Post-War Faculty Colloquium

Now in its third year, UNT’s Postwar Faculty Colloquium will be March 31 2017.  This day-long meeting is for post-WWII researchers from colleges and universities throughout the Metroplex in the fields of Rhetoric and Composition, Art History, Communications, Film Studies, English, History, and all fields of humanities and social sciences.  Thanks to Team Mentoring Grant sponsorship, this year’s keynote speakers are Thomas Doherty, Professor of American Studies, Brandeis University, and Laura McEnaney, Nadine Austin Wood Professor of American History, Whittier College.  Prof. Doherty is the author of numerous articles and books, including Hollywood and Hitler (Columbia 2013), Cold War, Cool Medium:  Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture (Columbia 2003), and Projections of War:  Hollywood, American Culture, and World War II (Columbia 1993).  Prof. McEnaney is the author of numerous articles and Civil Defense Begins at Home:  Militarization Meets Everyday Life in the Fifties (Princeton 2000).  She has been an NEH Fellow, Gardner Howard Foundation Fellow from Brown, and Graves Award in the Humanities recipient from ACLS.  Because national organizations, journals, and meetings devoted to post-WWII studies in the humanities and social sciences are rare, UNT’s Postwar Faculty Colloquium is designed for area faculty to network across campuses and disciplines and gain additional mentoring opportunities from national figures in post-WWII studies.  Students and the public, however, are welcome to attend the sessions and spend the day with the presenters; each year the event is better attended, and PFC looks forward once more to hosting distinguished keynoters and the regional postwar studies community at this year’s gathering. To learn more, please contact Jacqueline Foertsch (jacqueline.foertsch@unt.edu)

 

International Business Research and Education Mentoring Initiative

The Team Mentoring Grant will help to bring Dr. Tomas Hult to campus on October 21, 2016. Tomas is a leading scholar in International Business (at the intersection of International Strategy, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management). He is the Executive Director of the Academy of International Business and recipient of many federally funded grants including one that supports the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at Michigan State University. Community members interested in learning more are encouraged to contact Nolan Gaffney (nolan.gaffney@unt.edu)

 

Biofuels:Biology Forum on Undergraduate Education in the Life Sciences

The Biology Forum on Undergraduate Education in the Life Sciences (BIOFUELS) departmental mentoring project catalyzes discussions for the transformation of undergraduate education in the Department of Biological Sciences at UNT. This project brings together faculty, staff, and graduate students in the department at monthly meetings to explore current research, resources, and best practices in undergraduate biology education. The capstone of the project year is a seminar by a nationally-prominent speaker in life sciences education. Lee Hughes (lee.hughes@unt.edu) is the contact for those wishing to learn more.

 

Women Historian Mentoring Group

Inspired by the mentoring model advanced by UNT's La Colectiva, this group of women historians seek to increase diversity inside and outside the department and to develop networks with scholars who share similar research interests. We will have historians presenting public lectures on campus and we'll organize events to promote our research and teaching. Please contact Sandra Mendiola Garcia (sandra.mendiolagarcia@unt.edu) for more information.

 

Lecturers Mentoring Lecturers

Lecturers Mentoring Lecturers is a professional development opportunity for lecturers at UNT provided by the Teach North Texas program right here on the campus of UNT. Lecturers can participate in a year-long book study and learn instructional strategies to implement in their own classes.  John Hattie’s Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement is used in this book study resulting in thoughtful dialog about effective teaching strategies.  Meetings occur monthly through May. Lecturers and their mentors are invited to participate in this book study to hone their craft and to continue to nurture excellence in teaching.  Contact Kris Sherman at kristin.sherman@unt.edu for more information.

 

North Texas Digital Fabrication Group

The North Texas Digital Fabrication Group (NTDFG) held its first meeting of the 2016-2017 academic year on September 23rd, 2016 from 11am to 1pm in the Willis Library Forum. Discussion will follow to plan the Group’s involvement in the Denton Mini Maker Faire and begin planning of the Spring 2017 North Texas Digital Fabrication Symposium.  Monthly meeting locations this upcoming year include Peterbilt manufacturing facility, Dallas Makerspace, and Reaper Miniatures. For more information please contact James Thurman (james.thurman@unt.edu).

 

UNT Mentorship Network in Food Studies

The University of North Texas has developed a strong global presence in the field of food studies over the last several years. We hope to utilize this grant to help institutionalize food studies at UNT and to expand and deepen our existing professional network both within and beyond the institution. During the 2016-2107 academic year, we will host two food studies speakers, host a writing retreat for group members, and explore the idea of planning an international food studies conference during the next academic year. (Thanks in large part to a previous mentoring grant, we successfully hosted a similar conference in 2015.) Members of the campus community interesting in learning more about our initiatives should contact Jennifer Jensen Wallach (jennifer.wallach@unt.edu) or Michael Wise (michael.wise@unt.edu).

 

Pioneering Digital Retailing Program

This mentoring project aims to advance the UNT digital retailing program competencies by industrial perspectives, practices, and applications through industry mentoring. By visiting industry leaders, attending workshops, and receiving web application trainings, faculty in the digital retailing program will identify strategies that leverage UNT digital retailing program strengths, identify additional competencies, and promote the program to industry and academic institutions. The mentoring will further enrich the course contents, identify the area of the research needed in the digital retailing industry, and develop professional networks, linking the program to the companies for future collaborative research and project opportunities. To learn more please contact Kiseol Yang (Kiseol.yang@unt.edu).