This newsletter covers what happened in December and will give you a heads up on what to look for in January and the months following.

In this issue:

Greetings!

I hope that you are looking forward to the New Year 2020 with excitement and anticipation of great things to come.

The Academy of Process Educators is changing as it creates its long-term vision and develops its strategic plan for 2020-2025.

First, let me say thank you to each of you for all of your contributions to an important work of the Academy over the past six months. During 2019-2020, we are engaged in a journey of becoming a stronger Academy by elevating our expectations and performance. We are striving to become a deliberately developmental organization (DDO), increase our self-growth as a community, expand membership outreach, and grow leadership opportunities. At the same time, we are building the framework for the future of the Academy through strategic planning.

During the Winter Meeting at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy on January 2 – 5, we will define the foundation of the Academy’s Strategic Plan for 2020-2025. This planning process will reflect the input of 58 members via an online strategic planning survey, as well as documentation of accomplishments since the development of the Academy’s original plan in 2007. This transformational change process will build on the unique strengths and values of the Academy. If you are interested in understanding more of the history, read the Academy Case Study in the International Journal of Process Education (IJPE) Special Edition 2016. You are invited to participate in the Winter Meeting as a face-to-face participant or an online participant (see the article on the Winter Meeting for information on how to participate). Assist us in setting the stage for a future of transformation that makes a difference in multiple communities, on and off campus.

As leaders, we are called to deal with connections where the internal and external organizational environments come together. As planners, we must deal with the past, the present, and the future at the same time. With that in mind, let me share the following poem by Langston Hughes, which he titled ‘Youth’:

We have tomorrow
Bright before us
Like a flame.

Yesterday
A night-gone thing
A sun-down name.

And dawn-today
Broad arch above the road we came.
We march!

Our success depends upon the active support of all Academy members as agents of change.  All the best as we take this journey together!

Did you know that the minutes of the Academy Board Meetings are available to ALL Academy members? In this article, we offer highlights of the most recent board meeting(s):

Nov 2019 minutes        Dec 2019 minutes (not yet approved)

A New Board Member

We extend our welcome to our newly elected member-at-large, LaShunda Calvert!

Winter Meeting

The Winter Meeting is upon us...see you in St Louis!

Stay Tuned for a New Meeting Schedule

Our board meeting schedule will need to change in 2020 .... there will be a Doodle poll sent out with available scheduling options. Please be sure to respond. Thank you & I apologize for the change (I now have class on Thursdays until 8 pm.)

The Next Board Meeting

The date and time for our next Board meeting will be posted on the Academy home page, as soon as it has been determined. Please join us if you can.

URL:  https://zoom.us/j/295947580
Meeting ID:  295 947 580
Telephone number:  646 558 8656
iPhone one-tap: +16465588656,,295947580#

It's NOT too late! We have bumped the deadline to Jan. 2 for proposal submissions.

GO HERE to submit your proposal online!

Whether you are new to Process Education or have years of experience, one of the most valuable resources available is the Faculty Guidebook. Now in its fourth edition, the Faculty Guidebook combines decades of research from more than 50 authors to expound upon every aspect of education. You might be asking where you can access such a precious tome. If you do not already own a copy I highly recommend purchasing one from Pacific Crest at http://www.facultyguidebook.com/4th/discount.htm

However, all members of the Academy of Process Educators can access the electronic version, should you prefer an e-book or just find yourself without your print version. The electronic Faculty Guidebook (eFGB) can be found in the top left corner of the Academy Bookshelf, which is at the top of the Member site.

Of course such a momentous book can be intimidating and one may be wondering how best to “read” such a text. Consider the following excerpt from the How to Use This Book section:

“Each section is divided into chapters which address topics central to the faculty role covered by that section. Finally, each chapter is actually comprised of a number of modules. All 146 modules are short (no longer than four pages), distilled to quickly convey what is essential about any given topic. Most chapters begin with an overview module, so you can easily skim the contents of the entire book just by reading the chapter overviews.”

So as many of us begin our spring semesters, I urge you to access and explore the book, perhaps again...perhaps for the first time. Starting next month we will highlight a specific module in each newsletter that was found to be very powerful in the professional development of a board member. This “module of the month” will be suggested for reading (or re-reading) and will be accompanied with some guided inquiry questions. If you have any difficulty with accessing or navigating the eFGB then feel free to contact me at mwatts@tcc.edu.

All workshops consist of two parts: Part 1 is 45 minutes long; Part 2 is optional and is also 45 minutes long.

Jan 28 - Using a Project Management Template for Successful Project Implementation, Ahmd Azab

Feb TBD - IRB requirements for research, TBD

Mar 17 - Two easy, practical PE practices you can start at any time, Steve Beyerlein

-- selecting learning skills for a course
-- creating a facilitation plan (with learning skills in mind)

Apr TBD - Qualitative Analysis of Interview Data for Educational Research, TBD

May 26 -  How to Systematically Improve Performance: the Performance Development Methodology, Tris Utschig