Preparing for the Town Hall (Jeff Dayton-Johnson)

• The town hall for faculty and staff will be on Tuesday, December 13 from 12:15-1:45pm PT. We also plan to schedule an opportunity to connect with Student Council for a similar discussion.
• There are three Covid-era policies that we are in the process of reconsidering:
  • The quasi-mandatory “blended synchronous” teaching format for virtually all classes (in order to accommodate both on-ground and online students),
  • The promise to new students who begin their degrees remotely that they can finish remotely,
  • The reduced physical presence requirement for regular and visiting faculty (from 45 days/semester to 22.5 days/semester).
• Feedback on these policy decisions is being collected through this form until Friday, December 9.
• At the town hall we plan to discuss what, if any, changes will be put in place for Spring 2023 and close the loop on consultation.
• The other part of the town hall will focus on progress with the business plan, especially under our focus areas. There is a lot of work underway and we hope to invite colleagues to share information about the current projects.
• There will also be updates on some of the bigger initiatives like seeking a partner to help us with online program management.
• We will be inviting questions ahead of time. Please look towards Monday’s VPAA update for information on how to submit a question.
• This is our first town hall of the semester, and we hope it will be a useful, informative, and motivational gathering for faculty and staff.
• Discussion Notes:
  • While there are many students who are interested in participating on campus, the enrollment team estimates that 10-15% of students need the current level of flexibility in order to participate in our programs.
  • Amy Collier, Patricia Szasz, and Katherine Punteney are conducting research on online policy and test security/academic honesty is a part of that effort. The plan is to bring this research to the community for discussion in the spring semester.
  • It would be helpful to expand the campus presence policy conversation to include different programs and events that would contribute to vibrancy and encourage people to get out of their offices and connect with one another.