The 2024 Faculty Awards Convocation was held on Thursday, February 15.

Lakers Ready

Division of Academic Affairs

February 19, 2024

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

Laker to Laker

Dear Colleagues,

I am thrilled to have our colleague Jesse Bernal pen the Laker to Laker message this week. I also want to bring to your attention two events happening early this week:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Over my near decade as a member of the Grand Valley community, I am always thrilled to share how deeply committed those I get to work with are to building a university life where everyone is celebrated for their uniqueness, and every single person feels genuinely appreciated and supported. Our journey towards creating an even more inclusive and equitable university is something many of us are passionate about, and it’s at the heart of everything we do.

My colleagues and I on the senior team have heard your voices and seen the data that tells us we need to listen more deeply and do even more for all our faculty and staff, with a particular focus on those who have been historically and structurally excluded. The insights shared by Provost Mili and Vice Presidents Truss and Hall-Jones in recent gatherings have shone a light on the growing diversity among our student body and less among our employees. This offers an important moment for reflection. This imbalance affects not just the feeling of belonging for our students but also places extra pressures on our colleagues of color, especially against the backdrop of national challenges facing higher education and our diversity efforts.

This administration is doubling down on our promise to make GVSU a model of inclusion and equity in higher education. Many are excited about the moves we’re taking with the inputs of shared leadership, like increasing investment in our Social Justice Centers, Tutoring Services, and the Office for Diverse Student Populations to make sure our wonderfully diverse community doesn’t just grow but thrives. We’ll also continue to deepen talks with faculty and student leaders about where we can invest next, especially with the upcoming budget planning. Plus, with President Mantella appointing Professor Karyn Rabourn as a Presidential Fellow, we’re gearing up to look at our policies and practices with a fresh, equity-focused lens.

Our Division of Inclusion and Equity, in collaboration with the Accountability and Activation Leadership Team (AALT) , is working on several initiatives to advance our commitment to inclusion and equity. As many of you know, we began this work as pioneers through our early championing of a welcoming academic and working environment in 2008 when we dedicated an executive role and division. Today, we have continued to evolve and have adopted a “shared equity leadership” model that requires the Division of Inclusion and Equity to lead, coordinate, support, and advocate alongside others, recognizing that this work happens in partnership. This approach is designed to bring more people into the fold to be truly transformational. By bringing every single one of us into this charge, we’re not just advancing opportunities for educational equity but setting our sights on making GVSU a leading example of a diverse and inclusive community. We look forward to sharing our progress in the  annual report to the Board of Trustees this Friday.

I hope we can all come together to make our Laker family the most supportive and welcoming community it can be. Here’s to moving forward, together!

Sincerely,

Jesse M. Bernal, Ph.D.
Vice President for Inclusion & Equity
Chief of Staff to the President

Faculty Voices and Recognitions

Last week, the COACHE Faculty Survey launched, and as of the end of last week, 227 of 934 faculty have responded to the survey, and 174 have completed the survey. With our incentive of $25 being added to GVSU’s Student Emergency Fund for each survey completed, so far $4350 has been set aside for the Fund.

The first email was sent from COACHE on Wednesday, February 7. It has the subject line, "Help GVSU assess the academic workplace", and it was sent from "Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education", which is COACHE. The email begins, "With the endorsement of Fatma Mili, the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) at Harvard University invites your participation in a survey of full-time faculty at Grand Valley State University."

For those faculty who did not complete the survey in the first two weeks, a follow-up email from COACHE will be sent during the week of February 26.

On Thursday, February 15, colleagues gathered to celebrate and honor some of our outstanding faculty at the annual Faculty Awards Convocation. For a complete list of recipients, visit the Faculty Awards Convocation webpage.

Empowered Education

Join President Mantella, Provost Mili, and David Ruiter as they discuss a learning framework designed to help discover what we've lost, what we've found, and how to apply that at this critical moment. "Lost & Found: Higher Education Equity Post-Pandemic," will take place on February 20, 2:00-3:00 p.m., Alumni House, Allendale Campus. A reception will follow.

Join colleagues for the next GVSU Quest Series titled Academic Freedom: Building Trust and Community in a Time of Discord. The panel will take place on February 27, 3:00-4:00 p.m., 2204 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus. A reception will follow for continued conversations. RVSP your attendance plans.

The student commencement speaker application is now open. Please encourage students graduating this semester to apply for this special honor. The online application will be open until March 1, at 11:59 p.m. To learn more, visit the Commencement website.  

Culture of Educational Equity

The College of Education and Community Innovation (CECI) partners with people from across the university to offer the Global Awareness Collaborative Colloquium. This semester we focus on Ghana, home to many CECI graduate students and site of our Social Work study abroad program. The Colloquium launches on February 20 , 12:00-1:00 p.m., University Club, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus, with presentations by Dr. Green-Smith, Dr. Marie, and graduate students. In the following weeks there are three webinars, a trivia contest, a Saturday movie matinee, and a closing celebration.

Engaged Scholarship

Imani Perry's work reflects the deeply complex history of Black thought, art, and imagination. Her latest book, National Book Award-winner South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, is a narrative journey through the American South, positioning it as the heart of the American experiment for better and worse. This event will take place April 9, 4:00-5:30 p.m., 2204 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus, with a reception to follow.

Annie Whitlock, Assistant Professor of History, published Place-Based Social Studies Education: Learning from Flint, Michigan . This book uses the Flint water crisis to show the importance and value of including place-based education in social studies. Whitlock analyzes this local environmental issue to drive critical inquiry in the classroom and to show how the curriculum can propel valuable social change in the community. Click here to learn more about this book.

Updates

Beginning February 20, 2024, Blackboard will display each student's full G-number. This change provides faculty with the ability to export final grades from Blackboard and import them into Banner.  Although faculty teaching large classes may find this process useful, it is not a requirement. Please contact Kim Kenward at kenwardk@gvsu.edu with any questions.

As students plan for the 2024-2025 school year, here are some financial aid updates and resources that have been shared with students and families about financial aid, scholarships, and the FAFSA.

The newly restructured GVSU Student Senate includes representatives from each college. Please encourage exceptional students to apply now and obtain the required signatures to run in this inaugural election. Petitions are due February 29. Student Senate is excited at the opportunity to intentionally connect and represent students across campus in this revised model. Voting will open on March 18 and more information about elections and the recent restructure is available on the Student Senate website.

When a new faculty or staff member is hired, the supervisor must initiate their onboarding through the "Onboarding Setup for Hire " task in Workday. This task appears in the supervisor's inbox and under "Awaiting Your Action" on the dashboard. If this task is not initiated by the supervisor, the timely completion of Form I-9's and benefit enrollment may be impacted. For assistance, please contact your HR Business partner.

Important Dates and Links

Previously Shared Events 
2/19 - Laker Club Talk with Dean Jackie Zhang - 4:00 p.m., University Club, DeVos Campus, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/20 - Global Awareness Collaborative Colloquium - 12:00 p.m., University Club, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/20 - President's Forum with David Ruiter - 2:00 p.m., Alumni House, Allendale Campus
2/22 - Career and Internship Fair - 1:00 p.m., DeVos Place Convention Center, Grand Rapids
2/27 - GVSU Quest Series: Academic Freedom - 3:00 p.m., 2204 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
3/12 - Service Awards Celebration - Virtual Event
4/8 - Student Awards Convocation - 6:00 p.m., L.V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
4/9 - Student Scholars Day Keynote Speaker - 4:00-5:30 p.m., 2204 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
4/10 - Student Scholars Day 
4/12 - Reach Higher Showcase - 4:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
4/19 - The Graduate School Citation Awards - 5:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Dates
2/5-2/23 - Registration Open for Student Scholars Day
3/3-3/10 - Spring Break
4/20-4/27 - Exam Week
4/26-4/27 - Commencement Ceremonies 

Links
Lakers Ready - repository of this weekly 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