Though Ovation is a showcase of student excellence at Baldwin Wallace University, Assistant Provost Lisa Henderson is making sure faculty aren’t left out of the celebration.

This year’s Day of Excellence will include a Faculty Corner, an area for faculty to gather and be recognized for their commitment to professional development.

Located in the second-floor lobby of the Boesel Musical Arts Center, the Faculty Corner is a new addition to Ovation, said Henderson. The space, which will be designated by a banner that reads “Faculty Corner,” will serve a variety of purposes, but is primarily designed as a “gathering spot” for faculty.

“We wanted to provide a space for faculty to gather if they needed to sit down for a few minutes, if they want to study the program for Ovation and figure out what posters they want to go see…and grab a snack,” said Henderson.

The area will also feature a looping informational video created by the School of Education’s Susan Finelli. Henderson said the “little commercial” will highlight “20 educational technology tools in 20 minutes” and is meant to introduce faculty to some new options they could use in their classrooms.

“Really, the purpose of that is pique faculty’s interest in some technology tools that they might be able to incorporate in their instruction,” Henderson said. “We want to set the stage with this looping video for some faculty development in the fall semester that will focus on these technology tools.”

The Faculty Corner is sponsored by the Faculty Center, an organization which “provide[s] professional development opportunities for the faculty,” said Henderson. On the Day of Excellence, the Faculty Corner will recognize faculty who have participated in the Faculty Center’s professional development activities over the course of the academic year.

“We’ve had a number of faculty development activities that have been sponsored by the Faculty Center this academic year, and so we’ve had a significant number of faculty who have participated in activities sponsored by the Faculty Center,” said Henderson. “At the Faculty Corner, we want to recognize people who have participated in Faculty Center events, so we will recognize people at the Faculty Corner with certificates.”

The certificates will be available for faculty members to pick up throughout the day, said Henderson.

Also, the Faculty Corner will feature books for next year’s faculty Reading Circles.

Near the end of the Day of Excellence, the Faculty Corner banner will be moved to Gamble Auditorium to reserve seating for faculty during the Conservatory honors programming, said Henderson.

The Faculty Center hopes to use the banner at other events to provide an opportunity for gathering and “fellowship” among faculty, she said.

Henderson said that the Faculty Corner is meant not only to celebrate faculty members, but also to thank them for their dedication to professional development.

“I’m appreciative, really, of the faculty who have engaged [with the Faculty Center],” she said. “I’m appreciative and proud of the response we’ve gotten from faculty with the initiatives out of this office, so it’s just kind of a way to say thank you to them.”