Faculty Affairs Newsletter

Message from the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Greetings from the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. I hope that your academic year is starting on a positive note and that you are enjoying the energy of having our students and colleagues back on campus.

I am excited to work with you in my role as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and will be providing information in the coming months on different strategic initiatives intended to enhance your experience as a faculty member at Temple University.

Throughout the year you will be receiving this newsletter that will highlight the accomplishments of some of your faculty colleagues, provide information on important updates or upcoming deadlines, and share professional development opportunities available to you.

If the team in Faculty Affairs can assist you in anyway, please do not hesitate to contact our office. I am excited about the opportunities ahead and know that by working collaboratively we can accomplish great things through our scholarly activities, teaching and service.

Thank you for all that you do for our Temple University community.

Best,

Jeremy S. Jordan
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Faculty Spotlight

Jennifer M. Johnson

Assistant Professor in the Department of Policy, Organizational & Leadership Studies
College of Education and Human Development

Tell us something about your recent work.
My scholarship focuses on college access and success. I explore students' experiences and outcomes across diverse university contexts - including college access programs, teacher education programs, STEM majors, and graduate programs. 

I see this work, combined with my teaching responsibilities, as a great opportunity to unite theory and praxis. For example, my team has investigated the early outcomes associated with participants in the Temple Education Scholars Program. Alongside my colleagues and student researchers in CEHD, we have shared the practical considerations for establishing college access efforts for promising Philadelphia students, and advanced theoretical considerations for understanding students’ transitions to and through postsecondary education. Additionally, we have used these insights to enhance program activities for pre-college students participating in TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO Upward Bound Math and Science programs here at Temple — two federally funded college access programs for individuals who would be first-generation college students raised in modest socioeconomic environments.   

Overall, through my scholarship, I intend to (1) inform institutional policies to diversify the composition of undergraduate and graduate programs, and (2) hold institutional agents accountable for advancing equitable practices across the educational pipeline.  

What do you like most about working at Temple?
My commitment to college access, equity, and success is driven by a deep-rooted belief in collaboration and service. Working at Temple has given me the opportunity to engage with amazing colleagues and students to advance these efforts. 

What is your favorite restaurant in Philadelphia? Favorite lunch spot on campus?
Buddakan is my absolute favorite restaurant in Philadelphia. For lunch on campus, I enjoy visiting different food trucks each week.

What did you do for fun this summer?
For fun, I began the summer as a "student" in the 2022 Provost's Teaching Academy (PTA), hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching. The program was excellent and allowed me to reconsider my teaching philosophy and techniques alongside amazing colleagues from across Temple. 

We all work very hard, so it was also important for me to dedicate a portion of my summer to rest and relaxation, so that I could feel recharged for the year ahead. At the end of July, I enjoyed a weeklong family vacation with my siblings and our children at Rehoboth Beach. 

Faculty Accomplishments

Allison M. Andrews, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator (DP2) Award Program for studies on the relationship between HIV and heart disease, as well as the effect of substance abuse on this relationship. The DP2 award is a first for Temple.
Temple Scientist Awarded NIH Funding to Study Relationship Between HIV, Substance Use and Heart Disease

Rea Tajiri, Associate Professor of Film and Media Arts in the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts, premiered her documentary Wisdom Gone Wild at the BlackStar Film Festival in August.
Interview with Prof. Rea Tajiri – Wisdom Gone Wild

Philip Dames, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering, recently secured a 5-year, $557,678 NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award to further study robotic coordination.
New NSF CAREER Award inspired by robotic teamwork

The Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research named a paper co-authored by Laurie Wu, Associate Professor in the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, and Zeya He, PhD ’20, as the Best Article of the Year.
To Partner with Human or Robot? Designing Service Coproduction Processes for Willingness to Pay More

Register for the Teaching for Equity Institute This Semester

Join the Center for the Advancement of Teaching for the Teaching for Equity Institute, a supportive space for faculty to engage in deep conversation on developing teaching practices that provide equitable and inclusive learning opportunities for our diverse group of learners at Temple University. Faculty will explore how to promote a sense of student belonging in all learning environments by examining our interactions and relationships with students, the impact of intersectional identities on learning, and the assumptions that may exist in our disciplines and classrooms that can affect learning dynamics and outcomes. Using a cultural competence lens, we will also consider ways to connect students meaningfully to the value of what they are learning and examine how to democratize classrooms so that students can take control of their own learning.

The Teaching for Equity Institute will be offered twice this semester, with an in-person cohort in September ( details and registration) and a virtual cohort in October ( details and registration). 

• Browse all programs and workshops offered this semester at the CAT.
• Consult with a CAT faculty developer or educational technology specialist or visit us in person or virtually at one of our CAT locations. Learn more at our Virtual Front Desk. 
• Check out the CAT resource page for guides on teaching, learning, teaching technologies, and professional development.
• Engage in conversation in the Faculty Teaching Commons, an open and asynchronous forum where Temple Faculty are welcome to discuss all things related to teaching. Look for the Commons in your Faculty Tab in TUportal.
• Consider engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to measure the impact of the changes you make. Learn more about conducting a SoTL study.

Events

Representative Faculty Senate Meeting
Tuesday, September 13, 2022 // 1:45 pm to 3:15 pm

First meeting of the Representative Faculty Senate for academic year 2022-2023. All faculty and librarians are invited to attend. This meeting will be held virtually; the Zoom link will be posted prior to the meeting.

Dissent in America Teach-In Presents: The Supreme Court & Climate Change
Thursday, September 15, 2022 // 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Part of the Politics, the Supreme Court, and Democracy Series. Please join us for a presentation by Law Professor Amy Sinden & Science Professor Mohammad Kiani on “The Supreme Court and Climate Change.”

Faculty Recital: Anna Meyer, Flute
Sunday, October 9, 2022 // 5:30 pm

Anna Meyer is an Artist-in-Residence in the Boyer College of Music and Dance. Shirley Yoo, piano. Featuring flute and piccolo works by Ibert, V. Coleman, Kling, Harberg, Schubert and Godard.

University Faculty Senate Meeting
Monday, October 17, 2022 // 1:45 pm to 3:15 pm

Meeting of the University Faculty Senate. All faculty and librarians are invited to attend. Location for this in-person meeting: Alter Hall, Room 520, Executive Classroom, 1810 Liacouras Walk, main campus. There will be a Zoom link available prior to the meeting for faculty at our satellite campuses to attend virtually.