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Progress to Date
Following a formal search, Angela D. Dillard was appointed the inaugural Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Chief among her responsibilities is leading cross-campus initiatives that facilitate student academic success within a DEI framework centered on the needs of first-generation students, students from historically marginalized backgrounds, and those from under-resourced high schools, both urban and rural, in particular.
Marking another major achievement, schools and colleges that admit first-year, first-time students are now piloting an initiative called Early Momentum. This nationwide program encourages students to complete a full course load for Fall, Winter and, in some cases, Spring/Summer terms. Throughout the 2024-25 academic year, the Office of the Vice Provost will work collaboratively to strengthen academic advising and provide academic and social supports.
One major challenge is to collectively address the educational and financial gaps that too often impede first-generation students; students who are Pell-eligible; those from under-resourced high schools, urban and rural; and some students of color. Going forward, the focus will be on collaborative equity-based pedagogies in classrooms and labs, the adoption of validation models for advising that emphasize students’ individual strengths and assets, institutional changes that foster equitable outcomes and well-being as students pursue their goals, and partnerships with the Center for Academic Innovation.
Work is also underway on an Academic Student Success network, a group of units and organizations that will bring aspects of the national academic student success movement to the U-M. The goal is to create a collaborative, holistic approach to supporting students in their first year on campus. Ideally, the network will bring together schools and colleges with the Office of Enrollment Management and units within Student Life to focus on the needs of historically minoritized students. The network will also seek meaningful points of intersection with the DEI 2.0 plan and with the work of the Well-Being Collective, particularly around academic policies that simultaneously promote wellness, equity, and academic success.
Responsible Unit: The Office of the Provost