Dear colleagues,

As we approach the end of the academic year, I want to again express my deep gratitude to Office of the Provost staff. You have worked diligently this year through challenging and shifting conditions in support of Northwestern’s teaching and research. Your commitment and expertise are critical components of Northwestern’s thriving community. Thank you!

For the past couple of months, we have talked about returning to on-campus operations in the fall, and the new Alternative Work Strategies Policy helps build a road map for getting there. Importantly, this policy also helps us apply lessons about remote work that we have learned during the pandemic and will learn during a summer phase-in period to develop long-term operational strategies.

Northwestern’s schools and units have been asked to create plans in which they outline work expectations, including the use of the Alternative Work Strategies Policy. The Office of the Provost and its units must be University leaders as we design a return-to-campus plan that is safe, predictable, equitable and appropriately flexible. In the coming weeks, we will work with leaders from within the Office of the Provost to develop a central plan that units may then adapt and implement before Labor Day. We will communicate more details as they are finalized.

Soon, we will dedicate our full attention to preparing for the exciting opportunities the next academic year presents. In the meantime, I hope you can share in the celebratory spirit of Northwestern’s graduation season and find time to rest and recharge.

Thank you,

Kathleen Hagerty
Provost and Professor

Awards and recognition

Ida B. Wells interview

WTTW interviewed Director for Faculty Joan Johnson for its one-hour special about African American activist and journalist Ida B. Wells. Johnson, whose clips appear in the second half of the special, is also a historian and published author who has written extensively about the history of women and gender, social reform, education and philanthropy.

All about the staff

Meet Mike Raab

This month’s featured colleague is Mike Raab, associate director of The Garage at Northwestern. Mike has worked at Northwestern for two years, first as the founding director of The Garage San Francisco before transitioning to his current role in Fall 2020. Mike also earned his bachelor's degree in Communications (Radio/Television/Film) from Northwestern and is currently enrolled in the Kellogg Evening & Weekend MBA program.

What is your favorite thing about Northwestern?

My favorite thing about NU is the collaborative nature of the student body and community. Everyone is intellectually curious, yet humble and genuinely interested in supporting their peers.

What do you enjoy about working here?

My favorite thing about working at NU is the interaction with the incredibly thoughtful, intelligent, ambitious students that I work with on a daily basis. They have so much potential and it's inspiring to see them grow as leaders and as people.

Can you share a personal fun fact about yourself?

I have attended two Cubs no-hitters in person—Carlos Zambrano's in 2008 in Milwaukee and Jake Arrieta's in Los Angeles in 2015!

Brag about your teammates! We will feature one staff member in each future newsletter. Nominate someone by emailing the Office of the Provost and telling us, in a sentence or two, how your colleague contributes to Northwestern’s mission and why everyone in the Office of the Provost should get to know them.

New staff arrivals

• Katherine Mullins, Assistant Director of Admissions in Undergraduate Admissions

Staff Handbook updates

The updated Staff Handbook is now available on the Human Resources website. The summary of the 2021 updates is available online, but Human Resources is pointing out two specific changes:

• The Incidental Sick Time policy now explicitly includes mental health days.
• The Bereavement Absence policy now includes all of the family relationships that were previously eligible under the policy in the most generous category of 10 days of absence (five of which are paid under bereavement absence).

News and notes

Commencement and convocations

Northwestern will celebrate its 2020 and 2021 graduates with a combination of virtual and in-person ceremonies June 12-14. As a result of academic calendar discussions organized by the Office of the Provost, the ceremonies will be hosted a week earlier than in years past. Commencement will be fully virtual, while the school convocations and 2020 graduation celebration, where individual students are recognized, will take place in-person with corresponding livestreams. The Office of the Provost and Division of Student Affairs are playing a larger role this year supporting the schools in safely hosting these events. Commencement serves as a celebration not only of our students’ accomplishments but also the loved ones, faculty and staff who helped them realize their academic dreams. Please join the community for our virtual Commencement ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 14.

Inclusive teaching

As part of its work to advance equity and inclusion in Northwestern’s classrooms, the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, in collaboration with the Office of Research in Higher Education, Training and Evaluation, has launched the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project for instructors. The six-week summer course, which features several Northwestern faculty and students, is intended to help instructors in the STEM disciplines in four areas:

• Advance awareness, self-efficacy and ability to cultivate inclusive learning environments for all students.
• Support development as a reflective, inclusive practitioner.
• Engage in reflection and discussion around topics of equity and inclusion across a variety of institutional contexts.
• Implement inclusive teaching methods in classes that remove common barriers and enhance learning in STEM for all students.

In case you missed it 

• Northwestern has named Hari Osofsky the next dean of the Pritzker School of Law, effective Aug. 1.
• Northwestern has announced that Sarah Klaper will be its first Ombudsperson. She will begin Aug. 1.
• Northwestern’s new Diverse Candidate Slates Policy will go into effect June 14.
• Northwestern will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the 2021-22 academic year.
• Vice Provost for Administration and Chief of Staff Jake Julia was featured in the Spring 2021 MS in Higher Education Administration and Policy Program newsletter.

Mark your calendar

Featured University events

• June 1, noon: One Year Later: Social Justice and The Potential for Transformational Change
• June 14, 11 a.m.: Commencement
• June 18, noon: 2021 Juneteenth Celebration: Art and Activism

Key dates

• June 2: Preliminary Fall courses viewable for many programs
• June 5: Spring classes end
• June 21: Summer classes begin
• July 1: Extended Independence Day holiday
• July 2: Extended Independence Day holiday
• July 5: Independence Day (no classes)

More resources

• University Events
• Academic Calendars

Help us build future newsletters! If your unit is working on a project that is relevant to the entire Office of the Provost, or if you have awards, honors or accomplishments to share, send an email to officeoftheprovost@northwestern.edu.