October 2024

Vol.VI, Issue IIi

School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies

🅻🅴🅰🅳🅴🆁🆂🅷🅸🅿 🅲🅾🆁🅽🅴🆁

Greetings MaPS Community,

As we move forward together this fall, we are filled with anticipation for the opportunities ahead. This is a time to embrace growth, innovation, and the initiatives planned to continue building our vibrant and dynamic environment within MaPS. Several of these exciting updates are outlined in this edition of the newsletter.

In this digest, you’ll find important updates about the upcoming General Education Conference (GEC), details on the MaPS Faculty Awards, highlights of our talented faculty and more. Let’s continue to support each other and strive for excellence as we tackle new challenges and celebrate our successes together.

Happy Reading!

Mya Fields,PhD, MBA Assistant DeanSchool of of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies

🅷🅴🆁🅴 🆈🅴! 🅷🅴🆁🅴 🆈🅴!

🅻🅾🅾🅺 🆆🅷🅰🆃'🆂 🅷🅰🅿🅿🅴🅽🅸🅽🅶!

Best in Class Initiative

This is a friendly reminder to continue your journey through the Best in Class Basic Needs Support Badging Program. Our goal is for everyone to reach at least Silver Status as we strengthen our commitment to supporting our adult learners through non-academic challenges.

Where are you on the journey?

If you haven’t yet completed the Bronze Level, it’s time to get started! The Bronze Level equips you with the skills to:

Identify students facing non-academic issues (observe).
Engage students in conversations to address these problems (verify).
Refer them to the right channels using our “Best in Class” support system.

To achieve Bronze, complete CTL 055: Supporting Student Well-Being: A Faculty Toolkit for Non-Academic Challenges. Access the course through CTL Workshop Central—it takes about two hours to complete.

Silver Level Video

Moving to Silver

If you’ve already earned Bronze, the next step is reaching Silver Status. At this level, you will:

Review the observe, verify, refer process to refresh your skills.
Understand the importance of being a reliable source of support for students.
Gain access to communication resources to help you better connect with students in need.

To earn Silver, watch the introductory video, publish basic needs support statements, and pledge your commitment to ongoing student support.

Next Steps: Gold and Platinum

Once you’ve completed Silver, don’t stop there! The Gold and Platinum levels offer deeper engagement opportunities, including becoming an ambassador for student support and leading new initiatives.

This reminder is part of our collective effort to ensure everyone is prepared to meet students’ non-academic needs and to cultivate a supportive learning environment. Let’s keep moving forward together!

For more information, visit the Best in Class website or reach out to your department for assistance.

Vanessa Myers, MSScience Faculty

Join Us for the Final Session of the 2024 MaPS Speaker Series!

As we wrap up another successful year of the MaPS Speaker Series, we are excited to invite you to the final session of 2024! This year’s theme, "Expertise Exchange: Unlocking Collective Wisdom in Education," has provided a platform for meaningful conversations and professional growth. On October 15th at 1 PM ET, we will feature Vanessa Avila Myers as she presents her insightful session titled "Hispanos o Latinos: Learning from the Community."

In this session, Vanessa will delve into the complexities of ethnic identification within the Hispanic/Latino community, shedding light on the differences between the terms “Hispanic” and “Latino.” She will also explore how understanding these nuances can help educators foster stronger interpersonal relationships with their students. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge that can enhance your teaching practices!

Looking ahead to 2025, we are now accepting suggestions for next year’s theme. We encourage you to submit your ideas [here] and contribute to shaping the direction of the 2025 MaPS Speaker Series.

We look forward to seeing you at the final session and hearing your thoughts for the future!

Please visit our Speaker Series website to access recordings of past sessions.

CONFeRENCE BRIEFS

NOSS 2025

The 2025 National Organization for Student Success (NOSS) conference is just around the corner and will be held in New Orleans from March 11–14, 2025. This year, we are thrilled to highlight that several faculty members from the School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies have had their conference proposals accepted!

Please join us in congratulating the following members of our MaPS community:

Wendi Wolfram, Nikki Williams, Julie Torres-Roman, Leslie Johnson, Jennifer Haber and Shama Grimmage.

These colleagues will be presenting their work and representing Purdue Global at this prestigious event.

We look forward to seeing the innovative contributions our MaPS team will bring to NOSS 2025.

Wendi Wolfram, PhD

Science Department Faculty

Nikki Williams, MA, MS, Science Assistant Department Chair

Julie Torres- Roman, MS

Science Department Faculty

Leslie Johnson, MS Math Assistant Department

Jennifer Haber, PhD

English & Rhetoric Faculty

Shama Grimmage, PhD

Professional Studies Faculty

Ritu Sharma Presents at AGLS 2024

We are proud to recognize Ritu Sharma, for her presentation titled: Creative Class Culture at the 2024 AGLS Constitute 65th Annual Meeting held in Portland, Oregon on October 4-5, 2024.The conference, themed "Gen Ed as Bridge: Linking School, Job, Career, and Life," highlighted the critical role of general education in connecting academic learning to students' professional and personal lives.

We are proud of Ritu’s achievement and the valuable impact her work will have on both our institution and the broader educational community. Congratulations, Ritu!

For more information on AGLS, visit AGLS website.

Ritu Sharma,PhD

English & Rhetoric Faculty

Jennifer Caseldine-Bracht, PhD

Humanities & Social Sciences Department Faculty

MaPS Representation at Deliberative Democracy Retreat

We are excited to highlight Jennifer Caseldine-Bracht, who recently attended the annual Community-Engaged Alliance Deliberative Democracy Retreat. At this event, Jennifer participated in discussions and workshops focused on mastering deliberative dialogue techniques, which are crucial for facilitating productive conversations and addressing polarization in today's society.

Jennifer informed us that the retreat provided her valuable insights into overcoming barriers to effective dialogue, such as cognitive biases and power dynamics. She also had the chance to facilitate conversations on important topics, including academic freedom and book banning, honing her skills in creating understanding across differing viewpoints.

A key focus of the retreat was using deliberation to build mutual understanding between diverse stakeholders, helping to strengthen communities through thoughtful communication. Jennifer is eager to bring the knowledge she gained back to our team and looks forward to sharing these strategies in a future MaPS Speaker Series session.

The retreat, co-hosted by Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse (WDPD), equipped participants with a toolkit of communication strategies that foster empathy and constructive engagement. We look forward to hearing more from Jennifer as she applies these techniques within our community!

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Incorporating DEIB Learning into the Classroom

Vanessa Myers, MSScience Faculty

Barry Regan, EdDProfessional Studies Faculty

The MaPS DEIB Committee is excited to invite you to our upcoming event, "From Theory to Practice: How to Incorporate Learning from DEIB Training into the PG Classroom," on October 10th at 1 PM Eastern.

This 30-minute session, led by Vanessa Avila Myers and Barry Regan, will introduce a new initiative aimed at helping faculty integrate DEIB training into classroom practices. The session will outline available DEIB training opportunities and kick off a series of monthly presentations on applying DEIB principles in areas such as discussion boards, seminars, course revisions, and feedback.

We encourage everyone to join us for this important and exciting first installment!

Date: October 10, 2024
Time: 1 PM Eastern
Meeting Link: [Click Here]

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Office of Organizational Culture and Inclusive Excellence (OCIE) proudly celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, honoring the rich history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities. This year’s theme, “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,” reflected the spirit of resilience, innovation, and unity within the Hispanic experience.

The OCIE hosted a variety of events throughout the month, including a powerful keynote speech by Richard Montañez, the visionary behind Flamin' Hot Cheetos, as well as engaging Lunch and Learn sessions led by Dr. Nazly Nardi and Dr. Jose Siqueira. Events such as Lotería nights brought the community together for fun and celebration.

For those who missed the events, recordings are available on the OCIE website. Let’s continue to honor Hispanic heritage beyond the month and celebrate the diverse contributions that shape our community!

BITS & PIECES

Faculty Highlight: Supporting Sustainability and Animal Rescue Through Community Service

Dena AuCoin, EdDProfessional Studies Faculty

We are excited to share the incredible community service efforts of one of our Professional Studies faculty members, Dena, who, along with her husband, is making a meaningful impact through their hobby farm.

As part of the Conservancy program, Dena and her husband actively support local agriculture and sustainability. Each year, from November to May, they host a winter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share in collaboration with a local Montessori school. Through this initiative, they provide fresh microgreens and eggs, with $1 from each item sold going directly to the school. Additionally, they ensure that families in need have access to healthy food options by accepting WIC and food stamps for their produce.

In addition to their work in agriculture, Dena and her husband serve as a satellite center for Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, caring for adoptable donkeys and working within the state of Michigan to place them in loving homes. Their efforts include vetting adopters and providing ongoing support, education, and assistance to ensure the well-being of these animals.

Dena’s commitment to sustainability, community support, and animal welfare is truly inspiring. To learn more about their farm and initiatives, visit Stick and Feather Farm.

MaPS Faculty Award Nominations Opening January 2025

We are excited to announce that nominations for the 2025 MaPS Faculty Awards will open in January! This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and celebrate the outstanding talents and contributions of our colleagues within the School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies.

Eligibility criteria will follow previous guidelines, and nominations may be submitted by any university employee or through self-nomination. Stay tuned for more details, including deadlines and nomination instructions, coming soon!

2025 General Education Conference Call for Proposals

Mark your calendars! The Call for Proposals for the 2025 Virtual General Education Conference will open in November 2024. This year’s theme, "Digital Age Transformations: Reinventing General Education," invites faculty, support staff, and administrators to share innovative ideas and research that reimagine General Education in a digital world.

The conference will be held from April 22nd-24th, 2025, with proposals due by February 1st, 2025. Stay tuned for more details and submission guidelines coming soon!

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