News from the Office of the Provost
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Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
Welcome to our new newsletter! Academic Affairs holds the core mission of our university—education, research, and knowledge creation. But too often, the exciting and important work our faculty, students, and staff do to provide a world class education at Sacramento State goes unnoticed. So we created News from Academic Affairs, a monthly newsletter where we can share your successes as well as keep you updated on the latest information from the Office of the Provost. Let us know what you think or our new newsletter or suggest topics for next month by reaching out to Cherie Ann Parker, our new Academic Affairs Communications Strategist, at cherie.parker@csus.edu.
The academic year is only three weeks old, but we have already faced daunting challenges. The dangerous heat wave required careful planning on the part of the university to keep everyone safe and our students on track. And the discovery of swastikas on campus was a concerning reminder of the ever-present threat of hate and ignorance. In both instances, Sacramento State—under the steady guidance of President Nelsen—responded quickly and with the well-being of our students as the highest priority. With our values at the forefront, I believe we will meet every challenge this year with similar aplomb.
Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month, and this week Sacramento State joins other Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in celebrating National HSIs Week. Sacramento State was designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution in 2015 after meeting the threshold of 25% of our full-time undergraduate students identifying as Latinx. But being designated an HSI is about more than enrollment figures, it’s about being intentional in our commitment to serving Latinx students. I’m proud that we welcomed 10 new Latinx faculty members this year, but we have a long way to go before our faculty more fully represent the students we teach. As we work toward a more diverse faculty, we must keep our responsibility to our Latinx students top-of-mind.
Carlos Nevarez
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
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Office of Academic Affairs Launches Ambitious Program to Improve DFW Rates
What you need to know about the Academic Program for Critical Student Success Classes
Graduation rates at Sacramento State have improved by 187% since 2016. More than 26% of our students now graduate within four years, compared to 9% in 2016. This is cause for celebration—but certainly not for complacency. In all our colleges, we still see far too many students receiving Ds, Fs, and Ws, causing them to fall off track for graduation and imperiling their career goals and future economic well-being. As a university committed to equity and serving our communities, we need to do better. That’s why Academic Affairs is taking action in the 2022-2023 academic year to drastically reduce DFW rates.
Unlike many universities and colleges that attack DFW rates by singling out and attacking faculty, the Academic Program for Critical Student Success Classes is a student-centered approach that empowers faculty to share proven strategies for success. Designed by University Initiatives and Student Success Executive Director James Dragna and Interim Vice Provost for Student Success David Zeigler under the leadership of Provost Nevarez, the proposed plan will focus on what works—not just what doesn’t. And, most importantly, the plan recognizes that students are more than just data points and reaching them when they are struggling academically means understanding how their identities and experiences may be impacting them in the classroom.
Some of the highlights of the Academic Program for Critical Student Success Classes include:
- Identifying high-need courses – Each college will identify ten courses to participate in the program.
- Faculty Fellows - Each dean will select a Student Success Faculty Fellow to help departments coordinate strategies across all sections of the identified courses.
- Funding – Each college will receive funding to support academic programs that enhance student learning and raise course completion rates with an eye toward equity.
Stay tuned for more information on the Academic Program for Critical Student Success Classes as we roll out the program.
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Travel to "Banned" States--What's at Stake
Since the enactment of AB 1887 in 2017, California has banned the use of state funds for travel to states that discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. But, although the law was designed to use the power of California’s economy to make offending states quickly come to their senses—and their humanity—the number of discriminatory laws continues to grow: Last month Georgia was added to the list, bringing the total number of states to which travel using state funds is banned to 23. The position of Sacramento State is that compliance with the letter of the law is non-negotiable: University Paid Travel credit cards or flight purchases through Concur are NOT ALLOWED to be used for any travel to a state impacted by AB 1887 or for any travel being reimbursed through Foundation funds. With tenure and other professional considerations often dependent on our ability to travel, those of us in the academy have been particularly impacted by AB 1887. Exceptions do exist, however, and use of private or foundation money for travel to banned states is not restricted by AB 1887.
But even if you can find workarounds to travel to so-called “banned” states—should you? Many find boycotts to be empty gestures—sometimes called “virtue signaling”—that are designed more to make the boycotter feel good about themselves than to produce any meaningful results. Provost Nevarez, however, believes there are basic issues of equity and respect for Sacramento State’s priorities to consider, and has issued the follow statement as guidance:
“Refusing travel to states impacted by AB 1887 is more than ‘virtue signaling’, it is direct action in defense of equity. Securing alternate funding is a privilege that creates a power imbalance between faculty with connections and faculty without—a group more likely to include the diverse faculty we strive to recruit and retain. Also, those of us not directly impacted by discriminatory laws are exercising an unfair advantage over our colleagues who would be specifically endangered by visiting a state that enshrines hate crimes into law. I suggest that faculty considering travel to states impacted by AB 1887 consult with their dean to choose a path that best represents the diverse, inclusive, and welcoming university that we want to be.”
For more information and guidance on AB 1887, read our FAQ here
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Academic Affairs Program Takes on Mass Incarceration from the Inside
Mass incarceration is expensive. With California’s per inmate costs currently running about $106,000 annually, reducing recidivism is common-sense public policy. With research showing that incarcerated people with less than a high school diploma have recidivism rates of over 60%, and those with a college degree have a 19% recidivism rate, higher education should be key to that policy.
That’s where Sacramento State’s Transforming Outcomes Project (TOPSS) comes in. TOPSS is a four-year degree completion program serving people incarcerated at Folsom State Prison and Mule Creek Prison that is run by Sacramento State Academic Affairs under the guidance of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Currently in its fourth semester, TOPSS is a BA completion program in Communications Studies that accepts transfer students at Folsom and Mule Creek who’ve already done lower work with a community college program. With 33 students currently enrolled—many of whom are working 40 hour a week prison jobs in addition to taking classes—and 92% of Spring Semesters’ students making the Dean’s List, TOPSS is clearly inspiring transformative educational experiences.
“What we do in TOPSS fulfills so much of the promise our leaders have made to the community,” says David Zuckerman, Professor of International and Intercultural Communication and Acting Director of TOPSS, noting that President Nelsen has been very supportive of TOPSS. “Incarcerated people are the most marginalized students in California by any metric. After TOPSS, our students are going to be taxpayers. They’re going to be productive members of society.”
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Art History Professor Helps Students Encounter Centuries of Mexican Art
The mission of Sacramento State's Academic Affairs division is to inspire transformative educational experiences for our students. For Assistant Professor of Art Mya Dosch, that means getting students out of the classroom whenever possible and immersing them in rich and vibrant art scenes, something she was able to do this past July through a study abroad trip to Mexico City.
From July 16 to July 25, Dosch guided 14 Sacramento State Students through museums, historical sites, cathedrals, and artists' studios in Mexico's capital city. But Dosch wanted more for her students than just sight-seeing. So she structured their days to include plenty of time for reflection and discussion and encouraged them to journal their thoughts about what they were seeing. Originally scheduled for summer 2020, the trip allowed students to experience culturally significant art in person and is a perfect example of how Sacramento State faculty can open new worlds for their students.
“As a university, we want to foster international educational experiences for our students,” says Provost Nevarez, who encourages all faculty to explore study abroad opportunities. “When we open other countries to students, we open their minds. Sacramento State can be their gateway to the world.”
Read more about Dosch and her students’ trip here.
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Welcome New Associate Deans!
Rebecca Cameron, Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Support, College of Business
Deidre Sessoms, Associate Dean for Instruction and Student Success, College of Education
Shannon Datwyler, Associate Dean for Student Success, College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
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Highlights and Announcements
- Sacramento State Delegation to All African Diaspora Summit – Five members of the Sacramento State family will travel to Ghana for the All Africa Diaspora Education Summit next week. The Summit, from September 19- 24 at the University of Cape Coast, honors the government of Ghana policy initiative of "Beyond the Return," promoting African-centered education worldwide and calling for the global African family to be part of building Africa’s future. Provost Nevarez approved the trip to deepen our campus commitment to inclusive and globally relevant education.
- “Believe” Campus Murals Call for Artists - In partnership with Wide Open Walls (WOW), Sacramento State is planning a campus mural event this fall in support of our Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan (AICP). Six artists will be selected from the Sacramento State community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Artists will receive a $1,000 stipend from WOW upon completing their murals. Additionally, WOW will curate one additional professional artist. Murals will embody the theme of “Believe,” which is the focus of the first year of the AICP Action Plan. Submissions will be accepted online until September 19. For more information and to submit your proposal, click here.
- Carlsen Center steps into the Classroom - The Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship has been providing tools and support for creative minds at Sacramento State since 2017. Now the Carlsen Center is moving its real-word expertise to the classroom with a new course called Entrepreneurial Mindset, offered this semester through the College of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Studies and accessible to students in all majors. The course enables students to develop an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset and experience in problem-solving.
- New Report Highlights Need for Equity-Based Education Practices - A new report by Dr. Vajra Watson (Faculty Director, Ed.D. Program), Dr. Ijeoma “IjO” Ononuju (Touro University), Shaun de Vera and Angelina Kier (current Ed.D. students at Sac State) focuses on a partnership between the UC Davis Sacramento Area Youth Speaks (SAYS) organization and San Juan Unified School District during the 2021-2022 school year. The report aims to help inform the ways this district will learn, move, and grow through intentional and strategic partnerships with community organizations.
- PARC Re-accreditation – The Peer and Academic Resource Center (PARC) received notice in August that Sacramento State is international certified for Supplemental Instruction (SI) for the next 3 years, making us one of eight campuses in the CSU system that received this recognition. PARC ‘s peer-to-peer program is a powerful tool to reduce DFW rates and increase student success. Faculty can utilize PARC by requesting Supplemental Instruction through this form.
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