Student Evaluation of Teaching Task Force Work Underway

This spring the Office of the Provost, in collaboration with the Faculty Senate, appointed a task force to evaluate the current Student Evaluation of Teaching (SETE) instrument and administration process.  The faculty-led task force will spend the next year exploring alternative student evaluation systems that meet UNT’s needs while fulfilling the requirements of House Bill No. 2504.  The group has worked diligently over the past two months developing an evaluation matrix, conducting student focus groups, and planning for faculty input.  Be on the lookout for an invitation to participate in a focus group discussion and complete an online survey to 'let your voice be heard!'  If you have any suggestions, good ideas, or thoughts concerning the student evaluation of teaching instrument or administration process, please contact your Faculty Senate representative listed below.

Student Evaluation of Teaching Task Force

Faculty Senate Representatives Pam Harrell, Teacher Education & Administration, Task Force Chair Group 1:  TBD Group 2:  Mark McKnight, UNT Libraries Group 3:  John Quintanilla, Mathematics Group 4:  Michael McPherson, Economics Group 5:  Marissa Zorola, Merchandising & Digital Retailing Group 6:  Daniel Chen, Counseling & Higher Education Group 6:  Prathiba Natesan, Educational Psychology  Group 7:  Amie Lund, Biological Sciences  Group 8:  Robin Lakes, Dance & Theatre Academic Affairs Representatives Christy Crutsinger, Office of the Provost, Task Force Facilitator Jan Holden, Chair, Counseling & Higher Education Costas Tsatsoulis, Dean, College of Engineering Administrative Support Representatives:  Philip Baczewski, Academic Computing and User Services Elizabeth Fisher, Institutional Research & Effectiveness Lynn McCreary, Office of the Registrar Keitha Robertson, Office of the Registrar Mike Simmons, Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment, and Redesign Jason Simon, Institutional Research & Effectiveness

Mentoring Grant Awards Announced

Congratulations to the 2014-2015 Mentoring Grant Recipients.  The Office for Faculty Success recently awarded 27 mentoring grants designed to support full-time faculty mentoring endeavors.  The goal of the Faculty Mentoring Program is to help faculty in four critical areas: gaining institutional knowledge, supporting teaching and research efforts, developing professional networks, and promoting diversity. Visit our Mentoring website for a listing of award recipients.

National Endowment for Humanities Summer Stipend Program

The Office for Faculty Success is accepting nominations for the National Endowment for Humanities Summer Stipend Program.  The NEH provides support for individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.  Typical outcomes include articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources.  The $6,000 stipend supports projects at any stage of development and continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months.  Nomination materials are due July 15, 2014.  Read more about UNT’s institutional selection process.

Welcome Class of 2018 

Did you know that UNT anticipates over 8,000 new students, including new freshmen and transfer students this fall?  Many of these students will arrive on our campus with little knowledge of what to expect from university life.  Student Convocation provides a formal welcome to our first-year and transfer students and sets the tone for their academic life at UNT.  Faculty presence at Convocation symbolizes the centrality of scholarship to the university experience.  Please support the Class of 2018 and make plans to attend Student Convocation on Thursday, August, 21, 2014 at 5:00 p.m., UNT Coliseum. Business casual attire is appropriate for this event.

Campus SaVE Act Enhances Safety

The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act or Campus SaVE Act, included in the Violence Against Women Re-authorization Act (VAWA), enhances existing prevention education and victims’ rights provisions and provides for the collaboration of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education to collect and disseminate best practices information about preventing and responding to sexual assault and other intimate partner violence. Learn more about the Campus SaVE Act and Clery Center for Security on Campus by visiting UNT Dean of Students website or browsing the brochures linked below. 

• What to do About Sexual Violence
• Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Stalking

For information on how to get involved in UNT's Efforts to Prevent and Educate Against Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence, email Dr. Maureen McGuinness, Dean of Students.

If You Have Done It, It Ain't Bragging (so says Walt Whitman)

For faculty there is a certain art and science to self-promotion.  Too much bragging and you may be hailed as the shameless narcissist; not enough self-promotion and your accomplishments go unnoticed, unrecognized, and perhaps unrewarded. The Office for Faculty Success values the recognition of our outstanding faculty and we are ready to promote your success.  Please share your honors, awards, or accomplishments by sending a one liner, anecdote, and/or novel to faculty.success@unt.edu and tell us what you have done lately that made you proud. Your narratives will provide content for features on the Faculty Success website. You can also highlight the accomplishments of your colleagues by completing the Faculty Showcase form.

Time to Make Art, Music and Literature

On My Own Time, the annual fine arts competition, highlights the creative talents of UNT's very own faculty and staff.  This year's competition will feature two new categories — literature and music. The deadline for entries is June 27, 2014. The exhibition will take place July 28 -August 9, 2014 at UNT on the Square. All works must be done during the employees’ free time from work. UNT’s Best of Show and first prize winners will go on a regional exhibition, sponsored by the Business Council for the Arts, in September at North Park Center in Dallas. For more information and entry form, visit On My Own Time.

Did you know UNT on the Square (UNTSQ) is one of the three central components of the UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts (IAA) and is devoted to presenting UNT arts programming to the University and the Denton community.  The IAA was launched in October 2009 and features a variety of future exhibitions that can be found on their website.  Don’t miss out on the amazing exhibitions, programming, and artists coming soon.

Important Dates
Bilingual Educators for Students of Texas Project (BESTEX) ESL Summer Academy	June 20, 2014
SETE Administration 5W1 and 8W1	June 26 – July 2, 2014
New Faculty Orientation	August 14, 2014
Teaching Excellence Seminar	August 21, 2014
Student Convocation	August 21, 2014
Mentoring Grant Budget Workshop	August 29, 2014
Faculty Development Leave Application Deadline	September 30, 2014

Academic Leaders Corner 

Building, strengthening, and sustaining UNT's administrative leadership is an important part of the work that we do in the Office for Faculty Success. Several of the upcoming events are listed below:

• UNT Leadership Fellows 'Out and About' on the UNT Campus (Tour), June 19, 2014, 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (invitation only)
• New Chair Orientation, August 5, 2014, Hurley 204, Boardroom, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (new chairs only)
• UNT Chair Academy Retreat, August 7, 2014, Gateway Center 43/47, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (chairs only)
• New Faculty Orientation, August 14, 2014, Gateway Ballroom, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Please send your good ideas, comments, and/or suggestions for the next Faculty Newsletter to faculty.success@unt.edu.