by Teresa Mastin, Ph.D.
Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for Faculty & Academic Staff Affairs

As we begin a new spring semester, I want to extend a warm welcome back to our faculty and academic staff—those returning to familiar rhythms of teaching and scholarship and those joining our community for the first time. Spring offers a natural moment of renewal, reflection, and recommitment, and I hope this semester finds you energized by the opportunities ahead.

First and foremost, thank you for the dedication, creativity, and care you bring to your work every day. Whether in classrooms, studios, labs, field sites, or online spaces, your commitment to student learning continues to define who we are as an institution. The impact of your mentorship, research, and service often extends well beyond what is immediately visible, shaping lives and communities in ways that endure.
Spring is also a season of momentum. Many of you are advancing research projects, preparing conference presentations, pursuing grant opportunities, or collaborating across disciplines. Others are guiding students through capstone experiences, theses, internships, and graduation planning. These efforts reflect the strength and vitality of our faculty and academic staff and demonstrate how teaching, scholarship, and service intersect in meaningful ways.

In FASA, our focus this semester remains centered on supporting your success across the full arc of your careers. We continue to work on initiatives related to faculty development, promotion and tenure processes, mentoring, and leadership development. We are also committed to listening—your feedback helps us refine policies, streamline processes, and identify areas where additional support or clarity is needed. I encourage you to engage with us, ask questions, and share your perspectives.

As always, we recognize that the work of faculty and academic staff is complex and demanding. Balancing professional responsibilities alongside personal and family commitments is no small task, particularly in a rapidly changing higher education landscape. Please remember to make use of the resources available to you, whether related to teaching support, research development, wellness, or work–life integration. Taking care of ourselves and one another is essential to sustaining a thriving academic community.

This semester also invites us to remain attentive to the broader purpose of our work. At its core, higher education is about inquiry, inclusion, and the pursuit of knowledge in service of the public good. The ways you model civil discourse, intellectual curiosity, and ethical leadership matter deeply to our students and to society.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a dedicated group of scholars, teachers, and academic professionals. I look forward to connecting with many of you throughout the semester—at workshops, campus events, departmental visits, and informal conversations.
Thank you for all that you do to make this institution a vibrant place to learn and work. I wish you a productive, rewarding, and healthy spring semester.

Take good care.

January 2026 newsletter