Lakers Ready

Division of Academic Affairs

February 5, 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,

Over the last two weeks we, Vice Presidents Hall-Jones, Truss, and Provost Mili, hosted three town halls around the theme of student success and retention. The three town halls were attended by approximately 150 people with a balanced representation of faculty, staff, and administrators from across our campuses.

We want to express our most sincere gratitude to all of you who attended, participated, and shared your experience and insight in a Laker spirit: caring, thoughtful, and innovative. We also want to thank several of our colleagues who took notes and shared them with us. We are still reflecting on the insight and input collected but we wanted to echo back the main overarching themes that we heard from you.

The first theme was the spirit of collective ownership. Participants came with a strong sense of collective ownership of student success. Our raison d’être is student development and student success, and this theme was clear in what many of you said passionately to us. This fills us all with pride, but also with a solemn sense of responsibility. Many participants came to share what they have tried, what worked, and where they would appreciate help and support.

The second theme that we heard is that we are all experiencing accelerated changes in our students. Students have always changed but these changes have accelerated across all higher education. In the words of a faculty member present, “what I am doing in the classroom today does not look anything like what I was doing 5 years ago.” And “my syllabus today does not look anything like my syllabus of 5 years ago.” The same sentiment of a changing campus landscape was echoed by staff and administrators. In the process of adapting and creating new and enhanced support systems for students, the university system is becoming more complex and harder for students to navigate. This puts additional responsibilities and duties on faculty and staff who are diligently adapting and coordinating their work. This work is rewarding, it is demanding, and it is changing. To do it well, and to sustain progress and succeed in it, we need to keep in communication, sharing effective practices and listening to and supporting faculty and staff.

The third theme is that of race. As we celebrate the timely growing diversity of our incoming class, we must deploy all efforts to ensure that every student is embraced as a Laker and achieves a sense of belonging and success in their Laker experience. Black faculty and staff participants pointed to several facets that impact the equity of experience and outcomes. For example, we are growing the number of Black students much faster than we are growing the number of Black faculty and staff. This gap impacts the students' sense of belonging, while also placing a heavy burden on the few Black faculty and staff who end up carrying a heavier load emotionally and otherwise, in caring for our students. This is happening during a time when the national context is challenging higher education in general and black (women) faculty and faculty of color in particular, including the departure of Dr. Claudine Gay at Harvard and the death by suicide of Dr. Candia-Bailey at Lincoln University. Black colleagues pointed to communications and casual conversations that are unintentionally reinforcing stereotypes. The desire to be heard and included when significant decisions are made that impact their work was also emphasized.

Many attendees expressed appreciation for the opportunity to come together to talk about this topic, to name the challenges they are facing, and to share resources and mutual support. A first step towards this sharing is a Student Success webpage that is currently under construction. We hope this webpage will remain useful and active as we invite as much input and conversation as possible. We will share the link soon and encourage your input and suggestions.

We want to renew our expressions of gratitude. Hearing from many of you directly has been extremely helpful. We know that we will be reflecting on what we heard, discussing it, and using it as a guide in our decision making as we honor GVSU unique character and continue to make it a stronger regional university committed to its noble mission.

Have a great week everyone,
Jenny, Donta, Fatma

Recently our Deans, Provost’s Cabinet, President’s Council and University Academic Senate have been examining GVSU’s opportunity and approach to extend our offerings to more working adults needing access to higher education. This work is consistent with our mission of access to a quality education and expands our reach to the large population of adult learners. This is why boosting adult education was identified as one of our five areas of focus. We are fortunate that our Board of Trustees attracted a President to GVSU with deep experience in serving adult learners that drew national attention for its quality and impact. In academic affairs, we have a colleague, Dr. Kara Van Dam, Vice Provost for Graduate & Lifetime Learning, who has also led this work on three university campuses and served hundreds of thousands of adults globally. The President and I have charged her with leading this area of focus.

There is a clear and compelling argument backed with data about the size of the adult learner population, their barriers of access, and the economic impact that access to education designed around their needs can make.

I am excited and supportive of the path before us, and confident we will work together in shaping our approach to embrace our mission and extend our programs further in service to adult learners. Over the coming months, you will find spaces and places to lend your voice and to help us shape this work for its maximum impact. We will provide an update and information about the work to our Board of Trustees in a meeting later this month and work collectively to ensure quality while we serve our leaners. A never-wavering commitment to quality curriculum and faculty make GVSU the ideal environment to scale learning, for all. I encourage you to check out this week’s Forum where you can find an article providing additional information about Dr. Van Dam, her passion for adult education, and the work underway to our additive effort in providing access for adult learners. Thank you for your participation and collaboration in this important work.

Fatma

Faculty Voices and Acknowledgements

Join us in honoring the outstanding contributions of our faculty at the Faculty Awards Convocation scheduled February 15, 4:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

University awards recognize outstanding achievements in teaching excellence, scholarly contributions that advance the professions and benefit society, mentorship that guides students successfully on their academic journey, and dedication to service to our University and the broader community.

Below are those that will be honored with CSCE Awards for Scholarly and Creative Excellence. 

Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Award

Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Award

Distinguished Early-career Scholar Award

For the complete list of Faculty Award recipients, please visit the Faculty Awards Convocation website.

As noted in previous communications, GVSU has joined The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) and is participating in the COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey. All tenure-line and affiliate faculty should receive emails this week, inviting them to complete the survey. COACHE will submit the findings to GVSU this summer, and in Fall 2024 GVSU faculty will be engaged to review the reports and to start to make changes. Details can be found on our GVSU COACHE website.

Empowered Education

Nominations are open for two student awards to be presented at the Student Awards Convocation on  April 8, 6:00 p.m., L.V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

All nominations are due by  February 9. Click on the links above to learn more about the awards and to nominate an outstanding student.

Join on February 16 and 17 to celebrate space exploration. Hybrid activities at the Seidman Center will feature talks on various STEAM topics, physics and engineering workshops, design challenge entries from 4th - 8th graders, and a keynote by astronaut Dr. Robert Satcher about the evolution of space medicine. The event is open to the public, free at GVSU, and free with admission at GRPM on Friday and Saturday. Register online for more information.

Engaged Scholarship

Adrienne Wallace, Associate Professor of Communications, edited Strategic Social Media as Activism Repression, Resistance, Rebellion, Reform. Drawing on a range of theoretical and empirical perspectives, this volume examines the roles strategic communications play in creating social media messaging campaigns designed to engage in digital activism. Click here to learn more about this book.

All GVSU students, graduate and undergraduate, are welcome to present their scholarly and creative work at Student Scholars Day (SSD) on April 10. Registration to present is open from February 5-23. Promotional materials for registration and the event are available through the website. Please encourage your students to consider presenting, or attending!

The 3MT® competition allows graduate students to present their research in just 3 minutes with the aid of a single slide. It provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to share their work with the broader community in a fun and exciting format. Please join us for the competition on February 14, 3:00-5:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus, and vote for the People’s Choice Winner.

The Graduate School Citations for Academic Excellence were created to recognize outstanding academic achievement of graduate students. Awards are given to students who have completed their program or are very close to completion. The Winter Graduate School Citation Awards will be on April 19, 5:00-8:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Updates

Looking to get more involved at GVSU but don't want to make a major time commitment? The Laker Ambassador Program may be for you. Laker Ambassadors, led by University Development, encourages philanthropic support for GVSU by sharing opportunities to give back to the university via their personal social media channels. You may participate as much or as little as your schedule allows and there is no financial commitment. Sign up today to be an ambassador for creating community and opportunity at Grand Valley.

Join the Military & Veterans Resource Center for Digitally Hug a GI Week and make a meaningful impact from the yard. Sign up today to share a snapshot of your military service on a yard sign that will be displayed on campus for GVSU's first-ever Digitally Hug a GI Week! Help spread positivity and gratitude digitally through our yard sign campaign in March.

Laker Store Text Collect is open for faculty and academic department staff to start entering Spring/Summer and Fall 2024 course materials requests, including GVSU SAVE digital materials. Please keep the Laker Store faculty relations team updated regarding staffing changes, so they can ensure the correct information is listed. If you have not yet participated in the GVSU SAVE program and are interested in doing so to help reduce course materials costs for students, please email, lakersave@gvsu.edu.

Events

Before the semester is too far underway, do you need help with your Bb gradebook? The eLearning team will hold virtual drop-in hours for questions and assistance during the following:

The Zoom meeting links are available on our eLearning Technologies website. If these times don't work, your eLearning liaisons can also schedule a consultation to review your Bb gradebook.

Dean Jackie Zhang will share three stories of his personal and professional journey: from patient care to population health management, from China to U.S, and from other public and private universities to GVSU. Join colleagues on February 19, 4:00 p.m., University Club, DeVos Campus, Pew Grand Rapids Campus, as we explore a variety of topics, perspectives, and ideas that empower us to form meaningful relationships and find common ground through impactful conversations in a relaxed and informal setting. RSVP your attendance plans.

Important Dates and Links

Previously Shared Events 
2/6 - Innovation Open House for Faculty - 2:00 p.m., futureEDlab, 3015 Zumberge, Allendale Campus
2/9 - Successful Approaches Toward Building a Workforce for the Blue Economy - 2:00 p.m., Multipurpose Room, AWRI Lake Michigan Center, Muskegon Campus
2/14 - 3-Minute Thesis Competition - 3:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/15 - Faculty Awards Convocation - 4:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/16 & 2/17 - 8th Roger That! Conference: Life in Space - Seidman College of Business and Grand Rapids Public Museum
2/19 - Laker Club Talk with Dean Jackie Zhang - 4:00 p.m., University Club, DeVos Campus, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/22 - Career and Internship Fair - 1:00 p.m., DeVos Place Convention Center, Grand Rapids
4/8 - Student Awards Convocation - 6:00 p.m., L.V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids 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
2/9 - Student Award Nominations Due
2/16 - AP Award Call for Nominations Due
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