Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,

Spring has finally come to our campus after a long winter, bringing with it all the usual activity of the semester and academic year winding down. This year, however, April’s usual frenetic energy seems to be at a fever pitch. Leadership changes, budget challenges, rising expectations for student success, and intentionally infusing equity into all our work means the Office of the Provost has been busier than ever. At times like these I’m especially grateful for the hard-working and dependable Academic Affairs team I have in place. As a leader, nothing is more reassuring than knowing you are surrounded by people you respect and trust.
 
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and, in light of the difficult conversations we have been having on campus, Sacramento State has been providing programming throughout the month to protect and empower our students. While we often think of our campus sexual assault prevention efforts as being naturally housed in Student Affairs, I believe our division can play a greater role than Academic Affairs traditionally does. Academic Affairs has already completed our assigned action items contained in the Sacramento State 2022-2023 Sexual Violence Prevention, Safety, and Support Action Plan by providing faculty prevention and support resources and encouraging faculty to share those resources on syllabi, but we need to do more. At our forum addressing administration response to student’s concerns about sexual assault, the student’s voices were clear: They don’t just want resources for victims, they want intervention so there are no more victims. In short, they want an end to “rape culture”, the cultural environment where violating bodies is normalized and excused. Ending rape culture means shifting paradigms—something Academic Affairs is uniquely qualified to do. I believe we can drive change through the classroom, so we will be convening a cross-disciplinary working group of faculty to identify and support faculty currently engaged in anti-rape pedagogical work as well as build anti-rape curricula throughout our campus. If you would like to join in this work or you know of a colleague who is doing work in this space, please contact our Communications Strategist Cherie Parker at cherie.parker@csus.edu.
 
April is also when we celebrate Earth Day. While there have been many Earth Day events on campus this year to call attention to the urgent need to protect and restore our natural world, one of the most meaningful was the Carlsen Center’s Circular Economy Innovation Competition. Partnering with Western Placer Waste Management Authority, the competition was an opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch innovative technologies for reducing the waste stream in our region. With the effects of climate change and other environmental issues increasingly impacting us in our daily lives, it is critical that we remain engaged in the work of finding real, tangible, solutions.
 
Finally, next month we will know who will be the ninth president of Sacramento State. Thanks to President Nelsen giving us sufficient notice to allow for a full presidential search, we can look forward to a stable transition. To prepare our new president, we on the cabinet are preparing comprehensive briefing materials to ensure they are ready to hit the ground running from day one. President Nelsen has transformed this campus during his tenure and will be a difficult act to follow, but I am confident that the work we have done under his leadership has set a standard for student-centered achievement to come.
 
Sincerely,

Carlos Nevarez
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Sacramento State named AANHPI Student Achievement Program Statewide Central Office - Sacramento State has been selected to serve as the California State University Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Student Achievement Program Statewide Central Office. California Assembly Bill 190 created an annual appropriation of $8 million to be given to the CSU to fund this campus-based, statewide central office which will operate the systemwide AANHPI Student Achievement Program. The Provost’s Office recognizes the hard work of Professor Tim Fong, Yvonne Harris, Shannon Rexin, and the team in the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development (ORIED) for their work on the proposal to house the center at Sacramento State. Their work to close equity gaps and improve our two- and four-year graduation rates, alongside programs like the Full Circle Project, made this possible.

5K Fun Run - Sacramento State is holding a 5k Fun Run on April 27 from 6 - 8 p.m. This 80s-themed  event is open to all members of the community, casual or expert, walker, runner, or jogger. Register and learn more here.

Continuing events for Sexual Assault Awareness month - As our university continues to commit itself to being a campus that promotes safety and empowerment to all students and faculty, we observe Sexual Awareness Month in April. Events include Denim Day on April 26 from 12 to 2:30 p.m at the Library Quad. Denim Day commemorates a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because of what the victim was wearing. Take Back the Night, April 26 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., is a march demanding safety and the end of gendered violence while empowering survivors to share their stories through an open mic forum. The Stand with Survivors Gallery Exhibit in the University Union’s 2nd Floor exhibit lounge, will be open through April 27. Visit here to find out more about Sacramento State’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month events.
CSU Juneteenth designation - The CSU Board of Trustees adopted a resolution designating June 19 (Juneteenth), which was recently recognized as a federal and state holiday, as a paid holiday for CSU employees, effective calendar year 2023. Collective bargaining agreements have also been amended to extend the paid holiday to represented employees. The Juneteenth holiday will be observed this year on Monday, June 19, 2023. Find out more about the CSU’s honoring of Juneteenth, including a recap of last year’s inaugural Juneteenth symposium, here. 
Campus Mural Submissions Now Open - The 2022 BELIEVING Campus Murals with Wide Open Walls (WOW) event marked the beginning of a multiyear mural project to support the University’s Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan (AICP).  Submissions for 2023’s BECOMING murals are now open and will continue through July 15. Students of all majors, faculty, and staff are encouraged to apply. Six artists will be chosen from a pool of willing participants and will receive a $1000 stipend upon project completion. You can find more information requiring entry requirements and the mural selection process here.
RCA Awards announced - The RCA Subcommittee of the Faculty Senate has announced its selections for this year's career-research awards. Named for the 2022-2023 University Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity for Early Career Faculty is Dr. Nicole Fox, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice in the College of Health and Human Services. Named for the 2022-2023 University Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity for Senior Career Faculty is Dr. Katherine McReynolds, Professor of Chemistry in the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics. As part of this award, each recipient will receive three units of course buyout in Academic Year 23/24 and $2500 for professional development provided by the Offices of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development (OREID). Additionally, in the fall of 2023, ORIED and the RCA Subcommittee will collaborate to host a virtual or in-person celebration event for the two awardees, who will present talks on their current research. 
The Science & Practice of Posttraumatic Growth conference - Join speakers Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn and Charles Clark for the Science & Practice of Posttraumatic Growth conference -  Recognizing Personal and Community Strength and Growth in the Aftermath of Trauma. The event is being held by the Center for Health Practice, Policy & Research, April 29, from 8:30 a.m. to  4 p.m., at the Harper Alumni Center. More information here.

Engineering faculty awarded DHSI grant - Rohollah (Roham) Moghadam (EEE) has been awarded a Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions (DHSI) Career Mini-Grant for 2023 of $10,000 for a project titled, “Improving Students Knowledge in Robotics by Adopting Autonomous Ground Robot.” The mini-grant funding is sponsored by a larger university US Dept of Education DHSI Grant. 

Admitted Student Weekend - Admitted Student Weekend is a weekend dedicated to learning the ins and outs of attending Sacramento State. This event is perfect for those admitted or those interested in applying to Sacramento State. It’s also the perfect time for faculty and staff to engage with prospective students and encourage them to see themselves at Sacramento State. There will be building tours, presentations, games, prizes, dining and more. The event takes place the weekend of April 28-29, register for both days of this event here.
Frank Adamson, EdD

Serpil Atamaz-Topcu, History

Data Barata, Anthropology 

Andrea Becker, Kinesiology

Samantha Blackburn, Nursing

Matt Brown, Kinesiology

Lisa Cantrell, UGSE 

Jesse Catlin, Marketing Supply Chain Mgmt

Haiquan Chen, Computer Science 

Jonas Cope, English

Ryan Fuller, Mgmt & Organizations

Sargam Garg, Mgmt & Organizations

Torsa Ghosal, English

Jason Gieger, English

Julian Heather, English 

Jungyun Hur, RPTA

Daniel Janos, Communications Studies 

Catheryn Koss, Gerontology 

June Hee Kwon, Asian Studies 

Angela Laflen, English

Nikolaos Lazaridis, History

Rolando Lazaro, Physical Therapy

Young-Im Lee, Political Science

Susanne Lindgren, Biological Sciences

Kelly McDonald, Biological Sciences

Boniface Michael, Mgmt & Organizations

Christine Miller, Communications Studies

Andrea Moore, Ethnic Studies

Pinar Muyan-Ozcelik, Computer Science 

Meagan O'Malley, GPSE 

Kikuko Omori, Communications Studies

Hakan Ozcelik, Mgmt & Organizations

Scott Perkins, School of Music

Jimmy Pitzer, Jr., Biological Sciences

Anna Presler, School of Music

Roslyn Roberts, Accounting 

Judy Rodriguez, World Lang & Literatures

David Rolloff, RPTA

Tatiana Sergan, Physics & Astronomy

Dong Shen,  FACS

Nick Shepard, Design

Mona Siegel, History

Craig Timmons, Math & Statistics 

David Toise, English 

Anna Vygodina, FIRE 

Leah Zarchy, UGSE

Pictured above: Mellonie Richardson,Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, Josiah Greer, Dr. Boatamo Ati Mosupyoe, Dr. Robin Carter, and Dr. Andrea Moore
Hornets Abroad: Opening the American Mind
Fall trip to Ghana reinforces the importance making connections beyond campus

The most transformative educational experiences are sometimes found outside the campus environment. Human Resources Director of Talent Acquisition Mellonie Richardson found this true when she and five other hornet family members visited Ghana for the All African Diaspora Educational Summit last September. The Academic Affairs-sponsored trip was an opportunity for this delegation to connect Sacramento State with emerging ideas on global pedagogies. 

The group was tasked with bringing back changes to implement in their respective spaces when it comes to how faculty interact, accommodate, or teach those with backgrounds in the African Diaspora. Richardson says the trip led to a deeper understanding of how vital it is to experience different, non-Western, approaches to education, as well as an invitation to take a critical look at what is currently being practiced in the United States.
Pictured above: Cape Coast Slave Dungeons
“Don’t bring your American mind to Ghana.”

Friends and colleagues advised Richardson to leave behind her Western bias and ideals while visiting Ghana. Taking this advice not only gave her an unfiltered lens when viewing the different mindsets and pedagogy shared during the summit, but also highlighted some severe failures currently intertwined with Western education system. Richardson says the goal of the summit was clear: to reclaim language and culture and love of black people—and envision what that would look like in our current academic environment. The participants found that exploring this idea exposed the ways Western education is lacking when it comes to understanding the African Diaspora and African Americans. Western education often ommits crucial African history and culture, giving skewed perspectives to students of what it means to be a person who hails from the African Diaspora, and reinforcing conflicting feelings of identity for staff, faculty, and students alike regarding their historical origin.
Pictured above: Citizens gathered on a bustling coastline
“Everyone who knew me or knew I was going, said I would come back different; it changes you.”

Richardson says the trip participants recalled having feelings of vindication, and reclaiming of identity as she visited. Some shared never having experienced anything close to being amongst so many who looked like them or shared the same skin tone. To finally enter a space that wasn’t predominantly white and departed from the constricting ideals implemented in many Western institutions was something significant.
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“[I] truly knew and felt my place in the Diaspora [and] that was huge.” 

An important assessment Richardson gleaned from this trip was the impact of having faculty and students alike receive opportunities to experience another culture's innovation and education, and discover facets of themselves they wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. It’s trips like this in academia that make this possible. Trips that challenge the status quo of education and offer a new, more rounded understanding of the world we live in.

Click here to see more photos from the trip. 
  • Sharon Furtak, professor, psychology, talked to Inside Higher Ed about data-driven student success.

  • Heidy Sarabia, associate professor, sociology; Amber Gonzalez, associate professor, child and adolescent development; Manuel Barajas, professor, sociology; and Interim Provost Carlos Nevarez interviewed in the Sacramento Bee about Sacramento State’s challenges as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with limited Latinx faculty representation. 

  • Jenni Murphy, dean, College of Continuing Education, on Sacramento being ranked second in the nation for tech workforce diversity.

  • Martin Boston, assistant professor, ethnic studies, interviewed by Capital Public Radio about California’s Reparations Task Force.

  • Maria Quintana, assistant professor, labor history, talked to Capital Public Radio about unionization at local Starbucks stores.

  • Stephen Brock, coordinator, school psychology program, talked to EdWeek about the best way to inform classmates of a student’s suicide.

Have news for our May newsletter? Email Cherie Ann Parker at cherie.parker@csus.edu