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| Faculty Newsletter | February 2022 |
Dear faculty,
Amid the hustle and activity that accompany the start of any term, it is easy to miss our colleagues’ important contributions to our academic community. Last week, Northwestern honored eight members of our faculty for their excellence, and I’d like to acknowledge their accomplishments.
The winners of the Alumnae Award for Curriculum Innovation were:
The winners of the Daniel I. Linzer Award for Faculty Excellence in Diversity and Equity were:
And the winners of the Provost Award for Exemplary Faculty Service were:
Please join me in thanking this year’s honorees for their contributions to our community and congratulating them on their awards.
This month’s newsletter includes links to a number of helpful resources and opportunities specific to Northwestern’s faculty. I’d like to specifically point to a webinar that I will host on March 10 that will address the Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup’s report and recommendations. Associate Provost for Faculty Sumit Dhar will deliver a presentation about the workgroup’s report and Northwestern’s initiatives in response to the pandemic before taking questions. We will be sure to leave time for general questions as well.
Thank you,
Kathleen Hagerty |
News and notes |
‘A Site of Struggle’ visits for classes
Northwestern instructors are invited to schedule class visits to The Block Museum of Art’s new exhibition, “A Site of Struggle: American Art against Anti-Black Violence.” The public hours of the exhibition are noon-8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through July 10. Monday and Tuesday are reserved for private Northwestern class visits. Groups are capped at 25, and visits can be arranged by emailing blockengagement@northwestern.edu.
TEACHx call for proposals
Information Technology and the Office of the Provost invite faculty to submit proposals for TEACHx, an annual event that sparks innovation in teaching and learning by showcasing experiments and celebrating successes in a community-oriented environment. With the theme of “Reconnect,” the conference explores how remote and in-person teaching experiences inform each other, and how instructors have continued to iterate, adapt and improve on techniques and technologies used to create more inclusive learning environments. The 2022 conference will return in-person on the Evanston campus on May 18. The deadline for proposals is Feb. 21.
Academic Enrichment Grant
Through its Academic Enrichment Grant, the Alumnae of Northwestern University offers funds for faculty-sponsored programs that bring guest artists and distinguished scholars and speakers to campus to enrich the intellectual and cultural learning experience of undergraduate students and the entire University. Up to $26,000 of funding is available, which may be awarded in its entirety to support one project or awarded in smaller amounts to several worthy projects. The application deadline is April 1, 2022.
In case you missed it
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Faculty support and resources |
Meet Jaci Casazza
This month’s featured staff member is Jaci Casazza, Assistant Provost and University Registrar. Jaci has worked at Northwestern twice for a total of 19 years, serving as University Registrar for the past 10 years.
How does your work support Northwestern’s faculty? I always describe a registrar’s office as the stagehand of academia—if we do our job well, no one knows we’re there and things just work. That description is particularly apt with regard to our support of faculty. We support them in myriad ways from scheduling classes, making classrooms assignments and managing registration in their classes to maintaining a permanent record of the curriculum they create, managing the CTEC system and supporting them as they grade each term. We collaborate with many who are working on student or institution-related research to provide data and guide them toward other data sets and FERPA compliance approaches that can help move their work forward. We also advise faculty who propose new or revised academic programs, which are increasingly creative and focused on ensuring access to a more diverse group of students. The registrars’ offices and I have also been involved in Northwestern’s COVID response, which I’ve found both incredibly challenging and rewarding.
What is your proudest accomplishment at Northwestern? I’m proud that our office has changed over the years from a place where “no” was the most common answer to a place of collaboration and consideration. Every day we thread the needle between ensuring fair processes and making appropriate exceptions. These are tough calls to make. I couldn’t be prouder that we take this responsibility seriously, consider the impact to the individual and our broader communities, and try to get to “yes” when possible in equitable and creative ways. We’ve really become a place of service to our communities.
Can you share a personal fun fact about yourself? I’m not sure how fun this is, but I am a cooking and baking nut! At the end of a long day at work (and the last few years have brought some very long days), nothing re-energizes me like mastering a complicated cooking project and cooking for my family. I don’t have a favorite recipe or cuisine; instead I love tackling anything that’s complex or new to me, like deboning a whole turkey for a roulade or perfecting the crust on a Persian tahdig. I’m always up for trying a new food or recipe, preferably with someone else who shares that passion. |
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Help us build future newsletters! If your school or department is working on a project that is relevant to the entire faculty, send an email to faculty@northwestern.edu. |
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