SUBJECT: Provost Communication - December 2023

Dear colleagues:

I hope everyone is doing well during these remaining weeks of the Fall semester. As we wind down and look forward to the winter holiday break, I just want to share a few points of information.

Please join us in congratulating Provost Fellow and CECS faculty Amanda Esquivel for being chosen as the 2023-2024 Sarah Goddard Power Award recipient. Professor Esquivel was nominated and chosen for her work, mentorship, and engagement with middle and high school students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, giving them a role model and sightline to new possibilities. Thank you for your passion and commitment to students, Amanda!

UM-Dearborn Middle East Expressions

In conjunction with the October 17th community forum "Crisis in the Middle East", the Provost’s Office invited the campus community to share their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives via index cards and submission boxes posted in high traffic areas around campus. The anonymous submissions have been collected and will be curated in partnership with the Stamelos Gallery and exhibited in the Mardigian Library during Winter semester.

Faculty Awards Submission 

Please consider nominating one of your colleagues for our campus prestigious awards! Please note the Lecturer Excellence in Inclusive Teaching award, new this year. The deadline for submitting all nomination materials is Friday, January 26, 2024. All nominations should be submitted via the InfoReady application, and the links are provided below:

• Collegiate Lectureship Award
• Lecturer Excellence in Inclusive Teaching Award
• Distinguished Academic Citizenship Award
• Distinguished Research Award
• Distinguished Research Team Award
• Distinguished Teaching Award

If you have any questions about the nature of an award or the selection process, please feel free to contact Terry Ebenhoeh ([email protected]) for additional information.

Important End of Term Class and Final Exam Dates

• Last Day of Classes: Friday, December 8th
• Study Days: Saturday-Sunday, December 9th-10th
• Exam Dates: Monday-Friday, December 11th-15th

The first day of classes for the Winter 2024 term is Monday, January 8th.

Final Grades Submission Reminder

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.

Academic Integrity Reporting Information

Please be aware of the informal and formal reporting processes in the Academic Code of Conduct. The code provides faculty multiple mechanisms for handling academic misconduct matters that may arise. Informal reporting can be utilized when a faculty wishes to resolve misconduct at a classroom level, if the student has accepted responsibility, and if agreement is reached on restorative measures. Formal reporting means the student will have a record in the University’s academic misconduct database. Please don’t hesitate to contact Ryan Neloms, Director of Student Conduct and Support, at [email protected] with questions.

Fraudulent Emails

Many students continue to receive fraudulent emails. Please consider making an announcement in your classes to urge students to learn about the clues that could indicate that an email or website could be malicious. Being knowledgeable can help students protect themselves from financial scams. The Safe Computing website is a great resource for faculty, staff and students to learn about spoofing and phishing.

Commencement

Commencement will be held on Saturday, December 16th. For more details, please read this Reporter article.

Mardigian Library Finals/December Hours

• Thursday, December 7th, 9:00am - Midnight
• Friday, December 8th,   9:00am - 9:00pm
• Saturday, December 9th, 10:00am - 6:00pm
• Sunday, December 10th,  Noon - Midnight
• Monday, December 11th through Thursday, December 14th, 9:00am - Midnigh
• Friday, December 15th, 9:00am - 7:30p
• Monday, December 18th through Wednesday, December 20th, 9:00am - 6pm

The library will be closed Thursday, December 21st through Monday, January 1st.

UM-Dearborn Syllabus Template

As you all prepare for the upcoming winter term, I want to remind faculty to utilize the UM-Dearborn Syllabus Template and include in your Canvas course shell a few required components:

• Standard Course Syllabus – ideally placed under the syllabus tab on your course page
• Assignments/Quizzes with due dates and point values, regardless of submission type (in-class or online)
• Gradebook with accurate points and weights for all items, consistent with the course syllabus, and set up at the start of term.

Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources

To get ready for winter semester, you can meet with an Instructional Designer for a one time conversation or you can set up a recurring meeting for course redesign or other ongoing project support. You can also find asynchronous resources by searching the Hub Blog or on the Hub's Faculty Resources page, including workshop recordings, the online course building toolkit (with the popular Course Blueprint), and high impact teaching tips.

Digital Education - Canvas Updates

There are upgrades to a number of Canvas external apps (Mediasite, Perusall, NameCoach, and Google Apps), plus the removal of MiVideo Interactive Video Quiz assignments happening over the winter break. Refer to the email from Christopher Casey sent on Friday, November 17th for more details.

Digital Education - Michigan Canvas Users Conference

UM-Dearborn will be the host for the 2024 Michigan Canvas Users Conference on Friday, October 18, 2024. This event will be open to all higher-ed institutions in Michigan and will replace the annual Digital Education Day for 2024. Look for more information about this event in the coming months.

Undergraduate Exploration Recruitment Events

We are thrilled to share an update around our inaugural exploration recruitment events aimed at spotlighting our educational offerings by strategically combining majors from across the academic colleges. We extend gratitude to the outstanding faculty and staff who contributed to the success of these events. Thank you! Your dedication, expertise, and collaborative spirit brought 200 prospective students and their families to campus and played a vital role in recruitment and fostering a sense of excitement about our institution.

Inclement Weather

A reminder that an email regarding campus operations procedures for inclement weather was sent out. That information can be found here.

Holiday Break

I hope you all have a wonderful end to the semester and a fun and relaxing holiday break! As a reminder, campus is closed with no activities scheduled for non-bargained for staff beginning Thursday, December 21st and returning Tuesday, January 2nd.

On behalf of Academic Affairs, we wish you and yours,

Happy Holidays and a very Healthy and Happy 2024!

Gabriella

Gabriella Scarlatta
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs