Welcome to the Provost's Digest

Dear Regis Community,

Although the temperatures and the long sunny days suggest that we are still in the middle of summer, our academic calendar reminds us that the fall semester is rapidly approaching. I hope that those of you on 9-month appointments are soaking up the last few weeks of time away from campus and that those of you with 12-month contracts have been able to take some well-deserved time to focus on self-care, friends, and family.

As we come together as a community, we are keenly aware of the challenges facing our society generally and higher education specifically. Now is the time for Regis University to rise to the challenge. Our mission to "build a more just and humane world through transformative education at the frontiers of faith, reason and culture" provides a clear and mission-driven path forward. We are at an opportune moment, where making thoughtful strategic decisions can help maximize the strengths of the University and advance our collective goals. This will require a collective and thoughtful approach and I am both honored and excited to engage with all of you on this journey.

Working together effectively requires multiple means of communication. This is the first installation of the Provost's newsletter, "Provost's Digest." This will be distributed on a bi-weekly basis with content from across Academic Affairs. The Provost's Digest is designed to serve all of you, so please provide feedback through provost@regis.edu so that we can continually improve.

In order for us to collaborate effectively, we need to have bi-directional communication. As such we have scheduled the first round of open Town Hall meetings. These have been scheduled on different times and on different days as we are aware of your busy schedules. We have also scheduled one Town Hall at the Thornton Campus. Finally, we have scheduled two Town Halls for our students, one online and one in person. I look forward to meeting more of you in person and to listening to your thoughts and ideas.

I will have regular office hours which will be posted on a monthly basis. This will allow for individuals or small groups to schedule a time to meet. Please keep an eye out for available days and times in the next Provost's Digest.

We will be hosting smaller Strategic Gathering Discussions throughout the semester. I received some input from faculty and staff that they would like smaller discussion sessions on specific topics. I will be presenting some topic ideas for these Strategic Gathering Discussions during the Town Halls.

Last but not least, communication involves the sharing of stories, accomplishments and struggles. Throughout these communications, we will highlight the accomplishments of faculty, staff and students as we strive towards scholarly and academic excellence. I look forward to celebrating small and large milestones as we work in partnership to build an intentional culture based on our shared values and forward vision.

Future of Work

As you are aware from multiple communications, the Future of Work Task Force is moving forward. I am currently working with Human Resources as well as the deans and directors to address questions and concerns on an individual basis while the task force establishes guidelines and policies for the university. This has clearly been a stressful situation for many, and we are working to enact an approach that is both equitable and addresses the needs of individual community members. Thank you for your patience as we explore options.

Thank you all again for your dedication to our mission and I am very excited to engage with all of you in person very soon.

Dr. Karen Riley

Provost