To Faculty Teaching Undergraduate Students in Fall 2024:
I hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer. We are excited to welcome an amazing group of first-year students to campus and to welcome back our upperclass students as they resume their academic careers.
I am also thrilled to welcome Molly Watkins to our academic administration team. Molly was recently named dean of undergraduate advising, effective July 1. In the role, she and her office provide personalized guidance that empowers students to make informed decisions toward their academic, professional and personal goals. During the 2023-2024 academic year alone, the office held over 8,000 appointments with nearly 3,800 different students.
Molly will be an important individual for you to get to know, and you will hear from her separately throughout the year.
As you prepare for the first day of classes on August 26, I encourage you to take the following actions:
- Check the Fall Semester Academic Calendar, and take note of important dates, deadlines and university holidays/closures as you plan assignments and exams during the semester. I have also included a list of important dates at the bottom of this email. For deadlines related to half-semester or dynamically dated courses, please refer to the University Registrar’s website. Students with legitimate reasons for missing deadlines should contact their four-year advisors in the Office of Undergraduate Advising Support.
- Visit the Faculty and Advisors Resource webpage for resources, policies and training information relevant to teaching and advising undergraduate students, along with an archive of important communications.
- Review the guidance on course syllabi that includes preferred language about disability accommodations and academic integrity. In addition, instructors’ attendance policies should be clearly described in the syllabus and applied uniformly across students
- Consider AI policies in course syllabi as recommended by the AI Task Force. We respect our faculty's academic freedom to teach their classes as they see fit. This list of sample texts is a resource that you may consider using for your syllabi as you finalize preparation for the fall semester. We recommend that you be clear about the allowed usage of AI and AI tools in your courses.
- Explore resources to enhance civility and connection. Last spring, the Civil Discourse Advisory Group identified 10 skills to enhance civil discourse on our campus. These skills have provided a framework for a multitude of programming occurring on campus this fall. I hope they are a useful resource for you and that you will encourage your students to attend one of the many events and programs designed to enhance civility and connection on our campus.
I hope you have a wonderful semester. I am so grateful for all you do to educate our undergraduate students. I look forward to hearing about your successes this semester.
Sincerely,
Joy K. Ward
Provost and Executive Vice President
Important Upcoming Dates
Aug. 26: Classes Begin
Sept. 2: Labor Day Holiday
Sept. 6: Final day to Drop/Add
Oct. 21/22: Fall Break
Oct. 21: Mid-Semester Grades Due
Nov. 8: Deadline for Class Withdrawal and P/NP (upperclass UG)
Nov. 8: Incomplete grades due from Spring 2024
Nov. 11: Spring Registration Begins (staggered)
Nov. 28/29: Thanksgiving Holidays
Dec. 6: Deadline for Class Withdrawal and P/NP (first-year UG)
Dec. 6: Last Day of Classes
Dec. 9, 13: Reading Days
Dec. 10-18: Final Exams
Dec. 20: Final Grades due by 11 a.m.