Dear Colleagues,

I write you all today in the spirit of celebration. I am very pleased to share that the Board of Trustees approved on April 27 the award of tenure and/or promotion to 69 individuals across the Storrs and regional campuses.

This is a notable milestone for each faculty member awarded these promotions. I congratulate each of them on this culmination of many years of dedication to their disciplines, the advancement of knowledge, and service to UConn and the broader community. I am so pleased to celebrate this occasion with each of our faculty gaining tenure and being promoted this year. Each of you represent the best of UConn across our campuses, and on the national and international stage.

Applications for promotion and tenure are reviewed at the department level, dean’s office level, and finally at the Office of the Provost before recommendations are forwarded to the Board of Trustees. This process involves significant work on the part of each faculty member, as well as assistance and support of colleagues and administrative staff who provide guidance and manage many of the logistics through each stage of the promotion and tenure cycle.

We have posted the awards of promotion and tenure to UConn Today, by school or college. I encourage you to visit this page and join us in congratulating your colleagues who have been awarded this year.

Sincerely,

Carl

 

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues,

As communicated last week, we reinstituted the requirement to wear masks in all classrooms through the end of classes and finals (this is in addition to the requirement in all workspaces as well as events with greater than 100 attendees). This message provides a few reminders specific to masking in the classroom.

While this requirement is in effect, instructors can remind students to wear their masks in class; instructors also have several options available if a student is non-compliant, leading up to asking that student to leave class and ultimately ending a class if necessary. In those cases, an instructor may report disruptive conduct to the Dean of Students Office. Please see our FAQs for further details: https://provost.uconn.edu/covid-19/academic-faqs/. A similar approach can be taken in workspaces, which also may include seeking support from your manager.

The Dean of Students also sent a reminder to students yesterday regarding masking requirements across all classes and workspaces. You may view that here: https://dos.uconn.edu/communications/.

We appreciate your partnership in helping us maintain consistent masking practices across all UConn classes.

Thank you,

Carl

Carl Lejuez

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues,

I’m writing with a brief update on the Waterbury Director search. The position has posted and we are actively seeking applicants, in partnership with Parker Executive Search.

You may review the posting at this link. Please feel free to share this opportunity with candidates. This will also be advertised via several national job boards, which will complement additional targeted recruitment efforts by Parker and UConn.

We also encourage you to submit nominations, which you can do at this link.

We look forward to reviewing a robust slate of candidates to lead our UConn Waterbury campus. On behalf of the search committee, thank you for all your engagement in this important search process.

Sincerely,

Indrajeet

Indrajeet Chaubey

Dean, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources

Chair, Waterbury Director Search Committee

Dear Deans and Department Heads,

I’m writing to clarify some issues relating to consulting, summer fellowships, and travel. Central to this clarification is that during the summer months, faculty on nine- and ten-month appointments remain employees of the University.

During off-contract months, faculty have time open for effort that is not associated with their regular contractual workload. Faculty have flexibility taking up work that is external to the University. However, consulting approval must still be sought for any activity where faculty receive remuneration from an external entity (or for any work with a faculty-affiliated company). During the summer, consulting approval is required as:

• the potential for conflicts of interest remains the same as it does at any other time of the year;
• the potential for conflicts of commitment (e.g., teaching a course at another institution that directly competes with UConn) remains the same as it does at any other time of the year;
• when consulting during the summer, as at other times of the year, a faculty member is acting outside of their role as a UConn faculty member. This means that they must not use University resources to support consulting work (travel funds, lab resources, etc.);
• if a faculty member is supported for effort on a grant, this effort cannot conflict with consulting activities.

Confusion can occur with regard to summer fellowships (including those supported by federal agencies). In such cases, faculty can do the work within their UConn role, but this would need to be supported by an MOU signed by the Provost. Ideally funds for pay would come via UConn (as with any other fellowship), and the rate of summer pay should be the same as the rate of pay at other times of the year. Any funds supporting actual expenses for such fellowships must fit within State rules related to necessary expenses. Please note that University funds to support travel can only be used if the work is being undertaken as a University employee. Summer fellowships can be undertaken as consulting activity, but approval must be sought (as with all consulting activities), and this means that no University resources (e.g., travel funds) can be used to support the work.

Professional service work where a faculty member is not being paid does not require consulting approval. Please be aware that seeking consulting approval means that work is being undertaken outside of UConn employment and creates the requirement for a clear split with regard to the use of University resources. Necessary expenses that relate to actual expenses for professional service activities do not require consulting approval, but should follow applicable State policy.

We have tried to make sure that the Faculty Consulting website covers most common questions related to consulting in the FAQ section and the “Getting Started” pages. If you have specific questions that cannot be answered with this resource, please always reach out for individual advice.

Warmly,

Sarah

Sarah Croucher, PhD
Director of Academic Policy & Faculty Affairs

Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce the reappointment of John Elliott, Auran J. Fox Chair in Business, as dean of the UConn School of Business for a third term of five years, effective August 23, 2022.

This renewal recognizes Dean Elliott’s accomplishments in maintaining excellence in the School of Business while also pursuing strategic opportunities to grow and strengthen the school. A few highlights during his tenure include more than 30% growth of the faculty and student populations over the past decade; the introduction of in-demand academic programs, including an online MBA and a master’s in financial technology (FinTech); reaccreditation of the school in 2021; and consistent growth in fundraising to support the school.

In addition to Dean Elliott’s leadership of the School of Business, he has also provided significant service to UConn, including a role as interim provost, serving on the University Senate, chairing academic leadership search committees, and serving on the university’s AAUP negotiating team.

The review process works best when it is collaborative and comprehensive. I am grateful to all of the faculty, staff, and other key partners of the school who shared your feedback on Dean Elliott’s leadership. There were several common themes regarding his leadership, including high regard for his communication style and ability to listen, effectiveness in building connections and recognizing opportunities for collaboration, strong emphasis on research, and an overall demeanor of calm and empathy.

I also want to thank the review committee for their thoughtful engagement in this process. The committee was chaired by Kazem Kazerounian, Dean of the School of Engineering, and included the following members: Robin Coulter, Department Head of Marketing; Lucy Gilson, Associate Dean for Faculty and Outreach in the School of Business; Ofer Harel, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Mohamed Hussein, Professor of Accounting; Brandy Nelson, Executive Director of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Business; and Kimberly Rollins, Department Head of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Alexis Cassan, Executive Assistant to the Provost and Chief of Staff, managed administration of the committee.

Dean Elliott has led the School of Business, and in many ways, UConn, through an uncharted moment in time. He has proven himself as a strategic, steady, and thoughtful leader who I trust to continue to guide the School of Business to continued success. Please join me in congratulating Dean Elliott on his reappointment and thanking him for his dedication and hard work on behalf of the school.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs