SUBJECT: March 2026 Updates from the Office of the Provost

Dear Colleagues,

As we return from Spring Break, I hope you had the opportunity to rest and recharge. We are now entering the final stretch of the academic year, a time that is both busy and exciting for our campus community. Over the coming weeks, we will celebrate significant events that highlight the hard work and accomplishments of our students, faculty, and staff. I look forward to all that this season brings as we move toward a strong finish to the semester.

Below are several important announcements and reminders that I hope you will find helpful.

Important Winter 2026 Dates

• Special Session with VPR Skip Lupia: Tuesday, March 10 from 1:00-2:00pm, in Kochoff Hall C.
• Graduation and Retention Summit: Friday, March 13 from 11:00am-4pm in Kochoff Hall
• Assessment Week: March 23-27th
• Campus Open House: Saturday, April 11
• Classes End: Tuesday, April 21
• Study Days: Wednesday, April 22 - Thursday, April 23
• Exams: Friday, April 24 & Monday, April 27 - Thursday, April 30
• Commencement: Saturday, May 2

Assessment Week
All faculty are invited to engage with Assessment Week 2026, occurring this year between March 23 - March 27. Explore resources, peruse presentations, and hopefully learn something new relating to assessment practices, current conversations, and relevant topics in assessing student learning and learning outcomes assessment. New this year, Assessment Week materials (and all Program Assessment materials moving forward) will be in a Canvas shell for faculty. Be on the lookout for details on the new Canvas page, as well additional notes about Assessment Week, from the Assessment Subcommittee and Jessica LaGrange in the coming days. 

Experience+ Research Celebration 
Join Experience+ for their annual celebration of student independent research and conference travel grant awardees at the EXP+ Student Research Celebration on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 from 5pm-6pm on the first floor Mardigian Library.  For more information about these grants, visit the Experience+ grants page.  Please RSVP by March 25th.

Commencement
UM-Dearborn Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 2nd inside the Fieldhouse. The schedule is as follows:

• 9:00 a.m. ceremony celebrating undergraduate students from the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL) and the College of Business (COB).
• 1:00 p.m. ceremony celebrating undergraduate students from the College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) and the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS).
• 5:00 p.m. ceremony celebrating doctoral and graduate students from the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL), College of Business (COB), College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS) and the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS).

Faculty presence at our ceremonies is a meaningful way to support and celebrate our students and contributes greatly to the spirit of the occasion! Faculty that are participating, need to complete this quick form to confirm their ceremony. If regalia is needed, faculty should add to the UM-Dearborn order via the below customer and order number. Orders are due by Tuesday, March 31st.

faculty cap gown.herffjones.com

Customer Number: 21005049000

Order Number: 5452276

Once in the UM-Dearborn account, you can either find your name (if you have ordered before) or select "New Faculty Member" and add your details. Additional details regarding commencement are available on the website.

Upcoming Research Mixers with UM-Flint
The University of Michigan-Dearborn and the University of Michigan-Flint Offices of Research are pleased to invite you to two cross-campus collaborative research mixers featuring networking events. This initiative, with mixers on March 23 and April 7, will culminate in a joint grant opportunity for cross-campus teams to develop collaborative research proposals and compete for seed funding. Please use this form to see more details and to register for the events. Attendance of both mixers is strongly encouraged and only faculty who attend at least one of the mixers will be eligible for funding through this initiative (up to $30,000).  

Importance of Registering Your Travel
As we approach the end of the winter semester, you may be planning international travel. To support safe travel, we strongly encourage all UM-Dearborn students, staff, and current faculty traveling abroad to register their travel and enroll in travel abroad health insurance. Follow the steps below to ensure you have the resources and support you may need.

1. Register your international travel with U-M - travel registration takes just minutes and allows U-M to locate and assist U-M travelers abroad in the event of a health, safety, or security crisis.
2. Ensure you are covered by GeoBlue, U-M's travel abroad health and evacuation insurance. Insurance is mandatory for faculty, staff, and students on U-M Related Travel (UMRT) and optional for those on personal travel. The cost is less than $2 per day.

For questions, please contact [email protected]. 

Sign Up for Office Hours with the Provost
I am excited to announce that I will be holding office hours this semester. These sessions offer a great opportunity to connect directly with me, share your perspectives and discuss topics that matter to you. Sign up to meet with Provost Kridli.

Thank you, as always, for the care and dedication you bring to supporting our students and each other. Your commitment and daily efforts truly make a lasting impact.

Respectfully, 

Ghassan Kridli 
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs