A Letter from Dr. Karen Riley
Good afternoon Regis Community,
Well it has been quite a couple of weeks. I want to thank everyone for their flexibility and patience with the snow day. It appears we made the correct decision and we learned that some of our policies need to be updated. A special thanks to Todd Cohen, Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications; Lance Jones, Director of Campus Safety; Mike Redmond, Associate Vice President of Physical Plant; Academic Deans Drs. Shari Plantz-Masters, Heidi Barker and Linda Osterlund for their quick responses and thought partnership. Dr. Liz Whitmore, Associate Vice President of Human Resources, and I are working on updating our current Inclement Weather policies and will be seeking input from the community to ensure that we have a clear approach as we move forward.
This week we have been holding events in the Student Center to recognize the Lunar New Year. It is also the first week of Black History Month. Our students and colleagues from Student Affairs; History, Politics and Political Economy; the Asian Student Alliance and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence have planned several events for our community and I would encourage all of us to participate, to learn and to grow.
On Friday, we concluded a successful January Board of Trustees meeting. We were able to share many of the exciting initiatives that are being planned and/or implemented across the university. An important outcome was the full board’s approval for us to pursue accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for Anderson. This requires a significant investment of time and resources, and we are confident that the positive impact on programs and the marketability of the college will be significant. Having the support of the board is an important first step in this multi-year process. Many thanks to Dr. Shari Plantz-Masters and her team for all their work thus far and for their commitment to excellence. Again, the BOT expressed gratitude for all of you and your exceptional commitment to advancing our collective goals.
The four candidates for the Regis College Dean position will be visiting campus this month. Dr. Mike Ghedotti and the search committee have done a great job bringing excellent candidates to campus and I am looking forward to meeting with all of them as part of the process.
I am aware that the staff shortage in the Office of Counseling and Personal Development is on many people’s minds; we have received several questions about mental health support for students. Student Affairs has recently contracted with an external partner to offer additional support while they work to hire permanent staff. This mental health partner will serve as an ongoing online resource for our students for at least the rest of this academic year as well as the 2022-2023 school year. We are also fortunate that faculty and graduate student interns within our own Division of Counseling and Family Therapy programs are going to be able to help support students as well.
Per my earlier communication we are extending the mask mandate till at least February 11, 2022. The President’s Response Team (PRT) continues to meet weekly to monitor the situation. We are also continuing to update our COVID website including the FAQ section.
I look forward to seeing you next week at the President’s Town Hall (February 9, 2:30-4:30pm in the Mountain View Room). Thanks for all you do.
Sincerely,
Karen