individual and institutional grant
writing initiatives we have developed a Grant Inquiry Form (see attachment).
The Grant Inquiry Form requests a brief overview of the project for which you
seek funding, the funding source you are considering, application deadlines, an
estimated project budget, and matching fund requirements. This information
allows us to determine whether the funding source and project you describe are
already addressed by another grant writer from within our community or whether
your request is unique and does not pose a potential conflict. Please use this
form as your first step in a grant writing effort so that we can inform you of a
possible conflict before you invest time in writing your actual proposal. A copy
of the form can also be found at the academic affairs web site at http://www4.cord.edu/acadAffairs/forms/GrantInquiry.doc
and on the development office website.
Once completed, please forward the Grant Inquiry Form to Sabine O'Hara at the
Academic Affairs office or to Tracey Moorhead at the Development office for
review and feedback within five business days. If you have identified a specific
funding source, Academic Affairs and Development will work together to assure
that the application is feasible and that the college qualifies to apply.
Once the inquiry is approved, please consult the Development office web site
for information that will assist you in preparing your grant application. We
have attempted to compile institutional data and background information that
many grants require and that may be difficult for you to pull together. You may
also contact Tracey Moorhead at the Development office if your application
requires additional institutional data about Concordia College that is not
available on the web site, or if we can assist you with documentation of
tax-exempt status, or a cover letter from the President or other officers. Prior
to submitting your grant application, it is important that your proposal and
budget are reviewed for the necessary institutional approval and signatures.
Faculty grants and other grants from within the college's Academic Affairs area
must be reviewed by the VP for Academic Affairs. All other grants must be
reviewed by the VP for Finance and Administration. Once you have compiled your
application package, please check and double check to be sure that all required
documents and the correct number of copies are included. Please also submit a
copy to Leanne Gronneberg in the development office, where an archive will be
maintained. Be sure to take into consideration mailing deadlines and allow
sufficient time to permit adequate review before the application deadline.
If your proposal is funded:
- Please notify Sabine O'Hara (for faculty and other academic affairs
grants) or Werner Faries (for all other grants) and forward a copy of the
award letter and grant agreements to their respective offices.
- Before signing any final grant agreements or contracts, please make sure
that they are reviewed by the Office of Academic Affairs or the Business
Office.
If your proposal is not funded: Please notify Leanne Gronneberg and provide
her with copies of correspondence and review notes. These will be placed with
the archived copy of your grant for future reference and possible resubmitting.
Thank you in advance for following these guidelines.
1 March: Fulbright Competition Opens March 1
Subject: FW: Fulbright Competition Opens March 1
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003
From: James Postema
To: all faculty
FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR PROGRAM OFFERS GRANTS IN 140 COUNTRIES FOR FACULTY AND
PROFESSIONALS
The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering lecturing/research awards in some
140 countries for the 2004-2005 academic year.
Opportunities are available not only for college and university faculty and
administrators, but also for professionals from business and government, as well
as journalists, lawyers, scientists, artists, independent scholars and many
others.
Traditional Fulbright awards are available from two months to an academic
year or longer. A new short-term grants program—the Fulbright Senior
Specialists Program— offers two-to-six-week grants in a variety of disciplines
and fields.
While foreign language skills are needed in some countries, most Fulbright
lecturing assignments are in English. Some 80 percent of the awards are for
lecturing.
Application deadlines for 2004-2005 awards are:
May 1, 2003 for Fulbright Distinguished Chair awards in Europe, Canada and
Russia
August 1, 2003 for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants
worldwide
Rolling deadline for Fulbright Senior Specialists Program
For information, contact the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES)
at 3007 Tilden Street, NW, Suite 5L, Washington, DC 20008-3009. Telephone:
202-686-7877; E-mail: apprequest@cies.iie.org.
Information and an online application are also available on the Web at http://www.cies.org.
The Fulbright Scholar Program is sponsored by the United States Department of
State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Susan Sharp Higher Education Liaison Officer Fulbright Scholar Program
Council for International Exchange of Scholars 3007 Tilden Street NW, Suite 5L
Washington, DC 20008 Tel: 202-686-6242 Fax: 202-362-3442 <http://www.cies.org>
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