Dear Colleagues,
In my update about Academic Affairs at the Board meeting this past Friday, I described the general atmosphere in Academic Affairs as solemn gratitude and excitement. The excitement describes the energy, the higher level of engagement from everyone, the higher number of live events and the intellectual vibrancy manifest in conferences, books, grants, performances, and other creative activities. The gratitude is about the collective sense of pride in being Lakers, in doing this important work together, in having students entrusting us with their education, in having a community that embraces GVSU and invests in it. The solemnness is the deep sense of responsibility, and the thoughtfulness that I hear every day from faculty and staff about what they are doing and what they can do to support every Laker.
As announced by President Mantella on Friday, the Board of Trustees expressed its full confidence in the future of GVSU, and approved a reorganization in Academic Affairs that will lead to the creation of two colleges in Fall 2024: the Padnos College of Engineering and a new college of computing.
I want to take this opportunity to express my excitement, gratitude, and solemnness about this very important step.
GVSU has, throughout its history, been visionary, flexible, and agile. PCEC was created out of schools that also emerged out of the math and physics departments. This reorganization is the continuation of that responsiveness and agility. Indeed, this organizational change and investment in additional faculty lines will allow GVSU to meet the needs of the changing economy and lead the transformation of the region’s workforce. This is very exciting for all of us and positions GVSU to empower all Lakers to be digitally fluent and future ready.
The College of Engineering and Computing is a thriving college thanks to the visionary and innovative leadership of Dean Plotkowski and the excellent work of PCEC faculty and staff. We are building from a position of strength. I am also very grateful for the broad and open engagement in the consultation process by faculty, staff, and administrators across campus, and for the guidance and collaboration from President Mantella, Senior Leadership Team members, and the Provost’s Cabinet.
As
President Mantella stated in her letter, the green light given to us by the Board is a very important milestone, but it is also the beginning of the work that we now need to do. We are starting this work today. Dean Plotkowski and I are meeting with PCEC faculty and staff to begin the planning process and we will keep the campus community informed and engaged. This work will be propelled by the exciting potential it opens, by the endorsements and positive energy it received. This work will also be very mindful of the concerns and questions expressed.
Fatma
