In this issue:
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2007 student veteran survey results
-
Scholarship Search to launch February 15
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Students attending class who are not enrolled
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Spring 2009 department ECS update ends February 15
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A word about UM Reports and the data you see
2007 student veteran survey results
The second annual University of Minnesota Student Veteran Survey was completed at the end of December. Surveys were sent to 476 student veterans; the surveys inquired about experiences with the Veteran Certification Office and other offices on campus. We also asked for comments and suggestions related to the newly developed orientation program for veterans and the Student Veteran Appreciation Day event. Approximately 48 percent of surveys were completed; they noted remarkably high standards of service.
Student who completed the survey the first week were entered into a drawing for an iPod Nano. Students who completed the survey in weeks two and three were entered into a drawing for a University of Minnesota sweatshirt.
We are pleased to announce that over 98 percent of student veterans felt the certification office met their needs, with 90 percent indicating very good or outstanding customer service. Student comments were extremely positive: "I'm thrilled to have your office available. It is a tremendous asset to the University vets. You guys do an outstanding job. Thank you,” "The University (and the State) have been very good to and accommodating for veterans. I brag all the time to my friends elsewhere. Thank you for all you do to support us.” "Any help I needed from the University's One Stop was extremely well handled. Thank you!", "The University has very high quality Veterans' service," and "I'm very impressed with the veterans services on campus. The U has done an outstanding job so far,” were just some of the comments we received.
We welcome continued feedback. Suggestions and comments can be submitted to veterans@umn.edu.
Scholarship Search to launch February 15
The new University of Minnesota Undergraduate Scholarship Search is set to go live for students on Friday, February 15. Launch communications for students are scheduled to begin on Monday, February 18.
Bookmarks and posters promoting the new tool will be sent to collegiate student services offices to correspond with the launch date.
A meeting about launch communications was held on Wednesday, February 6. Communicators from across the University saw a demonstration of the tool and were directed to the following Web page, which includes text and graphics that can be used to help spread the word to students: https://wiki.umn.edu/view/ScholarshipSearchProject/SearchLaunchCommunications
To find out more about how you can help students learn about the new scholarship search, contact Kasi Williamson at will2026@umn.edu.
Students attending class who are not enrolled
This is a reminder that all students must register for a class in order to attend that class. If a student is interested in learning about a subject and does not wish to complete coursework or receive a grade for the course, he or she must register as an auditor for the course. All auditors still pay full tuition.
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost E. Thomas Sullivan sent the following message to all University deans, department chairs, and department heads regarding this issue:
"Allowing a student to attend class when s/he is not officially registered raises many issues for both the student and the University. Too often, an unregistered student mistakes his/her class attendance as official student status and expects to receive a grade for the coursework completed. Confusion and frustration occur later when the student tries to obtain a transcript or faces incomplete degree requirements.
A broader issue is one of fairness. In its mission of excellence the University has set a course of intellectual, fiscal, and social responsibility. A high standard of conduct from students, faculty, and staff is expected. At a time when students pay a premium to attend college, the University must administer its resources equitably to benefit registered students."
All questions regarding this issue should be directed to Mary Koskan at m-kosk@umn.edu.
Spring 2009 department Electronic Course Scheduling (ECS) update
ends February 15
A reminder to all departmental scheduling coordinators that the spring 2009 department ECS update ends February 15. After that date, the following steps will occur:
- Users will be locked out of ECS in PeopleSoft while the Scheduling unit reviews course submissions in preparation for making classroom assignments. The Scheduling review includes checking for conformance with scheduling peak-time, standard meeting time, and projected enrollment policies.
- The Scheduling unit will be actively communicating with both the academic departments and their respective colleges to provide information about course(s) that are not conforming to policy, as well as any corrections that are needed before a central classroom can be assigned to the course.
Please contact Nancy Peterson at n-pete@umn.edu with questions or concerns.
A word about UM Reports and the data you see
Questions are often raised about the data available to you in UM Reports; specifically, why you see the data you see and why certain features exist. This brief article is meant to answer some of these questions.
UM Reports is built to provide information to members of the University of Minnesota community. It is not available to the general public and in general students cannot access reports. As you know, UM Reports has a great deal of student data - some public and some private.
As members of the University
community, we are bound by the University's
appropriate use policy. Part of this policy outlines that as employees,
we
will only access data we have a legitimate need to know in order to
fulfill our
job duties. Accessing information that does not pertain to a person's
job
duties violates this policy. Additionally, the information contained in
reports should not be shared with others, unless it is publicly
available.
Faculty members have a need to
know the data in their
class lists, including photos. Student photos are only available to the
instructor of record listed in PeopleSoft, and ID numbers and grades
are
available only to the instructor of record or to those with access to
private
student data. Advisers of record in PeopleSoft are granted access to
academic
information about their advisees (including photos) but not about
students who
are not their advisees unless the adviser has access to private student
data.
UM Reports uses the Internet ID authentication to determine whether the
user is the
class instructor or student's adviser and whether the user has access
to
private student data.
Finally, if a faculty or staff member wants access to private student
data, he or she
must complete an Access Request Form and state a business need for the
access.