Lakers Ready

Division of Academic Affairs

June 9, 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: 

During the Winter semester, faculty and staff had the opportunity to participate in the Provost’s Cabinet Member Assessment Process. Many of you completed a survey about your Appointing Officer (for example, your dean), and some were also invited to provide feedback on other leaders with whom you work closely, such as an Assistant/Associate Vice President. I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to provide thoughtful, constructive feedback. Today, I’d like to share how that feedback was reviewed and used to support leadership development within Academic Affairs.  

Each Provost’s Cabinet member received a summary report of their survey responses. The summaries of the quantitative data included the response rate and a breakdown of respondents by employment category, i.e., tenure-stream faculty, affiliate faculty, AP staff, and PSS. The data was related to the 22 leadership questions covering strategic vision and implementation, leadership effectiveness, communication and transparency, and advocacy and support. 

Each Provost’s Cabinet member also received a thematic summary of the open-ended responses which offered rich insights into each leader’s strengths and opportunities for continued growth. I met individually with each Provost’s Cabinet member to review the feedback and reflect together on challenges, opportunities, and next steps for continued growth as a leader. Our next step in this process will be to identify goals later this summer for the upcoming academic year. 

Thank you again for engaging in this process. Your input plays a vital role in supporting strong, reflective leadership across Academic Affairs. 

Sincerely, 

Jen 

Projects and Initiatives Updates

The Integrated Student Success Initiative is a comprehensive approach to enhancing student experiences through coordinated academic policies. Rather than treating institutional policies in isolation, this initiative recognizes how various requirements collectively influence student outcomes. In collaboration with multiple campus departments and student representatives, educational modules were developed to address key policy areas that impact student success. Click on the links below for resources pertaining to upcoming academic events. For questions or additional information about this initiative, please contact Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Felix N. Ngassa.

Video Resources:

Updates

This month's guest on the GV Faculty Focus podcast is Robin Spring, M.A. Robin is an Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations and a 2020 Pew Teaching Excellence Award winner. She joins President Mantella for a conversation about her work, including how she brings 20+ years of industry experience to the classroom, the founding of the GVSU Biometrics Lab and her advisory role with GVSU's award-winning student advertising teams.

Beginning July 1, 2025, all eligible faculty and staff will be granted one paid day off per calendar year, called “Laker Day, My Way.” This day is yours to use in a way that is most meaningful to you:

“Laker Day, My Way” can be requested through the university’s regular time-off approval process. As with other time-off requests, we ask that it be submitted and approved in advance to support planning and continuity. You can find more information about this new benefit on the People, Equity, and Culture website. 

GVSU began migrating to Windows 11 in January 2025, using a phased rollout across the university. This summer, academic areas have the opportunity to complete their upgrades to Windows 11, ensuring systems are ready for the upcoming fall semester. Before an area is scheduled for the upgrade, faculty and staff will receive additional communications with details on how to prepare and when to expect the update. Training is available. Windows 10 will not supported at GVSU after October 2025.

The Gift Cards, Gifts and Prizes Policy was updated by the Senior Leadership Team on March 10 and includes more specific definitions for what is and is not allowed to be reimbursed. Main changes include:

Ongoing updates and resources related to new executive orders, federal memos, and other important federal actions are available on Division of People, Equity, and Culture website. Updates on executive orders impacting federally-funded projects can be found on the Office of Sponsored Programs website.

Engaged Scholarship

Congratulations to Ginger Rohwer, MiSTEM Network Region Director of the CLAS Center for Experiential Learning (CCEL), for an award of $294,051 from Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). These funds will enable the MiSTEM Network's Greater West Michigan Region to continue developing Problem, Project, and Place-Based Learning resources and connect community and educational partners around experiential learning such as the newly launched West Michigan Design Prize for K-12 students.

Natashia Swalve, Assistant Professor of Psychology, co-authored The Fear Knot: How Science, History, and Culture Shape Our Fears – and How to Get Unstuck. Why do we fear Halloween candy but not vending machines? Why do “witch hunts” recur so often in history? How dangerous are serial killers, really? This book gives readers a fresh look at Americans’ perceptions of risk and danger, with an emphasis on how to recognize misinformation or biases, updated to include the most recent fears that Americans face in the 21st century— and the real dangers that we may be ignoring. Click here to learn more about this book.

Policies & Classroom Quiz

Today we inaugurate a new feature for Lakers Ready – a regular quiz to help raise awareness of certain policies and classrooms. The idea of these quizzes came out of discussions on the Faculty Personnel Policy Committee (FPPC) and the Faculty Facilities Planning Advisory Committee (FFPAC).

Question: On the GV Policies site, which Shared Governance (SG) policy describes peer evaluation as part of the annual merit review and how alternate procedures can be implemented?

Question: On the GV Classrooms site (search classrooms on gvsu.edu), which of the following is not an attribute that you can use for search: Active Learning Classroom; Sink; High Resolution Screen; Moveable Tables?

Events

Provost Jennifer Drake and the Provost's Cabinet invite all Academic Affairs Staff to appreciation events in their honor. We want to take a moment to pause and thank you for all your dedication, your talent, and the countless ways you contribute throughout the year. Come enjoy sweet summer treats, good conversations, plenty of laughs, and a little swag as our token of appreciation. All events will be outdoors, with indoor options if the weather doesn’t cooperate. RSVP your attendance. 

The Center for Health and Well-Being (CHWB) will host two town hall events which will unveil the center’s 2025–28 strategic plan, share updates on new systems and services, and gather feedback from the GVSU community.

Learn more about these townhalls and RSVP on the CHWB website. 

In Case You Missed It

6/2 - Celebrating Pride Month 2025
6/3 - Introducing “Laker Day, My Way” – A New Way to Celebrate What Matters Most to You

Important Dates and Links

Previously Shared Events
6/10 - Cook Carillon 30th Anniversary Celebration - 12:00 p.m., Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons, Lower Level Atrium, Allendale Campus
6/17 - Health and Well-being Townhall - 2:00 p.m., 2266 Kirkhof, Allendale Campus
6/18 - Faculty Sabbatical Proposal Workshop Q&A Session: One-hour, Q&A session on Preparing a Successful Sabbatical Proposal - 1:00 p.m., 2201 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
7/10 - Faculty Sabbatical Proposal Workshop Q&A Session: One-hour, Q&A session on Preparing a Successful Sabbatical Proposal - 10:00 a.m., Virtual
7/15 - Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation - 3:00 p.m., Atrium, Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
7/23 - Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation - 3:00 p.m., The Schowalter Family Terrace, 5th floor, DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health, Health Campus
7/28 - Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation - 3:00 p.m., Regency Room, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
7/29 - Health and Well-being Townhall - 2:30 p.m., 2266 Kirkhof, Allendale Campus

Dates
6/16 - Spring Classes End
6/17-6/18 - Examination Week
6/23 - Summer Classes Begin

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.