September 25, 2023

Dear colleagues,

I was glad to attend last week’s New Faculty Orientation event, and have the chance to welcome our new colleagues in person. These orientation events, and other community-building activities we do with any and all members of the William & Mary community, are particularly important as we welcome new members and help them ease into their roles any way we can. As someone who was new to this campus four years ago, I can attest to the power of developing a strong sense of belonging from the beginning. Speaking of belonging— I loved to see so many wearing the new W&M “I belong” pins shared at Friday’s D&I Symposium!

Here are this week’s Top 5 Things to know:

We have refreshed the data on Student Enrollment Trends, which launched a year ago as a part of an ongoing effort to broaden access to academic data for the William & Mary community. The website now features Spring 2023 data. In addition to overall enrollment numbers, we show enrollments by program of study and degrees conferred. Please take a look and send questions, ideas and suggestions to provostdata@wm.edu.
The Global Research Institute is holding a workshop for the new Applied Research and Innovation Initiative (ARII) funding opportunity at 1 p.m. this Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Sadler Center, Chesapeake A. Attendees will be introduced to ARII, learn about entrepreneurial approaches for applied research from Assistant Provost for Entrepreneurship Graham Henshaw, and have the opportunity to explore research ideas with others from across the campus. ARII is intended to support multidisciplinary teams of researchers that work on applied projects to address societally-important issues that align with Vision 2026 and intersect with the missions of any of the current host units, which are GRI, IIC, and WGC.
This week is National Hazing Prevention Week, which kicked off with a training for prospective members of A Home Without Hazing on Sept. 22. This Tuesday through Thursday, representatives from A Home Without Hazing will be on the Sadler Center Terrace with opportunities for people to sign their pledge. I encourage you to read more about how you can help prevent hazing at William & Mary.
The Muscarelle Museum of Art is hosting its Community Art Day this Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Williamsburg Community Building (across from Stryker). You’ll find art activities for all ages, a chalk art competition with a top prize of $500, food trucks and live music with a headlining performance by Brasswind. If you and your family are looking for something fun to do this weekend, I recommend taking advantage of this local community opportunity.
The shout-out for this week goes to VIMS, which recently launched a partnership with the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) “to monitor phytoplankton and water quality as the PVS double-hulled canoe Hōkūleʻa circumnavigates the Pacific.” These efforts combine indigenous knowledge, science and student engagement to better understand and help amplify the importance of oceans to a healthy earth. One of VIMS’s doctoral students trained the Hōkūleʻa crew to use new equipment and is joining the crew for the next leg of their journey, setting sail from San Francisco later this week. Additional W&M students will have the opportunity to be involved in the Moananuiākea Voyage and learn from the many Indigenous and coastal communities along the Hōkūleʻa’s journey.

Finally, Leslie Muley from Microsoft Corporation will give a lecture on Climate Science, Data Science, Data Centers and Equity this Friday, Sept. 29. I am sure that those of you who are able to attend will find the lecture exciting and thought-provoking.

Peggy