Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back! I hope you have all had the chance to enjoy some well-deserved time away this summer, and that you feel rested and rejuvenated as we embark on our new semester.
We have a full and exciting academic year ahead of us, and I want to update you on a few of the big events that will be taking place in the upcoming weeks. On August 25 and 26 we will host the Idaho State Board of Education on our campus. During this meeting, President Satterlee will give our annual university report, which will highlight the innovative curricular changes and initiatives we have developed as a university over the past year. On October 6-8, we will virtually host our Northwest Commission on NWCCU Accreditation Team for our Year 7 accreditation site visit. During this virtual site visit, we look forward to showcasing the outstanding work you have done - and continue to do - to make our campus a vibrant, meaningful, and successful learning environment for our students. The self study is available for review on the accreditation website. Finally, the President’s office has launched the provost search, and will be inviting candidates to campus this fall. More communication will be forthcoming about the accreditation visit and the provost search, so please be on the lookout for these updates in Idaho State Today and in your email.
Over the summer, we have had our fingers crossed that our COVID-19 health landscape would continue to improve. Unfortunately, we have experienced a recent upsurge of cases in Idaho, and we will be joining our Idaho sister institutions in following the CDC recommendation to require face coverings in all indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status. It is our hope that this heightened precaution will help to ensure continued face-to-face instruction and a healthier campus community as we move through the fall semester. During the first two weeks of classes, the University will run pop-up vaccination clinics located throughout our campuses, and we highly encourage everyone to get vaccinated to do their part to slow the spread of the virus. Please see the COVID faculty guidance communication for more specific information about campus-wide precautions and resources.
I hope you all enjoy your first week of classes! To help increase student success and retention, please visit the Program for Instructional Effectiveness website for tips and strategies to help connect with students in the first weeks of class as well as professional development opportunities related to teaching.
I look forward to beginning this new and exciting semester with you all!
––Karen
Karen Appleby
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
