Interim Provost Janet Woodruff-Borden sent the following message to the campus community Jan. 19:

Dear colleagues,

I hope your winter term and new year are off to a wonderful start. As we begin 2023, I am energized by the achievements of our faculty, the many successes in our academic programs, and the exciting new initiatives we will launch in the year ahead to recognize and support teaching, research, and service.

This past fall, the university announced our new School of Computer and Data Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, we ramped up faculty searches in the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavior Health, began the search for a new College of Education dean, hosted the Academic Freedom Conference and much more.

In the new year, the Office of the Provost is excited to launch several new and continuing programs to recognize the strong and highly valued teaching, scholarship, and expertise of our faculty. These include:

• University Distinguished Teaching Professors: This new program recognizes the extraordinary contributions of teaching career faculty and provides opportunities to amplify these faculty members’ expertise through leadership in teaching projects. Open to Senior Instructor II and Senior Lecture II faculty, individuals selected will receive a career-long University Distinguished Teaching Professor title. In the first three years, Teaching Professors be given course release and stipend support to pursue teaching projects. To learn more about the program, how to apply and deadlines, visit the webpage.
• Faculty Book Awards: This academic year, we are launching a new program to celebrate the scholarship of book publication. Book publication is a distinctive strength in many of our humanities, social sciences, and professional disciplines. This award recognizes and encourages the sustained scholarship required in these disciplines. For more information about the award, visit the webpage.
• Provost Fellows: Applications will soon open for the 2023-24 Provost Fellows program. In its third year, this program provides a significant professional development opportunity for mid-career faculty interested in learning more about academic leadership and contributing to university-level decision making and initiatives. This year's Provost Fellows are working on projects including teaching in emerging modalities, effective mentorship and retention practices, creating a culture of leadership, and academic freedom.

The Office of the Provost will continue our focus on mentorship, leadership, and equity and inclusion through the development of resources for faculty and academic administrators in 2023 as well.

All University of Oregon faculty and staff will gain access to Academic Impressions, a professional development training and education program specific to higher education that focuses on leadership, personal development, and skills-building. In addition to the library of learning and development resources already available through the UO, Academic Impressions provides targeted and curated resources for faculty at various career stages and leaders across campus.

As part of the university’s commitment to fostering a positive campus culture, the Faculty Service, Promotion and Tenure workgroup is exploring the 2022 UO employee climate survey results to inform work to hire and retain diverse faculty, implement equitable faculty personnel policies, and create an academic culture of inclusive excellence.

Finally, in the coming weeks and months we will provide updates on the progress of our academic initiatives. We expect to soon name a permanent leader for the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavior Health. I am pleased to announce that Professor Joe Sventek will serve as the Interim Director for the School of Computer and Data Sciences. The initiatives focused on the Environment, Sport and Wellness, and Innovation all continue to develop support and infrastructure that will expand their reach and impact for students and society.

To ensure all faculty know about and benefit from all these happenings and opportunities, we introduced the Faculty Success Newsletter last term. I encourage you to look for it in your inbox or on the provost site every other Monday. The broader campus community is welcome to view the Faculty Success Newsletter on the Office of the Provost website.

Thank you for all that you do to support student success and an inclusive academic experience in our classrooms, labs, and studios, and through our many student services.  

Sincerely,

Janet Woodruff-Borden 
Acting Provost and Executive Vice President