Dear CLAS Faculty and Staff:
Welcome back to “campus” and the Spring 2021 semester! I hope you had a wonderful winter break.
I would like to extend a special thank you to the faculty who taught over the Winter Session, and the staff members who made that possible. This session was a huge success, and we are eager to see how it can be strengthened for the future.
The beginning of the semester is always a special time for me. It reminds me of just how lucky I am to be part of an innovative and compassionate community of scholars like ours. It also reminds me of the power of our work: We are given the opportunity daily to shape the direction of the lives of the students we teach, mentor, and guide.
Each of you plays an important role in our critical mission, and I can’t wait to see your work unfold.
Instructors and faculty: You have put your heart and soul into becoming experts in your field, and in developing and employing exciting pedagogy that is shaping students' career goals and life perspectives. Your research and creative production fuel your teaching, and bringing it all together in the classroom—seeing those “light bulb” moments in your students—is so rewarding and fulfilling. I am sure many of you have received letters from alumni who share a small nugget of knowledge you once gave them and how that changed the trajectory of their life and career for the good. This semester presents new opportunities for building those meaningful relationships. The associate deans and I wish you all the best in this next chapter of your teaching and research. Please remember that we are here to help you succeed.
Staff members: Your work in supporting our college’s teaching; assisting with and conducting research; and organizing and facilitating our public engagement is essential. Not one faculty member could do what they do on a daily basis without your involvement and support. When our alumni put their CLAS education to work in their communities as civic, professional, and academic leaders, you are part of their Iowa story. Many of you work closely with students, while many of you work behind the scenes to make sure they and their instructors have what they need as scholars, artists, and scientists—but each of you empowers our students to succeed. Thank you for ensuring that everything works so well for your areas, particularly during this pandemic-afflicted academic year.
There are many ongoing initiatives occurring in our college this semester.
- CLAS Human Resources review. UI HR and CLAS have completed their fall 2020 review of CLAS HR, and made recommendations that will be implemented over the coming weeks. The review was very helpful to us in ensuring that we provide excellent services to all clas units. You can read the final report here.
- CLAS Collegiate Review. The Office of the Provost is conducting its regular review of CLAS, a process that starts with a self-study. Thanks so much for the wonderful response to the survey we asked you to complete. Our self-study committee is at work analyzing the results, and will announce further opportunities for community input during this semester. Here’s where you can learn more about the current collegiate review and see the final reports from the 2013-14 review.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Throughout CLAS, outstanding work continues to be done to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive academic community. Check out our CLAS 2020 DEI Annual Report for a snapshot of where we are today at the college level, including interviews with Professor Rene Rocha, CLAS Director of Academic Standards Peter Hubbard, and undergraduate and campus leader Shannon McNeal.
- CLAS Strategic Planning. In the spring of 2020, CLAS and its departments largely completed strategic plans in alignment with the UI’s strategic planning process. The new, five-year plans were scheduled to go into effect this month, along with the university’s new plan. Then came the pandemic, and it became apparent that adjustments will be needed, informed by the opportunities and challenges we have unexpectedly found ourselves confronting. Accordingly, the university, CLAS, and CLAS units pushed back the timeline for completing and implementing the plans to July 1, 2021; departmental plans are due to the Dean's Office by February 15. These strategic plans are not items to be checked off a to-do list—they will be living documents that guide our decision-making and our progress toward carefully and collaboratively considered goals. Our strategic planning committee will be holding listening sessions, open to all CLAS community members—see the listening session dates, times, and links. We look forward to sharing the revised 2021-26 CLAS plan when the process is complete. For more information, please contact the committee co-chairs, Professor David Cunning and Professor Shaun Vecera.
- CLAS theme year: “Pursuing Racial Justice at the University of Iowa.” We are excited to present more installments of our virtual theme year series, including a session on health disparities and racial justice in Johnson County, organized by Sokhieng Au, interim director of Global Health Studies; a full slate of arts performances, exhibitions, lectures, readings, and screenings from the Division of Performing Arts, English, Art and Art History, and the International Writing Program; a semester-long “Black Lives on Screen” series of films and discussions, curated and presented by Cinematic Arts; innovative programming from STEM departments, including a screening of the documentary “Can We Talk” with a panel led by the filmmaker; and sessions exploring the intersections of race and the media. Here’s where you can find more information on all of these events.
Looking past Spring 2021 to the fall semester, we know there are many outstanding questions. We look forward to sharing essential information in the next couple of weeks so that departments and instructors can begin their planning.
Thank you for everything you do to make the University of Iowa experience transformative and inspirational for our students—and for each other. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me and the Dean’s Office team to share your successes and let us know how your spring 2021 semester is going.
With best wishes for a fantastic spring semester,
Sara
Sara Sanders, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Interim Dean
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
