Dear Faculty, Administrators and Staff,

Yesterday, more than 80 faculty, administrators, staff, and other community members enjoyed the latest Impact Talk on Digital Transformation, where four accomplished speakers discussed educating students to thrive amidst inevitably more rapid technological and social change. Ashish Parmar, Chief Information Officer at Tapestry, spoke about how successfully and responsibly managing this incredible rate of change requires the need for curious, open-minded graduates who approach problems with a "spirit of inquiry, rather than a spirit of advocacy" for one specific perspective or approach. Jennifer Sparrow, Ed.D., Senior Manager for Higher Ed Business Development at Amazon Web Services, likewise called for resilient students whose experiences afford them "failure fluency," the ability to learn from mistakes and adapt to change. Richard Sparrow, Associate Vice President and Global Chief Information Security Officer at New York University emphasized how dramatic the transformation of the economy has been and will be, and he underscored how essential it is to support faculty with the tools, time, and development necessary to empower their students to ensure this technological innovation is used for good. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Professor Todd Taylor spoke about the benefits of empowering students to solve interdisciplinary with digital storytelling projects that marshal data, analytics, graphics, with cohesive narrative.

We had a robust conversation about the immediate impacts of ChatGPT on pedagogy, coding, and the workplace; on the opportunity for the humanities to embrace and humanize technology; and much more about the future of higher education. Thank you to all who attended. We invite everybody to sustain these important conversations, to participate in related faculty development initiatives, and to be creative and strategic with assignments that give students the opportunities to use digital tools to think about their disciplines.

Sincerely,

Katia

We would like to announce the start of the 2023 University Research Council application cycle. The program guidelines and application are available on the Office of Grants and Research Services website and the University Research Council page.  It is recommended that prospective applicants review the program guidelines prior to commencing their preparations. The application deadline for Summer 2023 is Monday, February 20, 2023, at noon. Awards are expected to be announced by late April 2023. Submissions must be emailed by the deadline to grantsoffice@shu.edu. View some helpful reminders.

On January 11, twenty-two members from the Seton Hall community participated in the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) three-day train-the-trainer program, which was sponsored by the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Members included but were not limited to faculty, staff and administrators from the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Diplomacy & International Relations, School of Health & Medical Sciences, University Advancement, Office of EEOC & Title IX Compliance, Human Resources, University Libraries, Office of the Provost, and Student Services. NCBI is a nationally recognized, award-winning program that earned The Nelson Mandela Award for outstanding international work fighting racism. Learn more about the training.

The Office of Mission and Ministry and the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership invite faculty members and administrators to participate in the University Seminar on Mission. The seminar will be held on Thursdays, from 2 to 4 p.m., February 9, 16, 23; March 2, 16, 23.  It is limited to 14 participants, and the meetings will be held via Microsoft Teams.  Faculty participants receive a $350 stipend. To register, please send your name and department to csl@shu.edu no later than February 3. Click here for further information.

At the recommendation of the Strategic Plan implementation subcommittee on Experiential Learning (Goal 4.1), the Office of the Provost calls for nominations and applications from among the full-time faculty for a new position: Director of Experiential Learning. The Director of Experiential Learning will lead the expansion and promotion of Experiential Learning opportunities across the University. With administrative support, the Director will be responsible for meeting with academic programs to help create, implement, improve and publicize academic experiential learning endeavors across the University. In these efforts, the Director will collaborate with the Center for Faculty Development, Office of International Programs, Office of Grants and Research Services, the Career Center, and members of the Colleges. The Director will report to the Interim Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Assessment, with whom they will draft a plan for a permanent Office of Experiential Learning.

This position will come with teaching release and a competitive stipend. Inquiries and/or nominations and applications, which should consist of a CV and cover letter highlighting qualifying experience and interest, should be sent to Dr. Jonathan Farina (jonathan.farina@shu.edu) by February 21, 2023 and should CC your department chairperson and dean.

In the latest episode, Dr. Bryan Pilkington spoke with Dr. Eli Adashi from Brown University on what it would take to end the pandemic. As the pandemic lingers on, and the ethical challenges continue, Dr. Adashi’s recommendations are both helpful and timely. Listen to the COVID Ethics Series Podcast.

Spring 2023 Mini-Series, February 13 - 17, 2023

As the University enters the third and final year of the implementation of its strategic plan, Harvest Our Treasures, members of the University Community will once again have an opportunity to receive updates on its progress and speak with members of the goal implementation teams. Throughout the week of February 13, goal-focused meetings will run each day, plus a session on Mission-related initiatives featuring status briefings and Q&A sessions with colleagues actively working on goal implementation. Learn more and register to attend.

This Spring semester brings with it even more resources to help support our international students while connecting the entire Seton Hall community with our global mission. Two new initiatives are underway:

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

The Teaching Conversations Series: Group Projects and Assignments
Feb 3, 10 - 10:45 a.m., in Teams

Diversity Reading Group
February 16, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., in Teams
After Whiteness; An Education in Belonging - Willie James Jennings

Fulbright Information Session 
Feb. 28, 4 - 5 p.m.

Join the Digital Humanities Faculty Learning Community.

SHU Meditates
Thursdays, 12:30 - 1 p.m., 1/26 through 5/4

CFD Miscellany: 
Inciting Peace from the Inside Out 
Tuesday, February 7, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
Registration is required.

New Design Basics Resource for Students
Students now have access to a self-paced, interactive course focused on design fundamentals and best practices. This supplemental resource helps students to optimize their use and understanding of the powerful design tools available in Adobe Creative Cloud. The course can be completed all at once in as little as 30 minutes, or used as a guide while working on an assignment or creating a submission for the Petersheim Academic Exposition.

Learn more about the Design Basics Course.

Engagement Tools in Blackboard
Blackboard’s engagement tools elevate student contributions, facilitate collaboration, and prompt self-reflection. Learn how to incorporate blogs, wikis, journals, and discussions into your course to amplify student engagement.  This workshop will be held virtually on Teams on Thursday, February 2 at 11 a.m.

Register for the Blackboard session.

Graduate Open House: Saturday, February 25

Seton Hall University will host its next Graduate Open House on Saturday, February 25 from noon – 3:30 p.m. The program is a wonderful opportunity for prospective students to connect with current graduate students, faculty members, and staff to learn more about their program(s) of interest, as well as get answers to questions regarding the application and admissions processes. Early bird tours are expected at 11:30 a.m., while the formal program will begin with the general session in Bethany Hall at noon, a tabling session during which attendees can engage in conversation with representatives of any of the University’s more than 130 graduate degree and certificate programs. Following the general session, prospective students will have the opportunity to attend a variety of college- and program-specific breakout sessions, and also learn more about critical support services, including University Libraries, career services and financial aid.

Given the essential role that the faculty plays in and out of the classroom as it influences student thinking and contributes to students’ important choices concerning graduate school, career direction and vocation, the participation and support of all for this year’s program is, in advance, very much appreciated. Anyone who has questions pertaining to the upcoming Graduate Open House is welcome to reach out to Dr. Chris Cuccia directly, or the Office of Graduate Affairs at shugrad@shu.edu.

Deadline Reminders: Teacher, Adjunct Faculty of the Year and Service-Learning Awards

For full-time faculty, deans shall determine college Teachers and Adjuncts of the Year and report this designation to the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Assessment. Deans are encouraged to invite nominations from departments as appropriate and may decide to set a pre-deadline for these nominations. For adjunct faculty, we invite full-time faculty colleagues to submit nominations. Deadline:  Tuesday, January 31, 2023

We are excited for the first time to formally recognize faculty for Excellence in Service Learning with an award modeled after the Uniservitae Service-Learning Experiences in Catholic Higher Education Award. Learn more about the award. Deadline:  Tuesday, January 31, 2023