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WELCOME FROM THE INTERIM PROVOST
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We are officially past the midpoint of the fall semester, and things are in full swing. In the last newsletter, I mentioned that the Provost’s Office would be organizing and defining our current priorities. I’m pleased to share the 2022-2023 Provost’s
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Office Plan, which describes what initiatives we are prioritizing and how we’ve framed our thinking.
There are some major ongoing projects this year that require significant time and attention, like the implementation of the Interfolio Review, Promotion and Tenure module. This is a big undertaking, but will result in a more efficient and smoother process for PTR/PR review.
Another major project is the work happening around assessment of academic programs. It’s evident that we need to develop better understandings of outcomes and student learning objectives for our programs. This is not only to support student success, but to address needs of the University for our institutional accreditation.
We’re also working on some more specific and targeted projects, like documenting faculty leave guidelines and an updated faculty compensation policy. We’ll share more about all of these things as we make progress on each of our outlined initiatives for the year.
Of course, there may always be new things that come up throughout the year. I’ve learned to always expect the unexpected in the Provost Office, and we’ll be flexible as new initiatives arise.
All best,
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Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
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ACADEMIC UPDATES & REMINDERS
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New Bulk Minor Curricular Action Request Form (TRUCK)
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The University Senate Curricula and Courses Committee has approved an expedited process for numerous small course revisions in support of a unit’s curricular changes. The process involves using a form, Temporary Relief for Untying Curricular Knots: Bulk Minor Curricular Action Request Form (TRUCK), which is meant to provide temporary relief to the CAR system for bulk changes to a curriculum.
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Caucusing in the Classroom hosted by Marissa Greenberg
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On November 9th and 10th, in partnership with the Humanities Institute, Office of Diversity & Inclusion, and CETL, the Office of the Provost will host a presentation by Dr. Marissa Greenberg, associate professor of English at the University of New Mexico, focused on caucusing in the classroom as a justice-oriented pedagogy that centers students’ complex identities in their education experience.
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One new pop-up course, Exploring the Entrepreneurial Perspective, is running for seven weeks during the second half of the fall semester (Dates: Monday, October 17th through Friday, December 9th). We are also again offering one of our most popular pop-up courses during this same time period, U.S. Anti-Black Racism.
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New York Times Subscriptions for
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Storrs Undergraduate Students
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Undergraduate Student Government (USG) has purchased a yearlong subscription to the New York Times for all UConn Storrs Undergraduate students. For faculty who may assign any New York Times articles in your syllabus, please remind your students of this resource.
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Interfolio Information Session
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On November 15th, the Provost's Office is holding a virtual information session to share an introductory presentation to the community on the use of the Interfolio Review, Promotion and Tenure (RPT) module, give an overview of the implementation plan, and address common questions we have been receiving. If you are in any way involved in PTR/PR, we strongly encourage you to attend.
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Access to affordable, healthy food is a necessity for UConn students to succeed. Over the last few years, Senior Vice Provost Jeffrey Shoulson has been working with a task force to analyze and address food insecurity on our regional campuses. A crucial first step in addressing this issue is establishing food pantries on our Avery Point, Hartford, and Waterbury campuses, and extending service at the food pantry operating on our Stamford campus. We are proud to share that we have partnered with Connecticut Foodshare to create Husky Harvest, with locations at each of our regional campuses for students to access meals on campus, and to bring home for themselves and their families. Husky Harvest locations on the regional campuses are expected to open in November.
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Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award
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The AAUP UConn Chapter established the Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award to recognize the leadership and dedication of Edward Marth, former Executive Director of the AAUP UConn Chapter, to both encourage and reward outstanding mentoring of graduate students by UConn Graduate Faculty members. Nominations are due November 21, 2022
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Faculty Recognition Celebration Event
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The Office of the President and Office of the Provost hosted the inaugural Faculty Recognition Celebration on Tuesday, October 18th, to honor the achievements of faculty who have received national and international prestigious awards and recognitions from professional organizations and entities external to UConn. University Professor Dr. Cato Laurencin was the keynote speaker and shared insightful examples of excellence and leadership from his own career with those in attendance.
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Women's Leadership Forum Event
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In partnership with the Women's Center, the Office of the Provost established the Women’s Leadership Forum which is a collective of UConn leaders who identify as women invested in the development and success of other women in leadership positions at UConn and UConn Health. Invitations are extended to leaders in managerial-level academic or administrative positions. The first event of the fall took place earlier this month and featured opportunities for networking and a panel discussion on “Sharing your Leadership Story: A Conversation with Women Leaders," led by Fany Hannon, Michelle Williams and Kiki Nissen.
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Dean of the School of Social Work Search
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As many of you may know, Dean Nina Heller of the School of Social Work plans to step down from the deanship at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. Dean Heller has served as dean for the past seven years and has led the School through challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to foster life-transformative education for students. Under her leadership, the School implemented a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEI/AR) Program; completed its strategic plan; has maintained its ranking as the #1 social work school in the state of Connecticut; and has moved its national ranking among schools of social work to the top 12%. The Office of the Provost will undertake a national search to identify candidates to lead the School of Social Work, to be chaired by Kent Holsinger, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
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Dean of the School of Nursing Search
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A national search is underway to identify candidates to lead the School of Nursing following the planned retirement of Dean Deborah Chyun at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. This searched is chaired by Jason Irizarry, Dean of the Neag School of Education and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction. Listening sessions took place earlier this month and applications will be open in the coming weeks.
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Humanities Institute Director Search
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Highlighting Interdisciplinary Scholarship at UConn
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Fostering collaborative and interdisciplinary scholarship and research is at the forefront of our mission as an R1 flagship University. There are intersecting ideas and synergies across departments, schools and colleges, and centers and institutes. Each month we plan to highlight a center or institute to share their message and raise awareness around their work. This month, we are spotlighting the Institute of the Environment.
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Academic Affairs Spotlight
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The Office of the Provost and the units that report in academic affairs are staffed and led by an outstanding group of talented and dedicated colleagues. This month we are spotlighting Michael Bradford, Vice Provost for Faculty, Staff, and Student Development.
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IMPORTANT DATES, DEADLINES & EVENTS
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November 8 – Election Day
November 9 & 10 – Caucusing in the Classroom events
November 11 – Veteran’s Day
November 15 – Interfolio RPT Information Session
November 24 – Thanksgiving Day
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UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT OFFICE OF THE PROVOST Gulley Hall 352 Mansfield Road, Unit 1086 Storrs, Connecticut 06269-1086
Phone: (860) 486-4037 Email: [log in to unmask]
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