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October 16, 2023

Dear colleagues,

I hope you enjoyed Fall Break and that you found time to do something fun and restorative. As we begin the next phase of the semester, here are this week’s Top 5 Things to Know:

1. Applications for the 2024 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence are open through Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. ET. This award recognizes faculty who demonstrate excellence with their commitment to discovering new ideas and creating knowledge. Any full-time faculty member who has been at W&M/VIMS for at least five years is eligible to receive the award, which includes a $20,000 cash prize expendable over a three-year period. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. 
   
   
2. You might have seen last week’s story about the new geothermal heating and cooling that is being built for Monroe Hall— systems that are expected to cut W&M’s consumption of electricity and operating expenses by about 30%. As part of our Housing and Dining Comprehensive Facilities Plan, this is just one of many steps we are taking to make our campus more sustainable.
   
   
3. Nominations for the Thomas Jefferson Award and the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award are being accepted in my office through Nov. 3. The Jefferson Award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated a deep devotion and outstanding service to the university. The Jefferson Teaching Award honors a newer faculty member (with no more than 10 years of full-time service past their terminal degree) who has demonstrated, through concern as a teacher and through character and influence, the inspiration and stimulation of learning to the betterment of the individual and society. Renominations are allowed and encouraged; check for revised requirements before submitting. Please see a previous email I sent on Oct. 3 with the subject line, “2023-24 Jefferson Awards” for an attachment with additional information about the award requirements. 
   
   
4. Homecoming & Reunion Weekend starts this Thursday, Oct. 19. With award-winning actress and alumna Glenn Close ‘74, D.A. ‘89, H.F. ‘19 participating in several eventsthroughout the weekend, including the Arts Quarter Dedication, the Homecoming Parade and the Presidential Conversation with President Rowe, this year’s activities promise to make this Homecoming one of the best yet. And thank you to all those who have volunteered to support the weekend’s events! I look forward to seeing you there.
   
   
5. This week’s shout-out goes to the team that collaborated on last week’s Mental Health AMA on W&M’s flagship social media account. With support from W&M social media managers, counselors from Health & Wellness were available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on World Mental Health Day to answer student-submitted questions ranging from managing academic stress to navigating resources on campus. As you know, understanding and addressing academic stress and wellness at W&M is a high priority of mine. For the second year in a row, I appreciate how W&M counselors and the social media team shared their time, dedication and empathy to connect with our students.