Welcome to our Day #1. I am honored to begin my service today as Interim President of the University of Delaware. Since coming here three years ago, I have fallen in love with this special place. As a connected community of faculty, staff, students, administrators, alumni and friends, we are OneUD, and the journey ahead of us will be one big team effort with an important role for everyone.

I know we are up to the task.

It seems fitting to start with a resolution. My resolve to you is a commitment to a culture of communication. This means sharing information back and forth at all levels and scope so that we can connect ideas and discussions to actions and follow-through, bringing the University forward in meaningful ways. This newsletter – Prez Beat – is one example of taking that step forward.

Let me tell you more about the title. You may know that I really like words, and both parts of the title of this newsletter convey important themes. In its abbreviated form, the word “Prez” fits with my sense of this newsletter as an authentic reflection of simple and direct conversations, akin to chats. It also aligns with the intended content of the newsletter, capturing ideas that are “in the moment” or work in progress to keep us all updated on what is happening.

The word “Beat” highlights the activity of exploring a regular route on campus — the sense of walking all around UD, engaging with you, gathering information about what is happening, learning about what you are working on and what is new. This newsletter is a way for me to share this collection of observations, insights, happenings and initiatives underway with the broader UD community. My hope is that this will open opportunities for engagement and collaboration. Please reach out if you read something here that you want to be involved in or want to know more about.

Beyond these consistent themes, the newsletter will be varied – it may be serious or light-hearted, short or long, covering myriad topics, or just one theme. But it will always provide a channel for me to share with you what I am hearing as I “walk the beat.”

Here's the latest:

The Campus Culture and Engagement Task Force is being formed. Visit this webpage for more information and to learn how to become involved.

Application guidelines for Research Continuity and Graduate Bridge Fund Awards supporting UD researchers who have experienced terminated awards or significantly delayed funding decisions can be found on this webpage.

Summer campus projects are underway for fall completion, including classroom renovations in Brown and Sharp Labs, and Ewing and Townsend Halls, and an expansion of Chik-fil-A in Trabant.

A new bus route app with more accurate arrival times and real-time location tracking is in progress, with testing planned for the first week of August and implementation planned in time for fall semester. Stay tuned for more information from Transportation Services when the app is ready to roll out.

Main Street improvements prioritizing safety have been authorized by the City of Newark, including the addition of stop signs, reduction of lane widths and the inclusion of rumble strips, with the goal of implementation before fall semester classes begin. See here for more information.

Health insurance benefit cards have been sent out and new coverage is effective today, July 1. HR stands ready to help with any questions or concerns; additional information is here.