Changes to Make-Up Exam Proctoring Services

Sent: August 6, 2024

From: Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Ron Rogers, Vice Provost, Academic Innovation and Institutional Effectiveness

Dear Chairs and Directors,

We hope this message finds you well. We are writing to inform you of an important change regarding our make-up exam proctoring services, which have been previously supported through our campus Testing Office.

As context, many of the services previously offered through the Testing Office were funded by the Writing Skills Test (WST), which was mandatory for all incoming freshmen until a few years ago. When this exam went away, this self-funded unit began to run at a significant deficit, as there had never been any state-funded positions supporting the office. Despite the rapid financial decline in operating funds, the Testing Office continued to offer services - proctoring makeup exams, for example - that had no financial support and were thus beyond the available funding. When the Testing Office came over to Academic Affairs, we evaluated the operation and its funding and have thus had to reduce staffing and services. 

Therefore, due to recent staffing reductions, the University Testing Office will no longer be able to provide support for make-up exams, effective immediately. Please share this information with your faculty and staff.

We understand that some faculty members have relied on the Testing Office’s  proctoring service in the past. Given the change, faculty may want to consider alternative testing procedures for make-up exams, such as using Canvas with Respondus Lockdown Browser. 

We deeply regret any inconvenience this change may cause. We understand the impact it may have on your department's operations, and we appreciate your understanding during this time of transition.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and continued dedication to our students' success. Your commitment is invaluable and greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Ron Rogers
Vice Provost, Academic Innovation and Institutional Effectiveness