SUBJECT: Faculty Approval of the Pass/No Record COVID Grading Option

Dear UM-Dearborn Faculty and Staff,

We are pleased to announce that the UM-Dearborn governing faculty approved the option for our undergraduate (with 50% of eligible faculty voting by a margin of 78%) and graduate students (by a 75% margin) to convert some or all of their Fall 2020 courses to a Pass/No Record COVID (NRC) grading mode. The faculty also approved giving students the P/NRC option in the Winter 2021 term (by a 74% margin). Finally, the faculty approved (by a margin of 80%) the university accepting courses with a grade of Pass or its equivalent (e.g., Satisfactory) from undergraduate transfer and graduate transfer students.

A communication will go out shortly to students letting them know of this option and providing details about how they can switch their courses to a Pass/NRC grading mode. Students will be strongly encouraged to speak with an academic, and possibly a financial, advisor before making a decision to switch a course grade so that they can fully understand the impact (if any) of this switch on their academic progress towards their degree and/or impact on their financial aid. In addition, there is no adverse impact if an international student decides to take advantage of the P/NRC option as such classes will still count towards their full-time enrollment status. Finally, the deadline for students to switch to the Pass/NRC mode for the Fall 2020 semester will be Friday, January 8th.

For detailed information and guidance about the Pass/NRC option as well as the selective drop deadline, go to “Course Options Pertinent to the Fall 2020 Semester” on our website.

The university has also added a mini "well-being" break on February 25 and 26. There will be no scheduled academic activities on these days to allow students, and faculty, an opportunity to take a pause during the semester to get caught up, and refocus for the second half of the term. The mini "well-being" break replaces the spring recess which was eliminated due to earlier communicated changes to the academic calendar. 

If you have any questions, please direct them to your college’s advising office.

Hang in there, all!

Sue Alcock

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Raju Balakrishnan 

Dean, College of Business  

Martin Hershock

Dean, College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters 

Ghassan Kridli

Interim Dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science 

Ann Lampkin-Williams

Dean, College of Education, Health, and Human Services