Dear Colleagues,
We have so much to be proud of! As presented last week during the Board of Trustees meeting, student retention has increased at an outstanding rate of 5.5%. I am so proud of you. Our university has grown and changed in recent years, and I know this isn’t always easy. However, the excellent work you are doing is showing. Our students are enrolling and staying at the highest rate in Wright State history. This is because of our faculty and staff—it is because of you.
Our work continues, and I thank each of you for your continued dedication to excellence. I am so proud to be here
Submitting Early Alerts for Students
At this point in the semester, students may begin feeling the stress of their academic requirements. The newness of college is beginning to fade, and the reality of balancing all their commitments is setting in. This becomes a key time to identify students who may be struggling with one or more of these realities and need support to help manage. This is where you are a key partner in ensuring all students can succeed.
Concerns you have for students in your courses can be raised via the Slate Student Success portal. This webpage has written instructions to walk you through submitting concerns and kudos for students. You can also view a two-minute video if you prefer.
Events
This weekend, Wright State is home to the Air Force Marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and Health and Fitness Expo. This is a wonderful community event and a great way to see parts of the Dayton Campus.
It is not too late to register.
Funding Available for Open Educational Resource Course Redesign
OhioLINK Affordable Learning has dedicated funding to help faculty learn more about using openly licensed or other affordable course content for their high-enrollment courses. Full-time or part-time faculty from OhioLINK member institutions interested in learning more about teaching with Open Educational Resources are eligible to apply. If your application is selected, you will receive a $650 stipend for participating once all the requirements have been met.
The program will be held between November 4 and January 24 and will require a commitment of approximately four to eight hours of asynchronous work. It can be completed online and will also require a synchronous Zoom discussion session.
Learn more and apply through October 4.
Raider Open House
The Dayton Campus will host a Raider Open House for future students on October 19. I encourage you to invite prospective students and their families to register, attend, and learn why it's a great time to be a Raider!
Raider Open House takes place Saturday, October 19, starting at 9:30 a.m. in the Student Union.
Center for Faculty Excellence
- Closing the Loop on Program Assessment: The greatest benefit from program assessment comes from closing the loop on the assessment cycle. In this workshop, participants will recognize the importance of discussing assessment results in their department and articulate questions that could be asked of assessment data that lead to data-informed changes and greater student success.
Wednesday, October 9, 9:05-10:00 a.m., in-person
Monday, October 14, 3:35-4:30 p.m., virtual (Webex link will be sent upon registration)
Tuesday, October 15, 2:00-2:55 p.m., in-person
Register
- Closing the Loop on Course Assessment: At the beginning of the term, assessment plans were created for each course. Now that the term is wrapping up, it is time to collect, report, and analyze the data. This workshop will walk through these processes to close the loop on course assessment for the term. Participants will learn how to report and/or collect data in the Planning and Self-Study system, receive tips on analyzing assessment results, and identify data-informed opportunities to improve student success.
Tuesday, November 26, 2:30-3:25 p.m., in-person
Friday, December 6, 11:15 a.m.-12:10 p.m., virtual (Webex link will be sent upon registration)
Thursday, December 12, 12:30-1:25 p.m., in-person
Register
Mental Health First Aid Training
Mental Health First Aid helps to teach individuals how to assist and support others who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based practice training offered virtually and in-person that uses community-specific scenarios, activities, and videos to teach the skills needed to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges as well as how to provide initial support until they are connected with appropriate professional help.
Training sessions are available to all employees throughout the fall semester. Learn more and register.
Faculty Affairs – Important Dates
- September 30 – Professional Development Course Release proposals for NTE BUFMs are due to chairs.
- October 15 – Professional Development Leave proposals (TET and BSOM) are due to deans. Bargaining Unit Faculty should review Article 30-3.2 for guidelines and process. Boonshoft School of Medicine faculty follow the Wright State University Policy 8430.
Research and Sponsored Programs Training Opportunities
- The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is offering Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training this academic year. Forums will be held on:
Fall semester: October 9, 16, 23, and 30 at 1:00 p.m. in 158 University Hall
Spring semester: January 31, February 7, 14, and 21, time and location will be finalized as the dates approach
Learn more
The 50-minute sessions address core areas of Responsible Conduct of Research and discuss the structure of the program. Grant contracts may require researcher participation in Responsible Conduct of Research programs.
Contractual RCR Requirements: Faculty, staff, students, and external collaborators whose research is supported by NSF or NIH must periodically participate in the RCR forums and program. This includes anyone who can influence the results and validity of your research. The RCR program requires participation in four forum sessions at four-year intervals.
Although only required for NSF- or NIH-funded research, anyone is welcome to attend.
- The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will host grant writing workshops, facilitated by Hanover Research, throughout the fall semester. All sessions will be held on Zoom from noon to 2:00 p.m. To access, select the link below on the date of the presentation:
September 25: Long-Term Strategic Grant Planning and Developing a Strong Concept Paper
September 27: Program Officer Engagement and Essentials of Competitive Proposals
October 2: Writing Competitive NSF, NIH, and DOD CDMRP Proposals
October 4: Developing and Maintaining Collaborations and Resubmissions
The sessions will be facilitated by Steven Jax, Ph.D., a senior grants consultant at Hanover Research who has supported over $48 million in funded grants from a wide range of funders, including NIH, NSF, DOE, and many private funders. Before joining Hanover, Dr. Jax was a research scientist for 14 years in the field of cognitive neuroscience and neurorehabilitation.
When a Student Needs Support
As we approach the fourth week of the semester, students may already be struggling. 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
