FaCET Annual Symposium April 9: Strategies for Student success in a Changing World

Featuring Keynote Speaker Michael Wesch
The keynote speaker at the FaCET Annual Symposium, Michael Wesch, assistant professor of Cultural Anthropology and Digital Ethnography at Kansas State University, will be talking about Strategies for Student Success in a Changing World.

Register by April 7 for this event
The symposium is Friday, April 9, 2010, 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Kauffman Conference Center, 4801 Rockhill Road; all faculty are welcome. Visit the FaCET Web Site for the full schedule of events. The symposium is free of charge but advance registration is required. Register online by April 7, 2010.

About the speaker
Michael Wesch has developed several popular YouTube videos. He studies the effects of social media and digital technology on society, and believes that digital media will require changes in teaching. His video titled “Web 2.0 – The Machine is Us/ing Us,” has been viewed by billions of individuals around the world and can be watched on the FaCET Web site. The video illustrates that the Web changes everything from identity, to authorship, to governance, privacy, family and ourselves.

Professor Wesch has received numerous awards including the 2008 CASE/Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities. He was recently named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic, a program that recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring young adventurers, scientists, photographers, and storytellers – explorers who are already making a difference early in their careers.

Webcast available
For those unable to attend the live session, Michael Wesch’s keynote will be on the Web Friday, April 9, at 9:00 a.m. The webcast will be archived online at: www.umkc.edu/provost/facet.

New Faculty Ombudsperson Position

UMKC is working to recruit a faculty ombudsperson. An ombudsperson facilitates communication when issues arise for faculty at the University.

An ombudsperson:
• acts as a neutral agent
• assists in resolving concerns about faculty rights, responsibilities and working environment
• seeks to secure expeditious and impartial resolutions
• recommends changes to existing policies or the development of new policies as needed

Position Description
Under the principles of fairness, equality and mutual respect, this person will serve a two-year term, receive at least a 25 percent release time from other responsibilities and will be acting independently from administrative offices and Faculty Senate.

The Ombudsperson must be a full-time, tenured UMKC faculty member or a retired UMKC faculty member who held a tenured, full-time position. The Ombudsperson must be familiar with UMKC policies and exhibit the highest ethical standards.

Application/Selection Process
Applicants/nominees must submit the following information to the Provost:
• Background, qualifications and outlook the applicant would bring to the position
• A comprehensive vita
• The names and contact information of at least three references

A search committee consists of three faculty senate representatives and three members appointed by the Provost. The finalist will be appointed by the Provost upon the approval of the Faculty Senate.

Applications are due March 29, 2010.

>>Read full position description and application process

UMKC in the spotlight as Kansas City hosts international conference this summer

UMKC hosts nearly 1,000 international students and scholars who give our campus a global flavor and contribute to our rich, intellectual community. UMKC sends approximately 300 students abroad to study in 49 countries. 11 of our students have won the prestigious Fulbright Award (we have six applicants this year) and 35 faculty members have also won this award. International education and scholarship contributes to the richness of our campus and our community.

Kansas City will be the host city for the NAFSA 2010 international conference
NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the leading organization for international education, selected Kansas City to host its 69th annual international conference this summer, May 30-June 4, 2010.

World-class keynote speakers
Plenary speakers are Salman Rushdie, celebrated and controversial author, and Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and human rights activist. 8,000 participants from around the globe are expected to attend this conference.

Mark your calendars
Mark your calendars for this conference—especially Monday, May 31 for the campus-wide reception. This year’s NAFSA Conference provides UMKC with a unique opportunity to showcase our campus and programs to international advisors, sponsors, and ambassadors.

- Linna Place, Ph.D., Interim Director, International Academic Programs and Sandy Gault, Director of International Student Affairs

Learn more about the annual conference in Kansas City. For more information about UMKC’s involvement in the conference please email international@umkc.edu.

Growing and Expanding Research at UMKC

In order for UMKC to build and strengthen our research portfolio, we must build on our existing strengths. One of our greatest strengths at UMKC is having four health science schools (Medicine, Dental, Nursing, Pharmacy) on one campus--there are only 30 other universities in the nation that have this asset. Our urban setting is also a strategic asset; this setting gives us access to a large patient population.

Building upon our current research priorities is threefold:

1. A Translational/Clinical Research Center will serve our urban community, train graduate students and medical personnel, and further create collaboration with other hospital and research institutions in the area.

2. A Center for Technology Transfer is also necessary as a vehicle to move research out of the academic world and into the eyes of the public, move research from the “test tube to the patient”.

3. We need to further identify areas of expertise and excellence to form UMKC Centers of Excellence in order to enhance productivity and sources of funding in order to accelerate discovery, support graduate education, and the university as a whole.

-Lynda F. Bonewald, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, Curator's Professor, Lee M and William Lefkowitz Professor, Director of the Bone Biology Research Program, and Director of the UMKC Center of Excellence in Mineralized Tissues