Welcome back!
August 24, 2023
This summer, we’ve seen considerable changes within the Dean’s office. And those changes have capped a full year of change. If you’re still not sure who’s who, or who does what, then you may only be a few weeks behind all of us here. (At very least, we can confirm that Shannon Kapp, College Relations Manager, made this lovely infographic to help in addressing that second question.)
And we know that all of you have been busy too, mentoring student researchers, leading study abroad programs all over the world, and advancing research programs that address questions that are alternatively utterly of-the-moment and perennial. It’s also our hope that you’ve had an opportunity to rest and spend time with those you love, and that you’re returning to campus recharged and excited to greet the opportunities that the new year presents.
While it sure seemed quiet some days in Alter Hall this summer, you were hard at work on behalf of the College too. In June, a task force completed work on recommended changes to our annual update process. (Before you get too excited, this year’s updates are still due to Chairs on September 15, or September 1 if you’ll be applying for promotion or mid-tenure this year.) And we were happy to host department chairs and academic advisors for workshops in recent weeks.
While we’re very excited to welcome back returning colleagues, we’re even more excited to welcome the new colleagues who are joining the College this month. We hope you’ll join us in welcoming eight principal faculty, six participating faculty, and eleven visiting faculty all across the College this fall semester. You’ll have a chance to meet them all at our Fall College Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27 from 3-4:30 pm. Watch for more details to follow.
Perhaps most importantly, we’ve been very happy to welcome new students to campus, and welcome back our returning students. Thanks to all of you who’ve helped to make their moves easier, by participating in Manresa activities, putting in extra advising hours, and signing up for the CTE Persistence Project. We enjoyed our time greeting students in Alter Hall this week!
As the semester swings into full gear, we want to reiterate that our aim in the coming year is to do our best to support you in carrying out the missions of the College and the University. We’ll look forward to seeing you all soon. And if you’re especially eager to see us, we welcome you to stop in to the Dean’s office suite in Alter Hall to say hi. We couldn’t be more excited to help you make this year a great one!
Tim Brownlee, Jen Droege, Dena Morton, and Steve Yandell
