December 12, 2022
Summary
This weekend was difficult for many on campus who grieve the loss of Troy A. Cullen, a junior who made a deep impact in his time at William & Mary. As we move forward into final exams and the holiday season, I encourage you as well as your students to reach out for any support needed, whether it be administrative, academic or related to one’s own well-being. Ginger Ambler will be sending additional information about memorial arrangements when available.
Full Description
This weekend was difficult for many on campus who grieve the loss of Troy A. Cullen, a junior who made a deep impact in his time at William & Mary. As we move forward into final exams and the holiday season, I encourage you as well as your students to reach out for any support needed, whether it be administrative, academic or related to one’s own well-being. Ginger Ambler will be sending additional information about memorial arrangements when available.
Here are the Top 5 Things to Know this week:
- This week, the Faculty Assembly is holding its regular meeting on Tues., Dec. 13, from 3:30–5 p.m. in Chancellors Hall 322 and via Zoom. Additionally, there will be a special Faculty Assembly meeting about the potential academic unit in computing, data science and applied science on Thurs., Dec. 15, from 3:30–5 p.m. in Tucker 127A and via Zoom. The meeting on Dec. 15 represents another step in the continuing discussion of the proposal from the chairs of the computer science and applied science departments and the director of the data science program. Suzanne Raitt, incoming acting dean of Arts & Sciences, and I are now forming a steering committee to seek broad faculty input and further assess the proposal. We anticipate that the steering committee membership will be announced soon and begin its deliberations after the holiday break.
- VIMS was recently accepted into the AGU Bridge Program, a scholarship and networking program that supports under-represented groups as they earn their graduate degree in geoscience. The program is also part of the Inclusive Graduate Education Network, meaning that it follows specific recruiting, admitting, and retaining guidelines to ensure inclusive practices. This is also an opportunity for faculty to participate in networking, training, and more. My understanding is that the demonstrated faculty commitment is a large reason that VIMS was accepted as a partner. I look forward to the bright future for VIMS and its students.
- Applications are now open for the Reves Center’s Reves & Drapers’ Faculty Fellow program. This is an opportunity to receive funding and support for internationally focused research. The Reves Center intends to fund 4-5 fellowships, with at least one award for a project related to democracy. If you’re interested in applying, please do so by Feb. 15, 2023.
- With the giving season upon us, I encourage those who have the time and spirit to visit W&M’s GivePulse page for volunteer opportunities. Although the Winter Commencement volunteer slots have filled up, there are other worthy opportunities such as helping Grove Christian Outreach wrap and distribute gifts to children in the community. It may be a perfect time to use up your community service hours.
- The shout-out for this week goes to the Swem Library team. Thanks to their hard work, this week is filled with fun and relaxing opportunities for stress relief for our community, including pet therapy, yoga, guided meditations and more. Please note that this is open to all faculty, staff, and students.
This past week, it was a pleasure to meet with several members of our community, including the VIMS Faculty Affairs Committee. Additionally, it was another weekend filled with athletics excitement, with men’s and women’s basketball contests, the football game against Montana State and men’s and women’s gymnastics meets.
