Dear Faculty, Administrators and Staff,

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has found time to relax and recharge during the holiday break. Reflecting on the past year, there is so much throughout our Seton Hall community to be proud of. As we enter a new year and begin the spring semester, I encourage everyone to build on the momentum of the fall and carry forward the creativity, collaboration and commitment that made this past semester and year so productive. This is a great time to reconnect with your priorities, strengthen partnerships and continue moving the great work that is done here forward.

In the same spirit of forward progress, I’m pleased to share an update regarding the search for the dean of the College of Nursing and the dean of the School of Health and Medical Sciences, which will be supported by the search firm, Korn Ferry.

In accordance with the Faculty Guide, the search committees for the dean of the College of Nursing and the dean of the School of Health and Medical Sciences have been duly constituted and charged – the position descriptions are now available.

In working with Korn Ferry, the committee invites applications from qualified higher education leaders for both positions. The University is committed to recruiting a broad diverse pool of candidates and seeks academic leaders committed to the highest academic standards, personalized education, hands-on learning, and who takes seriously the responsibility for the ethical and professional development of students.

Nominations are encouraged and will be kept confidential. To submit a nomination or to submit application materials, please contact Josh Ward at Josh.Ward@KornFerry.com.

I thank the committee members for volunteering to undertake this critical assignment.

Sincerely,
Erik

 We look forward to honoring our exceptional faculty through the Faculty Excellence Awards. The nomination form is open to all submitting nominees in any of the award categories through Monday, January 26.We will continue our tradition of asking each unit to review and recommend their school/college-wide awardees. Please prepare your applications as per the guidelines on the Faculty Excellence webpage, as additional information may be requested by committees. 

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this year’s multi-part program features a keynote lecture by Professor Khyati Y. Joshi, Ed.D., on Friday, January 16, and a morning workshop on Monday, January 19. Faculty, administrators and staff are welcome to attend either; however, pre-registration is required. View the full schedule and program details.

The deadline is now one month away. Explore this opportunity to receive support for your research endeavors: summer stipend requests of up to $10,000 or research grants of up to $10,000 for use during the subsequent academic year. The application deadline for Summer 2026 is February 6, 2026. View program guidelines and the application form. Questions and submissions may be emailed to grantsoffice@shu.edu.

Seton Hall Law School will host Faith, Values, and the Rule of Law: An Interdisciplinary Conference on February 4-5, 2026. Bringing together more than 40 scholars, the conference will explore how the rule of law is presently under threat and how the world’s great religious, theological and philosophical traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and other religions and philosophies) have contributed to the understanding of justice and might respond to global trends towards aggressive nationalism and authoritarianism. Seton Hall University faculty and employees receive complimentary access to the conference (enter code FVCOMP during the registration process). Learn more and register.

Compass Super User of the Week

This week we are recognizing Illana Wolf from the College of Arts and Sciences for outstanding engagement with Compass. With 2,608 unique events logged in the platform, including actions such as quick searches, submitting alerts, creating appointments, and other key advising activities. Illana exemplifies effective and consistent use of Compass to support students.

Illana’s intentional use of the platform helps ensure timely outreach, clear documentation, and coordinated care for students. Her engagement reflects how Compass can be leveraged not just as a tool, but as a strategy to proactively identify needs, connect students to resources, and enhance the overall advising experience.

EAB – Compass Progress Snapshot

By the numbers:

Embedding More Consistent Student Experience

+23

Users accessing AI Features in Fall 2025

13% ↑

Increase in Faculty Users in Fall 2025 compared to Fall 2024 (830/726)

12% ↑

Increase in Midterm PR Campaign response rate (42%) compared to Fall 2024 and 9% increase in evaluations sent

This snapshot shows strong progress toward a more consistent student experience, with increased faculty engagement in Compass, growing use of AI features, and a higher midterm progress report response rate compared to last year. This spring, faculty can build on this momentum by keeping office hours current, responding promptly to progress reports, and using targeted or automated outreach to proactively support students earlier and more consistently. These tools help increase proactive student outreach while reducing manual effort, allowing advisors and faculty to focus more time on meaningful student interactions.

Follow the CFD blog for more upcoming events and initiatives. We also welcome your suggestions for workshops and speakers, as well as requests for co-sponsorship of faculty-oriented events.

Upcoming Event

Call for Participants, Spring 2026 Cohorts (application deadlines – Jan. 12):

Forthcoming events in spring 2026:

Also look for dates for the following regular CFD offerings:

Faculty Learning Communities:

These are opportunities for engagement as well as personal and professional development; participation can be as time permits.

CFD Podcast: Faculty Matters

Videos

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

Upcoming TLTC Workshops

Along with one-on-one support from your Instructional Design Liaison, the TLTC provides a robust schedule of workshops:

Watch Recorded TLTC Training Sessions 

The TLTC offers recorded training sessions on tools available at Seton Hall University, including Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft 365 and other technology tools. New recordings are added regularly. Start with Adobe Express for Presentation Design or explore recorded TLTC training sessions.

Reminder: Publish Your Canvas Course  
New Canvas courses are unpublished by default and must be published to be visible to students. Publishing a course does not automatically publish all content. Published items are marked with a green check, while unpublished items show a gray circle with a line. Learn how to publish your Canvas course and content.

Canvas Support Made Easy 
Faculty can now request general support, report missing courses, request course copies, merge cross-listed courses, or create Sandbox courses through the Technology Self-Service Portal. Simply log in to the portal, select "Canvas" from the Request Type drop-down menu, and select the Canvas Support form.

University Portal: Faculty Tools in One Place 
University Portal brings together faculty tools for accessing course information, teaching schedules, student records, grading and classroom support. Faculty can access it through PirateNet by selecting the University Portal app and choosing the Faculty & Advising tab. Learn how to use University Portal. 

Corrigan Hall to Undergo Renovation
Once complete, part of the first floor will be converted into semiconductor plasma processing and optics/laser labs to support teaching and research in STEM fields. Construction-related activities will begin in January 2026 and continue throughout the spring and summer. Read more.

Bank  of America Step-Up Authentication for Ecommerce Purchases
BOA is enhancing security for online purchases made with Bank of America Commercial and Corporate Cards. Within Q1 2026, eligible card-not-present transactions (e.g., ecommerce purchases) will require step-up authentication using a One-Time Passcode (OTP). To ensure a smooth experience log into BOA Works and confirm that your mobile phone number and email address are up to date. If you need assistance, contact cardcompliance@shu.edu.

New Faculty Experience in Watermark Faculty Success
A refreshed Watermark Faculty Success experience is now available, introducing a redesigned interface shaped by faculty feedback. The new layout offers a more intuitive, guided design that enhances navigation for faculty and supports improved data quality for administrators. View the new and updated training website with guides and resources.