SUBJECT: End of Semester Greetings & Reminders

Dear Colleagues, 

I can’t believe how fast this semester has gone by! I hope you are enjoying this last week of classes and are already thinking about the nice summer ahead! Please take a moment to review the important reminders and deadlines below. I apologize in advance for the length of this communication, but we want to share this information before the end of the semester. 

Important Upcoming Events and Dates

• Classes End: Friday, April 19
• Study Days: Saturday, April 20 - Sunday, April 21
• Examinations: Monday, April 22 - Friday, April 26
• Medallion Reception: Thursday, April 25
• Commencement: Saturday, April 27
• Summer Term and Summer I Classes Begin: Monday, May 6

Mardigian Library Finals Hours

• Sunday 4/14 through Thursday 4/18: Until Midnight 
• Friday 4/19: Until 9:00 pm
• Saturday 4/20: From 10:00 am until 6:00 pm
• Sunday 4/21 through Thursday 4/25: Until Midnight 
• Friday 4/26: Until 7:30 pm
   

Please note: anyone entering the library after 10PM will need to show their M-Card for entrance into the building.

Check out the library’s You Got This! board for encouraging messages during final exams and add your own message of support for our students!

Final Exams Schedule and Grade Submissions

The Winter 2023 Final Exam Schedule can be found on the Final Exam Schedule webpage of the Registrar’s Office website. Please remember that all instructors must submit final grades within 48 hours of the final exam or no later than the posted deadline date. It is vital that instructors adhere to the 48 hour deadline as failing to do so will have a significant impact on end of term processing, including managing the awarding of degrees for graduating students; academic probation/dismissals; degree honors; athletic eligibility recertification; financial aid and Satisfactory Academic Progress reporting, among other processes.

Staff and Provost Town Hall 

Please join me for a discussion and Q&A on Tuesday, April 23rd, 3 to 4pm. I look forward to talking with you! Here is the Zoom link to join the Town Hall.

OCEL will host this year’s “Urban Futures and Engagement: 2024 Highlights” showcase

The Urban Futures committee has been busy and productive this past year! On Friday, April 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the UM-Detroit Center, it will culminate its annual activities with an exciting showcase where faculty will share their latest community-engaged and Urban Futures work. The event will feature facilitated dialogue about best practices for community engagement, information about networking opportunities between UM-Dearborn affiliates and community partners, and a 2024 Seed Grant Award announcement. Please RSVP by April 19.

Recruitment Activities

Below are scheduled orientation dates. As a reminder, this cycle looks slightly different as we continue to navigate the FAFSA delays which have prevented prospective UG families from receiving financial aid packages. The timeline suggests we will receive corrections by Mid-April  and we are targeting sending by the end of the month, consistent with our peers. We announced back in February that families are not expected to deposit by the traditional May 1st deadline but encourage June 1st (but still accept all summer) and we will be continuing to work with families throughout May to ensure they understand the value of a UM-Dearborn degree as they make final decisions. There are also various admission and financial aid events planned this and next month.

Summer Orientation Dates

Freshman Orientation Sessions

• Tuesday, June 11
• Thursday, June 13
• Monday, June 17
• Thursday, June 20
• Monday, June 24
• Wednesday, June 26
• Tuesday, July 9
• Wednesday, July 17
• Wednesday, August 7
• Thursday, August 22 

Transfer Orientation Sessions

• Wednesday, June 5
• Thursday, July 11
• Tuesday, August 13 

Wolverine Welcome Day 

• Thursday, August 29, Time TBA

Canvas Discussion Redesign

The Discussion Redesign will be enabled for all courses starting in Summer I 2024. The redesign gives users the option to change the discussion layout, adds @mentioning, reply quoting, and more with additional functionality likely coming by the end of the year. Faculty action is not required and existing discussions will be seamlessly changed to the redesigned interface. We encourage faculty to review the changes and new features for future classes. 

Faculty Development - NCFDD Membership Drive

The Hub and the Provost’s Office are sponsoring a Spring NCFDD Membership Drive and Raffle with one lucky winner earning $250 in professional development funds! The NCFDD provides free professional development resources for faculty. Raffle tickets will be awarded for NCFDD membership, participating in the 14 Day Writing Challenge, and attending a short workshop on the resources available to NCFDD members.  More information will follow later in the week!

Curriculum/Catalog Dates

The dates for submitting curriculum changes for the 2025/26 academic year/catalog is November 1, 2024. This is a significant change that will better serve students, align with business practices, and prepare campus for the release of the annual schedule. Please see the Deadline Dates for Curriculum and University Catalog Changes memorandum for reference. 

Annual Schedule

The Schedule and Classroom Usage Group proposed an Annual (Year-Long) Schedule to provide a more student-focused schedule. This proposal is supported by the Provost and all four colleges. The first annual schedule will be released to students starting with the 2026/27 academic year. See Year-Long Schedule for more information.

2024-2025 Provost Fellow Application

The 2024-2025 Provost Fellow application is open! This program is designed to provide faculty members with an opportunity to experience and explore the rewards (and challenges) of higher education administration. Faculty members interested in campus leadership have found this program to be good preparation as they have worked with several teams in the day-to-day operations and decision-making processes of campus administration.

Any tenured member of the faculty is eligible to serve as a Provost Fellow. Application details and application materials can be submitted. The deadline for submitting materials is Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

2024 Retention Summit

Thank you to everyone who planned and attended the first annual UM-Dearborn Graduation and Retention Summit on Friday April 5th! It was wonderful to see many of our staff, faculty, and student employees gather together to share promising practices and supportive efforts that promote student success!

I want to thank you all for another productive and successful academic year at our university! I wish you all a restful and fun summer and encourage you to take a much-needed and well-deserved vacation! I hope you are able to spend time with family and friends and slow down your day-to-day pace! 

Buone vacanze!

Gabriella

Gabriella Scarlatta
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs