Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to remind you of the importance of submitting faculty consulting requests as we begin a new fiscal year. As you are hopefully aware, any faculty undertaking consulting activity (defined as any work for compensation related to your area of expertise or any work – even if unpaid – for faculty affiliated companies) requires approval through the online faculty consulting request system. Any prior approvals for consulting end with the fiscal year on 6/30/21. Therefore, if you have any ongoing activity, or if you are going to undertake any new consulting activities, you will need to submit new consulting requests.

During the summer months, you are still required to obtain prior approval for consulting activity. Please be aware that activities such as giving talks for honoraria, receiving a stipend for editorial work, teaching at another institution, or receiving payment for reviewing grants all fall under the definition of faculty consulting and require consulting approval.

If submitting approvals for ongoing activity in the new fiscal year, please be sure to choose the “start on approval” option.

Please also be aware that our usual recommendation is to submit consulting approvals at least one week ahead of the activity taking place. Approvals may be slower during the summer if approvers are on vacation, so try to submit activities well ahead of the start date wherever possible.

If you have any questions about the faculty consulting approval process, have questions about the status of your request, or have any other issues related to faculty consulting, please reach out to Sarah Croucher, Director of Academic Policy & Faculty Affairs (sarah.croucher@uconn.edu). Even if your question seems minor, we are always here to help support you through the approval process and to answer your questions.

 

Gladis Kersaint, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives
Professor of Math Education
Member, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
Trustee, CT Science Center

Dear Colleagues,

Several weeks ago I shared that we would introduce a process to review in-person teaching exemption requests for faculty, teaching assistants, and other instructors with significant health risk associated with COVID-19 personally or within their household.

On reviewing the potential options with President Agwunobi and other leaders, and given that all students are now required to be vaccinated, we have decided that all requests to transition one’s teaching from in-person to virtual for medical reasons will be handled through the existing ADA process. This process involves contacting the ADA office and completing the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form. That form and further information on the ADA process is available on the HR website.

Requests for non-medical exceptions should continue to be submitted to deans and department heads, who will make determinations based on sound pedagogy and the best interests of academic programming as we continue moving forward with a return to predominantly in-person instruction.

Thank you for your patience as we navigate this pandemic. I take seriously the Provost’s Office’s responsibility to maintain a safe and productive environment for our academic mission and will continue to work closely with my administrative colleagues to promote safety within our classroom, lab, and other community spaces. As always, you are welcome to share your concerns with me.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues, 

 

We are writing to communicate the new Relocation and Moving Procedures that have been developed in connection with the revised Relocation and Moving Policy approved by the Board of Trustees in February. In the event a new hire is offered a moving allowance as part of their employment offer, these procedures identify the various ways UConn is able to pay for their relocation expenses.  The procedures also provide detailed instructions to both the newly hired employee and the hiring department on how to utilize the services of our new moving services provider, Signature Relocation.   

 

The University has engaged Signature Relocation (“Signature”), an independent third-party moving services provider, to assist new employees with their relocations.  Signature can arrange the transportation of household goods and personal belongings, as well as the relocation of the employee and their family. Signature will pay for eligible employee relocations and household moves up to the approved amount by 1) making direct payments to vendors for agreed upon moving services, 2) reimbursing employees for out-of-pocket expenses, or 3) via a combination of both methods.  New employees who choose not to use Signature for direct payments to vendors after a consultation may pay for their move out-of-pocket and submit receipts through Signature for reimbursement. Departments and relocating employees can access information about Signature’s moving services by visiting the following webpage: https://www.signaturerelo.com/uconn/. 

 

Following this message, we will reach out to all new employees who have recently accepted an employment offer that includes a moving allowance. We will inform these employees of the relocation services Signature has to offer and connect them with a Personal Move Manager from Signature. Department heads and administrators will be copied on these communications. 

 

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders who provided input in this process. These procedures represent not only more comprehensive, affordable, and coordinated services for our new employees, but also streamlined administration for our staff who support new employee moves. We are excited to share these improvements with you and hope they bring positive change to your unit and our new colleagues’ onboarding experiences. 

 

Thank you, 

 

Office of the Provost 

 

Office of Human Resources 

Dear UConn colleagues,

As more employees have become fully vaccinated over the last few weeks, inquiries have been made about the ability to hold on-campus meetings, retreats, and interviews. We write today to reinforce existing parameters.

While the University has provided opportunities for faculty and staff to be vaccinated, colleagues are working diligently on the Future of Work Committee to recommend policies and procedures in anticipation of (1) some employees returning to campus on or around August 15, and (2) longer-term initiatives that will transform the ways we work.

As we await the Committee’s final report later this month and the administration’s assessment, it is important to remember that on-campus meetings for those pre-approved to be on campus should occur only with proper social distancing and mask-wearing.

In addition, virtual options must remain available for meeting participants, and participants should not be meant to feel diminished by attending virtually.

Employees who have been working remotely partially or fully should plan to continue to do so through at least mid-August. Managers cannot require employees who have been working remotely to return to campus at this time absent a business reason for doing so.

Large-scale meetings of any kind should not take place in-person at this time and interviews should remain virtual unless there is a compelling business reason, approved by the appropriate Executive Vice President, to conduct in-person interviews.

Additionally, employees should assume that the Spring On-Campus Registry will continue into the summer, and employees who intend to return to campus before Aug. 15 must work with Human Resources to be added to the Registry.

We also remind managers that they cannot ask an employee if they have been vaccinated or not, as this is considered personal health information.

We appreciate that there is a growing desire among employees to return to campus and achieve a long-awaited sense of normalcy. It is imperative, however, that returning to campus is done in a consistent fashion with an emphasis on health, safety, and communication.

We look forward to welcoming you back to campus in the coming months, and please keep an eye out for updates from us and from the Future of Work Committee later this month.

Sincerely,

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Scott Jordan
CFO and Executive Vice President for Administration

Chris Delello
Chief Human Resources Officer

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share an update on the leadership of the Stamford Campus. Terrence Cheng, director of the Stamford Campus, was today named the president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. CSCU is gaining a tremendously talented and thoughtful leader in Terrence and I congratulate him on this incredible opportunity.

Terrence is exactly the kind of leader that Stamford has needed as the capacity and reach of the campus has grown significantly since he took over the directorship in January 2016. Under his leadership, the Stamford Campus opened residence halls, started new academic programs, increased its enrollment, and hired many new faculty and staff. He’s also been intentional in strengthening the campus’s role as an integral part of the surrounding communities in Stamford and Fairfield County, as well as across the state.

In addition to his role as Director of the Stamford Campus, he is a scholar who has enriched the intellectual life at our University. As a professor of English and an affiliate of the Asian/Asian American Studies Institute, he has established himself as a leading voice in creative writing and fiction, with several publications and awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship.

Terrence begins his new role at CSCU on July 1. Over the coming weeks we will identify an interim director who will serve while we undertake a national search in the fall to fill the role permanently. Regarding the interim role, I am seeking your input in the qualities we should consider in the directorship, as well as nominees for an interim director (including self nominations). Please share your responses in this online survey.

Without question Terrence has been an exceptional leader at Stamford and his impact as a scholar and leader at UConn will be greatly missed. At the same time, I know he will continue to be a partner with UConn as we seek to strengthen the collaboration between our University and the system. Please join me in congratulating Terrence on this new opportunity.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues,

As we approach the start of finals, I am reaching out with a reminder on Reading Days for the spring 2021 semester.

Reading Days are scheduled from Thursday, April 29 through Sunday, May 2.

The University Senate passed at its April 26 meeting an addition to the by-laws to provide greater clarity on the intention of Reading Days as preparation for final assessments. The addition is as follows:

“Reading Days are protected time for students to prepare for the final exam and assessment period. Instructors shall not require any course-related activity, assessments or submission of work on Reading Days. Instructors may use Reading Days for optional activities, such as office hours.”

If a student requests an accommodation for an exam to be rescheduled during Reading Days, this can be allowed at the instructor’s discretion.

Reading Days restrictions do not include responsibilities with external placements, such as clinical positions and internships.

***Please note, the above does not apply to the School of Law, School of Medicine, or School of Dental Medicine.***

Thank you,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues,

The Office of the Provost and Human Resources invite you to attend the first Staff All-Hands meeting on May 19, 2021 from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

An all-hands meeting is an organization-wide gathering where leadership will discuss University updates, celebrate milestones, hear concerns, and most importantly, ensure that we’re transparent and open with staff so that you all have the information and connections you need to be truly successful in your roles at the University.

The meeting will include updates from leadership, a discussion of the work of the Future of Work committee, and will feature speakers from divisions across the University.

Meeting Information:

May 19, 2021

2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

RSVP: Please RSVP by completing this form.

If you require an accommodation to attend, please let us know when responding.

The meeting will be hosted via webcast service. Access the webcast by clicking on, or copying and pasting the following link into your browser’s address bar: Staff All Hands Meeting Webcast. Shortly after the live webcast, the same link can be used to view the meeting recording.

Information about this event is available on the Office of the Provost’s website: https://provost.uconn.edu/staff/staff-all-hands/

We hope you see you all on May 19^th.

Sincerely,

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Chris Delello
Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Michael Bradford
Vice Provost for Faculty, Staff, and Student Development

Dear Colleagues,

The Faculty Standards Committee of the University Senate will hold a forum for Clinical, In-Residence, and Extension (CIRE) faculty Promotion & Reappointment on Friday, May 21, 2021, from 1:00pm-3:00pm. The program will be held via WebEx. The purpose of the forum is to ensure that all faculty are aware of promotion and reappointment procedures and expectations and have the opportunity to have their questions answered by the administration.

Faculty and staff who plan to attend must register by completing this survey by May 17th.  The program will be recorded and available for viewing after the event.

Cheryl Galli
University Senate Administrator