January 26, 2024 - Resources and Upcoming Events for Faculty
Dear colleagues,
This email is the third you will have gotten from me this week; please consult the other two emails on snow closings, term regulations, and classroom policies as you finalize your spring syllabi. Here, I want to bring your attention to some resources and upcoming events.
Resources
Once the semester begins, the faculty officers will resume holding regular office hours on Zoom; details are available on the faculty officers’ webpage.
Please note, if you haven’t already, Anne White’s update on Research Administration Services in the most recent Faculty Newsletter. You’ll find some performance metrics and responses to faculty feedback, and we may want to follow up with discussion at a spring faculty meeting.
Finally, we have acquired a site license for iThenticate, a tool that can help identify material in publications or student work that may not have been properly cited or sourced. Members of the community may use the tool to review work before or after publication or submission. Some guidance for use can be found here, and the MIT Libraries also offer a variety of tools and guidance on proper citations.
Events
On February 14th, we will begin an almost-weekly coffee faculty hour, with excellent espresso drinks provided by Black Magic Coffee, in the Bush Room (10-105), on Wednesday afternoons 3:30-5pm when no faculty meeting is being held; thanks to the president’s and provost’s offices for sponsoring an idea that has been in high request. Other dates include: March 6, March 13, March 27, April 3, April 24, May 1, May 8, May 22. Google calendar invites are embedded in all dates. Outlook calendar invites are attached.
On March 6th, 3-4:30pm, Civil Discourse@MIT will host a seminar on free expression for MIT faculty, focusing on how to promote civil discourse in the classroom and on campus, featuring Yascha Mounk (Johns Hopkins), John Rose (Duke), and Flynn Cratty (Harvard). There will be a panel discussion, Q &A, and snacks. The organizers would appreciate an early approximation of likely attendance; if you are interested, please RSVP at https://forms.gle/hjuMbay4XpDD9j989. (See their website for other upcoming events).
Dialogues across Difference will host two speakers next month: on February 12th, Pamela Nadell (Jewish Studies, American University), and on February 26th,Erwin Chemerinsky (dean, UC Berkeley Law). Looking further ahead, the series will also host Dalia Mogahed (Institute for Social Policy and Understanding) on March 18th, and Murad Idris (Political Science, Michigan) on April 18th. Events will take place in 45-801 (the Schwartzman College building), 4-5:30pm (registration on the series website).
The faculty officers will resume hosting monthly faculty breakfasts at the MIT Museum in February, from 8-9:45am on the Tuesday preceding the monthly Institute faculty meeting. Thanks to a generous donation, we expect these will continue through at least AY 24-25. I’ll continue to send out reminders the week before the event, but please mark your calendars with these spring dates: February 20, March 19, April 16, and May 14. Google calendar invites are embedded in the dates. Outlook calendar invites are attached.
All the best,
Mary C. Fuller
Professor of Literature and Chair of the MIT Faculty
Outlook calendar invites for coffee hours:
March 6
March 13
March 27
April 3
April 24
May 1
May 8
May 22