Welcome Back and Happy New Year! (January 9, 2019)

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope you had a relaxing and peaceful break. 

As we launch the new semester, we will also be engaging in our campus-wide strategic planning effort. Just prior to the break, I shared a white paper, Confronting the Challenges of a New Era - A Call to Action, which was crafted to serve as a visioning statement to motivate our collaborative thinking and effort. 

Thank you to those who have taken the time to send me a note about the paper. Later this month, Vice Chancellor Ken Kettenbeil and I will host the next UM-Dearborn Conversations, where I will share additional details about the planning process. Specific information about the forum is forthcoming. 

In preparation for charting our collective course forward, I have asked my senior leadership team to read the highly acclaimed book by Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success." The book highlights the power of mindset and how it plays a significant part in how we learn, approach risks and challenges and ultimately maximize potential. You too may find the book helpful as we embark on the planning process. For a succinct overview of the topic, Professor Dweck’s TED Talk, which has drawn over 8 million views, serves as an excellent primer. 

Finally, please reserve Friday, April 12, 2019 for a campus celebration as I am formally installed as UM-Dearborn's sixth chancellor. The ceremony will honor and celebrate our accomplished past and discuss the vast potential that lies ahead with friends and distinguished guests from across the country. 

Best wishes for an energizing and productive winter semester.

Go Blue! Go Dearborn!