Campus Updates

Dear UMD Faculty and Staff,

As we reach the middle of summer and I approach my last few weeks at UMD before retirement, I wanted to provide some updates for you.

Interim Chancellor
As noted in U of M System President Joan Gabel’s email Monday, July 18, please join me in welcoming David McMillan, who begins his interim role as UMD’s Chancellor on August 8, 2022. My team and I are working with Interim Chancellor McMillan to ensure a smooth transition and help him onboard into this new role. I am grateful to Dave for his continued support of and service to this campus and community. He is a smart, strong, and thoughtful leader who I believe will do a great job in this interim role.

The chan@d.umn.edu email address remains the best contact for the Office of the Chancellor.

Fall Semester and Welcome Week
I am pleased that Interim Chancellor McMillan will continue with the annual Fall Welcome for Faculty and Staff. The welcome breakfast will be held in the Ward Wells Field House on Monday, August 22 at 10:00 am.

I am proud of how this campus constantly works to support our students, including all of the new students who will be joining us this fall. Gratitude and thanks to all of those involved in the series of orientations held this summer for our incoming students as well as our new faculty and staff. I will miss the excitement of a new school year and the contagious energy that our students bring with it.

Bulldog Welcome Week runs from August 24-28, with move-in for new students on the first two days. Welcome Back Week runs from August 29-September 2. There are many opportunities to volunteer and get involved! Departments are welcome to submit workshops, events, and informational sessions or sponsor a booth at the Bulldog Bash. Please contact our Bulldogs Beginnings Team if you have questions or want more information.

HLC
On July 8, UMD received notification of its successful Higher Learning Commission year 4 assurance review, meeting all criteria and core components. The review team noted that UMD has made "significant institutional improvements" since the 2018 year 10 review, including its strategic planning work and progress addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion. I congratulate and thank Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jennifer Mencl for her outstanding work on the four-year review.

Facilities
There continue to be a variety of facility management projects around campus. These projects include sidewalk and roadway work at Chester Park and Health Services. Gravel parking lots S2 and S4 are being merged into one with more sustainable features for the parking lot and surrounding area. We will also have a new forward-facing Sustainability Office in Darland.

Plans are underway to renovate the library annex to help protect the valuable archives and special collections, provide better access to the collection, and improve space for students and researchers. It also makes possible a new and innovative LSBE Center for Sales Excellence. In AB Anderson, phase 1 of the project should be complete by the end of the fall semester with phase 2 pending additional HEAPR funding from the state legislature.

Staffing Updates
Besides changes in my position, we are seeing many new faces around campus. Please welcome and support all the new faculty and staff who have recently been hired and will soon join our campus community.

In a few specific hiring updates, we were disappointed that the search for a UMD Ombudsperson was not successful. One of the action items for Interim Chancellor McMillan will be determining the next steps for this position.

The search for our new athletic director is underway. The advisory committee, chaired by Dr. Steve Castleberry, continues to work with leadership to keep that search moving forward.

COVID
On the COVID front, university health and safety folks continue to monitor the pandemic. At this time, we do not expect any changes to current COVID protocols but continue to remind everyone to be diligent. Being vaccinated and boosted, washing your hands, staying home if you are sick, following public health guidance, and getting tested can all help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and able to spend some time relaxing and connecting with friends and family.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

End of the Spring 2022 Semester

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We are almost done with finals week and the semester. For me this year, every day and each activity feels like a final capstone as I near retirement.

Commencement
I am looking forward to our in-person commencement celebrations this Saturday at Amsoil Arena. Seeing students complete the journey towards their degree is always a rewarding experience. Commencement is a day filled with joy, reflection, and appreciation. You can hear and see the excitement of our graduates in this video from the recent Kirby Commencement activities. This year, we are also welcoming back graduates from the 2020 and 2021 academic years, when we held a virtual program.

Congratulations to the students who are graduating this year. You have succeeded under immeasurably challenging circumstances, and I am thrilled to see your hard work come to fruition.

COVID
We’ve been through a lot this last year, but thanks to your diligence and enormous effort, the academic year has been successful. I am so grateful for all you have done to promote continued learning, wellness, and the protection of our community through high vaccination rates and other steps to keep yourself and those around you healthy.

While COVID-19 case numbers are currently low, we must not let our guard down completely. Please take a few moments to remind yourself of the basic but important steps that have proven to be effective in minimizing the impacts of COVID-19:

• Stay up to date on vaccines and boosters. It is the best protection you can have,
• Get tested. Appointments are available for students at Health Services. At-home tests are also available for free from the U.S. government and the state,
• Stay home if you are sick,
• Wear masks where they are required, or anywhere else you wish.

Ombuds Position
I am pleased to report that we have created a new ombuds position. This position is a designated neutral or impartial practitioner whose major function is to provide confidential and informal assistance to UMD faculty and staff. The search for the position is now underway and can be found online with job ID 346495.

Thank you for everything you do for UMD. I wish you all a wonderful conclusion to the spring semester and start to the summer.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

Resources Available in Light of Events in Ukraine

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

The University of Minnesota Duluth stands in support of all those in our community who are affected or outraged by the invasion of Ukraine. This is an atrocity, and I share your deep concern for those impacted. I also write to share information about resources and support.

UMD students from the nations involved and who are most directly affected have already heard from our International Student Services (ISS) staff. Students with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact ISS. The Global Programs and Strategy Alliance (GPS) on the Twin Cities campus also has a webpage dedicated to resources and information specific to this situation. As GPS becomes aware of other resources, they will be added to this page.

In addition, please don’t hesitate to access our broader mental health resources for all students, staff, and faculty. These resources are available to you on an ongoing basis and I encourage you to use them, now and in the future, as you need them.

We are here to support you and we stand with the people of Ukraine and all those who so bravely insist upon peace.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

COVID Tests and Masks

 Dear Faculty and Staff,

This is a brief follow-up to President Gabel’s message on January 12 about changes to isolation/quarantine guidelines and enhanced masking and testing.

Masks
It has been determined that higher quality masks help protect us from the virus. Departments and colleges may order enhanced masks through U Market Services for employee use.

COVID-19 Testing
President Gabel indicated that members of the campus community should: “Watch for information from your campuses about where to be tested and find rapid tests, or use this Minnesota Department of Health site to find other testing options.”

Access to COVID tests are still limited and the university continues to work on additional access to testing resources for faculty and staff. A new option made available recently is through the U.S. federal government, specifically the U.S. Postal Service. I encourage all employees to request these free at-home test kits.

As more tests become available, we will continue to work with your college and department leadership to enhance faculty and staff access to tests.

UMD Health Services continues to provide testing solely for students.

Vaccine Clinic
Thanks to our valued partnership with St. Louis County Public Health, we have a COVID-19 Vaccination clinic scheduled this week. The clinic will be on Wednesday, January 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kirby Ballroom. More details are found on the UMD Health Services COVID-19 vaccinations website, including a link to pre-register.

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor

COVID Reminders for Spring Semester

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
 
I hope that you are all having a nice semester break and finding some time to relax. I look forward to the start of our spring semester next week on Wednesday, January 12.

As was noted in the email you received from University of Minnesota System President Joan Gabel, we continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 Omicron variant and its impact on our campus community and operations. As a member of President Gabel’s leadership team, I actively participate in the pandemic-related discussions for the U of M System, and I support the actions described in the President’s email. 

I am especially appreciative that our campus community has a high regard for public health considerations and policies, as demonstrated by our high vaccination rates. I ask that each of you continue to take health and safety precautions such as:

• Getting vaccine booster shots when eligible
• Properly wearing face coverings, which are still required indoors at campus facilities
• Maintaining physical distance from others when possible
• Staying home when you’re sick
• Getting tested if you have any symptoms or believe you were exposed to COVID-19
• Washing your hands thoroughly and regularly

These measures help keep our campus community safe, and help maintain on-campus activities during COVID. We will continue to remain flexible and adapt as needed to balance a high quality academic and co-curricular experience with the health and safety of our campus community members. Find responses to common COVID questions on this short COVID-19 Q&A. 

Additional communications will be sent to campus groups soon providing more details about the increased flexibility and other actions we need to take in order to keep our campus community safe.  

Happy New Year to you all!

Sincerely,

Lendley C. Black
Chancellor