Update on recent AS&E changes: Recent staffing and leadership changes have required us to reconfigure the structure of our organization, including how various departments and services are overseen and implemented. The AS&E leadership team is taking the necessary steps to ensure that our staff and faculty members have access to the resources they rely on to create a successful environment for our community. If you have questions about who you should go to in certain areas where there may have been changes, please direct them to Jeff Runner, Jess Foster, or any other Dean with whom you work closely.

Among some of the key changes for The College:

• Effective July 1, Elaine Sia stepped into the Associate Dean in the College role, expanding the portfolio she now manages in her part-time role as Associate Dean in Arts and Sciences. In her new role, Elaine will oversee curricular initiatives, compliance, interschool programs and relationships, petitions, and committees.
• The College will also have additional support from Marcy Kraus, who transitioned from her role as the Executive Director of the College Center for Advising Services. In her new role, Marcy will support academic policy, academic operations, committee service, as well as special projects.
• In addition, The College is creating a new position that will oversee the implementation of initiatives and special projects, changes to curriculum and courses, as well as routine administrative business of The College.

We will continue to issue updates to staff and faculty on any additional changes.

New AS&E Professional Communicators Network: We are excited to announce the creation of an AS&E Professional Communicators Network for all staff and faculty members contributing to department-level communications including creating content for, posting to, or updating department-level web pages; maintaining department social media accounts; producing and disseminating newsletters or alumni bulletins; and creating other department collateral, including promotional flyers or recruitment materials. The goal is for the Network to offer communications staff members thought partnership, strategic guidance, and the potential for professional development and career opportunities. Department chairs and directors have been asked to send the name(s) and contact information for any staff and faculty members contributing to department-level communications to Tiffany Lankes at tlankes@ur.rochester.edu by July 28. Department-level communicators can also feel free to reach out to Tiffany directly!

Learn about the University strategic plan: All students, faculty, and staff are invited to join an upcoming discussion forum to learn more about the University’s Boundless Possibility 2030 strategic plan, ask questions, and provide feedback. All sessions will be virtual via Zoom. No registration required. Please note that each session will include PowerPoint slides and spoken remarks. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact the presentation team. Find the list of upcoming sessions here.

Celebrate a Year of Respect with the Burgett Center: Each year since the 2019-2020 academic year, the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center has highlighted one of the six Meliora Vision and Values as a way to stay focused on our values as an institution. This year we celebrate a Year of Respect. Individuals can access branding materials here. The center also has Meliora Vision & Values mini grants (up to $200) for our students to develop a program or activity that exemplifies the spirit and purpose of respect to our community. For more information regarding the Meliora Vision & Values mini grants and submission deadlines, please visit this link. The center also has the One Community grants, which are designed to support culturally based programming and enhance the understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion initiatives. These mini grants are for students who want to engage our community regarding the value of diversity and inclusion and/or promote an understanding of issues involving underrepresented populations. For more information regarding the One Community grants and submission deadlines, please visit this link.

Welcome Lark Farlee! Please join us in welcoming Lark Farlee as the new secretary to The College Board on Academic Honestly. As Secretary, Lark will focus on providing administrative support to the board by scheduling hearings, giving students access to their case files, administering post-violation Academic Honesty Tutorials and the Integrity Seminar, among other things.

New Instructor Teaching Orientation: The Teaching Center is offering a two-part new instructor teaching orientation in collaboration with the Provost’s Office and AS&E Deans’ Office. The orientation will serve all new AS&E instructors on multi-year contracts and all new University of Rochester instructors of any rank or school on multi-year contracts who will be teaching undergraduates. Part one will be offered from 1 to 5 p.m. on either July 28 or Aug. 3 and part two will be 1 to 5:30 p.m. on August 28. Learn more and register here.

New academic honesty course pilot: This fall The College Board on Academic Honesty is piloting a new course that supports students in reflecting on the choices they make as learners at Rochester and the impact of their decisions on themselves and the academic community. CASC 030 Developing Integrity in Academic Life (DIAL) is a zero-credit course offered via 15 twice-weekly, in-person sessions from Oct. 18 to Dec. 13. It is facilitated by the Honesty Liaisons and will be supported by specially trained undergraduate honesty mentors as well as guest speakers from academic departments and partner offices across campus. While in its initial pilot phase this academic year (2023-2024), the course will only be offered to students found responsible for minor level academic honesty infractions during the previous year (2022-2023). Contact honestyliaison@ur.rochester.edu with questions and stay tuned for more details (coming soon)!

College course development fellowship: Designing a new spring 2024 course or redesigning an existing one? Work with the Teaching Center and a group of colleagues over the fall semester to plan and meet during the spring semester to debrief and troubleshoot. Fellows are awarded a $1,000 non-salary stipend. Learn more about the program and how to apply here.

Active Learning Teaching Group: Instructors teaching a 2023 fall semester course enrolling AS&E students are invited to join a Teaching Center group to explore small, easy-to-implement, evidence-based classroom activities that can be dropped into ongoing courses. Participants commit to meeting six times to read James Lang’s Small Teaching (provided), as well as trying out one of the teaching strategies once and reporting back to the group on how it worked out. Apply here.

Inclusive STEM Teaching Group: Instructors teaching STEM courses enrolling AS&E students are invited to participate in a teaching group to explore creating and sustaining inclusive learning environments as part of the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project. The group will focus on teaching methods that reduce gender and traditionally underrepresented minority disparities in performance and improve students’ sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and STEM identity. This teaching group will run Oct. 2 to Nov. 21. Register here.

Well-Being for Life and Learning training program: This Fall, the UHS Health Promotion Office is launching an inaugural Well-Being for Life and Learning training program for faculty and staff. This training program will provide faculty and staff participants with simple strategies to create supportive environments in which students can flourish and, in turn, thrive academically. This self-paced training includes a series of required and elective workshops led by campus experts as well as a comprehensive guidebook. All workshops will be offered in a hybrid format with virtual and in-person sessions throughout the semester. Once all components of the training program have been completed, participants will receive a certificate of completion, a sticker to place on their office door, an icon to place in their email signature, and recognition on the Well-being for Life and Learning website. To receive more information and to register, sign up for the UHS Health Promotion Office newsletter and select your affiliation in the “Register for Well-Being for Life and Learning” section.

Center for Education Abroad updates: Have you ever considered leading or organizing a program abroad for students? Complete this brief Interest Proposal to get started in planning your program for spring or summer 2024. Once your proposal is complete, you will be contacted by Theodore Pagano, associate director, to discuss your ideas, plans, and objectives. We are also pleased to announce that this year’s Global Fair will take place on Sept. 13. More details to follow.

Nominate a Colleague for an ACE Award: The University community is invited to nominate AS&E staff members who exemplify the University’s vision and values and go above and beyond their job to make AS&E and the University ever better. Successful nominations will highlight specific examples of tasks, projects, or activities where staff are exceeding their core functions. Staff can be nominated more than once and winners will be chosen on the first of each month.