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Memo

To: Employee Performance Award Committee

From: Janene Davison

Date: 3/1/2015

Re: 2015 Faculty Employee Performance Award

I am so pleased to be nominated for the Faculty Performance Award this year. I know I stand in good company and have tough competition from my very talented colleagues. Below is support information to help you in further considering my nomination. Most of the evidence Im referring to is a direct result of my work with the Colleges Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), one facet of the SACSCOC reaffirmation process which was highly praised by our onsite SACS accreditation team. The team I led did years of preparation to help create the Read Deeper program. Read Deeper or critical reading is designed to improve student learning across our campus by strengthening students academic reading skills and critical thinking. This two part program consists of faculty professional development, and critical reading classroom activities. We unofficially launched Read Deeper in the spring of 2014 through a pilot program implemented in a handful of history, English and A&P classes. The pilot semester gave us the opportunity to work out the kinks in our implementation and we reinitiated pilot phase II in the fall of 2014. The entire QEP plan will roll-out over the next five years. At the end of this time nearly 1/3 of full-time faculty will receive targeted professional development, and critical reading techniques will be implemented in approximately 26 course sections touching around 700 students each semester!

1. Help others grow personally/intellectually: I love learning new ideas and I love talking with others about those ideas. Leading the QEP has given me the formal and informal capacity to work with the other faculty members to bring these ideas into fruition. I think I am making them better teachers, while theyre simultaneously doing the same for me. I believe I am effective in this

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position because Im leading as a fellow faculty member. The best leaders nurture others by listening and sharing, not by instructing. This is what I strive to do! Ive had the privilege of being able to share our successful QEP techniques at several conferences, thus helping others to grow outside of the GC community. Last week Dr. Larry Root and I presented at the Texas A&M Assessment Conference in College Station. Next week well be presenting at the Texas Association of Institutional Researchers in Addison. Later this spring Michael Berberich and I will be presenting about the Read Deeper techniques at NISOD in Austin.

2. Knowledgeable in my discipline: The other day I heard someone say that people who are engaged in their jobs get to do what theyre good at every day. My gift is communicating with others orally or in writing. And I am so lucky that I do get to do that every day here at Galveston College. But there is always room to grow, so reading, attending conferences, and sharing ideas with others helps me to stay abreast in my field. One of my favorite quotes is You cant step into the same river twice. No two groups of students are ever the same, and Im regularly modifying how I teach. You shouldnt ever stop learning, and thats what makes life so fun. I also try to take new found knowledge and share it with others. Just yesterday I heard about a great practice that increased students academic tenacity and I am busting at the seams to talk to Dr. Ellis and Dr. Matthews about how we can implement something similar at Galveston College.

3. Approachable, helpful, available: I hear regularly from my students that I am very approachable. Public Speaking is already intimidating enough for so many people. Being able to put my students at ease is to my advantage and theirs. (A relaxed person makes a much better speaker than a tense one) I think anyone who knows me even a little will also agree that Im helpful and available. I serve on many committees within the college (currently: QEP, Professional Development, Galveston County Science Fair, Rank Tenure & Sabbatical, and the parking scholarship committee for Faculty Senate). I am also involved in the Galveston community as a member of the Satori School Board of Trustees, and an active participant in my church (Clerk of Session for the last two years, hand bell choir, Congregational Care Chair, and the Communications Committee). I should probably learn to be less available ;)

It continues to be a pleasure to work at Galveston College. Thank you for considering my submission!