Office of the Provost

Interfolio Dossier is Live!

As previously announced, UConn has purchased Interfolio’s Review, Promotion and Tenure and Dossier modules to streamline the PTR/PR processes. We are pleased to announce that Dossier is now live and open for faculty to begin accessing.

Dossier is Interfolio’s online platform for academics to collect and curate scholarly materials, request and receive confidential letters of recommendation, and prepare for upcoming evaluations. You, as a member of our faculty, can use Dossier to store your CV, publications, and other important career related materials for easy reference.  You can then use Dossier to share your documents for review by your colleagues, to be included in review and promotion submissions, and to review documents shared with you by your colleagues.

Dossier will be available for all faculty members across campus to access using your NetID and password. To access your account, select sign-in with Partner Institution on the Dossier website: https://account.interfolio.com/login. You can view a video tutorial on how to sign-in here.

If you have used Dossier previously with a personal e-mail address, this article shows how you can merge your two accounts.

For more information about how to use your Dossier account, Interfolio has a great online help center and their Scholar Services can help answer your technical questions by email, phone, Facebook, or Twitter.

Dean of the School of Nursing Search

A national search is underway to identify candidates to lead the School of Nursing. This searched is chaired by Jason Irizarry, Dean of the Neag School of Education and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction. Applications are being collected through January 17, 2023.

Dean of the School of Social Work Search

A national search is underway to identify candidates to lead the School of Social Work. The search is chaired by Kent Holsinger, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Listening Sessions took place earlier this month and applications will be open in the coming weeks. Applications are being collected through February 6, 2023.

Humanities Institute Director Search

An internal search for the next Director of UConn’s Humanities Institute is underway. The search is chaired by Jeffrey Ogbar, Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music. Interviews and public forum presentations were hosted over the last week.

UConn Reads

UConn Reads is a stimulating program that invites all members of the extended UConn community (students, staff members, faculty members, alumni, friends) to join in an engaging discussion about a book that has been selected to spark multidisciplinary conversations, critical debates, and an array of supporting activities. The program is being orchestrated by the Office of the Provost, and the book selected for this year’s program is “Light from Uncommon Stars," by Ryka Aoki. Get involved by contacting uconnreads@uconn.edu.

Reaffirming UConn's Commitment to Diversity in Admissions

On December 1st, University leaders and scholars in the areas of admissions and diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education shared insights on the issues being addressed and UConn's Response to the U.S. Supreme Court Cases (SFFA v. Harvard/UNC). View a recording of the presentation and panel discussion on the impending decisions and how they may impact UConn.

Highlighting Interdisciplinary Scholarship at UConn

Entrepreneurship isn’t just for the students at a university building startups—it’s for everyone.

At UConn, entrepreneurship is a way of thinking, unrestricted by school, college or program that provides the solution to many of the challenges our world faces. Across all industries and disciplines, it takes someone with an entrepreneurial drive and mindset to disrupt the status quo - continually innovating to find solutions to the world’s most irretractable problems.

The Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation provides students with interdisciplinary opportunities to learn about and experience first-hand entrepreneurship and innovation. Our signature programs include NetWerx, which provides tailored mentorship; Stamford Startup Studio for students interested in product development and management; Championship Labs, a first-of-its-kind program empowering student influencers and athletes with the tools to explore opportunities in content entrepreneurship and beyond; Werth Innovators Leadership Development, one of the nation’s top entrepreneurial leadership development programs; and the Center for Neurodiversity & Employment, created to improve employment outcomes for neurodivergent job seekers.

The Werth Institute is the legacy of Peter J. Werth, Jr., philanthropist and the founder, president, and CEO of ChemWerth, Inc., a full-service generic drug development and supply company. His investment is changing the lives of the thousands of students who take part in our mentorship, leadership, and experiential learning programs by ensuring UConn becomes a beacon of inclusive entrepreneurship for students throughout the nation.

Not housed in a singular department or college, The Werth Institute strives to be a central node of connection across the University for students in all schools and colleges to equip them with skillsets essential for personal and professional growth. In fact, 35% of the students who participated in our programs this past year were from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, constituting a significant departure from traditional entrepreneurship programs. At the heart of all we do is an accelerated, individualized approach to investing in students beyond what most academic units are able to offer.

Be Good. Make a Difference. Change the World.

This is Peter’s vision for entrepreneurship at UConn, one that has guided The Werth Institute since our founding in 2018. In that time, we have grown from an idea to an award-winning program that prepares and propels students forward, empowering each to the world they want to live in. UConn now has over 60 programs focused on or supporting entrepreneurship, reaching more than 3,000 students each year. The Werth Institute is a central part of the University’s strategic direction, especially in engaging students who are traditionally underrepresented or marginalized within entrepreneurial communities. This year, 55% of students engaged in our programs were from underrepresented populations, and more than 60% were women.

The Werth Institute is also reaching more first-year Huskies than ever before with an inclusive message around entrepreneurship, helping them get a head start on forging networks, growing their ideas, and developing as emotionally intelligent leaders. We continue to expand the depth of our programming by bringing together diverse groups of alumni who have successfully navigated a myriad of career pathways to provide students with greater real-world opportunities and insight into prestigious, competitive careers. More importantly, these connections are helping students build their self-confidence and hone their creative voices, something that simply cannot be learned in the classroom.

You can’t teach students how to be an entrepreneur. Instead, you give them the platform to fail without the having to pay a steep price and then the support to get back up to try again. The Werth Institute has created a space for students to explore their innovative potential without barriers as well as remove any sort of limitations students may have developed in their own head as to what they can be.

As we prepare to celebrate our five-year anniversary in January, our mission remains the same as it has been since day one: to create opportunities not yet imagined. Bringing this to life would not be possible without our students, faculty and staff, alumni, donors, and community partners. Join us in ensuring every Husky has the opportunity to explore their potential and build their confidence through entrepreneurship.

If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved with the work we’re doing, please reach out to me directly at david.noble@uconn.edu.

Huskies Forever,

David Noble
Managing Director, The Werth Institute