Friday @ the Center
May 28, 2010
2010 Faculty Mini-Courses
Register now for this year’s offerings of Faculty Mini-Courses. Each one-day course is limited to 20 participants, who will receive a $125 honorarium, a free book, and lunch. Full-time, adjunct, and part-time faculty are eligible to enroll for any sessions; staff will be able to enroll in the CBTE-co-sponsored sessions. Contact Anna Miller to reserve your spot now. Registration for the June offerings closes on June 14. Registration for the September offerings closes on Sept. 1.
- Course: Commenting on Students’ Papers: Terms, Concepts, Strategies
Instructor: Tom Amorose, Director of Campus Writing Professor of English
Dates: June 21 or Sept. 23
Lots of instructors get bogged down editing errors out of their students' papers, leaving themselves little time (or energy) to identify and comment on major strengths and weaknesses in student texts. This workshop will give participants a vocabulary of concepts they can use to get at the heart of their students' writing and really help students become better writers. Faculty from across all disciplines are encouraged to participate.
- Course: Wesleyan Theology—Co-sponsored with CBTE
Instructor: Doug Koskela, Associate Professor of Theology
Dates: June 22 or Sept. 15
This mini-course will explore the theological vision and legacy of John and Charles Wesley. In particular, we will examine John Wesley’s historical context, his theological methodology, and his doctrinal commitments and emphases, engaging hymns from his brother Charles as we proceed. Attention will be given to the ongoing relevance of Wesleyan theology for the contemporary church as well as for Christian higher education. Although not a prerequisite, having taken the faculty mini-course in UFDN 3100, Christian Theology, would be an advantage.
- Course: Genesis—Co-sponsored with CBTE
Instructor: Frank Spina, Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology
Dates: Sept. TBA (June offering full)
A day-long study of the first book of the Christian Scriptures. Although not a prerequisite, having taken the faculty mini-course in UFDN 2000, Christian Scriptures, would be an advantage.
- Course: Grant Writing at SPU
Instructor: Laura Lundahl, Assistant Director of Grants at SPU
Date: June 28 (one offering only)
Faculty members who are new to the grant development process at Seattle Pacific, or who have not submitted a grant in the last two years are invited to participate in this general overview of the grant development process. This session will review the steps in the process, such as concept development, prospect research, budget development, grant submission, and the post award process.
- Course: UFND 2000: Christian Scripture—Co-sponsored with CBTE
Instructor: Sara Koenig, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies
Date: Sept. 24 (one offering only)
A mini-version of the Christian Foundation course required for all second-year students at SPU, this course explores the formative role that Christian Scriptures perform within the community of believers. It provides an introduction to the literature and theology of both Old and New Testaments and the necessary skills to make responsible use of Scripture as the church's principal authority in nurturing a Christian's faith and witness.
Undergraduate Scholars Conference Grants
One way the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development encourages and supports scholarship is through its Undergraduate Scholars Conference Grants. This year, we have awarded grants of $400 to over 20 SPU undergraduates to attend academic conferences either to present their research or to experience an academic conference as part of a vocational discernment process. SPU students have attended the Northwest Undergraduate Literature Conference, the National Undergraduate Literature Conference, the Northwest Regional Music Therapy Conference, the Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Conference, the American Chemical Society National Conference, and the Washington Dietetic Association Convention.
Research Notes of Interest: Tenure at Christian Colleges
According to Inside Higher Education, a paper presented at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting reports that pre-tenure faculty members at Christian colleges are significantly less stressed than their colleagues elsewhere with respect to the tenure process and feel that they understand what tenure standards will be applied to them. The study was based on survey results from faculty members at 38 colleges that are members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, collected as part of a larger survey of faculty attitudes (at a range of institutions) conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles. The study on Christian colleges featured responses from 2,573 full-time faculty members. (Of those, 411 work at institutions without tenure, and their answers are not included on tenure-specific questions.) Further, there are only minor gaps in the attitudes of male and female colleagues in this group -- even though national surveys have indicated higher stress levels and greater levels of uncertainty about standards among women than men. One area where a gender gap was noted was in tenure status. Of all men who are full-time faculty members at the Christian colleges studied, 43 percent have tenure, compared to only 30 percent of women.
Happy Teaching,
Susan Susan VanZanten |
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