Dear Faculty,
Welcome back for the kickoff of the Spring 2021 semester. What a difference a year has made—we have gone from a conventional academic model to an enriched and innovative academy immersed in new breakthroughs in teaching and learning. I cannot stress enough how significant your support and willingness to adapt has meant to our students’ success and likely our future success as a university that will lead the next educational revolution.
Perhaps the best indicator of our accomplishments in the face of unprecedented challenges is our 97.1 percent fall to spring retention rate (as of this morning), which is nearly identical to our pre-COVID-19 rate of 96.9 percent for the 2019 student cohort. Currently, our enrollment for the spring semester is up from Spring 2020; we are reviewing the number of credit hours being taken as that will fluctuate until the Drop/Add period is complete. And more students are choosing to take classes onsite as compared to last semester—we have approximately 2,700 remote learners compared to almost 4,000 last semester—and we will be offering far more classes in face-to-face format (socially distanced of course). These numbers reflect our students’ continued trust in the experience
and value of a University of Miami education. Well done!
Importantly, we can’t let our guard down. The pandemic continues to require us to be vigilant and adaptive in slowing the spread. Aggressive testing, tracking, and tracing, wearing of face coverings, and other important protocols will continue to be essential to our daily lives—both on and off campus.
Here are some additional housekeeping items to help you prepare for the new semester:
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It is imperative that faculty perform the daily symptom checker and most importantly require students to also do it every day. Check that your students have completed it by asking them to display their “Good to Go” status. This is an essential part of our safety protocols as we are linking student participation in mandatory testing to the “Good to Go” process.
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Similar to the fall semester, classroom doors will be locked and will require a ’Cane ID to enter. Be sure to bring your ’Cane ID to campus to ensure you have access to your locations.
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There will be no seating assignments for students this semester.
Just as we did in the fall, for the first two weeks of classes, we will have extra technical support teams on campus who can help you with the classroom technology. The best number to call for support will be posted in each classroom. For example, if you are teaching in one of the Business classrooms, the number for the Business IT group will be posted in that classroom. If you are unsure of who to call, you can use the General Purpose Classrooms phone number, 305-284-3263, and they will route you to the appropriate group.
Remember, there is no Spring Break this semester; instead, two Wellness Wednesdays have been scheduled for March 3 and April 14
and regularly scheduled classes will not be held on these days. You should not have assignments due or homework scheduled for these days. Wellness Wednesdays class time and course material must be made up either through asynchronous online instruction (preferred), additional out-of-class assignments, or through other creative options you develop. An additional class meeting is only required if there are unique facilities, equipment, or external accreditation requirements (and other options do not exist). If there are no other available options, the substitute class meeting day for Wednesday, March 3, is Saturday, Feb. 20, and for Wednesday, April 14, Saturday, March 20.
Facilities and classroom management continue to work diligently in advance of students and faculty arriving on campus to ensure spaces are ready for use on the first day of the semester. In order to minimize disruptions, customary classroom checks during the first two weeks of classes will continue to take place, and we will try to limit them (to the extent possible) to the 25-minute break between classes. This will be challenging as we are using a far greater number of classrooms and more of the academic day this semester than in the fall. Staff will be checking on everything from A/C and IT, instructional technology, and faculty/student access to rooms, to ensuring physically distanced seating and availability of hand sanitizers and disinfecting stations.
Finally, I’d like to encourage everyone to attend the upcoming virtual town hall on the University’s COVID-19 vaccine plans with President Frenk, Dr. Roy Weiss, and Dr. Susanne Doblecki-Lewis this Monday, Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. You can register and submit questions in advance here. You should also visit coronavirus.miami.edu for the latest information for students, faculty, researchers, and staff.
Once again thank you for all your contributions and commitment to the U. I invite all of you to share your experiences in the classroom with me and the Office of the Provost team throughout the semester.
Here’s to a phenomenal and productive Spring 2021 semester. |
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Jeffrey L. Duerk, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost |
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