Monday Minutes

Here are your Monday Minutes for the week of July 27-31, 2020. 

From the Department Head

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty,

It is hard to believe that our academic year begins in two short weeks! Your “summer crew” has been working very hard to prepare. While this year will look different, our Teaching, Scholarship, and Engagement/Outreach mission has not changed.

I encourage you to review Choosing Promise, our University’s strategic plan, as you think about your personal goals for the academic year. Please save the dates:

EHHD Fall Retreat Virtual Roundtable Discussions are “a la carte” on Thursday, August 13^th from 9am-5pm. See the Dean’s email dated 7/24 for details.

The Department Fall kickoff is Friday, August 14, 9am-12pm. WebEx links will be sent shortly. 

Agenda

• 9am-10am: Welcome, Big Audacious Goals for 20-21, and Departmental communication structure
• 10am-11am: Program Area Meetings
  • Adult and Higher Education (Marilyn Lockhart)
  • Curriculum and Instruction (Sarah Pennington/Nick Lux)
  • Educational Leadership (Tena Versland)
• 11am-12pm Strategic Synergies (choose one)
  • Education-affiliated Centers
  • Scholarship
  • Teaching
  • Outreach and Engagement

Take good care,

Dr. Ann Ewbank

News and Announcements 

• All Monday Minutes are archived and available for your reference.
• Every MSU employee and student will receive a Clean ‘Cat Kit. All face-to-face instructors and field supervisors will receive a face shield.
• Your Field Experience and Licensure Team has been working closely with our school district partners to create field experience opportunities for our pre-service teachers that are aligned with school district plans. We are in a rapidly evolving situation, and our objective is to provide students with robust field experiences while conditions change. 

• Instructors: As you develop your Fall 2020 syllabi, please include the MSU approved syllabus language for COVID-19. 

• Our national accreditor, CAEP, issued a call for public comment on revisions to the Accreditation Policy Manual. Public comment is due September 15. 

• Make sure to check the MSU COVID-19 webpage frequently as university and system-wide updates are available all in one place.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! 

• Please send accomplishments and kudos to ann.ewbank@montana.edu. 

• Congratulations to SMRC Director Suzi Taylor for her publication in Hydrology titled “Autonomous Aerial Vehicles (AAVs) as a Tool for Improving the Spatial Resolution of Snow Albedo Measurements in Mountainous Regions.” 

• Congratulations to Mandy Wright (C & I EdD student), who was appointed as Interim Director of the Great Falls College MSU Library recently! 

• Congratulations to Deborah Rinio and Ann Ewbank who were awarded an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant ($574k) to redesign the Library Media Certificate curriculum to align with best practices for culturally relevant education, including infusing Indigenous perspectives. The grant will also provide full tuition for 30 Montana and Alaska students.

Professional Development & Engagement Opportunities

• The 2020 Yellowstone Conference: New Dimensions of Care, is FREE and online with weekly one-hour Zoom panel discussions starting on September 17th from 12:00pm-1:00pm MST. CEUs and OPI credits are offered. 

• Join the STAR Scholars Network, the Open Journals in Education (OJED), the Journal of International Students (JIS), and CIES Study Abroad and International Students for a webinar series:
• COVID-19 and Changes in Higher Education Teaching and Learning July 30, 2020, 10am (EST) Registration and Speakers.
• Meeting with the Authors: Tips for Publications Day and Time: August 20, 2020, at 6:30 pm (EST) Registration and Speakers.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resources

Check out #remotedei for resources to support the intersection of remote/online culture with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This toolkit offers strategies to improve DEI in remote environments and organizations.