Having trouble reading this? View it in your browser. January 30, 2017   Dear Colleagues: Hopefully the beginning of the new semester finds you relaxed, renewed, and ready for what should prove to be an exciting end to the inaugural year of our third presidency. As a result of collaborative efforts across the division, Academic Affairs made strides during fall/winter. Here are some highlights: The Office of the Provost launched an email digest. The President’s Cabinet endorsed a strategic direction for research/scholarship. Our plan, developed by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs in consultation with the Faculty Research Advisory Board and the Student Research Advisory Committee, will be realized through a Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching. All six schools have positioned themselves to serve as technical assistance hubs for faculty and students. The College provided incentive funds for the following initiatives: Experiential Learning; Internationalization and Global Partnerships; Seamless Transfer; and Open Educational Resources. We have reached consensus on our MSHE self-study design. The New York State Education Department approved our Master of Science in Organizational Leadership. The School of Continuing and Professional Studies announced the opening of our EON Virtual/Augmented Reality Coding Academy at CUNY on the Concourse. Students from Lehman and Bronx Community College came to campus on "STEM Fridays" to meet one another, to sharpen their math skills and to hear from faculty about what it takes to major in various STEM disciplines. The HSI STEM Pathways Project is supported by a USDOE $5.7M grant. We held a faculty retreat on January 23rd at Wave Hill. Throughout the day, 69 faculty and 30 administrators engaged in important conversations about faculty and student success. The theme of the Faculty Retreat was "momentum." As Kevin Sailor so aptly pointed out after the day's events, "...it is not only the notion of the pace of change but the direction as well." Intentionality requires that we look carefully and critically at what we do (using both our own data and evidence of best practices from the professional literature), articulate goals, and then assess whether or not we are moving in the right direction. Looking forward to spring semester, I know that the conversation will continue. Join me at Provost Office Hours held in the faculty dining room adjacent to the Carman Hall cafeteria starting at noon on the following days: February Monday 2/6/17 & Thursday 2/9/17 (Topic: Student Evaluations) Wednesday 2/22/17 (Topic: Advising) March Monday 3/6/17 & Thursday 3/9/17 (Topic: Teaching Excellence) Wednesday 3/22/17 & Thursday 3/23/17 (Topic: Faculty Development) April Monday 4/3/17 & Thursday 4/6/17 (Topic: Mentoring New Faculty) Wednesday 4/19/17 & Thursday 4/20/17 (Topic: Working Across Disciplinary Boundaries) May Monday 5/1/17 & Thursday 5/4/17 (Scholarship of Engagement/Service/ Becoming a Public Scholar) Wednesday 5/17/17 & Thursday 5/18/17 (Leadership in the Division of Academic Affairs) I know that we will have much to report in our bi-weekly email digests during spring semester. If there are activities or achievements that you wish to share with the Lehman community, please send them to Alison Abreu at: alison.abreu@lehman.cun.edu Best wishes, Niki Fayne   The Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs is the College's chief academic officer and senior member of the Cabinet. The Provost is responsible for all educational programs, as well as for academic issues that relate to the faculty, including appointments, promotions, and evaluations. She also is responsible for preparing accreditation reviews, strategic planning, and the review of division and departmental budgets. For more information, Email alison.abreau@lehman.cuny.edu or call 718-960-8222.