A MESSAGE FROM DEAN WHALEY

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back from our winter break and holiday celebrations. I hope that this was an opportunity for you to renew and refresh and that your expectations and hopes for the break were met and exceeded.

As we discussed in last Friday’s Dean’s coffee, our fall COEHS enrollments were just slightly under 1,500 students. We have about 970 undergraduate students and an additional 340 masters and doctoral students. The remaining students are in the specialist, second major, and minor programs. As we also discussed, this is a short year for the Kentucky State Legislature, lasting only 30 days. State budgets are not expected to be set. Nevertheless, here at MSU, we are slowly sliding into the budget development season for the FY24 year (next year). We anticipate that we will submit our budget requests to the Provost’s office in February but will not hear back until the late spring meeting of the Board of Regents. Our budget proposal will also include personnel changes, etc. Our emphasis will be to protect open faculty and staff lines. Unfortunately, we still do not have the opportunity to request new or modified course fees. These have to be set by the Board, and new or modified course fees do not appear to be a possibility for the near future.

For the faculty, I sincerely appreciate your continuing commitment to our students and to providing the very best education and experiences possible. I often brag to other deans and to the Provost about the faculty in this college, being discipline savvy and very pedagogy adept. I am convinced that we set the standard for pedagogy at MSU. And, just imagine the overall impact of our students as they engage in their many hours of practicum and internship experiences. Thanks for continuing to create the magic that makes this college a special place to live and learn.

Please let me know if there is anything we can do in the Dean’s Office to assist you as you begin the spring semester. I do want to reassure you that we are now fully staffed in the Dean’s office, with the addition of Natalie Copeland. I am sure you will find her to be an excellent addition. We also have an outstanding group of department chairs, directors, and departmental/unit staff that will help us maneuver through the spring. As a college community, your voices and best thinking are important as well. Stay tuned for word on the Sparks Lecture, the spring student picnic, faculty and staff recognitions, and much, much more.

Thank you, and, again, welcome back. Have an outstanding semester!

-David Whaley

DEAN'S OFFICE

From Dr. Susana Bloomdahl:

Curriculum Committee

The spring COEHS Curriculum Committee meetings will be February 8th and March 8th. 

Now is your opportunity to submit curricular changes or bulletin changes for the year. Any changes to current courses, including title, description, credit hours, etc., needs to be submitted. New course proposals also need to be submitted. Any changes to the program requirements, including admission requirements, course requirements, electives, and graduation requirements, need to be submitted. You may submit your proposals for change through Kuali. 

Please get your changes to me before February 8th.

ACS

From Dr. Kemaly Parr:

What's New in Adolescent, Career, and Special Education

Dr. Donna Frazier was recently chosen as a fellow in the ACTE National Leadership Fellowship Program. As part of this program, she will have the opportunity to discuss the importance of CTE programming; serve on a CTE task force to address issues at the state, regional and national levels; and work with other fellows to present program sessions at ACTE's CareerTech VISION 2023. Way to go, Dr. Frazier!

Additionally, the FCS Non-Cert track has been approved for Fall 2023.

CDI

From Megan Smetana:

Catch Up with the Center for Communication Disorders

CDI's Spring Break trip to Ireland is quickly approaching! The trip is faculty/teacher led and allows participants to discover the Irish culture, history, and clinical delivery methods. Students will explore phonetic and linguistic differences between Irish English and American English dialects and will have the opportunity to visit various historical sites (tentatively throughout Belfast, Galway, and Dublin) as well as participate in direct observations of clinical interventions and methods, comparing and contrasting them to those in the USA. Safe travels!

CLHS

From Dr. Katy Hancock:

What's Going On in Community Leadership and Human Services

A notification of academic change has been sent by Academic Affairs to the appropriate units on campus to notify them of the upcoming department name change from "Community Leadership and Human Services" to "Criminal Justice and Social Work."

Additionally, CLHS is working on new marketing materials to reflect both the new department name as well as the many curricular and extra-curricular changes that have taken place in both programs.

Dr. Whitney Cassity-Caywood recently had a paper published in the Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science called “The Benefits and Challenges of Shifting to Telehealth During COVID-19: Qualitative Feedback from Kentucky's Sexual Violence Resource Centers and Children's Advocacy Centers;” which can be accessed and read at this link: https://rdcu.be/https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-022-00296-w. Way to go, Dr. Cassity-Caywood!

Dr. Whitney Cassity-Caywood and Mr. Jeff Wylie co-presented a workshop at Blitz Week through the FDC entitled “Building Resilience Through Self-Care.” Awesome job!

CRJ alumna Leah Beach was named "Life Changer of the Month" by her employer, the Merryman House, which serves victims of domestic violence in the Purchase Area. Congratulations to Leah!

ECE

From Dr. Stephanie Sullivan:

Updates and Accomplishments in Early Childhood and Elementary Education

Dr. Christina Grant and Ms. Holly Bloodworth recently presented at the International Reading Conference: American Reading Forum December 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Their presentation was titled "Effects of a Literacy Instruction Professional Development Program: Is it Effective? Is it Sustainable? Is it Valuable?" Congratulations, keep up the great work!

Dr. Stephanie Sullivan will be presenting at KDE's EdCamp on Servant Leadership, the topic of the UPPI collaborative book that was published in 2022. Congratulations, Dr. Sullivan!

Finally, ECE is ecstatic to welcome Melissa Bazzell to the department this spring! She is a great addition to the team and has been wonderful thus far. Welcome aboard, Melissa!

From Holly Bloodworth:

KEA Aspiring Educators Update

The KEA Aspiring Educators group was awarded a $500 Read Across America grant. The club will partner with the Calloway County Public Library to host an event at Playhouse in the Park based on the books of Mo Willems. 

Additionally, a STEM event for older students will center around books about architecture and students will build bridges. Congratulations and great work! 

ELC

From Dr. Samir Patel:

What's Happening in Educational Studies, Leadership, and Counseling

Dr. Debra Pender will be joining the ELC department for the Spring semester. Specifically, she will be our new counselor educator and will be teaching Group Counseling, Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, and Human Development. We are so excited to have her join us!

Additionally, ELC faculty have placed travel requests for the upcoming conferences: 

-Terri Grief - American Association of School Librarians Conference (Tampa, FL)

-Dr. Justin Brogan - Christian Association of Psychological Studies (Louisville, KY)

-Dr. Ben Littlepage - CPE 2023 Student Success Summit (Lexington, KY)

-Dr. Randy Wilson - Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association Mid-Winter Conference (Macon, GA)

-Drs. Samir Patel and Ben Littlepage - University of Central Florida Counseling Conference (Virtual)

Congratulations and safe travels! 

KATE

From Dr. Jennifer Earls:

What's New in Kentucky Academy of Technology Education

Wireless access upgrades are in the works through Information Systems!

Professional development badging is underway and upon completion, door sashes will be awarded!

Finally, for any non-emergency issues, please make sure to submit work orders through the COEHS Intranet.

RRC

From Tressa Ross:

Deadlines, Reminders, and KYOTE Exam Information

Please be aware that the 2023-24 Murray State Scholarship Deadline is quickly approaching: February 6th is the last day to complete the General Scholarship Application in MyGate! This is great information to pass along to students - did you know that COEHS awarded $688,000 in scholarships last year to our majors? How awesome is that?!

Additionally, FREE English and Reading KYOTE exams will be available from 7:00am to 10:59pm on Wednesday, January 18th and Thursday, January 19th. These exams allow students the opportunity to place out of the ENG 111 and/or REA 112 corequisite courses. These untimed exams take about 40-50 minutes to complete and are available online. Information on how to set up an account and how to take the exams can be found at tinyurl.com/MSUKYOTE. For information on the Reading and English KYOTE exams, contact Sarah Williams. For questions about the Math KYOTE exam, contact Dr. Ed Thome.

TES

From Jeanie Robertson:

Happenings in Teacher Education Services

TES had a successful Student Teaching Seminar; many students have already begun!

TQI

From the Student Success Center:

First Day of the Semester

The Student Success Center had a great Open House on Tuesday, January 17th! Students got to check out TQI and enjoyed some yummy popcorn in the process!

FIRST DAY RECAP

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

*Dates are subject to change; these are up-to-date as of January 12th*

February 1st - Fall Schedules due to Academic Affairs

February 3rd-5th - Admitted Student Weekend

February 15th - Graduation application deadline for Graduate Students – May Applicants

February 22nd - Final Proof for Fall Schedule - 118 Wells

February 24th - BOR Meeting

February 28th - Presidential Lecture - W. Earl Brown

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March 1st - Graduation application deadline for Undergraduate Students – August Applicants

March 7th - All Majors Career and Grad School Fair (CFSB)

March 8th - STEM & OSH Career Fair (CFSB)

March 9th - 2nd Half of the Semester begins

March 10th - Teacher Career Fair (CFSB)

March 13th - Midterm Grades Due

March 14th - Agricultural Career Fair (Curris)

March 15th – Graduation application deadline for Graduate Students – August Applicants

March 20th-24th - Spring Break; No Classes. University Closed March 22nd-24th

March 27th - Advanced Scheduling for Summer

March 29th - Racer Day

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April 1st - Fall Textbook Orders Due; December graduation application deadline for Undergraduate Students

April 3rd-7th - Advanced Scheduling for Fall Semester

April 12th - All Campus Sing - 3pm - Quad

April 13th - Faculty Recognition Banquet - 5:30pm - Curris Center Ballroom

April 14th - Racer Nation Orientation/Honors

April 15th - Racer Nation Orientation; Student deadline to upload theses/dissertations into Digital Commons

April 21st - Distinguished Alumni Reception and Dinner - 5:30pm - CFSB Murray Room

April 26th - Senior Breakfast - 8am - CFSB Center; Administrative Professionals Day

April 28th - Dissertations & Theses have signatures and routed to Provost Office for Spring Graduation

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May 13th - Commencement - TBD - CFSB Center

May 15th - 10am - All grades due for Full Term/2nd

May 29th - Memorial Day Observance - No Classes; University Closed

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June 1st - Racer Nation Orientation

June 2nd - BOR Meeting

June 3rd - Racer Nation Orientation

June 14th - Racer Nation Orientation

June 16th - Racer Nation Orientation

June 19th - Juneteenth Observance - No Classes; University Closed

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July 6th - Racer Nation Orientation

July 31st - TENTATIVE - Spring/Winter Schedule Drafts sent to Departments

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August 3rd - Racer Nation Orientation

ALL ACADEMIC DEADLINES - murraystate.edu/deadlines