Weekly Letter from the Provost鈥擲ept. 26
Dear Faculty and Staff,听
As we wrap up Week 3 of the quarter, I want to share how much I've enjoyed the thoughtful conversations during my Listening and Learning Tours. Meetings with the College of Professional Studies, Graduate School of Social Work, Morgridge College of Education, and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics have been truly enriching. These discussions continue to highlight our shared priorities and the collaborative spirit that makes our academic community so strong. If I haven't visited your unit yet, I look forward to connecting with you soon.听
4D Fall Kick-off Expo
I hope you will join the on Oct. 3, for the following events:听
- 9-10 a.m. Student Experience Survey Data Walk with Student Success and Institutional Research. Community Commons 2600.听
- 10 a.m.-12 p.m. 4D Kick-Off Expo with over 15 campus partners providing information and resources to support not only students' holistic learning and growth in line with 4D but also your own. Community Commons 1700.听
Academic Affairs Goals
As I mentioned in , our work this year centers on three Academic Affairs Goals:听
- Shape enrollment and improve retention and graduation rates for all students (undergraduate and graduate).
- Improve career outcomes and better prepare all students to succeed and lead in an AI-transformed workforce.
- Strengthen academic excellence.
听
Focus on Academic Affairs Goal 2听
Last week, I highlighted the first of these goals related to enrollment and student success. Today, I want to highlight our second Academic Affairs Goal: improving career outcomes and preparing students to succeed and lead in an AI-transformed workforce. Faculty and staff across DU are developing creative approaches to ensure our students thrive in this rapidly changing professional landscape. Here are some exciting examples.听
Exploring AI as a Learning Tool Community of Practice (CoP)听
Facilitated by the Office for Teaching & Learning (OTL), please consider joining the Exploring AI as a Learning Tool CoP: Cohort 2, starting today, Sept. 26 (there is still time to join!). This cohort will explore questions such as how to integrate AI tools into your courses and how to encourage your students to use it carefully and thoughtfully.听
For more information and to sign up, fill out the .
Questions? Contact Dr. Kayoung Kim, OTL's Director of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning & Faculty Learning Communities, or Dr. Jasmine Yap, OTL's Director of Inclusive Teaching Practices.听
The AI Exchange听
I am pleased to announce The AI Exchange. OTL is hosting monthly events in collaboration with offices across campus focused on learning more about AI in teaching and learning contexts. Sessions vary in purpose and scope, including AI skill building and AI integration into student learning experiences and outcomes.听
Join OTL on Oct. 8 for the first session 鈥淪tudent Rights and Responsibilities鈥 to learn more about how to report student academic misconduct. Featured in this session are tips, resources, and a facilitated activity on conversations with students when you suspect misuse of AI. .
Seeking PIs interested in STEM K-12 and AI!听
The Office of Research & Sponsored Projects is facilitating a working group to apply to the new NSF STEM K-12 program, which encourages innovative, multidisciplinary, and potentially transformative projects that build theory, generate new knowledge, and inform education practices in a rapidly evolving technological landscape with advances in emerging technologies including AI. In order to submit a strong, competitive proposal, we are seeking additional PIs from various disciplines to support with project development and to serve as a reader prior to proposal submission. If interested or if you have questions, please reach out to Pamela Encinas.听
Faculty Innovation with AI听
With the rapid expansion and adoption of AI, innovators have to push boundaries to create game-changing solutions. But is that the right approach? Dr Lily Morse, an assistant professor of management at the Daniels College of Business, has dedicated her research to exploring how ethics and behaviors interplay in the new digital era. In her paper entitled 鈥淒angers of speech technology for workplace diversity,鈥 Morse and her co-researchers dive into the impacts of speech technology like Siri, Alexa, and other voice assistants.听
Dr. Pilyoung Kim, Professor of Psychology in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and are examining how AI systems like chatbots and companions are shaping the lives, minds, and relationships of today's children. Their research explores one of the most urgent and exciting questions in developmental science: How do children form relationships with AI, and what does this mean for their emotional, cognitive, and social development? Current projects focus on how AI transparency, emotional intelligence, and anthropomorphism affect children/adolescents' social relationships and mental well-being. The Center uses innovative methods, such as experimental design and neuroimaging to study the evolving child-AI relationship from developmental psychology perspectives.听
Last week, I highlighted the first of these goals related to enrollment and student success. Today, I want to highlight our second Academic Affairs Goal: improving career outcomes and preparing students to succeed and lead in an AI-transformed workforce. Faculty and staff across DU are developing creative approaches to ensure our students thrive in this rapidly changing professional landscape. Here are some exciting examples.听
Exploring AI as a Learning Tool Community of Practice (CoP)听
Facilitated by the Office for Teaching & Learning (OTL), please consider joining the Exploring AI as a Learning Tool CoP: Cohort 2, starting today, Sept. 26 (there is still time to join!). This cohort will explore questions such as how to integrate AI tools into your courses and how to encourage your students to use it carefully and thoughtfully.听
For more information and to sign up, fill out the .
Questions? Contact Dr. Kayoung Kim, OTL's Director of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning & Faculty Learning Communities, or Dr. Jasmine Yap, OTL's Director of Inclusive Teaching Practices.听
The AI Exchange听
I am pleased to announce The AI Exchange. OTL is hosting monthly events in collaboration with offices across campus focused on learning more about AI in teaching and learning contexts. Sessions vary in purpose and scope, including AI skill building and AI integration into student learning experiences and outcomes.听
Join OTL on Oct. 8 for the first session 鈥淪tudent Rights and Responsibilities鈥 to learn more about how to report student academic misconduct. Featured in this session are tips, resources, and a facilitated activity on conversations with students when you suspect misuse of AI. .
Seeking PIs interested in STEM K-12 and AI!听
The Office of Research & Sponsored Projects is facilitating a working group to apply to the new NSF STEM K-12 program, which encourages innovative, multidisciplinary, and potentially transformative projects that build theory, generate new knowledge, and inform education practices in a rapidly evolving technological landscape with advances in emerging technologies including AI. In order to submit a strong, competitive proposal, we are seeking additional PIs from various disciplines to support with project development and to serve as a reader prior to proposal submission. If interested or if you have questions, please reach out to Pamela Encinas.听
Faculty Innovation with AI听
With the rapid expansion and adoption of AI, innovators have to push boundaries to create game-changing solutions. But is that the right approach? Dr Lily Morse, an assistant professor of management at the Daniels College of Business, has dedicated her research to exploring how ethics and behaviors interplay in the new digital era. In her paper entitled 鈥淒angers of speech technology for workplace diversity,鈥 Morse and her co-researchers dive into the impacts of speech technology like Siri, Alexa, and other voice assistants.听
Dr. Pilyoung Kim, Professor of Psychology in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and are examining how AI systems like chatbots and companions are shaping the lives, minds, and relationships of today's children. Their research explores one of the most urgent and exciting questions in developmental science: How do children form relationships with AI, and what does this mean for their emotional, cognitive, and social development? Current projects focus on how AI transparency, emotional intelligence, and anthropomorphism affect children/adolescents' social relationships and mental well-being. The Center uses innovative methods, such as experimental design and neuroimaging to study the evolving child-AI relationship from developmental psychology perspectives.听
听
Important Dates and Events听
Please mark these dates on your calendars:听
- Oct. 1: Sabbatical applications for appointed faculty (2026-2027 academic year) are due.听
- Oct. 3: 4D Fall Kick-off, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Community Commons.听
- Oct. 3: OTL Fall Coffee Hour (9-10:30 a.m., Faculty Lounge, Community Commons 2800) 鈥 featuring 鈥淥nline learning, AI, and Taylor Swift's new album!鈥
- Oct. 8, 2-3 p.m. AI Exchange: Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) Session - Office of Teaching & Learning, Julanna Gilbert Teaching and Learning Conference Room (AAC 345).听听
Celebrating Academic Excellence
Next week I am highlighting my third Academic Affairs Goal: Strengthen Academic Excellence. As a teaser for next week鈥檚 message, I'm delighted to share some remarkable accomplishments from our colleagues that showcase the excellent work happening on our campus:听
Dr. Corinne Lengsfeld, Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) planning committee for an upcoming project entitled Reenvisioning the Future of STEM Research at Emerging Research Institutions: A Summit. This is a significant honor for DU and for Corinne, as the committee will shape a dynamic and impactful summit that scopes out a sustainable future for both Emerging Research Institutions and the broader higher education sector.听
Rachel Horenstein, Associate Dean for the Ritchie School and a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been named an Engineering Unleashed Fellow for 2025, a prestigious designation recognizing leadership in undergraduate engineering education. Engineering Unleashed鈥檚 mission is to 鈥済raduate engineering students with an entrepreneurial mindset.鈥 Dr. Horenstein鈥檚 project entitled 鈥淟earning from Failure with Mastery-Based Learning鈥 focuses on implementing mastery-based learning in her Statistics course and assessing changes in student mindset. Learn more about .听
Dr. Corinne Lengsfeld, Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) planning committee for an upcoming project entitled Reenvisioning the Future of STEM Research at Emerging Research Institutions: A Summit. This is a significant honor for DU and for Corinne, as the committee will shape a dynamic and impactful summit that scopes out a sustainable future for both Emerging Research Institutions and the broader higher education sector.听
Rachel Horenstein, Associate Dean for the Ritchie School and a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been named an Engineering Unleashed Fellow for 2025, a prestigious designation recognizing leadership in undergraduate engineering education. Engineering Unleashed鈥檚 mission is to 鈥済raduate engineering students with an entrepreneurial mindset.鈥 Dr. Horenstein鈥檚 project entitled 鈥淟earning from Failure with Mastery-Based Learning鈥 focuses on implementing mastery-based learning in her Statistics course and assessing changes in student mindset. Learn more about .听
听
Join Me for Lunch
I would be delighted to meet with you. Please join me in the Faculty Lounge (Community Commons 2800) on the first and third Monday of each month, 12-1 p.m., beginning Oct. 6. Bring your lunch, questions, and ideas for informal conversation.听
The creativity and commitment I see across our community continues to inspire me. Thank you for your scholarship, teaching, and service鈥攁nd for the many ways you support our students and each other.听
Warm regards,听
Elizabeth听
The creativity and commitment I see across our community continues to inspire me. Thank you for your scholarship, teaching, and service鈥攁nd for the many ways you support our students and each other.听
Warm regards,听
Elizabeth听
听