Public Presentation: VP for Faculty/Staff Affairs & Development On behalf of the Search Committee, I am delighted to announce that three outstanding candidates for the position of Vice Provost for Faculty/Staff Affairs and Development will advance to the public portion of our search process. Candidates will meet with University stakeholders and conduct a Public Forum the week of July 20^th. We invite the entire University community to attend the public forums where each candidate will present briefly on their vision for faculty/staff affairs and development and their qualifications to lead these initiatives under the Office of the Provost. The sessions have been structured to provide plenty of time for interactive dialogue, and public participation is essential to a successful experience for both the candidates and the University community. We invite all members of the University community to submit questions for these candidates via the modes outlined below and to attend the Public Forum presentations. To submit questions for the Public Forum: Utilize the “Public Forum Q&A Submission” form, found on our website hereto submit questions for each candidate. Email your questions to provost@uconn.edu with the subject line: VP FSAD Public Forum. Posit any questions via the comments section in the live presentation.   We will solicit your subsequent feedback to help inform the Provost’s eventual decision on who is the most qualified candidate to spearhead this new division. Information about Public Forum access can be found in the “Candidate Materials and Public Forum Info” section available on the Provost’s website here. You will also find candidate CVs, Feedback Surveys, and recordings of each Public Forum. Please note that users will need to log in with a NetID and password to access this page.   Candidate 1: Lucy Gilson July 20, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Public Forum WebEx Link: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?MTID=e6d6033e0ddd4263ee1d22d8722b1196c   Candidate 2: Manisha Desai July 22, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Public Forum WebEx Link: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?MTID=e53a6f9fcba85988c3b042d07bca61d78   Candidate 3: Michael Bradford July 24, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Public Forum WebEx Link: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?MTID=ea6e2594eb2313a0b2f4b99bef9f8029a   Thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. We welcome your feedback and involvement.   Sincerely, Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D. Provost and Executive Vice President    for Academic Affairs

Keeping It Simple - Organizing Course Materials in HuskyCT Monday, July 27, 12:30-1:30 Online Presenter: Margaret Ascenzo, CETL This session will cover options for presenting and arranging materials in your HuskyCT course in ways that minimize confusion for students. We will discuss various organizational strategies, such as ways to develop a straightforward main course menu, building in content areas, the difference between sorting materials into folders and learning modules, as well as controlling the visibility of content to students. We will also cover options for adding multimedia elements to your course, such as audio and video, among the variety of other options available in the system. Register at - https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=1500

Communicating Effectively in your Distance Learning Class Online Presenter: Wayne Trembly, CETL Join us for an hour of your day to connect with your colleagues. These sessions serve as a springboard for discussions around a topic related to teaching and learning but really give you the chance to share the success and challenges you are facing in our new teaching reality. Each session has a topical theme but is shaped by the participants’ discussion, needs, and interests. Focus: Communicating effectively with both individual students and groups Objectives: Participants will leave the session having heard and discussed ideas for effectively communicating with students in an online format.  We will discuss topics such as: Communication during synchronous presentations Communication when the learning is asynchronous Use of HuskyCT tools such as Discussion Board, Announcements, & Messages Email strategies Your ideas, questions, and concerns Tuesday, July 28, 6:30-7:30 Register - https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=1603  

HuskyCT Basics – Intro and Overview Thursday, July 30, 1:00-2:00 Online Presenter: Margaret Ascenzo, CETL This session will introduce you to the new look of HuskyCT, and will cover the basics of HuskyCT such as how to begin using HuskyCT, how the LMS can be used in academic and non-academic environments, basic functions and tools, and tips and tricks for beginner users. Register at – https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=1496

Preparing your HuskyCT Grade Center for Grade Calculation and Submission Thursday, July 30, 11:00-12:00 Online Presenter: Dan Facchinetti, CETL In this session, you will learn to ensure your Grade Center is set up to accurately record and calculate student grades within HuskyCT. We will cover specific settings and features including total points calculations, weighted percentage calculations, categorizing graded items, including/excluding graded items, incorporating tests/exams, assignments, discussions, as well as many other types of assessments and grades in your course. We will also cover how to send a grade column to Student Admin for midterm and final grade submission. Register at - https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=1510

While the Ballard Institute is closed, the museum will offer short, puppet-building and craft workshops via Facebook Live (http://facebook.com/BallardInstitute/) every Wednesday and Friday at 2 p.m. ET! All past workshops are available on our Facebook and YouTube. Join UConn Puppet Arts senior Elise Vanase on July 24 to make a wriggly fish puppet that glides through the air with two control rods! Recommended for ages 6+. Materials needed: egg carton, paint, hot glue, two sticks/skewers, yarn or string, scissors  

Starting July 13th, we started sending out “Mental Health Monday” messages with information from the African American graduate student therapists at the UConn Psychological Services Clinic in partnership with the African American Cultural Center. Upcoming topics will include: strategies to help de-stress, mindfulness and meditation, signs of depression and anxiety, preparing for school-related stress, when and how to seek professional psychological help, and much more. Please stay tuned for the next announcement and send an email to aacc@uconn.edu to be added to our ListServ if you are not already.  *If you have mental health concerns, please contact the Psychological Services Clinic at 860-486-4848.  

Fall 2020 Move In Thank you for offering to work with the Residential Life and Student Health and Wellness Teams during Fall Move In! This has been an unbelievable year for our campus and move in plans are no different, we need YOU! HOW IT WORKS The move in process begins Friday August 14th and ends Monday August 17th. Students arriving to campus will drive to a check-in location where teams from Residential Life and Student Health and Wellness will greet them. ResLife will manage the check-in process for students and the SHaW staff will perform on-site COVID testing before students receive their room keys. Check-in each day will be from 9:00am - 3:00pm; staff workers need to arrive at 8:30am and depart at 3:30pm. We have multiple staged parking lot locations for students to receive their test and keys. Throughout check-in, we will be the first stop to welcome students to our campus! HOW YOU WILL HELP Your help is needed primarily in the staged parking lot areas. After you fill out our form, we will assign you to a location based on your work preferences and availability. The job descriptions are listed below - select your top 3 preferred positions to work in. Feel free to sign up for multiple dates if you are able to! You will be notified of your assignment by the week of August 10th. SIGN UP HERE: https://reslife.uconn.edu/fall-2020-move-in/   CONTACT US Residential Life: Amy Crim amy.crim@uconn.edu, Sheila Morgansmith sheila.morgansmith@uconn.edu Student Health and Wellness: Tina McCarthy tina.mccarthy@uconn.edu

Biomedical Entrepreneurship  Are you interested in life science entrepreneurship? As a part of the Entrepreneurship Life Sciences Initiative, CT Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is offering a 3-credit Biomedical Entrepreneurship course in Fall 2020. This is a multi-disciplinary course across the School of Business, Engineering, Medicine, Dental Medicine and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.  This is open to all students at the graduate or undergraduate level. Students will gain experience addressing real life clinical issues by offering technical solutions and creating business models that will further develop entrepreneurial skill sets. Taught by industry experts, students will learn the fundamentals around creating a new business or venture within the realms of life sciences. An online application must be submitted before registering for the course. This course will be held virtually. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the start of the fall semester. Apply today!

UConn’s Weight Management Research Group is offering a free web-based weight management program. The purpose of this program is to help you lose weight and keep it off. You will learn about healthy eating and exercise and strategies to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Medication is not used in this study. You will be compensated up to $80 for your participation. If you are between the ages of 18-70 and have a smartphone with reliable Internet access, you may be eligible to participate. Visit our website, call, or email to learn more and see if you qualify: http://weight.lab.uconn.edu/pacestudy 860-380-2988 pace.study@uconn.edu Principal Investigator: Dr. Amy Gorin, Ph.D., Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut This study was approved by the UConn IRB, Protocol #H18-153.

The InsurTech Initiative Are you fascinated by the world of InsurTech? CT Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is offering the InsurTech Initiative; created in collaboration with the University of Hartford and funded by the CTNext Higher Education Grant. This program was designed to grow the next generation of innovators within the insurance industry. Students will learn about the impacts of digital technology on the insurance industry and will receive hands-on training creating and developing InsurTech business ventures BADM 5894: InsurTech Venturing - A 3-credit course where students will learn from top industry professionals every week, analyze real-world case studies and business models and enhance their entrepreneurial skills. Students enrolled in this course will all become eligible to apply for The InsurTech Fellows Program.  InsurTech Fellows Program - A fellowship that provides a variety of learning opportunities for students to further engage in the emerging InsurTech space. Through ongoing participation, students will work directly with new and innovative InsurTech startup companies, receive personal mentorship from insurance executives, consultants and leaders, connect to networks and exciting job/internship opportunities and receive a $4,000 scholarship for full participation.  This course will be held virtually. Applications for the Fall 2020 InsurTech Venturing course will be accepted on a rolling basis until August 28, 2020. Apply today!  Applications for the 2020/2021 cohort of the InsurTech Fellows Program opens in October 2020 and will only become eligible to students enrolled in the InsurTech Venturing course.

We are in search of a diverse pool of applicants to fill positions as Student Community Connection Ambassadors. Please share with your students.  Reporting to the designated staff member, the Student Community Connections Ambassador will support the uKindess initiative with the implementation and operation of a remote chat function. The remote chat will be accessible to other UConn students from the kindness.studentaffairs.uconn.edu website. The responsibilities of the ambassador is to make connections with and for fellow students with available resources, materials, and training. This position is 100% remote and will require access to the internet and tools to connect to the chat dashboard (ie.laptop, desktop, smart phone). To apply for the position go to Jobx and search for Class II - Student Peer Counseling Assistant found under employer Student Activities Involvement Office designated at the Storrs Campus.