Monday, December 8, 2014

Recap of the 2014 #SACSCOC Annual Meeting - Dec. 5th - Dec. 8th


Today, I created several higher education and blogging goals. These goals included: writing posts as soon as possible and posting these posts as soon as I arrive home from a conference, etc.



The #SACSCOC conference was amazing and I was pleased to connect with several individuals from other universities. I stored these business cards in a special part of my Vera bag, because one of my new years resolutions is to keep in contact with higher education connections formed during conferences.



Courtesy of @heatherplez


This SACSCOC conference was held in Nashville, TN and the attendees had several hotel options. I chose the Courtyard Marriott, because it was slightly cheaper than the other options. I traveled via shuttle to the hotel and connected with several SACSCOC attendees (one from Tarrant County College and the other from Savannah State University).

In fact, I was fortunate enough to have breakfast on two separate days with two of the individuals I hope to add to my highered contacts list!


One of the first sessions I attended was the Newcomers session and it featured the President of SACSCOC, Dr. Belle Wheelan. She is an outstanding woman and I always enjoy hearing her speak. Through the session, I learned about several new developments regarding SACSCOC.

After this session, I walked through the hallway and heard my name. One of my colleagues found me and I was pleased to see her familiar face. We exchanged notes and later discovered that we planned to attend the same session for the next conference slot. Surprisingly, I discovered the presenter was my fabulous sorority sister, Dr. Amanda Chesser Drum (yes, she is amazing). I look up to her for a variety of reasons and she always has a smile on her face.




Dr. Drum is from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi and she serves as the Executive Director of Strategic Engagement Initiatives. She is also charged with assessment and the SACSCOC 5th year reviews. She worked interactively with various departments under student life and other similar student services-focused departments to develop student learning outcomes that coincide with the CAS Standards. I thought this approach was very effective and it helped her developed her university's SACSCOC report. I plan to use the CAS Standards for an internal review process for several areas at the university for which I work in Texas.


Since I learned a wealth of information about section 2.10, I wanted to learn more about the QEP initiatives in the next session. This session was presented by Dr. Wayne Atchley from Tarleton State University and he did a dynamic job presenting his university's "Keeping It R.E.A.L" initiative for engaging students in the following areas: undergraduate research, leadership, study abroad/study away, service learning, and internships.


These individual sessions provided me with a stronger foundation for assessment for this next year. I feel fortunate to have this experience and I cannot wait to research additional innovative and dynamic ways to perform assessment (qualitative and quantitative) on our student learning outcomes.

Also, I followed the backchannel on Twitter for the #SACSCOC conference. Here's a recap of the conference so far:



I learned a wealth of information from the conference and I am fired up for assessment! Also, I wanted to add that I was especially excited that the Convention Center is a LEED certified building! :) This is very exciting to an environmental sustainability-focused millennial!




Sincerely - @drjtedwardsTSU

Preparing for the SACSCOC Conference and Thinking Ahead to Assessment Bootcamp



Preparing for the SACSCOC Conference - I admit, this has been a long semester, but one of the most rewarding semesters so far!

Tomorrow (Saturday), I am headed to the SACSCOC annual conference. I am excited about placing the assessment hat on my head at this point in the semester.

It is extremely difficult to write the reports in the middle of the semester (in the midst of the activities), but I always look forward to small breaks. These breaks include: winter break, spring break, the break in May. These are typically my #highered "catch-up" times if I happen to be behind.

Thinking Ahead to the Winter Break
Here's the ideal set-up for assessment, Edwards-style. A quiet room, restricted interactions from others, and a great station on Pandora/Storify.

I am all packed and I am ready to attend my first SACSCOC conference! :)

Sincerely - @drjtedwardsTSU

Friday, November 28, 2014

Neat Gift Basket Idea for #HigherEd Professionals!

I had to make quick gift basket for an upcoming women's conference and I wanted to provide a gift featuring personal touch with a professional flair! 

Something I would really want to receive and something I could really use! I always add a Dymo Label to make the gift look professional! My family purchased the machine last summer and it has been the best investment! 

Here are some additional pictures!


I had to make quick gift basket for an upcoming women's conference and I wanted to provide a gift featuring personal touch with a professional flair! 

Something I would really want to receive and something I could really use! I always add a Dymo Label to make the gift look professional! My family purchased the machine last summer and it has been the best investment! 

Here are some additonal pictures!






Sincerely,

@drjtedwardsTSU

Friday, October 3, 2014

Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship--The University of North Carolina at Charlotte


Here's a great announcement that can be found on the CRTNET listserv. 

Shawn D. Long, PhD, Shawn.Long@uncc.edu

Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship--The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

UNC Charlotte invites applications for our new Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship program (www.diversitypostdoc.uncc.edu) to support its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and building a strong intellectual community of scholars from different backgrounds. The purpose of the Multicultural Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is to support the early development of scholars who show promise of distinguished research careers and who are from historically underrepresented groups.

Postdoctoral fellows will be engaged full-time in research and may teach up to two courses per academic year as part of their appointment. Fellows are required to be in-residence each semester during their appointment. The postdoctoral fellow will receive extensive university and program mentoring throughout their appointment. 

Applications for study in any discipline represented on campus are welcome. STEM applications are strongly encouraged. Please specify your discipline of interest when applying.

Applicants must have completed their doctoral degree within the past five years and no later than July 1st of the current year. The primary criterion for selection is evidence of scholarship potentially competitive for tenure track appointments at a research university. A critical secondary criterion is the support of prospective departments. 

All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of application; The University of North Carolina at Charlotte strongly encourages applications from African American, Native American and Hispanic scholars. Selection is contingent on the availability of an appropriate mentoring environment. 

Please include the following materials with your application:  curriculum vitae; a statement of research plans (1-3 pages) (this should describe your commitment to pursuing an academic career); graduate transcripts; a personal statement on why you should be selected for this program (1-3 pages); Writing samples (e.g. publications and/or dissertation chapters); three letters of recommendation. One letter should be from the applicant’s dissertation advisor or faculty mentor.

Applications are taken on-line at http://jobs.uncc.edu, position #POST40.The application deadline is December 1, 2014 at 5:00 PM EST.  Please contact Dr. Shawn D. Long at shawn.long@uncc.edu  or 704-687-0783 if you have any questions. 

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina's urban research university and has an enrollment of approximately 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in the state's largest metropolitan area, UNC Charlotte is among the fastest growing universities in the UNC system. 

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is an EOE/AA employer and an ADVANCE Institution that strives to create an academic climate in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and maintained. Therefore, we celebrate diversity that includes, but is not limited to ability/disability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. 


Applicants are subject to criminal background check.

Sincerely - @drjtedwardsTSU