Dear Faculty, Administrators and Staff,

The Celebration of Faculty Excellence was held on Monday, April 22, 2024. At this event, we honored the achievements of our faculty members in several important areas of academic life. The deans warmly recognized the recipients of their school or college awards, highlighting the profound impacts their achievements have made in the domains of research and teaching. 

This year’s university-wide winners are as follows:

New to the event this included two awards for assessment:

We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments! Congratulations to all!

Sincerely,
Erik

Per Faculty Guide 5.1.h, faculty members who intend to submit an application for promotion and/or tenure next Academic Year (2024-25) must submit a notice to this effect to their Department Chairperson no later than May 15, 2024. In departments that require external reviews, the chairperson should begin the process of soliciting official external reviews before summer and in strict accordance with FG 5.2.b. We encourage applicants to attend the Center for Faculty Development’s “Navigating the Tenure and Promotion Process” event on Friday, May 10 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., held in UC 206 or via Microsoft Teams.

The Idea Hall Initiative was created to advance the University through projects that are rooted in cross-divisional collaboration between faculty, administrators and staff members. The Office of the Provost and The Office of the President commends the community members whose projects were supported through the 2024 Call for Proposals. We look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition! Thank you to all who participated in this call for applications. Explore and learn more about the 2024 Idea Halls.

ICSST is pleased to unveil its “Profiles in Faith” series which feature the voices, stories and personal testimonies of its diverse student body. Witness the academic and personal journeys of priests, religious brothers and sisters, seminarians, diaconal candidates and lay students that shape the ICSST community. View the Profiles in Faith series.

We are pleased once again to continue our Faculty Merit pay process as part of a comprehensive effort to reward faculty. As a reminder, excepting the Law School, the following faculty are eligible to apply for merit: (a) all tenured faculty and (b) all faculty who are presently completing at least their fifth year of full-time service to the University and hold the rank of faculty associate, senior faculty associate, clinical faculty, lecturer, or a full-time faculty position in SHMS or ICSST. Receipt of merit is of course contingent upon renewal of an applicant’s contract for the subsequent academic year. 

The important improvements to the Faculty Merit process that were recommended by a faculty committee and implemented two years ago worked well, so we will continue them. Eligible faculty in departments or colleges that specifically do not have approved merit rubrics and/or merit peer review committees can apply for merit by submitting to the Office of the Provost (john.buschman@shu.edu) and your Dean by August 1, 2024 a simple application that includes (1) a Digital Measures/Faculty Success report for work completed since the last promotion or merit award (whichever is most recent); (2) a short bulleted or narrative justification of merit that speaks specifically to research, teaching, and service relative to disciplinary standards of excellence; and (3) documentary evidence of relevant accomplishments (references for publications, grants, etc.).

We strongly encourage faculty to apply for merit, particularly those faculty who have not yet applied, as we hope to be able to grant more awards this year. We will continue to enhance our means for rewarding, retaining and celebrating scholarship, teaching and service excellence at Seton Hall.

Peterson's Test and Career Prep Access
Gale's "Peterson's Test and Career Prep" database is from New Jersey State Library (NJSL). The access URL requires SHU credentials, but it only gets you into the database itself. Once there, users need to create a Peterson's account for free at their chosen email address. That login allows to gain access to the links shown within the database itself, which include Test Prep for Accountant/Auditor, ACT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, Medical/Nursing, PSAT, Real Estate, SAT, TOEFL, TOEIC, U.S. Citizenship, and much more. Users may use this database to improve test score, find a school, and explore careers.

Associate Professor Widian Nicola Stands for Immigrants and Human Rights
At eight years old, Associate Professor Widian Nicola of the Department of Social Work immigrated to the United States from Israel. Her parents sought a better life for her and her two brothers, but after living in California for a year, they overstayed their visas and became undocumented immigrants. Raised primarily in Washington State, Nicola spoke no English when she arrived in the U.S., but quickly learned the language and assimilated to American culture. Though she later won citizenship, many years of fear and trauma around the idea of deportation impelled her to help others with similar experiences. 

Today, Nicola is a practitioner-scholar interested in narratives of the lived human experience, particularly those affected by social inequalities. She is chiefly committed to building and strengthening the bridge between social work education and social work practice. A recent speaker at the National Association of Social Worker's New Jersey Chapter conference, Nicola seeks to help couples and immigrants, never forgetting her own experience. "The choice I try to make over and over, no matter my life circumstances," she told a writer in 2022, "is to be of service to other people in whatever capacity I can."

Today, Nicola is a practitioner-scholar interested in narratives of the lived human experience, particularly those affected by social inequalities. She is chiefly committed to building and strengthening the bridge between social work education and social work practice. A recent speaker at the National Association of Social Worker's New Jersey Chapter conference, Nicola seeks to help couples and immigrants, never forgetting her own experience. "The choice I try to make over and over, no matter my life circumstances," she told a writer in 2022, "is to be of service to other people in whatever capacity I can."

Hanover Research Grants Digest
The Sponsored Programs Calendar is a wide ranging schedule of programs and opportunities across the entire curricula and activities of the university. Numerous programs to support students and internships are included as well. Review the weekly Hanover Grants Digest.

Follow the CFD blog to find out about upcoming events and initiatives. We also welcome your suggestions for workshops, speakers, and other events.

Opportunities
Call for Participants: Experiential Faculty Fellows program 2024-25

The Center for Catholic Studies:

Spring Toth-Lonergan Lecture
Thursday, May 16, 3:30 - 5 p.m., University Center, Chancellor's Suite

Faculty Summer Seminar
Wednesday, May 22 - Thursday, May 23, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Registration is required

Faculty Summer Retreat
Tuesday, June 4 - Wednesday, June 5

CFD Events:

HERstory in Four Bars
Tuesday, April 30, 7 - 9 p.m., Schwartz Hall, rm. 113

Experiential Learning: The Why and The How    
Thursday, May 2, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. in Teams

Contemplative Pedagogy and AI
Friday, May 3, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. in Teams

Navigating the Tenure and Promotion Process
Friday, May 10, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Diversity Reading Group: The Souls of Black Folk 
Friday, May 10, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Summer Writing Retreat
May 22, 23, and 24; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
In SZ 112 and Teams (Registration required)

Watch Our Videos:

Have you missed a recent CFD event? If so, you can find recordings here.

Effective Grading with Gradescope (Remote)
Thursday, May 2, 2-3 p.m., Zoom
In this session, Associate Professor Jason Hemann, Ph.D., will showcase how Gradescope’s AI-assisted grading functionality can streamline the grading process, offer personalized feedback to students, and significantly reduce grading time. Register for the Gradescope demonstration.

The Chronicle of Higher Education: AI and Personalized Learning Virtual Forum
Wednesday, May 8, 2 p.m., Online
Attend this free virtual forum to engage with experts and peers on the promise and pitfalls of generative AI in higher education. Discover how generative AI tools can personalize learning and allow students to effectively learn at their own pace. This session will also discuss challenges like data privacy concerns and the risk of over-reliance on technology. Register for the AI and Personalized Learning Virtual Forum.

Registration Open: AI Teaching & Learning Symposium
Registration is now open for the inaugural AI Teaching & Learning Symposium hosted by Edge and Seton Hall University. Join us on Seton Hall’s South Orange campus on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, for a deep dive into AI's impact on teaching, learning, and the student experience. Seton Hall community members are encouraged to propose sessions for panels, presentations, workshops, or other instructional formats. Learn more and register for the AI Symposium.

Reserve Bus Transportation for Commencement by Friday, May 17
For faculty, staff and administrators who need transportation to the Baccalaureate Commencement Ceremony at the Prudential Center on Tuesday, May 21, bus service from campus will be provided.

If you are working as an academic marshal and do not wish to drive to the Prudential Center, your bus will leave Seton Hall from the Recreation Center at 6:45 a.m. sharp.

If you are not working as a marshal, the bus will leave from the Recreation Center at 7:30 a.m. sharp.

Buses for both groups will leave the Prudential Center at approximately 12:30 p.m. for the return trip to the South Orange Campus. Please indicate on the form below if you need a ride back to campus. Seats are on a first-come basis and are limited. RSVP no later than Friday, May 17. Reserve your seat for bus transportation.

Division of Finance Open Forum
Thursday, May 2 from 10-11:30 a.m., Chancellor's Suite
The campus community is invited to participate in the upcoming in-person 'Finance Division Open Forum' with the goal of identifying current business processes and business policies that impact your ability to conduct effective and efficient University business. The outcomes of these 'Open Forums' will be shared with the community and will assist us in developing a collaborative approach to identifying and implementing system solutions, procedures and policies, resulting in more effective business services. As the Finance Division begins this in-depth assessment, we will be encouraging end-users to collaborate with us in addressing these challenges. Please recognize that a logical, systematic approach that addresses these improvements will take some time, but we are committed to the long-term improvements we can make together. Pre-registration is recommended. Register here.