Prez Beat: Autumn

There are so many things to celebrate with the onset of autumn: crisp mornings; seasonal flavors (cider; curried butternut squash soup; adding pumpkin to almost anything; candy corn); half-time performances by UD’s marching band; running through dewy grass; fall sports competitions, and best of all, a campus abuzz with activity.

These delights also come with the challenges: shorter days (dark when getting up and dark so much sooner at the end of the day); the onset of cough and cold season; that point in the semester that features due dates and exams; and solemn remembrances.

Which makes Parent and Family weekend one of my favorite parts of fall. A time when we widen our circle of support as we navigate these challenges, come together to share in fall delights, and celebrate the sense of connection that is foundational to who we are as a Blue Hen community. The photo above shows a sold-out crowd at last Friday night’s football game. I spent the weekend meeting parents and listening to students describe the places that they have found, their new habits and routines, and what they are learning — and what they are worried about, and brainstorming what we can do to make navigating challenges easier.

Autumn is a time of harvest, making it a perfect opportunity for reflection, gathering, and culmination. As a community we are engaged in exactly this work, through the ongoing strategic planning conversations, the reflections on the pulse survey results and ensuing action plan, and the implementation of the campus culture and engagement framework.

Thank you for participating in these discussions and for crafting, together, a path that honors the delights and carries us through the challenges.

Here’s the latest from around the Beat

Pulse Survey Results Are In

Last week, Dr. Laurie Schreiner discussed the faculty and staff pulse survey responses with our campus community. We had a great attendance, totaling approximately 350 participants across the Board of Trustees presentation and the two campus conversations. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey and in the discussions. In a few weeks, we will launch a student version of the survey, so students please be on the lookout for more information from Student Life.

The university-wide results are available on our Pulse Survey Results Dashboard. The data serve as a baseline from which to compare subsequent administrations of the surveys and will inform our ongoing strategic planning.

In the coming weeks, unit leaders will be sharing unit-level findings with their teams and determining together action steps to preserve where thriving is strong, and build where it can be strengthened.

Next steps coming out of summer AI conversations

Over the summer, faculty, staff and students came together for conversations about artificial intelligence across five areas: teaching; student learning; research, innovation, and workforce development; institutional operations; and institutional readiness. You can view notes from our conversations on the President’s page.

From these conversations, we identified four calls-to-action:

1. Statements and Policies: develop a shared statement on AI, review existing guidance, and identify gaps.
2. AI Hub / Clearinghouse: Bring together resources for education and training, teaching, research, policy, and community events.
3. AI in Action: Explore opportunities in teaching, research, innovation, operations, and community engagement with clear goals, measures of success, guardrails, and AI liaisons.
4. AI Advisory Council: Consider establishing a small group of students, faculty, and staff to highlight work underway, identify opportunities, and advise on responsible use.

These efforts will require coordination, and I am pleased to appoint Dr. Matthew Kinservik as a Presidential Fellow, focused on digital citizenship. In this role, Matt will help us set our four calls-to-action into motion. If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out directly to Matt.

Link to staff council website

I’m pleased to share a link to the Staff Council website which shares the Council’s focus areas, current initiatives, and members — where you can share feedback and ask questions directly.

Walktober

It’s officially Walktober, an initiative from HR to promote wellbeing. To celebrate, I’m hosting weekly Prez Walks - you can find dates on the President’s page.

UDance Rave Run: Walk or run for a good cause at UDance’s glow-in-the-dark 5k on Tue., Oct. 13 on South Campus. Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m., and the race starts at 6:15 p.m. Register by Oct. 12.

Upcoming Community Events:

Join us at the President’s House, 47 Kent Way, for these community events:

Community Read-In on Thu., Oct. 22, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. You bring a book and commit to 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading, with snacks and fellowship before and after.

Craft Circle on Thu., Nov. 5, at 6:00 p.m. I’ll provide light refreshments and comfortable seating — you bring a book or crafting supplies. Please, no glitter.

Zoom-ins are now Drop-ins. Please stop by the President’s House, 47 Kent Way, on Mon., Oct. 19 and Mon., Nov. 16 from 12:10 – 12:50 p.m. to converse, ask questions, and connect with me, Vice President for Student Life, José Riera, Provost Bill Farquhar, and EVP of Finance and Administration Ellen Herbst.

Yours in UD,