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Dear Colleagues,
We all live by plans. Your loved ones ask you for a plan for the weekend, and without such a plan, the time passes by, uneventfully (which isn’t so bad, sometimes). We plan for the young ones in our families (even nieces and nephews), whether for summer activities while we are at work, or longer-term plans for college. Your daily, monthly, and yearly plans might link up to a longer legacy: “We are a family of hard workers, like grandma was.” “We have always been public servants.”
At the University of Richmond, our legendary leaders have spoken about these longer-term plans, as they pertain to colleges and universities, as sagas: the University of Richmond, for example, from its origins in 1830, was built to serve, first serving the Baptist Church, and by the 1969 gift, poised to educate global leaders.
Recent events in this story of UR’s service orientation include our commitment to social justice, which the Arc of Racial Justice Institute this summer will equip sixteen faculty and staff members to consider in their teaching and research. We are also joining the Council of Independent College’s Institute this summer,
“
Diversity, Civility, and the Liberal Arts.”
These opportunities reiterate the university’s commitment to broader access to college education. They link us to the saga of the Gift, the Richmond Guarantee, and more recent initiatives, such as the
Richmond’s Promise to Virginia
and
American Talent Initiative
.
In A&S we have had an immediate plan for this year, which included goals of producing Career Profiles for each department, establishing the Pillars for C30, and building on the foundation for A&S shared governance. Drafts of Career Profiles are coming in, and the Associate Deans will follow up with Chairs at Spring Break for another push on this plan. You approved the process to
C30 Pillars
in December. The Dean’s Office has been spending a number of hours focusing on Signature Initiatives that will provide tactics for accomplishing our goals of Community, Curriculum, Creativity, and Conscience. Members of the Dean’s Office will hold discussions with key committees (such as FRC and URC) about these initiatives, and will report back to the broader community later this semester.
Regarding our third goal for the year, the Task Force on Shared Governance has shared a
report on their work
. Items for consideration include the most effective divisional structure for governance (tripartite? quadripartite?), appropriate committees for A&S that include a proposal to eliminate DAC, and concerns regarding the best nominating and elections procedures. While these might sound like mundane matters, they are critical to the shared responsibility between administration and the faculty of A&S.
Sagas emerge over time. Our legacy is built every day, sometimes in seemingly mundane tasks. I continue to encourage you as you teach your classes, curate exhibits and performances, prep labs, work on budgets, and advise our students. You are helping to build a strong legacy for A&S at UR.
Thank you,
Patrice Rankine
Dean, School of Arts & Sciences
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Mark Your Calendars
March 2, 3 p.m.
all faculty, staff and students welcome.
March 19
March 26, 4 p.m.
Faculty Meeting
April 20, 1-6 p.m.
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Career Profiles
Associate Deans will check in with Chairs after Spring Break to discuss progress.
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Celebration of Faculty
Please join us in celebrating our colleagues’ accomplishments at the final A&S faculty meeting of the year: Thursday, April 12 from 4 – 5 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room. Light refreshments will be provided.
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A&S Retreat
Please plan to join us for the A&S retreat on May 14. All faculty and staff are welcome; please
RSVP by Evite
.
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