Community presentations set for campus climate survey findings
The University of Michigan will host a series of community presentations on the findings from the ARC3 Campus Climate Survey Related to Sex and Gender, which was conducted in the spring. There will be two employee-focused sessions and two student-focused sessions. Rankin Climate, an external campus climate assessment firm that conducted the survey, will be on campus to present the findings. Registration is required, and refreshments will be provided at each session. The student presentations will both be Oct. 22, from 10:30 a.m.-noon in the Rackham Graduate School’s Assembly Hall, and from 6-7 p.m. in the Central Campus Classroom Building, Room 0420. The faculty and staff presentations will both be in the Michigan Union’s Kuenzel Room, from 11 a.m.-noon Oct. 23 and from 8:30-10 a.m. Oct. 24. Register for a session at sexualmisconduct.umich.edu/climate-survey/survey-findings/.
(UPDATE: These community presentations have been postponed and new dates will be announced at a future time. Please visit the U-M Sexual Misconduct website for updates.)
University launches new surveys of sustainability indicators
U-M has launched its latest Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program surveys, which aim to assess sustainability knowledge, behaviors and attitudes among students, faculty and staff. The project is managed by the Institute for Social Research and the Graham Sustainability Institute. The surveys, last conducted in 2021, comprise two questionnaires — one for faculty and staff and another for students — targeting a random sample of 2,000 faculty and staff and 5,000 students on the Ann Arbor campus. Similar, yet campus-specific versions for Flint and Dearborn also will launch later this month, marking the second round of data collection for these campuses since SCIP expanded in 2021. To enhance data quality, this survey will double the sampling size compared to previous cycles. This year’s survey will focus on critical topics including carbon neutrality, transportation, waste prevention, climate change, and food sustainability. New questions on climate anxiety will explore respondents’ feelings about climate issues and their experiences with direct impacts. The program aims for a robust survey response rate to strengthen U-M’s sustainability strategies. Read more about the SCIP surveys.
U.S. News & World Report names Mott the state’s No. 1 children’s hospital
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital has again been recognized as the top children’s hospital in Michigan and among the best in the nation for pediatric specialty care. Mott was the only children’s hospital in the state to be ranked in all 11 evaluated pediatric specialties by the U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals released Oct. 8. The U-M Health institution, part of the clinical division of Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center, was recognized for top performing care in pediatric cardiology and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. Mott was also ranked among the nation’s top 50 centers in pediatric and adolescent behavioral health, an 11th specialty area U.S. News evaluated for the first time this year. Read more about the rankings.
CAI accepting funding proposals for three project types
The Center for Academic Innovation is accepting faculty proposals for projects related to workforce development skills, leveraging generative artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, and developing professional skills such as teamwork and project management. Funded projects would lead to the development of open online courses, the use of generative AI in residential and online education, and the exploration of new pedagogical strategies using the extended-reality technology of Apple Vision Pro devices. Accepted proposals receive funding and support through the university’s Academic Innovation Fund, which may include stipends, funding for project-related expenses, and in-kind development support from the center’s staff. In addition to inviting faculty to submit ideas for open online courses, the center is engaging with academic unit leaders to explore new opportunities to establish or refine their online and hybrid portfolio strategy, and explore the development of certificate program concepts that align with an academic unit’s vision for the growth of their online portfolio. See details for submitting project proposals.
Online course helps U-M community understand U.S. health care
The Institute for Healthcare Policy and innovation is offering “Understanding and Improving the U.S. Healthcare System,” a residential online course designed to provide U-M faculty, staff and students with an engaging, practical and interactive way to better understand the U.S. health care system. It has been updated for the 2024-25 academic year with 29 new video interviews and lectures. This six-week course uses a mix of video-based lectures, interviews, online discussion forums, and virtual interprofessional small-group activities to introduce learners to the main topics related to the historically complex U.S. health care system. Course content draws on the diverse knowledge and expertise of more than 20 faculty members from the IHPI. Learn more or register.
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
