Dear Colleagues –
I would like to officially welcome you to the start of a new academic year and provide a few updates as we look to achieve continued success at Chapman. As President Matt Parlow noted in his recent message, the start of a new school year provides many possibilities to advance our teaching and learning, our research and scholarship, and the numerous other ways we contribute to our mission and serving our students.
As a new Chapman presidency begins and I continue in my interim role, my focus is on creating a productive path and smooth transition that will help move Chapman forward. Planning for the future is a key part of this, and I have appreciated the chance to engage with many of you. Over the past weeks, I have valued spending time with our faculty, our deans, and our support staff at key meetings and events and connecting with parents and students during move-in and orientation. Several parents made a point of telling me how much they value the personal attention and care that their students experience at Chapman. Thank you for that.
In addition to the great work happening in our classrooms and cocurricular settings, I am also excited about the industry-leading research that is happening in our schools, colleges, and centers and institutes. As an R2 institution, Chapman offers our students unique, hands-on research opportunities that enable them to learn by doing early in their academic careers. This designation is both a commitment and a differentiator, and we will continue to build on its value in the year ahead.
One important focus for us this year will be on artificial intelligence, a rapidly growing field that demands interdisciplinary and cross-functional perspectives – strengths that are already hallmarks of Chapman. While strong work is underway across campus, we need to bring these efforts together as a coordinated Chapman initiative that maximizes our expertise and vision. To that end, we are establishing a task force charged with reviewing existing AI-related teaching, research, and administrative efforts and recommending a framework for university-wide initiatives that advance Chapman’s position and offerings in this area. More information will be shared as planning progresses.
This is an exciting time to be at Chapman. I wish you a productive start to the fall and look forward to strong and rewarding collaboration in the year ahead.
Mike Ibba
Interim EVP, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer