SUBJECT: August 2024 Summer Updates

Dear Colleagues,

We hope you’re enjoying your summer and the some-what slower pace. I apologize for sending this email in early August, but there are some items that we’d like to share with you in order to better prepare for the upcoming fall semester. The Provost Office has been working on several activities for the fall, please take a moment to read the information below.

Fall Schedule:
Please check your course(s) schedule and make sure that the course title and number, number of credits, modality, day and time are correct. Contact your chair immediately if you see any discrepancies.

Reminder! New Deadline for Curriculum and Catalog Proposals/Changes:
The date for submitting curriculum changes for the 2025/26 academic year/catalog is November 1, 2024. As a reminder, this is a significant change and will better serve students, align with business practices, and prepare campus for the release of an annual schedule. Please see the Curriculum Deadlines Memo for reference. 

DDC Applications and Changes for 2024-2025:
Fall 2024 will be the last semester to submit DDC applications for the 2025-2026 catalog so that the DDC Subcommittee can begin work on reviewing the DDC in Winter 2025. The upcoming deadlines are:

• Friday, September 13
• Friday, October 4

This webpage provides more information as well as links to the application forms.

Wolverine Welcome Day:
Mark your calendars because Wolverine Welcome Day is happening on August 29th, 2024 from 1 - 4 pm! 

On this special day, we'll be welcoming an estimated 1,000 new and incoming students as they embark on their journey at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. As you're aware, this event relies heavily on the dedication and support of our amazing faculty and staff volunteers (yes, that's you!). Your commitment ensures that the day runs smoothly and that our students have a memorable and enjoyable experience. We are looking for faculty and staff volunteers for Wolverine Welcome Day 2024! Join us in creating a memorable day for the newest members of the University of Michigan-Dearborn family. Volunteer roles include assisting with check-in, distributing shirts, helping with yard games, and more!

Ready to be a part of the excitement? Simply fill out the Volunteer Form to sign up! If you want to book a table to represent your program, simply click on the link by August 8th.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our students. Let's make Wolverine Welcome Day 2024 a day to remember!

Help Welcome New Wolverines to Campus!
Last year, amid the chaos of having no “connection” to the internet and systems on campus during the first few days of classes, many of us enjoyed making our own “connections” with students by serving as informal greeters at the doors of buildings. Because it was such a positive experience (reported by students as well as faculty and staff), this year we are going to do this more formally and we invite faculty and staff to help us usher in the new year! You are welcome to sign-up for a shift (or two) serving as a greeter at key doors around campus.

In addition, if you will be attending the Chancellor’s Cookout and Kickball Game, we will have a poster making station available where you can make a welcoming poster to be used by greeters.

Enrollment Update:
Fall 2024 enrollment is trending positively to meet our goals! A month out, more than 1,000 new and continuing students will still enroll so staff and faculty across campus are working hard to support these students on both starting and finishing their path to graduation.  

FAFSA Update:
One area of significant focus this enrollment cycle has been on mitigating the delayed roll-out of the new FAFSA. As reported nationwide, and at the state level, completion rates have been down due to the change. At UM-Dearborn, 81% of our newly deposited undergraduates have filed a FAFSA, this is about 3% (or 60) students less than at this point last year. Many of our students were impacted by parents with no SSN. Recently, the Department of Education has committed to improving this for the next cycle. We continue to do outreach and support students to help resolve any remaining issues. 

Welcome New Digital Ed and Hub Colleague!
Chen Wang is a new Instructional Technologist in Digital Education and the Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources. Her primary responsibilities include video recording and light editing for faculty, keeping abreast of accessibility in digital education, and supporting pedagogical application of digital tools. She has a Masters in Learning Sciences and Technologies from the University of Pennsylvania. If you’d like to reach out to Chen please use her scheduling link or email: [email protected].

Canvas Updates:
There are a number of Canvas changes that have happened already or are happening soon.  An overview of these changes, along with training session information is available at Summer/Fall 2024 Canvas Updates & Training Information.

SURE Update:
The SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) 2024 has been in full swing this summer starting with a kickoff ceremony in May and wrapping up work at the end of August. In addition to research with faculty mentors, students have been attending professional development sessions on research ethics, creating literature reviews, and community engaged research, just to name a few. There has also been time for fun and socializing with everyone having a good time rooting for the Detroit City Football Club at their match against Birmingham, Alabama on June 26th in Hamtramck. Be sure to save the date for the SURE 2024 campus showcase on Tuesday, September 17th, 4-6pm in Kochoff Hall celebrating all the hard work of our student and faculty researchers and submitting your vote for “fan favorite” poster presentation!

Reminder: New Inclusive History Project Events Co-Sponsorship Fund!
Funding is available to organizations and units on the Dearborn and Flint campuses to support events that align with the IHP’s mission to study, document, and share a history of the University of Michigan that is attentive to diversity, equity, and inclusion. You can find the application form and additional information on the IHP’s website. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions. 

Wolverines@Work Programming (Campus Student Employment): 
Join Wolverines@Work for an exciting line-up of exciting events!  

Federal Work Study Virtual Panel
Thursday, August 8 from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Zoom link

Come learn about Federal Work Study!  Join panelists from Financial Aid, Human Resources, Career Services, among others as we talk through the life cycle of employing a student who is eligible for work study funding. No RSVP needed but feel free to share any questions you have ahead of time. 

Supervisor Spa
Wednesday, August 14 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
RSVP today as space is limited!! 

Indulge in some professional development, self-care, and brunch at our Student Employment Supervisor Spa! 

Conflicts Between the Academic and Religious Calendars:
As you all know, UM-Dearborn is a diverse community with many of us observing and celebrating a variety of different faiths and religions. As a result, I want to remind faculty of our campus policy on Conflicts Between the Academic and Religious Calendars. The policy reads: “every reasonable effort should be made to help students avoid negative academic consequences when their religious obligations conflict with academic requirements.” Students are required to provide faculty with notice of the dates of religious holiday(s) for which they will be absent by no later than the drop/add deadline which is Monday, September 16 for the Fall 2024 semester. Faculty shall provide students with an opportunity to make up any missed work (e.g., assignments or examinations), without penalty.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email! I wish you a relaxing and fun August and look forward to seeing you back on the first day of classes, September 3rd. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions!

Gabriella

Gabriella Scarlatta
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs