Dear Faculty Colleagues,

What a lovely and welcomed temperature change yesterday! As we move into the heart of the fall semester, campus is buzzing with activity, ideas, and opportunities to connect. I’m excited to share a few updates, upcoming opportunities, and happenings from CAFE. There’s plenty underway, from faculty learning and collaboration to new conversations and programs, and I hope you’ll find something here that sparks your interest or supports your work this semester.

First-Year Faculty Cohort
On September 14, FYF faculty explored Full Spectrum Learning (FSL) with Selena Hutchenson, FSL Program Coordinator. The session provided an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the diverse strengths and challenges neurodivergent students may experience in higher education, while introducing practical strategies for creating more inclusive and supportive learning environments. Faculty examined approaches grounded in Universal Design for Learning, explicit communication, regular feedback, and self-advocacy, while also learning more about APSU’s FSL program and the resources available to support students with ASD.

On September 21, FYF faculty participated in “The Centennial Cheat Sheet: What to Know About Institutional Culture & Student Access Services” with LaNeeça Williams, Chief of Institutional Culture and Title IX Coordinator. The session offered faculty an important introduction to the institutional culture, resources, and student-access services that shape the APSU experience, helping new faculty better understand the university’s structures and their role in supporting students. As part of the FYF’s broader campus onboarding, the conversation connected institutional knowledge with the everyday work of creating an inclusive, supportive, and student-centered university community.  LaNeeça also treated our FYF to a roller wagon full of OIC swag - thanks so much for your generosity, you're the best! :)

Upcoming Events
Here’s a quick look at upcoming opportunities:

• Sept. 24 - APSU Benefits Fair in MUC Ballroom
• Sept. 24 - AOQF Drop-In & Desserts in MUC 312
• Sept. 28 - FERPA + AI in the Classroom in MUC 307
• Sept. 28 - CoAL Faculty Research Spotlight in Woodward Library 232
• Oct. 5 - Concourse "Office Hours" for Fall B Instructors in Woodward Library 232
• Oct. 8 - TechBytes on Teams
• Oct. 8 - Green Zone Training in MUC 305
• Oct. 8 - Béla Fleck with CCCA in Mabry Concert Hall
• Oct. 20 and Nov. 12 - Concourse Template Editor Trainings in Woodward Library 232

Fall 2026 Active Learning Book Group
Our Active Learning Book Group, working through David Gooblar’s One Classroom at a Time, got off to a wonderful start with our first meeting at Clyde’s! Our cohort of spirited faculty members brought thoughtful questions, varied experiences, and great energy to the conversation. We had an insightful discussion about the first three chapters, with strong participation and an invigorating exchange of ideas about teaching and learning. I’m excited to see where the conversation takes us as we continue reading and learning together this semester!  Our next gathering will be on October 20th.

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

As always, we 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.

By now, the semester is well underway, and I hope you’re finding moments amid the busy days to pause, take a breath, and recognize all that you’re accomplishing. Whether it’s a particularly rewarding class discussion, a new connection with a colleague, a small breakthrough with a student, or simply making it through a particularly full week, those moments are worth noticing. May the weeks ahead bring plenty of opportunities for meaningful work, unexpected moments of joy, and reminders of why the work we do matters.

Here’s to a strong and rewarding fall together!

Yours always,
Jeff 

Pictured above:
Some participants after our Sept. 15 Active Learning Book Group gathering at Clyde's 

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

Richardson published in the August 2026 issue of Percussive Notes

Dr. Andrew Richardson, Assistant Professor of Percussion, had his research published in the August 2026 issue of Percussive Notes, the journal of the Percussive Arts Society. His article, “Making the Practice Journal Work for YOU: How to Choose or Create a Tool for Success,” is a study of selected published practice journals to help students and teachers find novel ways of keeping a practice journal. He includes several examples of practice journals he created and adapted to fit specific pedagogical goals or individual student needs.

Percussive Notes is a peer-reviewed journal that is issued six times per year.

Ferdik manuscript accepted in Criminal Justice Policy Review

Congratulations to Dr. Frank Ferdik, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, on the recent acceptance of his manuscript "To Seek or Not to Seek: Researching Determinants of Intentions to Seek Counseling among Police Personnel in a Mid-Atlantic Department” in Criminal Justice Policy Review. 

This study examines police personnel’s willingness to seek mental health counseling and identifies factors associated with those intentions. Findings reveal that while most respondents expressed a willingness to seek counseling, symptoms of burnout, depression, and alcohol use disorder reduced those intentions, highlighting the need for targeted mental health and wellness initiatives within law enforcement agencies.

Bilderback, Choi, & Tavassoli hit milestone citations

Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Bilderback, Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing, and Dr. Pilsik Choi, Professor of Management and Marketing on surpassing 500 research citations, and Dr. Nahid Tavassoli, Assistant Professor of Accounting, Finance, and Economics on surpassing 100! 

We’re proud to celebrate the impact of our faculty and their continued contributions to research.

Philhower published in Tennessee Educational Leadership Journal

Philhower, J. (2026). "Assessment: It Doesn’t Have to Be Quiet or Completed Alone."  Tennessee Educational Leadership Journal 51(1), 21-25.  https://doi.org/10.69847/QxDjup

Assistant Professor in the College of Education, Dr. Joanne Philhower’s “Assessment: It Doesn’t Have to Be Quiet or Completed Alone” offers a compelling rethinking of assessment as an active, collaborative, and learning-centered process rather than a solitary endpoint. Drawing on her work in teacher education, Philhower encourages educators to view assessment as an opportunity for dialogue, reflection, feedback, and student engagement, demonstrating how assessment practices can become an integral part of learning rather than simply a measure of what students have completed. The article reflects her commitment to helping future educators develop more meaningful and inclusive approaches to assessing student learning.

Perry accepted to present at IEEE Cyber Awareness & Research Symposium

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Dr. Sabrina Perry's research paper, "DynaDetect-WM: Data Poisoning-Based Watermarking for Stolen-Model Detection," has been accepted for presentation at the prestigious IEEE Cyber Awareness & Research Symposium (CARS) 2026.

Dr. Perry will present the paper at the 6th IEEE Cyber Awareness & Research Symposium, taking place October 26-28, 2026, at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND and online.

Papers accepted and presented at lEEE CARS 2026 will be published in lEEE Xplore and indexed in Scopus, providing broad visibility within the research community.

You'll notice there are labeled sections of questions for attendees and presenters. Only fill out the section appropriate to you.
Additionally, including your name and e-mail is optional.

This critical information will help shape our efforts in the future! Thank you in advance!

Curious about AOQF? Have questions about the process or your course? Or just want to stop by, enjoy a dessert, and say hello to the Instructional Design team?

Drop in anytime from 1-3 p.m. on Sept. 24 in MUC 312!

This casual, come-and-go event is open to all faculty—whether you’re new to AOQF, currently participating, or simply want to learn more. Bring your questions, grab a sweet treat, and spend a few minutes with us!

We have added an additional date/time of Concourse Syllabus "Office Hours" for our Fall B Instructors!  Join in-person or on Teams!

Monday, October 5
9-11am
Woodward Library Conference Room 232
with McLean Fahnestock and Jessica D'Alimonte

Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/266628892195480?p=mVzqfDkkrukBPJPlMx

Meeting ID: 266 628 892 195 480
Passcode: Td3QB7jZ

The state’s Annual Enrollment

starts Thursday, Oct. 1 and ends Friday, Oct. 16.

This is when you can make your Partners for Health benefits decisions, which will be in effect for the 2027 calendar year.

The State publication for this year’s Annual Enrollment is linked below.

There are also annual enrollment videos and handouts available to help you learn about your options. You can find all this information on the 2026 Annual Enrollment page.

You can also review the internal APSU Benefits & Wellness Page for updates - under the 2026 Annual Enrolment Information tab.

For MOST benefits, if you don’t want to make changes, you don’t have to do anything during Annual Enrollment.

If you’re already enrolled and don’t make changes, you’ll stay in the same plan options for medical, dental and vision insurance, but you’ll pay the 2027 employee premium amounts. However, flexible spending accounts require you to enroll each year.

TechBytes sessions provide you with key information and tips on how to better promote academic integrity in testing environments, improve the accessibility of content, and prepare for upcoming changes to our online environments.

Distance Education would be very happy to have you at their second TechBytes of the semester, on October 8th, 2026, from 11:30 am to 12 noon. Microsoft Teams Registration Required. To register and for more information, please check out our TechBytes page.

Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026

Time: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Location: Morgan University Center Room 305

What is Green Zone?

Green Zone is an APSU initiative that helps support student veterans and
military-affiliated students by:

Designating locations recognized as safe places.

Identifying faculty and staff who are knowledgeable about military-affiliated student issues and campus resources.

Displaying the Green Zone emblem outside offices and on syllabi to show support.

Ensuring military-affiliated students receive the services necessary to succeed academically, adjust to campus life, and transition to civilian employment.

Who is a Green Zone Volunteer/Ally?

APSU faculty and staff who:

Are aware of the issues and concerns faced by military-affiliated students.

Are available to assist students when needed.

Have completed Green Zone Training.

Support Austin Peay’s military-affiliated students by taking an active role in being Green Zone certified.

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. 

We’re excited to introduce a new APSU Global Faculty Collective, designed to create a welcoming space for faculty from around the world to connect, share experiences, and build community at APSU. The group will provide opportunities for conversation, professional connection, and mutual support around the unique experiences and perspectives of international faculty.

We look forward to building this community together and welcome anyone interested in participating.

Facilitated by Dr. Amanda Patrick, Associate Professor of Sociology

GovSignal Faculty Development, AP Navigate video available here.

Distance Education Support has received an increasing number of questions related to Honorlock and Respondus. The good news is that the fastest way to resolve many of these issues is with the troubleshooting resources available on our website.

These resources address the most common setup and access problems and can help students avoid unnecessary delays, especially when they are preparing to begin an exam. Faculty are encouraged to share these links in their D2L courses wherever Honorlock or Respondus is introduced, so students know where to go first for help. 

As we begin a new semester, the Office of Community Care and Standards wants to make sure you are aware of resources available to support students and understand how to report a student of concern when additional support may be needed.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to review the division care resources as well as all the following information and keep this as a reference. 

FACULTY NOTIFICATIONS

Maxient - How notifications are sent
The Office of Community Care and Standards uses Maxient, a secure case management system, to send official communications to faculty about students in their courses who have connected with our office for support. You will receive these notifications via APSU email through Maxient.

This may include, but is not limited to: 

--Absence notifications due to medical or personal circumstances.

--Information to provide context about a student’s situation.

--Requests for collaboration or flexibility when appropriate.

Each message includes a secure, personalized link to retrieve the letter from Maxient. These are legitimate APSU emails and do not contain attachments for privacy reasons.

REPORTING A STUDENT OF CONCERN

Maxient is also used to report students of concern. If you have concerns about a student's well-being, safety, behavior, or ability to successfully engage with the university, you can submit a report through Maxient here:

STUDENT ABSENCES

The Office of Community Care and Standards tells students to communicate directly with their faculty regarding absences from classes. 

Visit this link to view the information that is shared with students.

Would you like some help integrating AI into a course you're teaching this semester?  Ask one of the AI Faculty Mentors in your College!  These faculty were chosen by your Deans and have already shown creative approaches to
utilizing AI in the classroom.  

Rather than serving as technology "enforcers" or authoritative experts, our AI faculty mentors serve as trusted guides, collaborators, and pedagogical partners who support faculty in making informed, values-aligned decisions surrounding AI use in higher education. CAFE hopes this initiative will help faculty build confidence with AI while recognizing that meaningful AI integration is best supported through shared learning, collaboration, and community.

Established in Fall 2026 under the direction of URIL, SOAR is a new student organization dedicated to fostering a culture of research, scholarship, and creative activity across APSU.

The organization provides students from all academic disciplines with opportunities to connect with faculty mentors, learn about research and creative endeavors, engage in

professional development, and discover pathways to graduate education and career success.

By bringing together students who share an interest in inquiry, innovation, and discovery, SOAR helps strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration while expanding access to high-impact learning experiences.

Faculty, SOAR needs your help to identify students for this organization!

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.

Dr. Yun Shin was recently named the recipient of the Socrates Award for Excellence in Teaching! Here is a little more about her and her accomplishments. 

Dr. Yun Shin is an Assistant Professor of Drawing in Art + Design at Austin Peay State University. Her artistic practice explores drawing as a way to investigate personal experience, memory, transformation, and the relationship between the individual and surrounding 

environments. Through drawing and material-based processes, her work reflects experiences of transition and becoming, often examining how everyday objects, gestures, and memories can carry emotional and cultural significance. 

Shin received an M.F.A. in Studio Art from The University of Texas at Austin, a B.F.A. in Craft and Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a B.F.A. in Industrial Design from Chosun University in South Korea. Her interdisciplinary background in fine art, craft, and industrial design informs her approach to drawing, allowing her to explore both traditional and experimental methods of making. 

Before joining Austin Peay State University, Shin taught at Northwestern College in Iowa and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She joined the faculty at Austin Peay State University in 2023, where she teaches all levels of Drawing and Senior Thesis. Her teaching emphasizes observation, material exploration, experimentation, and the development of individual artistic voices. 

Her creative work has been exhibited in juried, group, and professional exhibitions, and her ongoing practice continues to explore the intersection of personal experience, materiality, memory, and transformation. 

“My favorite thing about teaching at APSU is the sense of community that develops in my classrooms. I especially enjoy seeing students become genuinely enthusiastic about their artistic processes, materials, and concepts. When students are excited to share their ideas, discoveries, and challenges with me and their classmates, the classroom becomes more than just a place to complete assignments; it becomes a creative community."

"I love seeing students learn from and support one another, respect each other's ideas and processes, and recognize that everyone approaches art differently. When students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and engaging with their classmates, the classroom becomes a place where everyone can grow together. That sense of connection and community is what I enjoy most about teaching at APSU. I truly enjoy being part of that community and watching students become more confident in their ideas, creative processes, and voices as artists.” 

100 years in the making.

Monday, April 26, 2027, at the Evans Harvill Quad.

Trust us, you'll want to be there.

"External Letters Done Right:
Practical Tips for P&T Candidates, Committees and Reviewers"

published September 16, 2026

by Marcus L. Johnson

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! 

If you will be a candidate in a retention, tenure, or promotion review, your workflow
within Watermark Faculty Success should be launched. You can find the key dates as well as the dates for each phase of the Retention, Tenure, and Promotion review process in the updated personnel actions calendar.

Report dates for next academic year can be found in the faculty report dates calendar.

Both of these calendars are posted on the Faculty Calendars web page.

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.