Monday Missive

September 28, 2009

Kudos 

No baby yet, but here is wishing Lisa Huffman the best as she awaits the arrival of the newest addition to the department family.  Thanks, also, to Lisa for her guidance in making sure I have everything I need for the coming weeks.

Greg Marchant and Sharon Paulson recently had a paper accepted by the journal Educational Policy Analysis Archives: Background Variables, Levels of Aggregation, and Standardized Test Scores

Meetings

The Educational Psychology Core is meeting on Wednesday, September 30th to discuss the Ph.D. program. If anyone has other issues that should be discussed by the Core Committee, please talk with Kathryn Fletcher or Jerrell Cassady.

The Promotion and Tenure Committee is meeting on Wednesday, September 30th to discuss the 2010-2011 Promotion and Tenure document and to set deadlines for submitting materials for tenure and for promotion. Information regarding submission of materials for tenure or promotion review will be forthcoming.

Other committee business:  Paperwork regarding the certificate in Gifted and Talented will be forwarded to the Curriculum Committee soon. The Personnel Selection Committee will be drafting paperwork requesting a tenure-line position (previously held by Felicia Dixon).  The Policy and Planning Committee will begin the process of reviewing department policies sometime in October. And finally, the Special Assigned Leave Committee may be called into action should we have any leave applications (more information below).

Instructional Needs

It is time again to submit requests for Instructional Equipment Needs. Please forward your requests, along with a proposed vendor and costs, to Penny Nowaczyk no later than Friday, October 2. These materials include all materials used to support our teaching and have included such things as test kits and videos/cds in the past.  If you have any questions, please chat with Sharon Paulson or Penny Nowaczyk.

Special Assigned Leave Applications

Applications for Special Assigned Leave were placed in faculty boxes last week. Applications must be turned into the Department Chair's office by Monday, October 26.  If you have any questions, please talk to me or to Jerrell Cassady (Chair of the University Special Assigned Leave Committee).
 
Terhune Professional Development Fund (Travel Funds)

Faculty should have received information recently regarding the Terhune Professional Development Fund that is available to tenured/tenure track faculty in Teachers College to supplement travel expenses for faculty who deliver papers at national and international professional meetings.  The first deadline for submission of applications is October 1st.  If you have received notification that you have been accepted to present at a national or international conference and need travel supplemental support, you are eligible to apply. If you have questions or need another copy of the application materials, please talk to Sharon Paulson or Serena Shim (department representative to the Terhune Fund committee).

Consul General's Visit to Ball State
On Thursday, October 8, the Consul-General of Japan will be visiting the Ball State campus as a part of efforts to create closer ties with Japan, and with Japanese companies in Indiana that might be supportive of Ball State's initiatives. If you are interested in receiving an invitation to hear the presentation on Japanese economy and culture (10:30am; location TBA), please contact Stephanie Arrington (skarrington@bsu.edu) by early this week.

Online Enrollment Expansion Model

Several college programs are moving to accelerate student completion of MA degrees and licensure programs beginning this spring. Several of our courses will be affected by these changes (e.g., EDPSY 640), in that we will be asked to offer these classes in 8-week on-line sections. I (in consultation with Lisa) will be talking with faculty who may be impacted by these changes in the coming weeks. Similarly, our Gifted and Talented Licensure program will move to this 8-week model in the spring semester. Faculty who teach these courses will be given specific information soon. If you have any questions about these new course offerings, please chat with me.

Conceptual Framework for Professional Education

The newly revised Conceptual Framework for Professional Education (updated by Barbara Rothlisberg) can be found at http://www.bsu.edu/teachers/article/0,,44474--,00.html A link to the conceptual framework should be made available to students in all of our classes, and we are required to discuss the framework in our professional education classes.  If you have any questions, please talk with me or Barbara Rothlisberg.

If I have forgotten anything, please let me know.  
Don't forget to forward to me any information you may have for future Missives.

Have a great week!
Sharon (and Lisa)