April 26, 2024

Dear friends,

This week, we welcomed the Board of Visitors to campus and in Arts & Sciences. At the full Board meeting this meeting this morning, the Board voted to increase tuition for in-state students by 2.25% in each of the next two years, and by 3.3% for out-of-state students on the same timeline. Fees also will increase by around 3%. In addition, the Board voted on a faculty retirement incentive program (attached) which now goes to the Governor's office for review and approval. So don't sign up yet. It's not happening yet, but it's information I thought you might want to have.

In A&S, we were joined by the members of the Sumner G. Rand Jr. Foundation Board. The Foundation supports the arts at W&M and we were pleased to have them attend meetings and arts events across campus.

Now, to the updates: The first bullet point below is so important it actually warrants two bullet points as you’ll see. Blackboard Ultra is significantly different from the Blackboard with which we are all familiar and it is crucial that you familiarize yourself with it and build your courses well ahead of the fall semester.

Blackboard Ultra – Beginning in Fall 2024 the university will be using Blackboard Ultra Courses. It is critical that you prepare for the change now so that you are ready for the fall semester. Please do not wait. W&M IT’s transition team wants to ensure you have the resources needed to be successful. Below you will find a checklist that will highlight resources available to help you get prepared.
- Blackboard Ultra Transition Progress Checklist:
- Attend an Ultra Overview - 30 minutes session(s). Dates available at www.wm.edu/it/ultra.
- Create your Ultra Course Sandbox using Blackboard Course Generator.
- Enroll in the Blackboard Demo Course to view features of Ultra Course as a student. Directions are available at www.wm.edu/it/ultra.
- Attend an open lab session. Dates will be posted in the Digest and available at www.wm.edu/it/ultra.
Final grades – In case you missed it last week, I’m including again an update to the schedule for final grade submission: rather than an earlier grade submission deadline for graduating students, grades for ALL undergraduate students are due by 9 a.m. on May 21. You can view all undergraduate academic calendar dates here.
Teaching & Learning Symposium – The Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation (STLI) invites all instructors and graduate students to the 2024 Teaching & Learning Symposium on May 7 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. in Alumni House. Join W&M and regional faculty to celebrate teaching, connect with colleagues and collaborate to advance educational innovation. The program includes a keynote by Dr. Helen Crompton, spotlight sessions, workshop sessions, poster sessions and a partner fair facilitated by William & Mary faculty and co-educators. Breakfast and lunch are included as well. Please register to attend.
Year of the Arts Spring Showcase & Reception – As the semester draws to a close, the performances, exhibitions and concerts ramp up and this Saturday is the perfect time to celebrate the Year of the Arts! View the lineup, including a reception open from 3-7:30 p.m.
End of Semester Celebration for Faculty & Staff – A reminder that directly after the final Faculty of Arts & Sciences meeting on Tuesday, May 7 from 3:30-5, we shall party in celebration of our retiring colleagues, and of the recipients of Arts & Sciences awards in 2023-24: the A&S Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, the A&S Faculty Governance Award, the A&S Graduate Mentoring Award, and the Murphy Award for integration of faculty research and teaching. We shall party in the halls of Ewell. We shall party on the steps of Ewell. We shall party on the porch. We shall party on the lawn. We shall party on the roof... wait. No. Please note there will be no partying on the roof. Am I getting carried away? Maybe, but only because I so deeply appreciate the hard work and dedication of all of you, and I simply can’t wait to celebrate you. So, please do mark your calendars so we can close out the semester in celebration.

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In response to my query of last week about why fish are usually photographed from the side, I received the following answers:

This one ate its snuggle-toy.

Actually this one's cute.

This one isn't.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

best wishes, Suzanne

Suzanne Raitt
Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Chancellor Professor of English
Pronouns: she/her/hers