31 August - Faculty procession

To: Faculty and Administrative Staff

From: Mark Krejci, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING OPENING CONVOCATION:

Opening Convocation will be held on Thursday, September 2, 2004 at 9:00 a.m. I look forward to your participation in this important event, which marks the official start of the academic year 2004-2005. As always, faculty and administrative staff are invited to wear their academic regalia and process by rank, with those who have the longest time at Concordia leading.

Following the Opening Convocation, the orientation clubs will exit the Field House and assemble on Olin Hill for a brief ceremony to 'toss the beanies.' All faculty and staff are invited to participate in this tradition. As we start this new academic year I want to wish you well and thank you for all that you do for Concordia.

CONVOCATION SCHEDULE - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2004

8:00-8:30 Abbreviated first class session

8:40 Faculty Convocation procession forms in the North Gym of the Field House

9:00 Procession begins; Convocation program

10:10 Beanie Toss on Olin Hill

10:30 Class begins

31 August - Opening Convocation

Dear Concordia Students

On Thursday, September 2nd, at 9:00 in Memorial Auditorium, Concordia will formally begin the new academic year at Opening Convocation. Our new President, Dr. Pamela Jolicoeur, will address the entire student body for the first time at this event. Historically, orientation groups have high attendance with lower numbers from the upper classes. I want to encourage all students to attend the event to extend to President Jolicoeur a warm Concordia welcome.

Mark J. Krejci, Ph.D. Interim Dean & Vice President for Academic Affairs

26 August - 2004 Flaat awards

The 2004 Ole and Lucy Flaat Awards were given this evening during the Fall Banquet.  Dr. Edward Schmoll was the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award and Dr. Douglas Anderson was the recipient of the Distinguished Scholarship Award.  For more details, see the texts for the award presentations.

24 August - Message from the Library

Everyone,

The Carl B. Ylvisaker is pleased to announce the following:

There are changes in a number of databases funded by the Electronic Library for Minnesota. The most notable change is the addition of the Academic Search Premier database that replaces the Expanded Academic Index. For more information about the new databases go to http://www4.cord.edu/library/dbchange.asp or go to the library homepage and click on "Database Changes". If you have any questions, please contact the Reference Desk at 4656 or Jim Hewitt at hewitt@cord.edu.

Faculty may now place printed materials on electronic reserve. To do so, you must have a CC Angel account and a course page. Contact Keith Landa if you don't have an account. Specific instructions about how to place materials on electronic reserve may be found at http://www4.cord.edu/library/elecres.asp or go to the library homepage, to "Faculty/Staff Resources", to "Reserves", then click on "Electronic." Library staff will check copyright and place the requested items on your CCAngel pages. If you have questions, please contact Amy Soma at at 4641 or soma@cord.

For additional "news" about the library, our library newsletter will soon be in your campus PO.

Sharon Hoverson, Library Director

17 August - Advisor Packets

ADVISOR UPDATE

Advisor packets will be delivered to the departments on Friday, August 27 at 10:00 a.m.

For the advisor-advisee meeting on Tuesday, August 31 at 1:00 p.m. you should have received in your packet a printed schedule of classes for all new students who have pre-registered for the Fall 2004 Semester. If the students do not need an individual appointment with you to change their classes, please initial the schedule and give it to the student. These students will complete the registration process with their orientation club. If the student would like to make a schedule change you may assign them an appointment on one of the extra appointment cards included in your packet.

Registration will be held in the Olson Forum on August 31 at 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and September 1 at 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please note this is a change from the academic calendar printed in the catalog.

Hopefully, these changes will continue to improve the registration and new student orientation process. If you have any questions please contact the Registrar's Office at 299-3250.

Thank you for your continued support. I am looking forward to working with you during the 2004-2005 academic year.

Carole Stalheim, Registrar

17 August - Faculty receptions for President Jolicoeur

Below is a list of the faculty receptions for President Jolicoeur. If you are unable to attend the reception scheduled for your building/department, please feel free to attend one that will work with your schedule.

• Tuesday, August 17 at 1:30 - Ivers Science Building, Landing (Biology, Chemistry, FNS, Math/Comp.Sci., Nursing, Physics, and Psychology)
• Tuesday, August 17 at 2:30 - Old Main, Rm. 202 (Busn/Acct/Econ, Education, History, Political Science, Sociology/Social Work)
• Wednesday, August 18 at 1:00 - Bishop Whipple Hall, Rm. 249 (Classics, English, French, Russian, German, Philosophy, Religion, Scan. Studies, and Spanish)
• Thursday, August 19 at 1:00 - Olin 1st Floor Atrium (Art, CSTA, Library, Music*, Athletics*)

*Some groups were split due to scheduling conflicts.

Please call Nonnie at 299.3001 if you have any questions.

12 August - Annual reviews and post-tenure plans

Faculty Colleagues,

This e-mail will address two issues and, I hope, clarify any questions you might have on these matters. If not, please contact me with follow-up questions.

Annual Reviews

Included in your recent faculty summer mailing is the format we use for the Annual Reviews. You are asked to complete these reports and submit them to your Department Chair by August 15th. Department chairs are to compile this information into a single document and electronically (via a MS Word attachment) submit this to the Division Chairs by September 15th. These reports should list the department's faculty cumulative efforts in each category. For example, all of the refereed articles or book chapters published by members in a department should be listed in alphabetical order in this section. This information is not only needed to build the case for the next Higher Learning Commission visit, it also will be used for the next edition of the Academic Excellence publication.

Post-Tenure Faculty Development Plans

This only pertains to faculty who received a message from Sabine earlier this summer stating that you were late with your plan and stating that you would not receive professional development funds until you do. Many of you cc'ed me when you replied to Sabine stating that you were either a) never informed that you were to do a post-tenure development plan or b) that you received a notice last year stating that your plan proposal was due this fall. Trying to unravel what really happened with the Post-Tenure process has been difficult so here is how I will deal with the situation. First, everyone will receive their professional development funds. Second, if you received a letter last year telling you to submit a Post-Tenure Development plan this fall please submit this to your department chair by the deadline. Third, if you were notified that you were delinquent but were never informed that you were due for a Post-Tenure Development plan, ignore that memo. Finally, faculty retiring this year do not have to complete a post-tenure plan.

Over the first few months, I will be sharing with department chairs what records indicate regarding when tenured faculty should next develop a post-tenure plan. They will verify dates with faculty in the department. We will then develop a notification process for faculty similar to notices that the Dean sends out concerning the 2, 4, & 6 year evaluations.

One final plug

You will soon receive a letter from me inviting you to the fall workshop and banquet. I mention that the Summer Task Force reports will be in your campus post office box at the end of next week. The groups have diligently constructed these reports. Their proposals will be discussed during the fall workshop and eventually deliberated in the Faculty Senate. I commend them to your attention.

We do not hear this enough - so let me express my thanks for all that you do for Concordia as we prepare for another academic year.

Mark

9 August - Adopt a Concordia College Family

To: Faculty and Staff Date: August 9, 2004

From: The Retention Committee:

Mark Krejci & Morrie Lanning, co-chairs

Maddy Burchill, Jane Grant-Shambaugh, Lee Johnson, Mary Larson, Jim Legler, Jim Meier, Carole Stalheim, Kay Schneider

Re: Adopt a Concordia College Family

We plan on implementing the Adopt a Concordia College Family initiative again this Academic Year. Last year, 42 Concordia faculty and staff families and 95 students participated in this initiative.

The rationale for this initiative include both the benefits faculty and staff families experience by getting to know students outside of the classroom and the benefit for students who develop close connections with an adult mentor. Studies on student retention show that one factor that has proven to be especially significant in improving student retention is the interaction between students and faculty outside of the classroom, and, more broadly, the interaction between students and staff of the college community. This out-of-class-room contact is particularly important for students who attend college far from home, including our international students. One approach that has proven successful at other colleges is to provide students with informal opportunities for meeting faculty and staff members through a shared meal, participation in a reading group or recreational activity.

We are looking for faculty, staff and alumni who are willing to participate in this initiative by being a contact family to one or more new Concordia students.

An initial meeting is planned for Sunday, September 5th. We recommend inviting the student(s) to your home, out for dessert or to the shopping mall for this first meeting. Since the first several weeks are critical to a successful transition to college, following up after this initial contact with a phone call and a second invitation during the fall semester is an important welcoming gesture. For some of you this may be the beginning of becoming the 'adopted family' to some of our students. For others it may simply be an initial contact that helps in the transition from home to college.

If you are interested in being an 'adopted family' and would like to learn more about this initiative, please complete the bottom portion of this letter and send it to FPO 163, First-Year Experience/ACCORD, by Tuesday, August 17, 2004. If you have another idea for improving our students' success and connectedness at Concordia, please e-mail a retention committee member. Thank you in advance for your willingness to help.