SUBJECT: Welcome to the Winter 2026 Semester!

January 12, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the Winter 2026 semester! I hope that you had a healthy and enjoyable holiday break with your loved ones and got to rest and recharge. We’re looking forward to an active winter term to wrap up the academic year with key achievements to advance the university goals and strategic priorities. Enrollment, in particular, is a major priority. We have been working on expanding our community college pipeline as well as updating policies to support faculty in expanding our online offerings (especially upper-level courses sought by adult learners and transfer students). Additionally, we will continue to promote and support interdisciplinary research collaboration, incentivizing initiatives by seed funding. These initiatives, along with our continued efforts to improve admission yield, retain enrolled students, explore new pipelines, and introduce new programs, should help us have a successful conclusion to this academic year. Below are some other key updates and reminders as we head into this semester.

Important Winter 2026 Dates

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No Classes): Monday, January 19
  • State of the University and Winter Carnival: Thursday, February 12
  • Spring Recess: Saturday, February 28 - Sunday, March 8
  • 3rd Annual Graduation & Retention Summit: Friday, March 13
  • 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

Religious Accommodations
UM-Dearborn is proud to be a diverse campus, with many of us observing and celebrating a variety of different faiths and religions. We are committed to inclusive academic practices that respect religious obligations and spiritual practices of all of our students. We would like to remind you of our Religious Accommodations guidelines and expectations that were updated last fall. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself again with the elements of our policy, and thank you for helping to make our campus a welcoming place for all. 

Provost’s Faculty & Staff Book Showcase
The Office of the Provost is excited to continue the Provost’s Faculty & Staff Book Showcase, a celebration and recognition of the achievements of our faculty who have published professional books in the preceding academic year. The Showcase will feature faculty/staff from a range of disciplines, celebrating their advancements in knowledge, research, and creative activity. The goal of the Showcase is to expose the university community to the breadth of faculty/staff research and increase student awareness of the importance of these endeavors. For more information on what types of work are eligible and to submit a book for consideration, check out the Provost Faculty & Staff Book Showcase website. Please submit your work for the winter semester event by Friday, February 27.

SURE 2026
Preparations for SURE 2026 have started! The faculty proposal application is open and will close on Friday, January 16th. Awardees will be notified by February 4th and can confirm with student researchers they have identified for their project. The SURE admin team can also provide faculty with a list of interested students and resumes for review.  For more information about SURE and to see the list of faculty/student peer-reviewed publications go to Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program | University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Faculty Awards
Nominations for the six campus faculty awards are open! Please find the time to nominate members of the UM-Dearborn faculty whom you believe are deserving of such recognition. Your nominations are essential in our efforts to solicit the strongest possible pool of candidates for consideration by the selection committee. Submissions are due January 26, 2026. 

Enhanced Funding for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Practice Initiatives 
The Office of Research is pleased to announce a one-time increase in internal funding, designated for UM-Dearborn tenured and tenure-track faculty for research, scholarship, and creative practice support. This enhanced funding, sourced from the Ann Arbor Strategic Fund, will be made available to eligible faculty through new initiatives and internal funding programs in the coming months. The purpose of this allocation is to foster growth in research, scholarship, and creative practice, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary work and cross-unit collaborations, building on the UM-Dearborn established framework for excellence. Additional details regarding faculty opportunities and related events will be announced to the campus community as they become available. 

Student Canvas Course on GenAI
As communicated by Ravi Pendse last semester, there is a new student-facing Canvas course, "Learning with GenAI," available to students on all three campuses. The course was developed in partnership with U-M's Teaching and Technology Collaborative and Information and Technology Services and aims to:

  • Provide students with essential knowledge and skills, reducing the burden on faculty to teach GenAI basics.
  • Guide students in the responsible and ethical use of GenAI tools.
  • Support conversations about how GenAI may or may not be used in your classes.
  • Promote academic integrity by clarifying appropriate applications of GenAI.

Instructors can import content from the course into their own Canvas sites (via Canvas Commons) or assign the course directly to students.  As a complement, the faculty-facing Canvas course, "Teaching with GenAI," remains available.

Save the Date: Campus Discussion on AI
Join us on the afternoon of February 13th to explore how innovation and integrity can coexist with AI. Dr. Tazin Daniels, Associate Director, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching  introduces her “Faculty Critical Engagement Framework” and explores how academic leaders can empower their colleagues to move from hesitation toward thoughtful, values-driven experimentation and leadership around the use of AI.  A panel discussion will follow Dr. Daniels’ presentation and look at the uses of AI in teaching, learning, and research.  The event will be in-person and more details will be distributed to the campus soon.

CUMU Membership Updates 
The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) is made up of 120+ higher education institutions located in or near urban areas, united by a shared understanding of the opportunities and responsibilities of urban engagement. Through place-based strategies, collaborative initiatives, year-round programming, and an annual conference, CUMU empowers member institutions to advance social and economic mobility, regional economic impact, and community well-being by sharing best practices and fostering sustainable change with campus and community partners.

All members of our campus community—including administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community partners—are included in our institutional membership. Please feel free to take advantage of our membership by engaging in any/all of the following:

For questions, contact campus designee Molly Manley ([email protected]).
 

Thank you for all that you do for our campus, our students, and each other. I’m looking forward to a productive Winter term! If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Respectfully, 

Ghassan Kridli 
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs  


 

Office of the Provost

1080 - Daniel Little Building
4901 Evergreen Road
Dearborn, MI 48128
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Phone: 313-593-5030