Dear Colleagues:

I wanted to update you on our opening-of-school activities. We begin the year with New Faculty Orientation (NFO) on Monday, August 10. Welcome Week for both faculty and new students begins with Matriculation Convocation, held on Monday, August 17 at 10:30 a.m. in the Lois Perkins Chapel. Fall Faculty Conference events will be held later that week, and all full-time faculty are expected to be present. 

SUBMIT YOUR RSVP BY COMPLETING THIS FORM NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, JULY 29. 
We need you to submit the form even if you are on sabbatical/leave for the semester/year.

To follow are details on Academic Year Kickoff activities and other important reminders.

 

NEW FACULTY ORIENTATION
Monday, August 10, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
(An optional Instructional Technology Q&A follows from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.)
Fondren-Jones Science Center, Room 100
Dr. Alison Marr, Director of Paideia and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, will facilitate a program designed to ensure that new faculty get off to a good start. A portion of the session will focus on aspects of course syllabi. Please do not finalize your syllabi before attending NFO, but do have a copy on hand for reference. If possible, please bring a laptop for the afternoon portion of orientation. All new tenure-track, staff-with-faculty-rank, and full-time visiting faculty are required to participate in NFO. New part-time faculty are strongly encouraged to attend.

 

WELCOME WEEK

Moodle 5.1 Training Session: Overview
Monday, August 17, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Join with Google Meet (please see email dated 10 August for link) or in person in the CTLS space (Sandbox) in SLC 
The agenda will include an orientation to the new functionalities of Moodle 5.1, including Dashboard Navigation, Activities Overview & Chooser, Notifications, Text Editor, and Accessibility Checker.

Matriculation Convocation
Monday, August 17, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Lois Perkins Chapel
As you may know, the purpose of the Matriculation Convocation ceremony is to formally welcome the entering students to Southwestern and to provide them with a sense of the expectations we have for members of our community. Attendance by tenured and tenure-track faculty and staff-with-faculty-rank is required. Visiting and part-time faculty are invited to attend, but not required. Faculty robing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Bishops Lounge. 

Community Lunch
Monday, August 17, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Academic Mall
All new students, faculty, and staff are invited to this complimentary lunch on the Academic Mall.

Fall Faculty Conference (Day One)
Tuesday, August 18
F.W. Olin Building
8:00 - 8:30 a.m.      Olin Lobby: check-in - coffee and tea provided
8:30 – 9:30 a.m.      Olin 105: Introductions and The Landscape of Higher Education - Scott McLean
9:30 – 10:25 a.m.    Olin 105: 2026-2031 Tactical Plan - Bob Bednar and Andy Ross
10:25 –10:35 a.m.   Break
10:35–11:30 a.m.    Olin 105: Building a Culture of AI Literacy at SU - Elena Winzeler

Fall Faculty Conference (Day Two)
Wednesday, August 19
F.W. Olin Building
8:00 - 8:30 a.m.       Olin Lobby: check-in for session assignments - coffee and tea provided
8:30 – 11:30 a.m.     Breakout Sessions:
                                 Faculty will be assigned to schedule A, B, or C.
                                 Each schedule includes three 50-minute sessions, in rotation:
                                 - Redesigning General Education
                                 - Supporting and Delivering the Pirate Plan
                                 - Putting AI Literacy into Practice

The Redesigning General Education and Pirate Plan sessions will be the same for all faculty. For the AI Literacy session, faculty will use the RSVP form linked in the Academic Year Kickoff page to rank their preferred “tracks”: “Developing Student Foundational Understanding”; “Advancing Student Technical Application & Integrating Skills”; and “Advancing Student Ethical and Social Impact Awareness.” Full descriptions may be found here. The day continues with:

12:30 – 2:00 p.m.     Department Meetings
2:15 – 3:45 p.m.       Interdisciplinary Program Meetings
4:00 p.m.                  Open Departmental and Programmatic Collaboration Time

State of the University Address 
Thursday, August 20, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Alma Thomas Theater
The State of the University Address will be presented by President Trombley.

Additional Welcome Week Activities
For information about Welcome Week for our new students, click here.

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE

• Please mark your calendars for the first Faculty Meeting to be held on Monday, August 31, in the McCombs Campus Center Ballroom. The agenda and meeting materials will be sent prior to the meeting.
• As stated in the Faculty Handbook , all faculty are required to submit original transcripts to the Office of Academic Affairs (Wilhelmina Cullen Center, Room 129) from all institutions from which a college degree was earned. If you have not previously done so, especially new faculty who were hired prior to completion of your PhD, please make arrangements now for your transcripts to be sent to:

Ms. Barbara J. Jean
Southwestern University
1001 E. University Avenue
Georgetown, TX 78626

I am looking forward to a new academic year and to working with you in making it a success.

Best,
Scott McLean, Ph.D., FACSM
Professor of Kinesiology
Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair in Science
Dean of the Faculty
Chief Academic Officer