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10-17-19 Weekly Three

Colleagues,

Southern Ohio is finally feeling like fall, thankfully. This moment will quickly pass into winter, as our semester all too quickly moves from midterms to final exams, which for many of us is bittersweet. We delight in the growth we see in our students, and, I hope, ourselves. We form bonds with many of them, and all too soon it is time for them to move along on their journey. Many of them leave a legacy with us, as mentors, coaches, teachers, guides, and collaborators. There are students I will never forget, although I am certain they have long ago forgotten me.

Every time I speak with our students and alumni, I hear stories of how you have made a deep and lasting impact on their lives. One of the truths about being an educator is that you often never know how you have impacted people. Our faculty and staff are making a difference every day, in so many different, non-measurable ways. Remember that each life you touch is permanently changed, as are the future prospects of their family and community. Many of our alumni, with years of perspective, appreciate the gift of a Miami education. Certainly many employers realize the value. It is easy to progress through our daily lives without stepping back to think of the awesome privilege and responsibility we hold. I hope you will join me in taking a moment to reflect on this life we lead, and the place we are privileged to lead it in.

Now, here are the three for this week:

Interim Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School - I am pleased to announce that Professor Rose Marie Ward (KNH) will serve as the Interim Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School  effective November 1, 2019. Professor Ward brings a wealth of academic and administrative experience to this position. She currently serves as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, a position she has held since 2017 and was formerly the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence from 2014-2017. Dr. Ward is also active in the Ohio Department of Education Chancellor's Council on Graduate Studies, serving as chair for 2018-2019. Please join me in congratulating Professor Ward and thanking her for her willingness to serve in this capacity.

HERI Faculty Survey – On Monday, October 14th, all full-time and part-time faculty members and academic administrators should have received an email message from provost@miamioh.edu inviting them to participate in the national faculty survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA. The email contains a secure link to the survey that is safe to open. If you have not received it yet, please check your spam folder.

Miami has participated in the HERI Faculty Survey since 1995 and this year’s survey should only take a few minutes to complete. The results will be held strictly confidential and reported only in aggregate. Your feedback via the HERI Survey is an important means of charting our progress—especially as we begin implementation of our new strategic plan—and providing a way to identify areas in need of improvement.

If you did not receive the email or have questions about the survey, please contact William Knight, Assistant Provost for Institutional Research and Effectiveness.

Reminders:

  • Midterm grades are due tomorrow, Friday, 10/18.
  • President Crawford’s Annual Address will be Wednesday, October 23 (4:15 PM) in ASC Wilks Theater. There will also be an event following the address to celebrate the implementation of Miami’s new Strategic Plan, now called MiamiRISE (Research, Scholarship and Artistry; Innovation, Student Success, and Engagement), at 5:00 PM in ASC.
  • The Graduate Research Forum will be held on Friday, November 1st (1:00 pm) ASC. The Forum provides an opportunity for Miami’s graduate students to share their research and scholarly activities with the entire Miami community. I encourage you to attend and support Miami’s dedicated graduate students.
  • The Open Enrollment for Benefits period is now open for all Miami employees. Any changes you wish to make in your benefits effective January 1, 2020 are due by 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 31, 2019.

Thank you for another productive week on Miami’s campuses. Until next week,

Love and Honor,

Jason