Message from the Vice Provost for Faculty Success

Greetings Mean Green Colleagues,

Welcome to the heritage celebration month recognizing our Asian American and Pacific Islander faculty, staff, students and broader community. As I reflect on Dr. Sumun "Sumi" Pendakur’s ABCA talk in fall 2022, I am reminded how many diverse groups (approximately 50 distinct ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages) are represented in the AAPI community. I am proud that UNT celebrates the many ways AAPI people and organizations contribute to our diverse community.

I am excited to announce that Faculty Success is expanding our team: 

• Yolanda Mitchell will join us June 1 as our new Faculty Director for Teaching Effectiveness. Dr. Mitchell is currently a clinical assistant professor in Educational Psychology at UNT and will lead our teaching and pedagogy initiatives.
• Sanjukta Pookulangara (professor and chair, Digital Retailing and Merchandising) and Steve Wolverton (professor and chair, Geography and the Environment) will serve as Faculty Success’ Affiliated Faculty who will co-facilitate our new Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue training. Twelve faculty just completed our pilot workshop, and we will announce our 2023-24 training dates later this summer!

We are green with pride as we celebrate the outstanding faculty featured in this newsletter — be sure to reach out and congratulate your colleagues' important work! Faculty Success is especially gleeful that Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden (associate professor, Music History, Theory, and Ethnomusicology) received two competitive awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, one of which was nominated by Faculty Success.

We are also excited to release our 2023-24 Mentoring Grant Call for Applications. We extended our deadline, so faculty will have more time to submit a compelling application. Please reach out to our team if you have any questions.

As you prepare for summer, I hope you kick up your talons and create some restorative space. You may also consider applying for a prestigious award (Fulbright, anyone?) and participating in the June/July NCFDD 14-day Writing Challenge. I look forward to communing with you again during the summer.

Talons up!

Holly M. Hutchins, Ph.D. (she/her)

Vice Provost, Faculty Success

Write More by Finding the Deeper Purpose of Your Work

Thursday, May 18

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Union 332

Register now

Too often, we focus only on the “how” and “what” of writing. There’s no doubt that writing tools and time management strategies are useful. However, if we want to avoid burning out while teaching and working on our own long-term projects, we must reconnect with our deeper sense of purpose and tap into more intrinsic sources of motivation.

Join the Black Faculty Network, International Faculty Network, LGBT Faculty Network and La Colectiva for a workshop with Dr. Leslie Wang, creator of Your Words Unleashed, a signature coaching program that helps scholars master their writing habits. Faculty at all career stages will learn exercises and strategies to propel them forward in their writing.

Congratulations to Brenda Barrio, associate professor of special education and co-founder of UNT ELEVAR, who was surprised May 3 with the 'Fessor Graham Award — the highest award given to a professor by the UNT student body. We are inspired by Dr. Barrio's dedication to her students and her commitment to increasing inclusion in higher education.

Meet UNT's 2023-24 IAA Fellows

Quincy Davis, associate professor of percussion (jazz drum set), Ana M. Lopez, associate professor of studio art (metalsmithing and jewelry), and Priscilla Ybarra, associate professor of English, will pursue creative research projects in the next year as the 2023-24 Institute for the Advancement of the Arts Faculty Fellows. UNT’s Institute for the Advancement of the Arts (IAA) was created in 2009 to showcase, support and advance excellence in the visual, performing, creative and literary arts.

Faculty News Roundup

• Michelle Salazar Pérez, Velma E. Schmidt Endowed Chair for Early Childhood Education and professor of early childhood studies, will be presenting at the the 2023 Advanced Methods Institute on June 8. Organized by the QualLab and the The Ohio State University, the institute is a virtual gathering of scholars focused on "Advancing Qualitative Inquiry toward Innovation, Equity, Diversity, & Justice."

• Congratulations to Kamesh Namuduri, professor of electrical engineering, whose IEEE Standards Association working group recently celebrated the publication of "IEEE Standard P1920.1: Standard for Aerial Network Communication.” Under Dr. Namuduri's leadership as chair, the group has worked toward this goal for four years — and will now begin work on its sequel!

• The new College of Science Creative Art & Science Exhibit (C.A.S.E.) is on display in Hickory Hall, featuring work by Ralf Schmidt, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, as well as other COS staff, students and alumni. Read about the exhibit then swing by and see it for yourself!



• Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden, associate professor of music history, secured two prestigious awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities: an NEH Summer Stipend and an NEH Hagley Fellowship.

International Exchange with Fulbright

Fulbright provides opportunities for faculty to engage in international exchange through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, Fulbright U.S. Specialist Program and Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program. UNT was recently named a Fulbright HSI Leader and has produced more than 80 faculty Fulbright Scholars and Specialists since 1960. Learn more about Fulbright at UNT.

Interested in applying for a Fulbright Program? Contact UNT’s Fulbright Scholar Liaison at Fulbright@unt.edu for more information and application assistance!

The UNT Media Library Supports Your Curriculum!

The UNT Media Library is home to UNT's non-print, physical and streaming audiovisual, tabletop and video game collections. The online media library catalog can help you find media resources available for checkout that enhance your instruction.

In addition, there are online databases of licensed streaming video content ranging from award winning feature films, documentaries and theater performances to subject-specific educational videos and news programs. If you need assistance searching the catalog or would like the Media Library team to acquire a resource for you, reach out to them at Media.Library@unt.edu.

2023 Comics Studies Society Conference

July 27-29 at the Gateway Center

UNT is proud to host the 2023 Comics Studies Society Conference, "Comics on the Margins," and there's still time to register! The event will feature an Artist's Alley, exhibit tables by publishers and the UNT and University of Texas at Arlington libraries, scholarly panels, workshops, a cosplay happy hour and keynotes by Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama (Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics) and comics artist and writer MariNaomi (Turning Japanese). There are special reduced rates for librarians, faculty, K-12 teachers and graduate and undergraduate students, as well as early bird registration until May 26.

Intersession and Summer Library Hours 

As we close out the last long semester of the academic year, UNT Libraries will reduce operational hours. Starting May 15, Willis Library will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight daily, and the Discovery Park, Sycamore Library and Media Library locations will also have modified hours as well. Of course, their electronic resources are always available 'round the clock. View hours for all library locations.

Beyond outlining policies, assignments and deadlines, a well-crafted syllabus can create a sense of belonging and equity in the classroom, contribute to students’ first impressions of your teaching style and convey your commitment to supporting their overall success. Summer is an excellent time to review and refine your syllabi for the fall semester, and the resources below can help you take a closer look.

The Student Experience Project’s online module Your Syllabus as a Tool to Promote Student Equity and Growth provides practical tips for developing and reviewing syllabi. 

DSI CLEAR’s syllabus development tool provides examples for how to present clear expectations and procedures while also encouraging and normalizing the use of resources that enhance learning and engagement. Required syllabus elements and a link to updated support services and policies are included in the tool. Embedding that link rather than writing out the services or policies you wish to highlight will cut down on the length of your syllabus and the need for continuous updates as services and policies change over time.

Student Syllabi Review

If you are interested in a student review of your syllabi, please send copies to Stacey.Polk@unt.edu. Syllabi are redacted, coded and scored for words or phrases that (1) make students feel positive, understood and supported; (2) make them feel negative, judged or not supported; (3) are confusing; and/or (4) may require knowledge that new or transfer students might not have. 

Changes to the UIC Trust Line

University Integrity and Compliance (UIC) moved to a new Trust Line reporting vendor, Convercent, on April 4. The Trust Line provides a way for UNT community members to report concerns of unethical or illegal misconduct. There are three ways to submit a report or questions with the option to remain anonymous:

Call: 877-606-9187 

Text:” Hello” to 940-340-5156 

Web: trustline.unt.edu

If you have an open anonymous report in the old system, UIC is no longer able to contact you with questions concerning your report. To receive those communications, create a report in the new Trust Line system and provide your report key so they can link your case and continue to provide you with updates.