October 2022 - Faculty Newsletter

October 2022 - Faculty Newsletter

Message from Provost, Wayne Vaught

Dear UVU Faculty,

 

I am pleased to announce the launch of the new faculty newsletter website! I want to apologize for the delay in launch, however, we are excited to make this website a place where all UVU faculty members can get caught up on information, updates, and learn about events specifically catered towards faculty in one centralized location. This website will be updated monthly with the newest edition of the faculty newsletter and previous newsletters can be found in the archive starting November.  I hope you are all doing well and survived midterms. As we approach the holiday season, I want to encourage all of you to practice some self-care and dedicate time to make your mental and physical health a priority.

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the newsletter or wish to submit content for future newsletters please contact, Makenzy Toro at [email protected]

Dates to Remember

October 13-15

Fall break for students 

October 27

Roots of Knowledge Speaker Series - “‘Mira arte fabricatum’: Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Doors and the Role of the Artist in Renaissance Florence” by Sr. Steven Bule

November 1

Faculty Success Drop-In Sessions (Rank Advancement) - 12pm

November 3

Roots of Knowledge Speaker Series - “Better off Dead? The Short Life and Long Legacy of King Tutankhamen” by Dr. Brendon McCarthy

November 8

Town Hall Meeting with Wayne Vaught at 1:00-2:00pm - Click here to join the meeting

November 9

Adjunct Institute (for new adjuncts only) - Register here!

November 15

Faculty Success Drop-In Sessions (Rank Advancement) - 2pm

Application for sabbatical leave due to department chair 

November 17

Roots of Knowledge Speaker Series - “How to Read Sacred Architecture: Reinterpreting Architectural Roots at Jerusalem, Rome, and Salt Lake” By Bradon R. Ro

December 13

Faculty Success Drop-In Sessions (Rank Advancement) - 11am

A subject librarian seated at the Fulton Library’s Research Help Desk greets a patron.

Navigate Your Research with Subject-Specific Help

Before you reach a research dead end, contact a Fulton Library subject librarian. Whatever the topic, our professional librarians are equipped with the expertise to guide you or your students through subject-specific research. From developing a research question and planning search strategies to locating sources and using databases, our subject librarians can lead the way, removing roadblocks throughout your research process.

Need help from a subject librarian? Explore our subject librarian guide, where you can search for the best contact by name or subject. Once you’ve found a librarian who specializes in your research area, click on their profile to schedule an appointment for in-depth research help. You can also talk to a librarian at the first-floor Research Help Desk (no appointment needed) or contact a librarian by phone (801-863-8840), text (801-290-8123), chat, or email.

Service-Learning Superstar!

 

Maria Blevins headshot

We are pleased to announce Dr. Maria Blevins as the October Service-Learning Superstar! In addition to being an original co-investigator on the National Science Foundation Utah Lake project, part of the Capitol Reef National Park Social Science Team, and a Faculty Fellow in the UVU SIMLab, Dr. Blevins continues to include a variety of impactful service-learning projects in her courses each semester. These include:

 

Comm 350 R Public Participation Processes/Host The National Dialogue: The National Dialogue yearly brings together students, public participation practitioners, policy experts, community leaders and the interested public to explore and discuss why and how the public should be involved in complex and technical decision making. 

 

Comm 4170 Contemporary Issues in Organizational Communication/Developed Volunteer Trainings: This class was an opportunity for students to learn more deeply about processes of socialization and assimilation into organizations.  Students were paired with Teens Act and the National Abilities Center to create new volunteer trainings for the organization.  

 

Comm 3020 Introduction to Communication Research Methods/Sandy City Water Department: This introduction to research methods class tested the attitudes towards water consumption that are held by residents of Sandy City. This will include their current attitudes, willingness to change, and will analyze the degree to which citizens are environmentally conscious. 

 

Dr. Belvins said this about her service-learning experience at UVU: "Service-learning is such a great chance for students to apply the theory and concepts they are learning in class to real world issues. It feels fun to work with the community and students on projects that will have tangible impacts in the world." 

 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Blevins for her incredible service-learning efforts! 

 

We welcome nominations for future Service-Learning Superstars on a rolling basis, and self-nominations are encouraged. To nominate, please send an email to Dr. Jon Westover ([email protected] ) and Dr. Leandra Hernandez ([email protected].) with a 250-word description of the nominee, department affiliation, and service-learning course activities.

Policy News

Policy Update

There has not been much activity over the summer for the 600-level series of policies, but policy work did not stop. The Board of Trustees recently approved Policy 326 Workplace Conduct for the Policy Manual. Additionally, Policy 162 Title IX Sexual Misconduct has been approved for adoption through the compliance change process.

Please join in on the policy development/revision process by reviewing the following policies in stage 2 and then providing any comments to your faculty senator or PACE representative:

  • Policy 112 Use of University Social Media (closes 10/01/2022)
  • Policy 210 Independent Contractors (closes 10/01/2022)
  • Policy 251 Traveling on University Business (closes 10/01/2022)
  • Policy 324 Drug-Free and Alcohol-Free Workplace (closes 10/01/2022)
  • Policy 646 Faculty Appeals for Retention, Tenure and Promotion (closes 9/30/2022)

And since our last newsletter, President’s Council has approved the following policies for entrance into Stage 1, the drafting and revision stage:

  • IT Policy Bundle
    • Policy 446 Privacy and Disclosure
    • Policy 447 Information Security
    • Policy 448 Web, Internet, and Domain Names
    • Policy 457 PCI DSS Compliance
  • Policy 212 Electronic Signatures
  • Policy 116 Institutional Messaging and Student Communication

Policy Highlight

Policy 633 - Faculty Performance Evaluation and Feedback

Just as the university has been working to improve the annual review process for staff, the policy for faculty annual reviews has also undergone some changes. Starting with the title, Policy 633 has been revised and reflects the desire to foster excellence in teaching. The title is now Faculty Performance Evaluation and Feedback, which shows that annual reviews are more about feedback for improvement rather than just rating one’s performance. The “policy establishes types of non-disciplinary supervisor feedback that can be used throughout the year, an annual goal-setting process, an annual review process, and processes for clarifications and appeals.” § 1.2.

The policy introduces three levels of feedback that supervisors may use with faculty members. They are as follows: guidance, notice of improvement needed (NOIN), and professional improvement plan (PIP). Guidance is used for helping faculty develop and improve professionally, while the other two levels,

Notice of Improvement Needed and Professional Improvement Plan are used when there are performance issues. §§ 4.2.1 – 4.2.3.

For faculty, it is now the time for the annual goal-setting process. Faculty goals will be due September 15, 2022. When thinking about one’s goals, they should help faculty members “meet expectations and pursue meaningful activities and opportunities,” and “should focus on high-stakes and high-level accomplishments that the faculty member intends to achieve.” § 4.3.2. Although not required but encouraged, faculty members may consult others as they develop their goals, primarily their mentor, immediate supervisor, and the department RTP committee. During this process, “[s]upervisors must review and provide guidance regarding faculty members goals.” § 4.3.5. And just as life has its changes, “goals may be modified during the year as needs change and opportunities arise.” § 4.3.3. When that happens, one’s “supervisor will again be able to review and provide guidance on the modified goals.” § 4.3.5.

For more information about the annual review process and processes for clarification and appeals, please see Policy 633 itself, which can be found in the UVU Policy Manual.

Faculty Senate Updates from Hilary Hungerford

Greetings Faculty colleagues! 

At the time of writing, we have about seven weeks left in the semester, including Thanksgiving break and final exam week.  Does anyone else feel that time speeds up at the end of the semester???  As we approach the end of the year and the holiday season, I want to make sure you know about some mental health resources available to us as employees of UVU.  This is a stressful time for many of us, and it is important to take time and space for yourself. 

 

Faculty senate has had a busy and productive semester with policy work and other initiatives.  We have been actively involved in the General Education Review taskforce, the Vision 2030 refresh, and RTP criteria review. Next semester, we will start the SRI review taskforce and continue our policy work. As always, if you have concerns you would like senate to address please contact your department senator or email me directly. 

 

I would like to end this message with a request: please share your successes and accomplishments with your department chairs.  We would love to celebrate faculty more, but often don’t know where to turn to know what you are doing.  Please share your celebratory moments with your chairs and/or deans so we can celebrate you!

Launch to success series advertisment flyer

Research Institute at the Women’s Success Center

 

L.A.U.N.C.H. to Success Series hosted by the Research Institute at the Women's Success Center. Intentional connections to strengthen scholarship opportunities, momentum, and community.Learn Success StrategiesAttain a Sense of BelongingUncover Creative IdeasNetwork with ColleaguesCollaborate on ProjectsHone your Scholarship Goals and CapabilitiesAll sessions will be in CB 415November 1, 3-5pm: https://bit.ly/RIWSC_Nov01November 17, 3-5pm: https://bit.ly/RIWSC_Nov17December 6, 3-5pm: https://bit.ly/RIWSC_Dec06Refreshments will be provided.