AISS Newsletter: February 2026
Spring 2026 Progress Reports
Progress reporting for the spring 2026 semester launched on February 18. Please have your reports submitted no later than March 23, 2026. These reports allow us to connect at-risk students with resources that support student success and retention.
In a collaborative effort to support faculty and facilitate the piloting of progress reporting at the graduate level, The Office of Undergraduate Education and The Graduate School are offering a virtual office hour session for faculty seeking guidance on the progress reporting process. Our goal is to provide a dedicated space for personalized troubleshooting and direct consultation. No registration is necessary.
Join us on Zoom: Tuesday March 10, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
WCI Black History Month Event
On Saturday, February 21, the Program in Writing and Critical Inquiry (WCI) hosted its annual African American Read-In (AARI), part of the National Council of Teachers of English literacy initiative established in 1990 to celebrate African American literature and literacy. The Read-In is the nation’s first and oldest national event dedicated to diversity in literature. This year’s theme, “Black Speculative Futures,” highlighted Black imagination, futurity, and cultural production across genres. The event brought together students, faculty, staff, and community members for a day of readings, conversation, and performance grounded in interdisciplinary inquiry.
Featured guests at the event included award-winning comic book writer and cultural critic B. Sharise Moore, graphic novelist and illustrator Marcus Kwame Anderson, and poet and performer D. Colin. UAlbany contributors included Professor Janell Hobson, Department of Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies, Associate Professor Kyra Gaunt, Department of Music & Theatre, Assistant Professor El-Ra Radney, Department of Africana, Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies, and Latonia Spencer, Assistant Vice President for Administration in the Provost’s Office. The diversity of engaged participants reflected the event’s commitment to cross-disciplinary collaboration and campus-wide engagement.
The University Libraries also supported the event with a curated book display and expanded collection development aligned with the theme. Faculty, peer mentors, and students participated in readings throughout the day, reinforcing the Read-In’s core mission to make African American literature visible, communal, and central to intellectual life.
Planning is already underway for the 2027 Read-In, which will explore “Black Dimensions of Health” through literature, film, art, and community dialogue.
