1. Faculty Responsibilities in Teaching and Advising

Counseling and Advising Students

Graduate Students: In addition to teaching, research, and service, faculty members are required to maintain office hours for counseling and advising students in their respective academic departments. The schedule and number of hours faculty members dedicate to counseling andadvising are usually determined by the academic department chair.

Undergraduate Students: In most programs, undergraduates are advised by their assigned professional program advisor although some programs rely on faculty to also serve as academic advisors. Undergraduate program directors also assist with advising in addition to their other responsibilities.

The dean with endorsement by the chairs, strongly suggest that all faculty receive the Graduate School Mentor Training.

Teaching Courses

Faculty teach a wide variety of courses, according to specific disciplinary needs. Among the different types of courses offered in SPHHS are lectures, laboratories, discussion sessions, internships, independent studies, honors thesis, colloquia, etc. Teaching is a primary mission of the faculty. Specific teaching loads are set at the departmental level subject to the approval of the dean. Course assignment is the responsibility of the department's chair, subject to the approval of the dean.

All new courses must be approved by the Faculty Senate. Experimental courses require approval by the department chair, school curriculum committee and dean, faculty senate secretary, provost and registrar. Permanent courses also require review by the department curriculum committee and senate councils.

Further information on the process for course development can be found here.

SPHHS Faculty and Staff Resources Teams Site

The school maintains a Microsoft Teams site for communication with faculty and instructors. A single place for current resources and relevant news and information, it includes announcements from the dean, contact information for school leadership, a school calendar of events, classroom communications, etc. There is a separate channel for sharing resources in each of the following areas: business center; human resources; information technology; diversity, equity and inclusion; research; teaching; student success. You will be given access to the Teams site when you are hired; please contact Carey Simos if you are unable to access the site.

Course Websites

UMass is transitioning to Canvas as its sole learning management system for both on-campus and online courses. While you have the option to continue using Moodle or Blackboard during AY23-24, we strongly recommend setting up your courses in Canvas. If you wish to use Canvas for your course, you need to request a Canvas course each semester through SPIRE. When the course’s Canvas page is set up, you have the option to import and reuse a previous course (either your own or a colleague’s, with their permission). Information on getting started in CANVAS can be found here: https://www.umass.edu/it/services/learning-management-systems

Course Requirements, Term Papers and Examinations

The syllabus for each course must include the following elements: course objectives, expectations/requirements, attendance policies, grading criteria including how the final grade is calculated, examination schedule and make-up policies, academic honesty policies, disability/accessibility policies, and contact information for the instructor. A template syllabus for SPHHS instructors is available through the faculty/staff Moodle page. The UMass Center for Teaching and Learning has resources for developing your syllabus following university guidelines: https://www.umass.edu/ctl/resources/how-do-i/how-do-i-write-inclusive-syllabus

Additionally, syllabi within SPHHS must include a statement of commitment to diversity:

Valuing, Recognizing, and Encouraging Diversity: Promoting and valuing diversity in the classroom enriches learning and broadens everyone’s perspectives. Inclusion and tolerance can lead to respect for others and their opinions and is critical to maximizing the learning that we expect in this course. Our own closely held ideas and personal comfort zones may be challenge. The results, however, create a sense of community and promote excellence in the learning environment. Diversity includes consideration of (1) the variety of life experiences others have had, and (2) factors related to “diversity of presence,” including, age, economic circumstances, ethnic identification, disability, gender, geographic origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, social position. This class will follow principles of inclusion, respect, tolerance, and acceptance that support the values of diversity.

Syllabi for courses in accredited programs must also include a listing of any competencies and/or learning objectives met in the class.

All course requirements, including textbooks, papers, and examinations, should be clearly indicated to students in the syllabus at the beginning of the semester. If there are changes, announcements should be made so that all individuals enrolled in the course are informed. The Academic Regulations, which are updated and published each year, provides guidance on when and how final examinations should be administered and when evening mid-terms can be scheduled. The Regulations also provide guidance on how instructors should handle absences due to illness, the observation of religious holidays, and other circumstances that will require students to miss classes or examinations. The link to Academic Regulations is here.

Finally, the Academic Regulations provide guidance for when a student can be given a grade of Incomplete in a course. INC grades should only be assigned if a student is passing the course at the time the Incomplete is requested, and usually only when one or a small number of assignments remain to be completed. An Incomplete contract (available on the SPHHS faculty & staff Moodle page) should always be completed and signed by both the student and the instructor, and a copy should be maintained in the department/program office. Students that do not qualify for an INC should have their final grade reported following the usual procedures and timeline.

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2. University Support for Teaching and Advising

Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL)

The Center for Teaching & Learning offers opportunities and resources for professional development in teaching to enable student learning. Faculty members can use the Center's range of services to assess, enhance, and document their efforts as teachers. The Center for Teaching & Learning’s activities are wide-ranging and include: consultations with individual faculty and departments; award programs; teaching assistant training; annual campus-wide events; mentoring and fellowship programs; resource development and dissemination; faculty workshops; and funded grants. https://www.umass.edu/faculty-development/

Teaching Awards: The Provost’s Office and the CTL manage the selection process for the annual Distinguished Teaching Award for faculty and TAs. The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs and Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Studies works with the SPHHS Curriculum Committee to manage the selection process for the School Outstanding Teaching Awards (Residential and Online) and Outstanding Graduate TA award. The CTL also sponsors the University’s nominations for national teaching awards such as the U.S. Professor of the Year Award and the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching.

Professional development in teaching is further supported by several fellowship and grant programs. They include Lilly Teaching Fellows Program; mutual mentoring funding; Flex grants; TIDE Ambassadors (Teaching for Inclusiveness, Diversity and Equity); and Faculty Grants for Teaching. https://www.umass.edu/ctl/

Instructional Design, Engagement, and Support (I.D.E.A.S)

I.D.E.A.S provides assistance to instructors on a variety of instructional technology tools (including Blackboard and Moodle). They provide webinars and workshops to introduce technologies and technology enhanced pedagogies for teaching and research. One-on-one consultations are also available. https://www.umass.edu/online/ideas

Classroom Technology at UMass Amherst

IT offers many supports for using technology in the classroom, including computer classrooms, multimedia equipment, assistive technologies, lecture capture recording hardware and software, videoconferencing facilities, and audience response systems. https://www.umass.edu/it/classroom-technologies

Providing Student Support

The University offers many resources to support students and student wellness. Below are a few of the highlighted resources that are most relevant to faculty and staff.

Maroon Folder

The University developed a guide, the Maroon Folder, to help faculty and staff recognize and help students experiencing a crisis. Information is provided to assist students that are experiencing problems with substance use/abuse, acts of bias and hate, bullying or harassment, sexual misconduct, depression or suicide. It provides tips on how to respond to students as well as offices to contact for additional support. The last page lists offices on campus for emergencies and counseling.

Academic Alerts

For students that are experiencing academic difficulties including low exam grades, poor attendance, limited interactions on the course Moodle site, missing assignments, etc., instructors can submit an Academic Alert. Instructors of many large introductory courses participate in the early alert system (where they are prompted to submit academic alerts at specific points in the semester), but this program is available to all instructors. To refer a student who is experiencing difficulties, watch this one-minute video or read these instructions.

Dean of Students Office (DOSO)

DOSO helps to support a student who is experiencing hardship, crisis, or trauma. If you have a student who you are worried about or if there is a conduct issue, please submit a report to DOSO. A Case Manager in the Dean of Students Office will reach out to the student. For more information on when it is appropriate to submit a referral, please visit their website. DOSO also provides clear guidelines for classroom civility and procedures related to disruptive classroom behavior.

DOSO: https://www.umass.edu/dean_students/

Classroom Civility: https://www.umass.edu/dean_students/campus-policies/classroom

Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH)

CCPH is located at Middlesex House (telephone: 413-545-2337) and provides a broad spectrum of clinical and skills-related services to all students at the University. Services include psychological counseling and therapy, diagnostic assessment, suicide prevention, behavioral management, and stress management. Center for Counseling and Psychological Health website: https://www.umass.edu/counseling/

Single Stop Resources

UMass lists many of their resources on the Single Stop Resource page: https://www.umass.edu/studentlife/single-stop

Learning Resource Center

Learning Resource Center (LRC) serves as the central academic support unit for undergraduate students. The academic support programs are for all residential undergraduate students, not just those who are struggling academically. Peer Tutors, Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leaders, and ExSEL Leaders are model students trained to assist their peers in achieving academic success. Learning Resource Center (LRC) is located on the tenth floor of the W. E. B. Du Bois Library. Students should visit the LRC website for details about the programs. https://www.umass.edu/lrc/

Student Success

The UMass Amherst Undergraduate Student Success unit was established in 2016 through the active partnership of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs & Campus Life, recognizing the benefits of integrated, cross-functional approaches to student persistence and thriving. Student Success at UMass Amherst website: https://www.umass.edu/studentsuccess/

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3. School Support for Teaching and Advising

Advising for Majors within the School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Each department within the School of Public Health and Health Sciences employs advisors. These advisors help individual students develop academic programs within their respective majors. The contacts for each major/program are:

Public Health Sciences Undergraduate Major (includes Bios/Epi, EHS, and HPP)

Undergraduate Program Director – Sofija Zagarins (zagarins [at] schoolph [dot] umass [dot] edu (zagarins[at]schoolph[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Undergraduate Advisors – Brigid Williams (bwilliams [at] umass [dot] edu (bwilliams[at]umass[dot]edu)) and Jesse Hunsicker (jhunsicker [at] umass [dot] edu (jhunsicker[at]umass[dot]edu))

Honors Program Director – Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson (ebertone [at] schoolph [dot] umass [dot] edu (ebertone[at]schoolph[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Graduate Program Directors – Elizabeth Cook (edcook [at] schoolph [dot] umass [dot] edu (edcook[at]schoolph[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Environmental Health Sciences

Graduate Program Director – Alexander (Sasha) Suvorov (asuvorov [at] schoolph [dot] umass [dot] edu (asuvorov[at]schoolph[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Health Promotion & Policy

Graduate Program Director – Jennifer Whitehill (jmw [at] umass [dot] edu (jmw[at]umass[dot]edu))

Kinesiology

Undergraduate Program Director – Eliza Frechette (efrechette [at] kin [dot] umass [dot] edu (efrechette[at]kin[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Undergraduate Advisor – Leeanne Leclerc (leclerc [at] umass [dot] edu (leclerc[at]umass[dot]edu))

Graduate Program Director – John Sirard (jsirard [at] kin [dot] umass [dot] edu (jsirard[at]kin[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Honors Program Director – Tom St. Laurent (tstlaurent [at] kin [dot] umass [dot] edu (tstlaurent[at]kin[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Nutrition

Undergraduate Program Director – Claire Norton (cpnorton [at] nutrition [dot] umass [dot] edu (cpnorton[at]nutrition[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Undergraduate Advisor – Nicole Goldstein (nicolegoldst [at] nutrition [dot] umass [dot] edu (nicolegoldst[at]nutrition[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Graduate Program Director – Zhenhua Liu (zliu [at] nutrition [dot] umass [dot] edu (zliu[at]nutrition[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Honors Program Director – Lisa Troy (lisatroy [at] nutrition [dot] umass [dot] edu (lisatroy[at]nutrition[dot]umass[dot]edu))

Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Undergraduate Program Director – Gwyneth Rost (grost [at] umass [dot] edu (grost[at]umass[dot]edu))

Undergraduate Advisor – Katherine Hanson (khanson [at] umass [dot] edu (khanson[at]umass[dot]edu))

Graduate Program Director – Jill Hoover (jrhoover [at] umass [dot] edu (jrhoover[at]umass[dot]edu))

Honors Program Director – Jennifer Mack (jemack [at] umass [dot] edu (jemack[at]umass[dot]edu))

Online Programs

Director of Online MPH-PHP – Lawrence Pellegrini (lcpelleg [at] umass [dot] edu (lcpelleg[at]umass[dot]edu))

Director of Online MPH-Nutrition – Heather Wemhoener (hmoring [at] umass [dot] edu (hmoring[at]umass[dot]edu))

Director of MPH-PHP Worcester – Jackie Coghlin-Strom (jackie [dot] coghlin-strom [at] umassmed [dot] edu (jackie[dot]coghlin-strom[at]umassmed[dot]edu))

Each of the undergraduate programs/majors enlists students in the respective programs as ‘peer’ advisors.

SPHHS Academic Dean’s Office and the Office of Academic Success and Career Planning

The SPHHS Academic Dean's Office and the Office of Academic Success and Career Planning offer centralized resources for students in the School. We are dedicated to helping SPHHS students achieve their highest potential through thoughtful academic advising and career planning.

Office of Academic Success

Student Success Advisors support students majoring in Kinesiology, Nutrition, Public Health Sciences, and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences who may be experiencing personal or academic difficulties. They also counsel SPHHS Exploratory Track students on transitioning to college and choosing majors. The Office of Academic Success:

• Provides support to students, program directors, advisors, and instructors in each of the School's disciplines
• Provides assistance to SPHHS undergraduates and graduate students experiencing extenuating circumstances and academic difficulty
• Reviews academic requests (e.g., late course withdrawals, third repeat petitions, late course petitions, withdrawals from the University)
• Advises and facilitates exploration of majors for SPHHS Exploratory Track students
• Facilitates exploration of alternative majors if students are struggling to complete major requirements
• Coaches and supports students who are not making satisfactory progress through their major or are referred through the Academic Alert Initiative

Instructors can also contact CSS if there are concerns about a student’s academic performance and well-being. Additional details about the Center’s services can be found on the SPHHS website at: https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/academic-dean-and-student-success

Academic Dean is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs – Gloria DiFulvio

Assistant to Academic Dean – Connie McCudden

Assistant Dean of Academic Success and Career Planning – Torin Moore

Student Success and Exploratory Track Advisors – Karin Cooley-Sanieski (ksanieski [at] umass [dot] edu (ksanieski[at]umass[dot]edu))

SPHHS Office of Career Planning

The Office of Career Planning is eager to partner with faculty to meet the career development needs of SPHHS students. They are always available to collaborate in the classroom with presentations on a variety of career related topics, including professional writing (resume and cover letter), internship exploration and preparation, career panels, networking, and more. Their trained Career Ambassadors can also provide individualized professional writing feedback for both graduate and undergraduate students and share with students examples of resumes and cover letters. Additionally, the Office has a faculty-focused webpage for a more complete list of ways instructors can partner with the office: https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/career-planning

Director of Career Planning – Mary Ellen Liseno (meliseno [at] umass [dot] edu (meliseno[at]umass[dot]edu))

Assistant Director of Career Planning – Rachel Comerford (Rachel [dot] comerford [at] umass [dot] edu (Rachel[dot]comerford[at]umass[dot]edu))

Assistant Director for Internships and Employer Engagement – Aimee Gilbert Loinaz (aimeegl [at] umass [dot] edu (aimeegl[at]umass[dot]edu))

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4. Multi-Disciplinary Activities

Commonwealth Honors College

In 1999, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education selected the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus as the location of Commonwealth College, renamed the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Honors College offers a variety of educational, service, social and advising opportunities to support its over 2,500 academically talented students. Commonwealth Honors College is a campus-wide program; students from all majors in every college are eligible to join the Honors College. Features of the Commonwealth Honors College include:

• The curriculum of the Honors College constitutes at least 20% of a student’s degree program.
• The Honors College requires an honors thesis or honors capstone project.
• Students affiliated with the Honors College are eligible to apply for funds to support independent research and thesis projects.
• The college emphasizes active learning and participatory education by offering opportunities for students to participate in regional and national conferences, Honors Semesters, international programs, community service, internships, undergraduate research, and other types of experiential education.
• The Honors College offers substantial honors residential opportunities:  https://www.honors.umass.edu/student-handbook

International Programs Office

The International Programs Office is located at 70 Butterfield Terrace on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. This office handles all international travel for University of Massachusetts students attending classes overseas or students from international institutions attending classes at the University of Massachusetts. If students have questions about visas, please have them reach out to IPO directly. https://www.umass.edu/ipo/

The International Programs student handbook can be found at: https://www.umass.edu/ipo/iss/international-student-handbook-0

Study abroad: If students are interested in studying abroad, they are encouraged to work with their academic advisor early in their academic career to identify which courses they can take abroad. There are over 70-campus sponsored programs on every continent but Antarctica. There are currently two undergraduate study abroad programs that are specifically designed for SPHHS students, offered through the Public Health Sciences undergraduate program. In the spring semester, students and faculty are invited to participate in a study abroad program in Costa Rica. Faculty apply to participate as instructors in these programs to offer intensive (3 week) courses.

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5. Teaching and Advising Awards and Recognition

University Distinguished Teaching Awards

The purpose of the Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA) program, a feature of the UMass Amherst campus for forty years, is to honor exemplary teaching at the highest institutional level. Both faculty and graduate students, nominated by students or alumni, are eligible for this highly competitive award. DTA winners receive a monetary prize and are recognized at both the Undergraduate and Graduate Commencements.

College Outstanding Teacher Awards

The College Outstanding Teacher Awards recognize excellence in teaching and honor individual faculty members for their teaching accomplishments. This program expands, at the college level, the recognition of teaching already provided by the Distinguished Teaching Awards. Each college and school selects outstanding faculty members for recognition. In addition to the College Outstanding Teacher Award, SPHHS also offers the College Outstanding Online Teacher Award to recognize excellence in online education and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award.

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