July 30, 2021

Dear UM Employees,

Friday, Aug. 27, will mark the beginning of a new tradition on campus: UM Fall Welcome. This event, taking place in front of Main Hall on the Oval, will offer colleagues a chance to reconnect while enjoying breakfast treats and coffee before the start of the academic year. We’ll have a variety of raffle prizes as thank-you gifts for our hardworking employees, and I will provide brief thoughts on UM and the year ahead. Mark your calendars and plan to join us from 8 to 9:30 a.m. that morning.

Through the work of the Priorities for Action teams, the thinking of the University Design Team and the efforts of many other entities and individuals across campus, UM is in the process of reshaping. We are working hard to ensure that the UM of tomorrow will provide the education our future leaders require while continuing to build excellence in research, teaching and service to our state.

Given our commitment to continually evolving to fulfill our mission, it seems fitting to also revisit the traditional State of the University address.

In place of a lengthy and formal program occurring once a year, we will hold two annual, more engaging updates. The Fall Update will be built into our UM Fall Welcome, and the Spring Update will take place as part of a Charter Day celebration each February. Both updates will highlight successes and outline what’s on the horizon for the semester ahead. 

New faculty members – who participate in an orientation the Friday before the start of classes each fall – will continue to be introduced to their UM colleagues as part of our annual fall event. Newly tenured and promoted faculty members also will be recognized during UM Fall Welcome this year. However, that portion of the traditional State of the University program will move to a family-friendly celebration during Week of Excellence, starting in spring 2022. This new event, which also will recognize research accomplishments and other noteworthy achievements of UM’s prestigious faculty members, will allow us to celebrate our newly tenured and promoted faculty members closer to the time when they are notified of the provost's recommendations to the Board of Regents.

I look forward to having the UM Family together again on campus this fall and to connecting with all of you on Friday, Aug. 27. Until then, I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful summer. Go Griz!

Seth