Dean\'s Update – Awards Edition
08/14/2024, 09:30:01 AM
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Dean's Update: Information for Faculty and Staff: Image of Faculty and Staff in a Ballroom clapping

Aug. 14, 2024

MESSAGE FROM DEAN HORN

All — Feliz año nuevo! A dynamic summer — orienting students, engaging in research, teaching courses, weathering storms and bouncing back — brings us to the start of this new year filled with potential. One of the gifts of working in education is being reminded in regular cycle that our ongoing efforts are multi-generationally difference making. Our students starting their first day at UH join their classmates on a life-changing journey for themselves, their families, and the world they will impact. Their success is only possible because of the opportunities they have to learn from and be supported by our amazing faculty and staff. The new knowledge generated from research extends our collective impact.

I’m thrilled to be starting anew. My new year’s wish for us all is that our stewardship of mission remains purpose driven and always people centered. Thanks to each of you, and please join me Friday in celebrating all of our honorees (listed below).

Best,
Cathy

Banner caption: Throwback to the 2023 COE Breakfast, showing applause from Nancy Reis, Jeannette Alarcón and Tairan Qiu of CUIN.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

  • COE Breakfast Friday, Aug. 16. 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. UH Hilton – Waldorf Astoria Ballroom (second floor). Please RSVP if you have not already. And wear your Cougar red!
  • First Day of Classes: Monday, Aug. 19. We’re seeking faculty and staff to volunteer for a shift to welcome students with prizes. Please contact Michelle Yates with questions.
  • Labor Day (UH closed) — Monday, Sept. 2
  • COE Brown Bag & Brainstorming Session – Wednesday, Sept. 11. Noon to 1 p.m. KIVA. 

Starting Strong at Graduate Student Orientation

Group of several faculty members at the graduate student orientation

Thank you to the faculty and staff who attended (not all pictured). From left: Detra Johnson (ELPS), Vera Hutchison (CUIN), Keith Butcher (ELPS), Tiffany Davis (OSS), Cathy Horn (Dean), Dustine Thomas (CUIN), Margaret Hale (CUIN), Nancy Reis (CUIN), Sam Brower (CUIN).

OFFICE OF THE DEAN

Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Belonging and Success 

  • At the COE Breakfast on Friday, we’ll welcome our eight newest faculty members, as well as the 15 staff members who have joined us since last August. We’ll also hear from FEC Chair Kristi Santi and UH Staff Council Representative Cindy Romero. Hope to see you all there! 
  • Faculty: Updated timelines for the 2024-25 P&T review process (tenure track) and promotion process (non-tenure track) have been posted on the COE Policies & Procedures webpage

Associate Dean for Student Belonging and Success

  • Celebrations   
    • A huge kudos to the Undergraduate Student Success Team for serving nearly 1,000 students at orientations this summer – almost 300 more than last year!
    • The Certification Team hosted two inaugural in-person events to outline requirements with our teaching and learning students, and the certification rate for spring 2024 topped 57% in mid-July, nearly 50% higher than this time last year.
    • The Graduate Student Success Team welcomed over 100 new graduate students in-person and another 50 virtually at a wonderfully engaging orientation last Saturday. A special thank you to the Communications Team for their collaboration!
    • Thank you, all, for your commitment to supporting students from day one through graduation!
  • Staff Updates  
    • We are excited to welcome Miguel Arellano Arriaga, our new director of assessment and accreditation services! Miguel brings nearly 10 years of professional experience in higher education and has a passion for understanding student behavior through data and trends. Please stop by suite 256 to say hello. 
    • We are excited to welcome Amanda Simmons, our new administrative assistant for the Office of Student Success. In this role, she will also serve as project management lead for our bi-annual graduation ceremonies. A Forever Coog, Amanda graduated from UH with a mathematics degree in 2020. Please stop by room 256 to introduce yourself.
  • Faculty Reminders
    • All Faculty: Please access the fall 2024 syllabus template that contains both required and recommended language: Syllabus - F2F or Hyflex (100% synchronous); Syllabus - Hybrid or Online (50-100% of class sessions are asynchronous). 
    • Undergraduate Faculty: We are inviting undergraduate-serving faculty to share a delicious lunch at Education Connection this Thursday, Aug. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm. Please RSVP here by today at noon.
    • Graduate Program Leads: Every graduate program should have an updated handbook for 2024-25 on file with the Office of Student Success. Please be sure you have emailed it to COEgrad@uh.edu.  
    • Graduate Faculty: Curriculog is now open for submitting proposals for substantive graduate course creations, revisions, deletions and catalog updates for 2024-25. The priority deadline is Oct. 31; the final is Nov. 29. Departmental review will need to be completed before the College committee review in October. 

CITE

  • Connect to UHVPN weekly: If you have COE-owned equipment (laptop, desktop, tablet, etc.) off campus, please connect it to UHVPN for a few hours every week. Pro tip: Consider setting an Outlook calendar reminder!

Communications

  • Find letterhead and templates for PowerPoints, certificates and MS Forms on the MyCOE Intranet. See the College Quick Links section/ Shared Files tile / Communications folder. Please read the guidance documents first.
  • Please have students sign photo release and FERPA forms. Find guidance and forms on MyCOE (College Quick Links / Shared Files / Communications). For professors who plan to post regularly on social media, ask students to fill out both forms each semester.
  • Email signatures: Please read through UH’s email signature guidelines and use the signature generator (you may adapt some parts, but try to follow the general intention). The Comms and CITE teams recommend using your “cougarnet” email address in your signature (and elsewhere).

Welcome to Our New Faculty!

Pictured (top row, from left): Monica Adams (PHLS); Deon Brown (PHLS), Katlynn Dahl-Leonard (CUIN), Heeyun Kim (ELPS); bottom: Tres Hinds (PHLS), Hope Rigby-Wills (ELPS), Nate Smith (PHLS), Alison Wilson (ELPS). 

Pictures of UH College of Education New Faculty for 2024

DEPARTMENTS

Regular reporting will resume in September.

Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences

Announcement

  • Please note that Kayce Solari Williams will be on a one year leave of absence starting this fall to explore a faculty opportunity at Purdue University. We wish her well and will miss her! Her grant work here will continue, and we have worked to address the teaching gaps created by her absence.

COE IN THE NEWS

  • Check out the latest media clips, most recently featuring Cathy Horn (ELPS), Margaret Hale (CUIN) and Duncan Klussmann (ELPS).

MEDIA RELEASES AND STORIES

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

Reporting will resume in September.

CONGRATS TO OUR 2024 AWARD WINNERS!

Staff Awards

Staff Spirit Award
Norquezdan Florence (ELPS); Jane Sidwell (Student Success)

Staff Excellence Award
Kevin Pham (CITE)

Staff Distinguished Service Award
Miranda Jasso (OOR)

Faculty Awards

Teaching Excellence Award
Carrie Cutler (CUIN); Sissy Wong (CUIN)

Faculty Research Excellence Award 
Blake Allan (PHLS)

Collaborative Research Excellence Award 
Keith Butcher (ELPS); Vera Hutchison (CUIN); Allison Master (PHLS); Virginia Snodgrass Rangel (ELPS)

Service Awards

Five Years
Charlotte Carp (ELPS); Theresa Fedor Amador (PHLS); Michael Matta (PHLS); Toni Templeton (ELPS)

10 Years
Miranda Jasso (OOR); Rosenda Murillo (PHLS); Shelley Townsend (PEP)

15 Years
Shea Culpepper (CUIN); Milena Keller-Margulis (PHLS); Kathy Patnaude (Comms); Jaime Questell (Comms); Jahnette Wilson (CUIN)

20 Years
Jennifer Chauvot (CUIN); Sheng Kuan Chung (CUIN); Cathy Horn (Dean’s Office); Mimi M. Lee (Dean’s Office) Jeylan Yassin (Student Success)

30 Years
Yali Zou (ELPS/AASC)

50 Years
Vera Hutchison (CUIN)

Questions about the Dean’s Update? Email coecomm@uh.edu and emellon@uh.edu.

 
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