Undergraduate Affairs News
Message from the Vice Provost
Dear Colleagues,
May is the time for celebrating achievements and I have had the great pleasure of attending several wonderful pre-commencement festivities in honor of our students over the last few weeks. Some highlights for me have included the First Year Closing celebration for the Myra Kraft Achievers Program (MKAP), the GenOne Night of Celebration honoring graduating seniors who are the first members of their family to earn college degrees, the Exceptional Achievement Endowed Awards in the Creative Arts (sponsored by Herbert and Sandra Fisher), the Creative Arts Commencement Celebration, and the GSAS Reception honoring our newly minted Masters and PhD graduates. Of course, there were many more I couldn’t attend—there are only so many hours in the day—but I am sure they were all filled with the same joy and well-deserved sense of achievement that I witnessed at the events I was able to join.
I’ve worked in higher education for more than thirty years, and these celebrations never fail to move me. Indeed, the more time I spend in the academy, the more powerful they feel, perhaps because I have an ever-growing appreciation of the challenges and struggles (many of them hidden from view) that our students must overcome to complete their degrees. And, as I am sure you all will agree, so many of them not only complete them, but excel in the process, achieving things that may have seemed unimaginable even a few years earlier.
Like many of you, I have felt the alarming and demoralizing impact of the pervasive attacks on higher education coming out of Washington since January 20. These springtime celebrations offer something of a salve to the wounds inflicted by those attacks. They remind us more powerfully than any op-ed or petition, however well-written or well-intended, why what we do continues to matter, continues to change lives, continues to enrich the world. The students who graduate from Brandeis this May will play an essential part in how we respond to—and recover from—the havoc being wreaked on so many of our important cultural, social, and political institutions. Thinking about all the impressive things our students have already accomplished, I feel more hopeful now than I have in a while. I hope you do, too.
Speaking of achievements worth celebrating, I also want to acknowledge the significant career milestones several of our colleagues in Arts and Sciences reached through promotion and tenure. This was an especially active year for this process—and it is not yet complete, with several cases still working their way through the system—but I offer my warm congratulations to the following faculty, whose promotions and tenures were approved by the Board of Trustees in its final meeting of the year:
Promoted to Associate Professor and Awarded Tenure
Anne Berry (Psychology)
Greg Childs (History)
Yuri Doolan (History/WGS)
Michael Heller (Music)
Tymon Sloczynski (Economics)
Michael Strand (Sociology)
Steven Wilson (Politics)
Promoted to Full Professor
Jonathan Anjaria (Anthropology)
Jill Greenlee (Politics)
Shantanu Jadhav (Psychology)
Kate Moran (Philosophy)
Finally, this will be my last newsletter to you as Dean of Arts and Sciences. It has been a real privilege to work with you over the last two years, two of the most challenging and fulfilling years of my career. I knew I was fortunate when I was selected to serve as Dean, but I don’t think I fully appreciated just how much of that good fortune would be a function of my wonderful, brilliant, and dedicated colleagues. Thanks to all of you for welcoming me and working so hard to make Brandeis the very special place it is.
But of course I am not going anywhere, and I look forward to the challenges I will be taking on in my new role as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Dean of Undergraduate Education. I am excited to be a part of the new academic structure we’ve developed and eager to move forward in our efforts to reimagine general education, develop new and innovative undergraduate programs of study, and create comprehensive and sustainable structures to provide all our students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities both on and off campus. We’ve got a lot of work still to do, but having already met with the working groups engaged in these efforts, I am optimistic about the possibilities before us.
Wishing all of you a productive and restorative summer break. I look forward to seeing you back on campus in the fall.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey
For previous messages, please see the archive.
Upcoming Deadlines & Events
General Updates
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Check back soon for updates for AY25.
Faculty Funding
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ENACT: The Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation is pleased to announce a grant opportunity for the Brandeis University faculty, staff and/or students. Grants will support undergraduate student-focused events that seek to educate our community and advocate for positive change on important current public policy issues, such as healthcare equity, reproductive justice, immigration reform, criminal justice, and voting rights. Proposals that value collaboration between student organizations, and/or between undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff are encouraged. Proposals that are part of a Brandeis course are eligible.
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The Vic ’63 and Bobbi Samuels ’63 Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation (COMPACT) offers grants to support both Community Engaged Pedagogy and Community Engaged Research; our website provides detailed descriptions of these opportunities, including upcoming application deadlines, links to application forms, and examples of previously funded projects. COMPACT also has a fund for event co-sponsorship. We are reviewing mini-grant applications on a rolling basis.
Have you been thinking about how you might include community engagement in your research and/or teaching? COMPACT staff would be very happy to brainstorm with you! There are also useful resources on our website, and we welcome you to sign up for our monthly newsletter.
Rolling Deadlines for Funding Opportunities
- Democracy in Danger Humanities Grants: In a national and global context of rising authoritarianism and attacks on human rights, what role do the humanities, humanities methods, and humanistic inquiry have to play in the defense of democratic values? The new Democracy in Danger Humanities Grants from the Mandel Center for the Humanities fund humanistic projects that respond to pressing, immediate concerns in local communities.
- Mandel Community Fellowships: The Mandel Center for the Humanities seeks to foster collaboration between humanists at Brandeis and the greater Waltham community, by offering a series of Mandel Community Fellowships to facilitate engagement with institutions across Waltham.
- Subscribe to the MCH Newsletter to stay updated on the latest events and opportunities!
Academic Updates
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Please consider submitting any relevant courses you teach for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Studies in the United States (DEIS-US) and Difference and Justice in the World (DJW) designation. Please contact the Chair of the committee, Ilana Szobel, or Brynn Sibley.
Resources for Student Engagement & Support
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Students are assigned a professional staff academic advisor in Academic Services based on the first letter of their last name. Students in cohort programs (Student Support Services Program and Myra Kraft Achievers Program) work with staff advisors in those respective programs. Academic advisors work in partnership with students on topics of academic exploration (course planning, major selection, graduation requirements, academic policies), academic support (connection to campus resources), and personal growth (goal setting, identifying strengths). Students can connect with academic advisors over email, through 20- and 30-minute appointments.
For emergencies, contact Public Safety at 781-736-3333 (on-campus issues) or 911 (off-campus issues).
For urgent mental health concerns, contact the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) at 781-736-3730 (24/7 consultation available).
For student behavior concerns that can wait at least one business day, submit an I Care Form to the Care Team to evaluate and coordinate resources of the university and provide necessary support. Also, please submit an I Care Form after calling Public Safety, 911, or the BCC to ensure follow up for student wellbeing.
These resources may also be helpful: Top Ten Care Practices, Care Team Tips, Campus Resources, and Campus Connection Points (list of ongoing, drop-in or scheduled times for students to have casual or structured connections through conversations).
For a decrease in academic engagement with no evidence of distress or concerning behavior, reach out to the student and ask for a reply within two business days. If no reply, try again with a note that if you do not hear back, you may need to engage other options for support. If you still receive no reply, submit an Academic Alert Form or contact Academic Services at 781-736-3470 (undergraduates only).
Consistent with past semesters, students will be emailing accommodation letters in the coming weeks. Additionally, students may send their letters at any point during the semester as a number of factors can be at play, such as a new diagnosis. When received, please reply to confirm delivery. It is important to note that accommodations do not apply retroactively.
If you have any questions regarding the implementation of accommodations, SAS is glad to be available and can be reached directly at access@brandeis.edu. Further, the following guides have been created to support faculty:
SAS is pleased to support faculty whose courses include exams and quizzes for students with related accommodations, such as extended time, low distraction testing environment, and separate testing environment. To request proctoring from SAS for students with exam accommodations, complete the SAS Exam Proctoring Request Form. We ask that this form is filled out at least seven days before the scheduled exam, so that SAS can coordinate and recruit a proctor. More information about this process can be found on the SAS Exam Proctoring Request Information (login required). If you have any questions, please reach out to the SAS Exam Team at SASExams@brandeis.edu.
News from Other Campus Partners
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Brandeis Author Book Talks: The Library is excited to announce a Book Talk Series, an opportunity for Brandeis authors to showcase their recent book publications, engage with the community, and share insights from their work. If you're interested in participating in a future book talk, please reach out to Matthew Sheehy, University Librarian. We aim to host these book talks multiple times each semester and look forward to celebrating and amplifying the work of our faculty authors.
Wondering what to do with all your files, whether they are paper or digital? All Brandeis staff have a responsibility to help ensure proper management of university records. All records are subject to the Brandeis Records Retention Schedule, and some records may belong in the University Archives. Marren Sanders, the Program Director for University Records Management, can advise you on how to store and maintain the records you create. Kate Neptune, the University Archivist, can help you evaluate what should be transferred to the archives for long-term preservation. For more information, please reach out to records@brandeis.edu or archives@brandeis.edu.
Monthly Faculty Highlights
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The Office of Undergraduate Affairs features a School each month of the school year in its newsletter.
Note: Faculty who are interested in being featured can email Kathleen McMahan. Items must fall into one of the following categories: Book or Chapter Publications, Grants, Fellowships, Performances, Compositions, Exhibitions, Other Creative Works (e.g., Director, Set Design), Interviews or Guest Appearances. Due to the volume produced by our faculty each month, published articles are not accepted at this time.