March 8, 2024

• The midterm grading period began Monday, March 4, and grades are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. Students can withdraw until Monday, March 25. Please submit your midterm grades as soon as possible in advance of the deadline so that students will have time to consider their options. As you know, mid-term grades can be vital for student success, serving as an advanced warning system for struggling students. While correlation doesn’t equal causation, in the years when there was an orchestrated push to get mid-term grade submission levels up, William & Mary observed a 54% decrease in D’s and F’s for undergraduate students’ final grades. Students who know where they stand have time and agency to make informed decisions about their next move, whether that be dropping a course, seeking academic advising, utilizing office hours, adjusting study habits or seeking free help through TutorZone. The information could make the difference in a student remaining at William & Mary and graduating on schedule. For students who are doing well, mid-term grades can affirm they are on the right track and quell academic anxiety. Thank you for your work to ensure our students succeed, and please make midterm grading a priority.
• A reminder that beginning this month, students are utilizing PATH to search and register for courses. The University Registrar’s office has created helpful resources including an overview of PATH and the registration structure. Please point your students to these links as we transition to the new system, and I encourage you to explore the, as well.
• Please be sure to complete the Faculty Assembly’s Faculty Survey. Your response to this survey is part of a broad effort to assess faculty opinions, perceptions, and satisfaction with aspects of their position, the administration, and governance of William & Mary. The Faculty Survey is intended for all instructional faculty members: tenured, tenure-eligible, teaching faculty, and research faculty (sometimes also referred to as clinical or NTE faculty). All responses to the survey are anonymous. No remarks will appear in the final report that would identify an individual faculty member. The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Participation in this survey is completely voluntary and you may skip questions that you do not wish to answer. Results will be compiled and a final report posted on the Faculty Assembly website, with the URL distributed to all faculty. The results will also be presented to the Board of Visitors. The survey will be open until March 19.
• My office is pleased to sponsor up to three faculty attendees at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy National Conference taking place in Arlington, VA, April 11-14, 2024. If you are interested in attending, please email Associate Dean Wanjiru Mbure before Friday, March 22, 2024.
• This month, the Graduate Studies Advisory Board celebrates its 20^th anniversary. Founded in 2004, the GSAB plays a vital role in advancing Graduate Arts & Sciences through efforts in fundraising, advocacy, and facilitating professional development and a sense of community within Graduate Arts & Sciences. You can join us in celebrating this milestone with the members of the GSAB by attending part or all of the annual Graduate & Honors Research Symposium on March 21-22.
• March 26 is a very important day. As a community, we celebrate One Tribe One Day: a day for giving back and paying it forward. This is a wonderful way not only to make a gift, if you feel so inclined, but to help spread the word through our respective channels to increase support for our departments, programs and all of Arts & Sciences. Our donors play such a key role in providing expanded programming throughout A&S with the curriculum, experiential and research opportunities, and our learning spaces across campus, to name a few. You can browse resources including social media downloads and posts and a list of this year’s OTOD events.
• Jay Watkins, chair of the Teaching Faculty Committee, provided an update earlier this week on the committee’s work. I would like to thank the Teaching Faculty Committee for their continued work and diligence in drafting best practice and guidelines for implementation of the Teaching Faculty Framework.

In the UK, we like to resign from things very gracefully. We announce our resignations solemnly and respectfully, even if our hearts are singing. Some of us never resign. We keep going until the end. Below, you will find exemplars of both approaches. (And in case you are getting excited, I want to be clear that I am NOT resigning as Dean any time soon).

This exemplar can barely contain her glee. And now, watch David Cameron resigning as Prime Minister in 2016, after the success of the Brexit vote. Only 26 glorious seconds, but you must watch to the end. He didn't remember that his mic was hot.

Have a great weekend and spring break, everyone.

Suzanne