Chancellor Black updates

Dear students,

I hope that the semester is going well for each of you. I have a few campus updates to share with you today.

ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
I am proud that our students are active and engaged in our democracy. UMD recently received the 2020 campus gold seal in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge which recognizes select higher education institutions, educators, and students for their extraordinary work in student voter engagement. Thank you to all of the campus departments and student organizations whose efforts led to this tremendous result!

DEI update
We continue to make good progress on a variety of diversity and inclusion efforts, including our campus Diversity and Inclusion action items. Some highlights include:

• Modifying our Liberal Education Program to include a new category and courses that broadly focuses on social justice issues.
• First-year students enrolled in UST 1000 completed the diversity, inclusion, and belonging module.
• The Police Department has begun to implement recommendations from Dr. Cedric Alexander’s report. The department has taken significant steps in broadening officers’ skill sets in de-escalation, mental health and cultural sensitivity.
• We have reinstated an American Indian Advisory Board (AIAB) for the UMD campus. The advisory board will serve as a liaison between American Indian communities and UMD.
• Many collegiate and campus units are engaged in additional diversity and inclusion efforts. UMD has 14 unit change teams across the campus. Learn more about their work and initiatives.

COVID-19
As we look forward to a holiday break, I am very grateful for the efforts students have made to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on our campus. Our vaccination rates among students, faculty, and staff are very high and our usage of isolation and quarantine in on-campus living has been manageable.

We are in the middle of a surge in COVID-19 cases in our state and in the U.S. in general. The Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) guidance for holidays and gatherings has helpful information about preventing COVID-19. I encourage you to review this guidance and use it to inform your holiday plans.

MDH has signaled that they anticipate expansion of COVID-19 boosters will occur very soon for all adults 18 years of age and older. Additionally, anyone that received a J&J vaccine is already eligible and should get a booster after at least two months from their first shot. As a reminder, our Safe Campus COVID vaccinations page has information about vaccine availability. UMD Health Services is exploring the possibility of offering boosters on campus and we hope to have more information about this in the near future.

Please do your best to stay well while having an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Updates from Chancellor Black

Dear faculty and staff,

I hope that the semester is going well for each of you. I have a few campus updates to share with you today.

ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
I am proud that our students are active and engaged in our democracy. UMD recently received the 2020 campus gold seal in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge which recognizes select higher education institutions, educators, and students for their extraordinary work in student voter engagement. Thank you to all of the campus departments and student organizations whose efforts led to this tremendous result!

DEI update
We continue to make good progress on a variety of diversity and inclusion efforts, including our campus Diversity and Inclusion action items. Some highlights include a pending modification to our Liberal Education Program to include a new category and courses that broadly focus on social justice issues.

Over 90 percent of faculty and staff have completed managing bias and diversity, inclusion, and belonging training modules. This fall, new employees will be invited to complete the modules. Additionally, first-year students enrolled in UST 1000 completed the diversity, inclusion, and belonging module.

The Police Department has begun to implement recommendations from Dr. Cedric Alexander’s report. The department has taken significant steps in broadening officers’ skill sets in de-escalation, mental health and cultural sensitivity. They are also working to enhance their community relationships to better serve our campus.

Many collegiate and campus units are engaged in additional diversity and inclusion efforts. UMD has 14 unit change teams across the campus. Learn more about their work and initiatives and don't hesitate to get in touch with them.

I send congratulations to Susana Pelayo Woodward, director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and assistant to the chancellor, for being selected to serve on the new advisory committee for the U of M Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Systemwide Review. I would also like to welcome Corey Christensen, our new equal opportunity associate and Title IX coordinator.

American Indian Advisory Board
I am pleased to announce that we have reinstated an American Indian Advisory Board (AIAB) for the UMD campus. The advisory board will serve as a liaison between American Indian communities and UMD. The board will consult on matters related to campus programs and services on behalf of American Indian students and on other relevant matters related to UMD’s research and public service mission.

The AIAB has ten members from Fond du Lac Reservation, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Bois Forte Reservation, and Grand Portage Reservation, and two UMD students.  At its first meeting, the Board elected Dorothy Olson, Fond du Lac enrollee and retired assistant director of UMD's American Indian Learning Resource Center, as board chair. Current UMD staff member and enrolled member of Fond du Lac Jody O'Connor will assist the chancellor and the board with scheduling, minutes, and other logistics. The board will typically meet three times a year.

Employee Engagement Survey
The University of Minnesota System just completed an employee engagement survey. I want to thank our faculty and staff for your participation. UMD’s overall staff response rate was 83% and the faculty response rate was 69%. Data from the survey allows leaders at the University to focus efforts to improve the faculty and staff workplace experience in order to effectively pursue our mission.

PEAK - Positioned for Excellence, Alignment, and Knowledge
The University of Minnesota System’s PEAK initiative which seeks to “identify opportunities across non-academic functions to increase efficiency or gain capacity” continues to move forward. Beginning in January, several functional work teams will meet regularly to develop solutions and translate the identified opportunities into detailed recommendations. Other teams will begin their work next summer. I am pleased that Duluth is well represented in these teams. Every major functional workgroup has UMD representation.

COVID-19
As we look forward to a holiday break, we are also preparing for a predicted surge in COVID-19 cases in our state and in the U.S. in general. The Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) guidance for holidays and gatherings has helpful information about preventing COVID-19.

MDH has signaled that they anticipate expansion of COVID-19 boosters will occur very soon to all adults 18 years of age and older. Additionally, anyone that received a J&J vaccine is already eligible and should get a booster after at least two months from their shot, regardless of living or working setting. As a reminder, our Safe Campus COVID vaccinations page has information about vaccine availability. 

Please do your best to stay well while having an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

News from Chancellor Black

Dear UMD Campus Community:

After twelve years as UMD’s Chancellor, I’m writing to inform you that I have decided to retire during the summer of 2022. President Gabel is sending a systemwide communication later this morning regarding my retirement and two other systemwide senior leadership changes. She is beginning a national search immediately for UMD’s next Chancellor with the goal of making a new appointment by the end of the spring semester. I will remain in my position until the new Chancellor is in place.

I thank you all for your support and for your outstanding work over the past twelve years. Together, we have experienced many accomplishments and persisted through one of the most challenging times in U.S. higher education history. I especially appreciate everyone’s work since the beginning of the pandemic, and I am pleased our COVID-19 cases continue to be low. 

UMD is a remarkable place, and we are blessed to live and work in a beautiful location with extraordinary natural resources all around us. I will miss you and the professional connections I have made on campus, in the Twin Ports community, and throughout the state and region. There is probably no ideal time to retire. But as I approach another milestone birthday next spring, Connie and I want more opportunities to spend time with our children and grandchildren in the Twin Cities and Massachusetts. We look forward to having more control over our schedules, more time with family, and greater opportunities to explore the United States and a few special international places. We plan to keep our home in Duluth and will find new ways to engage as private citizens with community groups and causes important to us.

Best wishes to you all,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor