SUBJECT: October 2025 Updates from the Office of the Provost

Dear Colleagues, 

Happy Fall! It was wonderful to see so many of you involved in Homecoming activities this month.

As we begin the second half of the semester - it’s amazing how quickly time is moving - I want to thank everyone for your continued dedication and commitment to our students and the University. Now that the academic year is in full swing, I would like to share the Provost Office priorities for this academic year:

1. Teaching excellence - A top priority. The commitment to teaching excellence extends beyond the classroom. It is built on a strong partnership between faculty and staff through practice-based education and comprehensive student success and support services. We will continue to focus on reviewing our academic programs to ensure they meet best-in-class standards and remain responsive to both the evolving learning needs of our students and the expectations of their future employers.
2. Research: We encourage all faculty members to continue applying for research funding. Your efforts are essential to advancing the university’s mission and sustaining our R2 classification. Your dedication to research and scholarly excellence strengthens our academic reputation and enhances opportunities for students and the broader community. We remain committed to supporting scholarly work and deeply appreciate your continued efforts and resilience during this time of uncertainty. Our sincere thanks to those who have submitted proposals, and congratulations to all who have received awards and published their scholarly contributions.
3. Enrollment: We are focusing on expanding our transfer agreements to create smoother pathways for community college students and develop new approaches to attract and retain graduate students. By focusing on these two key areas, we aim to grow our enrollment.
4. Fiscal responsibility: We remain committed to maintaining our fiscal responsibility as a university by carefully navigating ongoing financial challenges, including fluctuations in international student enrollment and increased competition across higher education. Through thoughtful planning, efficient resource management, and strategic investment in high-impact initiatives, we will continue to monitor our long-term financial health and sustainability.
5. Culture of service excellence: As faculty and staff, we each play a vital role in shaping the experiences of our prospective and current students, as well as the experiences of our colleagues, through the care and attention we give in every interaction. Providing excellent support is not just about resolving tasks quickly or moving responsibilities along; it’s about genuinely listening, understanding needs, and ensuring our assistance truly meets or exceeds expectations. By approaching each request with empathy, patience, and a commitment to thoroughness, we help create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. Let’s continue to work together to make thoughtful, high-quality support a defining feature of our campus community.
6. Digital accessibility: Thank you to everyone who has been updating course materials to improve digital accessibility. Ensuring that our course sites are accessible not only meets compliance standards but also reflects inclusive and effective teaching practices that support all students in their learning. The new Title II regulations take effect in April 2026, and we encourage faculty to continue making progress toward these requirements. Funding is still available for student assistant support through small accessibility grants. Please visit UM-Dearborn’s Digital Accessibility page for details and resources to assist with these important updates.

Important Fall 2025 Dates

• Thanksgiving recess: Saturday, November 22-Sunday, November 30
• Study days: Tuesday/Wednesday, December 9/10 & Saturday/Sunday, December 13/14
• Final exams: Thursday/Friday, December 11/12 & Monday-Wednesday, December 15-17
• Fall commencement: Saturday, December 20

Engagement Incubator - November 17!

Faculty: please join Global Engagement and the Office of Community Engaged Learning (OCEL) for the Engagement Incubator on Monday, November 17, from 4:00-5:30 PM in Kochoff Hall! This engagement event will bring together faculty and a handful of local community partners with the hope of inspiring and developing meaningful partnerships. Partners will be able to share their current organizational goals, needs, and initiatives. Faculty will bring their engaged research or teaching project ideas. OCEL and Global Engagement will share how we can support these partnerships. Everyone will mingle and get to know each other better! Please RSVP by Friday, October 31. For more information, please reach out to Molly Manley ([email protected]).

Friendsgiving - November 12, ELB Atrium from 4-6PM

The Provost Office is hosting a Friendsgiving dinner for international students. Thanksgiving side dish kits will be handed out to all students in attendance. Additional side dish kits are available for students to pick up at Dearborn Support the week of November 17.

Early Warning 

Take advantage of our campus's early warning program which is designed to help to support student learning and success by identifying students who are in need of additional help. All faculty can submit an early warning, through our alert system connected to Salesforce by clicking here. This link can also be accessed on the Faculty and Staff website, under “Grading and Course Resources” or the Early Warning webpage. While you will be able to notify staff of at-risk students throughout the entire semester, submitting alerts early is important! The selective drop date for this semester is October 29.  We encourage you to submit your alerts before this date to ensure the most options for your students’ success in the course. Please provide any comments, and if possible, grades for students in the comment section. For more information on which offices respond to each alert reason or the program overall, please visit the Early Warning webpage. Each semester, hundreds of students are identified as being at risk of failing by their faculty members and are connected to the campus resources they need, thanks to your engagement in the Early Warning Program.

Michigan Online Proposals Open

The Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) invites faculty and academic units to propose ways to enhance student experience and support career success by integrating Michigan Online content into curricular and cocurricular programs. 

Through the creative incorporation of Michigan Online’s extensive digital resources (including content from MOOCs, certificates, and Google Professional Certificates) into new or existing online, hybrid, or residential courses, programs, and co-curricular experiences, faculty and academic units can accelerate curricular innovation, broaden access to specialized expertise, and enhance the student experience across disciplines. 

Approved proposals will be awarded up to $1000 in support and CAI is offering proposal development consultations. The deadline for proposals is November 21, 2025.

Digital Accessibility Information Series

The Digital Accessibility Information Series aligned with the new Title II regulations and UM-Dearborn’s Digital Accessibility Course (DAC), first offered during the summer, will be offered again on Tuesdays at 3:00pm starting on September 16.  Each session will have a short,15-20 min, presentation on a specific digital accessibility topic, followed by time for Q&A or hands-on work (perhaps you can complete the related DAC assignment).  The topics covered in most of these sessions apply not only to faculty but to anyone who creates content for internal or public consumption, so staff members will find them useful as well. The training segment of the sessions will be recorded and posted to the UM-Dearborn Digital Accessibility MiVideo Channel as time allows.  You can add all of the events to your calendar, use the individual session calendar links below, or join via Zoom at the appropriate time.

• Tuesday, October 14 at 3:00pm: Descriptive Links 
• Tuesday, October 21 at 3:00pm: Tables 
• Tuesday, October 28 at 3:00pm: Files (Microsoft Office, Google Docs, PDFs) 
• Tuesday, November 4 at 3:00pm: Yuja Panorama 

Faculty-Led Learning Communities on Digital Accessibility

We're excited to announce a call for proposals for faculty-led learning communities on digital accessibility. This is a chance for you to convene a group of your peers to explore and implement accessible teaching practices, benefiting all of our students. Conveners will receive a $500 stipend and participants will each receive $200. Apply now to lead your own learning community.

Funding for Student Assistant Still Available!

Instructors can get help by hiring a student. There are small grants for instructors to employ a student in their discipline for accessibility work. Fill out the grant application form if interested.

Commencement

UM-Dearborn Commencement will be held on Saturday, December 20, 2025. There will be two ceremonies:

• 10 a.m.: College of Arts, Sciences, & Letters (CASL) and College of Business (COB) – all students (graduate & undergraduate)
• 2 p.m.: College of Education, Health, & Human Services (CEHHS) and College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) – all students (graduate & undergraduate)

Additional details, including requests for faculty and staff participation, will be shared in the coming weeks. Please visit umdearborn.edu/commencement for up-to-date information. Thank you for supporting our graduates!

Reminder: New Requirements for Travel to Europe                     

The European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES)—set to commence operations on October 12, 2025—is an electronic system that will register non-EU nationals each time they cross an EU external border, replacing the manual stamping of passports. The system will record a traveler’s name, passport details, facial image, fingerprints, and entry/exit dates and locations. Travelers can reduce border wait times by pre-registering their travel document data and facial image using the Frontex Travel to Europe mobile app.                     

Thank you for taking the time to read this update. I hope your semester is going smoothly, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or my team if you have any questions, feedback, or concerns.

Respectfully, 

Ghassan Kridli 

Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs