Last Week's Severe Winter Weather Event

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Last week's severe winter weather event dumped nearly 23" of wet, heavy snow and ice on the Twin Ports. Couple this much snow with gale force winds and we experienced a true blizzard. This event lasted for the better part of three entire days and, most critically, occurred in the middle of final exam week.

We want to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to UMD's students, staff, faculty and leadership teams for responding as you all did during this unprecedented confluence of severe weather and final examinations. We are proud of the people across every department that prioritized the safety and well-being of all our employees and students while planning for and executing the academic, student life and operational activities that must take place here on our campus.

Rescheduling hundreds upon hundreds of final exams and changing modalities impacted everyone. We applaud the patience and understanding along with the extraordinary efforts that you all exhibited during this challenging time.

Thank you for being Bulldogs!

Dave McMillan
Interim Chancellor

Sue Bosell
Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations

Lisa Erwin
Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students

Amy Hietapelto
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Your Input on the Executive DEI Position

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, Two additional discovery sessions are scheduled to provide you with the opportunity to share your input about the search for UMD’s new diversity, equity, and inclusion executive leader. The information gathered will also inform our position profile and the search process itself. Please join one of the below virtual sessions on Tuesday, December 20 at 9:00 or 10:15 a.m. We realize that this is very short notice but want to begin moving forward with this important effort as soon as we can. UMD Discovery Session December 20, 2022 9:00 a.m. Join Zoom Meeting https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/j/89046707012 Meeting ID: 890 4670 7012 One tap mobile Find your local number: https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/u/kcG3kAeQKN UMD Discovery Session December 20, 2022 10:15 a.m. Join Zoom Meeting https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/j/89417523081 Meeting ID: 894 1752 3081 One tap mobile Find your local number: https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/u/khpMRzpHj If you have other thoughts or input about the search, you can submit them through this general search input form.

Dave McMillan Interim Chancellor

 

Warm wishes for a great semester break

Greetings students, faculty, and staff, 

Wow–it is finals week! I can’t believe how quickly this semester has gone. I’ve learned a lot in my first semester here as interim chancellor, and I trust that each of you has expanded your knowledge as well.

Whether you’re graduating or will be back for the next semester, I hope that you all have a great winter break. To help kick off this season, I’d encourage you to take a few minutes to watch this video greeting from members of our campus community. Each of you helps make UMD the amazing place that it is.

 

To our students graduating this semester, congratulations! We are so proud of you, your determination, and your hard work. Please stay engaged with UMD and know that you’re always welcome back to campus.  It has been an absolute pleasure to experience the cycle of the fall semester with you, from move-in day all the way to finals–being together and feeling the energy of campus has been so rewarding.  Thanks for a great semester. Have a safe and happy break, and see you again soon! Sincerely,

Dave McMillan Interim Chancellor

DEI Position Discovery Opportunities (sent on 12/7/22)

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, I hope you are all well as we head into finals week of the Fall Semester. As my November 15, 2022 email noted, the next steps for the DEI position include discovery listening sessions. These sessions provide you with the opportunity to share your input about this important position and its priorities. The information gathered will also inform our position profile and the search process itself. Please join one of the below virtual sessions this Friday as you are able. We realize that this is very short notice but want to begin moving forward with this important effort as soon as we can. We are expecting to add additional sessions yet in December and January. Thank you to Dr. Lin Xiu and Jeremy Leiferman for serving as co-chairs of the search committee. We received many nominations for participation on the search committee and are in the final stages of confirming committee membership. If you have other thoughts or input about the search, you can submit them through this general search input form.

Dave McMillan Interim Chancellor

Topic: UMD Focus Group Time: Dec 9, 2022 09:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/j/81359000753 Meeting ID: 813 5900 0753 One tap mobile Find your local number: https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/u/kbyHQPj9kA Topic: UMD Focus Group Time: Dec 9, 2022 11:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/j/83129351075 Meeting ID: 831 2935 1075 One tap mobile Find your local number: https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/u/kegC1Ni3zz   Topic: UMD Focus Group Time: Dec 9, 2022 01:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/j/81109501033 Meeting ID: 811 0950 1033 One tap mobile Find your local number: https://interactiontraction.zoom.us/u/kccu3Hucw

Requesting Your Input About the UMD Campus

What does the future of the UMD campus look like to you? How will UMD best adapt to changes in our climate and environment? We want to know what you think.

The Duluth campus is developing a Campus and Climate Action Plan, which will guide the evolution of the campus environment for the next thirty years. This plan will address natural resources, open space, land use, facilities, space planning, and future infrastructure. Climate action can be defined as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience to climate change impacts.

Please follow this link to provide your input through the MyCampus interactive mapping tool. The survey will take about 5-10 minutes. Your responses will be kept confidential and only reported in aggregate.

After you submit your response, you can enter the prize raffle for one of ten $25 Visa gift cards.

This work is part of the systemwide MPact 2025 strategic plan. Visit the UMN systemwide campus and climate action plan website for more information. Your time and feedback are very much appreciated.

Thank you!

Lisa Erwin, Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students
Sue Bosell, Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations 
John Rashid, Facilities Management Director