Board of Regents to meet virtually March 25
The University of Michigan Board of Regents will conduct its March meeting virtually March 25. The meeting currently is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.Additional information will become available when the meeting agenda is posted to the board’s website at regents.umich.edu at noon March 22. People who wish to offer public comments during the meeting can sign up at regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/form by 9 a.m. March 24. They will receive instructions from the university on how to call in at the appropriate time to share their comments as part of the meeting. The public will be able to listen to the meeting by going to umich.edu/watch at the meeting’s scheduled time.
Classic Wolverine Access will retire March 14
The transition to the new Wolverine Access gateway — wolverineaccess.umich.edu — has been successful. The new Wolverine Access has had more than 4.3 million visits since it launched on Sept. 27, 2020. ITS is now moving into the final phase of the project with the retirement of “classic” Wolverine Access. ITS will retire the 16-year-old “classic” version of Wolverine Access on March 14. The option to use Wolverine Access “classic” has been available since September while the university community acclimated to the look and functionality of the new platform. The new Wolverine Access is secure with a modern platform that meets U-M’s diverse and evolving technology needs. ITS will continue to make ongoing improvements to Wolverine Access based on user-submitted feedback. Read more about recent and future updates and find support materials and documentation.
Construction to resume on new hospital at Michigan Medicine
Michigan Medicine has received approval to restart construction on its new, state-of-the-art hospital, which began in October 2019 but was paused in March 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As Michigan communities continue to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and we see a potential end to the pandemic, it is time to renew our focus on our strategic priorities that will help us to meet the needs of our patients, while conducting the educational, research and clinical work that makes us a premier academic medical center,” said Marschall S. Runge, executive vice president for medical affairs, dean of the Medical School and CEO of Michigan Medicine. “This new hospital is an investment in the future to enhance and improve the work environment for clinical practice and support functions.” Answers to frequently asked questions about the project are at mmheadlines.org/2021/03/new-hospital-construction-faqs/.
Nominations open for police panel union staff representative
The election to fill the union staff representative position on the university’s Police Department Oversight Committee will take place April 5-16. Nominations are open for staff members in the AFSCME, HOA, IUOE, MNA, Skilled Trades and UPAMM unions. The deadline to submit nominations is March 19. The Police Department Oversight Committee considers grievances against any police officer or the U-M Police Department. The six-member committee includes two student members, two faculty members (one Senate faculty and one non-Senate faculty), and two staff members (one union and one non-union representative), who are nominated and elected by their peers to serve two-year terms. University Human Resources is conducting this election. Union members may nominate themselves or another union staff member to serve on the committee for the term May 3, 2021, through June 30, 2023. Nominations will be accepted through at hr.umich.edu/union-staff-pdoc-nominations. More information on the Police Department Oversight Committee is available at hr.umich.edu/pdoc.
MICDE seeks applications for computational science grants
The Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering seeks proposals for innovative research projects in computational science that combine elements of mathematics, computer science, and cyberinfrastructure. Of special interest to the 2021 Request for Proposals are AI for physically based biomedicine, quantum computing, convergence of natural hazards with economic dislocation, and computational integration across scales and disciplines in biology. MICDE expects to fund three to four 1-year projects at up to $120,000 each. Principal investigators or co-PIs should be tenure track or research track faculty on the Ann Arbor Campus. Pre-proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. March 19, with full proposals due at the end of April. For more information, visit micde.umich.edu/catalyst/.
Michigan Medicine named one of world’s best hospitals by Newsweek
Michigan Medicine has been named one of the world’s top health care destinations by Newsweek in the magazine’s 2021 “World’s Best Hospitals” rankings. The organization was listed as 23rd in the world and eighth best in the United States. Newsweek teamed with Statista to develop a rigorous methodology to ensure the quality and validity of the ranking. Three main data sources were used for the evaluation:
• Hospital recommendations from peers: an international online survey that included more than 74,000 doctors, hospital managers and health care professionals.
• Patient experience: surveys measuring patient satisfaction with hospitals.
• Medical KPIs: patient safety, hygiene measures, and quality of treatment.
— Compiled by Jeff Bleiler and James Iseler, The University Record
