Memos

Designations and Definitions of Course Modalities Fall 2023

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Dear Colleagues,

As you may recall from our last, truncated Associate Deans/Department Heads meeting (and follow-up email), we are in the process of rolling out new designations and definitions for course modalities, which the Registrar will officially implement starting with the Fall 23 semester. Since the Registrar will begin its scheduling process for Fall 23 early in the Spring semester, it is important for faculty to become familiar with these new designations and to use them as they submit their course requests to you and your departmental admins.

A few caveats to keep in mind:

First, and most importantly, these new designations are not, in and of themselves, a signal that the balance of in-person to online course offerings is meant to shift. The development of these new designations is only the first step in what we expect to be a more extended, iterative, and consultative process—internal to each school, college, and department—in which programs should be thinking about the most effective/appropriate pedagogical uses for each modality. Decisions to switch courses from in-person to online should not be made by individual instructors in advance of these important strategic conversations. The Future of Learning Committee is currently preparing guidance for how to approach these conversations and what considerations need to be part of any such decisions.

Second, faculty should select the modality designation that most accurately represents how the course will be taught. One of the key reasons we revised these designations and their definitions was to ensure that students knew exactly what kind of courses they were choosing when they registered. Advisors will be referring to these new designations in their meetings with their advisees, so it is critical that the information be accurate.

Thanks and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

UConn Course Modality Definitions Fall 2023

Modalities Flow Chart

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Shoulson

________________________________________
Jeffrey S. Shoulson, Ph.D. (He | Him | His)
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Professor of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages and Professor of English
University of Connecticut
352 Mansfield Road, Unit 1086
Storrs, CT 06268-1086

(o) 860-486-6115
(c) 305-742-6973
(f) 860-486-6379

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6161-6325

 

Waterbury Director Announcement

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Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Fumiko Hoeft as the next director of UConn Waterbury. She will begin transitioning to the permanent position immediately, and we expect her to begin the role officially on December 30, 2022.

Dr. Hoeft was selected from a talented pool of applicants. She has demonstrated a commitment to student success in academics and beyond and has shared an exciting vision for the future of the UConn Waterbury campus and its connections with the wider Waterbury community. Her involvement in creating and developing several programs and centers to enhance student success in the sciences has established her as an advocate for experiential and transformative learning. She is also deeply passionate about community engagement and the impact that UConn can have on the state, region, and nation. Dr. Hoeft will drive initiatives in economic development, academic excellence, and service to the greater Waterbury community. Her experiences as director of the Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC) and mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students have given her the skills and expertise to sustain and enhance UConn Waterbury and its diverse population of students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Hoeft is a prolific researcher and an exemplary member of the UConn community. Dr. Hoeft joined UConn in 2018 as director of BIRC and professor of psychological sciences. She came to us from the Weill Institute for Neurosciences at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF). In addition to her appointment as professor of psychological sciences, she also holds appointments as professor of computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, psychiatry, pediatrics, and educational psychology at UConn. She is also a senior scientist at Haskins Laboratories. Dr. Hoeft received pre- and postdoctoral research training at Harvard, UCLA, Caltech, and Stanford, and held faculty positions at Stanford and UCSF before joining UConn. She holds undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. degrees from Keio University in Tokyo, where she is also an adjunct faculty member at its School of Medicine.

Dr. Hoeft was recently interviewed by President Maric for an episode of “Worth Repeating.” Click here to watch the interview.

I want to express my gratitude to the search committee, chaired by Dean Indrajeet Chaubey, and the entire Waterbury campus community for your active participation in this process. Your input was critical in informing the evaluation of candidates.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Hoeft. I look forward to continuing our work together in supporting UConn Waterbury.

Sincerely,
Anne

Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Welcome Back – Fall 2022

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Dear Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students,

Today marks the first day of the new academic year and we are all excited for the return of our students, faculty, and staff to our campuses.

As of today, we have 6,848 graduate students and 23,561 undergraduate students registered for classes, including a remarkable first-year class of over 5,800 students across the Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, Storrs, and Waterbury campuses. The incoming class of 2026 is the most diverse class we’ve seen to date, including over 27.5% first generation students. Our community continues to grow, and with it, so does our impact on the state, nation, and world.

As a state flagship, land- and sea-grant university, UConn strives for excellence in all that we do. Our faculty are of the highest caliber, engaged in innovative, entrepreneurial, and transformative work across a wide array of disciplines. The past year has been one of remarkable achievement. A record number of eleven NSF CAREER Awards were awarded to our faculty in Spring 2022, ranging from $435,000 to over $1.3 million. Oscar Guerra, Associate Professor of Digital Media & Design at the Stamford campus, won an Emmy award in Fall 2021 for his documentary film, Love, Life, & the Virus. Kathleen Segerson, BOT Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Our students come from all over the world and are exceptionally talented. In May of this year, five of our graduate students and one alumni earned highly competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, which have an annual acceptance rate of about 16%. Two graduate students, Bryan Greene and Josiah Grzywacz, received grants through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Sarah Luria, a Ph.D. candidate in Neag School of Education’s Educational Psychology program, was selected as one of 100 recipients of the $20,000 Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Sisterhood.

Finally, we must recognize the dedication and passion of our staff, who do so much to help the university move forward and fulfill its ambitions. We are especially grateful for the staff’s dedication in keeping the university open and our community thriving through the challenges of the pandemic.

We are entering the upcoming year feeling excitement, optimism, and gratitude. We will continue to work together to provide an outstanding educational experience for our students, expand our research enterprise, and serve our constituencies across the state. Any member of the UConn community should feel free to reach out to us for information or help in solving a problem or to share an idea.

We wish you the best as you begin the semester and look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in the coming year!

Sincerely,

Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Pamir Alpay
Interim Vice President for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Office of Undergraduate Advising Announcement

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Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Office of Undergraduate Advising. Previously, the Director of University Advising, Erin Ciarimboli, reported dually to Enrichment Programs to also encompass Pre-Professional Advising. The establishment of this new office will serve to coordinate and enhance University advising services to undergraduate students across all campuses and disciplines, and the office will report to the Vice Provost for Faculty, Staff and Student Development. Erin will serve as Director of this new office, having previously served as Director of University Advising and Pre-Professional Advising at UConn since May 2020. Kelly Gilbert will also continue her essential work in the role of Learning and Development Specialist. Erin and Kelly are vital partners supporting undergraduate student success and this restructuring will provide necessary resources to support the growing needs of advising at UConn.

The Office of Undergraduate Advising will provide centralized leadership and advocacy for UConn’s undergraduate advising community; share critical communications and resources; build and deliver advisor onboarding, training, and professional development; oversee the university’s scholastic standing process; and facilitate collaborations with students, faculty, staff and other units across the university community in order to support and improve undergraduate student success.

The Office of Undergraduate Advising will work closely with First Year, ACES, ISS, SASP, transfer, school/college, and pre-professional advising centers, as well as advisors on all UConn campuses. The office will continue to conduct its work from the Rowe building.

We are excited for the work emerging from this area in support of Life-Transformative Education through advising and mentoring. Thank you to all those who contributed to the creation of this office. Supporting our undergraduate students is at the heart of our university’s mission, and the work of our colleagues in advising is instrumental to their success. Please reach out to advising@uconn.edu with any questions.

Sincerely,
Anne and Michael

Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

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

Reappointment of Rachel O’Neill, ISG Director

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Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce the reappointment of Rachel O’Neill as director of the Institute for Systems Genomics for a second term of five years, effective August 23, 2022.

This renewal recognizes Dr. O’Neill’s outstanding leadership as the director of the institute since 2017. An overarching highlight during her tenure is the development of a growing critical mass in genomics, solidifying UConn as a top institution in this field. This activity cuts across a number of areas, including a research portfolio of $256 million in active grant awards in fiscal year 2022 alone; growth in the number of affiliations in terms of faculty, UConn units, and industry partners; expansion of academic programs; and increasing the user base and revenue return for core facilities. Additionally, ISG was a leading force behind UConn’s COVID surveillance program, which has been credited with supporting the University’s ability to respond proactively and quickly to potential outbreaks and minimize disruption in the academic experience.

The review process works best when it is collaborative and comprehensive. I am grateful to all of the faculty, administrators, and other key partners of the center who shared your feedback on Dr. O’Neill’s leadership. There were several common themes regarding her leadership, including her ability to build networks and facilitate collaborations, her development and promotion of a compelling vision for ISG, exceptional skill in organizational and operational management, and her effective communications across all internal and external contexts.

I also want to thank the review committee for their thoughtful oversight of this process. The committee was chaired by Steven Suib, Director of the Institute of Materials Science and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and included the following members: Adam Adler, Director of the Biomedical Science Ph.D. Program Immunology Concentration; Judy Brown, Director of the Health Care Genetics Professional Science Master’s Degree Program; Steven Geary, Professor and Department Head of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science; Stephanie Holden, Administrative Program Coordinator of the Institute for Systems Genomics; Amy Howell, Professor of Chemistry; and Barbara Mellone, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology. Alexis Cassan, Executive Assistant to the Provost and Chief of Staff, managed administration of the committee.

In sum, Dr. O’Neill is a focused and driven leader who is committed to positioning UConn as a top-tier institution in genomics. She has propelled ISG forward in a number of ways already in her tenure and I trust she will continue to make significant strides as her appointment continues. Please join me in congratulating Dr. O’Neill on her reappointment and thanking her for her dedication and hard work on behalf of the Institute.

Sincerely,
Anne

Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty Consulting Policy and Procedures Update

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Dear Colleagues, 

 We’re writing to share recent updates to the Policy and Procedures on Consulting for Faculty and Members of the Faculty Bargaining Unit. These were approved by the Board of Trustees on June 29, 2022. 

 Several broad changes were made to the procedures. These include:  

  •  A greater ability to provide flexibility for exceptions to sanctions. We encourage you to still always seek pre-approval for consulting activities but hope this will reduce the need for sanctions in cases involving “low conflict of interest risk” activities that are reported shortly after taking place.
  • A change in the reporting year, for the Storrs and regional campus faculty only. It will now align with the contract year. The upcoming year will be a transitional year, with FY23 requests spanning July 1, 2022, through to May 22, 2023. From FY24, requests will be approved within a 12-month period beginning on May 23, 2023, and running to May 22, 2024. This should mean that summer activities do not have to be split in two. At the Health Center the fiscal year will remain July 1st – June 30th.
     
  • All faculty with faculty affiliated companies (FACs) will now have to submit a request for each entity each year. If there is no effort with the company in a given year, there is now a straightforward process to attest to this fact. This addresses an ongoing audit finding related to oversight of FACs.  

Additionally, the policy and procedures had updates to language and formatting throughout. This should improve readability. All faculty members should now be able to find it straightforward to understand the content of these documents. 

We would also like to give a friendly reminder that consulting requests for ongoing activities are needed for each new fiscal year. If you do have ongoing activities and have not yet submitted an FY23 request for these activities, please do ensure that you submit new requests as soon as possible. Activities for the upcoming year will be submitted into the newly launched InfoEd system. Please ensure you use the correct portal for either Storrs/regionals or UConn Health. 

Reconciliations for the last fiscal year should be completed in our old system. The link to this system for reconciliations can be found on the consulting website.  

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your relevant Faculty Consulting Office. The faculty consulting website also has a range of resources, including PDF and video tutorials for InfoEd, FAQs, and guides to information required generally on the form and for different activities under the “getting started” section.  


Best wishes, 

Sarah Croucher, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (Faculty Consulting Office, Storrs and regional campuses)
Sarah.croucher@uconn.edu  

Dr. Jody Terranova, Director of Faculty Consulting (UConn Health Center), Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Jterranova@uchc.edu  

FY23 Merit Review Period for AAUP and Law Faculty

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Dear Colleagues,

I write to clarify the guidance you received from the Provost’s Office regarding merit and other salary increase categories for AAUP bargaining unit members and law faculty. This message is sent to deans, department heads, associate deans, regional campus directors, and other unit directors with personnel who fall under this guidance.

In years when there is merit afforded by the University and in line with the AAUP collective bargaining agreement, the Provost’s Office distributes guidance setting the parameters and process in which departments and deans will make merit recommendations.

The FY23 merit guidance sets the merit review period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 (one year). This decision takes into account the fact that a 2% performance-based award has been retroactively provided to all eligible employees to account for performance in FY21 (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021).

Although the performance component of the retrospective increase does recognize meritorious achievement for all eligible employees, I have heard from departments and deans who feel that the decision to set the review period at one year misses the opportunity to recognize the outstanding achievements of our faculty in the previous evaluation period, particularly given the ways in which COVID had varying impacts upon different disciplines. In response to this concern, I am open to allowing those departments (or schools, in non-departmental units) to consider a two-year review period (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022). The decision to do so must be approved by a majority of eligible department voters, consistent with the way in which department governance documents are approved.

I realize the merit decision-making process is already underway and that the deadline for departments to submit recommendations to the dean is fast approaching. I encourage deans to work with departments to ensure they have the appropriate time to make adjustments as needed. Deans may alter their deadlines internally to provide for additional flexibility.

Sincerely,
Anne

Anne D’Alleva

Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Provost’s Office personnel updates

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Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share updates on personnel in the Provost’s Office. I am pleased to announce that two of our most accomplished faculty leaders will join the Provost’s Office team in temporary roles designed to support me.

Amy Gorin will serve as Interim Vice Provost for Health Sciences. Dr. Gorin is a professor in Psychological Sciences and director of the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP). In this role, she will help facilitate interdisciplinary connections and alignment among the schools and colleges at Storrs and the regionals with the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine at UConn Health. Dr. Gorin has a deep background in partnerships in health sciences, through her leadership of InCHIP, as well as in her own research career. Her research addresses the complex issue of weight management, and she designs and evaluates interventions to address social and behavioral factors underpinning weight, often using technology-based approaches. She has been continuously funded by NIH in this area since 2001, including a new five-year R01 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and has over 100 peer-reviewed publications. She has supported several interdisciplinary initiatives through InCHIP to tackle “wicked” health problems, such as how to reduce opioid-related deaths in Connecticut. In her research, she has partnered frequently with UConn Health researchers, including the Obesity Research Interest Group she started in 2008 that stands at more than 150 members. In 2021, she received the Connecticut Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Science of Psychology

Sally Reis will serve on a part-time basis as Special Advisor to the Interim Provost. Dr. Reis holds the Letitia Neag Chair in Educational Psychology in the Neag School of Education. She was previously named a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, and a Teaching Fellow. She formerly served as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs where she worked to enhance undergraduate programs, career development, and excellence in teaching. She also served as the Department Head of the Educational Psychology Department. She has authored and co-authored more than 270 articles, books, book chapters, monographs and technical reports, and worked in a research team that has generated over $60 million in grants during the last 20 years. Her scholarship on academically talented students and strength-based pedagogy is diverse and broad, as summarized by her numerous articles, books, book chapters, monographs, and technical reports. She is currently working on a grant, with colleagues from Educational Psychology, on academically talented high school students with autism. She has won multiple awards, including being named a fellow of The American Psychological Association, as well as awards for distinguished scholarship.

Both appointments are effective immediately. They join an exceptional Provost’s Office team that will be a critical resource and support to me in this new role.

Sincerely,
Anne

Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Reappointment of Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, Hartford Campus Director

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Dear Hartford Campus Community,

I am very pleased to announce the reappointment of Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, Professor of History and Latinx and Latin American Studies, as director of the UConn Hartford Campus for a second term of five years, effective August 23, 2022.

This renewal recognizes Dr. Overmyer-Velázquez’s efforts in developing and leading the Hartford Campus as its inaugural director. A few highlights during his tenure include sustained growth in undergraduate enrollment and expansion in course offerings; development of a new research initiative; increases in the number of staff of color at the campus; establishing philanthropic support for the campus; and numerous partnerships to center the campus in the Hartford community.

In addition to Dr. Overmyer-Velázquez’s leadership of the Hartford Campus, he has provided significant service to UConn, including chairing search committees for the chief diversity officer and the Stamford Campus Director, and leading a task force to establish Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status at UConn.

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 campus who shared your feedback on Dr. Overmyer-Velázquez’s leadership. There were several common themes regarding his leadership, including strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; developing community among campus faculty, staff, and students; and communicating a clear vision for the campus internally and externally.

I also want to thank the review committee for their thoughtful engagement in this process. The committee was chaired by Gladis Kersaint, Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, and included the following members: Mohamad Alkadry, Director of the School of Public Policy; Alaina Brenick, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences; Nina Heller, Dean of the School of Social Work; Milagros Marrero-Johnson, Director of Strategic Programming for the School of Social Work; Eboni Nelson, Dean of the School of Law; and Kim Schwarz, Director of Event Services for the Hartford Campus. Alexis Cassan, Executive Assistant to the Provost and Chief of Staff, managed administration of the committee.

Dr. Overmyer-Velázquez has been the driving force behind the success of the Hartford Campus. He has demonstrated a passion and commitment for the success of the students, faculty, and staff at the campus, as well as for connecting the work of UConn to the greater Hartford community. I look forward to his continued leadership for the Hartford Campus. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Overmyer-Velázquez on his reappointment and thanking him for his dedication and hard work on behalf of the University.

Sincerely,
Anne

Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Year-End Updates from the Provost Office

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Dear Colleagues,

As I begin my tenure as interim provost, I have been working closely with Provost Carl Lejuez to ensure a smooth transition between leadership. Carl has been an invaluable colleague during my time as a dean, and I appreciate his generosity in sharing his expertise and insight.

While Carl and I work on this transition, I wanted to share the status of a number of initiatives, as well as highlight a few updates of note.

The Office of the Provost holds many strong partnerships with units across the University. Among the most critical of those is our collaboration with the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. The Provost’s Office and ODI teams have worked closely together, which has produced several new initiatives to support a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable University. I want to bring your attention to a few of the most recent developments, listed here:

  • Faculty Hiring Handbook: Best Practices for Diversity in Faculty Hiring
    This handbook serves as a guide for hiring faculty candidates following best practices that reinforce the University’s goal of hiring an excellent, diverse, and talented group of faculty members. This information was compiled by the Office of the Provost and Office for Diversity and Inclusion, with input from the Office of Institutional Equity and Human Resources. The handbook is available to view on the Provost’s Office website.
  • Faculty trolling support
    The Provost’s Office and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion have developed a coordinated approach that helps faculty access guidance when they are targeted (trolled) on the basis of their scholarship. Please visit the Provost’s Office website here for more information.
  • Trigger warning and content warning language
    In 2021, through the prompting of a concerned student, the Provost’s Office formed a task force to educate and determine the use of trigger and content warnings in our classrooms. This multidisciplinary and representative committee devoted research and significant time to seek out exemplary practices of trigger and content warnings in the academy. The committee has provided resources on the Provost’s Office website including definition of terms, template language for faculty to integrate into syllabi and verbal prompts to use in class before content is introduced.
  • Resources for expecting and parenting students
    A collaborative working group with representatives from across the university has developed a website with resources and support for expecting and parenting students, both undergraduate and graduate. The Women’s Center convened representatives from the Moms4Moms group, Human Resources, Dean of Students Office, The Graduate School, the Office for Institutional Equity, the Law School, the School of Business, the University Senate’s Student Welfare Committee, SHaW, and the Provost’s Office. Please visit https://studentparents.uconn.edu/ to view the website and please share widely with interested colleagues and students.

This time of year is busy with transitions in personnel. Many offices across the University are preparing for the arrival of our newest cohort of faculty. At the same time, we have said farewell to many colleagues who are retiring this year. For faculty retirements, please note that anyone who retired as of June 1 and meets the eligibility criteria for emeritus status will be automatically voted on at the June 29 Board of Trustees meeting. Retirements after that date will go to the September meeting for emeritus status. Visit this webpage for more on emeritus status.

In the Provost’s Office, we are also preparing for the departure of our Chief of Staff and Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Communications, Kristi Henderson. Kristi joined our office from the University of Kansas, and will join Carl at Stony Brook University in a similar role. She will also assist in the transition through June. Kristi has played a central role in managing internal communications, representing the Provost’s Office in COVID management, and mentoring the talented staff of the Provost’s Office.

We have also seen movement in several key areas relevant to the academic mission during the spring semester.

  • Bargaining agreements
    • These were finalized this spring and are being implemented across the various unions, with more information to be shared by Human Resources.
      • For department heads, Labor Relations is hosting a session on the AAUP contract, set for June 21 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Invitation details will be shared soon.
      • The Graduate School and Labor Relations are presenting informational sessions via WebEx for faculty and staff on the GEU contract. Sessions are on June 8 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (register here) and July 13 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (register here).
  • Senate motions
    • Pass-Fail eligibility: The Senate approved a by-law change proposed by the Senate Scholastic Standards Committee that removes the requirement that undergraduate students must have earned at least 26 credits to be eligible for pass-fail. This was aimed at allowing first-year students the opportunity to apply pass-fail where appropriate.
    • SET Plus Task Force: The Faculty Standards Committee presented a resolution that was approved by the full Senate to convene a university-wide task force to operationalize “evidence of teaching excellence beyond SET” (formerly known as SET+ or SET Plus). The Provost’s Office is working closely with the Faculty Standards Committee to establish this task force to begin its work in Fall 2022.
    • Missed assessment procedure: The Senate Scholastic Standards Committee advanced a proposal that clarifies the procedures for students to make up missed assessments. The Senate approved an addition to Senate By-Law 2.E.II, which outlines information that must be provided to students in writing on the first day of class. The following requirement was added: “if, when, and how missed assessments (for which medical documentation cannot be required) will be handled.”
    • Academic adjustments policy change: The Curricula & Courses Committee forwarded a proposal to the Senate to update the process for students to submit academic adjustments for general education courses that meet quantitative reasoning and/or second language. Notably, the process shifted from a review by a Provost’s Office-appointed committee to instead start directly with the Center for Students with Disabilities. More information is available on the CSD website.
    • Withdraw and Pass-Fail deadline change: At the Sept. 13 meeting of the University Senate, the Senate Scholastic Standards Committee (SSC) brought forth a proposal to extend, align, and standardize the Pass-Fail and Withdraw deadlines. Their proposal sought to permanently change the deadlines for both Pass-Fail and Withdraw to occur at the same time and later in the semester, to the end of the 11th week of the semester. This proposal was approved by the University Senate, and took effect immediately. This means that starting in the Fall 2021 semester and going forward, Pass-Fail and Withdraw deadlines are at the end of the 11th week of the semester. The Pass-Fail policy applies to undergraduate students only; the Withdraw policy applies to undergraduate and graduate students.
  • First Day Complete with Barnes & Noble
    • At its April 27 meeting, the Board of Trustees approved the implementation of the First Day Complete Program through Barnes & Noble. This program charges students a $285 per semester fee for textbooks and course materials for all registered courses at no additional cost from the bookstore. This is an optional program, open to all undergraduate students at Storrs and regional campuses; students can elect not to participate and not be charged. This will take effect beginning in Spring 2023. This initiative is designed as an affordability initiative to help students reduce the money they spend on books. The USG and SEC were involved partners throughout the development of this program for UConn, to ensure it would meet the needs of students and address faculty concerns.
  • Future of Journals
    • Finally, I want to thank the Library and the Future of Journals Committee for their hard work in initiating the transition to a new model for providing scholarly articles. Library staff continue to test and improve the request interface, with lots of feedback and encouragement from the many testers across the faculty. Dean Anne Langley and her team will be instrumental in working with our broader community to smoothly undertake implementation over the next year.

I am grateful for the warm welcome I have received coming into this new role. You are a thoughtful and hard-working community, each of you playing a critical role in the success of our faculty, staff, and students. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your provost.

Sincerely,
Anne

Anne D’Alleva
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs