Dear Colleagues:

This past weekend, we celebrated another successful class of graduates. While these ceremonies honor the students for their academic accomplishments, they also serve as a testament to your commitment to the vital work of teaching and research at Northwestern.

As an academic year unlike any other winds down, let us acknowledge that many of us have suffered losses and made enormous sacrifices both personally and professionally. We are extremely grateful for your extraordinary effort that enabled Northwestern to continue its mission of “excellent teaching, innovative research, and the personal and intellectual growth of its students” during the pandemic.

Our entire team is in the thick of assisting the faculty committee charged with understanding the immediate and long-term impacts of the pandemic on faculty life and formulating recommendations for the mitigation of the disruptions we’ve experienced. We will finish this work in the coming months. Meanwhile, various programs such as the Caregiving Grant and the Sitters & Tutors Network remain available. Not every program is appropriate for every situation. However, if any of these programs is appropriate for you, please don’t hesitate to use it.

The summer months will mean different things to each of us. However you spend your time, may you find opportunities to regroup, reconnect, and recharge. Thank you again for your incredible effort and commitment to our community of scholars.

Sumit Dhar
Associate Provost for Faculty
Hugh Knowles Professor of Hearing Science
assoc-prov-faculty@northhwestern.edu

Temporary COVID-19 Caregiving Grant Extended through Summer

This emergency response program provides single payment taxable grants of up to $1,500 to help Evanston and Chicago full-time benefits-eligible faculty and staff offset the costs incurred of caregiving for their dependent child(ren) and/or adult/senior dependents from January through August 2021. This progressive-income tiered program has been structured to ensure that funds go to those who need them most with as low administrative hurdle as possible. Applications will be accepted through the end of summer quarter 2021.

Sitters & Tutors Network

The new Northwestern Sitters and Tutors Network is a Net ID-protected site allowing students to provide babysitting and tutoring services to members of the Northwestern community. Parents can post job listings customized to their needs and browse available sitters and tutors. Students can post a profile and browse jobs.

Responding to Students in Distress

The Dean of Students Office, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and the Office of the Provost facilitated the Responding to Students in Distress: A Primer for Northwestern Faculty sessions in winter 2021. The workshops provided faculty with advice and perspectives on appropriately supporting students in distress and directing them to additional resources. These resources include mental health statements for course syllabus, drafted by the Dean of Students Office.

Faculty Wellness Program

Whether you have been directly exposed to Coronavirus/COVID-19 or not, the outbreak can affect your emotional and mental health wellbeing. Learn about the Faculty Wellness Program and contact director Dr. Richard Carroll, for consultation.

Leadership and Mentoring

Faculty members have been participating in leadership and mentoring programs during the academic year. These include the BTAA Academic Leadership Program (ALP), an intensive year-long program that develops the leadership and managerial skills of faculty who have demonstrated exceptional ability and academic promise, and the Provost’s Faculty Mentoring Program, intended to promote retention and success for early career faculty.

Faculty Honors

The Office of the Provost celebrates and supports faculty research. Megan Roberts, SoC, received the Martin E. and Gertrude G. Walder Award for Research Excellence. Sossina Haile, McC, and Dimitri Krainc, FSM, received the Dorothy Ann and Clarence L. Ver Steeg Distinguished Research Fellowship Award. Eleven faculty were selected for the second round of the Provost Grants for Research in Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts 2020-2021 cycle.

Excellence in Teaching

The University Teaching Awards honor faculty who demonstrate excellence in classroom teaching and represent innovative curricular leadership across the University. This year’s awardees are Michael J. Allen, WCAS, Cynthia Coburn, SESP, Pam Daniels, McC, Thomas J. Meade, WCAS, and Stephan Moore, SoC.

Think Through Your Summer Planning with Wisdom, Intention, and Truthfulness

Faculty members participated in the Summer Planning workshop on May 19, 2021.