Arts & Humanities Conference

The conference below will be especially interesting to faculty in the Arts, Humanities, Political Science, Education, and those involved in community-based research.

Arts & Humanities: Toward a Flourishing State?

November 3-5, 2011
Providence, Rhode Island
Register by September 9 for best conference rates

Arts & Humanities: Toward a Flourishing State? will explore current realities and possible futures of the arts and humanities. The conference will situate the arts and humanities both in relation to each other and within the broader context of other disciplines and fields, within liberal education as a whole. Addressing big questions about the future of the United States as a democracy, the conference will emphasize the vitality and importance of the arts and humanities and ask how that vitality might be sustained and how the arts and humanities might evolve in the future.
Campus educators, administrators, students, and community partners are invited to join with colleagues to consider anew the many ways in which the arts and humanities contribute to and reflect the history and culture of our nation and our connections to a vibrant global society.
At a moment fraught with division along political, cultural, and economic lines, the conference intends both to explore difficult questions and to entertain hope.
We invite you to join us in Rhode Island and to share this information with your colleagues.

Educause Learning Initiative - Annual Conference

Please see the information below on an opportunity to present the scholarship of teaching and learning that specifically addresses the use of technology and information literacy.

ELI Annual Meeting—Presentation Proposals Due September 7

Taking the Pulse: Connecting, Assessing, and Innovating

February 13–15, 2012  Hilton Austin, Austin, Texas, and Online

We would like to personally invite you to join us at the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting. There are just two weeks left to submit your presentation proposal for either the face-to-face or online event. We must receive your submission by September 7.

The 2012 gathering offers an exciting setting for interactive, hands-on learning and networking, whether you are joining online or face-to-face for presentations, discussions, seminars, and learning activities. We are seeking proposals that will address the thematic focus of the meeting, and, while not exclusive, represent these areas of keen interest across the teaching and learning community:

• Social media
• Mobile learning
• Learning analytics
• Digital and information literacy
• Methods for evaluating technology-based instructional innovations

Proposals that reflect these five focus areas and the ELI's values and mission will receive the highest priority.

This year, presenters have a choice of submitting proposals for face-to-face sessions, online sessions, or both. Also new this year, proposal reviewers will carefully evaluate proposed session learning objectives and active learning strategies to ensure an engaging learning experience for attendees. Learn more about the 2012 focus areas and submit a proposal today.

Don't miss this opportunity to play an active role in the meeting. Submit a presentation proposal online by September 7. 

Teaching & Learning Conference

For faculty who are interested in learning more about evidence-based practice in teaching and learning or who would like to present their scholarship of teaching and learning, see the information below on the Lily Conference.

POSTER proposal submissions for the 11th Annual Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching and Learning in Traverse City, Michigan will be closing on Monday, September 5 at 11:59 pm. 

http://lillyconferences.com/tc/proposals.shtml

The conference is Thursday, September 22 through Sunday, September 25, 2011, at the Park Place Hotel.  

Keynote speakers this year include Jennifer McCrikerd, Terry Doyle, Barbara Millis, and Todd Zakrajsek.

The conference theme is Brain-Based Learning and Teaching, and includes the following major subthemes: Engaged Learning; Promoting Social Responsibility; E-Learning; Preparing Future Faculty, and Creating Communities of Learners.

For more information about the conference: http://lillyconferences.com/tc/

Of Rights and Permissions in Academia

When "town" and "gown" meet, the partnering can be awkward with occasional missteps. In a recent article in the Chronicle, Tom Bartlett outlines a sticky disagreement between scientists at Massachusetts Institutes of Technology (MIT) and Sandia National Laboratories. MIT students received a $200,000 award for a product that was developed in collaboration with Sandia's scientists. The problem is that there was no public recognition of Sandia's contribution to the project.

When faculty work with community partners, clear, open, and consistent communication is key. Occasionally, especially in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, issues arise in relation to intellectual property rights. UNF has a number of resources to help faculty take appropriate steps toward positive community partnerships.

Read the Chronicle Article:
http://chronicle.com/article/Who-Deserves-MITs-200000/128810/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Find out more information about Intellectual Property Rights:
http://www.unf.edu/research/Intellectual_Property_and_Technology_Transfer.aspx

Faculty Development Initiatives at UNF

Please see the announcement below regarding various faculty development initiatives from the Provost's Office.

The summer 2012 Faculty Development Grants applications are now available at the Academic Affairs website:  http://www.unf.edu/acadaffairs/development_grants/Faculty_Summer_Development_Grants_Program.aspx.  

The Academic Affairs Faculty Development Grants program affirms our support for faculty research, innovative pedagogy, and grant acquisition, activities essential to engendering and sustaining the richest possible educational environment for our faculty and students.  At this point our intention is to distribute awards roughly equivalent in number to those funded last year.  Academic Affairs will set aside four scholarship awards to be given to new faculty hired in either fall 2010 or fall 2011. 

Please note the Academic Affairs deadline for receipt of completed applications is Friday, October 28^th, 2011 at 5:00 pm. 

Awards will be announced by the end of fall term.

If you have any questions about the Faculty Development Grants, please email Marianne Jaffee at mjaffee@unf.edu. 

International Conference on Communication, Control, and Automation

Please see the information below regarding an international, interdisciplinary conference. Those in Computer Science, Technology, Engineering, and Social Science fields might be interested in the conference. The submission deadline is September 1, 2011.

2011 International Symposium on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation (3CA 2011) will be held in November 19-20, 2011 in Zhuhai, China.

3CA 2011 is the International Symposium on Computer, Communication, Control and Automation sponsored by 3CA International Committee. 3CA was started in 2008. The previous conferences were held in Wuhan, China (2008), Tainan, Taiwan (2010).

3CA 2011 Conference Proceedings will be published by Springer (Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering) ISSN: 1876-1100, which will be included in Springer Link, indexed by ISI Proceedings, EI-Compendex, SCOPUS.

Paper Submission Due：September 1, 2011

The submission system is http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=3ca2011

Paper format see: http://www.aphci.org/3ca/submission.htm

Contact Email: ccca2011reg@163.com

Tel: + (86) 18672982985 or 18627872331

For detailed information, please see http://www.aphci.org/3ca/index.htm

Information about Zhuhai City, please visit http://www.zhuhai.gov.cn/english/

Conflicts of Interest in Research Funding

In a recent article in the Chronicle, Paul Basken discusses the complexities associated with faculty receiving undocumented benefits from corporate partners. Although these issues have been especially problematic in the health field, it seems that the same issues might impact researchers in a variety of fields. The responsibility for addressing these conflicts of interest seems to be placed on the University. At UNF, this would fall under our Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP). ORSP has specific guidelines for UNF faculty regarding Intellectual Property Rights.

Conflicts of Interest will be a growing issue of concern over the next several years given recent cases and increased pressure on large corporate partners to demonstrate profits. Faculty who are informed and who address these issues early will prevent complications in the future.

Using Blogs for Student Independent Study Projects

A recent article in the Chronicle highlights the benefits of using blogs as a way to promote student learning. I have used blogs for student work in some of my courses, and I have found that they produce benefits beyond being able to integrate various media forms. The notion that a blog post can be viewed by the world wide web promotes a sense of importance and relevance to the students' work.

Find more benefits of and suggestions for using blogs in the linked article.

Faculty and students can sign-up for a free blog accounts at:
www.blogger.com
www.wordpress.com

Also, Blackboard provides a number of collaboration tools. The Center for Instruction & Research Technology (CIRT) provides a description of these tools on their website.
http://www.unf.edu/cirt/bb/FAQs/FAQs_-_Collaboration_Tools.aspx

A Rational Response to Plagiarism

A recent article in the Chronicle provided some helpful tips to individual instructors on how to think through and deal with plagiarism. Among the most helpful tips were:

1. Keep your priorities straight (don't make yourself the plagiarism police - you don't have time).
2. Make your policies clear (in your syllabus).
3. Don't make threats you cannot keep (do what you say you are going to do - don't overreach).
4. Make plagiarism difficult (by designing worthwhile assignments).

To see all of the recommendations, read the article online.

Funding Opportunity for Innovators and Pioneers

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide funding for faculty in the medical and behavioral health fields. Please see the announcement below regarding funding for Pioneers (researchers showing exceptional creativity or proposing potentially transforming ideas to address significant problems) and New Innovators (faculty within their first 10 years post degree). Deadlines are in October.

Pioneer and New Innovator Awards

NIH Director’s Pioneer and New Innovator Awards Program

NIH welcomes proposals for 2012 NIH Director's Pioneer Awards and New Innovator Awards for innovative approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research.

Pioneer Awards:
Up to $2.5 million in direct costs over 5 years
Open to scientists at any career stage.

New Innovator Awards:
Up to $1.5 million in direct costs over 5 years
For early career stage investigators (ESI), defined as those who have not received an NIH R01 or similar grant and are within 10 years of completing their terminal research degree or medical residency.

NIH expects to make at least 7 Pioneer Awards and at least 33 New Innovator Awards in summer 2012. To continue its strong record of diversity in these programs, NIH especially encourages women and members of groups that are underrepresented in NIH research to apply.

The deadline for submitting Pioneer Award applications is October 7, 2011. See the instructions in the Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-RM-11-004 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-11-004.html) and http://commonfund.nih.gov/pioneer for more information. Send questions to pioneer@nih.gov.


The deadline for submitting New Innovator Award applications is October 14, 2011. See the instructions in the Funding Opportunity Announcement RFA-RM-11-005 (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-11-005.html) and http://commonfund.nih.gov/newinnovator for more information. Send questions to newinnovator@nih.gov.

The NIH Common Fund encourages collaboration and supports a series of exceptionally high impact, trans-NIH programs. These programs are supported by the Common Fund, and managed by the NIH Office of the Director in partnership with the various NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices. Additional information about the NIH Common Fund can be found at http://commonfund.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) –“The Nation's Medical Research Agency” – includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

Research with Undergraduate Students

A recent article in the Chronicle highlights the value of undergraduate research experiences and identifies a funding source for faculty interested in participating in quality research with undergraduates.
The funding source is the REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Deadlines for the program occur every August.

Blackboard Workshops Provided by CIRT

Center for Instruction and Research Technology Hosts Blackboard/Elluminate Faculty Workshops

The Center for Instruction and Research Technology is hosting several workshops for faculty on Blackboard and related tools in the coming week:

• Blackboard 101 for Instructors – Evening Session: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201
• Blackboard 101 for Instructors: 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Aug. 18, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201
• Blackboard Grade Center: 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201
• ElluminateLive! for Instructors:* 1:30 to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, Building 51, Social Sciences, Room 1201

*One faculty member will win a Bamboo Pen Tablet. Vist our events page for full details and to R.S.V.P.

Public Engagement and the 21st Century University Conference

Please see the announcement below regarding a Public Engagement conference in Bristol, UK.

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement is a UK based initiative which is working towards embedding public engagement in higher education.  The Centre has announced the call for proposals for their next conference:

Engage 2011: Making an Impact

Public Engagement and the 21st Century University

29-30 November 2011, Bristol

Public engagement has been a critical part of universities since their foundation. This high energy conference will provide opportunities to learn together and ensure universities continue to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with the public, bringing significant benefits to their work, their staff and their students and to society.

Call for workshops and case studies on these themes:

-      Making an impact with your research

-      Creating an engagement culture

-      Effective partnerships

-      Engaging students

The deadline is Aug 30.

Details: http://bit.ly/poQjBA

JCCI Annual Meeting in September

The Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. (JCCI) is a community think-and-do-tank. The organization invites a large spectrum of community members to join together, research, plan, and implement ideas that will improve the Jacksonville Community. The organization provides a number of opportunities for networking with community agencies and community leaders. JCCI is a great place to get involved for faculty interested in pursuing community-based scholarship, teaching, or service.

JCCI will be holding their Annual Meeting in September. Details are below.

JCCI's Annual Meeting
Friday, September 9, 2011
VIP Reception - 11:15 am
Registration Opens 11:30 am
Luncheon Program - 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

Location: Schultz Center for Teaching & Leadership
4019 Boulevard Center Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207

Keynote Speaker
Mayor Julián Castro
San Antonio, Texas

Individual Tickets
General Admission - $35
JCCI Members - $30

Tickets are for available for purchase online at
http://community.jcci.org/
or by contacting Demetrius at 904.396.3052.

New Google Service to Track Citations for Scholars' Publications

Measuring the impact of your work can be difficult. Sometimes your scholarly work could be cited in new and growing research areas without your knowledge. Google has launched a new tool to help you track the citations of your scholarly work through Google Scholar. A recent article in the Chronicle  by ProfHacker provides a description of the service.

Currently, Google is making the service available on a limited basis. If you would like to sign-up for the service and be first notified when it becomes available, visit Google's My Citations page.

Supporting Students in an Emergency

Last year, I served on the Emergency Management Team for a local shelter. Thankfully, the shelter was not needed, but I felt a sense of personal reward by serving on the committee. I also learned much about emergency response and management. If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of students, the opportunity below might be right for you.

A Message from the Crisis Management Team

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.

Building 1, J.J. Daniel Hall, President's Conference Room, Room 2800

Once again, UNF will be working with the Red Cross to adopt a local emergency shelter. This year it will be Atlantic Coast High School, located at 9735 RG Skinner Parkway. In cases of hurricanes or similar emergencies, this shelter would be used to house UNF students who are being evacuated from our residence halls. In situations such as this, the shelter would be operated by staff from the UNF student housing department. When there are no students on campus or when the disaster doesn't affect our campus, under agreement with the Red Cross, UNF would send members of our staff and faculty as volunteers to open and help operate the shelter for local community members.

Faculty and staff interested in learning more about serving as a volunteer for the shelter, are invited to an informational meeting at noon Wednesday, Aug. 17, in Building 1, Daniel Hall, President's Conference Room, Room 2800. Those who will attend should call ahead to make sure there is enough food ordered for lunch at (904) 620-2500. If you are interested in the possibility of volunteering but can't attend the meeting, call and leave your name and contact information. 

Contact: The President's Office at or (904) 620-2500