Apr 14, 2025
Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Michael Dennin has been reappointed to an additional five-year term as Vice Provost and Dean, Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, beginning May 1, 2025. This decision follows a thorough review, which included materials submitted by Vice Provost and Dean Dennin and feedback from faculty, staff, campus administrators and community colleagues. We are grateful to the review committee and its chair, Professor Peter H. Ditto, for their efforts.
During his second term, Vice Provost and Dean Dennin was praised for his leadership through the pandemic and with managing campus labor and budget challenges. He has articulated a compelling vision for the unit, demonstrating values of collegiality, collaboration, and inclusive excellence. UC Irvine's undergraduate education programs are a national model of pedagogical innovation and student success.
Vice Provost and Dean Dennin has engaged with faculty, administrative colleagues, and the Academic Senate on a range of institutional improvements. The Comprehensive Analytics for Student Success (COMPASS) initiative launched SPARK, a dashboard that offers students reminders and resources to aid their academic success. The Postsecondary Education and Research Implementation (PERI) institute was created to support faculty research in instruction and education, especially for Professors of Teaching. The Faculty Academy of Teaching Excellence (FATE) was established to create a community of educators dedicated to student success. The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation has trained and certified hundreds of faculty members through the Active Learning Institute, the Digital Learning Institute, the Certified Learning Assistant Program, and the recently launched Inclusive Teaching Institute.
In addition, through collaboration with academic units, an expanded Summer Session led to a record summer in 2024 with an increase of nearly 500 student FTEs. The expansion effort included piloting Summer Session scholarships, creating clusters of courses, and increasing online courses to offer students more flexibility.
Vice Provost and Dean Dennin has demonstrated leadership across the broad services under his administration and his collaborative leadership style will be crucial in addressing future challenges and leveraging opportunities. Please join me in congratulating Vice Provost and Dean Dennin on his reappointment and for his contributions to UC Irvine.
Sincerely,
Hal Stern
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Distinguished Professor, Department of Statistics