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Student biking along the riverbank in the spring.

Mass E-Mail Archive 2008-09  

Go to archive for 2007-08

Spring 2009

[UnivAdm] Strategic initiatives and budgeting, 2009 - 2014 - May 21, 2009

see http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/strategic-initiatives/Loh-True-5-09.pdf

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[DDDEO-MEMO] 2009 New Faculty Orientation Events - May 18, 2009

To:          Deans, Directors, and Departmental Executive Officers

From:    Susan R. Johnson, Associate Provost for Faculty

Date:     May 18, 2009

Re:         2009 New Faculty Orientation Events

In order to coordinate campus 2009 New Faculty Orientation events, we are sending you the following 2009 Office of the Provost New Faculty Orientation information to keep in mind as you plan collegiate and departmental orientation activities.

The 2009 Office of the Provost New Faculty Orientation sessions will be held:

  • Day One:  Tuesday, August 18th, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Bijou Theatre, IMU;
  • Day Two:  Wednesday, August 19th, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 2520D UCC;
  • The President/Provost Annual New Faculty Reception and Dinner will be held immediately following the Day Two schedule on Wednesday, August 18th, at 5:30 p.m. (dinner begins at 6:00 p.m.), in the Levitt Center for University Advancement, Assembly Halls.  RSVPs are required for the dinner.

Please note that the Office of the Provost and UI Human Resources are combining efforts this year, and UI Human Resources and UI Benefits staff will offer the University-wide Orientation for New Employees as part of the Day One program.  Also note that College of Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty members will attend Day One of the Provost Office orientation and the Reception/Dinner, but will attend a collegiate-specific orientation on August 19 - 20, 2009.

Please share these dates with others who may find the information helpful.  We will send a specific agenda in the upcoming weeks. 

We are committed to providing new faculty members a warm welcome to the campus as a whole, while supporting your efforts to welcome them to their collegiate home.  Please contact Diane Finnerty, Coordinator of Faculty Development, with any questions or suggestions (email:  diane-finnerty@uiowa.edu; phone:  335-3991).

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[UnivAdm] First-Year Seminar Program - May 4, 2009

Dear faculty colleagues:

I'm writing to solicit your participation in the First-Year Seminar program, starting in fall 2009. 

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has offered for some time a one-credit First-Year Seminar to a small proportion of entering first-year students.  The University's goal now is to expand the number of seminars to 100 in AY 2009-10 in order to enroll 50% of the entering class.  In AY 2010-11, our goal is to have 200 seminars that would enroll 100% of the entering class.

Our research data show that first-year students gain significant benefits from working closely with faculty and fellow students---in a small group---on a subject of common interest.  These benefits include a deeper engagement with the University during the critical first year, which tends to promote academic success and retention. 

At a time when budget reductions will increase class sizes in lower division courses, we want to provide every first-year student with the opportunity for small group learning with a faculty member.  The First-Year Seminar will be a signature feature of first-year education at The University of Iowa.

I'm pleased to report that to date, solely as a response to word-of-mouth communication, some 85 faculty members and senior administrators from every college of the University have volunteered to teach a first-year seminar next year.  For example, a law professor will teach a seminar about how post-WW II legal changes affected the status of women.  Several engineering faculty will focus on renewable energy.  A CCOM surgeon will discuss great ideas that have shaped and changed surgery.  A vice president will explore issues in health care reform. Other seminar topics range from writing song lyrics to studying fairy tales, human-invented languages, arts management, and weapons of mass destruction.  We invite you to peruse the list of courses to be offered.  To see descriptions of some current or proposed seminars, search "first-year seminar" on ISIS (http://isis.uiowa.edu).

We're seeking 15 more faculty members to teach a seminar next fall or spring.  We'll then achieve the goal of 100 seminars for half of the entering class.  Seminars meet for 50 minutes once a week over the course of the semester, or for 100-minute sessions for half of the semester.  Each seminar is capped at 16 students. Seminars can be team taught.  We can provide support for the preparation of your seminar. For further details, see http://centeach.uiowa.edu/firstyearseminar.shtml. 
 
PLEASE LET ME KNOW BEFORE MAY 15 if you can come forward to help strengthen first-year education.  I'd be delighted to talk with you about how to make your participation possible.

Sincerely,

Beth Ingram
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education C. Woody Thompson Professor of Economics
319-335-0148
111 JH
The University of Iowa

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[UnivAdm] Call for Nominations: The Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy - April 9, 2009

TO: All Faculty, Staff, and Students
 
FROM: Wallace D. Loh, Executive Vice President and Provost

DATE: April 2009

RE: Call for Nominations: The Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy

With the Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy, the Office of the Provost each year honors a University of Iowa administrator or staff member who supports undergraduate education and serves as a strong, effective advocate for undergraduate students and the undergraduate experience.

The recipient will receive a $1,000 honorarium and a certificate, and his or her name will be added to a plaque displayed prominently in the Admission Visitors Center where prospective students and parents can see the importance we place on undergraduate students and their educational experience.

ELIGIBILITY:  All UI administrators, staff, and faculty in a non-teaching role are eligible.

NOMINATIONS:  All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to make nominations, which should be directed to the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, and should include a narrative letter and two letters of support.  The narrative letter should

1)  briefly describe the efforts, achievements, and distinction that make the nominee an especially effective advocate for undergraduate students, and

2)  address the following questions:

a)  How has the nominee demonstrated excellence in service to undergraduate students?

b)  What evidence is there that the impact of the nominee's work has reached many undergraduate students and/or affected a smaller number of undergraduate students deeply?

c)  How has the nominee's work supported student success?

d)  How has the nominee been an advocate for undergraduate students?

Nomination forms and criteria are available at the following web site:
http://provost.uiowa.edu/students/lopesaward.htm

Nominations are due May 29, 2009.  If you have questions regarding this award, please contact Associate Provost Beth Ingram at beth-ingram@uiowa.edu.

Please feel free to share this announcement with others.

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[DDDEO-MEMO] Provost Office Faculty Development Programs – April/May 2009 - April 1, 2009

MEMORANDUM

To:       Deans, Directors, and Departmental Executive Officers

From:   Diane Finnerty, Coordinator of Faculty Development

Re:       Provost Office Faculty Development Programs – April/May 2009

Date:    April 1, 2009

The Office of the Provost is pleased to invite UI faculty members to participate in the remaining Spring faculty development workshops.  A full calendar and registration information can be found on-line:  http://provost.uiowa.edu/faculty/docs/Calendar.pdf

Upcoming faculty development workshops include:

  • April 9, 2009, noon-2:00 pm:  Developing Effective Habits of Writing Productivity (designed for new faculty),
  • April 14, 2009, 1:30-4:30 pm:  Negotiation Workshop for Women Faculty (designed for all faculty),
  • April 15, 2009, 7-9:00 pm:  Symposium on Promotion and Tenure to Associate Professor – Co-sponsored by the AAUP, Faculty Senate and Office of the Provost (designed for new faculty),
  • April 22, 2009, 3-4:30 pm:  Nothing Succeeds Like Success:  The Classroom as the Foundation for Student Success – Sponsored by the Center for Teaching (designed for all faculty),
  • May 1, 2009, 8:30 am-noon:  New DEO Orientation,
  • May 1, 2009, noon-1:00 pm:  DEO Luncheon (designed for all DEOs),
  • May 1, 2009, 1-3:00 pm:  Getting New Faculty Off to a Good Start (designed for DEOs),
  • May 4, 2009, 7-8:30 pm:  Every Summer Needs a Plan:  How to Build the Support, Community and Structure You Need to be Successful This Summer (Rockquemore Series Tele-workshop for new faculty of color).

Please assist us in spreading the word about these upcoming programs.  For more information or to offer suggestions, contact Diane Finnerty, Coordinator of Faculty Development Programs, Office of the Provost, 335-3991 or diane-finnerty@uiowa.edu .

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[UnivAdm] Budget Planning and Strategic Initiatives - January 28, 2009

Dear colleagues,

In this time of national economic retrenchment, The University of Iowa--like most other universities across the country--faces hard choices due to projected state revenue shortfalls and anticipated budget reductions.  I'd like to share with you information about actions that academic units are planning to undertake for next year and beyond, in consultation with faculty and staff.  This information is in my letter to you posted at http://provost.uiowa.edu/docs/misc/FY10_budget.pdf.  I welcome and value your comments.

Sincerely,

Wallace D. Loh

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Fall 2008

On-line UI Mentoring Clearinghouse - September 17, 2008

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the development of a centralized website that contains mentoring resources for UI students, staff, faculty and community members.  The on-line UI Mentoring Clearinghouse (http://provost.uiowa.edu/mentoring/
index.html) features information about UI mentoring initiatives, programs at other institutions, as well as general resources from many sources.  It is our hope that the UI Mentoring Clearinghouse will serve as a portal through which the excellent formal and informal mentoring programs currently in place at the University can be highlighted, while also providing centralized resources to individuals and units interested in innovation in their mentoring practices.

The UI Mentoring Clearinghouse is the result of the vision and efforts of the UI Mentoring Website Committee, which began as a result of a campus-wide meeting convened by the Women's Resource and Action Center (WRAC) in December, 2003. 

The members of the UI Mentoring Website Committee were:

  • Diana Davies, International Programs and member of original WRAC Programming Committee
  • Penny Rembolt, Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum, Carver College of Medicine, and member of original WRAC Programming Committee
  • Mary Mathew Wilson, Civic Engagement Program
  • Jennifer Joslin, Academic Advising Center
  • Dorothy Simpson-Taylor, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.

Additionally, the final report of the UI Mentoring Task Force, commissioned by Provost Mike Hogan in 2006, includes an extensive review of mentoring at The University of Iowa and a discussion and analysis of research regarding faculty mentoring.  The UI Mentoring Task Force Final Report concludes with several recommendations -- among them the development of a centralized web site/clearinghouse. 

Diane Finnerty and Kristina Yows, Office of the Provost, assisted with the development of the UI Mentoring Clearinghouse and will be responsible for the on-going maintenance of the site.  To offer feedback and/or suggestions, contact Diane Finnerty at 335-3991 (phone) or email:  mentoring@uiowa.edu.

For more information: 
*UI Mentoring Clearinghouse:  http://provost.uiowa.edu/mentoring/index.html
*UI Mentoring Task Force Final Report:  http://provost.uiowa.edu/work/mentoring.htm

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2008 Fall DEO Programs and Resources [DDDEO-MEMO]- September 11, 2008

To: Deans, Directors, and Departmental Executive Officers

From: Susan Johnson, Associate Provost for Faculty

Date: September 11, 2008

Re: 2008 Fall DEO Programs and Resources

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce several programs and resources developed to support DEOs and other faculty leaders:

The 2008 Fall DEO Workshop Series features workshops on the following topics: an overview of the year, unconscious bias, faculty collegiality, the budget process, legal issues, and mentoring.

The new resources, “Getting Off to a Good Start at The University of Iowa” and “DEO Strategies for Supporting Early Career Faculty,” were developed in consultation with several offices and individuals, including the foundational input offered by DEOs in attendance at the Provost Office’s “Getting New Faculty Off to a Good Start” workshop, May 2, 2008.

Additionally, please direct new faculty members to the Office of the Provost’s New Faculty@IOWA webpage for information about programs and resources of potential interest:  http://www.provost.uiowa.edu/
faculty/newfaculty.htm

For more information, please contact Diane Finnerty, Coordinator of Faculty Development Programs, Office of the Provost, 335-3991 or diane-finnerty@uiowa.edu .

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Fellowship in the Office of the Provost: Call for Applications - September 8, 2008

TO: All Faculty

FROM: Wallace D. Loh, Executive Vice President and Provost

RE: [UnivAdm] Fellowship in the Office of the Provost: Call for Applications

DATE: September 8, 2008

The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost invites any interested tenured or clinical faculty members of The University of Iowa to apply for two available fellowships. 

Fellows will serve for one to three semesters. They will work closely with the Provost, Vice Provost, and/or Associate Provosts on projects identified at the time of appointment.  The fellowship will replace an appropriate portion of the faculty member's normal teaching or clinical responsibilities. These fellowships are intended as development opportunities for faculty members to explore administrative roles and to acquire skills and knowledge that will better prepare them to serve in academic administration in the future. Fellows will attend meetings of the Provost's senior staff, the Council of Deans, and other governance groups.

Faculty members with interests in any of the following areas are particularly encouraged to apply:

  • Graduate education and the research enterprise
  • Economic  development
  • Cross-disciplinary collaborations
  • Undergraduate educational experience
  • Responsible alcohol use by undergraduates
  • Post-flood rebuilding of the university
  • Sustainability
  • Diversity and internationalization
  • Budgeting and process improvements
  • Information technology
  • Continuing education, distance education, and extension

Application process and timeline:

Applicants are requested to submit a letter describing their interests in the fellowship, a current vita, and two letters of reference (one from their DEO and one from a colleague).  Review of applications will begin October 1 and continue until appointments are made.  Fellowships will begin January 1, 2009, or at a mutually agreed-upon date.  Please send application materials in care of Tom Rocklin, Vice Provost, Office of the Provost, 111 Jessup Hall. 

Faculty members should feel free to contact anyone in the Office of the Provost if they have questions or wish further information.  Thank you.

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2008-09 Promotion and Tenure Procedures [DDDEO-MEMO] - August 20, 2008

TO: Deans, Directors and Departmental Executive Officers

FROM: Susan R. Johnson, Associate Provost for Faculty

RE: 2008-09 Promotion and Tenure Procedures

DATE: August 20, 2008

Over the next few months, departments and colleges will be involved in the process of arriving at recommendations for the awarding of tenure, and for promotions in academic rank that will be effective for the 2009-10 academic year.  This memorandum references, for the information of all faculty members, University policies and procedures related to promotions.

The Procedures for Tenure and Promotion Decision Making at The University of Iowa (available at http://provost.uiowa.edu/faculty/fachandbk/policies/ptprocedures.pdf) are to be followed for all tenured and tenure-track faculty.  The Procedures for Clinical-track Promotion Decision Making at the University of Iowa (available at http://provost.uiowa.edu/faculty/fachandbk/policies/ptproceduresct.pdf) are to be followed for all clinical-track faculty.  The Procedures for Promotion of Adjunct Faculty Members (available at:
http://provost.uiowa.edu/faculty/fachandbk/
policies/ptproceduresadjunct.pdf) are to be followed for all adjunct faculty members.  In addition to these University procedures, each college will follow its own written procedures governing tenure and promotion decision making.

This information is being sent to all faculty in a separate memo so that they will be aware of the promotion & tenure policies and procedures.

The Recommendation for Promotion Cover Sheet is available as Appendix B in PDF format on the web at the above-referenced sites and may be completed on line before printing. 

The final deadline by which collegiate recommendations are due in the Office of the Provost is February 9, 2009.  Receipt of recommendations by this date will greatly facilitate our efforts to submit recommendations to the Board of Regents in late March so that actions can be known to faculty members prior to the end of the academic year.  All colleges are encouraged to start the process immediately, if they have not already done so.  An early start will help ensure that each college and department has ample time to identify candidates for promotion, implement systematic procedures that are in accordance with University and collegiate policies, and provide all candidates with thorough, fair, and careful review at each step of the process. Please note that candidates must compile and submit substantive material for inclusion in the promotion dossier on or before the date specified in the college’s written policy or in the absence of a specified date, September 1.

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Greetings from the Provost - August 8, 2008

Dear Colleagues:

This is just a note to say how honored I am to be among the newest members of such a distinguished faculty, and to assume stewardship of academic affairs at The University of Iowa.  I'm excited to work with President Mason and her leadership team, the collegiate deans, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, Student Government, and with all of our talented and dedicated faculty, staff, and students to advance the institution's mission of research, creative work, teaching, and public engagement.

I want to express my gratitude for the many welcoming letters, e-mails, and calls my family and I have received from the UI community.  They brought back memories of the friendliness, caring, and generosity that I experienced when I first arrived in Iowa, as a freshman, from abroad.  These qualities---so manifest in the aftermath of the heart-wrenching flood devastation---are what create a special sense of community in Iowa, and what made us feel instantly at home here.
 
I want to thank Lola Lopes for her outstanding service as interim provost.  She has been incredibly giving of her time and wisdom during the transition.  I feel fortunate, indeed, that I will be able to draw on her experience this coming year while she serves as special assistant to President Mason. And I'm also fortunate to be supported in the office by an exceptionally strong team of vice provost, associate provosts, and administrative staff. 

The University will face many important issues and opportunities in the coming months and years.  These include post-flood recovery and academic planning; welcoming, for the third year in a row, a first-year class more than 4,200 strong; restoring the 100 tenure-track positions "lost" due to funding reallocations in recent years; developing a University strategic plan that coordinates with the recently started Regental strategic planning process; continuing progress on issues of diversity, sustainability, internationalization, and learning outcomes assessment; and enhancing the research enterprise, graduate education, and the undergraduate educational experience.  I couldn't be more thrilled to work under the leadership of President Mason, and side-by-side with all of you, to strengthen this great University for the benefit of the people of Iowa, the nation, and the world.
 
Finally, let me assure you that in the future I'll save this method of communication for important and time-sensitive announcements.  (For less pressing news and messages, you may wish to check the Office of the Provost web site at http://provost.uiowa.edu. I also invite you to share your ideas and concerns with me by e-mailing provost-office@uiowa.edu.)  I hope you won't mind my taking space in your in-box this once, though, to say how much I look forward to working with you to make remarkable things continue to happen at The University of Iowa.
 
Sincerely,
 
Wallace D. Loh
Executive Vice President and Provost       

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Summer 2008

An update from the provost on returning to somewhat more normal operations - June 20, 2008

Dear Colleagues:

Although the worst part of the flood seems to be abating we are still in crisis mode regarding utilities (steam, chilled water, and electricity). This means that even though we are resuming classes, research, and other university operations on Monday, this is not a return to normal. We have beaten back a major catastrophe and should be proud of ourselves, but it will be many, many months before we return to full functioning. Until then, we need to continue to work as a team and always keep the functioning of the entire enterprise in mind.

From a utility point of view, the east and west sides of the campus are no longer connected. This means that conditions are different on the east and west sides of the river.

On the west, UIHC has been functioning throughout the crisis and classes will resume on Monday as scheduled. However, limits on availability of steam and chilled water mean that ramping research back up will need to be a controlled process in order to protect the system and prevent a set back. Interim VP for Research, Jordan Cohen, will oversee this process in consultation with deans and program directors.

The utility situation on the east side of the campus is even more fragile. As of this morning we were running at only 23% of normal chilled water capacity. If we are able to get the temporary chillers outside Old Music running, that will bring us to 40% which is probably the best we'll be able to do until steam is restored. Bottom line: we are all going to need to live gracefully with some discomfort. (Why steam is necessary for air conditioning is a whole other interesting story. I am going to try to get some information to you about this in the next few days.)

The strategy we discussed this morning involves running the chillers at night to bring down classroom and office building temperatures to a super-cooled state and then letting temperatures rise naturally during the day. In the daytime, the cooling capacity can be shifted to other areas such as labs that need air flow for hoods and other scientific apparatus. We also need to make sure that the IT infrastructure on this side of the river does not fail which means that IT areas need good cooling.

Many summer classes already meet in the morning when the buildings should be cool. If it become warm enough that afternoon classes are uncomfortable, faculty might try switching classes to early morning. (No, I am not joking, but I also appreciate that I might not get many takers on this idea!)

Parking is also in very short supply and some roads are still closed. Because of this, the university is encouraging faculty and staff to talk with their supervisors about flex-schedules or working from home. I am told that some researchers have found that forced time away from the lab is just right for writing grant proposals. That's an idea worth trying!

Before closing, let me recommend two web sites that provide information about the flood response that I found interesting. The company that has begun the "mucking out" operation in the flooded buildings is BMS CAT. We hope to have a story on the flood stories blog about BMS CAT soon, but in the meantime, you might enjoy looking at their web site (http://www.bmscat.com/). I was also fascinated to learn about the Hesco Barriers that were used at IATL and IMU. There is a big interesting web site for Hesco. I recommend browsing the section on applications at http://www.hesco.com/US_CIVIL/apps.html. The section on flood control (http://www.hesco.com/US_CIVIL/product.html#test) is particularly apt.

Keep watching the UI flood blog (http://uiflood.blogspot.com/ ) and the flood stories blog (http://uifloodstories.blogspot.com/). We are all in this together and we are all sharing in the loss and in the recovery.

Best wishes,

Lola Lopes

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Questions? E-mail us at provost-office@uiowa.edu.