Dear UConn Community,

We are at a pivotal moment nearly one year after George Floyd’s death in police custody, as we await a verdict in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in Floyd’s death. While Floyd’s death helped bring broader attention and concern to how police encounters can turn dangerous and deadly for adults and children of color, we have seen similar patterns continue to play out, with the deaths of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo as the most recent examples.

These events affect members of our community in varied and personal ways. The Office for Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of the Provost are co-hosting two University Forums over the next week to process these events and to discuss steps each of us can take to support one another and our communities at large.

Details for each event are included here, with further information available on the Provost’s Office website.

University Forums on Race, Policing and Justice: The Chauvin Trial

Friday, April 23

10 to 11:30 a.m.

Via WebEx

 

Wednesday, April 28

4 to 5:30 p.m.

Via WebEx

 

All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend. In the spirit of solidarity, we hope to see broad representation from our entire community.

Sincerely,

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Frank Tuitt
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

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

Dear Colleagues,

The pandemic disrupted many activities that are integral to the normal work of UConn faculty, including travel. I know that many of you are anxious to know when and how current restrictions on work-related travel will be lifted. Although we continue to have some degree of uncertainty, I am writing today to let you know that we anticipate that faculty, along with postdocs and graduate students, will be able to undertake domestic travel for work-related purposes as of May 23, 2021.

I recognize that any decision whether to travel or not in the coming months will involve many factors, including personal ones. The intent of this email is not to encourage or discourage travel plans, but instead to give as much clarity as possible and to allow you to make plans for the coming months.

One of the lessons of the swift change brought by the pandemic was the importance of knowing where employees are when they are traveling for work-related purposes. For this reason travel requests must first be submitted into the Concur system for pre-approval by a supervisor, usually a department head (until May 23, deans will also have to approve travel). This approval process is particularly important in support of the University’s responsibility for “duty of care” with respect to employees who are traveling. Please note that per the University’s travel policy, travel requests not pre-approved may not receive reimbursement of expenses.

UConn has engaged Anthony Travel, a national leader in university travel management, as our new full-service travel management provider. There are several benefits of our partnership with Anthony Travel:

1. Anthony Travel integrates with our new travel system – Concur
2. We now have a dedicated travel agent on site
3. There are no booking fees passed on to travelers and departments

We highly encourage travelers to obtain a UConn-sponsored Travel Card if they plan on traveling on the University’s behalf.

Refresher training sessions are now being held for Concur requests, travel booking, and expense and approvals. We also encourage all travelers to become familiar with the updated UConn travel policy.

If traveling, you should continue to follow any guidelines that remain in place at the state level regarding quarantine and/or testing requirements for out-of-state travel. If you are returning to campus after travel, you must still follow requirements laid out by HR in relation to appropriate quarantine and testing. These will be updated by the end of this week and apply uniformly regardless of whether travel is for personal or professional purposes. In addition, you should continue to follow sponsor guidelines and requirements for any grant-funded travel.

For now, international travel restrictions will remain in place following guidance from the State Department and CDC. As such, international travel will continue to require a travel waiver and approval from Global Affairs.

Funding requests for out-of-state domestic travel can now be submitted to the AAUP/OVPR Faculty Travel Funding Program following the standard pre-pandemic process. The fund will continue to support requests to attend virtual conferences or other remote professional-development opportunities.

A range of useful links have been provided at the bottom of this email to assist with your travel plans, but if you have specific questions you are welcome to reach out at any time.

Best wishes,

Jeffrey Shoulson,
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Useful links & contact information:

• For general travel questions, email travel@uconn.edu or visit the travel website: https://travel.uconn.edu/

Deleted:

• Concur refresher training sessions will be offered throughout the spring. Details can be found here: https://travel.uconn.edu/2021/03/15/concur-refresher-training/#more-2258
• Questions related to international travel can be emailed to Ngozi Taffe, ngozi.taffe@uconn.edu
• The Travel Waiver form can be found here: https://global.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/173/2018/06/Travel-Waiver-Application-FacultyStaffOther2020.pdf
• Global Affairs website: https://global.uconn.edu/home-2/travel-immigration/international-travel-information/
• AAUP/OVPR Travel Funding Program information, including request form, can be found here: https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/research-development/faculty-travel/
• For information on post-out-of-state travel requirements for returning to campus, please follow guidance from HR. <a href="https://hr.uconn.edu/covid-19-hr-faqs/ or email hr@uconn.edu”>https://hr.uconn.edu/covid-19-hr-faqs/ or email hr@uconn.edu
• Pre-pandemic restrictions remain on travel to some states. Further information can be found here: https://travel.uconn.edu/2020/01/22/north-carolina-and-mississippi-travel-ban-update/

This message was sent to all Storrs and regional campus undergraduate and graduate students. 

Dear UConn students,

I am writing with a reminder of upcoming deadlines for placing courses on Pass/Fail or withdrawing from courses, as well as the addition of an NRC grade in place of a W when withdrawing from a course. More details are shared below.

Pass/Fail Grading
The last day to place courses on Pass/Fail grading is May 14, 2021. This option is open only to undergraduate students. A set of FAQs is available on the Office of University Advising website.

W Deadline and NRC Grade
The last day to withdraw from a course is April 28, 2021. Most students have the option for a withdrawn course to appear as a W or a new NRC grade on their transcript. The NRC grade can also be applied retroactively to courses from spring 2020, summer 2020, fall 2020, and winter 2021.

The University Senate approved the new NRC grade to provide students who withdraw from courses an option to note that the W grade was received during the height of the COVID pandemic. This new grade will be recorded as NRC: No Record-COVID. The NRC grade makes clear to employers and graduate schools that a grade was disrupted by COVID. The Graduate Faculty Council voted to provide the same option to graduate students.

NRC eligibility

Eligibility to convert a W grade to an NRC grade requires having met the following criteria:

• • Undergraduate, Ratcliffe Hicks, Graduate, Non-Degree, and Pharm D students
  • Have been approved to withdraw from a course in the spring 2020, summer 2020, fall 2020, winter 2021 and spring 2021 semesters only

NRC for previously withdrawn courses

Emails will be sent to eligible students later today notifying them of the option to convert their grades to NRC and sharing next steps for doing so.

NRC for new spring 2021 course withdrawal requests
Students may elect the W or NRC grading option when submitting course withdrawals through the withdrawal deadline of April 28, 2021. The form for withdrawal requests, which now also includes the NRC option, can be found on the Registrar’s website.

A set of FAQs is available on the Office of the Registrar website.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, our University community has adopted many adjusted practices and revised policies to help balance the increased need for flexibility with our commitment to a rigorous academic experience. I appreciate the collaboration and advocacy of our student, faculty, and staff leaders to make these changes in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

This message was sent to Deans, Associate Deans, Department Heads and Directors.

Dear Colleagues,

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the declared Public Health Emergency, UConn has limited access to and use of its campus facilities and resources (all campuses) by university and non-university third party entities.

UConn is a public institution and as such normally permits access or use of its grounds or public buildings. UConn also acknowledges the importance of summer activity on the mental health of children and families. In support of health and safety efforts and a movement towards preparing the campus to reopen in the Fall, access and use of university buildings, spaces, facilities, and resources will remain limited.

With that framework, below is an outline of guidelines for the summer:

• Courses, academic programs, academic conferences, and performing arts should be offered online;
• Residential programs will not be permitted;
• Rental of indoor spaces to third parties will not be permitted, to include classrooms, meeting spaces and ballrooms;
• No use of indoor spaces for programs where attendees are not UConn employees or students;
• Dining hall facilities will not be available;
• Outdoor camps and clinics, with very limited indoor facility needs (ie. restroom access) are permitted assuming they adhere to the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) guidelines (ctoec.org);
• Outdoor outreach/community programs, with limited indoor facility needs are permitted but should seek guidance in advance (ex. summer horseback riding lessons).

All programs must adhere to the sector rules from the Office of Economic & Community Development (DECD), guidance from the Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The sector rules and guidance should be regularly checked and reviewed as they are frequently updated.

Exceptions for use of university facilities or resources other than as outlined above will be approved only for an exceptional need and for the benefit of the university. Requests for any exception must be submitted in writing to the appropriate office below and must clearly define the need and why an exception should be granted.

Questions and exceptions regarding summer camps, conferences and programs not hosted by UConn or non-academic UConn hosted programs should be directed to conferences@uconn.edu.

Questions and exceptions regarding UConn hosted academic programs should be directed to provost@uconn.edu.

Sincerely,

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Cara Workman
Senior Director of Operations, Office of the President
Director, University Events and Conference Services

Dear Colleagues,

This message is a reminder of the student holds moratorium enacted this semester, which will be in place again beginning on Monday, March 15, 2021 and continues through Wednesday, April 7, 2021. This moratorium is being imposed to ensure our students have ample time to address their holds in the days leading up to the start of the term, as well as the days leading into and throughout the fall 2021 course registration period, which begins on March 22, 2021.

In most cases*, no new holds impacting student registration may be added from March 15, 2021 through April 7, 2021.

*Exceptions: Advising and billing holds for late and/or newly admitted students and limited, individualized holds (e.g., Care Team, Community Standards) designed to ensure care of the community and individual students.

We encourage all offices, departments, and schools/colleges to carefully consider the timing of their holds and how they communicate the process that students should follow to get holds removed. Please note that the Registrar will be communicating more broadly with students at key points in the upcoming weeks regarding what holds are present on their record, and how to remove them.

Should you have any questions about this moratorium, we encourage you to contact the Office of the Registrar at: registrar@uconn.edu

Sincerely,

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Nathan Fuerst
Vice President for Enrollment Planning & Management

 

Dear Colleagues,

I’m writing to share updates from this month’s University Senate meeting, which led to changes in the by-laws. This includes a temporary new grade as an alternate to the W grade and the expectations for delivery of syllabi and course schedules to students.

As always, the minutes and other documentation can be found on the University Senate website. From this meeting, you’ll also find President Katsouleas’s report on the Presidential Task Force on Sponsored Projects, and Vice President Frank Tuitt’s report on the Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

NRC grade*
The University Senate approved a new grade that will provide students who withdraw from courses an option to note that the W grade was received during the height of the COVID pandemic. This new grade will be recorded as NRC: No Record-COVID. The NRC grade makes clear to employers and graduate schools that a grade was disrupted by COVID. The Graduate Faculty Council voted to provide the same option to graduate students.

Eligibility to convert a W grade to an NRC grade requires having met the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, Ratcliffe Hicks, Graduate, Non-Degree, and Pharm D students
• Have been approved to withdraw from a course in the spring 2020, summer 2020, fall 2020, winter 2021 and spring 2021 semesters only

For previously withdrawn courses. Emails will be sent to eligible students when the NRC request portal is available later this semester.

For new spring 2021 course withdrawal requests. Students may elect the W or NRC grading option when submitting course withdrawals through the withdrawal deadline of April 28, 2021. The form for withdrawal requests, which now also includes the NRC option, can be found on the Registrar’s website.

The deadline for all NRC Requests is April 28, 2021. All requests will be processed in Student Admin by May 14, 2021.

This is a limited-term change that has been approved only for the semesters mentioned above.

Syllabi update*
The University Senate also voted to amend the By-Laws, Rules and Regulations of the University Senate as follows with deleted items in strikethrough and new language underlined. The intent is to provide students timely information on course expectations so they can plan for and adjust their course load accordingly.

II.I.5. Miscellaneous, Syllabi

(After 4/5/2021 – II.E.2 Scholastic Standing, Responsibility for the Academic Assessment of Students)

Instructors shall provide, in writing on the first day of class, syllabi and schedules if not included in syllabi, to students in their courses, including internships and independent studies. Instructors shall specify what will be taught, when and how it will be taught, when and how learning will be assessed, and how grades will be assigned, and (for distance education courses) how student identity will be authenticated.

Thank you
During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, our University community has adopted many adjusted practices and revised policies to help balance the increased need for flexibility with our commitment to a rigorous academic experience. I appreciate the collaboration and advocacy of our student, faculty, and staff leaders to make these changes in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

*These changes do not apply to UConn Law, Medicine, or Dental Medicine.

 

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share that the modality for summer courses will be remote (i.e. WW or DL modalities). This is one of several updates the University will be making regarding summer activities.

This decision was made in consultation with the deans, in consideration of public health as well as the logistical priority of preparing for the fall semester. We will allow exceptions in limited cases where in-person instruction can be done safely and it is in the best interests of the program and students. Exceptions for in-person instruction will require approval first from the Summer Programs Office under CETL and then by your dean.

The Summer Programs Office under CETL will reach out later this week to engage department heads in the course scheduling process. Last summer we had more than 10,000 enrollments in summer term. We know that summer term provides much needed flexibility for many UConn students and I want to thank those of you who elect to teach in summer for doing so.

In the meantime, I wanted to acknowledge all of the hard work that is happening as we prepare for a fall with more on-campus presence. As noted in a previous communication, we appreciate the flexibility being demonstrated in support of our education mission this fall.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

This message was sent to all deans, regional campus directors, associate deans, and department heads. 

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to inform you of a recent policy change regarding relocation and moving, which may have an impact on your faculty hiring initiatives.

On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, the Board of Trustees approved a new Relocation and Moving Policy. Revisions were led by a working group from Human Resources, the Office of the Provost, and the Tax & Compliance Office. Stakeholders from across the University, particularly in Schools and Colleges where the policy is regularly used, were widely consulted in order to create a policy that effectively meets the business needs of the University, minimizes administrative burden for regular hiring processes, while retaining budget controls.

Key changes include:

• Tax implications: The policy now makes clear the taxable nature of reimbursable moving expenses. Direct billing is now limited for tax purposes so that it cannot be utilized in November or December.
• University-wide scope: The policy now applies across the University, with clear language to specify applicability for most faculty hires, and the conditions under which it may now be used for other employees at the University.
• Moving distance and time limits for expenses: Clearer controls have been included on the distances that should be involved in relocation, and time limits for relocation expenses supported by the policy have been established.
• Expenses calculated by move distance: Previous baseline calculations for reimbursable expenses involving both faculty rank and distance have been replaced by a simplified base calculated only by distance of the move.
• Requests for exemption clarified: Flexibility has been built in for approvals of higher reimbursable amounts to support competitive hiring practices, and pathways for exemptions when these are accompanied by business justifications are clearly specified.

This policy applies to eligible employees with a start date of February 25, 2021 and beyond. Human Resources and the Office of the Provost are working to effectively communicate relevant changes to eligible faculty who have already received an offer letter. If this applies to your department, you will hear from these administrators shortly.

At present, the associated procedures remain unchanged. These will be updated later this year with a more streamlined process for direct billing and reimbursements and we will send out further communication at this time.

Sincerely,

Sarah Croucher
Director of Academic Policy and Faculty Affairs

Bridget Inzirillo
Director of Academic Finance and Planning

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to nominate exceptional colleagues for the Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship. The awards recognize the significant efforts of faculty, students, staff, teams, and community partners who work collaboratively to address important community issues.

Public engagement is integral to the academic endeavor and the institution-wide mission of a land-grant university. It is defined as the collaborative and mutually beneficial, creative exchange of knowledge and resources between the University and the community (local, regional/state, national, or global) in order to:

• enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity;
• enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning;
• provide life-transformative educational experiences;
• prepare educated, engaged citizens;
• promote social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusivity;
• strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility;
• address critical societal issues;
• and contribute to the public good.

Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2021. The nomination process includes completion of an online form, a letter of support, and other supporting materials. The nomination requirements and selection criteria can be found on our website. For more information, please reach out to Amanda Pitts at amanda.pitts@uconn.edu.

Award Categories

FACULTY

• Research Category

• • Distinguished Scholar Research Award
  • Emerging Scholar Research Award

• Teaching Category

• • Distinguished Instructor Award
  • Emerging Instructor Award

• Team Category

• • Faculty Team Award

STAFF

• Individual Category

• • Distinguished Staff Award
  • Emerging Staff Award

• Team Category

• • Staff Team Award

STUDENT

• Individual Category

• • Undergraduate Student Award
  • Graduate Student Award

• Team Category

• • Student Team Award

COMMUNITY

• Community Partner Award

Each awardee will be recognized for their exemplary work in Public Engagement and will:

• Receive an appropriately inscribed plaque.
• Have their name engraved on the Plaque of Awardees, located in the Office of the Provost, Gulley Hall.
• Be featured in future special feature articles and highlights through other UConn communication platforms and external news sources.

We look forward to receiving your nominations.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey

Jeffrey Shoulson
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

This message was sent to Deans, Associate Deans, and Department Heads

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share an update on two recent bias incidents on the Storrs campus.

On Friday, a swastika was found drawn on the wall of the men’s bathroom in the Biology/Physics Building. Later that day, the University was also informed of graffiti of an anti-Black racial slur discovered in the same facility. These actions are abhorrent and harmful to the diverse students, faculty, and staff who call UConn home.

We are appreciative of the individuals who reported the graffiti to the University through inform.uconn.edu. The UConn Police are investigating the incident and University administration is following bias response protocol. The graffiti has been removed, after the police were able to document it.  At this time, the individual or individuals responsible have not been identified. Although it is likely that additional investigative leads will be limited, should the individuals responsible be identified, we will share that information.

Our bias response protocol has several objectives, including raising awareness when these incidents occur, providing information about the University’s response, and offering resources to support affected communities and educate our community. Given the public location of this incident, we cannot determine all of the populations who may have encountered this graffiti, so we are reaching this broader group to ask for your help in sharing this information and resources with your faculty, staff, and students.

A list of resources to consult:

• InForm
• Office for Diversity and Inclusion
• African American Cultural Center
• Africana Studies Institute
• Dean of Students
• Faith at UConn
• Hillel
• Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Life

These incidents are troubling and show we still have work to do in building a community and culture that is inclusive of all our diverse members. We appreciate your partnership as leaders in identifying bias incidents and connecting your communities to resources to recognize and respond to acts that threaten the safety and well-being of members of our community.

If you have further questions, you are welcome to reach out to any member of the Provost’s Office leadership team, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Dean of Students.

Sincerely,
Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs