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1. Announcements

This issue of Thursday’s Notes begins with a warm welcome back to all. But it also begins with the sad news that the past weeks have seen the loss of two people close to our department.

Tina Love’s beloved husband, Phil, passed away on January 5 after a long and valiant struggle against pancreatic cancer. Words alone cannot express the sympathy we feel for Tina and her family in her loss, but Phil will long be remembered by virtue of the department scholarship already established in his memory. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in memory of Philip Love to Tower Cancer Research Foundation or Cedars-Sinai Cancer Fund at www.towercancer.org or http://giving.cedars-sinai.edu/ (choose “Cancer” from designation drop down box).

This past week has also seen the loss of our emeritus professor, Robert Reid.  A memorial service will be held this upcoming Thursday, January 23 at 2 p.m. at the Hollywood Forest Lawn cemetery at 6300 Forest Lawn Dr., in Los Angeles. In the words of the ever eloquent John Clendenning, “Bob should be remembered for what he positively contributed to the intellectual life of the department. Most important, he was on the cutting edge of post-modern theory. In the 70’s he helped to form an interdepartmental study group that met regularly to explore new ways of thinking about literature and culture…. Those of us who knew Bob then will always honor the freshness of his thinking about a world that was just then beginning to emerge.”

In happier news, here’s hoping everyone had restful and felicitous vacations, not too vexed by the holiday paradox, and that we are all looking forward to an exciting term ahead, just as soon, that is, as we catch our breath.

And to start things off with something exciting, Online Teaching in the Digital Age by Pat Swenson and Nancy Taylor is now available in a Kindle edition.  The paperback and Kindle versions are available on Amazon.com.

Also to kick off the New Year, a number of student-athletes in the Cal State Northridge baseball program will have an opportunity to participate in the new Online Tutoring Program Pilot starting in January 2014. The team will work with our own Andrea Hernandez, the Tutoring Coordinator for the Matador Achievement Center, to prepare for the program in the spring semester. This is a great opportunity for student-athletes to have access to a tutor when they are on the road for their competitive seasons. Head coach Greg Moore is excited for the pilot program, stating, “Imagine sitting down for a tutoring session from any hotel or coffee shop. The versatility and effectiveness of this new program allows our players to utilize the dynamic academic support here at CSUN. Tutoring is as complete on the road and as it is at home.” And we know Andrea will do a fabulous job.

In the not too distant future, the CSUN Competition for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Awards is coming up. Faculty may apply for 3 units of release time or a $5,000 mini-grant. In concert with the campus-wide effort to support scholarly activity by probationary faculty, those who have been at CSUN for 5 years or less are strongly encouraged to apply. The deadline for the 2014/15 program is Monday, March 3, 2014 at 5 p.m. For more information, including guidelines and application forms, please see http://www.csun.edu/research-graduate-studies/campus-opportunities.

And while you’re brushing up your own research and creative activity aspirations, let’s not forget the achievement of others. Nominations for this year’s Faculty Awards are currently being accepted with a February 21 for the receipt of nominations and a March 21 deadline for the receipt of all supporting materials. These awards acknowledge outstanding achievement by our esteemed CSUN colleagues. Awards include Outstanding Faculty (up to 2 awards, $1,700 each); Distinguished Teaching, Counseling, or Librarianship (up to 3 awards, $1,200 each); Preeminent Scholarly Publication(s) ($1,200); Exceptional Creative Accomplishment(s) ($1,200); Extraordinary Service ($1,200); Visionary Community Service-Learning ($1,200). For full information – criteria, nominating procedures, nomination forms, etc. – please see http://www.csun.edu/senate/awards.html. Please contact the Faculty Senate Office, X3263, or heidiw@csun.edu should you have any questions on this process.

2. Reminders

Please give Frank your office hours and copies of your Spring 2014 syllabi. He will be happy and so will you.

And please read carefully Frank’s ever handy Beginning of Semester Notice, which is chock full of useful information. For example, keep in mind that SOLAR online registration continues through the first three weeks of the semester. During this period students can add and drop classes willy-nilly, provided, of course, there is space, so expect some movement in your classes. After February 7, adding and dropping is allowed by petition only, and it’s worth reminding students of this as the third week draws to a close.

3. Opportunities

The Council on Basic Writing is pleased to announce the 2014 CBW/CCCC Fellowship, which subsidizes travel to CCCC in Indianapolis, Indiana in March 2014. The Fellowship includes recognition by the CBW of the recipient and a $500 travel grant, generously provided by Bedford/St. Martins. The CBW/CCCC Fellowship supports instructors of basic, preparatory and developmental writing (and similar introductory, stretch and/or accelerated courses) who need financial assistance to attend the 2014 CBW workshop and CCCC. Applicants must demonstrate how and why their attendance will benefit: (1) their students (2) their colleagues (3) their own professional development. The Fellowship winner should plan to attend the CBW Pre-Conference Workshop (the full Wednesday before CCCC). The Fellowship recipient also will be recognized and invited to speak briefly at the CBW SIG at CCCC. For more information, please contact Michael D. Hill at mdhill1@hfcc.edu.

For those of you interested in doing a little summer writing in Utah, the Writers at Work Fellowship deadline has been expanded to January 31. Awarded in each category (fiction, nonfiction, poetry), first prize includes $1,000; publication in Quarterly West; tuition for the 2014 conference; and a featured reading at the conference. With two honorable mentions of $250, this is a contest well worth considering. For more information, please see http://www.writersatwork.org/wp/?page_id=1171.

And here’s an opportunity for our students from Granada Hills Charter High School, which is currently hiring in the following positions in their after school program (3:30-6pm) Monday-Thursday. Resumes should be submitted to Applicants must submit their resumes to Maribel Palafox, AHA/Parent Engagement Supervisor at mpalafox@ghchs.com; 818.360.2361

SAT Writing Instructor: $30/hour. To guide and teach students to develop a point of view on an issue presented in an excerpt; to support points of view using reasoning and examples from their reading, studies, experience, or observations; and to follow the conventions of standard written English.

Academic Tutor: $15/hour. To tutor students in a variety of academic subjects, to assist them with the development of study skills, and to mentor them in the areas of academics and college preparation.

Guitar Instructor: $30/hour. Must have an understanding of and a passion for teaching, as well as experience in reading music (sheet music, tablature, etc.), harmony and theory (scales, progressions, techniques, etc.).

Also for students: The Artifice,  an online magazine that covers a wide spectrum of art forms (including Film, Anime, Comics, Literature, Arts) and is collaboratively built and maintained by the writers, is currently expanding and looking for students to join its team of writers. Do encourage your students to check it out at http://the-artifice.com; this could be a great start for some of them.

4. Achievements

Martin Pousson was named a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship for 2014. The NEA grant was awarded for his short story collection-in-progress, Black Sheep Boy. One story from that collection, “The Revelator,” was just published by The Rattling Wall in December. Another story, “The Skinwalker,” was sold to Epoch for publication this Spring. And a third story, “Flounder,” was just sold to The Antioch Review for publication in the Fall. He read at Shades & Shadows on January 18 and will read at Book Soup on February 11. Way to go, Martin!