Faculty Affairs Newsletter
March 2020 v1.1

Welcome to the first issue of the Faculty Affairs Newsletter (working title), which we will send each mid-month. While we realize this is an unusual time to launch a newsletter, we have been planning to launch it since before the novel coronavirus situation. Instead of waiting to begin, the Faculty Affairs team thought now was a good time to launch because we could all use a bit of a break. We hope FAN is a place to celebrate UMKC's faculty and share accomplishments, opportunities for engagement, and explore challenges. Please email Alexis Petri with feedback and ideas for future issues.

Even if the newsletter is caught in your inbox until spring break, the news will still be timely and relavant. Take a break with us and enjoy FAN v.1.1

-The Faculty Affairs Team

UMKC Campus Coronavirus Webpage

Help Name Your Newsletter

While Faculty Affairs Newsletter is a bit generic, at least it spells FAN. A more compelling name is needed. Please help the Faculty Affairs team by sharing your suggestions (or voting for one of ours).

Suggest a name for the newsletter

Faculty Make the Greatest Difference

As UMKC responds to the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 situation, and our campus community moves quickly online, faculty are going to test the limits of Canvas and Zoom. We will learn about how fortunate we are to have Canvas and Zoom. We will also learn about what technology cannot bridge. Some of the simple things such as the informal conversations that roll into the start of class are not the same online. We may miss the students whose facial expressions provide immediate non-verbal feedback. Faculty Affairs believes that you make the greatest difference in the college experience and recognizes that for some moving online will be a challenge [read more].

ACUE Online Teaching Toolkit

Small Yet Significant Kindnesses

Does It Help?

As the novel coronavirus situation continues to evolve, UMKC administration continues to meet, assess, and plan. The UMKC coronavirus resources page asks us to each do our part to minimize risk and promote the UMKC Culture of Care.

An article in JAMA examines the non-pharmaceutical interventions taken in response to the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic. The article describes how St Louis experienced far fewer deaths than other cities because city officials closed schools and limited public gatherings - early and at the same time [read more].

Read the JAMA article

Undergrad You

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same. We thought it would be helpful to undergraduates to know a bit more about their faculty as undergraduates. We recognize that faculty are a significant resource for undergraduate students. Sometimes faculty-student mentorships happen naturally and sometimes they could use a boost. That is how Undergrad You began - where it goes from here is up to you. Please take a few minutes, stroll down memory lane, and let students know what college was like for you. This fun survey can be completed in as little as 5 minutes, or, reasonably, about 15 minutes.

Take the Survey

Faculty Writing Initiative

Facilitated by Dr. Jane Greer and Dr. Antonio Byrd, the Faculty Writing Initiative offers weekly structured writing time. The goal is for faculty to make substantial progress on writing projects – and ideally feel free of writing-guilt going into the weekend. [Read more]

Next for the Faculty Writing Initiative is the Summer Writing Bootcamp for Faculty. Faculty across all ranks are encouraged to apply. If you’re interested in participating in the Summer Writing Bootcamp for Faculty, complete an online application by April 10, 2020. Applicants will be selected to ensure that the Bootcamp serves writers from all disciplines and across all ranks in university. [Read more]

Apply for the FWI Summer Writing Bootcamp

Resource: Zotero

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research. Top five good things about Zotero

It is a nonprofit
The free version doesn't have ads and is reliable and usable
It supports sharing articles and citations with colleagues without having to set up a Box folder
It works online and can be installed on computers without Admin approval. References are where I need them when I need them.
It might be magic in its ability to detect metadata in pdf files.

Zotero

Levity

As we pivot, juggle, and revise our semesters, sometimes a bit of humor or a puzzle can be diverting. To that end, each Faculty Affairs Newsletter will feature a puzzle and/or some light entertainment.

Dr. Michael Bruening, associate professor, Missouri Science & Technology History Department, rewrote the hits all about teaching online: I Will Survive, Coronavirus version for teachers going online.
The Italian band, Rimbamband, when staying at home, made a pantomime about avoiding infection.

Do you have anything fun or funny that you would like to share? Please let Alexis Petri know your recommendations. Levity is important during times like these.

The Faculty Affairs division of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor supports UMKC faculty in all aspects of faculty work and across all stages of faculty careers. Faculty Affairs is responsible for oversight and implementation of faculty-related policies and procedures. [Read more]

The Faculty Affairs Newsletter is published once each month and is edited by Alexis Petri.

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