Budget Update

I continue to be grateful for the hard work of our deans, department chairs/assistant deans, faculty, and staff as we seek to adjust budgets to accommodate next year's "to solve." Discussions will continue over the next couple months as the Senior Leadership Team works to present a balanced budget to the Board of Trustees in April. An important part of this process includes all the curricular work your departments have been doing over these past weeks to align with the new Core Curriculum and the 55 + 50 + 20 degree structure. Significant to this work is a continuing commitment to academic excellence that helps inform and shape the curricular changes. Special thanks to the department chairs/assistant deans in particular for a marathon two weeks of Academic Policy and Curriculum Committee meetings. Ongoing thanks extends as well to Dr. Susan Johnson and the Core Curriculum Steering Committee for their continued efforts to roll out the new Core, along with Associate Registrar, Eileen Blatchley, who is building Degree Audit to reflect all the changes. My prayer is that many, many students will reap the benefit of all these significant efforts as they learn and grow at Northwestern! 

Student Debt - Know the Facts

Student debt remains a topic of great significance for our university and our students. To help keep you informed, here is the February 2021 Student Debt Fact Sheet just released by The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and shared by President Cureton at our SLT meeting this week. The report challenges a number of common perceptions on the status of debt for students attending colleges and universities in the United States. Here are two examples from the presentation of the disparity between public perception and the data:

For additional information about these facts and others that describe the quality and affordability of independent colleges, please see www.cic.edu/resources-research/charts-data.

Supporting Students Through Early Alerts

Are you concerned about a student’s mental or emotional health? Has a student been absent for multiple class periods? Is a student falling behind in your course? The Joint Intervention Team is available to support you as a faculty member by connecting with students who are struggling. It is now even easier to refer a student using the Joint Intervention Referral form, which has been conveniently added to the Top Matter section of TRAD Moodle course pages, accessible by clicking on the "Instructor Resources" icon. Once you have submitted this form, a Joint Intervention team member will reach out to the student to offer wrap-around support. Thank you for caring about your students' well-being and working collaboratively to support it! 

Need a Boost?

UNW Health Services has created a flyer about immunity for the UNW Community with some great ideas on how to boost your immune system. UNW's Director of COVID Operations, Anna Mukaria, PA-C, MPH, writes: 

As we have learned especially this year, the immune system is critically important to overall health. The best way to naturally keep your immune system strong is to follow a holistic approach to your health. By implementing healthy-living strategies, not only does your immune system function better, but all other body systems have improved functioning as well.

Enjoy the bright colors - although it was warmer outside today, we could all use a burst of color in the midst of the winter season!