Administration 200 (479) 968-0319 atu.edu/academics
Academic Affairs Newsletter May 7, 2018 Volume 4, Issue 8
Academic Affairs THAT’S A WRAP! Dear Colleagues, The end of the spring semester is a time to reflect on the great work that happens across our campus and to recognize the commitments, professionalism, and excellence of our faculty, staff, and students. Each reception, gala, and ceremony reminds of that our success is achieved collectively and inspires us to make sure Tech remains a place of opportunity where “students succeed, innovation thrives, and communities flourish.” (ATU Vision Statement) Thank you for helping to make our vision a reality! Final exams will soon give way to our grandest ceremony—Commencement. Our faculty and staff can join the sense of accomplishment felt by the graduates and their families. Thank you all for opening up a world of opportunity and discovery for our students.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Human Core……………………...2 Academic Coherence……….….2 Operations Excellence………...2 Citizens of the World, State, & Region…………………………...3 Graduation…………………….….3
We wish everyone a great wrap up to the academic year, and remain thankful to serve Tech with you.
SAVE THE DATE
Sincerely, Phil Bridgmon, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
GUNTER NAMED NEW CHIEF OF STAFF ATU President Dr. Robin E. Bowen announced that Mary Gunter is serving as chief of staff in the ATU Office of the President on a permanent basis as of May 1, 2018. Gunter was appointed interim chief of staff as of January 2, 2018. She succeeded Jeff Mott, who served as chief of staff from September 2015 through December 2017 and is stepping away from the university in order to be closer to his family. A member of the ATU faculty since 1998, Gunter served as dean of the ATU Graduate College from 2009-17 and dean of the ATU College of Education from 2015-17. She holds the faculty rank professor of educational leadership. Gunter also serves on the development team for Leadership Tech.
On Thursday morning, May 10th, the CETL will be hosting a Professional Development Conference in Rothwell Hall. Breakfast will be served from 8am9am and the activities will take place from 9am-11am. A conference agenda will be sent closer to the date of the event.
Professional Development Conference Thursday, May 10 Graduate College Graduation Friday, May 11 Undergraduate Graduation Saturday, May 12 Memorial Day Monday, May 28 Summer I classes begin Monday, June 4 Last day to register and add courses/change sections June 6 Last day to withdraw/drop a course with 80% reduction of tuition/fees June 9
Human Core OIS RELEASES NEW WEBSITE & SUPPORT PORTAL Meaningful and efficient technical support is increasingly important to nurturing our students toward a successful future. The OIS website has a brand new look and provides better navigational ease to practical solutions. https://ois.atu.edu/ Click on Solutions to find answers and explanations to common technical questions and issues. The Service Catalog provides a quick way to order services provided by our teams and you can easily submit a ticket online, whatever your technical need. The new support portal, Freshservice, offers better ways for teams to manage and track issues that will ultimately allow OIS to enhance services for students, faculty, and staff.
Academic Coherence NEW GEN ED OPTION IN FALL 2018 Beginning in fall 2018, ATU will offer a new general education course option. Intro to Critical Thinking will initiate the student in the art of analyzing and evaluating his or her thinking in order to make it more potent and persuasive. Topics will include the analysis of argument, the theory of definition, the experimental method of inquiry and the informal fallacies. In addition to learning about informal logic, students will have the opportunity to practice the fine art of argumentation via discussion articles concerning controversial issues (e.g., abortion, gun control, the death penalty, etc.). Intro to Critical Thinking will count towards the general education fine arts and humanities requirement, and is designed to promote reasoning skills that should be of benefit to the student in most of his or her other coursework. Two sections will be offered in the fall semester, at noon and 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For further information, please contact Jeff Mitchell at (479) 964-0859 or jmitchell@atu.edu.
Operations Excellence MULTI-SPORT COMPLEX DEDICATION On Saturday, April 14, Arkansas Tech University dedicated its new $3.86 million multi-sport complex with a ceremony at the facility. The new facility provides indoor practice space for the intercollegiate baseball, softball, tennis and men’s golf and women’s golf programs at Tech. Locker room and office space for the baseball program, a training room and a conference room are also included in the project. It is anticipated that additional intercollegiate athletics programs at Tech and students from the Department of Health and Physical Education will also utilize the facility. Funding for the project was provided by private donations and existing university reserves. The multi-sport complex provides space for the functions previously housed in the Stroupe Building, which was demolished in March 2018.
2
Adjunct Instructors Bring Innovations & High Impact Practices into the Classroom Kae Hashimoto Reed DMA, Department of English and World Languages & Department of Music works interdisciplinary and recently brought a Japanese Takarabune dance troop to campus, creating an amazing opportunity for both her music and Japanese students. Kathleen Myers M.Ed., Department of Curriculum and Instruction connects students with the local community by hosting Superhero Day for local children with disabilities with the help of her students. Cole Smith LCSW, Department of Behavioral Sciences increases the impact of the online learning space through assignments that focus on emotional and experiential growth and learning. Jeannie Oliver PhD, Department of Communication and Journalism connects students to the community through a presentation where they interview a person in their major. Albert “Hap” Adkins MA, Department of Communication and Journalism makes his class entirely interactive with students continually evaluating peer work, group dynamics, and their own learning so that students feel they have a voice in the classroom. Derek McAllister M.A., Department of History and Political Science assigns an essay topic that encourages the students to have compassion for others. The assignment’s purpose is to embody what Aristotle meant when he said that we study ethics not merely to know what is good, but to become good. George Wyatt Tise, Department of English and World Languages creates an in-class scavenger hunt where the students write down the directions in Japanese and then another student must read and find the objects.
Faculty Recognition Ceremony This year, the campus-wide Faculty Recognition Ceremony and reception will once again be included as part of the May Professional Development activities. Faculty will attend a presentation by Dr. Bowen and Dr. Bridgmon on Wednesday, May 9 at 1:30 p.m. in the Doc Bryan Lecture Hall. At approximately 3:00 p.m., the recognition ceremony will commence, followed by a reception at approximately 3:30 p.m. in Doc Bryan 242.
Staff Cookout The Executive Council members will host a staff cookout on Wednesday, May 23, from 11:00 AM — 1:00 PM at the Hindsman Tower. Chairs, tables, and tents will be set up; the menu includes hot dogs, chips, cookies, and drinks.
Citizens of the Region, State & World NEW GEN ED OPTION IN FALL 2018 On Thursday, April 19, the Arkansas Tech University STEM Institute and registered student organization Arkansas Tech Women in STEM hosted an event entitled “The Sweet Rewards of a Career in STEM” at Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center. The event was held to raise funds for the upcoming Arkansas Tech Women in STEM study abroad trip to Japan later this summer. Dr. Ron Darbeau, dean of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith College of Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics, served as the guest speaker, and there was a post-lecture reception with desserts from local restaurants.
MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA The 80th annual meeting of the Oklahoma-Arkansas section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) took place at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville from Thursday, April 12, through Saturday, April 14. Approximately 80 students and faculty members from across the two-state region participated in workshops led by Ruth Enoch, associate professor of mathematics at ATU, and John W. Watson, distinguished professor of mathematics at ATU.
BEAN EARNS REGIONAL EDUCATION AWARD Linda Bean is the 2018 Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Region IV post-secondary teacher of the year. Bean received the award during the ACTE Region IV Conference at Albuquerque, N.M., on Thursday, April 5. She was previously named the 2017 Arkansas Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) post-secondary teacher of the year during a conference in Hot Springs last summer. A member of the ATU faculty since 2000, Bean serves as interim dean for the ATU College of Education and holds the faculty rank of professor of business. She is a two-time ATU Faculty Award of Excellence winner as the 2007 recipient in the teaching category and the 2009 recipient in the service category.
Graduation Information Thursday, May 10
Saturday, May 12
7:00 pm Ceremony
10:00 am Ceremony
6:00 pm Ceremony
Ozark Campus
College of Business College of Natural & Health Sciences
College of Arts & Humanities College of Education
Friday, May 11
2:00 pm Ceremony
All Associates Degrees
7:00 pm Ceremony
College of Engineering & Applied Science
Graduate College
College of eTech
3