Faculty and Staff

Can we make accessibility ‘universal’?

lblouin — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:46:55 +0000

Can we make accessibility ‘universal’? lblouin Mon, 07/21/2025 - 09:46

The world of accessibility and disability accommodations seems to evolve continuously, as new technologies emerge, social attitudes toward disabilities shift and laws are updated. When we last wrote about disability accommodations in 2022, one of the major issues was how the university was meeting rising demand for accommodations, as the social isolation students experienced during the pandemic and the transition back to in-person life fueled an increase in accommodations requests for anxiety and depression. At that time, the approach to accommodations most often focused on the individual: A student with anxiety, for example, could meet with someone from Disability and Accessibility Services, who might recommend an accommodation like additional time to take tests. DAS would then send an email to that student’s instructors detailing the nature of the accommodations, and their professors would make the appropriate arrangements. DAS would also serve as a resource for faculty if they needed help, say, figuring out how to adjust the timed test option for an individual student in Canvas.

This is still how the process works today, and individual accommodations are still very much a thing (more on this below). But talk with those who work within this space and you’ll likely also hear about a push for “universal” accessibility, which may have the effect of reducing the need for one-off, individual accommodations. The thinking is that many of the most common accommodations for those with the disabilities — flexible deadlines, video captioning, making readings screen reader-friendly, providing options on assignments or assessments, or posting lecture slides ahead of time — actually benefit all students. Multiple studies have demonstrated, for example, that captions on video content increase understanding and retention for viewers. Digitize a reading in a screen reader-friendly format and anyone can listen to a reading while they’re commuting or cooking dinner. Providing slides before class gives students an opportunity to pre-digest material and engage at a deeper level. Getting to choose between a test and a project to demonstrate what they’ve learned grants students more autonomy and lets multiple learning styles shine. In other words, if we design the learning experience with accommodations in mind, we end up benefiting everyone — and ultimately reduce the time faculty invest in implementing accommodations for individual students.

Many instructors at ��-Dearborn have made these kinds of adjustments to their courses in the past few years, often with support from the Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources, which provides course design services, big and small. If faculty haven’t started moving in this direction already, though, it’s likely they’ll be thinking more about it very soon, at least when it comes to anything online, says ��-Dearborn’s Director of Digital Education Chris Casey. That’s because in 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires public institutions, including colleges and universities, to ensure that all web content, mobile applications and other digital technologies are usable by people with disabilities. That means by April of next year — the compliance deadline for an institution of ��-Dearborn’s size — all websites, documents (such as PDFs), university communications (including emails) and digital tools have to meet the new federal guidelines for accessibility.

To meet this compliance deadline, U-M has created digital accessibility training for all faculty and staff, which provides practical guidance for creating and maintaining accessible digital content. For the past year, Casey’s team and other campus units, especially the Hub and the Provost’s office, have been busy helping faculty make the transition. Casey says it’s good that they’ve gotten a running start because they’ve unsurprisingly encountered some challenges. PDFs, for example, “are just a nightmare, in general,” Casey says. For years, PDFs were a popular choice for digitizing everything from journal articles to math worksheets. The problem is that screen readers, the technology blind and visually impaired people commonly use to listen to text, often lose a lot in translation. It’s not just the low-quality, 30-year-old scan of a journal article or a handwritten math worksheet that causes problems either. Take, for instance, a standard journal article that has images, charts, tables, subheadings and is formatted into two columns. Our eyes can generally make quick organizational sense of how the information is supposed to flow. But Casey says, left to its own devices, a screen reader often garbles that “reading order” that our eyes and brains find so intuitive.

Casey says his team does have some tools to help faculty with specific accessibility challenges. Some applications, like Yuja Panorama, a Canvas plugin that can peruse documents and identify accessibility issues and recommend fixes, work pretty well. But with those nightmarish PDFs, the solutions might not always be straightforward. If it’s a journal article, Casey recommends faculty check with a subject-matter librarian or the publisher to see if the source already exists in an accessible format or if the publisher has plans to have an accessible version available before the compliance deadline. If those options don’t work out, he says they do have some automated PDF remediation tools, but gives them a “50/50” effectiveness grade. If automatic remediation fails, Casey says faculty may have to try manually adding accessibility features to the PDF, though he warns that’s an adventure that can “get super in the weeds super fast.” He concedes that, when possible, sometimes the best option might be for faculty to retype a document (assuming that doesn’t violate copyright laws) or consider an alternative source that doesn’t have accessibility challenges. Other tools, like the custom generative AI alt-text generator created by ��-Flint Distance Learning Director Nick Gaspar, are working much better. Alt text is a way of describing visual elements, like images and charts, to make them accessible to people using screen readers. Casey said their team test drove the generator with everything from artwork used in an art history class to scatter plot graphs from the math department and got very good results. “With this alt-text generator, I finally feel like we have something that we can say to faculty, ‘This works,’” he says.

Not all accessibility hurdles will be cleared with a quick technological fix, however, which is why Casey’s team is trying to get in front of faculty as much as possible so he can give them a more detailed picture of what it might take to bring their online course materials into compliance. “Faculty are very busy, and some, understandably, want sort of the five-minute version of this,” he says. “But every course has its own needs. So it’s not like there’s a one-size-fits-all solution for every course,” he says. As a starting point, he recommends faculty take a two-hour Canvas course that his team has created, which provides a detailed overview of the major compliance issues and recommended fixes. His team is even offering a $200 incentive for the first 250 instructors who complete the course. In addition, every Tuesday throughout the summer, his office is hosting Zoom sessions focused on specific digital accessibility issues, like how to deal with tables, using Yuja Panorama or how color choices impact readability. Over the past four months, Casey’s team has also held in-person sessions with every department, and they plan to keep that going through the fall and winter semesters.

Of course, much of the labor of updating course materials ultimately falls to faculty, who already have a lot of demands on their time. Understandably, many faculty are feeling a little stressed about the work that’s required to bring their online course materials into compliance, says Maggie Rathouz, an associate professor of mathematics education who also volunteers as an accessibility liaison for her department through DAS. “To be honest, the mood isn’t great,” she says. “It’s not at all that we don’t want to help our students. I think basically everyone gets why this is important. It’s more that we aren’t experts in this stuff, and yet it’s going to fall to faculty to become experts and make these changes, which takes time. I mean, it would be great if this was something AI could help with even more, because then faculty could spend their time on the implementation of these changes and how to teach with these changes.”

Casey says he totally gets that, which is why his office is trying to lighten that burden by providing efficient training sessions, compensating faculty for at least some of their time, and regularly evaluating new technologies that can help with the transition. His office is also providing 250 small grants for instructors to hire a student in their discipline to assist with accessibility work. Rathouz says things like that are helpful — to a point. Personally, the $200 incentive nudged her to sign up for the Canvas course, though she says she actually hasn’t taken it yet and has been “dragging her feet” when it comes to making some accessibility updates to her courses. Similarly, she says it would be helpful to have a student do some of the work but notes that student workers will still require a fair bit of guidance from a faculty member.

Overall, Casey says he feels good about where ��-Dearborn is at as it approaches the April 2026 compliance deadline. Paradigm shifts, even little ones, take time, and a little foot dragging is only human nature, especially when faculty have a lot of other obligations. But he’s hopeful that this new culture around digital accessibility will end up being one of those things that feels like a bit of a lift up front, but then becomes second nature as faculty move forward with creating new courses and materials. It should also be noted that even as this culture of universal accessibility grows some roots in the digital space, individual accommodations will absolutely still be available to students. Knowing faculty are already feeling a little stretched by accessibility-related issues, DAS Coordinator of Case Management and Support Hillary Degner-Miller says their team recently created a new faculty guide that provides the most essential information about the individual accommodations process, including examples of situations faculty are most likely to encounter. Since 2023, DAS has also been utilizing department-level volunteer faculty liaisons, who both serve as a resource for their colleagues about accommodations and help DAS staff better understand where faculty are coming from. Moreover, Degner-Miller says that her slice of the accessibility domain, which tends to focus more on accommodations for individuals, is also experimenting with a more universal approach. The next addition to the faculty accommodations guide will be a section on universal design principles, which can help faculty create course materials that are usable by everyone, regardless of disability. In the end, everyone’s hoping what feels like a time burden at the moment will feel like a big time saver in just a few years.

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Want to learn more about digital accessibility at ��-Dearborn? Check out the university’s new Digital Accessibility website. Staff should also read the July 23 email from Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta and Vice Chancellor for Information Management Carrie Shumaker regarding accessibility training for staff. Story by Lou Blouin

Accessibility or Affordability

Faculty and Staff

Inclusion or Diversity

Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources

Mon, 07/28/2025 - 13:45

A spring 2026 federal digital accessibility deadline is ushering in a new paradigm for disability accommodations.

A two-hour Canvas course is helping faculty study up on new federal accessibility guidelines for online content. There's currently a $200 incentive to take the course.

News

What does an Institutional Review Board do?

lblouin — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:41:36 +0000

What does an Institutional Review Board do? lblouin Mon, 06/30/2025 - 13:41

Faculty research is a time-consuming endeavor — even in the planning stages. Researchers have to invest hundreds of hours in finding good ideas, vetting them for originality, researching funding programs, writing proposals and hiring research assistants. And for any study that involves human subjects, researchers have one more to-do: Submitting their project to be reviewed by someone from one of two main Institutional Review Boards at U-M — or possibly the entire board if the work involves tricky ethical issues. Elizabeth Molina, the U-M research compliance specialist with the IRB Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences who handles all initial IRB review applications coming from faculty, postdocs and student researchers at ��-Dearborn, says IRB reviews involve carefully evaluating all aspects of a proposed research project. The goal is to make sure the methodology complies with federal and state regulations, ethical principles and U-M specific policies designed to protect the rights and welfare of human participants involved in research conducted by faculty, staff and students on U-M’s three campuses. An IRB will then give the researcher a green light or a rejection, or request changes to their project to bring it into compliance. Notably, an IRB always has a diverse mix of people, including non-scientists and community members, so that complicated issues can be evaluated from a variety of perspectives. Sometimes, if a study is reviewed by the full board, researchers and study teams are invited to the review sessions so they can work through tricky issues as a group.

In practice, Molina says her work with the IRB involves navigating a lot of nuances with consent and privacy issues. Sometimes, a review might be super quick. “The first thing we actually look for is if the work involves something that the IRB needs to review,” Molina says. “For example, if a faculty member wants to survey students in their class solely to inform their own teaching practice and not to generalize or disseminate the findings beyond their classroom, then IRB approval is not required,” Molina says. But if the faculty member envisions they might use the results down the road in a research project, then Molina would work with them to make sure they’re, say, obtaining consent in a way that complies with regulations. Depending on what a research survey is about, a review could get more or less involved. A survey asking people about what method they use to heat their homes would require a lower level of review. But if a researcher is asking people about a more sensitive subject, like their personal participation in illegal activity, then the methodology for collecting responses and how the researchers manage and present the data would have to be more carefully thought out. The goal is to ensure that nothing compromises a participant’s anonymity or inadvertently creates adverse consequences for the person.

Nuance is baked into Molina’s work. After all, it’s the nature of research to investigate novel territory, and tricky test cases are essentially how the boundaries of ethical systems get defined and refined. Moreover, while some IRB rules, like those regarding children in medical studies, are more specific, Molina says many regulations are intentionally broad and open to interpretation so they can be inclusive of a wide variety of cases. For straightforward projects, Molina can conduct a regulatory and administrative review of the application herself and communicate with the researcher or study team if she needs any additional information. If the research is “exempt,” meaning it’s research that presents minimal risk to participants and falls under specific exemption categories defined by regulations, then she can issue the approval once any issues are resolved. If a study does not meet any of the exemption categories, she refers it to another reviewer, typically an expert in the subject matter, who assesses the risk and can issue an approval. However, if the study presents more than minimal risk or there is a complicated ethical question, Molina will bring it to the IRB staff for discussion to confirm that it should go to the full board for review. The full board typically discusses three to five studies a month. Only the full board can issue a disapproval, which Molina says is rare.

There are all kinds of tricky situations, especially regarding consent. For example, Molina says if researchers want to observe people without their knowledge, or not tell a participant everything up front, the IRB would review the proposal carefully. In some cases, the IRB can approve a waiver or alteration of informed consent, but only if the study poses no more than minimal risk, doesn’t affect participants’ rights or welfare, and couldn’t be done otherwise. When possible, participants are debriefed afterward and given the option to withdraw their data once they know the full details of the study. However, Molina says there are rare cases where debriefing might actually cause more harm than good. “For example, if someone was included in a study for an embarrassing reason, or finds out they were part of a study without knowing, it could cause distress, lead to mistrust in the research process or the researchers, and discourage future participation,” she says. Moreover, if the research involves children or teenagers, the study team has to obtain consent from both the parents and the kid (referred to in the later case as “assent”). “But there may be circumstances where it would be risky to obtain parental consent,” Molina says. “Let’s say you wanted to talk with teenagers about their sexual orientation. Asking the parents if the child could participate in the research might be risky for that teenager. In situations like that, the researcher could request a waiver of parental permission, because the benefits of doing so could outweigh the risks.”

The gray areas and subtleties are essentially limitless. If a study involves observing people in a public space, that might not require consent, because people don’t have the same expectations of privacy. But if the setting were a semi-public space, like a workplace, that’s going to require a higher level of IRB review. “Or let’s say you’re recruiting participants in a public space, but you’re recruiting for an HPV study. Are participants going to feel comfortable coming to you, and are you taking steps to protect their privacy?” Molina says. Because there are so many nuances, Molina encourages researchers to reach out to talk through any questions they have before submitting their projects to the IRB for an official review. She also conducts monthly IRB “On-the-Road” sessions, where researchers can connect with her on Zoom to talk through issues, or even ask questions about the admittedly not-the-most-user-friendly eResearch software researchers use to submit their projects for review. “People often don’t know what they need to provide us, or what a particular question is asking, or the level of detail we need to provide an evaluation of risk,” she says. “Or, for approved standard studies, they might not know that if they change something on their flyer or their consent form, even something that seems small, like changing your phone number or adding a QR code, that requires an amendment. So a conversation clarifies that. That’s one reason I do the On-the-Road sessions. That way, people can meet me and see that I’m not intimidating. I’m not the police. You can tell me about your challenges and we can try to figure them out together.”

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Want to learn more about what the IRB does and its review process? Check out the IRB Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences website. Have questions for Molina about an upcoming project? Faculty and students can reach out directly at molinael@umich.edu or attend an upcoming IRB On-the-Road session.

Off

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 17:40

If a research study involves human subjects, it has to go through an Institutional Review Board evaluation. But ��-Dearborn’s IRB liaison, Elizabeth Molina, wants faculty, staff and students to see her as a partner, not the ethics police.

Elizabeth Molina, a U-M research compliance specialist with the IRB Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences, handles all initial IRB application reviews coming from faculty, postdocs and student researchers on the ��-Dearborn campus.

News

Office of Research update for July 2025

lblouin — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:46:18 +0000

Office of Research update for July 2025 lblouin Mon, 06/30/2025 - 08:46

External Awards Received

Principal Investigator: Joe Lo, Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: Influence of hypoxia on the antiviral functions of human intestinal epithelial cells
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health subaward (via University of Florida)
Amount: $283,010

The low oxygen environment (hypoxia) in the gastro-intestinal tract is fundamental for the preservation of the commensal microbiota and the maintenance of gut homeostasis. How hypoxia impacts the ability of intestinal epithelial cells to respond to enteric viruses is unknown and this constitutes the core question of this project. In collaboration with the University of Florida, Lo’s team at ��-Dearborn will develop a radial microfluidic gradient platform for modeling gut villi hypoxia. The device will be verified using a conventional fiberoptic oxygen probe for the initial design. The results of this study will inform the development of novel therapeutics targeting cellular responses to hypoxia to treat enteric pathogens, as well as for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases which is accompanied by oxygen-dysregulation in the gut.

Announcements

New Research Security Training Requirement for Certain Proposals

Effective May 1, 2025, certain sponsors (e.g., Department of Defense, Department of Energy) require research security training to be completed within 12 months prior to submitting a funding proposal (check the terms and conditions of the proposal for any such training requirements.) Follow this link to complete the Research Security Training course requirement (��ICH login and password required.)

Research security training is listed as one of four elements of a Research Security Program required by National Security Presidential Memorandum 33, issued on Jan. 14, 2021, to safeguard our research ecosystem. The "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022," Section 10634, codifies the requirement for research security training for federal research award personnel in public law. See more at the Department of Energy’s website.

Research Events in July

IRBMED - Waivers, Alterations, and Alternative Forms of Informed Consent
- Presented by IRBMED, a unit of the Medical School Office of Research, this course offers an overview of some special situations relating to informed consent. Specifically, waivers and alterations of informed consent, waivers of documentation of informed consent, and obtaining consent from non-English speakers
- Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 2:30-3:30 p.m., virtual
- Register here
Community-Engaged Research with the FAST PACE Toolkit: A Three-Part Virtual Training Series
- The FAST PACE Toolkit is a proven resource for fostering equitable and effective community-academic partnerships, particularly in crisis situations. This three-part virtual training series will equip researchers, community members, and practitioners with the skills and knowledge to:
  - Build strong, trusting relationships with community partners
  - Develop community-driven research protocols
  - Navigate ethical considerations in community-engaged research
  - Translate research findings into actionable solutions
- Session 3: Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 3-5 p.m., virtual
MICHR - Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR4K) Summer 2025
- RCR4K is a seminar that is designed to meet the requirements of the NIH K-23, or any federal or non-federal career development grant. The 5-session (10 hour) seminar is mostly interactive, practice-based, and focused on addressing RCR issues (ethics, integrity, and regulatory matters) that have arisen in the course of your own funded research. It’s relevant, interactive, and includes mentoring from experienced faculty.
  - Session 2: Thursday, July 17, 2025, 9-11 a.m. - Research integrity: falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism
  - Session 3: Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, 9-11 a.m. - Authorship & Plagiarism
  - Session 4: Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, 9-11 a.m. - Clinical Trial Design: The Support Trial
  - Session 5: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, 9-11 a.m. - Public Health Research, and Research with data and specimens: Henrietta Lacks and the Common Rule debate
- ��-Ann Arbor North Campus Research Complex, Bldg. 300, Room 376
- Register here
Webinar: Research Impact Metrics and Visualizations Using SciVal Database
- Looking for an efficient way to analyze a large group of publications? SciVal allows researchers to explore topic analysis, co-authorship networks and citation-based metrics to track trends and learn more about groups of papers that interest you.
- This introduction to SciVal will demonstrate how to create a group of papers (e.g., by authors, topics, or other characteristics) and help researchers select metrics appropriate for determining impact. SciVal can help answer questions such as: How are researchers collaborating? What attention are my articles receiving as compared to similar articles worldwide? Researchers can also refer to the Library Research Impact Assessment guide, which includes the importance of using both qualitative and quantitative input when considering the impact of research articles.
- Register here for a SciVal webinar, presented July 21, from noon to 1 p.m.

Research Resource Highlight: iThenticate

Every month, the Office of Research features a resource and/or tool that is available for researchers. This month we are featuring iThenticate.

To help the U-M research community foster and uphold the highest ethical standards in research and creative practice, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) secured an institutional license for iThenticate. ��-Dearborn researchers can use the plagiarism detection software to help ensure that, in the process of advancing their research and creative practice, they do not inadvertently source others’ work without appropriate reference or repurpose their previously published work in a way that violates publication license.

iThenticate compares submissions against a comprehensive database of web and scholarly content, including 190 million subscription sources and 81,000 journal articles. OVPR is pleased to provide free access to this tool to the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses. Information about accessing iThenticate can be found on the research compliance website.

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

The Office of Research maintains a list of selected funding opportunities, organized by college on our website under Announcements. In addition, we encourage you to check out the Hanover Research subject area calendars with funding opportunities which we upload on a regular basis to our website.

Please refer to OVPR’s Tracking Federal Changes 2025 page for more information and updates related to the Trump administration's changes to federal research funding.

Use the updated U-M Research Commons to look up internal (to U-M) funding opportunities and Limited Submission opportunities open to Dearborn researchers.

Contact the ��-Dearborn Office of Research if you would like more information about submitting a proposal to any of the programs.

Faculty and Staff

Faculty Research

Office of Research

Off

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:44

See whose work is getting funded, browse the calendar of upcoming research events and learn about ways to support your work.

News

Big changes, familiar faces

lblouin — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:08:32 +0000

Big changes, familiar faces lblouin Mon, 06/30/2025 - 08:08

When Santa Ono announced on Sunday, May 4 that he was stepping down as president of the University of Michigan, it came as a surprise to most. Even fewer people would have predicted the cascade of leadership changes that would roll through ��-Dearborn in the coming days. By Wednesday that week, ��-Dearborn Chancellor Domenico Grasso had been tapped to serve as U-M's interim president, which prompted Grasso to schedule a conversation with ��-Dearborn Provost Gabriella Scarlatta. At that meeting, Scarlatta recalls Grasso matter-of-factly informing her that he’d “like (her) to be interim chancellor.” For a split second, Scarlatta says she wasn’t sure she felt ready. “Of course, I was shocked. But then I got taken over by incredible pride, knowing that our chancellor was going to be president,” she says. “This is only good for Dearborn. So, of course, I’m going to do it. It’s going to put us on the map.”

Scarlatta’s move to interim chancellor set off a wave of leadership changes. Shortly after her conversation with Grasso, she called College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Ghassan Kridli, who was en route to his son-in-law’s medical school graduation at Wayne State University, to ask him to take over as interim provost. Kridli said ‘yes,’ which left a vacancy at the top of CECS. Armen Zakarian, vice provost for research and dean of graduate studies, stepped up to take that spot, after which Joan Remski, associate provost for faculty development and digital learning, was asked to fill Zakarian’s role. Stein Brunvand, associate dean and director of graduate programs for the College of Education, Health and Human Services, agreed to step into Remski’s position, with Professor of Education Susan Everett filling Brunvand’s post. Then, in another twist, Vice Chancellor for External Relations Ken Kettenbeil shared that he would be going to Ann Arbor as well, to serve as a senior advisor for Grasso’s interim term. Casandra Ulbrich, vice chancellor for institutional advancement, raised her hand to temporarily head ER, while continuing in her current role. And Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy Bailey Ayers-Korpal and Director of Communications Kristin Palm took on additional responsibilities in ER. Rima Berry-Hung, senior director of human resources, also assumed additional duties as senior advisor to the chancellor, along with her current role.

On paper, that sounds like a lot of leadership churn. But both Kridli and Scarlatta say that everything has gone very smoothly thus far — something they attribute to the fact that everyone in the ��-Dearborn leadership team is very used to working together. They both cheekily pointed out that neither one of them had to get a new boss. “I’m happy and proud that we can handle this internally, and I think it says a lot that everyone essentially said, ‘Yes, of course, for Dearborn,’” Scarlatta says. “So we’re all helping each other and cheering for each other. Plus, we’re all thinking, it’s only for a year, so we can all do it.”

Scarlatta says the current plan is that everyone will return to their previous roles once a new chancellor is named and that the transition would likely happen in spring or summer 2026. She adds that she intends to give her next 11 months or so on the job everything she’s got. In some ways, she says the chancellor’s role is taking her out of her comfort zone. In particular, she notes how “external facing and Ann Arbor facing” her new position is compared to the provost’s. She’s now the one attending weekly leadership meetings in Ann Arbor, communicating with the regents and flying across the country to meet with alumni and donors. On campus, she’s bringing her highly collaborative style to the senior leadership meetings and plans to continue her “Walk and Talk” events so anyone from the campus community can share ideas directly with her. Scarlatta says she’s frankly been a little surprised by how much the new role seems to suit her, given how much she enjoyed the more behind-the-scenes vibe as provost.

Scarlatta and Kridli also know that sitting back and simply keeping the trains running on time until the next chancellor arrives isn’t really an option. The current national political environment has created a swirl of unpredictability in higher education on a variety of fronts. Right now, Scarlatta and Kridli are particularly attentive to cuts to federal research funding and the challenges facing international students. “We worked for years to obtain R2 status, and now we’re there. So how do we sustain that as NSF funding is being slashed?” Kridli says. “It’s also an issue of faculty morale. They’re working hard but maybe they’re not able to get the results they expected. So we need to be thinking about a different paradigm and figure out how to evaluate and reward them given this new environment. They’re not going to be punished because of politics — absolutely not.” In practice, Scarlatta and Kridli say that means things like supporting faculty if they need to pivot to a different research focus, which can take time. Or helping them find other ways they can use their expertise to make an impact, say, through community partnerships. “The question we can be asking ourselves is, how do we advance the reputation and standing of ��-Dearborn?” Kridli says. “And we can do it through published research, foundations, industry and community partnerships, and staying open to other approaches. The important thing is we make an impact.”

Scarlatta says, at least at the moment, international students, who make up approximately 10% of the student population at ��-Dearborn, have reason to be a bit more optimistic. In May, the Trump administration halted scheduling new visa interviews for international students. But recently, the administration reopened the process, albeit with new requirements that students must undergo reviews of their social media accounts. Scarlatta says her team isn’t taking anything for granted. Earlier this spring, the university began reaching out to international students to provide extra support, proactively informing them of changing federal policies and visa deadlines, as well as granting automatic deferment for students who aren’t able to get their paperwork in order by the start of the fall semester. Fortunately, Kridli says a recent survey revealed that the vast majority of respondents are still moving forward with their plans to study at ��-Dearborn in 2025-26. Kridli and Scarlatta say it will also be a priority to make sure both international students and domestic students, say, from immigrant communities, who might feel uneasy in the current political environment, feel at home on campus. “We should not tolerate aggression against anybody. We are all human beings first,” Kridli says. “There is a lot that feels beyond our control. But we control who we are and how we are with each other.”

Even if the politics were more hospitable, Scarlatta and Kridli say they would still have their hands full this year. The colleges are in the midst of a major initiative to expand online programs. The regents recently approved an expansion of the Go Blue Guarantee, which, along with other aid programs, would mean that 94% of ��-Dearborn undergraduate FTIAC students will receive enough aid that their remaining obligations, commonly met through loans or work-study, are less than $2,000 a year. And Kridli says every college needs to make preparations for the ever-expanding influence of artificial intelligence, which is rapidly reshaping the job market, particularly for entry-level positions sought by college graduates.

Given all this, Scarlatta and Kridli both think the ��-Dearborn community is fortunate to have a team of people at the helm who are caring and capable, know each other well, enjoy working together and remain committed to Grasso’s philosophy of “mission first, people always.” And, like many on campus, they are celebrating having the first ��-Dearborn chancellor in the president's office.

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Story by Lou Blouin

Administration & Governance

Off

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:06

Interim Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta and Interim Provost Ghassan Kridli talk about the whirlwind of leadership changes at ��-Dearborn this spring and why the transition has been mostly smooth sailing.

In May, Gabriella Scarlatta (left) was named interim chancellor and Ghassan Kridli was named interim provost at ��-Dearborn.

News

Regents roundup for June 2025

lblouin — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:38:05 +0000

Regents roundup for June 2025 lblouin Mon, 06/16/2025 - 11:38

Budget approval

The university’s FY2026 budget was approved.

Interim Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta provided the following university updates:

In April, ��-Dearborn was recognized as an “Opportunity University” in the Carnegie Foundation’s new “Student Earnings and Access Classification”
There have been several additional executive transitions, following President Grasso’s new appointment:
- Ghassan Kridli, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, is serving as interim provost
- Armen Zakarian, vice provost for research, is serving as interim dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Associate Provost Joan Remski is serving as interim vice provost for research
- Stein Brunvand, associate dean in CEHHS, is serving as associate provost for faculty development and digital education
- Chancellor Scarlatta noted the spirit of cooperation and camaraderie on the ��-Dearborn campus and expressed gratitude to everyone who has stepped up during this leadership transition

Personnel Appointments

The following reappointments were approved:

Mahesh Agarwal, chair, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, CASL, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028 (also associate professor of mathematics, with tenure)
Lisa Martin, chair, Department of Health and Human Services, CEHHS, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028 (also professor of health and human services, with tenure, CEHHS, and professor of collegewide programs, with tenure, CASL)
Yunus Zeytuncu, associate dean, CASL, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028 (also professor of mathematics, with tenure)

The following joint or additional appointments or transfers of regular associate or full professors and selected academic and administrative staff were approved:

Stein Brunvand, interim associate provost for digital learning and faculty development, effective May 15, 2025 (also professor of education, with tenure, CEHHS)
Susan Everett, interim associate dean, CEHHS, effective June 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 (also professor of education, with tenure.
Joan Remski, interim vice provost for research and dean of graduate studies, effective May 15, 2025 (also professor of mathematics, with tenure, CASL)
Nitya Sethuraman, chair, Department of Behavioral Sciences, CASL, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028 (also associate professor of psychology, with tenure)
Armen Zakarian, interim dean, CECS, effective May 13, 2025 (also professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, with tenure)

Adoption of retirement memoirs

Daniel E. Little, professor of philosophy, CASL, ��-Dearborn; professor of sociology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and professor of public policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, ��-Ann Arbor, June 30, 2025. The regents named Daniel E. Little professor emeritus of philosophy, professor emeritus of sociology, professor emeritus of public policy and chancellor emeritus of the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Brian Patrick Green, professor of accounting, COB, June 30, 2025. The regents named Brian Patrick Green professor emeritus of accounting.
Karen Strandholm, associate professor of strategic management, COB, June 30, 2025. The regents named Karen Strandholm associate professor emerita of strategic management.

Other

��-Dearborn’s 2027-2028 academic calendar was approved.

###

View the Board of Regents’ meeting agenda.

Administration & Governance

Faculty and Staff

Chancellor

Off

Mon, 06/16/2025 - 15:36

Get details from the June U-M Board of Regents meeting.

News

A 30-year family story continues on campus

stuxbury — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 18:16:09 +0000

A 30-year family story continues on campus stuxbury Wed, 06/04/2025 - 14:16

This Father’s Day will be Security Officer Stephen Sersen’s first since retiring from ��-Dearborn. He gave 35 years of service to the university — and, in return, ��-Dearborn became a big part of the Sersen family story.

“This place is my home away from home. I worked with some of the finest officers in public safety, I had a fulfilling career and I watched my daughter grow up here,” said Stephen, who retired in summer 2024. “What’s not to love?”

His daughter Julianne attended the Early Childhood Education Center when it was in the Henry Ford Estate cottages in the 1990s. As Stephen went about his workday, he’d see her playing on campus or getting pulled in a wagon while on walks.

“I have these memories seeing their faces peeking over the side of a wagon with their class. It was pretty incredible that I got to experience that while at work,” he said. After a pause, Stephen continued with a smile, “But I’d have to be careful when I was patrolling that Julianne didn’t see me. If she did, she'd want to come with me.”

While sitting next to her dad at the Renick University Center recently, 2019 alum Julianne added: “I’ve always been a bit of a daddy’s girl. I’m glad that we got the chance to work on campus together before he retired.” Julianne is a ��-Dearborn student enrollment services coordinator.

Shortly before Father’s Day, the father-daughter duo — who worked at the university together before Stephen’s retirement — met up on campus. Stephen saw his daughter’s renovated office area in the Renick University Center. The day of the visit also happened to be his 60th birthday. “I couldn't think of a better way to spend my birthday, I’m at a place that I called home for over 35 years and with my daughter,” he said.

Inspired by her dad’s stories of campus, Julianne said working at ��-Dearborn was a goal of hers. When she was younger, she recalled her dad coming home from work and talking fondly about the people he met on campus. He’d share stories about helping students walk safely to their cars and the friendships he made with the people he worked with, and talk about how both diversity of thought and respect for one another coexisted on campus.

“I love this place. There are so many points of view here,” Stephen said. “We learn so much from each other. Even with different thoughts, cultures and religions, everybody treats each other with respect. I know from being a security officer how safe it is. We all peacefully coexist at ��-Dearborn. There are important lessons that people in power could learn from the students, faculty and staff here. It really is a special place and it really does shape you as an individual.”

Julianne said in addition to her dad’s words and life lessons, she also had many happy memories of heading to A&W for a root beer with her dad, taking walks on EIC trails or having lunch together in the RUC cafeteria. Stephen often chose the pepperoni pizza, while Julianne went for a sandwich and soup combination, especially when the soup du jour was chicken tortilla. And, when off campus, they often attend concerts and sporting events together — U2 is a family favorite — and cheer for the home teams. They plan to watch the Tigers play the Reds on Father’s Day.

Stephen’s wife of 36 years, Patricia, was his original ��-Dearborn connection. “Patricia and I were high school sweethearts at Thurston (in Redford). She is the one who really introduced me to ��-Dearborn. I’d visit her on campus when she was an education student. I’ve been on campus pretty regularly since the early ’80s,” he said. “After we got married in 1989, Patricia saw there was a posting for a security officer on campus. I applied and the rest became a part of my family’s history.”

Julianne said her preschool years and their overlapping work years weren’t the only time she and her father spent time together on campus. In grade school, Julianne and her older sister Rachel attended many Bring Your Child to Work Day events with their dad. And, after high school, Julianne enrolled at ��-Dearborn, graduated, and is currently pursuing her MBA. Prior to starting her job at ��-Dearborn in 2023, Julianne worked at ��-Ann Arbor as a community center manager.

“I couldn’t be more proud of her. I’m proud of both of my daughters,” said Stephen, noting that Julianne helps connect students to college opportunities and Rachel, who graduated from Schoolcraft College, works in special education. “Both of them have careers where they are helping others.”

It’s been nearly 30 years since Julianne held her dad’s hand while walking into preschool on campus. She thinks about his impact on her life regularly. And she credits him with her love for her career and her connection to the university.

“My dad has been my rock, my superhero,” Julianne said. “Throughout life, he has been there every step of the way. Every heartbreak, every celebration. I hope to be just like him.”

After a pause, he replied, “You are like me — only better.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury

Faculty and Staff

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Public Safety (Police)

Staff Senate

Tue, 06/10/2025 - 18:13

Retired Security Officer Stephen Sersen and daughter Julianne’s ��-Dearborn connection has spanned decades — from his 35-year job at the university to hers today.

Father-daughter duo Julianne Sersen and Stephen Sersen are pictured in the Renick University Center. Photo by Annie Barker

News

Remembering John Kaszewski

stuxbury — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:29:04 +0000

Remembering John Kaszewski stuxbury Mon, 06/02/2025 - 07:29

There’s a Siberian husky calendar on the wall in the Facilities Operations building. Every year, John Kaszewski — a 50-year ��-Dearborn employee who delivered mail across the university — replaced it with an updated edition. Even after he retired earlier this year, Kaszewski would come back to the office to see his friends and flip the calendar page.

“John loved dogs. John had an American Eskimo and, most recently, a Siberian husky. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't show a picture or two or talk about them. He would share stories, pictures or videos,” says Mail Services Manager Bonnie Southerland, who worked with Kaszewski for 40 years.

But, in June, Southerland changed the month. Kaszewski, who retired as Mail Services’ motor vehicle operator in January, died May 9, aged 68.

“This has to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do,” Southerland says when talking about Kaszewski for this article. “I just wish John could have enjoyed his retirement. We are sure going to miss John greatly.”

Kaszewski started at ��-Dearborn in September 1974 when he was 17, graduating high school only months before. He first worked in the university cafeteria and, not too long after, shifted over to work as the Mail Services motor vehicle operator in the Facilities Operations department.

“John never looked back. This was his forever job,” Southerland says. “John handled the shipping and receiving and deliveries on campus. Over the years, he delivered so many packages that he knew how to identify things by heart. He would sometimes announce what the package was to the surprise of the recipient before he even handed the package over to them. John was an all-around good guy — always pleasant, kind, sincere, smiling and willing to lend a helping hand.”

Last November, Kaszewski was honored for his 50 years of service at the Chancellor's Staff Recognition Awards. The audience gave him a standing ovation.

Kaszewski was one of the first people Southerland met at ��-Dearborn when she began four decades ago. She says he was a wealth of information at that time and his campus knowledge only grew over the years. “Many times when someone new was hired, John would give them the history of the buildings or would just tell them something he saw in his time here,” she says. “John never wanted to take time off as he loved his job and was just that dedicated. He enjoyed the campus atmosphere and people he worked with over the years. I miss John. We all miss his warm heart and smile.”

Outside of work and his huskies, Kaszewski loved being an uncle and great uncle, as well as fishing and watching rocket launches and air shows.

Here is a link to his obituary — it’s straightforward and family-focused, just like Kaszewski’s nature — for people who may want to share a memory.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury

Faculty and Staff

Facilities Operations

Off

Mon, 06/02/2025 - 11:27

Longtime staff member John Kaszewski, who retired in January after 50 years at the university, passed away May 9. He was 68.

John Kaszewski, left, was honored at the Chancellor’s Staff Recognition Awards Ceremony in November, where he received a standing ovation. He is pictured with then-Chancellor Domenico Grasso. Photo by Annie Barker

News

Faculty and Staff

Can we make accessibility ‘universal’?

What does an Institutional Review Board do?

Office of Research update for July 2025

External Awards Received

Announcements

Research Resource Highlight: iThenticate

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

Big changes, familiar faces

Regents roundup for June 2025

Budget approval

​​Interim Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta provided the following university updates:

Personnel Appointments

Other

A 30-year family story continues on campus

Remembering John Kaszewski

Interim Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta provided the following university updates: