Lakers Ready

Division of Academic Affairs

October 27, 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: 

I hope many of you had the chance to enjoy a brief pause during fall break, perhaps to take in the beauty of changing leaves, feel the crisp air, and sit with quiet for a moment. As we return to the second half of the semester, the campus feels alive with energy, ideas, and community. I so appreciate both the stillness and the activity! 

This fall has already offered a wonderful array of events that showcase our vibrant intellectual life here at Grand Valley. The Art Museum hosted Artificial Intelligence and Ethics in the Humanities which brought together faculty experts to explore the ethical, environmental, and societal implications of AI. The Undergraduate Research Fair connected students with faculty and community partners to learn about opportunities for research and creative inquiry. The  Climate Change Education Solutions Summit and Global Climate Change Week engaged participants around the world in advancing education and action on climate change through shared learning and collaboration. As part of the GVSU Arts Celebration, Poetry Night welcomed Pulitzer Prize winner Tyehimba Jess, whose powerful works blend history, music, and narrative innovation.   

The weeks ahead promise even more opportunities to connect and learn. Decolonizing Our Future: Truth, Sovereignty, and Student Success will feature Ojibwe scholar and author Dr. Anton Treuer, exploring truth, sovereignty, and the transformative work of decolonization. Dr. Judy Whipps returns to campus for the Philosophy Colloquium Series, offering insight into Mary McLeod Bethune's legacy and her contributions to feminist pragmatist thought. The GVSU Arts Celebration continues with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, blending powerful storytelling and bold, expressive movement in a performance that celebrates collaboration, culture, and the next generation of artists. The annual Teach-In invites mutual learning on equity and justice, and the Campus Food Drive supports the Replenish Student Food Resource Fund, helping ensure that all Lakers’ basic needs are met. 

Take time to participate in the activities that bring you joy and connection. Each moment of engagement strengthens our shared journey of learning and discovery. 

Best, 

Jen 

Thank you for the energy and wisdom you have brought to creating the Academic Affairs Strategic Framework (AASF) over the past few months. We heard from faculty and staff across six campus forums. We also heard from the Student Senate and the AP Executive Committee. Each conversation was thoughtful and fruitful. Many of you participated in unit- and college-level discussions that generated additional insights. We also received dozens of individualized submissions through the web form, and we connected with leaders across all divisions at GVSU.  More than 700 individuals provided feedback, which has been reviewed and is helping guide refinement of the framework. Your feedback suggested our framework was trying to do too much, and you’re right. We’re focusing our efforts to make it clearer, more actionable, and aligned with our shared priorities. 

A glimpse of what we heard

Where we are now 

The Provost’s Cabinet is reviewing the AASF based on your feedback and prioritizing the work that will be activated first in the Academic Affairs Strategic Plan (AASP). Not everything in the framework will move forward at once. We will sequence the work to match institutional capacity. 

What comes next 

Thank you for your honesty, feedback, and care for this shared work. Your engagement is helping shape a focused Academic Affairs Strategic Plan that promotes excellent teaching, supports our scholarly activities, fosters joy in our work, and enhances student success. We will share the finalized Academic Affairs Strategic Plan at the end of this semester. 

Student Success

During the Winter 2024 semester, the Office of the Provost provided support for five cohorts of faculty teaching BIO 120, BMS 250, CHM 109, PSY 101, and WRT 120, 130, and 150 to participate in the Gardner Institute’s Gateways to Completion (G2C) program. The G2C program provides the structure and support for a data-driven, systematic approach to course redesign with a specific focus on high DFW gateway courses. Now in their second year of the program, G2C faculty have completed an in-depth course, department, and institutional self-study and are actively implementing course policies and practices designed to address the identified challenges and best practices for first year student success. Collectively, faculty in these five courses instruct nearly 10,000 students per AY, making their commitment to this work a high-impact action for the university in support of student success. 

While most cohorts are still in pilots of their redesign strategies, early successes to date include:

For more information, please contact Janet Vigna, Associate Dean at vignaj@gvsu.edu

Updates

LIFT Student evaluation surveys will be available to students during the last two weeks of the semester. To encourage high response rates, instructors are expected to set aside 15 minutes of class time for students to complete the surveys. More information about the LIFT system, including short videos that can be shown in class, can be found at www.gvsu.edu/lift. Please note that units that want to modify formative or open-ended items on the LIFT forms must have approval from the LIFT Management Committee before making changes.

Examination week this semester is December 6-13. 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 site (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. 

Commencement is scheduled for December 6, 4:00 p.m., at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. If you plan to attend and process, complete the RSVP form on the Commencement website to receive additional information and your parking permit.

As faculty prepare for winter semester, there are policy matters to keep in mind:

Ensuring that syllabi clearly describes the professor's expectation 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. 

Each February during the Faculty Awards Convocation, excellent faculty are honored for a range of accomplishments: teaching, scholarship, service to the institution and community, and mentoring students. The nomination deadline for these awards is November 1. See the Office of the Provost website to learn more about the criteria and nomination processes.

GVSU's first Digital Transformation (Dx) Strategy, launched in 2021, has guided major IT advancements - like Laker Dock, Zoom Phone, upgraded Wi-Fi, modernized classrooms, and data-driven decision-making. Now, IT is refreshing the Dx Strategy to align with Reach Higher Together. Share your voice through surveys and listening sessions to help shape GVSU's digital future. The first survey is open and available for feedback through early 2026.

The Johnson Center for Philanthropy holds the Juan Olivarez Learning Equity Endowment. Awards from the endowment are now available to support problem-solving, intellectual curiosity, and relationship-building between full-time GVSU faculty and Michigan nonprofits with annual budgets under $200,000. Participants are each eligible for a $1,000 honorarium to support collaboration. For more details, examples of eligible projects, or to apply for support, visit the Johnson Center website.

The latest episode of GV Faculty Focus highlights a grant opportunity for faculty and staff. Leah Breen, Associate Vice President for Education, Innovation, and School Services, joins President Mantella to discuss the 30th anniversary of the Charter Schools Office. As part of the celebration, an initiative called Impact 30 offers grants to GVSU faculty and staff for innovative projects that enhance learning opportunities and provide scalable solutions.

The McNair Scholars Program supports first-generation, limited-income students planning to pursue a Ph.D. after graduating. Scholars participate in a 15-month program with academic advising, graduate school application preparation, and funding for research, travel, and grad school visits. There is also free summer housing and a stipend during our summer research program. Please share with students who you think would be a good fit and encourage them to complete the interest form on the McNair Scholars Program website.

The application is now open for the second annual Strategic Enrollment Management Leadership Academy (SEMLA). This is open to all faculty/staff across the university who are interested in learning more about strategic enrollment management at GVSU. Areas covered include Admissions and Recruitment, Financial Aid, Records and Institutional Analysis, Federal TRIO programs and Office of Student Support and Belonging. Successful completion earns a certificate through OMNI. 

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 Sanjivan Manoharan, Associate Professor of Engineering, on his six-year, $1,978,256 grant from the National Science Foundation for "Building Engineering Pathways for Low-Income Undergraduates through Integrated Support Structures." This project aims to recruit, retain, graduate, and establish career pathways for 24 academically talented engineering students.

Congratulations to Doug Graham, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, on a contract with Skytron, LLC to assess the germicidal effectiveness of disinfecting lamps in a simulated operating room environment.

Congratulations to Jeff Williams and the Johnson Center research team for completing a multi-year evaluation for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on its Hybrid: Flexible Purpose model. The study explored staff experiences, operational needs, and impacts on grantees and communities. Findings will be shared with the philanthropic sector at the Independent Sector national conference in Atlanta this October.

Jeff Kelly Lowenstein, Associate Professor of Communications, co-authored Comrade King.  At the age of 50, Khulu Radebe discovered that he was a king. He was informed that he was the ruler of the AmaHlubi people of the Embo Nation, a nation that stretches along the east coast of Africa. In chronicling his extraordinary life and times in this landmark autobiography, Radebe, in a humane and vivid way, chronicles too the revolutionary path for freedom in South Africa. Click here to learn more about this book.

Events

The Inclusion and Equity Institute offers free, dynamic, and helpful workshops on a variety of topics. For a complete list of upcoming workshops and to RSVP, visit the Inclusion and Equity Institute for Lakers website.

Grand Valley State University's Native American Advisory Council (alongside campus partners) will host renowned Ojibwe scholar and author Dr. Anton Treuer for a compelling public lecture, "Decolonizing Our Future: Truth, Sovereignty, and Student Success," on October 28, 6:30 p.m., Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus. Visit the Multicultural Affairs website to learn more.

Russia's aggression. China's rise. The future of NATO. In a moment of global uncertainty, former ambassadors to NATO Julianne Smith (Biden Administration) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (first Trump Administration) join the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies for "Our American Allies: NATO and the Future of U.S. Power," a candid, bipartisan conversation on what U.S. leadership and alliance building must look like in the years ahead. This event will take place on October 30, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Judy Whipps, Professor Emerita, is returning to GVSU on November 7, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m., 107 Manitou Hall, Allendale Campus, to give a talk on Mary McLeod Bethune. Bethune was an educator, women's club leader, and political activist who was a forerunner in the civil rights movement. Her activism positions her in the feminist pragmatist dialogue. This talk is a part of the Philosophy Colloquium series.

Dr. Emmanual A. Guillory, Senior Director of Government Relations at the American Council on Education, will be the keynote speaker at this year's Teach-In on November 13, 10:30-11:50 a.m., 1008 Seidman Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A national higher education advocate and The Hill's Top Lobbyist, Dr. Guillory champions opportunities for college students and underrepresented communities. His engaging presentation will empower students to use their voices, build connections, and help shape the future of higher education. Visit the Teach-In website to learn more. 

In Case You Missed It

10/21 - GVNext Article: GVSU partners with Michigan Central to expand workforce development and educational opportunity in Detroit
10/23 -  PEC Newsletter: Dr. Anton Treuer to speak Oct. 28; New training to understand disability accommodations at GVSU
10/24 -  A Message from President Mantella: Focused Investment, Strategic Growth and Statewide Reach

Important Dates and Links

Previously Shared Events
10/29 - 3-Minute Scholar Event - 5:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
10/30 - Our American Allies: NATO and the Future of U.S. Power - 6:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
11/7 - Philosophy Colloquium Series: Mary McLeod Bethune: Pragmatism and Social Rights - 3:00 p.m., 107 Manitou Hall, Allendale Campus
11/13 - Teach-In Keynote Speaker - 10:30 a.m., 1008 Seidman Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Dates
11/26-30 - Thanksgiving Recess
12/6-13 - Exam Week
12/6 - Commencement
12/16 - Grades Due by 12:00 p.m.

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.