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Pandemic Impact Response

Provost Kathleen Hagerty convened a Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup in March 2021 to understand the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on faculty and to recommend strategies to mitigate the impacts and disruption of the pandemic. The workgroup built on the COVID-19 Tactical Response Team’s work completed in December 2020. The workgroup also sought to address in concrete ways the concerns and input received from the Organization of Women Faculty (OWF) in Fall Quarter 2020.

In May 2021, the Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup conducted a survey and focus groups to learn more about the impact of the pandemic on faculty and resources for mitigating disruptions. The workgroup was charged with recommending creative and forward-thinking strategies to support faculty as they continue to face challenges in how they do their work as educators, researchers, mentors and creators.

Culminating eight months of work, the Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup published its final report and recommendations in Fall 2021. Read Provost Hagerty's announcement about the report.

The workgroup identified the following broad themes:

  • Career Recovery
  • Caregiving
  • Health and Well-being
  • Institutional Response
  • Communication

Details of these recommendations, as well as the quantitative and qualitative data that informed them, are outlined in the final report.

View the Final Report

Ongoing Work

The Office of the Provost has carefully reviewed the Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup report, and responses to the recommendations are being developed and shared as they are finalized. Northwestern has established a resources webpage to share responses and resources as the work to address each of the broad themes identified by the workgroup continues.

VIEW RESOURCES FOR FACULTY

The Office of the Provost hosted a webinar on March 10, 2022, that included a presentation about the workgroup report and pandemic resources for faculty. View the presentation slidesand the full webinar below.

Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup Members

  • Sumit Dhar, Co-Chair; Associate Provost for Faculty, Office of the Provost; Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication
  • Karen Smilowitz, Co-Chair; Professor, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, McCormick and Operations, Kellogg
  • Stephen Alltop, Senior Lecturer, Conducting and Ensembles, Bienen
  • Lori Beaman, Associate Professor, Economics, Weinberg
  • Mercedes Carnethon, Professor, Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Feinberg
  • Heather Colburn, Professor of Instruction, Spanish, Weinberg
  • Michelle Falkoff, Clinical Professor, Law
  • Mitra Hartmann, Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, McCormick
  • Matthew Johnson, Professor, Anthropology, Weinberg
  • Marty Lariviere, Professor, Operations, Kellogg
  • Elizabeth Norton, Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Communication
  • Amit Prachand, Associate Vice President, Information & Analytics, Institutional Research; Instructor, Higher Education Administration and Policy, SESP
  • Vijay Viswanathan, Associate Professor, Integrated Marketing Communications, Medill
  • Associate Provost for Faculty (APF) Team Members:
    • Celina Flowers, Assistant Provost for Faculty, Office of the Provost
    • Alex Rot, Assistant Provost for Faculty Operations, Office of the Provost
    • Joan Marie Johnson, Director, Faculty, Office of the Provost
    • Lorraine Cassis, Executive Assistant, Office of the Provost

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact the workgroup at faculty@northwestern.edu.