Author: Mindy Miller

Comments Sought in Regular Review of Director Tom Nechyba

Mindy Miller

ssri A university committee is seeking comments as part of a regular performance review of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) director Thomas J. Nechyba. Regular reviews of Institute Directors are conducted in the fourth or fifth year of their-five year term by a committee formed by the Executive Committee of the Academic Council, in consultation with the provost. Such a committee has been appointed to review Nechyba, who has served in his post since 2012.

Erik Wibbels, Robert O. Keohane Professor of Political Science, will serve as committee chair. Other committee members include: Gary G. Bennett (Bishop-MacDermott Family Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience and Dir, Global Digital Health Science Center), Rachel Kranton (James B. Duke Professor of Economics), Martin Ruef (Jack and Pamela Egan Professor of Entrepreneurship and Sociology Chair) and Philip J. Stern (Sally Dalton Robinson Associate Professor of History).

An important part of the review process is the solicitation and consideration of comments from the university’s many constituencies. Comments on performance and suggestions for the future are important to the committee’s work.

The charge to the committee poses several questions for the review, including Tom Nechyba’s effectiveness in the following areas:

  • Ability to provide intellectual and organizational leadership for an institute intended to catalyze pioneering social science research and methods and support their broad application;
  • Effectiveness in providing a clear strategic direction for SSRI;
  • Ability to develop and foster successful interdisciplinary collaborations with faculty and leadership from departments, schools and other units across campus, in the three areas of education, research and engagement;
  • Specifically, effectiveness in collaborating and coordinating with leadership in the social and behavioral science departments as well as the humanities and natural science departments in A&S, the Sanford School of Public Policy, and other units that are engaged in or utilize social science research methods;
  • Effectiveness in developing services, such as grant support, workshops and the like, that are useful to faculty in the social sciences;
  • Effectiveness in engaging faculty from multiple schools and departments in the work of SSRI (the committee is interested in learning why some faculty do engage with SSRI while others do not);
  • Effectiveness in mentoring faculty leaders and pivotal senior and research staff who are responsible for directing key and emerging initiatives in SSRI;
  • Demonstrated commitment to diversity, inclusion and excellence through leadership in hiring practices, faculty engagement, the forging of strategic priorities, and the mentoring of staff members;
  • Administrative competencies regarding effective management of the budget and SSRI staff;
  • Effectiveness in engaging students—both undergraduate and graduate students—in SSRI activities and programs;
  • Overall effectiveness as the leader of a nimble, diverse organization.

The committee invites you to share your thoughts by email or letter. Communication should include the nature of your interactions with Director Nechyba so that the committee can understand the context of the comments as fully as possible. The committee will discuss responses, and a summary will be included in the written report to the provost.

The committee would appreciate receiving comments by December 21.

Ways to respond:

  • Contact Mindy Miller to arrange for an appointment with someone on the Committee (919-668-1460).

Information collected will be compiled in a report, without attribution, which will be submitted to the Provost and the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies at the conclusion of the review. Responses will be kept confidential. While a list of those from whom feedback is received will be part of the record, it will be in an appendix of the report which will not be shared. No comments or observations will be attributed to any individual in any report of the committee.

Microbial Supergroup Lead Gets Personal with Gut Check

Mindy Miller

096616_david014

Duke University’s Lawrence David, Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, shares in Science News about what inspires him in science and life, and how his research into bacterial communities started with a year-long analysis of the microbiomes collected from his own body.

David is a lead faculty of a group called the Triangle Microbial Ecology Supergroup (Tri-MSG), one of 18 recipients last year of Duke’s new Intellectual Community Planning grant.

Tri-MSG organizes meetings outside of regular work hours for microbial ecologists to gather and discuss their research. The gatherings provide an informal atmosphere for learning about colleagues’ scientific endeavors and resources that may spark future cross-institutional collaborations.

The small planning grant helped in growing the fledgling group further. The funds supported refreshments and supplies at the gatherings, which not only attracted more attendees, but encouraged those who came to stay longer and discuss more. At least one research collaboration has emerged from the gatherings, and the group has its sights set on federal funding opportunities—such as the recently launched National Microbiome Initiative—for collaborative microbiome research in the North Carolina Biotech Triangle.

The Intellectual Community Planning grant is funded by the Provost in collaboration with the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies. It is again being offered this year. Deadline for proposals is Monday, October 17.

Duke’s Center for Instructional Technology Hosts Innovative Educator Randy Bass

Mindy Miller

cit-and-bassk

The Duke Center for Instructional Technology Showcase is an annual free one-day conference which celebrates creativity and innovation in teaching.

Engaging Today’s Students

Tuesday, October 11, 2016
9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Durham Convention Center

Keynote Speaker: Randy Bass

Randy Bass hails from Georgetown University, where he is a Vice Provost for Education and Professor of English. He is also the founding Executive Director of Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship. Randy is a former Pew Scholar and Carnegie Fellow, and recipient of the EDUCAUSE medal for outstanding achievement in technology and undergraduate education.

Randy has been working at the intersections of new media technologies and the scholarship of teaching and learning for nearly thirty years, including serving as Director and PI of the Visible Knowledge Project, a five-year scholarship of teaching and learning project involving 70 faculty on 21 university and college campuses.

Attend the Showcase to:

  • Get new ideas for your own teaching
  • Get questions about teaching and technology answered in informal sessions
  • Learn from other faculty at Duke about what works best to support student learning
  • Take advantage of a great teaching development opportunity at a convenient location and low cost (free!)
  • Come by for all or part of the day due to the “modular” schedule
  • Enjoy breakfast and lunch available for pre-registered attendees!

The Showcase is open to all Duke faculty, staff and those interested in innovation in educational utilizing technology.

Information Tables

During the Showcase, representatives of various campus units will have information available about the services they offer and opportunities for faculty.

Intellectual Community Planning Grants – Fall 2016

Mindy Miller

icpg-1

Deadline: October 17, 2016

Opportunity: Faculty who are interested in convening a group of colleagues to begin or test a new collaboration around a shared intellectual interest will be able to request funds provided by the Provost and the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies, $1,000-$5,000 per group, for use during the 2017 calendar year.

Eligibility: All Duke faculty, from any discipline, are eligible to propose and form a new collaborative group. Groups of at least 5 participating faculty are eligible to apply. Prospective collaborations may be framed around disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or multidisciplinary themes. The search function at scholars.duke.edu is a useful tool to find other faculty who share a particular intellectual interest. Collaborative groups that include, but are not comprised of the majority of, faculty from the Schools of Medicine and Nursing are welcome to apply.

Funding: Awards of $1,000-$5,000 will be provided to support each successful proposal. Funds can be used to cover the cost of food, meeting venue, external speakers or other meeting costs, and/or exploratory  research (as by an RA) into potential collaborators at Duke, UNC, NC State, NCCU, RTI, etc.

Successful proposals will be submitted by groups of faculty who self-aggregate around a shared intellectual interest, and who want to pursue that common interest in any of a variety of venues, e.g., small monthly dinner meetings, larger quarterly meetings, workshops, etc. Meetings should be designed to facilitate potential collaboration.

Preference will be given to proposals that articulate a plan to sustain interactions, prepare joint grant applications, and/or create a product such as a class, shared research project, extra- or co-curricular offering, etc. Recipients of the first year’s grant cycle represent a broad range of groups and new projects.

Proposals: The deadline for proposals is October 17, 2016. Proposals should be submitted to Amber Martinez (amber.martinez@duke.edu) in the Office of the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies, and should include:

  • a brief (maximum two-page) narrative that articulates (1) the area of shared intellectual interest, (2) any question or problem the group proposes to explore, (3) the proposed faculty group’s unique position and qualifications for engaging in the interest area and/or addressing the question or problem, (4) activities the group anticipates conducting during the exploratory period, and (5) anticipated outcome (e.g., sustained interactions, joint grant application, new educational offering, research project, etc.);
  • an indication whether this is a nascent or continuing collaboration; if continuing, a brief explanation of the activities to date;
  • a proposed budget;
  • information on other funding already obtained or requested;
  • a listing of the initial core faculty group with 2-page CVs for each

Review and Selection: Proposals will initially be reviewed by the Vice Provosts for Research, Interdisciplinary Studies, Academic Affairs, Arts, and the Library (or their representatives). Final award decisions will be made in consultation with the Provost. Proposals will be evaluated based on the potential to build collaborations in exciting intellectual areas for relevant departments, schools and cross-cutting institutes, whether around fundamental/applied research, innovative teaching, or outreach/engagement. The intent is that the collective set of award recipients will reflect the richness of intellectual approaches and modes of inquiry that make Duke such a vibrant university.

Notification: Recipients will be notified by November 7. Funding will be available January 1, 2017 unless requested immediately.

Tim Profeta Reappointed as Nicholas Institute Director

Mindy Miller
Tim Profeta director of the Nicholas Institute on West Campus
Tim Profeta
director of the Nicholas Institute
on West Campus

Following a regular five-year review, Tim Profeta has been reappointed to a third five-year term as director of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Provost Sally Kornbluth has announced.

Profeta is the founding director of the Nicholas Institute, which works to help decision makers create timely, effective and economically practical solutions to the world’s critical environmental challenges. The Institute has grown since 2005 into a major nonpartisan participant in key policy debates by providing sound understanding of complex environmental issues.

“Tim is recognized as an effective director who has accomplished much,” said Kornbluth. “One of his greatest strengths continues to be in his ability to connect to policy makers outside the university.” In his next term, Profeta will be focusing on deepening partnerships with Duke faculty and students who engage with the dilemmas inherent in forming environmental policy.

Comments Sought in Regular Review of Director Tim Profeta

Mindy Miller

New NicholasInstitute logo web

Announcing: A university committee is seeking comments as part of a regular performance review of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions (NI) Tim Profeta. Regular reviews of Institute Directors are conducted in the fourth or fifth year of their-five year term by a committee formed by the Executive Committee of the Academic Council, in consultation with the provost. Such a committee has been appointed to review the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions Director, Tim Profeta, who has served in his post since 2005.

Mark Wiesner, James B. Duke Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will serve as committee chair. Other committee members include: Alex Pfaff (Professor of Public Policy, Economics and Environment), Mary Story (Professor in Community & Family Medicine and Global Health), and Erika Weinthal (Lee Hill Snowden Professor of Environmental Policy).

An important part of the review process is the solicitation and consideration of comments from the university’s many constituencies. Comments on performance and suggestions for the future are important to the committee’s work.

The charge to the committee poses several questions for the review, including Tim Profeta’s effectiveness in the following areas:

  • intellectual and organizational leadership for an institute intended to be a bridge between academia and decision makers;
  • engaging faculty from multiple schools and departments in the work of the NI;
  • effective collaboration and coordination with leadership in relevant units and schools including the Energy Initiative, Nicholas and Sanford schools, etc.;
  • mentoring faculty leaders and pivotal research staff; commitment to diversity, inclusion and excellence;
  • engaging students—both undergraduate and graduate—in NI activities and programs;
  • developing and maintaining successful relationships with entities outside of the university, e.g., government, NGO’s, etc.;
  • responsiveness to the recent (2013) external review of the NI;
  • overall effectiveness as the leader of a nimble, diverse organization.

The committee invites you to share your thoughts by email or letter. Communication should include the nature of your interactions with Director Profeta so that the committee can understand the context of the comments as fully as possible. The committee will discuss responses, and a summary will be included in the written report to the provost.

The committee would appreciate receiving comments by January 30.

Ways to respond:

  • Send an email to wiesner@duke.edu. Please cc your response to mindy.miller@duke.edu;
  • Send a letter to Mark Wiesner, Chair of the Tim Profeta Review Committee (Attn: Mindy Miller) at Box 90003, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, or have it delivered to room 224 Allen Building;
  • Contact Mindy Miller to arrange for an appointment with someone on the Committee (919-668-1460).

Information collected will be compiled in a report, without attribution, which will be submitted to the Provost and the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies at the conclusion of the review. Responses will be kept confidential. While a list of those from whom feedback is received will be part of the record, it will be in an appendix of the report which will not be shared. No comments or observations will be attributed to any individual in any report of the committee.