The URochester-East Educational Partnership Organization has been awarded Campus Compact’s 2026 Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Award, a national honor recognizing higher education programs and initiatives that make a meaningful impact by partnering with communities to address complex social issues.

As a reminder, all employees with dependents enrolled in University medical or dental plans must verify their dependents by February 20 to ensure continued medical and dental coverage. Instructions have been sent by Verifi1 via email and by US mail to those with dependents on the University’s medical and dental plans. Review these FAQs for more information.

If you need help verifying your eligible dependents, the Office of Total Rewards will host support sessions on Tuesday, February 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Corporate Woods and on Wednesday, February 18, from 4 to 6:00 p.m. at the Medical Center.

Applications are open for the 2026–27 Bond Family Foundation Faculty Scholar program, which enables instructors to integrate career education and experiential learning into their courses by engaging student teams in solving real-world problems as part of academic coursework. Participating faculty receive a $4,000 stipend. Applications are due April 3.

Love Data Month, hosted by the University Libraries, celebrates data with a month of workshops and events. This week features an exhibit on information visualizations throughout history and a webinar on Python essentials. Stay tuned for the rest of the month, which includes workshops focused on 3D visualizations in XR and textual analysis with Python.

Contemporary Confections brings together contemporary art, coffee, and chocolate for an indulgent afternoon at the Memorial Art Gallery. Enjoy a curated coffee menu from Ugly Duck paired with artisan chocolates from Laughing Gull. The program includes several short talks. Learn more and purchase tickets to attend on Saturday, February 21, from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Laurel Award, established in 2022 in honor of Laurel Contomanolis on the occasion of her retirement as executive director of Residential Life & Housing Services, is presented each spring to the group or organization whose program best exemplifies the hallmark traits of inclusion, collaboration creativity, fundamental fairness, and tenacity which contribute to a meaningful on-campus living experience for students at URochester. This is for any group or organization whose program has a tie to residential life. Nominations are due Monday, February 23.

The Department of Psychiatry is seeking artwork submissions for the upcoming show “Finding Community.” Accepted works will be shown in the Bridge Art Gallery, located within the department at Strong Memorial Hospital. Submit artwork here by March 4 or email the gallery.

First-year students have been sent an email from the Office of Academic Excellence with the subject heading “First-year student feedback survey.” Students should check that they received the email with this unique survey link and complete the survey as soon as possible to support the continual improvement of programs and resources for students. Students who do not see it in their focus inbox should check their other/spam/junk folders, as the email may be marked as external [EXT].

The Fellowships Office is hosting several Fulbright 101 information sessions on the basics of the Fulbright US Student Program. Current juniors, seniors, graduate students, and alumni are eligible to apply, but any interested students may attend these sessions. Find the session schedule here.

This one-hour Zoom Teaching Center workshop, open to all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, covers how thoughtfully designed rubrics can make grading more consistent, feedback more meaningful, and expectations clearer for students.

Students applying for the Schwartz Discover Grant for summer research can attend the Ask an SDG Alum workshop on Tuesday, February 17, in the Feldman Ballroom from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The Center for Community Engagement hosts the Community Engagement Fair on Thursday, February 19, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Feldman Ballroom. Students can connect with local organizations to explore volunteer opportunities and build meaningful community partnerships.

Students can join the David T. Kearns Center for Leadership & Student Success for the 6th annual MANE Event, a natural hair care event, on Thursday, February 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the May Room, Wilson Commons.

A general interest meeting for the Writing Fellows is on Friday, February 20, in Rush Rhees Library, Conference Room A. Applications are due Friday, February 27, with recommendation letters due Wednesday, March 4.

This workshop on February 26 explores the four phases of the menstrual cycle and how hormonal shifts can affect energy, mood, focus, and learning.