Lakers Ready
Division of Academic Affairs
August 7, 2023
Lakers Ready is sent by the Office of the Provost
to faculty and staff within the Division of Academic Affairs
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In this issue of Lakers Ready
- Laker to Laker: Message from the Provost
- Fall 2023 Kick-off
- Empowered Education
- Educational Equity
- Engaged Scholarship
- Updates
- Important Dates and Links
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Laker to Laker: Message from the Provost
Dear Colleagues,
As we prepare to embark on a most exciting year together, please take a moment to review President Mantella's welcome message which outlines priorities for the coming year. While we wrap up the summer session, I hope that each one of you has enjoyed some time away from work and perhaps have some additional time away planned. I know how intense and demanding the work is with Laker students, so please do not underestimate the importance of disconnecting and recharging. Until we meet in a few short weeks, I wish you moments of quietness, immersion in nature, and good company.
Fatma
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Fall 2023 Kick-Off
Join colleagues for these events that mark the kick-off of the 2023-2024 academic year:
- University Address - President Mantella, Provost Mili, University Academic Senate Chair Felix Ngassa, and AP Committee Chair Daniel Vannier will offer remarks on Tuesday, August 22, 4:30 p.m., Richard M. DeVos Center Courtyard, Seidman Center, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus. RSVP your attendance plans.
- Faculty & Staff Picnic - Live music, food, and drink celebrate kick off of the fall semester. The picnic is scheduled Tuesday, August 22, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Seidman Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. RSVP your attendance plans.
- 29th Annual Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning - The 29th Annual Fall Conference will take place on Wednesday, August 23, 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the Eberhard Conference Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The conference begins with a keynote presentation by noted author James Lang. His talk, "Teaching Distracted Minds: Old Challenges, New Contexts" draws from his latest book. The keynote will be followed by faculty and staff led sessions and lunch. For additional information, visit the Pew FTLC website.
- Fall Convocation - This time-honored celebration is scheduled on Thursday, August 24, 7 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Arena on the Allendale Campus. RSVP your attendance plans.
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Empowered Education
The New Music Ensemble, directed by Music Professor Bill Ryan, recently returned from their sixth National Parks performance tour. During the 20 day tour, the ensemble performed seven concerts in various National Parks and traveled 7,000 miles. This undergraduate ensemble promotes the music of our time through commissions, tours, recordings, collaborations, outreach events, and workshops. The ensemble prepares students for careers that include contemporary music and helps them to become exceptional educators, advocates, and leaders in the field. Since 2014, the New Music Ensemble has performed 44 concerts of music by 39 commissioned composers in 30 National Parks.
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Educational Equity
On August 1, all incoming students received a link to complete their Campus Life Module, which covers a wide range of topics including community expectations, campus resources, student involvement, and much more. Students were asked to complete this module before arriving to campus. Within 48 hours of distribution, about 1,000 students opened the module and almost 500 had already completed it! You are invited to explore the module yourself using your GVSU credentials here. Questions regarding the module can be directed to Andrew Haggerty in the Dean of Students Office.
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Engaged Scholarship
Congratulations to Dr. Eric Snyder, Professor of Biology, for his $54,500 award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for collaborative research with the Grand Rapids Public Museum and John Ball Zoo. This study will use acoustic imaging of migrating and spawning sturgeon and genetic analysis from young-of-year sturgeon to evaluate the population in the Grand River watershed. Data from this study will be used by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to implement management strategies and gauge the impact of changes to habitat.
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UpdatesSyllabi for Fall 2023
As faculty prepare their syllabi for fall semester, there are policy matters to keep in mind:
- All course syllabi need to include the learning objectives from the updated Syllabi of Record (SOR), per HLC requirements.
- A list of information to be given to students at the beginning of the semester can be found in University Policies. Faculty are expected to include a link to the University's list of policies that apply to all courses. Recommended: "This course is subject to the GVSU policies listed at www.gvsu.edu/coursepolicies." (See Shared Governance Policies SG 3.04.C for more details.)
- Grand Valley maintains a Religious Inclusion Policy (SLT 9.6) that commits the University to accommodate religious and faith observances and holidays for students, faculty and staff members. Please review the Multifaith Calendar before scheduling exams or similar course events.
- Examination Week is December 9-16, 2023. As outlined in Shared Governance Policies (SG 3.04.F), instructors are expected to provide a culminating experience for each course during Examination Week. This experience should occur at the special time scheduled during Examination Week, which can be found on the Registrar's website. (Any exceptions must be approved by the appropriate academic dean.) Final examinations should be given during the scheduled exam time unless that time is being used for another activity, such as presentations. By administering final examinations during Examination Week rather than the last week of classes, students are provided with the opportunity to better prepare, which will support student success. Additionally, the University counts class time during exam week as part of the contact hours for the course, and this is reported to our accreditors.
Ensuring that syllabi clearly describe the professor's expectations of students is important. For example, including additional expectations about course schedule or format changes, revised technology requirements, or adoption of new learning materials may be necessary. The Pew FTLC website offers information on Syllabus Design as well as Syllabus Statement Examples.
Student Attendance Policy
This is a reminder about preparing accommodations for students who are ill. As stated in the Teaching FAQ on the Office of the Provost website, the normal attendance policy, as described in the University Catalog, includes the statement that, "faculty members will make reasonable accommodations for students when an absence is excused." Such accommodations would depend on the course. One of the examples of an excused absence is "student medical conditions that preclude class attendance."
Shared Governance News
Official correspondence about shared governance decisions is available on the Faculty Governance website under the "UAS Recommendations & Provost Responses" button. Recent posts include:
- Extra Compensation and Independent Studies Compensation
- Bias Statements to Students and Faculty
Support Students: Mental Health Communications Toolkit
You have the power to make a positive impact on the well-being of your students. The University Counseling Center maintains a toolkit to help you along the way. In the Mental Health Communications Toolkit, you'll find an array of resources to assist you in sending relevant mental health information to students that will help them navigate mental health concerns and engage in their academics and campus life more effectively. Simply select the month, pick a topic, and copy, paste, support. The Mental Health Communications Toolkit is available on the University Counseling Center website.
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Important Dates and Links
Dates8/7-8 - Exams - 2nd 6 and 12 weeks
8/9-11 - New Faculty Orientation
8/22 - University Address - 4:30 p.m., Pew Grand Rapids Campus
8/22 - Faculty & Staff Picnic - 5:30 p.m., Pew Grand Rapids Campus
8/24 - Fall Convocation - 7:00 p.m., Fieldhouse Arena, Allendale Campus
9/1 - Sabbatical Proposals due
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
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