Dear Faculty: Just one more week before classes start. I know faculty have been busily preparing for their classes and attending the excellent faculty development events and training sessions offered by CTL and others. I hope you were able to participate in some of the informative and uplifting MLK activities that were made available to our community virtually. I particularly enjoyed the keynote by Dr. Leon McDougle, who inspires us to think deeply about the interconnections between race, social justice, health disparities, and the many spheres of research and teaching activities we engage in throughout this university.

As always, I want to reinforce and offer some important information that I hope will be helpful to you.

• As they did last fall, on-campus learners returning this spring will take pre-arrival tests and will self-isolate out of state if they test positive. On campus learners who test positive will not return to the UVM campus until they have completed their 10 days of isolation. For this reason, some of our students have arrival quarantine requirements that last into the first week of classes. Please be prepared to accommodate students who may be unable to attend classes in-person very early in the semester. As you plan your courses, please also consider how you can accommodate students who will require quarantining as we move through the semester; recording and posting all lectures would be incredibly helpful to students.
• Spaces have been reserved for in-person midterm exams in MIXD modality courses requiring a larger-capacity testing location than their currently assigned classroom.  Space is available the weeks of March 1 – 5 (week 5), March 15 – 19 (week 7), and April 4 – 9: (week 10).  Please fill out this survey as soon as possible to schedule a midterm exam space.
• CTL is offering General Purpose Classroom Orientation tours on January 25, 26, and 27 for those teaching a mixed modality or in-person class this spring. The tours will familiarize those who did not teach in a physical classroom last semester with the classroom layouts and the technology that was installed in the fall. You'll see the equipment demoed and have an opportunity to try things out. Registration is required. Contact CTL for additional information.
• Interested in learning more about the Office of Engagement? You can meet the team by   registering to attend one of their open house sessions on February 2, 10, or 26. Find more information on the office’s website and register soon; each session’s attendance is limited to 20 to facilitate rich conversations.
• I want to make sure you’ve seen these important recent communications:

Spring 2021 Addendum to the Existing Travel Policy This guidance provides an update to restrictions governing all university travel for faculty, staff, and students.

At-Home Student Tuition-Free Summer Course Guidance  As you prepare to advise students on summer course options, please review this information regarding guidelines for the tuition-free summer course for which some Fall 2020 at-home students are eligible.

• You can find detailed information on COVID-19 tests administered and results on the Weekly Testing Report. Last week’s student test results included 32 off-campus positives and 2 on-campus positives out of 2,353 tests. Last week’s faculty and staff test results included 6 positives out of 1,065 tests. As you know, a new and more contagious strain of the virus has emerged. Please recommit to all COVID-19 safety precautions and practices and refrain from travel and gathering. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to participate in regular testing.

As we closed out 2020 and opened a new chapter in 2021, change continues. We’re saying goodbye to dear friends and colleagues but celebrating their success as difference makers in their disciplines. Although we feel a sense of loss when colleagues leave for other career opportunities, good leaders, colleagues, and friends support the career opportunities of those we care about. We know they will make their mark wherever they are as they have done at UVM.

As our students return, it is also important to recognize the changes in their lives and the adjustments they have had to make over the last 10 months. We are learning they require even more support for not only their academic success but for their health and well-being.

And then there are the larger changes in all of higher education and generally in our nation. Managing so much change is not easy but it does provide new opportunities. I am reminded of a quote taken from a book written by Dan Millman, a world-class athlete, author and speaker, “The secret of change is to focus all of our energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” I look forward to working with you to learn from our past and build the new in 2021.

Warmly,
Patty