Dear Faculty Colleagues:
I am pleased to welcome all of you to the start of a new academic year and to provide the following important updates.
First, President Alexander Cartwright and I invite you to a faculty assembly and reception on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. More details, including the location, are forthcoming. I hope to greet you there before classes begin on Monday, Aug. 22.
New Legislation
New state legislation affecting universities, House Bill 7, changes the Florida civil rights law prohibiting discrimination by defining certain acts as discriminatory. In my view, the law codifies what our faculty already know is their professional responsibility: to educate, not to indoctrinate.
Let me assure you that you can and should continue to teach challenging and controversial topics as appropriate to your courses. My years at UCF have shown me that our faculty do this very well. In your classes, you help students learn the difference between evidence and opinion, reason and ideology. You objectively present information, evidence and data, provide various theoretical explanations of that information, encourage civil discussion, permit students to try on ideas, and let them draw their own conclusions. Students have to understand, but, of course, they don’t have to agree. I encourage you to explore these FAQs about the new law posted on the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning website. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jana Jasinski, vice provost for Faculty Excellence, at Jana.Jasinski@ucf.edu.
Civil discourse among people with diverse views is an essential part of learning and the college experience, and these guidelines can aid in fostering it, particularly with controversial subjects.
Knight Vision
The Knight Vision project went live on July 1, replacing PeopleSoft with Workday and standing up new finance and human resource business centers.
Workday resources, onboarding help and training for faculty are available. Live virtual training sessions for faculty will be held on August 11 and August 18. Look for communications soon about additional Workday training dates and resources.
If you have a Workday problem or question, please contact your college’s business center, submit a Workday help case or call a Knights Experience Team customer care coordinator at (407) 823-6398. Please be kind; these staff members are working hard to make this transition a success.
Other News
I am happy to welcome some new leaders to UCF:
- Rodney M. Grabowski arrives from the University at Buffalo on Sept. 6 as senior vice president of Advancement and Partnerships.
- Dr. Paul Dosal, formerly of the University of South Florida, joined UCF last month as our new senior vice president for Student Success.
- Dr. Grant Hayes started last week as dean of the College of Community Innovation and Education. A former UCF administrator and professor, he returns from East Carolina University where he served most recently as interim provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Faculty are the foundation of our university. I am grateful for your caring, expertise and innovation, and I look forward to a rewarding and successful new year.
