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Academic Engagement

Keene State College provides many opportunities for faculty, students, staff, and community members to exchange ideas, hear lectures, and advance their own research and creative work outside the classroom. These high-impact practices are exciting and important additions to the intellectual and cultural life of students and faculty. The office of the Assistant Vice-President for Academic Engagement and Director of Mason Library supports events, funding sources, and other programs on campus. Information on a wide variety of opportunities is below.

Academic Excellence Celebration

The Academic Excellence Celebration is held in the spring. The primary goals of the conference are to facilitate an intellectual experience; to encourage the exchange of ideas and intellectual interaction among students; and to increase the visibility of students’ academic work and the collaborative work between students and faculty. Student work is selected through a rigorous review process. Other events and exhibits of student work create a week of activities focused on student research and creative endeavors.


Center for Creative Inquiry

If you are a student at Keene State College who may be interested in undergraduate research and creative endeavors or you are a faculty member conducting research and invested in working with undergraduates, you have come to the right place! The Center for Creative Inquiry supports unique, rigorous, and transformative academic experiences that focus on the collaboration between students and faculty mentors including support for summer research.

Travel, Research, and Funding Opportunities


Honor Societies, Advisors, and Funding

Honor Society funding is designated for enrichment activities sponsored by the Honor Societies. The mission of each Honor Society defines enrichment activities, and honor societies are eligible to apply for enrichment funding. Students have used funds to bring speakers to campus, to travel to museums, and to attend musical and theatrical events.

For more information contact Kim Schmidl-Gagne, Assessment and Accreditation Office, Provost’s Office, at kgagne@keene.edu or 603-358-2768.


Sidore Foundation Programs Series

The Sidore Foundation and the series have been established to support campus presentations by speakers on emerging ideas and to enhance faculty efforts to challenge students and the wider community to participate in dialogue around original, provocative, and sometimes controversial issues facing society. Each year several speakers, performers, or other events are held on campus supported by funds from the Foundation.


James D. Ewing World Affairs Lecture

The James D. Ewing World Affairs Lecture was named in honor of James Ewing, owner and publisher of the Keene Sentinel, an award-winning daily newspaper for the Monadnock Region from 1954 to 1993. The Endowment has been established to bring speakers to Keene State College and the Keene community to address current public or world affairs issues.


Support for New Faculty

Orientation for new Tenure-Track, Clinical, Artist-in-Residence, Post-Doc, and Contract Faculty

Annual new faculty orientation occurs in mid-August, two weeks before the fall semester begins, and is usually held over two full days. Specific dates, times, and locations of the orientation are announced in late summer.

The Asst. Vice-President for Academic Engagement leads this orientation and invites other current faculty, administrators, staff, and students to engage in discussion with the new faculty. Sample discussion topics and activities include institutional data about Keene State College students, student academic support services, accessibility services, digital learning, grant writing and undergraduate research, KSC Cares and other wellness support for students, Mason Library, and a tour of campus. Title IX and harassment prevention, environmental safety, and equity and inclusion sessions are also included. New faculty enjoy breakfast with principal administrators and lunch with peer faculty mentors. This is also an opportunity for new tenure-track, clinical, artist-in-residence, and contract faculty to get to know each other and assist one another.

Orientation activities will continue through the year and include opportunities to talk with students, to hear from faculty and administrators about how to prepare for the evaluation process, learn about grant and research opportunities, and other topics of interest. Conversations will be facilitated by the Asst. Vice-President for Academic Engagement and the Coordinator of Instructional Development.

Orientation for new Adjunct Faculty

The Asst. Vice-President for Academic Engagement provides orientation for new adjunct faculty one to two weeks before the beginning of both the fall and spring semesters. This orientation introduces adjuncts to the student culture at Keene State College and connects adjuncts to campus-wide faculty enrichment opportunities and student support services. This is also an opportunity for new adjunct faculty to get to know each other and assist one another.


Faculty Development Grants

Research activity support for full-time tenure-track faculty is supported through a fund made available through the KSCEA collective bargaining agreement. See more information about the program, eligibility, criteria, and application.

Adjunct Faculty Development Grants

Research activity support for adjunct faculty starting in their fifth semester is supported through a fund made available through the KSCAA collective bargaining agreement. Faculty must be eligible and members of the KSCAA. Information about the program, eligibility and criteria, and a link to the application form can be found here.

For Information About Academic Engagement

Celia Rabinowitz
Asst VP for Academic Engagement and Director of Mason Library
celia.rabinowitz@keene.edu
603-358-2736

Patrice Wright
Senior Administrative Assistant
Patrice.wright@keene.edu
603-358-2723