A Letter from Dr. Karen Riley
Good afternoon Colleagues,
What an exciting couple of weeks it has been! Last week started with the Academic Excellence Workshop: Creating Inclusive Spaces, and was followed by the Provost’s Picnic, then the Town Hall, and countless other gatherings and welcomes across campus. Again, a huge thank you to Dr. Nicki Gonzales, our entire ODEIE team and the workshop presenters for a powerful day. I hope you enjoyed yourself at the Provost’s Picnic! Now that we have done it twice, it is officially a tradition—so be ready for more fun next year. Not even a downpour could dampen our spirits! Thanks to Sandy Wojciehoski for all her work organizing and securing this year’s great prizes!
These weeks have also signaled the launching of several important initiatives. The Provost’s Council engaged in a retreat where we advanced our discussions regarding a Regis University Faculty senate. The conversations were rich, and we are indeed fortunate to have a group of faculty with the intellect and the dedication to engage so deeply in this effort. The CHAIR training, a group of faculty who supervise other faculty, has launched. The goal of CHAIR is to support this group of leaders and to provide them with the skills to support their faculty and staff and to advance our university. The Strategic Planning Committee also had their first meeting this week. Again, this group is charged with reviewing the data that has been gathered through the SWOT analysis and the MPE, Student Survey and the Capstone project. The energy and enthusiasm for this work is palpable and I look forward to updating the Regis community as the process unfolds. This is the first group of individuals who will be involved in creating and implementing this very important strategic plan. Subsequent committees will be formed and charged with various tasks as the process moves forward.
Last Thursday, our newest traditional students arrived for SOAR and many days of activities ensued. Huge thanks to Dave Law, Sarah Foley, and Jason Taylor (and their many colleagues) for their tireless efforts gearing up to welcome them. An incredible number of faculty, staff and students came out to welcome our newest students. From move-in assistance to the hospitality suite to the variety of sessions offered and the availability of Spanish translation, the parents and families expressed tremendous gratitude for the warm welcome they received. Well done, Rangers!
You may know that we are on a 10-year cycle with the Higher Learning Commission. This Fall, we will submit our Year 4 Assurance Argument. While this is a significantly smaller undertaking than the Year 10 Assurance Argument that we file before a visiting team comes to campus, it is certainly a big project that requires support from across the university. I would like to thank the Criterion Chairs for their support of this process: Kristi Gonsalves-McCabe, Janelle Ramsel, Rona McCall, Mike Ennis, and Heidi Blair. Several other faculty and staff are working on committees alongside each of the chairs—this is an effort that requires collaboration across the institution, so thank you for your support of this crucial process.
Many thanks to all our faculty for integrating the additions we requested to WorldClass. Change can be difficult, yet I hope the positive feedback from students about “MyRegis” (my.regis.edu) is a good reminder that these changes are to improve students’ experience and access to the information that will help them thrive at Regis.
I hope you have Blue & Gold Weekend marked on your calendars—September 22-25. This is another opportunity for our community to share the many gifts that make Regis unique as we welcome parents, families, and alumni to the Northwest Denver campus for several fun-filled days. I recognize that we just asked folks to volunteer their time for SOAR, but I know our alumni and parents will once again be “WOW-ed” by your warmth and hospitality. There are lots more details included in the Digest, but here is a quick link to the volunteer opportunities.
Please also mark your calendars for Walking Wednesdays. Beginning in September we will be meeting on the steps of Main Hall at noon. This is a casual group but designed to lean into our cura personalis value. Walking is a great way to improve our mental and physical health. Let’s push away from our desks and enjoy time together outside. We are blessed to live in a state with a gorgeous climate and to work on a beautiful campus. I would love to challenge those who work remotely to engage in this process as well. Send us your pictures of your Walking Wednesdays. For those of you at the Thornton campus, I would love to set up a time to join you in this activity as well.
I think that does it for now. I always intend for these letters to be short, however there are so many positive things to share! THANK YOU for ALL the ways you show up. I continued to be inspired by all of you for your commitment to our mission and our community!
Gratefully,
Karen