October 25, 2024

Dear A&S colleagues,

I’m not sure if you feel the same, but this fall semester seems to be flying by in a blur—an exciting and intellectually stimulating blur, at that! As we move forward, I wanted to take a moment to share several important opportunities to connect and engage on campus this week.

• Hillel International focus groups for Jewish faculty, students and staff - register now: William & Mary is partnering with Hillel International on a campus climate review aimed at assessing the experiences and sense of belonging for our Jewish students, faculty, and staff. We invite you to participate in one-hour, virtual focus groups where discussions will center around topics such as cross-cultural interactions, attitudes and treatment of Jewish students, expression of Jewish identity, and concerns about antisemitism on campus. This initiative will also reflect on any changes related to recent events in Israel and Palestine since October 2023.
  • Faculty session: Monday, 10/28,12:00pm
  • Staff session: Wednesday, 10/30, 12:00pm

• • Faculty Session
  • Staff Session
  • Graduate Student Session
    
    
• Raft Debate, Oct. 28: Three of your colleagues are gearing up for a fierce debate for the survival of humanity – all in a Monday’s work! An additional one of your colleagues is preparing to argue that NO ONE should survive, and a final colleague is preparing his wig and gavel to serve as the judge for the competition. The competition is ramping up. But really, it’s up to the audience. Students are coming out in force to cheer on the faculty member representing their area, and it’s going to be a really good time. I hope you will join us this Monday, Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. in Commonwealth Auditorium. A reception will follow and RSVP is requested.
  
  
• IGNITE sessions, Oct. 29: I invite you to participate in IGNITE sessions. IGNITE, a signature initiative of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is designed to broaden the pipeline of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds by bringing junior scholars and scholars-in-training from underrepresented communities to campus for a 3-day on-campus professional development experience. One of the features of the program is a 20-minute presentation on the IGNITE scholar’s area of research. This year’s sessions feature six scholars from fields including Africana studies, physics, environmental engineering, English, religious studies, and chemistry. I encourage you to attend one of the scholar presentations, which provide an excellent opportunity to engage with emerging research. Presentations will take place on Tuesday, October 29, starting at 9:00 am. You may register here: IGNITE session registration.

• Research funding opportunity for junior faculty in applied science, life sciences, mathematics/computer sciences, physical sciences, or policy: As a member institution of the ORAU, William & Mary is eligible to put two applicants forward for the “Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards Program." These competitive research awards provide seed money for junior faculty members that often result in additional funding from other sources. The award amount provided by ORAU is $5,000. The applicant’s institution is required to match the award with at least an additional $5,000, which will be provided by the VPR office. Interested applicants should review the OSP announcement and prepare the listed materials for submission by December 5th. There can be no more than two internal submissions per department. OSP announcement: https://go.wm.edu/HryHCH. If you have any questions, please reach out to frcgrantapp@wm.edu.

• William & Mary Presents! Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, Nov. 2: I encourage you to attend William & Mary Presents!—the final performance of the fall semester—featuring Leah Glenn Dance Theatre and celebrating the work of the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Arts Center Concert Hall. This unique concert will showcase the synergy between dance and spoken word to foster community through kinesthetic empathy and storytelling. This concert will also feature music by Grammy-nominated artist, Hannibal Lokumbe, and a reception will follow the event. This program is proudly sponsored by the Office of the Arts, The Lemon Project, the Society of 1918, and William & Mary Libraries. Purchase tickets.

I always like hearing from people in response to my Friday messages, and I am grateful to the person who shared this Mark Twain poem with me in the wake of Rose Way's death. Twain wrote this poem in the 1890s after the death of his daughter, Susy Clemens, at the age of 24.

Take care, everyone.

Suzanne Raitt 
Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences 
Chancellor Professor of English 
Pronouns: she/her/hers