Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Happy April! As we turn the page to a new month in the academic year, I wish you all the very best as the semester continues to unfold. I hope you’re able to enjoy the changing season and the warmer weather in the weeks ahead.

First-Year Faculty Cohort
On March 30, our cohort was joined by our colleagues from Student Affairs, Lindsey Gilmore, Associate Vice President for Campus Engagement, and Christopher Clarke, Associate Vice President for Community Belonging and Success. They highlighted the many offerings within their division and fielded questions about campus housing, academic integrity, and how students are utilizing AI. The cohort will also tour the residence halls soon - an exciting opportunity to see where our on-campus students live.

Upcoming Events
Here’s a quick look at upcoming opportunities for and by faculty:

• TechBytes - Apr 9
• Autism Awareness Week programming - beginning Apr 13
• Legal Affairs Workshop - Apr 14
• Fahnestock, April Lunch & Learn - Apr 16
• Concourse Demo Session for Faculty - May 6

CAFE Calendar 
I'll continue to update our CAFE Calendar as more events and sessions become finalized.  Be sure to bookmark it and add any events directly to your Outlook calendar. 

As always, I welcome your ideas on how CAFE can better serve you.  Please don't hesitate to reach out at williamsjj@apsu.edu or 931-221-7648.

Thank you all again for the incredible work you do each day to support our students and our campus community. I hope to see many of you at a future CAFE-supported session soon and enjoy Friday off! :)

Yours always,
Jeff 

A place develoted to celebrating the achievements of our APSU faculty colleagues!

Williams and Kim serve as site hosts for Ragan and Mid-South Region NATS Auditions

APSU voice faculty members Dr. Jeffrey Williams and Dr. Min Sang Kim recently served as site hosts for two major Music Department events. Dr. Kari Ragan, an internationally recognized voice pedagogue, author, and Singing Voice Specialist, was in residence from March 18–20, supported in part by a CECA grant. During her visit, she presented lectures on Manuel Garcia, SOVTEs, and vocal health, and led two vocal masterclasses for APSU and Mid-South NATS members.

Later that week, APSU hosted the 2026 Mid-South Region NATS Auditions on March 20–21. More than 300 students, voice teachers, and collaborative pianists from Tennessee and Kentucky participated in the two-day event, competing for advancement to the national level. Dr. Williams and Dr. Kim each had multiple private students named as semifinalists and winners who advanced to nationals.

Pictured below left to right: Dr. Min Sang Kim, APSU Voice Faculty, Dr. Raelee Gold, APSU Voice Faculty, Dr. Kari Ragan, Special Guest, and Dr. Jeffrey Williams APSU Voice Faculty

Pruitt presents at International Studies conference

Dr. William Pruitt, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, recently presented at the International Studies Association Conference in Columbus, OH!

His research examines an important and thought-provoking issue of whether genocide denial should be classified as hate speech. This research was also published in the Journal of International Criminal Law.

Oliver presented at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference

Dr. John Xavier Volker, Professor of Management & Marketing, and Dr. Al Tilooby, Assistant Professor of Management & Marketing recently published, "Generative AI-Augmented Human Judgment: A Task-Technology Fit Perspective," in the Journal of Information Systems Education: Vol. 37 : Iss. 1 , 151-166.

This study examines how generative artificial intelligence can augment human judgment in assurance of learning assessments within business education, using the task-technology fit framework as a guiding lens. The results demonstrate that when mediated by human-based prompt engineering and moderated by human oversight, generative artificial intelligence markedly improves assessment efficiency and scoring consistency while providing more in-depth feedback without compromising evaluation accuracy. 

Oliver presented at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference

Dr. Allison Oliver, Assistant Professor in the College of Education, presented three times during the Council for Exceptional Children Conference last week in Salt Lake City, UT. 

The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Convention & Expo is the premier annual professional development event for special education professionals, educators, and administrators. It features workshops, sessions, and an expo hall focused on improving educational outcomes for children with disabilities and special needs through research-backed practices and technology.

Robinson to present on Organ Donation at next Science on Tap

Samantha Robinson, an assistant professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the radiography program, will present “From Waiting List to New Life: What Organ Donation Really Means,” outlining the impact organ donation can have on recipients. She will share insights into the process from the perspective of medical professionals and recipients, discussing the life-changing impact of transplantation and addressing common misconceptions.

Robinson will be joined by Lourdes Matamoros, an ambassador from Donate Life Tennessee. Both speakers have been affected by organ donation: Robinson is a three-time transplant recipient, while Matamoros became an advocate over 30 years ago when her daughter needed a heart transplant. Both have since dedicated their time and expertise to education and advocacy for organ donation.

Science on Tap event at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, at Strawberry Alley Ale Works.

The G.R.A.C.E. group is for faculty and staff members who are grieving the loss of a loved one. The group stands for “Grief, Restoration, and Caring Employees,” and will meet twice a month this semester to connect and support one another during the difficult days they may experience at APSU while grieving. The G.R.A.C.E. group provides a safe place to explore and express feelings related to losing a loved one and how to thrive in a world without that special person.

For more information, please contact LaNeeça Williams at 931-221-7690 or by email at Williamslr@apsu.edu. 

Upcoming G.R.A.C.E. Meetings

April 15, 2026, 11 a.m. – noon, MUC 312 (a light lunch will be served)

April 29, 2026, 3 – 4 p.m., MUC 305 (light refreshments)

May 20, 2026, 11 a.m. – noon, MUC 305 (a light lunch will be served)

May 26, 2026, 3 – 4 p.m., MUC 305 (light refreshments)

Please join us for our
April Lunch and Learn

April 16, 2026
Noon - 2 p.m.
MUC 307

"Exploration, land, and desire: A research-based artistic practice"

McLean Fahnestock is an interdisciplinary artist who works with desire in the manufactured landscape. She uses video, new and digital media, animation, installation, and sculpture to explore the manifestation of desire in the world. During this research presentation, Professor Fahnestock will discuss the influences that shape her work, her past and current projects, and what it means to have a research-based artistic practice.

LIZZIE is a contemporary rock musical based on the life of Lizzie Borden (yes, the one with the axe and the forty whacks) and the trial regarding the murder of her father and stepmother in 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts. 

It is a four-person, all-female-identifying cast featuring 4 graduating seniors from the musical theatre department. The musical highlights feminine power and rage through rock music. 

DATES:

April 16th - 19th 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday @ 7:30PM

Saturday, and Sunday @ 2:00PM

RUN TIME:

90 minutes (includes 10-15 minute intermission)

TICKET PRICES:

$10 for students and faculty.

LOCATION:

Trahern - Gotcher Theatre (Main Theatre attached from Trahern main lobby)

TICKETS:

Visit HERE to purchase tickets and for more information. 

Tickets go on sale this Thursday, April 2nd. 

After attending, faculty will be able to:

Full Spectrum Learning (FSL) at Austin Peay State University is seeking opportunities to connect with faculty and students through brief classroom visits or informational sessions. FSL is a degree-seeking support program for students on the autism spectrum, offering academic, social, executive functioning, and career transition support.

These visits help raise awareness of available resources and ensure students who may benefit know how to access support. Faculty and staff are invited to suggest courses or class times for an FSL visit. Scheduling is flexible, and questions or requests for more information are welcome.

For more information or to invite FSL, please contact Tom Spence.

Explore these short tutorial videos designed to help faculty and staff become familiar with the core features of the AP Navigate platform. Each video provides clear, step‑by‑step guidance on essential tools such as viewing student profiles, submitting alerts and referrals, documenting meetings, and managing availability. These resources are here to support your work and help you use Navigate confidently to promote student success.

Woodward Library is excited to announce that a new data management plan tool (DMPTool) is now available to the university community!

DMPTool is an online platform that helps researchers create, review, manage, and share data management plans (DMPs), a key requirement for many grant proposals, including those from NSF, NIH, DOE, and other major funders.

DMPTool provides funder-specific templates and step-by-step guidance for writing DMPs that align with funder requirements. Instead of starting from scratch, faculty, staff, and students can use customized templates, built-in guidance, and best practices to quickly produce high-quality, funder-compliant DMPs.

Distance Education has updated its website with a Digital Accessibility Basics page that includes accessibility video recordings. It offers more resources and guidance than ever before! 

Direct links:

Digital Accessibility Basics

Accessibility Training videos 

Health and Counseling is available to provide presentations on various topics for your class. Presentations cover a range of topics, including stress management, physical and mental well-being, and bystander training.  

To request a presentation, please complete the form at https://www.apsu.edu/wellness/. 

For questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Quianda Harris at harrisq@apsu.edu or Jill de Graauw at degraauwj@apsu.edu. 

by Kim Miller

published March 27, 2026

Have you bookmarked the CAFE Calendar yet?  We’re constantly adding new events!  Stay up to date with all CAFE-affiliated programming happening across campus.  Don’t forget - you can easily add any event directly to your Outlook calendar with a click! 

Do you have an event that you would like promoted in CAFE's bi-monthly newsletter?

Feel free to email us at cafe-fac@apsu.edu with the information. We will review it and inform you if the request is appropriate for the CAFE audience.