February 24, 2016 | VOL. 5, ISSUE 10
Provost Begins Conversation on Fostering Interdisciplinarity
On February 16, Provost Pallavicini held on the Stockton campus the first of a series of conversations to discuss the barriers to interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship and to begin brainstorming on solutions leading to an environment that crosses boundaries.
 
The Academic Plan calls for us to cross boundaries for academic success. The COACHE Faculty Climate Survey results, and the comments received in the follow-up unit conversations indicate that we have room for improvement in creating an environment that fosters interdisciplinary work and collaboration.
 
Nearly three dozen faculty members representing nearly all of the schools and College participated  ... More
ACADEMIC PLAN UPDATE: HEALTH INITIATIVE CONVERSATIONS BEGIN
One goal of Pacific's Academic Plan, Crossing Boundaries for Academic Excellence, is to build Pacific as a Three-City University in four strategic areas: liberal arts, water/environmental stewardship, health, and new graduate programs on the Sacramento campus. Much work is ongoing in each of these areas. 
 
Recently, an interdisciplinary group of faculty and administrative members began working around the theme of "health promotion and individual and community wellness" ...  More
BOARD OF REGENTS ACTIONS ON ACADEMIC DIVISION ITEMS
The University of the Pacific Board of Regents met last week on the San Francisco campus for its February meeting, where it took the following actions on Academic division items:
 
Approval of Program Expansions to Sacramento Campus
The Academic and Student Affairs (A/SA) Committee approved the expansion of the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior, Master of Arts in Education, and Master of Science in Analytics to the Sacramento Campus ... More
 
Approval of Program Closure in SIS
The A/SA Committee approved the closure of the Bachelor of Arts in Culture and Development program in the School of International Studies (SIS). This program was originally slated for faculty review as part of the Academic Planning ... More 
 
Feedback on Draft Strategic Enrollment Plan
Following the first round of committee and campus conversations in the fall, the Strategic Enrollment Plan Committee presented a draft plan to the President and the Board of Regents. The Committee will use the Board's feedback ... More
TERRI JOHNSON ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION FROM PACIFIC
Dr. Terri Johnson, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), has announced that she will resign from Pacific at the end of March. The CTL empowers Pacific faculty in the pursuit of teaching excellence, and provides instructional design, media and other services to support faculty's use of innovations in teaching and learning.  
 
"Since joining Pacific in 2014, Terri has been key to the successful reinvigoration of the CTL," stated Provost Maria Pallavicini. "She has established strong relationships with faculty to support educational excellence." Dr. Vernon Smith, Vice Provost for Distributed Learning, added that, in addition to building a strong team to support faculty, "Terri has provided leadership in the Course Redesign Workshops and the rollout of Canvas, including the migration, support and weekly Canvas Camps for faculty. We would not be where we are without Terri's infectious enthusiasm, insight and energy."
 
Terri said she plans to return to the family's cabin in northern Wisconsin. "While I'll dearly miss my colleagues at Pacific, I'm looking forward to reflecting on the next chapter in my life while tending to my gardens." 
 
A national search will be conducted to find a new Director, during which time Dr. Smith will provide oversight for the CTL.
FACULTY AFFAIRS UPDATE

Greetings Colleagues,
 
Here are some faculty development events and other opportunities I'd like to share with you:

14-Day Writing Challenge Results
Earlier this month, Pacific concluded its first 14-Day Writing Challenge, based on the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) 14-Day Writing Challenge.  Nearly three dozen new, tenured and NTT faculty members committed to schedule time each day writing anything that advanced their research/creative scholarship agendas ... More

Fulbright Scholar Program Competition Open for 2017-8 Travel Awards
Dr. Bill Herrin, Director of the School of International Studies (SIS) and University Fulbright Scholar Program Representative, has provided the following update on exciting opportunities to strengthen your global credentials ... More

New Faculty Development Luncheon: Thursday, March 10, 12 - 1 p.m. in the Regents Room. Lunch is provided. This month's topic is ... More
 
Chair Development Luncheon: Thursday, April 21, 12 - 1pm in the Library Community Room. Lunch is provided. April's topic is ... More

TEC Grant Deadline (Second Call)
The deadline for Technology in Education Committee (TEC) grant proposals is March 11. Small grant funding up to $2,500 per proposal is available for innovative technology instruction or technology conferences. Visit the TEC Sakai site (must be logged in) for streamlined application and selection criteria. Please contact TEC Chair Heidi Stevenson, hstevenson@pacific.edu, for more information.
 
Academic Facilities Improvement Committee Proposal Deadline
The Academic Facilities Improvement Committee is seeking proposals for improvements and upgrades (valued over $1,000) to existing academic facilities. The deadline is March 25 for consideration of proposals for this semester. For more information and the proposal form, please visit the Committee's webpage.

CAPD Grants and Awards Announced
The Committee for Academic Planning and Development (CAPD) is pleased to announce the availability of a number of grants and awards available to members of the Pacific faculty. The deadline for all applications is Friday, April 1 ... More

Regards,
 
Berit Gundersen, PharmD
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
MEMO ON PREFERRED USE OF CANVAS AND SHAREPOINT
Last week, Provost Pallavicini and Art Sprecher, Vice President for Technology/CIO, issued a joint memo prescribing the preferred use of Canvas and SharePoint for teaching and learning and administrative/project activities ... Learn More (login required)
OFFICE OF SPONSORED PROGRAMS UPDATE
Funding Opportunities
Applications for the Dreyfus Foundation Award for Student Research are due this Friday, February 26 to the Faculty Research Committee. Click here for more information.
 
For more funding opportunities, be sure to check the February External Funding Newsletter, available here, and updated on a monthly basis. Since this is a busy grant submission month, please alert the OSP if you are planning to submit a grant or contract proposal. You may contact Barbara Sasso or Christine Fluter-Brown at osp@pacific.edu. 
 
Monthly Funding Workshops Continue
On March 31, the OSP will present the next of its monthly workshops to promote the development of strong proposals, to address new federal changes that will affect the submissions you make this year and to support grant/contract administration. Click here for the complete workshop schedule.
 
Research Day 
Pacific's Annual Research Day is April 30, on the Stockton Campus. Please encourage faculty, staff and students to think of presenting their research to the University community. Click here for more information or contact Christine Fluter-Brown (cfluter@pacific.edu) or Dr. Lydia Fox (lkfox@pacific.edu).
Student group at Arches National Park during the 2015 Spring Break field trip to the Colorado Plateau

FEATURED ACADEMIC UNIT: DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
We are continuing to feature academic units and highlight how they have aligned with the themes and initiatives in the Academic Plan, Crossing Boundaries. Last month we featured the Department of Art and Graphic Design. This month's featured unit is the Department of Geological & Environmental Sciences, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2015 ... More

Interested in having your school, department or program featured? Contact us at provostnews@pacific.edu. 
SACRAMENTO GOVERNANCE SUMMER IMMERSION PROGRAM (SACSUM) TO LAUNCH JUNE 4
The first three principles guiding the Academic Plan are to leverage Pacific's three-city strengths and build on the momentum of emerging cross-disciplinary, cross-unit collaborations; expand high-quality, cross-disciplinary academic and co-curricular offerings to prepare students to live and work across disciplinary and professional boundaries; and enhance three-city opportunities for applied learning to prepare students for post-graduate success. 
 
The new Sacramento Governance Summer Immersion Program (SacSum) starting this June is designed to support these principles ... Learn More
X-BOUNDARIES: COP LAUNCHES A NEW SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS
On March 3, the College of the Pacific will launch X-Boundaries, a new public lecture series that will feature faculty across the disciplines discussing current controversial topics from their various perspectives. 

The first panel discussion, moderated by Dean Rena Fraden, is on the topic of terror, and will be held in the Tiger Lounge (inside Grace Covell) 5 - 6:30 p.m.

Four Pacific faculty members: John Sims from the McGeorge School of Law, Jeff Becker (Political Science), George Randels (Philosophy), and Cosana Eram (Modern Languages) will speak briefly on the perspectives and prospects related to this global issue: How has terror changed us? What are its present cultural, legal, ethical and political consequences? Are there any wide-accepted tools to mitigate terror?
 
Following the panel discussion, the floor will be open for the whole community to examine the future - beyond these gates. This event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.

Dean, Conservatory of Music
  • The search committee selected three final candidates who made campus visits the first two weeks of February. The committee has asked two candidates back this week for a fuller visit. Click here to learn more about the candidates. This search committee is chaired by Dean Gale.
Dean, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
  • A pool of candidates is being formed. This search committee is chaired by Dean Oppenheimer.
Dean, Benerd School of Education
  • A pool of candidates is being formed. This search committee is chaired by Dean Howell.
DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP TEAM UPDATE
The Diversity Leadership Team is continuing the work it began last Fall.  They are currently vetting their draft prioritization plan with key administrators before sharing it broadly with the university community, which they plan to do through open forums on the three campuses and posting on SharePoint ... More
IMPORTANT 
DATES TO REMEMBER

FEBRUARY 24, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
HEALTH INITIATIVE CONVERSATIONS




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