A Letter from Dr. Karen Riley

Good afternoon Regis! 

The past couple of weeks have, in many ways, been a flurry of activity, and on the other hand they have been a series of events, providing special moments and reminding me of the importance of our work and how fortunate we are to work in education. We are certainly blessed to work here, and I truly feel blessed to be working in community with all of you.  

Chester Alter Scholar 

Last week we welcomed our Fall 2022 Chester Alter Scholar, Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin. She was here for two days, sharing the insights into her book Read Until You Understand. Thank you again to Dr. Jason Taylor and all of those involved in the First Year Experience. Bringing Dr. Griffin was exactly what we hoped the experience would bring. Her book was very good and a powerful read, however her presentation was extraordinary. Providing us with a glimpse into how she authored the book was truly a gift. Dr. Griffin, in a generous gesture, finished her presentation by reading some essays written by our students. Their work was impressive, and I heard many remarks on the talent of our students and how fortunate we are to engage with them. 

Associate Provost for Student Success – Faculty on Special Assignment 

Dr. Michael Ennis has agreed to serve as the Associate Provost for Student Success, as a Faculty on Special Assignment. Mike has two decades of experience teaching in the humanities and supporting students across the curriculum. He earned his doctorate in Literature at Duke University where he was a John Hope Franklin Fellow and Fulbright-García Robles Scholar. He served as Associate Director of First-Year Writing in the Thompson Writing Program at Duke and as Instructor of International Writing in the Program for Writing and Rhetoric at CU-Boulder. Since 2015 he has directed Regis’ Learning Commons. Mike was asked if he would be interested in this position because of his unique background and because of his historic ability to work with students from all three colleges. The deans provided the nominations and selected the candidate.  

We are thrilled that Mike is willing to take on this much needed and often requested role. Mike will serve as lead for EAB Navigate, will lead the advising team, and work with faculty, administrators, and staff to create and implement student success initiatives. Mike will collaborate with Grace See, who will continue to oversee the technical side. University leadership in this role has been a request by many faculty and administrators for the past year, so I am glad we are able to address this need.  

The requests and the need for advising support from across the university evolved out of discussions last fall within the Student Thriving Taskforce, with many referencing the void created when Student Services was eliminated. With the current budget situation adding an additional administrator was not a possibility, even when there is high need for this position. That is why we chose to utilize the Faculty on Special Assignment approach. Mike will serve in this role during the 2022-2023 academic year, and we will reassess the situation prior to fall 2023. Mike is looking forward to “collaborating with programs across Regis to provide services that help students thrive at Regis and beyond.” I would like to acknowledge Carmen Nightengale who has played and will continue to play a significant role in this project. Carmen was on the Student Thriving Taskforce and had been thinking and sharing ideas within RHCHP. She brought her ideas to Deans’ Council, and it was from them that we began to see some options for a path forward. Although this idea represents a shift in structure for some units, the idea is that each college, school, and/or program will work with Mike and the faculty and staff to create a student support model that works for them and their students. Dual advising, with faculty serving as mentors and professional advisors addressing the technical side of advising, is what is being suggested and promoted. It will be up to the individual colleges to create an approach that works for them and their students. A recent article by EAB characterized the need for a joint approach. “Effective advising for today’s students requires the expertise of faculty advisors and professional advisors working in collaboration.” This is new for some, and so we understand there are a lot of unanswered questions. We will work on this together as we move forward. There will be follow-up communication regarding advising, including an Office Hours dedicated to the topic.  

Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship 

The search for the Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship is progressing. We have narrowed it down to four candidates who are submitting their mission essays. Once those have been submitted and reviewed, we will begin scheduling the on-campus visits. Please look for future announcements as we are excited to have you meet these candidates and provide your input. 

Winning 2022 URSC (University Research and Scholarship Council) poster will be on display in the Provost Office this fall 

We have started a new tradition this year. Last spring, we held the URSC celebration of scholarship and research, and it was indeed impressive. The work of our faculty and students was again a testament to their talent and dedication as well as that of the faculty who supervise student projects. We wanted to recognize all their efforts and to highlight exceptional work. This week, we recognized a team of researchers from the Biology department, whose poster was voted on and selected to be the best poster at the celebration. We will be displaying their poster in the Provost’s Suite this fall and will rotate it out for the next honorees. I want to reiterate my gratitude and admiration for Drs. Lucas and Spence. Their support and mentorship for our students is truly transformational, and we are fortunate to have you as a part of our community.  

I will end this letter with my sincere appreciation. I appreciate the positive emails as well as the concerns. I truly embrace a growth mindset and am sure that each and every conversation and communication provide me with an opportunity for growth.  

In gratitude,

Karen Riley