The First Spring Meeting 
 
Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Welcome to the April issue of Engage! As flowers start blooming and the sound of music fills the air, we are excited that spring has finally arrived. When we think of spring and the springtime season, it refers us to ideas of renewal, rejuvenation, growth, and rebirth. As the season progresses, our days get longer. The weather get warmer. Spring fever has us a-buzz and springtime is a great time to branch out. Celebrate the arrival of spring with activities that will enhance your creativity. Have some fun and educate at the same time. Education is a treasure that can never be taken away, so the proverb goes. Promoting educational and research opportunity is the foundation of our work. Strong educational and research opportunities attract students and faculty with a lasting commitment to the Vanderbilt family. They are the infrastructure of the kind of equitable, diverse, and sustainable communities in which we all deserve to live. Happy Spring!     


April 2017 Faculty Senate Meeting Summary:

On April 13, at the full Senate meeting, a motion to significantly update the formatting of the Senate Constitution was brought by the Senate Affairs Committee and approved unanimously by the voting members. Two motions brought by an individual Senator related to enhancing the integrity and timeliness of meeting minutes were also strongly approved. Senators voted to table two motions related to updating the Faculty Manual until requested changes and considerations can be made to those motions. 
 
Finally, Dr. Jeffrey Balser, Dean of the School of Medicine and President & CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, provided the Senate with a status update of VUMC endeavors. In answering questions posted by Senators in advance of the meeting, he focused his remarks on two primary areas:
 
1)     increasing capabilities of the expanded VUMC network
2)     increasing financial, academic and research strength of the School of Medicine.
 
For a full accounting of Senate deliberations, please reference the minutes of the meeting posted on the Senate portal.
 

Faculty Wellness Survey: 
 

The Faculty Senate needs your input. We thank the over 600 faculty who completed their Faculty wellness survey and we want every opinion to count. If you have not completed your survey, please complete your survey today by clicking the following link:


Please set aside 20 to 30 minutes to complete the survey. Since it does not allow you to save and come back later, please try to complete it in one attempt. Thank you again for your input.


Faculty Challenge:

1. Update on Savor Diversity

VU/VUMC Rocks! We had 15 Savor Diversity events on both the VU and VUMC campuses with up to 279 participants. Thank you to all who supported the initiative and hosted a Savor Diversity event.
          • Center for Professional Health
          • Dean of Students
          • Div. of General Pediatrics, Dept. of Pediatrics
          • Graduate School Staff
          • Humans of Owen
          • MuMS Group
          • Neonatal Division
          • Neuert Lab
          • NICU
          • Office for EDI & VUIT
          • Pediatric Division Center
          • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
          • Pediatric Pulmonary Division
          • Project Safe Center
          • SkyVU

2. Complete Project Safe Training: 
  • To access the course, log in to Vanderbilt's Learning Exchange. 
     
  • Search for the course: Golden Opportunity/Golden Obligation
  • Print the Project Safe Logo to place on your door or within your syllabus.

What's News for the Faculty Senate?
 
1. The Faculty Senate- VSG Joint Annual Meeting : The Faculty Senate - VSG meeting was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. We will inform you when it is rescheduled.
 
2. SACS Visit: VU completed a very successful SACSCOC reaccreditation visit in March. Learn more on the Provost's web page. Congratulations to all those who participated in the process.
 
3. Vanderbilt International Response Travel Team (VIRT): VIRT is coming in August 2017. This incident reporting system is being developed for all VU travelers who are traveling to conduct VU business. It will provide a single point of service for students and faculty travelers.
 
4. SkyVU: Go live date is October 1, 2017. Learn more at SkyVU.
 
5. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Campaign: Help spread the word and destigmatize mental health illnesses. Get your posters from the MHW team. Learn more at Go There .
 
6. MAPS: Consider MAPS training !! "MAPS is a Vanderbilt University joint initiative with the Psychological and Counseling Center (PCC) and the Center for Student Wellbeing designed to prevent suicide in the campus community while promoting mental health awareness."
 
7. Engage: Senators should inquire at their department meetings if faculty members are receiving their monthly issues of the Engage Newsletter. If not, please email the Faculty Senate at facultysenate@vanderbilt.edu .  
 


Spring Faculty Assembly

The Spring Faculty Assembly was held on April 6, 2017. Senator Teresa Goddu,  Associate Professor of English, kicked off the assembly by provided a stimulating presentation on "Climate Activism and the Antislavery Movement." Goddu traced the ways in which the antislavery movement is being invoked as a model for the type of environmental activism that is currently needed to tackle climate change. She argued that the antislavery movement is most useful for the example it offers on how to produce the cultural change necessary for societal transformation. Through the practice of telling new stories that present alternative world views--stories that make people think, feel, and see the climate movement differently, just like in the antislavery movement before it, we can shift public opinion and motivate people to action.

She began her career at Vanderbilt as a faculty
  member in 1991 and divides her teaching responsibilities between the  English department  and the  American Studies Program . She also has served in various  administrative capacities. She has been acting director of the College Writing Program, director of the Undergraduate Honors Program in English and director of the Program in American Studies.

After receiving her B.A. from Yale University (1986), her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (1991), she is a specialist in nineteenth-century American literature and culture. Her research and teaching in the nineteenth century focuses on slavery and antislavery, race, and American culture.

Senator Goddu is developing new research and a teaching agenda in environmental humanities. She teaches contemporary climate fiction and serves as co-director of an interdisciplinary faculty seminar, "Environmental Humanities in Action," which is sponsored by Vanderbilt's Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities along with the Wond'ry. She also organizes the C19 Environmental Humanities Cluster. As Director of the Program in American Studies, she designed and directed "The Sustainability Project" which is a three-year interdisciplinary initiative to foster Vanderbilt's efforts toward sustainability. This project resulted in a minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She was awarded The Chancellor's Cup (2014) and named Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor (2013-14) for this work.

Goddu was awarded the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in the Humanities in 2016. Kudos and thank you Dr. Goddu!

Six Faculty Members were recognized for their teaching, research, and service. 
Congratulations to the following award winners!   
The awards were presented by Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and Faculty Senate Chair Charlene Dewey.

During the Spring Assembly, Chair Dewey provided an update on 2016-17 priorities and accomplishments. She encouraged all faculty, senators, and leaders to engage. Faculty voted to approve both motions to change the Faculty Constitution regarding what constitutes a quorum and succession planning. (Slides and motions will be posted on the Faculty Senate Portal).



Focus on Spiritual Wellness:
 
Have you ever wondered about your spiritual health? Have you wondered about the difference between your spiritual health and your emotional health? We covered emotional health in the last two Engage Newsletters and this month and next month we will cover spiritual health.



When defining spiritual health, we must think of expanding health into our spirituality. But what is spirituality? Is it religious practices or is it something bigger than yourself? Below are definitions of spirituality and spiritual wellness.
  • "Spirituality is about seeking a meaningful connection with something bigger than yourself, which can result in positive emotions, such as peace, awe, contentment, gratitude, and acceptance." ~ Amy R. Krentzman, MSW, PhD, University of Minnesota (https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-spirituality) Spirituality actually means breath, air that gives life.
  • "Spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred." "The concept of spirituality is found in all cultures and societies. It is expressed in an individual's search for ultimate meaning through participation in religion and/or belief in God, family, naturalism, rationalism, humanism, and the arts." ~ Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health at: https://smhs.gwu.edu/gwish/about/message.
In the first two definitions the authors emphasizes meaning, connection and positive emotions of spirituality. Meaning is what we live fore (sense of purpose) or what value we give outside of ourselves (the legacy we leave). Connection encompasses the value of the relationships we share with others and a higher power. Awe is one of those positive emotions that can be identified in nature. This is as simple as gazing at the horizon and having a sense of awe. Look at the picture below and embrace the sense of awe from seeing nature for all its beauty.



The last definition of spiritual wellness emphasizes values, beliefs, and purpose. Do you believe you are living your purpose? Do you live your core values? What is it you do at work and home that fills your tank or gives you your greatest sense of purpose?

Below are four questions provided on the UC Riverside webpage. It asks, "Are you engaged in the process of spiritual wellness?"

 
   1. Do I make time for relaxation in my day?  

Yes

No
   2. Do I make time for meditation and/or prayer?
Yes
No
   3. Do my values guide my decisions and actions?     
Yes
No
   4. Am I accepting of the views of others?
Yes
No
   Reaching Spiritual Wellness at: https://wellness.ucr.edu/spiritual_wellness.html

Reflect on your answers. Do you know that enhancing your spiritual health can improve your energy, ability to cope or your level of resilience, and can improve your quality of life, reduce illness and lengthen your lifespan? (University of Minnesota Integrative Healing Practices - module on
Spirituality in Healthcare .) What can you do to enhance your spirituality?
 
Here's your challenge for the month, as we close out the academic year, plan for more time to relax and be in the present. Find awe in daily routines. Schedule some time for mediation and/or prayer. Reflect on and align core values. Spend time in your sweet spots to give you a sense of spiritual awakenings and fulfilment. Stephen Covey's book on First Things First encourages readers to embrace their true self and live to their core values. "Our lives are the result of our choices." ~ Stephen Covey, Roger Merrill, and Rebecca Merrill, 2003.

Will you choose to take the challenge and enhance your spiritual health?
 

References:
 
1. University of Minnesota: "Taking charge of your health and well-being - What is spirituality? At: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-spirituality 
 
2. University of Minnesota - Learning Modules: Spirituality in Healthcare at: https://www.csh.umn.edu/education/online-learning-modules-resources/online-learning-modules  
 
3. University of California Riverside - Spiritual Wellness at: https://wellness.ucr.edu/spiritual_wellness.html  
 
4. George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health at: https://smhs.gwu.edu/gwish/  
 
5. Covey SR, Merrill AR, and Merrill RR. First Things First. Free Press, New York, New York, 2003.
 

Important Senate Dates  
 
  • April 26 - Faculty Manual Committee at 3:00 pm in 306 Rand  
  • April 27 - SPAF Committee at 4:00 pm in 306 Rand  
  • May 8 - Faculty Senate Assembly Meeting at 4:10 in 140 Frist - Reception to Follow!
  • May 10 - Former Leadership Luncheon at 11:30 am in 363 Sarratt
  • May 11 - SPAF Committee at 4:00 pm in 306 Rand
  • May 12 - Commencement on Alumni Lawn at 9:00 am
Senators, If you are interested in a leadership role, send your bio and personal statement to facultysentae@vanderbilt.edu TODAY. 


 
     Thoughts, Concerns, New Business:
 
     A ny senator with thoughts, concerns or new business for the Executive Committee to address can submit them in   
     writing to the EC via e
mail or anonymously via the Faculty Senate Portal Feedback Form . Your comments are 
     expected and appreciated. 
                          
                                              We wish you excellent spiritual health!  
                                        
From Your
                                                   
                          
                                                                            

The next Faculty Senate Meeting is 
                     If you have any questions, please contact:                        

Debbie Hayes
Administrative Manager
615-343-3841