SUBJECT: Welcome to Fall 2024!

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you to all faculty who staffed the buildings during the first two days of classes this week! We are excited to welcome faculty and students back to campus and look forward to another vibrant and transformative academic year! I want to welcome in particular our new staff and faculty members across all units on campus and hope you find a welcoming and warm environment in which to thrive professionally and personally. I will soon start the Walk and Talk with the Provost on Thursdays at 12:30pm - I hope you can join me and our colleagues in walking our wonderful campus!

Below, please find some reminders and events taking place in the next few months:

Homecoming Week: September 9th to 14th
SURE Showcase: September 17th, 4pm-6pm, Kochoff Hall
Open House: September 28th, 10:00am-1:00pm
Study Abroad Fair: October 2nd, 12pm-2pm, Kochoff Hall
Graduate Open House: October 2nd, 4:30pm-7:30pm, Kochoff Hall
Career Fair: October 3rd, 10am-2pm, FCN Quads E & F
Urban Futures Showcase: November 8th, 1pm-2pm, location TBD

Syllabus Template Reminder 
Please remember that the use of the UM-Dearborn Syllabus Template is required for all courses. While there is no campus policy on the use of GenAI, it is recommended that you clearly communicate about acceptable (or unacceptable) student use in each of your courses. A brief statement on your syllabus is encouraged. Some examples can be found on the UM GenAI Course Policies & Syllabi Statements page.

Reminder! 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 13th
• Friday, October 4th

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

Resources from Digital Education
Digital Education’s training channel is up to date with videos from all of the Canvas training sessions held in August. You can learn more about engaging students with topics including interactivity and assessment, new quizzes, and AI powered tools. And as you navigate the ever evolving landscape of GenAI, please note the site on GenAI Resources for Faculty and the site with information for students, GenAI and Academic Integrity. This semester, we also have the Canvas Maizey Connector, which has the potential to provide each Canvas site with its own chatbot, available when faculty opt-in.  

CASL & HHS 3 to 4 Credit Conversion
Starting this semester, the Provost Office will work closely with the CASL and CEHHS leadership teams to implement tools and processes to assess the progress of the 3 to 4 transition initiative. This initiative resulted in a reduced two-two teaching load for most tenured and tenure-track faculty. Assessment will include the impact on scholarly productivity and student success.

CARE Reporting
Faculty, staff, students, and community members who notice unusual or concerning behavior from a student should consider submitting a CARE report. Behaviors could include things like: references to self-harm of harm to others, unaddressed mental health challenges, lack of adequate basic needs, etc. CARE reports are immediately reviewed by the CARE team, who then may respond with appropriate intervention strategies, connect students with needed resources (internally or externally) and more. This centralized collection of information can help connect the dots of disparate problems involving a student and allow the university an opportunity to intervene and support a student who may be going through a difficult time. For more information, please visit the CARE website or contact Ryan Neloms at [email protected].

Carnegie Engaged Campus 2026 Reclassification Application Writing is Underway!
Did you know that UM-Dearborn is one of 368 higher education institutions in the nation to hold the elective Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement? Our campus has held this prestigious classification since 2015, and now it’s time to reapply. Behind the scenes, campus leaders have begun diligently collecting evidence, data, and writing narratives for the application. You can be a part of this effort, too! The Carnegie Foundation is interested in stories and initiatives that speak to our growth as a community-engaged campus over the past decade. This can look like investment, staffing/hiring, communications, programming, and more. OCEL welcomes your contributions throughout the Fall semester. Send your examples and stories to Molly Manley ([email protected]) in the Office of Community-Engaged Learning (OCEL), to have your work represented in the application.

Once again, welcome back and thank you for all you do for our campus and students! I wish you a wonderful semester and, as always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Gabriella

Gabriella Scarlatta
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs