[Academic-Affairs] End of summer message from the Provost

Wed Aug 17 19:14:34 UTC 2022

Colleagues,

I know your email volume is probably ticking up in volume, as is mine. The
Fall 2022 semester is heading towards us with increasing speed.  I want to
update you on a variety of items and also remind you of upcoming important
calendar dates.  Here goes:

   -

   Reminder: *Matriculation Ceremony* for our incoming students (Friday,
   August 26th, 4:00 p.m. Memorial Hall).  Chairpersons attending are asked to
   wear regalia; faculty and other staff attending: please “Rock the
Red.”  *The
   President’s Welcome Event* will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, August
   26th, Warren Ballrooms. **Note: music, continental breakfast, and time to
   socialize begin at 8:00 a.m.
   -

   *Black Solidarity Day* is officially part of our Academic Calendar,
   November 7th.  Faculty and staff who are teaching are encouraged to include
   this date on your syllabi and to consider attending or participating
   yourselves and encouraging or requiring student attendance.
   -

   Future leadership for *The Institute for Ethics in Public Life*:
   Jonathan Slater is retiring at the end of August.  I had originally
   intended to complete the process for identifying the next Director over the
   summer, but decided instead (after seeking counsel from prior fellows) to
   hold off until September, when our faculty are actively engaged with campus
   life again.  Dan Lake, Spring 2015 Fellow, has agreed to plan monthly
   colloquia, so that the Institute stays active (though with a pared down
   schedule), and the goal will be to have a faculty member identified who
   will assume the directorship as of the spring 2023 semester.  Thank you,
   Dan!
   -

   I have constituted a search committee that will be led by Dean Denise
   Simard to appoint a permanent Dean of the School of Business and
   Economics.  Interim Dean Brian Neureuther continues in his role as Interim
   Dean.
   -

   At our May 26 Academic Affairs Retreat, multiple faculty members spoke
   about  experiencing new challenges with our recent classes of incoming
   students.  Interested faculty may find this May 2022 Chronicle article of
   interest:
   https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-solve-the-student-disengagement-crisis?cid2=gen_login_refresh&cid=gen_sign_in&cid2=gen_login_refresh

Research validates that students are reporting increasing “social anxiety
and academic worries”--no surprise for those of you who have been
witnessing this firsthand.  The question is: How to work with this new
level of campus challenge?  Another contributor to the article writes:
“Seeking a college education is an act of hope. Students invest their time
and money in the belief that it will help them change their lives, and
maybe even change the world. Students now are struggling to find that hope.
They have turned inward, becoming disconnected and disengaged.”  I believe
it’s important for us all to set our sights on the positive in the midst of
these significant challenges.  The same students who are struggling in the
coming semester are also students engaging in “acts of hope.”  The article
shares a variety of strategies for addressing disconnect and building hope
for students.  I am hoping that some of these suggestions are helpful.

   -

   In addition to our *Center for Teaching Excellence*, directed by
   Jessamyn Neuhaus,
   https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/centers/cte/about-us.html,  SUNY is
   offering the following opportunities in support of teaching:

The New Faculty Peer Mentoring Program
<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsunycpd.eventsair.com%2Fnfmp&data=05%7C01%7CSUNYACAO%40LS.SYSADM.SUNY.EDU%7Cfd0d74c5b7cf4c76cead08da7540d49d%7C313006a2ae5d44199e348f765b197fb8%7C0%7C0%7C637951218583822892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DfWERcDvadXjeUmGgjsMRmpUjhJ1Z8bpSYvhwwOby8w%3D&reserved=0>
is being offered this fall at *no cost* to tenure track faculty on all 64
SUNY campuses.  This is a collaboration between the Center for Mentoring,
Learning and Academic Innovation (CMLAI) SUNY Empire State College and the
SUNY Center for Professional Development (CPD). The program is designed to
support the work of new tenure track colleagues in their first two years
across the State University of New York. This Peer Mentoring Program offers
new faculty an opportunity to talk about vital issues as teachers, scholars
and advisors. Registration and program information can be found at
https://sunycpd.eventsair.com/nfmp
<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsunycpd.eventsair.com%2Fnfmp&data=05%7C01%7CSUNYACAO%40LS.SYSADM.SUNY.EDU%7Cfd0d74c5b7cf4c76cead08da7540d49d%7C313006a2ae5d44199e348f765b197fb8%7C0%7C0%7C637951218583822892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DfWERcDvadXjeUmGgjsMRmpUjhJ1Z8bpSYvhwwOby8w%3D&reserved=0>
.

*Lumen Circles*
<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Finfo.lumenlearning.com%2Fcircles-suny&data=05%7C01%7CSUNYACAO%40LS.SYSADM.SUNY.EDU%7Cfd0d74c5b7cf4c76cead08da7540d49d%7C313006a2ae5d44199e348f765b197fb8%7C0%7C0%7C637951218583822892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=PX62k4AZ9bRbSSKa1cfnvqxpp6G%2BvdXnEZL7Vzw6njw%3D&reserved=0>,
a nine week online community where you reflect on your teaching practice
and connect with faculty from other campuses are also *free for all SUNY
faculty*. Circle themes include:  Active Learning; Belonging & Inclusive
Teaching; Evidence-based Teaching; Teaching with OER & OER-enabled
Pedagogy; and Online Teaching. Registration and more information are at
https://info.lumenlearning.com/circles-suny
<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Finfo.lumenlearning.com%2Fcircles-suny&data=05%7C01%7CSUNYACAO%40LS.SYSADM.SUNY.EDU%7Cfd0d74c5b7cf4c76cead08da7540d49d%7C313006a2ae5d44199e348f765b197fb8%7C0%7C0%7C637951218583822892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=PX62k4AZ9bRbSSKa1cfnvqxpp6G%2BvdXnEZL7Vzw6njw%3D&reserved=0>
.

For those who want a longer in-depth program, there is the Teaching and
Learning for New Faculty Certificate Program.
<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.suny.edu%2Ftlnfcert&data=05%7C01%7CSUNYACAO%40LS.SYSADM.SUNY.EDU%7Cfd0d74c5b7cf4c76cead08da7540d49d%7C313006a2ae5d44199e348f765b197fb8%7C0%7C0%7C637951218583822892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2FvRwVXR0KqaWOSaxRsQJvaU%2Fu9w%2Bt1mifAvf3urN65g%3D&reserved=0>
The
program consists of three six-week facilitated and interactive online
asynchronous courses. Registration information and program completion
details are available at http://suny.edu/tlnfcert
<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsuny.edu%2Ftlnfcert&data=05%7C01%7CSUNYACAO%40LS.SYSADM.SUNY.EDU%7Cfd0d74c5b7cf4c76cead08da7540d49d%7C313006a2ae5d44199e348f765b197fb8%7C0%7C0%7C637951218583979026%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=84AfNYLaTHPs%2FBZwDb92pEiHD%2BJNrle9sVMjZ7i67z8%3D&reserved=0>
.

On a personal note, I will miss joining you all at the Matriculation
Ceremony and President Enyedi’s Welcome event.  I’ll be in Cambridge, MA
celebrating my daughter’s wedding with my family.  I look forward to seeing
you all when I am back on campus.

Anne
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