Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Diversity | March 2025 | |
Celebrating March, Women's History Month | |
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Dear Colleagues,
This month there are multiple opportunities to engage in conversations about topics ranging from leadership to mindfulness and the environment. I hope many of you will join us as we welcome President Lynn Wooten of Simmons College to campus on March 24 to speak about leadership in honor of Women’s History Month. Please see below for more on this event and how to sign up.
We are also accepting applications for our fall Writing Retreat. This will be our 4th annual retreat and promises to be another wonderful opportunity for assistant and associate professors to have dedicated writing time before the fall semester begins.
If you are looking for ways to stay balanced amid rapid social changes, please consider participating in an upcoming mindfulness session or virtual program through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). WashU faculty, students, staff, and postdocs all have free access to NCFDD’s valuable resources and programs. The spotlight section below provides more details.
With best wishes as we near the mid-semester point and Spring Break.
Warm regards,
Kia Caldwell
—Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Diversity
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Danforth Campus Faculty Writing Retreat–Apply Now!
August 10-12, 2025, The Inns at St. Albans (~45 minutes from Danforth campus)
The Office of the Provost will host the fourth annual writing retreat for Danforth assistant and associate professors. Priority registration will be given to assistant professors and to faculty who did not attend previous writing retreats. Accommodations, meeting spaces, and meals are covered by the Office of the Provost. Attendees need to provide their own transportation.
Learn more and apply here by April 30
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Arriving and Thriving in the Academy: Leadership Practices for Life's Works with Lynn Perry Wooten
Monday, March 24, 2025 (2-3:30 p.m.), DUC 234
President Wooten is the ninth president of Simmons University. Specializing in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive leadership, Wooten is an innovative leader and prolific author and presenter.
Register here
(the first 20 registrants will receive a free copy of President Wooten’s book, "Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership")
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Lunch and Learn: Getting through Turbulent Times with Andrew Knight – Register Now!
WashU—and higher education more broadly—is navigating turbulent times. In this session you will learn five common human reactions to organizational turbulence and a few strategies for leading others as we face and implement significant changes. Andrew Knight is the executive director of the Bauer Leaders Academy, senior advisor to the Chancellor for Leadership, and professor of organizational behavior. Light refreshments will be served.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 (12-1 p.m.), DUC 234 AND on Zoom
Register here
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Mentoring Intensive for Faculty–Register Now!
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 (8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), Danforth Campus
We invite you to the upcoming Mentoring Intensive through our curriculum based on five essential modules developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) and tailored for WashU faculty dedicated to mentoring graduate students and early career faculty at our institution. It offers a unique blend of theory-based exercises and case studies proven to enhance your mentoring impact.
Register here
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NCFDD Presents Navigating Uncertainty in Higher Ed: Strategies for Faculty
Higher education is experiencing unprecedented changes, leaving many faculty navigating uncertainty and increased pressure. Balancing teaching, research, and service amid shifting expectations can be overwhelming and affect their well-being. This NCFDD webinar provides a dedicated space for reflection, connection, and intentional action.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 (1-2 p.m.)
Learn more and register here
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Monthly Community Mindfulness Sessions
Join certified mindfulness teachers from the WashU Mindfulness Science & Practice group for community sessions that include guided mindfulness meditation practice and discussion on practice-related themes. Brief micro practices will be offered that you can use throughout the day in a moment of challenge or stress throughout the semester. Open to all faculty, staff, students, leaders, and community members.
- March 21 (11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.) at Somers Hall 249
- April 18 (11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.) at Somers Hall 249
- May 9 (11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.) at Somers Hall 249
- May 16 (9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) Retreat-Style Practice - Location TBD
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Upcoming Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lectures
Jaime Miranda, Professor and Head of School at the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
Lecture: The Journey of Building a Career in Global Public Health
Monday, March 10, 2025 (12-1 p.m.), Connor Auditorium, Farrell Learning & Teaching Center, Floor 1, 520 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110 (Med Campus)
Learn more and register here
Public Lecture: Public Health seminar, “Rethinking Chronic Disease: From Healthcare Services to Sustainable Well-Being”
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 (12-1 p.m.), Goldfarb Hall 33A (Danforth Campus)
Learn more and register here
Medicine Grand Rounds: “Rethinking Sodium and Potassium: Low-Sodium Salt Substitutes in Cardiovascular Risk Reduction”
Thursday, March 13, 2025 (8-9 a.m.), Clopton Auditorium (Med Campus)
Learn more and register here
Kwasi Torpey, Professor of Family Health and Dean, University of Ghana
Public Lecture: “Ending HIV/AIDS in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities”
Monday, March 17, 2025 (12-1 p.m.), Brown Lounge, Brown Hall
Learn more and register here
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Assembly Series—Dark Waters: The Environmental Legal Battle Exposing Corporate Coverup in the name of Public Health
The New York Times called Robert Bilott, “The lawyer who became DuPont’s worst nightmare.” Bilott, a distinguished environmental attorney, shares the unsettling story of his epic legal battle against DuPont and how he exposed corporate coverup and massive chemical contamination of unprecedented scale and scope, now impacting virtually every living thing on this planet. Drawing from his book, "Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against Dupont," Bilott takes audiences through the unforgettable legal drama about malice, manipulation, and perseverance against the failings of environmental regulation.
Monday, April 7, 2025 (5 p.m.), Graham Chapel
Register here
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2025 Global Health Annual Conference, Global Health at WashU: Focus on Impact
April 30-May 1, 2025
Join WashU global health faculty, students and community partners convene to explore the impact of WashU research on global health at the 2025 Global Health Annual Conference, Global Health at WashU: Focus on Impact.
Learn more and register here
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Federal Grants: This WashU research site has the latest information on federal research.
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Application Open for the Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program: The Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program brings to WashU individuals who have distinguished themselves as leaders and innovators in the academy, business, or in other fields of endeavor. Learn more and apply to the program here.
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Free NCFDD Membership and Programming: Claim your free membership to the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). Learn more about this free membership, available to all WashU faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and trainees. Plus, the NCFDD programming calendar is live and visible upon joining NCFDD.
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Faculty Senate and Provost Office Launch WIDE Speaker Series: Provost Beverly Wendland, Faculty Senate Chair Dennis Barbour, and Vice Provost Vijay Ramani, along with a review committee of faculty from both campuses have launched a faculty-driven speaker series, WashU Ideas, Discourse and Exploration (WIDE), which offers the WashU community the chance to celebrate the value of open dialogue while engaging with a range of insightful scholars to promote personal growth and learning in the context of complex topics. The WIDE committee will continue to review proposals on a rolling basis until program funds are expended, so we encourage faculty with ideas for projects that align with the goals of WIDE to submit a proposal.
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SPOTLIGHT: NCFDD
WashU is a member of (NCFDD), an independent organization that is nationally recognized for providing online research productivity, academic mentoring, and career development resources.
WashU faculty, graduate students, post-docs, trainees, and staff are welcome to access online resources by claiming their free membership, available through our institutional membership, instructions here.
Some of the resources available include:
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