Newsletter February 13, 2025
cte.utah.edu

When humans are threatened or exposed to stress, they go into fight or flight mode. In academia, it’s no different. Changes at the federal level have implications for our research and funding, and legislative conversations at the state level affect issues in higher education. And faculty are left angry, confused, and worried, all of which leave us wondering whether to fight or to flee.

That’s when I have to remind myself why I’m here. I am here because I genuinely love working in higher education. My research is interesting and important to me, I love working with and teaching students, and I enjoy supporting faculty. I can’t do any of those things well if I don’t take care of myself. Little things matter: I turn off the news, I go for a walk, I pet a dog, or I try a new candy (feel free to send your favorite candy my way). I remind myself that the world is still spinning and that my family and friends and colleagues are still the same people I love them for being. 

I encourage you all to take a step back from the dumpster fire, breathe in some fresh air, and do something to take care of yourself. Take advantage of a PEAK health class, or take a lunchtime walk around Red Butte Gardens, or read a really good book. And I don’t care what the groundhog said – know that soon it will be spring.

The Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence (MBECTE) is seeking one graduate student to join our team as Graduate Fellow. This paid position begins in the Fall 2025 semester. The position is designed to be flexible with graduate students’ program responsibilities.

This unique opportunity allows you to strengthen the teaching and leadership components of your CV, increase your own knowledge of best practices in higher education pedagogy, and assist faculty and other graduate students refine their teaching skills. It may also provide exposure to online and hybrid teaching environments.

Graduate Fellow / Generalist (20hrs/week) – work closely with MBECTE staff to support instruction across disciplines on the Salt Lake City campus. Potential responsibilities include:

The benefits of working as a MBECTE Graduate Fellow include:

Strong candidates will possess the following:

To apply, submit the following materials by March 15, 2025 via the button below.

Information Security Office

The University of Utah’s instance of Microsoft Copilot remains the only commercial artificial intelligence (AI) platform sanctioned for institutional use at the university. Other AI tools, such as Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Google Gemini, have not been approved and expose the university and its data to IT security risks.

For more information, visit the AI at the U website or this IT Knowledge Base article (login required).

Community Based Participatory Research Workshop Series

The Spring 2025 CEL Workshop Series will be on Community Based Participatory Research and will be led by Dr. Ana Antunes, who has recently published the book All In: Community Engaged Scholarship for Social Change

Workshop 2: Youth Participatory Action Research

Interested in conducting Youth Participatory Action Research? Dr. Ana Antunes will guide workshop participants through the basics utilizing examples from her own work with youth in Salt Lake City.

Friday, February 21; 11:45-12:45; virtual

Zoom Registration

Workshop 3: Youth Voices: Research by Youth for Youth

Hear from local youth conducting research about the research process, what they learned, and their hopes for the future of community based research.

Friday, March 28; 11:30-1:00pm; GC 4490

Register for lunch

Every two years, the CCW coordinates the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) for our campus. This survey helps us better understand the health and wellness experiences of our students so we can improve, develop, and advocate for programs and services that truly elevate campus health and well-being.

This year, the survey launched on February 10th at 2PM (Today!) and runs through March 2nd. It was emailed to a random sample of 10,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at the University of Utah to their UMail. 

How can you help? 

The Partner Toolkit

To support outreach, we've put together a partner toolkit with graphics, sample texts, and resources that you can share with your students through the various communication channels your department uses. 

We also encourage that you (or your department) follow @uofuwellness, subscribe to our newsletter at wellness.utah.edu (or click here), and learn more about student health and wellness resources.

Faculty, staff, and student leaders play a pivotal role in reaching students here at the U, and we appreciate anything you can do to help spread the word. If you have any questions or need additional materials, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your support in ensuring students’ voices are heard!

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is excited to announce the Education Series for Spring 2025.  The OUR Education Series includes topics of interest for undergraduate student researchers and their faculty mentors. These events are open to all and are designed specifically with undergraduate students in mind.  Faculty are welcome to incorporate these events into their classes and/or encourage their students to participate.  

Faculty grants of up to $2,500 per year are available.  The University of Utah Sustainability Office offers funds to instructors who wish to integrate sustainability into their courses or renew a Sustainability Course Attribute (SUST). The funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to:

hiring graduate assistants or teaching assistants to aid with developing course content, or

purchasing course materials, project-specific supplies, event expenses, etc.

The streamlined application consists of three questions. There are two upcoming deadlines:

3/15/25 (reviewed by mid-April, funds disbursed before summer semester begins), and

5/15/25 (reviewed by early June, funds disbursed by the end of the fiscal year).

Find the application link here.

University Teaching Grant applications due March 7