September 7, 2021
Dear William Paterson Faculty & Staff,
I hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day weekend. Mindful of the impact that last week’s storm continues to have on many members of our campus community, I ask that faculty take students’ circumstances into account when considering missed classes, late work, and other issues, last week. Additionally, I ask that supervisors be flexible, as employees are working to clean up the impacts of the storm that flooded homes and damaged property. I hope everyone who was directly impacted by the storm is recovering.
With the first enrollment and retention census upon us on September 8th (September 3rd was reported in error last week), we are currently at 90% of our enrollment goal, a 2.4% decrease from this time last year. The largest contraction continues to be in full-time undergraduate enrollment, which is 15.3% away from goal and 11.2% down from last year. This population alone is having a significant budget impact. Graduate enrollment continues to be a bright spot and currently stands at 16.9% ahead of goal, which is predominantly from WP Online. Please bear in mind that to accommodate WP Online’s multiple start dates, these numbers will be revisited at the final census on Nov. 1st, after which a final update will be provided. Keep an eye on your email for details on the upcoming Budget & Enrollment Forum, where these and other data will be discussed in depth.
I do want to remind everyone that William Paterson has not formally adopted a remote work policy at this time. All employees should be in a face-to-face format, unless approved by their supervisor, which should be done sparingly. We are hearing reports of employees declaring that they are going to work remotely, which is not appropriate as we work to re-engage the campus after being away for nearly 18 months. As I've promised, we are currently reviewing draft policies that would define for whom and when remote work is feasible such that the University can continue to operate smoothly and we can support our students in all the necessary ways.
Additionally, we are hearing reports from students that some faculty are saying that their particular classes will be moved online. I do want to remind everyone that pedagogical modality is determined by the University. Unless faculty have been approved to teach a hybrid or fully-online class or are instructed to move into remote learning due to a public health concerns, they are to teach in their assigned modality, at their assigned time and place.
I want to again thank everyone who was able to join us in Shea and online for last week’s Fall semester State of the University address. As a reminder, the materials from my presentation are available here. I look forward to continuing to update you in this space regarding the brand identity and strategic plan work that were the main subjects of my address. Both efforts will benefit greatly from broad participation across our University community.
This week’s WP: We are Proud – Our Summer Learning and Development Program (SLDP) has received the 2021 HR Innovation Award from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). The “HR Innovation Award” recognizes innovative thinking in higher education human resources, especially models that can be adapted for use on other campuses. In recognition of the award, CUPA-HR is making a $5,000 contribution to the University. The SLDP exemplifies the kind of innovative programming that will help build a better William Paterson. Earlier this year, the program was also recognized with CUPA-HR’s “Inclusion Cultivates Excellence Award.” Congratulations to everyone involved in developing and implementing this distinctive program, including Vice President of Human Resources Allison Boucher-Jarvis; Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Talent Management David Jones; Annette Baron, talent acquisition and performance management; IRT Department Coordinator Tony Krucinski; and Human Resources Personnel Assistant Myrna Torres!
Thank you all for helping to get our Fall semester off to a wonderful start, and have a great week.
