SUBJECT: March 2024 - Provost Communication

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you had a relaxing and restful break and are energized for the second stretch of the semester. The Provost Office has been busy supporting study abroad trips, engaging in space planning, redesigning the campus student employment experience, and creating faculty development initiatives, just to name a few of the projects that have been keeping us busy. As usual, I’d like to send out some announcements and reminders. I’d also like to bring your attention to yesterday’s message on the Campus Plan Update which contains important information about the future of our campus.

I’d like to thank the members of the Academic Space Planning Task Force, co-chaired by Carrie Shumaker and myself, that worked on the feasibility of moving CEHHS and COB back to main campus. Please join me in thanking Christopher Alteri, Rima Berry-Hung, Marc Brigolin, Wayne Fu, Emily Hamilton, Mary Jones, Soon Kong, Kari Kowalski, Lisa Martin, McKenna Maurino, Odell McGlothian, and Tracy Vogt, for their tireless work and commitment to the process and for their recommendations.

Generative AI - New Website and Workshop
The Generative AI Task Force has put together a helpful new website that includes links to GenAI tools like U-M GPT and Maizey, along with guidance for faculty, staff, and students. We appreciate the work of taskforce members Chris Casey, Pamela Todoroff, Paul Watta, Stein Brunvand, Jun He, Autumn Caines, Anne Dempsey, Ryan Neloms, John Taylor, Jennifer Coon, and Andrew Beverly on this informative site.

In addition, the Hub will be hosting a GenAI workshop Beyond the Buzz: A Collaborative Inquiry into AI’s Impacts on Teaching at 11am, March 11th. Even though this is the third semester with Chat GPT and the second with UM GPT, the Hub has fielded a range of responses from faculty about just what to do now. They are offering a one-hour virtual session to surface these approaches and explore shared educational terrain, with plenty of time for large and small group conversations. Please register.

Engage Detroit Workshops Grant
Once again, the Provost Office will sponsor the Engage Detroit Workshop funding for one grant up to $15,000.00. The deadline for application is March 10, 2024. For additional information and for applying to this great opportunity to get involved with the Detroit community, please review the request for proposals and the application process.

SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) 2024
The SURE 2024 program, which provides a paid summer research opportunity to an undergraduate student working with a faculty mentor, will be accepting applications from faculty until March 11th. Please visit the program guidelines for more detailed information and to submit an application. *Note that faculty do not need to have a student researcher identified to submit an application. The SURE committee can work with you, post award notification, to find a student who can support your research.

Upcoming Events

National Science Foundation REU info session - Kochoff Hall A, March 14, 3:30-5:00 pm

• Please RSVP here

Assessment Week - March 26th-29th

• The Assessment Subcommittee (of UCDC) presents the 6th annual Assessment Week! Join members of the committee and your faculty colleagues in engaging conversations about student learning, assessing program outcomes, and continuous improvement in degree programs and the Dearborn Discovery Core (DDC). This year there will be a mix of in person, online events, and asynchronous materials available during March 26-29th, 2023. Be on the lookout for a follow up email with registration links and details for the events!

Graduation and Retention Summit, “Building on Promising Practices”- April 5th 9-3pm

• Share your promising practices for student success, retention, and graduation and learn about initiatives going on all around campus that could be shared and scaled up in your area. To participate and get more information: Graduation and Student Retention Summit 2024 | University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Walk & Talk with the Provost
Join me for conversation and a stroll around campus. The walks begin at the entrance to the Administration Building (close to the HR office).

• Thursday, March 7th @ noon
• Thursday, March 21st @ noon
• Thursday, March 28th @ 12:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 4th @ noon
• Thursday, April 11th @ 12:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 18th @ noon
• Thursday, April 25th @ 12:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 2nd @ noon

As a reminder, March 10th will mark the beginning of Ramadan. Please refer to the email sent on February 19 for more information and please support our students, faculty and staff observing Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem!

As always, you can see previous Provost Office messages on our website linked here:  Communications from the Provost | University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Thank you for all you do and please reach out to me if you have any questions or suggestions.

All the very best,

Gabriella

Gabriella Scarlatta
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor or Academic Affairs