Lakers Ready

Division of Academic Affairs

February 10, 2025

Lakers Ready is sent by the Office of the Provost
to faculty and staff within the Division of Academic Affairs

In this issue of Lakers Ready:

A Note from the Provost

Dear Colleagues: 

On February 18, we will come together as a community for our annual Faculty Awards Convocation, celebrating excellence in teaching, scholarship, service, and mentorship. I invite you to join us as we recognize the accomplishments of our colleagues and the shared intellectual life that unites us. In the heart of winter, we find warmth in collaboration and the pursuit of knowledge that defines our work. I look forward to celebrating with you and honoring the impact of our faculty whose excellence makes Grand Valley special.  

Warm regards, 

Jen 

Join your colleagues in honoring the outstanding contributions of our faculty at the 18th annual Faculty Awards Convocation on February 18, 4:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Chris Haven, Professor of Writing and recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award, will give this year's convocation address titled, "Whose Story Is It?"

University awards recognize outstanding achievements in teaching excellence, scholarly contributions that advance the professions and benefit society, mentorship that guides students successfully on their academic journey, and dedication to our University and the broader community. 

Below are those that will be honored with Pew Awards for Excellence and CSCE Awards for Scholarly and Creative Excellence.

For the complete list of Faculty Award recipients, please visit the Faculty Awards Convocation website.

Projects and Initiatives Updates

The COACHE Steering Committee 2.0 has identified an outside facilitator to work with GVSU Senior Leadership Team, faculty, staff, and students to rebuild the structures and the underlying trust that form the basis for best-in-class shared governance. We selected The Change Leader. For the next 2 months, The Change Leader will be working with GVSU to co-design an Engagement and Action Plan. To do so, they will interview members of the COACHE Steering Team, UAS/ECS, Provost’s Cabinet, and Senior Leadership Team.

From these interviews, they will co-design a set of half-day workshops to be conducted in late March. These workshops will focus on building shared trust with an understanding that action and resolution of existing problems is a key part of that process. We expect to have specific dates and times of workshops determined by late February. Please keep an eye out for invitations to participate.

The Gray Decision Intelligence platform is now available to all GVSU faculty and staff. This system provides information and analyses about a wide variety of topics including job market trends, alumni outcomes, enrollment patterns for programs across the country, and the financial impacts of our academic programs. Information about the platform is available on the Gray DI webpage accessible from the Office of the Provost website. Contact Aaron Lowen to have your Gray DI platform account activated, or with questions or feedback.

As part of ongoing efforts in Academic Affairs to create GVSU's first Strategic Plan to Augment Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (SPARCA), we are hosting open forums to gather input from faculty and staff. Your insights and expertise will be invaluable in helping to guide the direction of the strategic plan. We invite you to join us at the dates and times below to contribute your thoughts and ideas. This is an excellent opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and help us create a framework that aligns with our shared vision and goals. For more information, visit the SPARCA website or RVSP for an open forum. 

Updates

Over the summer, students, faculty, staff, and the Senior Leadership Team worked collaboratively to identify solutions and develop recommendations to improve the experience for students of color. The task forces and their goals are available online. As shared in a message from the Student Task Force and Robert Shorty, Vice President for People, Equity, and Culture, last week, student recommendations are currently in the process of being implemented. The goal is to continue creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for BIPOC students and to ensure lasting change on campus. 

Highlights and resources are now available on the Office of the Provost website. Thank you for your active engagement and dedication to improving our curriculum. If you have any questions or ideas to share, please reach out to Felix Ngassa, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The first episode of the GV Faculty Focus podcast is now available! This monthly series features a GVSU faculty member sitting down with President Mantella to talk about the faculty member's work and research and how they uniquely connect with students and the community.  The first episode features Matthew Daley, Ph.D., a professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and can be found on all major podcast platforms or at this link.  

Shared Governance News

Official correspondence about shared governance decisions is available on the Faculty Governance website under the "UAS Recommendations and Provost Responses" button. Recent posts include:

Engaged Scholarship

Carrie Buist, Associate Professor of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, published the book Queer Criminology, Second Edition. This book surveys the growing field of Queer Criminology, reflecting on its origins, reviewing foundational research and scholarship and offering suggestions for future directions, including the need to move LGBTQ+ issues from the margins to the center of criminological research. Click here to learn more about this book.

Educational Equity

Continuous feedback is an important strategy for student success and progress reports are critical to our student support efforts. To avoid reports coming at different times, all reports will now be delivered on the same day. Faculty will continue to receive multiple reports as this allows your feedback to go directly to the advisor or success coach who will connect with the student. Week 8 progress reports for students in specific campus programs will be sent on February 24.

Faculty and academic departments can help students regarding course materials: start with GVSU Laker Store's faculty relations team, order early, use group adoptions, and participate in GVSU SAVE.

The Inclusion and Equity Institute is hosting Know Your Rights Workshops. Participants who attend will learn what constitutional rights you hold, whether or not you are a citizen of the United States. The presenters will share when and how to exercise those rights and how to assist students, faculty, staff, and community members in doing the same. Click on the links below to RSVP.

Events

Insights and Ideas is a series of informal gatherings in both Allendale and Grand Rapids throughout the winter semester. Each discussion will provide space for open dialogue to discuss topics important to faculty and staff and for leadership to provide deeper insight into our priorities and key initiatives. The goal is to keep these sessions small to maximize the conversation and sometimes space will be limited. Following each session, the key themes and topics will be shared with the entire community so that everyone is connected to these important discussions. Please contact the Office of the President with questions. 

Join the Federal TRIO Programs on February 19, 2:00-4:00 p.m., 2250 Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus, for a reception highlighting the various TRIO programs housed at GVSU and their impact on campus, in the community, and across the state. Light refreshments will be served.

The GVSU Career Center is excited to announce the Winter Career and Internship Fair, will be held at the DeVos Place Convention Center from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on February 20. Nearly 200 employers will be in attendance hiring across majors and industries. All students and alumni are invited to attend. Please direct your students to our preparation website to learn more, and encourage them to attend this important event.

Important Dates and Links

Previously Shared Events
2/12 - Laker Club Talk: Robert Shorty - 4:00 p.m., Laker Club, Allendale Campus
2/14 - Roger That! Conference - 6:30 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Campus 
2/15 - Roger That! Conference - 11:00 a.m., Grand Rapids Public Museum
2/18 - Faculty Awards Convocation - 4:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/19 - SPARCA Discussion - 9:00 a.m., 104 DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health, Health Campus
2/19 - Know Your Rights - 9:00 a.m., 2240 Pere Marquette, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
2/19 - National TRIO Day - 2:00 p.m., 2250 Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
2/20 - Insights and Ideas: Faculty Session - 4:00 p.m., Gordon Gallery, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/20 - GVSU Career and Internship Fair - 1:00 p.m., DeVos Place Convention Center, Grand Rapids
2/21-2/22 - Sibs and Kids Weekend - Varies Events
2/25 - SPARCA Discussion - 11:30 a.m., 2204 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
2/26 - SPARCA Discussion - 10:00 a.m., Zoom
2/27 - Insights and Ideas: Faculty Session - 4:00 p.m., Gordon Gallery, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/28 - SPARCA Discussion - 11:00 a.m., 107D DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/28 - Insights and Ideas: Faculty Session - 12:00 p.m., Laker Club, Allendale Campus
2/28 - Know Your Rights - 1:00 p.m., 1008A Seidman Forum, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
3/11 - Insight and Ideas: Staff Session - 12:00 p.m., John G. Russell Leadership Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
3/13 - Laker Club Talk: Jessica Karbowski Weare - 4:00 p.m., Laker Club, Allendale Campus
3/24 - Insights and Ideas: Faculty Session - 1:00 p.m., John G. Russell Leadership Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
4/8 - Student Scholars Day Keynote - 4:00 p.m., 2204 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
4/10 - Insights and Ideas: Faculty Session - 12:00 p.m., Mary Idema Pew Library, Allendale Campus
4/14- Student Awards Convocation - 6:00 p.m.,  L.V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
5/15 - Insight and Ideas: Staff Sessions - 9:00 a.m., Mary Idema Pew Library, Allendale Campus

Dates
2/17- 21 - Mid-term Evaluations
3/2-9 - Spring Break
4/19 - Classes End
4/19-26 - Examination Week
4/25-26 - Commencement

Links
Lakers Ready - repository of this newsletter and a link to submit content
Laker Family Network - repository of the monthly newsletter sent by the Division of Student Affairs to GVSU parents/supporters

Lakers Ready will be distributed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.