Dear Colleagues,
I hope your semester is off to a great start despite last week’s winter storm. While the rare occurrence of snow in Auburn presented challenges, primarily interruptions to on-campus instruction, you, our faculty, once again demonstrated remarkable adaptability in continuing our academic mission.
Events like these always provide an opportunity to review and improve our remote operations (due to inclement weather or any other catalyst), especially as they relate to instruction. While much of our information remains consistent with previous years, the increased flexibility offered by remote teaching is a significant enhancement. I want to express my sincerest gratitude for your patience and the efforts of the hundreds of employees who worked tirelessly to ensure our campus safety last week. As we compile central resources and guidelines for future situations, I encourage any faculty with suggestions or concerns regarding our remote operations to email me directly at provost@auburn.edu.
As a reminder, faculty maintain discretion regarding how their course content is delivered to students during remote operations utilizing three options – (1) integrating missed content into future class meetings, (2) teaching via remote instruction, (3) or utilizing make-up days. In alignment with the university’s Academic Contingency Policies, we have identified three optional instructional make-up days for faculty: February 15, February 22, and March 1. Faculty planning to use one, two, or all of these days must inform their students as soon as possible and communicate their specific plans to their departmental leader and associate dean to ensure instructional spaces are open during those times.
During this week’s Senate meeting, I announced an upcoming leadership transition in the Provost’s Office. After more than 30 years of service to Auburn, including two years as the inaugural Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and over three decades in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, Dr. Bob Boyd has announced his plans to retire this summer. As many of you know, Bob has profoundly impacted student life and our academic mission, especially in our STEM programs, through his numerous faculty and administrative roles. Please join me in thanking him for his years of dedicated service to our campus. In preparation for this transition, my office has begun an internal search chaired by Dean Fairbrother.
As our students' academic and professional needs continue to evolve, so must our academic offerings and services to prepare them for the changing workforce. To support our Core Curriculum review process, two ad-hoc working groups are being established, including an Advisory workgroup with representatives from each college and a Steering workgroup to support the review process and provide recommendations to academic and university leadership. Additionally, the Steering Group for the analysis of Faculty Compensation, Workload, and Productivity continues to meet in preparation for discussions with external consulting groups. They are focused on developing both long-term recommendations as well as short-term suggestions.
Earlier this week, we launched SHOWCASE 2025 at the Jule Collins Smith Museum, featuring a collection of creative scholarship from faculty across the university. Running through July, the exhibit emphasizes key themes of advocacy and process. Additionally, the exhibition will include a dynamic live performance on February 24 at 6 pm. I encourage you to visit the museum and explore this remarkable collection.
Next week, we will celebrate the achievements of several members of our advising community during our annual Advising Awards ceremony. The awards are a way of honoring the exceptional advising and mentoring provided by a number of our professional and faculty advisors across campus. Please join me in celebrating our colleagues for the impactful work they do to support our students.
Lastly, I regret to inform you that Dr. Tim Boosinger passed away earlier this week. Tim was a remarkable scholar, educator, leader, and colleague who loved Auburn and enriched the lives of everyone he encountered during his more than 40 years as a faculty member and administrator, including his roles as Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Provost. Please keep Tim’s family in your thoughts. |
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