Antonio D. Tillis, Ph.D.

Dear UHD Colleagues,

I hope this note finds everyone in good health, especially during a week in which beautiful fall weather has descended upon our fair city.

I would first like to thank those of you who joined me for the Report to the Community last week. This was my first community-wide address as Interim President, and I was pleased to share the University’s goals for the upcoming academic year, as well as recent successes.

During my report, I outlined several priority initiatives, including a Faculty Diversity Initiative. This effort is a direct result of a call from the Student Government Association, Center for Critical Race Studies and Faculty Senate to invest in diversity initiatives as they pertain to faculty recruitment and retention. I am proud to announce one of the University’s first steps in this initiative, its acceptance as an Institutional Member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). UHD joins more than 450 other educational institutions across the nation as part of NCFDD.

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is an independent faculty development center dedicated to supporting graduate students and academic professionals in making successful transitions throughout their careers. By becoming an Institutional Member, all faculty and master’s students at the University of Houston-Downtown have access to the following member resources at no additional cost:

• Weekly Monday Motivator

• Monthly Core Curriculum Webinars

• Monthly Guest Expert Webinars

• Access to Multi-Week Courses

• Access to Dissertation Success Curriculum for graduate students

• Private Discussion Forum for peer-mentoring, problem-solving, and moderated writing challenges

• Monthly accountability buddy matches

• Access to 14-Day Writing Challenges

• Access to the Member Library that includes past webinar materials, referrals, and readings

Those interested in taking advantage of this free Institutional Membership should complete the following steps:

1. Go to http://www.facultydiversity.org/join

2. Choose University of Houston-Downtown from the drop-down menu.

3. Select “Activate my Membership”.

4. Complete the registration form using your UHD email address.

5. Go to your UHD email inbox to find a confirmation/welcome email. Click “Activate Account” in the email.

I certainly encourage you to take advantage of the resources available to you through the NCFDD. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr. Creshema Murray, Special Assistant to the President at Murraycr@uhd.edu. Additional questions or technical inquiries should be directed to NCFDD at Membership@FacultyDiversity.org

Thank you for your guidance to our students during a most unique semester for UHD. Your sense of calm and steadfast leadership is helping make a difference this fall.

Sincerely,

Antonio D. Tillis, Ph.D.
Interim President, University of Houston-Downtown