1.23.23

Good morning, colleagues:

The spring semester is off to a great start! I spent time last week representing UIS with colleagues and students at the annual MLK Jr. Breakfast in downtown Springfield, attended some Welcome Week activities, finalized the search committee for our Provost search, announced our 2022 Employee of the Year, had a fantastic brainstorming session with faculty and staff regarding possible contributions to DPI, and welcomed our new DPA students, among the usual course of business. This week, I will be at the Board of Trustees meeting in Chicago.

New Information

Grad Week: Jan. 30-Feb. 3

Thank you to all our faculty and staff participating in Grad Week this semester! We are looking forward to continuing the momentum of our rising graduate student enrollment. With spring classes now in session, please encourage undergraduate students to sign up for webinars being held from Jan. 30-Feb. 3 to learn more about graduate education at UIS: uis.edu/grad-week

Supervisor Development Series

Human Resources recently announced a new Supervisor Development Series, a semester-long series of trainings that will generally occur on the last Wednesday morning of each month. A tentative schedule was sent to all employees on Jan. 17. The purpose of this series is to allow supervisors a monthly opportunity to learn about topics pertinent to being an effective supervisor and to allow for conversation and collaboration among supervisors across campus. The exact time and mode of delivery (in-person, Zoom, etc.) will be announced prior to each session. The first session in this series will be on Workers’ Compensation and will be presented from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Jan. 25 via Zoom by Brandi Clemens, a Claims Specialist with the Office of Claims Management and Workers’ Compensation. Here is the link to this session.

Chancellor’s Committee for Belonging, Dignity and Justice

I have decided to form a Chancellor’s Committee for Belonging, Dignity and Justice to launch our campus-wide DEI strategic planning efforts and coordinate subsequent efforts to monitor progress, recommend initiatives and serve as a resource for campus constituents. The committee’s charge was shared in my Jan. 17 email. Shelby Bedford, assistant director for access and equity, will chair this committee. Before making final decisions on committee membership, I am providing one final call for nominations. If you are interested in participating in this work, please email Shelby at sbedf2@uis.edu today!

Information that Bears Repeating

Executive Searches

The searches for our vice chancellor and dean openings continue to move forward. Search firm WittKiefer is partnering with UIS for all five positions. Here is a quick snapshot of each search:

• Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs/Provost: The search committee was selected last week, and we are fully engaged with WittKiefer to move the search process forward. Dr. Ty Dooley, associate professor and director of the School of Public Management and Policy, has agreed to co-chair the search with Dr. Vickie Cook.
• Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs: Application materials are due by Jan. 25. Search committee chair is Dr. Vickie Cook.
• Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration: The job opening recently posted, and application materials are being accepted. Search committee chair is Dr. Jeff Lorber.  
• Dean of the College of Health, Science and Technology: The job opening has been posted since November, and application materials are being accepted. Search committee chair is Dr. Frances Chen.
• Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences: The job opening is posted, and application materials are due by Feb. 17. Search committee chair is Dr. Devin Hunter.

Our goal is to have all positions filled by July 1. Thank you to all who are serving on the search committees for these important leadership positions.

Investiture Reminder

Please RSVP by Feb. 1 for the upcoming Chancellor Investiture, which begins at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 in Sangamon Auditorium. Release time is authorized for this event subject to supervisory approval. All faculty, staff and students should have received an invite via email the week of Jan. 9.

Listening Sessions

For the remainder of the academic year, I am hosting listening sessions for any faculty or staff member who wants to share their thoughts about our university climate and culture. Please complete this online form to express your interest in participating in a listening session. A member of the Chancellor’s Office will work to schedule you prior to May. To date, I have completed one group session and several individual sessions with faculty and staff in the College of Business and Management.

Orbit Reminder

Don’t forget to check out Orbit, the new web hub for all things employee-related at UIS. 

Celebrating our Star Power

Congratulations to our 2022 Employee of the Year, Yokasty Owens! Yokasty is a building service worker whose work is described as “remarkable.” She was honored, along with 10 other colleagues who were selected as an employee of the month in 2022, at a reception Jan. 19. Congratulations, Yokasty!

Janet

Janet L. Gooch, PhD

Chancellor

University of Illinois Springfield