Provost FAQs re: Classroom Capacities, Chairs Council Coord., RRI Chair

Dear Academic Affairs faculty and staff,

Graduation will soon be upon us! While we all know that the wheels of academia don’t stop turning in May, it is refreshing to take a moment to celebrate accomplishments and look to the future.

Classroom Capacities Fall 2022
Speaking of the future, many of you have asked about classroom capacities for Fall 2022. Initially, capacities were set to the same as Spring 2022. We now are increasing all capacities to pre-COVID levels to accommodate enrollment and demand. These changes will show up on Class Search. Some classrooms were at normal capacities already, even with 3-foot distancing, so you will not see a change in every class. This will mostly impact larger, high-demand classes.

The Fall 2022 schedule is set and priority registration is complete. We don’t anticipate changes to the schedule, but if you require a course change, contact the Registrar’s Office as per usual.

All that said, the pandemic can undo the best of plans. We know how to and are prepared to adapt if needed, and will communicate any changes quickly.

Chairs Council Coordinator
Going forward, the important work of this position – to support the professional development of department chairs – will be carried out by Dr. Fran Huckaby as associate provost for faculty affairs. This falls perfectly in line with her objective to support all faculty development. I thank Dr. Peter Worthing who created the role in 2015 and accomplished much over five years, including organizing the Chairs Council and annual training sessions. I appreciate Dr. Joanne Green who took over in 2020 and continued to foster a supportive network for chairs and program directors and enhance professional development, including the upcoming two-day Department Chairs Academy, May 10-11, at the TCU Hyatt. I encourage all department chairs to attend. Some of the deans and I will be attending lunch and look forward to hearing about it. Contact Dr. Green at j.green@tcu for information.

Race & Reconciliation Chair
Last week’s Reconciliation Day was inspiring and bittersweet. We honored the descendants of Charley and Kate Thorp, many of whom attended and were visibly touched, and we expressed our thanks to Dr. Frederick Gooding as he steps down as chair of the initiative. Dr. G. founded the role in 2020 and brought the RRI to life on campus and off. His energy and dedication helped shine a light on TCU’s history in new and deeply meaningful ways. Now, I welcome Dr. Amiso George as the new chair of the RRI. She will bring her innovative insight and experience as a professor of strategic communication to take our progress even further. I look forward to the future as we continue to research and tell TCU’s full story.

Native American and Indigenous Peoples Day Symposium
October seems far away today, but already plans are underway for the sixth annual symposium on Oct. 3. This year’s event, “The Future is Indigenous: Popular Culture for the Seventh Generation,” will feature Meagan Byrne, co-founder of Achimostawinan Games. Look for more information when the fall semester begins.

Best wishes as we head into finals week,

Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg
Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
Texas Christian University