Fall 2024 application for promotion and tenure

Dr. Eric L. Longsdorf, Chair of the Department of Exercise & Rehabilitation,
Dr. Mark Merrick, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services,
Chair and members of the Appointments and Promotion Committee,
Chair and members of the Tenure Subcommittee,
Dr. Scott Molitor, Interim Provost of the University of Toledo,
Mr. Matt Schoeder, Interim President of the University of Toledo, 
Members of the Board of Trustees,

Dear esteemed reviewers,

     I am humbled to have been on faculty in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program for 17 years.

     I remain grateful for the mentorship that I received during my time at the rank of Assistant Professor, as it was a true initiation into academia: I learned to teach graduate professional students, I forged lines of research, and I had an introduction to professional service.  This established a solid foundation for steady growth and enhancement in each of these areas throughout the past decade at the rank of Associate Professor.

      At the rank of Associate Professor, I have solidified my identity as a researcher in the field of occupational therapy by honing my research goals and meaningfully engaging students in my scholarship.  I have demonstrated a steady track record of publishing peer-reviewed articles in indexed journals.  I have grown in my dedication to excellence in the classroom where I strive to innovate my teaching methods and assessment measures while also mentoring part-time and junior instructors.  Interprofessional education has become a notable theme in my teaching, comprised by teaching cross listed courses in the  occupational and physical therapy doctoral programs and directing a grant-funded graduate certificate program for interprofessional teaming in early childhood.  I have committed to significant service roles, most prominently by becoming the program director for the University’s accredited occupational therapy doctoral program.

     I am now requesting to be reviewed for promotion to the rank of Professor and awarded tenure.  For you to evaluate whether I meet the criteria for excellence in all areas and demonstrate potential for sustained contributions to my program, department, college, university, and field, I have prepared materials for your review including a summary of my elaborations, my curriculum vitae, a detailed narrative of professional activity for my scholarship, my teaching narrative, and my service narrative. I have loaded documentation including my publications, popular media articles about my research, course syllabi, course action plans (including course evaluation results), key assessments of learning, and letters of support. 

    Although my elaborations do not specify participation in the Annual Reports of Professional Activities (ARPAs) process, I have loaded my annual Faculty Evaluation Summaries (FES) which document my performance related to professional development goals in the ARPAs section as there is no other area designated for them. Each FES contains evaluative comments provided by my program director or a colleague.  For your convenience, I have gathered these comments into one document loaded in the Past Annual Evaluation Section.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. 

Sincerly,
Alexia E. Metz, PhD, OTR/L

Bio:
   Having identified Occupational Therapy as my desired career, I attended Eastern Michigan University to earn a B.A. in the field--as that was the entry level requirement at the time. After graduating in 1995, I practiced as an OT, primarily with children and in a variety of settings including home health, early intervention, schools, and outpatient rehabilitation.  

     My motivation for going to graduate school was to gain a better understanding of the neurological mechanisms of behavioral change and to train as a researcher. I earned my Ph.D. in neuroscience from Northwestern University in 2006 and did a brief postdoctoral fellowship there.  I trained in cellular neurophysiology.  

     I came on faculty at UToledo in the summer of 2007 as an Assistant Professor. My teaching assignments have aligned with my clinical expertise and graduate courses.  I converted my research methods from animal model to human subjects and established my own lines of scholarship.  
   
    I gained the rank of Associate Professor according to the prescribed timeline.  At that rank, I have progressed as an independent scholar and dedicated increasing time to peer review services.  I moved into the role of Program Director for the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program in 2020.