RECAST | Provost Fall Quarter Week 6 Update (including a social hour invite)

From: McAvity, David <mcavityd@evergreen.edu>
Sent: Friday, November 6, 2020 9:39 AM

Dear Colleagues,  

Greetings as we are ending an extraordinary week six.  I know most of us are experiencing increased levels of anxiety as our attention is drawn to the local, state, and national elections and aftermath.  I appreciate all of the care you are taking as you work with students within this context and extend my continued thanks to the Elections 2020 Time Limited Committee for their work.  Kudos also to engaged students and colleagues from across the institution for creating a Voter Engagement Hub in accordance with The Voting Opportunities Through Education Act (VOTE), a new law in Washington State with a goal of increasing voter engagement among youth and college students. 

Within this context, self- and community-care are particularly important.  If you’d like to enjoy some social time with some staff and faculty colleagues from across our division, it’s not too late to sign up for one of the remaining fall quarter gatherings.  I greatly appreciated the opportunity to connect and share some lighter moments at our first gathering of the year. I also invite other suggestions on ways we can come together. 

With thanks to the CAT leaders for turning the curriculum planning retreat to New Academic Directions (NAD), over 100 community members participated in this week’s launch of the next phase of the NAD project. If you weren’t able to participate, you can find the agenda, a link to a recording of my opening remarks, where I provided information on how the New Academic Directions work is being rolled out in phases, and other information here: https://sites.evergreen.edu/bigbets/all-campus-invited-to-participate-in-the-new-academic-directions-2020-2021-kick-off/. 

Last week, Student and Academic Life staff came together for our quarterly meeting.  It was great to see everyone and to provide updates on topics that have also been provided at faculty meetings. Faculty and staff will have additional opportunities for discussion and to raise further questions. 

Given recent leadership changes in our division, I am including the link to an updated reporting lines chart. By the time I write my next update after Thanksgiving break week, we will have transitioned from hybrid instruction to fully remote instruction for the remainder of fall quarter. 

Thank you again for your commitment to the college and the many and various ways you are contributing to its success. 

Best wishes,  

David 

David McAvity | he-him | Interim Provost and Vice President for Student & Academic Life | The Evergreen State College | 360.867.6400