December 11, 2023

Dear colleagues,

Last week, I was invited to participate as a panelist in a Chronicle of Higher Education webinar, “Data Science Unbound.” We discussed data science’s expansion into nearly all elements of our lives and the dramatic increase in demand we’ve seen from students over the past few years. I felt delighted to draw on our work on the proposed Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Science and Physics school and to hear from the other panelists. W&M prides itself on our commitment to providing excellent educational opportunities to our students and this event highlighted just how much we have done in this area.

Here are the Top 5 Things to Know this week:

I encourage faculty to submit materials to two awards supporting faculty excellence: the University Professor for Teaching Excellence Awardrecognizes faculty who demonstrate and sustain excellence in teaching with a commitment to inclusive teaching; the University Professor for Research Excellence Award recognizes faculty impact in scholarship. For more information about each award and its criteria, please visit their respective webpages. Materials for both awards should be submitted to my office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
After a Covid hiatus, the application process for the W. Taylor Reveley, III Interdisciplinary Faculty Fellows is once again open. Funded through a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in honor of former President Reveley's leadership on the Mellon board of directors, the Reveley Fellows program creates structure and support for interdisciplinary work at William & Mary. Applications are due by Feb. 9, 2024. Please contact Pamela Eddy (pamela.eddy@wm.edu) if you have any questions.
One of the project teams from the 2022 Mid-level Academic Leadership Program consulted with the Studio for Teaching and Learning Innovation (STLI) to develop a semester-long DEI workshop series for faculty focusing on inclusive teaching and mentoring in Spring 2024. Workshop participants will have access to professionals and peers to identify how they can incorporate inclusive teaching strategies into their curricula. Lunch will also be provided, and those who complete the course will receive a small honorarium. Applications are due Dec. 15. Please send any questions about this opportunity to Dana Lashley (dlashley@wm.edu) or Andrew Wargo (arwargo@vims.edu).
W&M Information Technology recently licensed Gartner Campus Access. This new tool allows all W&M students, faculty and staff to log in using their W&M credentials and search for and retrieve the latest Gartner research. This includes white papers, webinars and more on an array of technology-related topics, including information technology, administration, medical and healthcare programs, library sciences, industry trends and analysis.
The final shout-out for this semester goes to each of you. Delivering the unique and personal education we offer here, as well as keeping up with our research prowess, requires dedication and passion. I feel fortunate to have such great colleagues who make it happen every day. As we wind down this fall semester, I’d like to encourage you all to spend your break time doing things that bring you joy. I also want to recognize and show appreciation for the staff and the teams who will come in over the winter break to continue their work in labs, other research spaces and classrooms. You all inspire our community to continue growing, learning and reaching for new goals. In sum: thank you!

For those of you who are able to attend the Yule Log this coming weekend, I hope you enjoy it!