Provost Newsletter - August 2022

August 8, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

It’s hard to believe that fall 2022 is just around the corner. I hope your summer has offered new learning opportunities. I spent a portion of July learning more about our study abroad programs in Maastricht, Oxford, and London. These are some of our most well-established programs, offering students academic opportunities that leverage local resources in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere. There was also much excitement among the students, many of whom have been waiting for more than a year to have the chance to travel and study abroad.

As a university, we have used this period of time during which we have been unable to travel to step back and develop a set of priorities that build on our existing strengths and position Baylor to have an even greater impact globally. Led by Vice Provost for Global Engagement Jeff Hamilton and his co-directors Ben Cox, Tiffany Hogue, and Elizabeth Palacios, we made use of the opportunities provided by the American Council of Education (ACE) Internationalization Laboratory and engaged more than 50 faculty and staff on committees and another 772 faculty by use of a survey to gather broad input into the recommendations delivered to President Livingstone and me. The report identifies exciting new opportunities for innovation, provides recommendations for lowering costs while also strengthening support for international activities, and suggests specific ways we can improve communication across campus.

I am grateful to Dr. Hamilton for his work over the past eight years to professionalize the Center for Global Engagement and elevate the quality of our international work. In his planning for retirement, he has asked to step down from his vice provost role. We have already begun a search for his replacement, which will be led by Dean Sandeep Mazumder and assisted by Gateway International with a search committee that is large and representative of the campus. As the process for finding a Vice Provost for Global Engagement begins, we welcome your nominations of candidates for the position, which can be submitted via email to Dean Mazumder.

As the academic year launches, we celebrate the new additions to the Academic Affairs administration. Jason Carter joins us today as the Dean of Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. Erich Baker joined us as Interim Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and Stephen Breck Reid joined us as Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Belonging on August 1. Please give them a warm welcome into their new roles.

Finally, to close out with fantastic news, our School of Education’s Ed.D. in Learning & Organizational Change (Online) has been awarded Program of the Year by the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. Learn more about the award in the Spotlight on the Academy section below.

I wish each of you all the best as you embark upon this new semester.

Warm Regards,

Nancy Brickhouse

Events

All-Chair Leadership Retreat and New Chair Training

All-Chair Leadership Retreat, August 12, 8:00-4:30 pm, BRIC
First New Chair Training, August 22, 12:00-1:30 pm, Penland Conference Room

The Office of the Provost is partnering with deans, chairs, and other administrators at Baylor to hold a special All-Chair Leadership Retreat on August 12, followed by a series of trainings during the year to aid new and veteran chairs on topics such as work-life balance, hiring process, performance evaluations, and more! All chairs should plan to attend the August 12 event. More information will be provided during the All-Chair Leadership Retreat. Don't hesitate to get in touch with coordinators Emily Hunter or DeAnna Toten Beard if you have any questions

Fall Faculty Meeting

September 8, 2022, 3:00-4:30 pm, Virtual via Zoom

Join us as we share a virtual time to hear updates on the upcoming academic year from the President, Provost, and special guests. A Zoom link will be provided in the coming weeks.

Vice Provosts' Corner

Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Belonging

The Provost’s Office is delighted to welcome Stephen Breck Reid, Ph.D., to a new role as the Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Belonging. Vice Provost Reid, a Professor of Christian Scriptures at the George W. Truett Seminary, assumed his position on August 1. As Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity & Belonging, Dr. Reid and his office support excellence and equity within Baylor by facilitating the flourishing of underrepresented faculty through improved interactions with non-underrepresented faculty, staff, and students. The Vice Provost supports these goals through faculty hiring, retention, tenure, and promotion appropriate for Baylor as an R1 Christian university. Dr. Reid looks forward to strengthening relationships with university faculty and can be reached at Stephen_Reid@baylor.edu.

Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Recommended Syllabus Statements
A collection of recommended syllabus statements for the Fall 2022 semester regarding academic integrity, attendance policies, Title IX, and a variety of resources for student success and wellbeing is now available within the Faculty and Staff Resources section of the Paul L. Foster Success Center website.

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Institutional Effectiveness

Baylor’s New2BU Survey to be Administered September 12—30
This survey is a critical tool for helping us reach out to new students so that we can assist them as they transition to life at Baylor. The New2BU survey will be administered to all new students between September 12 and September 30. Students will complete the survey using the Navigate app. Previous response rates have been around 95%, and we need to reach that high number again this year. Please help us by encouraging all new students to complete the survey during that window of time.

The Academy for Teaching and Learning
The Academy for Teaching and Learning will initiate a new Faculty Interest Group (FIG) this fall for STEM faculty. If you are a STEM instructor interested in exploring creative new ways to teach your courses, please consider joining ATL’s STEM Education Research and Practice FIG! Find out more information by visiting www.baylor.edu/ATL/STEMFIG.
Other upcoming events are:
- Course-Building Retreat: Friday, August 12, 2022.
  - Provides time, community, accountability, and immediate on-call assistance to prepare your courses.
- Adjunct Teaching Workshop: Saturday, August 13, 2022.
  - Highlights effective teaching and assessment strategies oriented toward adjunct faculty and part-time faculty.

Important Academic Deadlines

Additional deadlines are available on the Academic Units Deadlines calendar.

August 12- All-Chair Leadership Retreat.
August 13- Commencement.
August 15-16- New Faculty Orientation.
August 19- Academic Convocation.
August 20- Faculty Senate Retreat.
August 22- First Day of Class.
August 22 & September 6- New Chair Training.
September 5- Labor Day (University Holiday).
September 8- Fall Faculty Meeting (Virtual).
September 14- Faculty of Color Welcome.
September 23- Readers Meet the Author: Jonathan Tran.

Spotlight on the Academy

School of Education

Ed.D. in Learning & Organizational Change (Online) Awarded Program of the Year by the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate
We are delighted to announce that the School of Education’s Ed.D. in Learning and Organizational Change (Online) was recently awarded Program of the Year by the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). This recognition celebrates the program’s focus on preparing students to be practitioners able to lead social change and innovation within their organizations. This honor will be awarded at the annual CPED Convening in Pittsburgh. Congratulations to the faculty and staff of this program for this remarkable achievement! To learn more about the Ed.D. in Learning and Organizational Change, visit the School of Education’s website.

Math for Early Learners Special Event at the Mayborn Museum
During the four weeks of July, the School of Education hosted Math for Early Learners Academy (MELA) at the Mayborn Museum. Directed by Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, MELA collaborated this summer with three local school districts to establish a solid math foundation for more than 60 rising kindergarten and first-grade students. Dr. Cooper’s team has extensively researched math learning through the program and is developing a summer math recovery curriculum. Particular “celebrity” visitors to MELA included Provost Nancy Brickhouse, who came by with President Linda Livingstone, First Gentleman Brad Livingstone, and School of Education Dean Shanna Hagan-Burke.

iEngage Summer Civics Institute Wins Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education
The School of Education is happy to announce that Baylor’s annual iEngage Summer Civics Institute — a free, five-day civics camp hosted on campus Aug. 1-5 this year — has received the 2022 Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education. The annual award, presented by the National Center for State Courts, recognized iEngage for promoting, inspiring, improving, and leading innovation in civics education related to the justice system. The award was presented to Karon LeCompte, Ph.D., iEngage Director and associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, at the annual meeting of the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who nominated Baylor iEngage for the award.

Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences

Robbins Welcomes New Dean Jason Carter
Today, Jason R. Carter, Ph.D., begins his appointment as Dean of Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. Dean Carter comes to Baylor from Montana State University (MSU), where he served as Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and Graduate Education. In addition to his significant administrative experience, Dean Carter is an active researcher focusing on neural control of the cardiovascular system and the role of sleep in cardiovascular disease. The full announcement regarding his appointment is available on Baylor's Media and Public Relations website. We are delighted to welcome Dean Carter and his family to Baylor!

University Libraries

Learning Design Announces DIVE Program for Faculty
On September 1, the Learning Design team will launch DIVE (Designing Instruction for Virtual Engagement), a six-week program for faculty interested in learning the theory and practice of designing and teaching high-quality online and hybrid courses. Registration is open through August 29. For more information and to register, visit the DIVE program page.

Learning Spaces Team Completes Upgrades to Campus Classrooms
The Learning Spaces team has added functionality and technology to classrooms across campus in advance of the Fall 2022 semester. For more information on these changes or to find out what kind of classroom technology you will have available, please visit the Classroom Technology page on the Baylor Libraries website, where you can also access training videos on how to operate the classroom equipment.

Previous issues of the Provost Newsletter can be accessed on the Office of the Provost website.