The University of Memphis is holding its first ever Faculty Scholarship week April 15 through April 19, concluding with the 20th anniversary of its annual Spring Convocation.
The week includes performance, lectures, displays and presentations.
"What we really want to do is to have students, staff and faculty to hear the scholars on this campus," said Chrisann Shiro-Geist, senior vice-provost of academic programs. "They really need to appreciate how scholarly our faculty are."
At the Spring Convocation, the faculty scholarship event will award faculty for excellence in teaching, research and scholarship. The honored faculty will march in caps and gowns from the Communication and Fine Arts Building, past McWherter Library to the Rose Theater.
"Anyone can come to it, you don't have to be dressed up," Shiro-Geist said.
The Friends of the University Libraries is sponsoring the week of events that will highlight the scholarship produced by the faculty including books, articles, CDs, films and works of arts.
The body of work produced by U of M faculty is "huge" according to Shiro-Geist.
"We had to have the dean of each college to select the material to display," she said. "The best of the best will be put out."
The Friends of the Library did the work on displays in the Rose Theatre and the library.
Students also participated in the events.
Students can vote all day April 17, in The Tiger Den, for their choice of "Most Dedicated Faculty."
Jared Barker, a senior philosophy major, said that he had a teacher that he would consider nominating for the award.
"She was responsible for my decision to become a philosophy major, and that has changed who I am," Barker said. "I've taken several classes with her."
Andre Gibson, a senior computer information systems major, also had a teacher he would consider nominating.
"I have a great professor who has taken an alternative approach to teaching. She allows an atmosphere of interaction in the class and it has been very helpful," Gibson said. "She has a day job (in her field) and she uses anecdotes from that."
The Junior Emerging Leaders will then host a faculty appreciation lunch on the 19th and announce the winner of the awards.
The Office of Student Affairs is providing 300 free box lunches for the first 300 students, faculty and staff who arrive for the announcement at 11:30 a.m.
At the convocation, faculty will be presented with awards for research, scholarship and advising.
Committees select all of the awards recipients except the Allen J. Hammond Presidential Service Award - President Shirley Raines selects its recipient.
All events are free and open to the public except "The Great Conversations Dinner" on April 19, which costs $75 and requires reservations.
