Spring quarter and the cherry blossoms seemed to arrive at the same time a few weeks ago – and almost overnight, the UW came to life. More than 7,000 admitted students and their family members were here for Admitted Student Preview March 26, and thousands more visitors came to see the cherry blossoms. Students, faculty and staff returned to class and work, once again crossing Red Square between classes and lining up at coffee shops.
I was grateful to spend several days over spring break in San Diego, where my daughter, who is a chemistry major at Grinnell College, presented at the American Chemical Society conference (yes, another chemist in the family). Although it was a nice break, it was wonderful to return to campus energized for spring quarter and beyond.
As we continue to move past the pandemic, I’m looking forward to this fresh start. We know things won’t be the same as they were two years ago, but we have an opportunity to shape our future and the ways in which we collectively help each UW student have the best Husky Experience possible.
Looking forward, Provost Mark Richards has asked Faculty Senate Chair Chris Laws and me to lead an informal brainstorming group on the future of teaching and learning. This group will identify key questions that the UW should tackle on behalf of our students as we emerge from the pandemic. A more formal tri-campus group, to be convened in autumn, will use the brainstorming group’s summary as a starting point for a more formal visioning and planning process.
Throughout our ASA units, we are beginning to look at the services we offer to students and faculty and the best service delivery models. That may be face-to-face meetings, or asynchronous chats. Once we identify the best models, which will vary by unit, we can examine telework agreements, which will depend on the service delivery.
For the past two years, you and your colleagues throughout ASA have worked diligently, responsively and patiently in support of students and faculty. Now, we can take the opportunity, and the time, to evaluate our strategy and plans for the future. I will be asking leaders of each ASA unit to begin thinking about this and to engage each of you in that process. As part of that effort, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on how we can shape our future.
Best,
Philip J. Reid
Vice Provost for Academic and Student Affairs
Professor of Chemistry