Upcoming Award Opportunities for UMKC Faculty
Faculty are invited to apply for the following awards. For a complete list of award opportunities and accompanying links, visit the CAFE website awards’ calendar.
February
C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship
The C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship Award recognizes a University of Missouri System faculty member who demonstrates commitment, dedication and effectiveness in advancing the land-grant mission through extension, international education and agricultural economics programs. The fellowship is presented to a faculty member who personifies the creativity, vision and leadership exhibited by the late Dr. C. Brice Ratchford, president emeritus of the University of Missouri System and dean of cooperative extension.
The Thomas Jefferson Award
The Thomas Jefferson Award recognizes faculty who rise above excellence and demonstrate clear distinction in teaching, research, writing, creative activities and service to the University of Missouri System and humankind.
March
Curators’ Distinguished Professorships and Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professorships
A Curators’ Distinguished Professorship is the highest and most prestigious academic rank awarded by the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri. It is awarded to a select few “outstanding scholars with established reputations.” Each Curators’ Distinguished Professor becomes a “resource of the entire University and should be expected to contribute to the entire University through such activities as giving lectures on other campuses and engaging in teaching and research across divisional lines.” April
Early Career Faculty Award
The Early Career Faculty Award program is funded by the Emeritus College endowment. Awards of $1000 are granted to faculty early in their careers, typically but not exclusively tenure-track assistant professors.
| |
Faculty Writing Initiative
Looking for dedicated time and space to write this semester? Apply by January 7 to take part in the Faculty Writing Initiative.
Now entering its fifth semester, the FWI offers faculty-structured writing time to make progress on writing projects. Each session begins with goal setting and ends with progress check-ins. Discussions about writing strategies bring structure and a sense of community to the solitary work of writing.
Feel free of writing guilt going into the weekend. Gain a sense of camaraderie by writing in a group environment. The FWI helps faculty build writing time consistently into their schedules. The FWI group encourages each other in building a writing practice, instead of reading and responding to writing.
Interested? Complete an online application here by January 7, 2022. The FWI will select faculty to ensure that the initiative serves writers from all disciplines and across all ranks in the university.
If you have any questions, please email Dr. Byrd ( antoniobyrd@umkc.edu) or Dr. Greer ( greerj@umkc.edu).
| |
UWRB Faculty Learning Community
Application Open Now!
Learn together with the University Writing and Reading Board
Faculty Learning Community on Threshold Concepts in the Teaching of Writing
What are threshold concepts? Threshold concepts are a set of essential skills for mastering a discipline/major and for adopting the worldview of the profession. Threshold concepts can be a useful framework for teaching writing across disciplines.
This faculty learning community (FLC) will focus on (1) how and why faculty write differently in their disciplines and (2) how to articulate and apply threshold concepts in writing studies and one’s own discipline. This FLC is open to all writing intensive faculty, faculty who teach writing and faculty interested in teaching a writing intensive version of their course.
The FLC will meet on Wednesdays, 1 PM - 2:30 PM beginning January 26 to February 23. The first 5 sessions will be weekly meetings on theory and reflection.
Between March 9 and May 4, the FLC will meet biweekly on Wednesdays, 1 PM - 2:30 PM. The schedule gives faculty time to focus on revising syllabi and any other teaching materials based on the reflections and theories discussed earlier in the semester.
Faculty participants receive a stipend of $500 on completion of the program.
This FLC may meet in-person or on Zoom based on which option the majority of applicants choose in their application. Please apply by January 14, 2022.
| |
Faculty Poll: Are you Interested in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)?
Provide feedback to CAFE about the Learning Community topics
What is an FLC?
An FLC is a peer-led group of faculty members who engage in an active, collaborative program, structured to provide encouragement, support and reflection. FLC members work together to produce outcomes or products about teaching and learning. Through FLCs, faculty members engage in scholarly teaching and student-centered learning, collaborating within a collegial framework that offers peer review and support. For more information on Faculty Learning Communities, please visit our CAFE website on FLCs.
Take a poll about what types of Faculty Learning Community would interest you!
| |
Where to Find End-of-Semester Grade Book Help
End of semester grading can be difficult. If you have Canvas grade book questions or trouble, some of the links below may help ease the grading doldrums.
1. Attend a Canvas Grade Book workshop. UM System eLearning will be offering 60 minute Canvas Grade Book Overviews on Zoom including topics such as: hiding and posting grades, "what if" grades for students, applying late/missing policies and more. Register now for one of three remaining Zoom sessions from Dec. 10 to Dec. 21.
3. Schedule a one-on-one session with Molly Mead to troubleshoot your Canvas grade book questions. Email meadmo@umkc.edu to schedule a day/time. Meetings are first come, first served Monday-Thursday, December 13-16 so make sure to reserve an appointment time soon!
| |
Syllabus Generator is Live for 2022
We are pleased to share version 3.0 of UMKC's syllabus generator. While still a work in progress, SGv3 pulls course information from the catalog and Pathway, academic calendar information and the most up-to-date required syllabus components. Create, customize and download a syllabus template for each of your spring semester classes.
Sign in with your SSO, and spend five minutes answering questions. SGv3 will produce a Word document that you can download and edit to your preferences and course assignments.
| |
Roos Rock!
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our talented faculty
UMKC faculty, researchers and staff were awarded more than $1 million in grants in November 2021.
Congratulations to….
| |
Congratulations to Dr. Anthony Caruso (carusoan@umkc.edu), Assistant Vice Chancellor of Research and Professor in the School of Computing and Engineering, who has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors—the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors.
Faculty, do you have more good news to share? Your FAN Team wants to know! Email news of your recent (since August 2021) awards, grants, major publications and promotions to: meadmo@umkc.edu.
| |
Meet CAFE fellow Dr. LaVerne Berkel, Professor in Counseling and Counseling Psychology
FAN: Why did you want to be a CAFE fellow? What are you excited about?
LaVerne B: I had worked with Provost Diane Filion as a Provost’s fellow during a developmental leave in Spring 2018. That work extended for another year, and, during that time, I was able to continue my efforts as an Associate Dean in the School of Education and create structures and processes that support faculty across campus. Specifically, I helped revise the new faculty orientation experience and worked with Dr. Candace Schlein, the Director of FaCET, to create an online resource for adjunct faculty. I am excited to work with CAFÉ this year to extend these supports for adjunct faculty.
| |
Meet Dr. Peter Morello, Associate Professor in Communication Studies
FAN: Why did you want to be a CAFE fellow? What are you excited about?
Peter M: After years of UMKC budget crises, followed by a global pandemic that greatly shaped how we teach and conduct research, and, in a few cases, as deliverer of bad news while I was Chair of the College of Arts & Sciences faculty, I was thrilled to learn about the creation of CAFÉ. Finally, we have a university-wide, faculty-focused structure that shows great promise in promoting faculty research, both nationally and internationally. As I enter the final years of my academic career at UMKC, I applied for the CAFÉ fellows program because I aspire to do something consequential for members of the faculty, especially for those who are early in their careers. It is also a rare opportunity to combine my years of teaching, research and experience as a Fulbright scholar with my previous professional experience as an international correspondent for PBS.
[continued]
| |
|
What is a VISTA?
Dr. Alexis Petri and Shannon Wheeler, CAFE
UMKC’s Social Justice AmeriCorps VISTA members work each day with nonprofits that address our city’s most pressing needs. The VISTA members work with the CAFE team and faculty to translate community needs into student experiential learning projects.
Since 1965, AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members have been fighting against poverty by helping local organizations expand their capacity to make change. Nationwide, VISTA members fundraise, write grants, research and manage volunteers. Serving as a VISTA provides members with experience and leadership skill development and prepares them for service in the public, private or nonprofit sector.
| |
Meet Jess Loya
“I’m Jess, and I believe in actionable change, jumping in and getting to work.
My favorite book is Meridian by Alice Walker, and it follows the journey of a young activist as she finds her power and place in activist movements shortly after the Civil Rights Movement began to lose momentum. My key takeaway from the story is that change starts at home. The place you can do the most good is right where you are. I love the opportunity the VISTA Program has given me to be a part of my community and a part of this organization’s growth. Beyond that, it is exciting to know that there are thousands of VISTA’s all over the country serving their communities and contributing to the betterment of our society”.
| |
Meet Skye VanLanduyt
Skye is currently a graduate student at UMKC and earned her BA in English and Gender Studies at the University. While an undergraduate student she says, “I took a liking to women's issues and the social movements, and that's what led me into the policy side of things. I {also} took an international law class my senior year and that {class} launched me into human rights. I did not even really consider how {all of these experiences} played a part into what my future career would be or what my future goals in my career would be. So I definitely credit most of my education towards where I’m at now and I’m hoping that someday with all of this experience, that I can be better at compelling arguments for advocacy and issues that need to be better amplified and I feel like my opportunity as a VISTA will definitely contribute to that goal.”
| |
Chances of Snow?
For those who enjoy a winter snowfall, CARES put together a series of data visualizations. View interactive snowfall and climate data in the CARES map room.
CARES stands for the Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems and is part of the University of Missouri. They describe themselves as a "small and adventurous group of geographic information specialists, programmers and data nerds" who love making maps.
| |
Have something to share in the Faculty Affairs Newsletter? Email Molly Mead with your brief text and an (optional) photo.
| |
|
|
|
University of Missouri-Kansas City | Kansas City, MO 64110 | (816) 235-1107
|
|
|
|
