Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
Today marks the midpoint of our Charter Week celebration—a week designed to commemorate the first meeting of the Board of Trustees on this very campus in 1836. There are a number of great opportunities over the next few days to reflect on the university’s past—as well as its present and future, which we continue to chart together. I encourage you all to attend one of the many events here or on the Atlanta campus. You can see the full schedule here.
On Monday evening, I was happy to attend a Charter Week dinner—alongside Oxford faculty, staff, and alumni—to discuss some of those themes. The event was emcee’d by Muskaan Vohra 22Ox 24C, and it was a pleasure to hear from keynote speaker and alumnus Euler Bropleh 02Ox 04C.
Warmly,
Badia
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Submitting to Campus Update |
To submit items for Campus Update, please email Julia Kim. The newsletter is distributed weekly on Wednesday. Please submit items by Monday afternoon.
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A Message Regarding Campus Update Submissions |
For any Campus Update submissions, please include your most recent headshot, detailed information about what you will be submitting, and a link if possible. Julia Kim will reach out to you with any questions through email.
A reminder to all faculty and staff that Campus Update submissions are due no later than Monday at 5:00 p.m. for the Wednesday edition. Items that are received after that time will be included in the following week's newsletter.
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Oxford Communications is featuring a staff member each week to help us get to know our colleagues. To nominate a staff colleague to answer our five-question profile for publication in future issues, please contact [email protected]. You can also nominate yourself!
NAME: Sarah Dobbs
TITLE/DEPT: Executive Assistant — Office of the Dean
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How long have you been at Oxford? |
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My job is mainly making sure the Office of the Dean runs smoothly—trying (not always successfully!) to help the Dean and Chief of Staff keep manageable schedules. Also, a lot of event planning—which is both fun and stressful! I have been at Oxford for 4 years. |
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What do you like best about your job and about Oxford? |
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I love that I get to work with so many departments and people on campus and being a team member with every team! Every day is different, and I am never quite sure what excitement the day will bring. |
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What is your favorite song/tv show/movie/restaurant/podcast? |
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Favorite podcasts—Americast, Changes, Parenting Hell, Desert Island Discs. I love British TV Crime dramas. My music taste varies from 70s disco, 80s pop, 90s dance and R&B, Britpop—pretty much anything except country music. |
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What makes you happy or brings you joy? |
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Me at my happiest is being back in the UK with all my family together as we are scattered around the globe. I love traveling and planning a good trip—I am always looking forward to my next vacation! Family dog walks, especially when no one has a device in their hand! I also enjoy meals with friends and live music, concerts, and festivals. |
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Please complete this sentence: It might surprise people to know that I... |
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...I have been living in the U.S. for 22 years—I am originally from Glastonbury in the Southwest of England, and I am a quarter Maltese (my paternal grandmother). |
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David Gowler, Pierce Chair of Religion, published four short pieces in The Visual Commentary on Scripture (King’s College, London) on James 1:1–11 using an 1876 US political cartoon, a 1695 etching, and an 18th century painting in St. James Cathedral in Jerusalem. You can read more here.
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Pearl Dowe, Emory Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Political Science and African American Studies at Emory and Oxford, was a panelist on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast last week. You can listen to the podcast here.
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Marvin McNeill, Assistant Professor of Music and African American Studies, was recently featured in Episode 8 of the University of South Carolina's Institute for Southern Studies Take on The South Podcast series. The episode titled, "Marching Bands in the Black South," can be heard here.
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Oxford Alumni Basketball Game |
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On Sophomore Day—Saturday, February 17—there will be an Oxford alumni basketball game at 1:00 p.m. in Williams Gym. Please come and support the Oxford men's basketball team, where we will also be honoring Oxford's talented sophomores. You can register through the link here.
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Hello everyone! Check out this month’s Community Corner for some ways that Oxford College has been involved in the community over the last couple of months and for some fun upcoming local events.
Oxford College Holiday Assistance Program: Oxford faculty and staff have a long-standing tradition of providing gifts, clothing, and necessities for children and families in our local community through our partnership with Newton County's Department of Family and Children's Services. This year, Oxford faculty and staff fulfilled the holiday wish lists of 14 children in our community. Many, many thanks to those of you who were able to contribute to this initiative!
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Oxford College's Book Buds and Volunteer Oxford participated in Newton County Schools Literary Extravaganza. |
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Oxford College MLK Celebrations: Oxford hosted the Oxford MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 15. Sixty-two volunteers came together to collectively pack 200 menstruation kits for Clements Middle School and 73 weekend meal kits for the Giving Hands Food Pantry and Newton County Schools. Volunteers also wrote Valentine’s Day cards for patients at a local nursing home, while others partnered with the Oxford Organic Farm and City of Oxford to remove invasive species along the Dried Indian Creek Trail. Many thanks to Megan Hulgan and Volunteer Oxford for coordinating these service opportunities!
Newton County Schools Literacy Extravaganza: Last weekend, Oxford College's Book Buds and Volunteer Oxford both volunteered to support the Newton County School System's Literacy Extravaganza. Students helped direct families around the event, read books in English and Spanish to children and even dressed up as storybook characters like Pete the Cat and Clifford. Club members also helped clean up classrooms following the event.
Upcoming events:
Saturday, February 10: Join the Arts Association in Newton County for their Contemporary Dance Performance featuring Covington Regional Ballet, Kit Modus, and Newton County Strings in Oxford College’s Williams Hall at 7:00 p.m. Click here if you’d like to reserve a complimentary ticket to the performance.
February 12-15: From 12:00-6:00 p.m. each day, the Legion Field building (3173 Mill Street NE, Covington) will be open to the community to see a student art exhibit entitled ,"The Dreams of a People: Celebrating Black History Month" with pieces created by students from Newton County Schools. Stop by and help celebrate the talent and creativity of local students.
Friday, February 16: The student art display will open at 5:30 p.m. at Legion Field. Food Truck Friday will also begin at 5:30 for dining enjoyment, and the Magnolia Drive-In returns to Legion Field for a showing of Black Panther at 7:00 p.m. Walk through the art exhibit, purchase some food, and then cozy up in your car to enjoy a free movie night out!
Saturday, February 17: Join the City of Oxford for their annual Arbor Day Celebration at City Hall beginning at 10:00 a.m. Free tree seedlings will be distributed to attendees!
Saturday, February 24: At 10:00 a.m., the Washington Street Community Choir along with the MLK Community Choir will perform on the Square before the annual Black History Month Parade. Honoring the national theme "African Americans and the Arts," the parade will start at 10:30 a.m.
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For Such a Time as This: Dean Badia Ahad in Conversation with Dr. Tameka Cage Conley |
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In celebration of Black History Month, on February 13 at 7:00 p.m. in Phi Gamma, Dean Badia Ahad and Dr. Tameka Cage Conley will join in conversation inspired by Dean Ahad’s book, Afro-Nostalgia: Feeling Good in Contemporary Black Culture, which centers on joy, nostalgia, literature, and art in contemporary Black culture. Discussion will include identity and institutional dynamics that define America’s modern socio-cultural landscape, as well as Diasporic concerns and interests that have influenced America. Dean Ahad and Dr. Cage Conley will explore cultural questions about the journey of intention and guidance and what it means to make room for spontaneity, creativity, uniqueness, and that most rich ingredient—fortitude—necessary to stand upright and vigilant for generations that follow.
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Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award |
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Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues:
We request nominations for the Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award. This award is presented to faculty members in each of the four undergraduate schools in recognition of a record of excellence in undergraduate teaching. Established by Emory Williams, a 1932 Emory College alumnus and long-time trustee, the award designation represents a university honor for teaching.
AWARD CRITERIA:
Award recipients hold a record of excellence in teaching, having made major contributions in their academic discipline to curriculum development, pedagogy, and educational innovation. They have earned the respect of colleagues both at Emory and in the larger academic community. In addition to a stellar academic record and the accomplishments above, and in keeping with Mr. Williams’s wishes, the award honors faculty who:
- Foster participation, inquiry, and creative expression in the classroom
- Exemplify the highest quality of teaching scholarship
- Serve as a mentor to students
- Currently teach undergraduate students
- Retain a continual record of outstanding accomplishment and ongoing commitment to teaching
- Make significant contributions that impact and advance the university through teaching.
To make a nomination, submit a 1–2 page letter of nomination that includes the nominee’s name along with clear and detailed examples of teaching excellence, mentorship of students, and significant contributions that have impacted and advanced the university through teaching. Nominations should be submitted to the attention of Dr. Kristin Bonnie, Dean for Academic Affairs, via email to [email protected] by Friday, February 16, 2024.
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100 Senior Honorary Class of 2024 |
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The 2024 100 Senior Honorary List has been released, and we are happy to announce that 20 Oxford alumni are included. Please congratulate the students below! Learn more here and see the full list.
Maha Abu-Salah 22Ox 24C
Sarah Bekele 22Ox 24C
Olivia-Alexis Calderon 22Ox 24C
Roxanne Chou 22Ox 24N
Harrison Coorey 21Ox 24B
Devin Gee 22Ox 24C
Lauren Grychowski 22Ox 24C
Jenna Holton 22Ox 24C
Kate Huang 21Ox 24C
Mandy Jiang 22Ox 24N
Anya Kasubhai 22Ox 24C
America Moreno Ruiz 22Ox 24C
Dana Smiley 22Ox 24C
Patan Tippitak 21Ox 24C
Claire Todaro 21Ox 24C
Muskaan Vohra 22Ox 24C
Kenneth Wingate Jr. 22Ox 24C
George Wu 21Ox 24C
Sophia Yang 22Ox 24C
Jessica Yoon 22Ox 24C
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Call for Award Nominations - Graduating Women of Promise |
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The Center for Women invites all to nominate graduating women who have demonstrated leadership, inclusivity, and a commitment to making Emory a better place for all. FIfty students will be chosen to receive an honorary pin at the Graduating Women of Promise recognition ceremony on Wednesday, March 7, 2024. Nominate a student here.
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Save The Date Pride Awards |
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The Office of LGBT Life will be hosting the 2024 Pride Awards. Those who wants to celebrate the hard work that LGBTQ+ members do for Emory, please join for an event on March 27 for the 31st annual Pride Awards!
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Tarbutton and Kabir Fellows Story |
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Oxford’s Tarbutton Leadership and Kabir Fellows spent last summer working in communities at home and abroad exploring interests ranging from medicine and education to mental health research—all through Oxford's Center for Pathways and Purpose. The Center amplifies programs and resources to provide students with enriching developmental opportunities. Read more about the Center, as well as the adventures of the 2023 Tarbutton and Kabir Fellows, here.
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Save The Date for CSCE: April 19, 2024 |
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The Oxford College Library will host A Day of Celebration of Scholarship & Creative Expression (CSCE) on Friday, April 19, 2024. CSCE is a full day dedicated to exhibits, presentations, and poster sessions highlighting and celebrating the scholarship and creative work of students, faculty, and staff. Read about last year’s event here.
Look for more information about this annual event in upcoming issues of this newsletter and EaglePost.
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Men's Basketball: Southern Basketball College
William's Gym | 7:00 p.m.
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Magic Eastern Ensemble
William's Hall | 7:30 p.m.
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Contemporary Dance Performance with Covington Regional Ballet and Kit Modus
William's Gym | 7:00 p.m.
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Men's Basketball: Mountain Gateway Community College
William's Gym | 1:00 p.m.
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Take a Break Tuesday
Dean's Office
Oxford Student Center Plaza | 1:15-2:30 p.m.
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For Such a Time as This: Dean Badia Ahad in Conversation with Dr. Tameka Cage Conley
Phi Gamma | 7:00 p.m.
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Men's Basketball: Georgia Christian Community College
William's Gym | 1:00 p.m.
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To submit a news item for the next Campus Update, please email Julia Kim.
The newsletter is distributed weekly on Wednesday. Please submit items by Monday afternoon.
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