Category: What’s New @ UMW

This traditionally has been the time of year that the Faculty, Staff, and Student Directory is printed and distributed. As part of the University’s support for sustainability and the overall initiative of the Commonwealth of Virginia to go ‘green’, we have made the decision to discontinue printing the directory. Instead, we are asking that all faculty, staff, and students use the existing on-line directory found on the UMW web site.

Using the on-line directory is very easy. There is a link to it at the top of the UMW home page, next to the search window at the top right, or you may type http://www.umw.edu/directory/ directly into your browser. Once on the directory page, there are several options:

The first is a general search option. By following the instructions at the top of the page, you can search for a student or staff/faculty member by entering the last name (first name is optional) and clicking the appropriate ‘Scope’ (Students or Faculty/Staff), and then clicking ‘Search’. A more detailed search can be performed by clicking on the drop-down menu below the ‘Faculty/Staff” option and choosing a department. For example, clicking on Design Services and clicking ‘Search’ will result in a listing of all staff members in Design Services.

An alphabetical listing of all department and office phone numbers is accessed by clicking on the second item on the sidebar menu. The third item on this menu provides an A-Z listing of academic department and program phone numbers. Also available in this sidebar menu are mailing addresses, information phone numbers, and a link to the Meet the Faculty pages.

Please contact Paula Wilder at pwilder@umw.edu if personal or department information (name, address, room number, telephone number, title) is incorrect. Changes to information in any of the sidebar directories should be submitted to Marty Morrison at mmorris3@umw.edu.

Some improvements are currently in the works for the on-line directory, and those will be announced as they are completed. Please be aware, however, that personal addresses and phone numbers will not be accessible through the on-line directory.

In a note to colleagues, Nina Mikhalevsky has announced plans to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) as part of the process to prepare for SACS reaffirmation visit in 2013. Her note is available below along with a list of the QEP planning group.

Dear Colleagues, at our opening meeting on Thursday, August 19, Provost Harper and President Hurley announced the beginning of a planning process to prepare for our SACS reaffirmation visit in 2013. A major part of that process is the development of a QEP—a Quality Enhancement Plan. The focus of the QEP is on the enhancement and promotion of student learning at UMW, something that is at the very heart of what we do here. While developing and implementing a QEP is a SACS requirement, for an institution such as ours where high-quality teaching is at the core, the QEP is a wonderful opportunity for us to develop and enhance particular areas of our students’ educational experience, to draw from the commitment and expertise of our faculty and staff, and to further our excellence as a liberal arts university. Please note that our QEP planning will result not only in funding for our QEP but for two other proposals that come out of this process.

The first phase of our QEP process is for us to select our QEP topic. This selection process will seek input from everyone in the UMW community and will take place during this academic year, culminating in the selection of the QEP topic next April. We are asking all of you to participate! Once the QEP topic is selected, a QEP implementation team will be chosen to fully develop the topic into our QEP proposal; the plan will then be submitted to SACS in early 2013 as part of our reaffirmation requirements.

For detailed information about the entire QEP planning process, our QEP topic selection activity this year and how you can participate, the timeline, resources, etc., please go to the UMW QEP website http://qep.umwblogs.org/

If you have any questions about this first phase of the QEP, about your participation, or about any other aspect of the QEP, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the QEP Planning Group. We look forward to working with all of you this academic year.

QEP Planning Group:

Nina Mikhalevsky, Professor of Philosophy
College of Arts and Sciences
Chair of the QEP Planning and Review Committee
nmik@umw.edu
540-654-1295

Steve Greenlaw, Professor of Economics
Acting Director, University Teaching Center
College of Arts and Sciences
sgreenla@umw.edu
540-654-1483

Norah Hooper, Professor of Education
Program Coordinator, Special Education
College of Education
nhooper@umw.edu
540-286-8077

Jack Kramer, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Affairs
Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs
College of Arts and Sciences
jkramer@umw.edu
540-654-1495

Larry Penwell, Professor of Management and Marketing
Acting Dean, College of Business
lpenwell@umw.edu
540-654-1561

Jerry Slezak, Director
Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies
jslezak@umw.edu
540-654-2118

Kelli Slunt, Professor of Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences
kslunt@umw.edu
540-654-1406

Students: Shannon Hauser and Robin Norman

Got something interesting to share from the road? Just have to comment on that latest EagleEye Top Story? Don’t want to miss anything at UMW? Here’s your chance!

Visit http://umweagleeye.wpengine.com on your iPhone and add the spiffy new EagleEye icon to your iPhone home screen! Just add it as a bookmark and enjoy more EagleEye goodness!

Doug Searcy, VP for Student Affairs, has reminded all faculty and staff of how UMW faculty, staff and students should take care of each other throughout the academic year.

In 2009 the University of Mary Washington established the UMW Cares Team, a system used to identify and support students, faculty, and staff during high risk situations. This multidisciplinary team functions as the central collection point and repository for information when concerns are raised about a student or employee who may be at risk for harming self or others and/or who may pose a significant disruption to the campus environment. The goal of the team is to identify, prevent, and reduce the risk of violence on campus and to promote the safety and well-being of all members of the University community. The team meets regularly to identify and evaluate campus concerns and intervene to re-establish a safe environment for our students, employees and visitors.

Should I report concerning, threatening, or dangerous behavior? “It may be nothing, but …”

If you experience or are informed of any behavior which may present a concern/threat to the University community or you are aware of circumstances where Cares Team intervention may support or engage a student at a critical moment in his/her educational experience – please call and report the information to a UMW Cares Team member. Even concerns that may seem minimal can be part of a broad issue impacting a student or community member. We want to hear from you.

What should be reported?

There are many behaviors that may cause concern for the safety and well-being of an individual or the campus as a whole. The following is not an exhaustive list, but provides examples of concerning behaviors or situations:

 Unusual or abrupt changes in behaviors or patterns;
 Extreme reaction to a loss or traumatic event;
 Preoccupation with weapons, violent events, or persons who have engaged in violent acts;
 Uncharacteristically poor performance;
 References to harming others or planning a violent or destructive event;
 Evidence of depression, hopelessness, or suicidal thoughts/plans;
 Inappropriate responses such as prolonged irritability, angry outbursts, or intense reactions;
 Strained interpersonal relations, isolating behaviors, or low self-esteem;
 Significant change in life circumstances such as loss of job or relationship.
(Randazzo and Plummer, 2009, pp.123-125)

It is important to share the name of the individual(s) involved and specific behavioral observations. UMW will accept anonymous reports, but having limited information minimizes options when addressing the situation.

When should I make a report?

Early intervention is essential… Early intervention allows members of the UMW community to address concerns and issues in the timeliest manner possible. Through early detection many problems may be averted and situations resolved without incident.

How do I make a report?

If you are aware of an emergency or an immediate safety concern, report the situation to law enforcement. To contact law enforcement call 4444 from a campus phone. If you are calling from a cell phone dial 911 or 540-654-4444.

If you are concerned about threatening behavior or a disturbing situation that is NOT an emergency event, contact the University of Mary Washington Police Department. In non- emergency situations you may also call a member of the UMW Cares Team to discuss the circumstances of the situation and initiate a report.

• Doug Searcy, (ext. 1062) Vice President for Student Affairs (Team Leader)
• Cedric Rucker, (ext. 1200) Dean of Student Life (Behavioral Intervention Team Leader)
• Susan Knick, (ext. 1025) Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Community Support Services
• Sabrina Johnson, (ext. 1046) Associate Vice President and Director of Human Resources
• Richard Finkelstein, (ext. 1052) Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (Fredericksburg Campus Academic Representative)
• Chris Porter, (ext. 1058) Director of Residence Life
• Counseling and Psychological Services Consultant, (ext. 1053) All staff counselors
• Sallie Braxton, (286-8016) Associate Dean of Advising Services (Stafford Campus Academic Representative)
What will happen to the information you share?

The goal of the team is to resolve all issues with dignity using appropriate discretion. Your identity will be treated privately to support a positive outcome while ensuring safety as the central priority. The primary purpose of all intervention is to sustain a safe community and garner support for individuals in need.

Why UMW Cares?

The UMW Cares Team was formed as part of legislation passed by the 2008 Session of the General Assembly (§23-9.2:10 of the Code of Virginia) requiring state institutions to form a collaborative approach to threat assessment. Although this function is state-mandated, UMW recognizes its essential value to the University community and fully endorses the mission of the team to support the community and further the educational mission of the institution. The Mary Washington Board of Visitors officially endorsed the structure and function of the UMW Cares Team in spring 2010.

UMW is unique, and so is Eagle Eye. Our new community-published newsletter provides a forum for all faculty and staff to share information, celebrate success and just generally keep each other informed. Think about the things you want your university community to know, and take a moment to post the item on EagleEye. It’s easy. Click on “Contribute” to learn how. Eagle Eye even wants to help you clean your closets—with a classifieds section coming soon. Help us build the section for launch by submitting items now to eagleeye@umw.edu. Soon you will be able to post classified items directly. You can post directly to Professional Notes and What’s Up @ UMW now.