August 21, 2024 - Forward Momentum

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back! This is my favorite time of the year. Feeling the excitement and energy on campus is contagious, and I am so happy you’re here. A new semester brings new ideas and initiatives that I am excited to share with you. There are many ways for you to support our new and returning students during First Weekend including helping with move-in and attending any events you can. I hope to see you on Friday at the Fall Kickoff Cookout!

This semester, retention continues to be our top priority. As we’ve done in the past, we will continue to share resources and best practices, beginning with two excellent articles on ideas to perk up your first day of class and teaching a good first day of class. The first few days of any class are instrumental in setting the tone and expectations. An engaging activity can help orient students’ mindset toward growth and success—and, incidentally, give you the information you need to complete the participation roster for the course.

I want to remind you, too, that syllabuses need to be posted to your course’s Pilot page—even if you do not otherwise use Pilot—and should have been shared with your chair by Monday, August 19.

Our students’ mental health and well-being is imperative and yours is too. Additional information will be communicated as the date nears, but Wright State will again celebrate World Mental Health Day on October 10. I encourage you to review your plan for classes that day and encourage your students to participate if possible.

I will continue to do all I can to support you and help to strengthen our community. With President Edwards’ leadership, we will work together to do great things. I am proud to be here and to have a chance to work with every one of you.

Welcome New Faculty!

We look forward to working with our new faculty and are excited to introduce them to the Wright State community!

Elizabeth Adams, Clinical Instructor, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
James Anderson, Instructor, College of Engineering and Computer Sciences
Matthew Anklan, Instructor, College of Liberal Arts
Natasha Banerjee, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Sean Banerjee, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Selena Burks-Rentschler, Instructor, College of Liberal Arts
Lisa Carter, Assistant Professor, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Craig Castle, Instructor, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Jenna Clark, Clinical Instructor, Lake Campus
Michael Dornoo, Lecturer, College of Science and Mathematics
Amy Faust, Instructor, College of Liberal Arts
Joshua Gilliam, Instructor, College of Liberal Arts
Natalie Grierson, Lecturer, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Katherine Hertlein, Professor and Associate Dean, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Cheryl Hess, Instructor and Medical Laboratory Program Instructor, College of Science and Mathematics
Jordan Hickey, Instructor, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Alexander Kapp, Instructor, College of Liberal Arts
Adam Kluck, Instructor, College of Liberal Arts
Alexis Krumpelman, Instructor, College of Science and Mathematics
Raven Lynch, Lecturer and Program Director, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Joseph Macisco, Assistant Professor, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Clarissa Milligan, Instructor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
R. Gregory Owens, Assistant Professor, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Michael Phillips, Instructor, Lecturer, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Jordan Ryhan, Clinical Instructor, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Mohammed Salman, Instructor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Brian Seckfort, Instructor College of Liberal Arts
Brian Shreve, Assistant Professor, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Nichol Simmons, Instructor and Director of Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures, College of Liberal Arts
Neal Snow, Assistant Professor, Raj Soin College of Business
Philip Steiner, Assistant Professor, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Ghosh Tomojit, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Jessica Warrick, Lecturer, College of Health, Education, and Human Services

We also welcome new faculty who joined us beginning in the Spring 2024 Semester!

Stephanie Altchuler, Lecturer, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Melonya Cook, Lecturer and Program Director, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Mumtaz Karatas, Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Cheryl McKee, Clinical Instructor, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Darah Schmidt, Clinical Instructor, College of Health, Education, and Human Services
Tristan West, Clinical Instructor, College of Health, Education, and Human Services

Student Success

Embed academic success in your course! Starting this fall, the Academic Success Centers will offer a series of workshops to build students’ academic success skills and/or provide an overview of writing, tutoring, and peer coaching resources. If you want to support your students’ academic success, you can request a presentation at the date and time of your choosing by completing this classroom visit request form.

Additionally, if academic support is provided for your course (you can check the supported courses here: course-based tutoring, math support, or writing support), please help us by sharing that information in your syllabus or in your LMS. Faculty are our best opportunity to make students aware of academic support. Contact Dr. Amelia Salazar, vice president for student success, with any questions.

Faculty Affairs

• Beginning this fall, annual faculty activity reports will be due by September 15. Faculty will report their activities for the previous academic year (thus, fall 2023 to summer 2024) not for the calendar year, as in the past. This year only, as we transition, please expect to do some duplicate reporting, since you have already reported on your fall 2023 activities.
• Activity reporting will solely be collected through information entered by faculty in Watermark’s Faculty Success software.
  • One-hour user training sessions and system overview and submissions training are available.
• Evaluation of teaching and service as well as scholarship for TETs will be based on a 0–4 scale. (11.3)
• Teaching and service will be evaluated for the year under review only; scholarship will be evaluated for the year under review, with the merit score for that year then averaged with the two prior years. (11.2)
• Criteria for evaluation of teaching and service have changed; Bargaining Unit Faculty Members should review Article 11.6.

Faculty Intervention Dates at a Glance

*X Term – coincides with the last day for a 100% refund; look up dates

• Participation Rosters — Instructions for submitting participation rosters for students who have yet to establish participation at least once in your class will be sent on the first day of classes. This is not only a critical process for Title IV compliance, but it also helps our student success staff to reach out to students who might need assistance. The period for submitting your participation roster will close at midnight of the last day a student can drop and receive a 100% tuition refund.
• Midterm Grades — Faculty will regularly submit midterm grades for all undergraduate courses. Further information is available on the registrar’s faculty resource page.

For additional information, please check out the Orientation and Success Programs’ faculty resource page for FAQs, or feel free to contact me with questions.

When a Student Needs Support

Wright.edu/help is a great resource for helping students or making referrals. This site contains contact information for emergency or essential departments that can assist your students all in one location.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! You are appreciated!

Amy Thompson, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs