Department of Education Monday Minutes

Here are your Monday Minutes for June 15 – June 19, 2020

From the Department Head

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty,

I hope that your summer is going well so far. While you might not be traveling this summer, I hope that you are taking time to reflect, rest, and connect with family and friends- wither virtually or in-person with social distancing!

If you have not read the MUS Healthy Fall 2020 document and MSU’s Roadmap for Fall 2020, please take a few moments to do so. Your health and safety is our first priority, and by working together we can support each other’s’ educational, research, and outreach goals during this still uncertain time.

Rest assured that your department, college, and university leadership are in constant communication.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about Fall 2020, and stay healthy by wearing a cloth mask, practicing social distancing, and frequently washing your hands!

In my last message, I shared my reflections and ways to learn about racism in our country and to personally work toward anti-racist actions. I am going to take time to listen to Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning which is currently free on Spotify, and watch Just Mercywhich is free on Amazon Prime Video. You may recall that Bryan Stevenson (played by Michael B. Jordan) was our convocation speaker in 2017.

Finally, for something fun and to think about STEM education, I recently discovered Jelle’s Marble Runs on YouTube. Take a look at the enjoyable and educational experience of competitive marble racing!

The 2020 season begins this Thursday, June 19th.

Take good care,

Ann Dutton Ewbank's signature

Ann Ewbank

News and Announcements

  • The current Fall 2020 schedule in MyInfo is not accurate. MSU is working on changing the dates in MyInfo to reflect the new semester dates, as well as room reallocations for in-person classes due to reduced room capacity. This means that some courses will be changed to 100% online (synchronous or asynchronous), and face to face classes may be split into groups which meet on alternate class days. Thank you for your patience—this is a complicated process and we will provide you with periodic updates on our progress.
  • Make sure to check the MSU COVID-19 webpage frequently as university and system-wide updates are available all in one place.

Important Note from the Dean’s Office

As of May 7th, the dean’s office will be staffed between 8-noon and from 1-5pm each day. We will ask you to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines if you need service from our dean’s office. All of us are still very available via email and phone.

We ask that:

  • If you need help please email or call first. If at all possible, we'd like to be able to help without face-to-face contact whenever possible.
  • The Dean's office door will be unlocked and propped open, but you will only be allowed into the entry way, not in the Main office. There will be a sanitizing station with hand sanitizer on the counter top. You should already have a mask on so please sanitize your hands immediately upon entering. There is a caution sign asking you to stop at the the main office door.
  • If physical assistance is required, we ask you to make your request form the doorway and one of the office staff will help you. Masked and at a socially responsible distance.
  • As we will have one to two staff members in the office per day, please be patient. We may have to lock the door occasionally but we will return.

Per MSU guidelines, “Upon returning to work on campus, masks shall be worn in all MSU buildings in accordance with state and county guidance for public buildings. If you do not have a mask, MSU will be provide a cloth mask to each employee upon their return to campus.”

If you need plan to work in Reid in the next couple of months, and need a mask, please let us know ASAP. It is expected that if you do come in, you will be wearing a mask for yours, and other faculty/staff/student safety. Please still do not come onto campus if you are sick at all.

Thank you for all of your flexibility, compassion, and understanding as we all have been navigating a new and difficult situation. We really appreciate you!

Regards,
Julia Tietz, MS

Micki's Desk

  • Fall Semester dates have been changed – please make note that your classes will begin on Monday, August 17th and the semester will end Wednesday, November 25th.
  • Thank you to all who submitted their application to graduate Summer Semester. If you intend to finish all your coursework Summer Semester and have missed the deadline, please contact Micki at edgrad@montana.edu

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

  • Que Tran, PhD in Education student, recently completed work on a Community Education and Outreach grant which connected students at Butte High School to MSU international students. The e-newsletter is attached. Let’s congratulate Que on this important outreach work!

Professional Development & Engagement Opportunities

Graduate Student Professional Development Opportunity

  • Apply to be part of the founding cohort of the new Inner Mountain Leadership program. The goal is to prepare Montana State University graduate students for equitable and inclusive collaborative leadership. The deadline for applications is June 26th, 2020.

Faculty Service Opportunity

  • In fall 2020, Graduate School Dean Craig Ogilvie convened a task force with MSU graduate students and wellness experts. The task force developed a four-fold plan to improve distance and campus-based graduate student well-being. Dr. Ogilvie is forming four implementation teams which will prioritize and implement wellness initiatives with a small operating budget. 

Research Study Recruiting Participants

  • The Pennington Educational Research Laboratory (PERL) is seeking participants for in a research study at Montana State University (MSU) to dicover how people understand the most common word in the English language. See attached flyer and this video for more information. This study requires in-person participation on the MSU campus and Research Level One operations are implemented to ensure participant safety. 
    The researchers are recruiting participants who are:
    1. Neurotypical (people without language or learning disability) children (ages 3-17) and adults (ages 18+).
    2. Neurodiverse (people with autism spectrum disorders, language delay, and/or dyslexia (among others) children and adults.

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