Heard Around Campus — April

Congratulations — the first month of the new spring term is almost over! Here are some important events and news that you might have missed from April — and a guide for some important developments on campus that could affect your future.    

Last Call to Register for the 2019 Eagles Autism Challenge

The 2019 Eagles Autism Challenge 5K Walk/Run and 15-, 30- and 50-mile Bike Ride is coming up soon — on May 18. Proceeds from this event will help fund autism research at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, as well as other institutions. By participating, you will benefit autism research, schedule in a great workout and cross the finish line on the 50-yard line of Lincoln Financial Field. Then, you can celebrate your accomplishment with the 2018 World Champion Eagles players, coaches and even Swoop!

You can join “Team Drexel” as a virtual or in-person participant, and you can enter “DRAGONS19” at check-out to receive $50 off the registration fee. Employees will receive also 25 wellness points for participating, as part of the 2019 Wellness Incentive Program. And no worries if you don’t want to race — you can volunteer with the Drexel team at a rest stop along the bike route and then join the party at the Linc.

If you would like to volunteer, or have questions regarding the event, contact Meredith Bloom from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at mhb54@drexel.edu or 215.571.3204 with any questions.

Johanna Inman Named Director of Drexel’s New Teaching and Learning Center

Senior Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs Erin McNamara Horvat, PhD, announced in an April 16 email that Johanna Inman, who is currently the director of instructional technology for Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching, will be the inaugural director of the Teaching and Learning Center at Drexel, effective May 31.

At the University, Inman will complete the strategic envisioning process for the center, including completing a comprehensive needs assessment, proposing a staffing plan for the center, establishing a faculty advisory board, forging partnerships with institutional stakeholders and developing a range of programming for faculty and teaching assistants.

Spring 2019 Drexel Quarterly Is Out!

Drexel Quarterly, Drexel’s publication exclusively for faculty and professional staff, was sent out on April 17. Click here to catch up on all of its news and updates that you might have missed.

Important Fiscal Year-End Information

It’s that time of year again – Fiscal Year 2019 will close on June 30. The websites of the Office of the Comptroller and Procurement Services have helpful resources including schedules with key dates regarding purchasing, travel, accrual and deferral.

Deadline to Register for the Common Market Farm Share is May 3

From June to November, you can receive a box of fresh and locally grown foods from local farms with The Common Market Farm Share. The boxes will be conveniently delivered to Drexel to be picked up every 2 weeks this summer and fall.

What comes in the boxes? You can pick and choose from a small or large produce share, one dozen certified humane eggs, artisanal cheese share, antibiotic-free poultry share, full meat share, freshly baked bread share, and/or a plain or flavored yogurt share.

Registration ends May 3. To view pricing and share information, click here.

Diversity & Inclusion Spotlight: Drexel University Libraries

Drexel Libraries celebrates published works by University community members and seeks ways to provide open access resources to students. Keep reading to learn more:

• On Feb. 22, the Drexel University Libraries and the Office of the Provost hosted the seventh annual Celebrating Drexel Authors Event. This year, Drexel recognized a total of 119 authors and editors for works published in 2018. Of the Drexel faculty, staff and students recognized at the event, 73 authored or edited books published during the 2018 calendar year. 2018 publications cover a wide range of topics, from works of poetry and fiction, to textbooks on differential equations and environmental engineering, to books about mobility studies, psychology and the legal system, celebrity philanthropy studies and many more. The event also recognized 28 Drexel journal authors who contributed to articles that were both published in 2018 and highly cited in the same calendar year. These papers reached a highly cited threshold, set by citation counts taken by Clarivate Analytics in October 2018 that placed them in the top 1 percent of their academic field. Finally, the Libraries and the Provost recognized a new group of authors this year: Drexel “data authors”— researchers who deposited datasets into professionally managed repositories in 2018. 

• In October 2018, Drexel Libraries focused its efforts on raising awareness of open access publishing at Drexel to celebrate the 11th annual Open Access Week, a global event for the academic and research community to share information, experiences, and ideas about open access publishing. Open access refers to research outputs distributed online and free of cost or other barriers, possibly with the addition of a Creative Commons license to promote reuse.

This Diversity & Inclusion Spotlight was excerpted from the FY2018 Inclusive Community Review, an annual report celebrating the diversity and inclusion-related achievements of each of Drexel’s academic and administrative units. For general questions about diversity and inclusion initiatives at Drexel, please contact the Office of Equality & Diversity at oed@drexel.edu.