From the Provost: Welcome to Academic Year 2022-2023

Dear Faculty and Staff, 

Welcome to this new academic year. As we enter the second week of fall quarter, joining our law school colleagues who began their fall semester in August, I hope you share my excitement at again being fully engaged in the work of the university and the education of our students. 

As President Peñalver shared in his welcome message, Seattle University prepares our students to become the kind of leaders our world urgently needs by offering them a curriculum that is innovative, challenging, and engaging in the best Ignatian tradition, by conducting faculty research that is as rigorous as it is relevant, and by promoting inclusive excellence that enhances our students’ experience inside and outside the classroom. Your talent, hard work, and commitment to our students are critical to the fulfillment of these goals, and I thank you for all you do. 

I invite you all to attend the Provost’s Convocation on November 3. We will at this event provide updates on our progress implementing our strategic plan, Reigniting Our Strategic Directions and outline our next steps and opportunities to be involved in this work. 

With the start of the new academic year, we also welcome several key leaders to our community, including three new deans: Amit Shukla, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering, Tony Varona, Dean of the School of Law, and Cynthia Dillard, Dean of the College of Education, who joined the university last winter. We also welcome Jerron Lowe, Vice President for Human Resources, and Edgar Gonzalez, Vice President of University Advancement, and we are delighted that Catherine Punsalan-Manlimos has returned to our community as Vice President for Mission Integration.

Members of our distinguished faculty will also serve in key leadership roles this year and contribute to our robust system of shared governance. I congratulate Marc Cohen, Professor of Management and Philosophy, for his election as President-Elect to Academic Assembly and Connie Anthony, Associate Professor of Political Science, as the new Vice President of Policies. Professor Cohen and Professor Anthony join Frank Shih, Katie Oliveras, and Margit McGuire as the Officers of Academic Assembly. 

Within the Provost’s Office, Jodi O’Brien, Professor of Sociology, will serve as Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Charles Tung, Professor of English, will continue in his role as Special Assistant to the Provost for Curriculum. In their respective leadership roles, Professor O’Brien and Professor Tung will continue to lead the university’s work in advancing the professional development of our faculty and reimagining and revising our curriculum. I am also pleased to announce that Colette Taylor, Professor of Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership, will be a new member of the Provost’s Office serving as Special Assistant to the Provost for Strategic Directions. Dr. Taylor’s portfolio of work will include leading SU Advance and LIFTSU initiatives, such as developing high-impact practices for hiring and retaining BIPOC faculty, in close collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. 

We enter this academic year with appreciation for the exceptional efforts of our faculty and staff to navigate the last two years of COVID in continuing to deliver a transformational Jesuit education to our students, cautious optimism that COVID has shifted from pandemic to endemic, but also with recognition of the continued impact on our community members. For our students in particular, the disruption of their lives and educational and social learning present ongoing challenges that we as educators must address. How does Seattle University, as a Jesuit institution, balance its core values of rigor and care in ways that best support the retention and success of students who are living through challenges unknown to their predecessors? In addition to the disruptions mentioned above, these challenges also include environmental degradation, issues of racial injustice, and threats to our democracy that fray our society. How do we confront these challenges with innovation and humanity and educate leaders who are committed to human dignity and the common good? These critical questions will be explored at the Provost’s Convocation and throughout this year. 

In closing, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with more practical details regarding COVID, including this campus wide message and these FAQs that speak more directly to instructional matters. I also remind faculty to continue to send their COVID specific questions to FacultyCovidQs@seattleu.edu and the Provost’s Office will provide timely and direct responses. 

I wish our community a healthy, productive, and rewarding year. 

Sincerely, 

Shane P. Martin 
Provost