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Category: General Housekeeping

We're moving our newsletter to the JetPack platform.
Published on Leave a comment on Let’s Get Set to Jet

For at least 15 years, Xavier faculty have gotten timely updates from this blog delivered to their inboxes. We hope to continue that tradition for many years to come, but we're making a few changes. Well, just one change, actually, but it's kind of a big deal.

We're moving our "CAT FooD" newsletter to the JetPack platform, which should offer several advantages.

Jetpack Logo

For one thing, it gives you more power to customize exactly how often you get your newsletter delivered. Also, it integrates more seamlessly with our blogging platform, WordPress.

What do you have to do? Nothing! If you are subscribed to the old newsletter, we'll add you directly to the new newsletter. We anticipate doing this during the winter break for minimal disruptions.

However, if you like, there are a few things you could do to make your transition even smoother.

  • The new newsletter will be coming at you from <donotreply@wordpress.com> so you could add that address to your contacts in order to keep it from getting flagged as spam.
  • You could even add yourself to the new JetPack newsletter now. (You will need to verify your subscription.) You might get a few duplicate issues, but that will resolve itself when we stop the old newsletter.

Again, those steps are optional. We envision a smooth transition. The only potentially confusing issue that we foresee might arise if you already subscribe to some other WordPress.com newsletters, but that is probably only a handful of you. We're happy to work with you to resolve anything that comes up on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, our inboxes are clogged these days, but email remains the best way to stay in touch for certain things. We hope timely info from CAT+FD is one of those things! We look forward to seeing you on the other side, in our brand-new shiny jet-powered future.

Some fun factual footnotes for those who read to the end: The origins of the CAT FooD newsletter are lost in the mists of time, but we believe it got started in 2009 using the Feedburner service. In October of 2016 we made the switch to MailChimp. We currently have 216 subscribers, a quarter of whom are not affiliated with Xavier.

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Published on 1 Comment on New Year, New Director

Every year, CAT+FD welcomes a cohort of new faculty to Xavier's campus. After many years of coordinating New Faculty Orientation, we've come to expect there will always be a few familiar faces in the group. Some faculty attended Xavier in the past. Other were hired mid-year and so already have a semester teaching here under their belt.

That seems appropriate to remember, as we welcome this year's new faculty, because we are also welcoming a new director who is nevertheless a familiar face.

Congratulations Jason S. Todd, PhD, new director of CAT+FD
Read Xavier's official announcement

Our new director, Dr. Jason Todd, is no stranger to Xavier's campus or to CAT+FD, for that matter. In fact, Jay served as Associate Director of CAT+FD for seven years. As such, his appointment as director represents a path of continuity. In the midst of hurricanes, pandemics, and disruptive technologies, a little continuity is welcome! At the same time, we know that Jay will take CAT in new directions. Continual innovation is just part of what we do in pursuit of our shared mission.

We look forward to working with Jay to support your development, as Xavier faculty, across all career stages and areas of professional responsibility.

Welcome back, Jay, and congratulations!

PS: It's also worth noting that Jay is the second CAT director named Todd. That puts our cumulative Todd ratio at something like 20%.

Published on Leave a comment on The End of an EYHra

I'm marking 25 years at Xavier this month. I planned to formulate some sort of reflection, which undoubtedly would have been insightful and profound if only I'd ever got around to actually writing it.

Instead, I'd like to focus on a different milestone which seems much more significant.

As most everyone knows, Elizabeth Yost Hammer is stepping away from the directorship of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development to return to full-time teaching. After 17 years, this truly marks the end of an era. Future historians might call it the EYH Era, or perhaps just EYHra for short.

For fun, here's a brief retrospective video that captures some scenes of EYH's tenure at CAT+FD. (Please note this video has no audio; it's just a montage of stills.)

The EYH Era at CAT+FD

On a personal note, I have to say it's been a pleasure and an honor to serve under Dr. Hammer's guidance. Rarely have I encountered such resolute positivity in another human being. For the better part of two decades, she's kept us focused on our part of Xavier's mission: supporting our faculty in the endless quest to deliver the best for our students. I look forward to our future collaborations as she moves into the next phase of her career.

But I can't look back at the past too long. We're also excited about CAT+FD's next chapter. Stay tuned!

Published on Leave a comment on You’ve Got Camtasia 2024
[Camtasia Logo]

This just in: Camtasia 2024 has now been released. What's more, Xavier's faculty site license for Camtasia still covers the new version!

For those just tuning in, Camtasia is a tool for making videos by recording from your screen and camera. A common use for teachers is to record short lectures.

In addition to the software, we have access to TechSmith's tech support as well as extensive training materials, which are excellent.

So what are you waiting for? Yes, you can download and install Camtasia now. Here's the link.

Oh, perhaps you're already using Camtasia and everything's working just fine, and you're wondering why bother? Well, there are some new features, but you should probably check the system requirements before you consider upgrading.

Please note: You will need a Camtasia License key to unlock the software beyond the free trial period. To get the key, please contact me, Bart Everson. You can send me an email: bpeverso at you-know-where.

Published on Leave a comment on New Members of the CAT+FD Team

We are delighted to announce our new Faculty-in-Residence.

Faculty-in-Residence for New Faculty Support

Raven Jackson is a Clinical Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy. She has served the university for 7 years as a faculty member within the College, a member and leader on several committees, and a strong proponent for interprofessional education and collaboration both within the university and beyond. Throughout her career, Dr. Jackson has focused not only on clinical practice, but also on practice transformation. She developed and now serves as Director of the Xavier University Telehealth Center, geared towards advancing medication therapy management services for rural clinics in Louisiana. Dr. Jackson also prides herself on empowering students through all aspects of pharmacy education. She has taught in a myriad of courses within the College of Pharmacy curriculum and has served as a recurring guest lecturer within the Department of Psychology. During her time at Xavier, Raven has been honored to work alongside faculty that have served as her former teachers and mentors, and she has transitioned into being that person for new faculty in the College. In her role as Faculty in Residence for New Faculty Support, she looks forward to advancing her efforts with new faculty in both the Colleges of Pharmacy and Arts & Sciences, introducing them to the unique culture and network that is Xavier University of Louisiana.

Welcome, Raven!

Faculty-in-Residence for Part-Time Faculty Support

Jeremy Tuman is an Associate Professor in the Department of English. He is the Director of First-year Composition and previously served as Faculty-in-Residence for Service-Learning in CAT+FD. In addition to teaching first-year writing, literature, and creative writing, Jeremy has worked extensively in the core curriculum, including designing and teaching Humanities-based service-learning courses, and helping to develop core learning outcomes for writing-based classes. He has previously served as a teaching fellow in a first-year-studies leadership cohort (then known as Freshman Seminar) and has participated as a fellow in the Faculty Communities of Teaching Scholars, sponsored by CAT+FD and the Mellon Foundation. His scholarly output includes critical essays, book reviews, and creative writing, published in outlets such as Xavier Review, Antenna/Room220, and New Orleans Review.

Welcome back, Jeremy! 

Published on Leave a comment on You’ve Got Camtasia 2023
[Camtasia Logo]

This just in: Camtasia 2023 has now been released. What's more, Xavier's faculty site license for Camtasia still covers the new version!

For those just tuning in, Camtasia is a tool for making videos by recording from your screen and camera. A common use for teachers is to record short lectures.

In addition to the software, we have access to TechSmith's tech support as well as extensive training materials, which are excellent.

So what are you waiting for? Yes, you can download and install Camtasia now. Here's the link.

Oh, perhaps you're already using Camtasia and everything's working just fine, and you're wondering why bother? Well, there are some new features, but you should probably check the system requirements before you consider upgrading.

Please note: You will need a Camtasia License key to unlock the software beyond the free trial period. To get the key, please contact me, Bart Everson. You can send me an email: bpeverso at you-know-where.

Published on Leave a comment on You’ve Got Camtasia (2022)
[Camtasia Logo]

This just in: Xavier's faculty site license for Camtasia has been extended for a few years, and Camtasia 2022 has now been released!

For those just tuning in, Camtasia is a tool for making videos by recording from your screen and camera. A common use for teachers is to record short lectures.

In addition to the software, we have access to TechSmith's tech support as well as extensive training materials, which are quite frankly excellent.

So what are you waiting for? Yes, you can download and install Camtasia now. Here's the link.

Please note: You will need a Camtasia License key to unlock the software beyond the free trial period. To get the key, please contact me, Bart Everson. You can send me an email: bpeverso at you-know-where.

Published on Leave a comment on Meet Our New Associate Director

"[M]y time at Xavier has allowed me to understand and appreciate the mission of St. Katharine Drexel and the University. This insight is vital for understanding the needs of our students and the demands upon our faculty and how this impacts programing at CAT+FD. -Dr. Mark Gstohl

Although we are sad to see Dr. Jay Todd move on to other things, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Mark Gstohl back to CAT+FD as our new Associate Director for Programming beginning January 2022! Dr. Gstohl is an associate professor in the Theology Department who has taught at Xavier since 2000. He formerly served as CAT+FD's faculty-in residence for Service-Learning from 2010-2013. His service-learning projects, Little Free Library projects, and work with local artist Jacqueline Ehle Inglefield at A Studio In the Woods helped him to win the Top 100 Leaders in Education by the Global Forum for Education & Learning in 2021, in recognition of his contribution to the field of education.

In addition, Dr. Gstohl brings his talent in incorporating technology into teaching, as well as his expertise in effective online teaching. He served on our original e-learning committees and implemented effective online and hybrid pedagogical practices well before they were pandemic imperatives.

In 2014 (CAT+FD's 20th anniversary) Dr. Gstohl served as a central member of our MVP team, where we explored how our mission should grow and change. It is with this insight and history that he will approach his new position to support our activities and initiatives by planning and promoting CAT+FD programming.

Dr. Gstohl, we look forward to working with you!

Published on Leave a comment on ICYMI: Dr. Tiera Coston Has a New Position

It is with great CAT+FD pride and almost as much heartache that we lend our support to Dr. Tiera Coston as she joins the A&S Dean's office as the new Assistant Dean for Engagement and Outreach. In this position, she will provide oversight for our new Quality Enhancement Plan, ‘CARE.’

Tiera has been in CAT+FD since 2013, when we were simply CAT. She has played a large role in the evolution of our work including expanding our mission to support all areas of faculty responsibility, developing expertise in supporting effective, culturally responsive mentorship, and meeting the professional development needs of our STEM colleagues. These are only a few of the areas where she has made an impact. Of course, there are too many to name individually.

Personally, I am grateful for the many lessons I have learned from Tiera over the years—about leadership, kindness, faith, little dogs and more. I know I speak for all in CAT+FD when I say that we wish her well, we support her, and we are looking forward to seeing the amazing things she does with CARE.

You can read more about Tiera in her bio below.

headshot of Tiera Coston

Tiera S. Coston is a proud alumna of Xavier University of Louisiana. She earned a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Tulane University and a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Dr. Coston joined Xavier’s staff in 2013 as the STEM Educational Improvement Specialist in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development (CAT+FD).  She has also served as the Assistant Director for Mentoring and Pre-Law Advising. Dr. Coston has more than 13 years of experience supporting faculty and in the areas of pedagogy, curricular development and enhancement, and mentoring. She has collaborated with faculty to develop their teaching and mentorship in projects sponsored by Innovation through Institutional Integration (iCUBED), Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE), and Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD). She has conceptualized, developed and implemented three different mentorship education programs that are currently ongoing at Xavier - Preparing Mentors and Advisors at Xavier (P-MAX), Entering Research at Xavier University of Louisiana (ER-XULA) and Mentee-to-Mentor (M2M). She is a National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Certified Facilitator, which requires demonstration of consistent and effective facilitation of mentoring-themed workshops and seminars. She has facilitated these events and Xavier, throughout the United States and abroad. She mentors undergraduate research and pre-law students as well as freshly minted Xavier alumni whose goal is to gain entry into graduate or professional school programs. She has had the privilege of teaching general biology and the various iterations of College Experience. In all of her work, her ultimate goal is to facilitate and promote the success of Xavier’s students for the fulfillment of Xavier’s mission.

Published on Leave a comment on ICYMI: You’ve Got Camtasia

Just in case you missed it with everything that's been going on!

[Camtasia Logo]

Breaking news: Xavier has secured a site license for all faculty to have immediate access to Camtasia 2020.

For those just tuning in, Camtasia is a tool for making videos by recording from your screen and camera. A common use for teachers is to record short lectures. Many Xavier faculty will be familiar with this software already. In recent years, you may even have come to the fifth floor of the Library to use the CAT+FD Camtasia Studio.

Under the current pandemic conditions, we all have limited access to facilities, and our Camtasia Studio is not open for general use. CAT+FD advocated for a site license so that faculty can use Camtasia on their laptops, desktops, and other devices, wherever they may be. Many thanks to the office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs for approving this purchase!

In addition to the software, we have access to TechSmith's tech support as well as extensive training materials, which are quite frankly excellent.

So what are you waiting for? Yes, you can download and install Camtasia now. Here's the link.

Please note: You will need to our freshly-minted Camtasia License key to unlock the software beyond the free trial period. To get the key, please contact me, Bart Everson. You can send me an email or use this form.