Eastern Michigan University
January 24, 2024
Academic and Student Affairs
Provost Briefing
Institutional Priority #1
Promote Student Engagement and Success
The Department of Africology and African American Studies Presents
“In defense of Democracy & Freedom: An evening of real-life cross-testimonies on war experiences of African American veterans”
A zoom-based panel conversation by a set of African American veterans.
Date:
Time:
Location:
LBC Credit:
Thursday, February 1, 2024
6:30pm to 8:30pm, EST
Approved
More Info:
Contact:
Featured Panelists
Debbera M. Ransom
Chanthini Taylor Dixon
William Webb
Lieutenant Colonel
Richard D. Kingsberry, Ret.
Monica Lynch
Samuel Murphy
Andrea Anderson
Black History Month 2024
YpsiWrites Upcoming Events
YpsiWrites is offering three different writing workshops starting at the end of January. Check the links below for more details.
Please join the College of Arts and Sciences as we learn about the fascinating research and creative pursuits of some of our newest junior faculty in the College.
The First Annual Junior Faculty Forum is intended to bring the CAS community together to discuss junior faculty scholarship and creative work in an informal collegial atmosphere. Light refreshments will be served.
Friday, February 2, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m., in the Honors College Atrium.
Donate to the Nursing Student Emergency Fund
In the challenging world of nursing education, aspiring healthcare heroes often find themselves facing unforeseen obstacles that threaten to disrupt their journey. The Nursing Student Emergency Fund is the Department of Nursing and EMU Foundation’s response to the urgent needs of these dedicated students who, amidst demanding coursework, clinical rotations, and personal commitments, encounter unexpected emergencies that can derail their educational pursuits.
Large or small, any donation amount helps ensure that no student is left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
EMU 2024 Internship Fair
The 2024 Internship Fair is an opportunity for EMU freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni to speak with employers offering internships for the current semester, summer, or later semesters. (Some may also be hiring for part- or full-time positions.)
Students should:
- be dressed in business attire
- have plenty of copies of their resume available (Resumes should be checked by a Career Services professional 2-3 weeks prior to the fair)
- bring a notebook and pen to document any needed follow-up
- review and research the list of companies at the fair PRIOR to attending and have a list of companies to speak with prepared
- follow up with employers who ask them to do so (i.e. applying online, contacting them by e-mail)
It is highly recommended that students register for the Internship Fair before February 6, 2024.
A Ready Room area will be available where students can practice their employer handshake and introduction. Students will also be able to stop at the Wardrobe Check table and/or have a free head shot taken for their LinkedIn profile.
Institutional Priority #2
High Performing Academic Programs & Quality Research
Jeanette Zalba
Geddes Town Hall School Welcomes CoE 2023 Graduates
The College of Education welcomed their Fall 2023 graduates to the Geddes Town Hall School to celebrate their accomplishments in December.
The Town Hall School, built on the Geddes farm in 1824, carries with it a rich family and educational tradition. As Eastern Michigan University’s official Michigan sesquicentennial project, the Town Hall School was moved to the campus on July 7, 1987, and dedicated on October 22, 1988. It stands as a symbol of the University’s commitment to teacher education.
The Geddes Town Hall School is used by EMU for various classes and social functions. It is available to groups external to EMU. There is no charge to use the building, but a donation to help with the upkeep of the school is greatly appreciated.
COE Graduates Endia Collins, Amy Makila, and Sean Harris pose for photos
CHHS Hosts Five-Week Emergency action plan workshop
Each year, the Sport Management and Athletic Training Programs in CHHS offer an impactful inter-professional education opportunity for students in their programs to learn with and from one another in a dynamic emergency preparedness simulation.
Last fall, forty-two students in seven groups worked together for five weeks to create Emergency Action Plans, culminating in the half-day simulation at the Rec-IM. Students were faced with emergency scenarios at a football stadium, basketball arena, hockey rink, and swimming pool. The students were challenged to communicate with each other to find solutions to the problems that they could face in an emergency situation. While the simulation was occurring, local experts in athletic training, facilities, and public safety were able to provide real-time feedback on the students’ performance. Those experts were then available after the simulation to impart advice as to what they have seen in their respective jobs.
As a result of the planning and simulation, students were able to learn the roles of each profession in an emergency situation, improve their communication skills, and recognize the importance of practicing emergency situations as they move into their respective fields.
If you are interested in finding out more information about this educational event, please contact CHHS faculty members: Erica Zonder (Sport Management ~ ezonder@emich.edu) and Jodi Schumacher (Athletic Training ~ jschuma5@emich.edu).
Institutional Priority #3
Service and Engagement
MAGIC Returns to EMU
After a period of inactivity, The Mentorship, Access, and Guidance in College (MAGIC) program has been revived at Eastern Michigan University. Heading this revival is Raven Wood, a passionate social worker who is dedicated to ensuring the continued growth and success of the students in the MAGIC program.
Raven Wood (third from left) with students at the Annual Fostering Futures Scholarship Dinner
MAGIC is a campus-based support program that helps students who have experienced foster care graduate from college by removing barriers that interfere with academic success and the process of becoming an interdependent adult.
While 70% of young people who spent time in foster care plan on going to college, the experience of foster care can make it exceedingly difficult for students to be successful on campus. Because of this, only about 2% of students from foster care complete a Bachelor’s degree by the time they turn 26 compared to 24% of the general population (Courtney et al, 2011). In addition, only 11% of young women and 5% of young men who experienced care will attain Associate's degrees (Courtney et al, 2010).
Raven Wood, MAGIC Coordinator
Coordinator Raven Wood took over the program in May, 2023, and since then has been rebuilding it from foundations. Mother of three and previously a social worker, Wood not only supports the students in the program by securing funds for their everyday expenses, she also supports development of practical adult skills and emotional needs: “for the average student, they would have their parents to talk to about financial aid, make sure they’re in housing, make sure they have a meal plan, help them with textbooks. [...] That’s what we’re assisting with.”
MAGIC’s success depends upon community donations, volunteers, and partnerships with on and off campus departments. There are numerous ways the EMU community can support this program, including financial support, food donations, transportation needs, and providing care packages. Small or large, all donations help take the pressure off of this population of students, jumpstarting their college careers and supporting their continued success.
MAGIC Students social gathering
EMU Faculty and Staff can also help by spreading the word and referring students to MAGIC. Faculty and staff may encourage students to reach out to MAGIC, or they may approach MAGIC on behalf of a student who may fit the criteria (any EMU student who was placed in foster care after their 14th birthday). MAGIC is also a referral option in Starfish.
Please contact MAGIC staff at emu_magic@emich.edu for more information on eligibility, outreach, and support.
109 Halle Library
Upcoming Events
Location: 300 Halle Library
Date/Time: Friday, February 9 / Breakfast at 8:30 AM, Conference begins at 9 AM
Amidst the cold days and gray skies of a Michigan winter, sometimes we just need to CONNECT with each other, learn from each other, and support each other. Join us at our CONNECT Conference to learn about what your colleagues are doing, to share your own insights on this work we share, and to think deeply about how we can be better at what we do when we do it together. Commensurate with this theme, we are especially excited to have Peter Felten join us to talk about the importance of relationships in higher education.
Location: 109 Halle Library
Date/Time: Monday, January 29 / 3:30 AM - 4:45 PM
The Faculty Research Fellowships and Sabbaticals are intended to encourage and support the research, creative, artistic, and scholarly endeavors of full-time tenured or tenure-track EMU faculty by providing released-time awards (fall and winter semesters) for outstanding proposals. The Faculty Development Center strives to support EMU faculty in their applications for Faculty Research Fellowships (FRF) and Sabbaticals by hosting workshops focusing on helping you write a strong proposal. If you register to attend, bring along your in-progress draft to get feedback from your colleagues, and the facilitators!
Location: 109 B Halle Library and Zoom
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 14 / 12:30 PM
This session, facilitated by T. Daniel Seely, starts with an examination of language from the point of view of the linguist, comparing and contrasting the biological nature of language (language as a component of human cognition) and the socio-cultural nature of language (language as a cultural object). We do this in order to better understand how ChatGPT (and other such systems) is different from humans in its language processing mechanisms.
Location: 300 Halle Library
Date/Time: Thursday, March 8 / 10 AM - 3 PM
Whenever they learn about a subject, students must assess the credibility of sources they encounter. The challenge becomes greater when they move beyond the classroom and into the contemporary public sphere. Whether through social media, Google searches, or listening to the views of others, students must decide how to understand, what to believe, and why. Making sense of sources often depends on assessing not just traditional literacy but also multimodal sources of text, image, sound, and media. When they face these challenges of media and information literacy, students look to faculty across the curriculum for guidance. Join us for this seminar on how we can be effective guides for our students in this process.
Institutional Priority #4
Institutional Effectiveness
Staff & Faculty Highlights
Dr. Meriam Caboral-Stevens
Dr. Caboral-Stevens Recieves MNRS RIIG Mid-Career Investigator Award
The Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Research & Implementation Interest Group (RIIG) has selected Dr. Meriam Caboral-Stevens as recipient of the Mid-Career Investigator Award. This prestigious award has been given in recognition of Dr. Caboral-Stevens’ dedication to the advancement of nursing science and in light of how she has advanced the health of diverse populations throughout her career.
Congratulations Dr. Caboral-Stevens!
Adam Briggs Receives the B. F. Skinner Foundation New Researcher Award
Associate Professor of Psychology Adam Briggs has been named the recipient of the 2024 B. F. Skinner Foundation New Researcher Award for his outstanding contributions to applied behavior analysis.
The B. F. Skinner Foundation New Researcher Award recognizes innovative and significant research in behavior analysis conducted within the first ten years of receiving a doctorate. Briggs' exceptional work in the assessment and treatment of severe forms of challenging behavior has garnered him this prestigious honor.
Dr. Adam Briggs
Dr. Kristopher Phillips
Kristopher Phillips Wins the 2023 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Dr. Kristopher Phillips has won the 2023 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching from the American Philosophical Association. Dr. Phillips's research lies at the intersection of early modern philosophy, philosophy of education, and precollege and public philosophy. He is the co-founder of two philosophy summer camps for high school students, the Iowa Lyceum and the Utah Lyceum, and is currently developing another Lyceum program for Eastern Michigan University.
In Memoriam
D. Robert Okopny
Professor of Accounting, College of Business
D. Robert Okopny passed away on January 18, 2024 at the age of 77.
He is survived by his loving children Tiffany (Jeff) Humes and Matt Okopny, as well as his cherished grandchildren Natasha, Samantha, and Adrianna. Bob is also remembered by his brother Warren and late sister Janice Okopny, and his nephew Austin.
Bob had a passion for travel and capturing moments through photography. His life was marked by a deep sense of pride in his academic achievements, having earned a master's degree from Texas A&M University. For over 35 years, he dedicated himself to education as an Accounting Professor at Eastern Michigan University.
Above all, Bob was a family man. He adored his family and was particularly obsessed with his grandchildren, finding immense joy in their presence. His life was a testament to his unwavering love and commitment to his family, and he will be remembered for the indelible mark he left on the hearts of those who knew him. May he rest in peace.
In lieu of flowers his family has requested that donations be made to the Eastern Michigan University Accounting Department.
For more information visit: Remembrance
Office of the Provost
Academic and Student Affairs
Prepared by: Andi Pontiff & Karen Peacock
734.487.3200