Lakers Ready

Division of Academic Affairs

January 26, 2026

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 want to start by saying thank you. Last week’s winter weather brought a quick pivot to remote work and learning, and I know that kind of shift is never simple. I’m grateful for the way you showed up for our students and for one another, with flexibility, creativity, and care. Your commitment to maintaining excellence while also keeping each other safe speaks volumes about who we are and what we value at Grand Valley. 

I also want to take a moment to celebrate our faculty colleagues who will be honored at our upcoming Faculty Awards Convocation. We will recognize excellent teaching, impactful scholarship, and meaningful service to our students, our institution, and our community. I hope you’ll join me at the event to congratulate them. You can find details about the event and the names of this year’s award recipients below.  

Thank you again for all you do, every day, for our students and for each other. 

Best, 

Jen 

Join your colleagues in honoring the outstanding contributions of our faculty at the 19th annual Faculty Awards Convocation on February 10, 4:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Adrienne Wallace, Associate Professor of Communications and recipient of the MASU Professor of the Year award, will give this year's convocation address.

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 our University and the broader community. Below are those that will be honored with University Awards for Excellence. 

Glenn A. Niemeyer Award
    Theresa Bacon-Baguley, Professor of Physician Assistant Studies
    Shabbir Choudhuri, Professor of Engineering
    David Leonard, Professor of Chemistry

Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award
    Katherine Moran, Associate Professor of Nursing

Outstanding University Service Award
     Karyn Rabourn, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Counseling

Outstanding Community Service Award
     Kathleen Bailey, Professor of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies 

Haas-Stiner Early Career Award for Undergraduate Mentorship
     Matthew Cooper, Associate Professor of Biology

Outstanding Advising and Student Services Award
     Jennifer DeWaard, Assistant Professor of Teaching and Learning

Internationalization Award
     Janel Pettes Guikema, Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures

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

Student Success

For many years, GVSU has used progress reports as a way to gain feedback on student achievement and academic behaviors in courses. Progress reports are sent to faculty in weeks four, eight, and 12 asking for insights as to how we can support Oliver Wilson Scholars, Battle Creek Pipeline Scholars and student athletes. Staff from these programs directly contact students to identify challenges and help the student succeed.

The process has been very cumbersome in the past but GREAT NEWS! Starting this term, progress reports will go out with all students listed in one report — no more multiple emails. Progress reports for the winter term will be sent on February 2, March 2, and March 30.

Tremendous thanks to faculty who participate. Your feedback allows support staff to quickly identify students in need of assistance and work with them to find support from connecting with tutoring, to addressing health issues, and more.  

GVSU allows students to register for courses through the first week of the semester. In accordance with this policy, faculty are expected to make accommodations for students who register late to engage in work such as completing assignments and quizzes which they may have missed.

Updates

Thank you for your continued engagement in the CLAS Dean search process. Because last week’s Coffee & Conversation with the candidate was canceled due to weather, this week’s session is also canceled to ensure consistency and equity for the candidates. Please join today’s candidate presentation, details are available on the CLAS Dean Search website. 

The Office of the Provost has launched the new Academic Affairs Communications Team to strengthen college-based communications through an embedded model. Each college will have a dedicated Director who works closely with its dean and leadership team while also being part of a coordinated, division-wide team that supports consistency and alignment across Academic Affairs units and initiatives. 

Three directors have begun serving in these roles: 

A fourth Director position will be posted in the coming weeks to support the Seidman College of Business and the College of Computing. 

All four Directors will report to AVP Mary Albrecht and will collaborate across Academic Affairs on division-wide initiatives. Funding for these roles comes from positions that have been transitioned to the Office of the Provost, allowing Academic Affairs to realign existing resources in support of this embedded, division-wide model. 

Nominations are open for two awards to be presented at the Student Awards Convocation on April 13, 6:00 p.m., L.V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

Gayle R. Davis First Generation College Student Emerging Leader Award
Glenn A. Niemeyer Award

All nominations are due by February 11. Visit the links above to learn more about the awards and to nominate an outstanding student. 

GVAssess is now open for programs to build their assessment plans. Please ensure that plans are completed by July 1, 2026. You can also input assessment data once your plans have been entered. The University Assessment Committee (UAC) will resume reviewing assessment reports in GVAssess for those due in Fall 2026 (August 1, 2026). For assistance, the GVAssess Quick Guide and video guide are available under the GVAdvance tab on the UAC website. Please reach out to uac@gvsu.edu with any questions. 

A new page on the Provost's website provides resources related to the partnership between the Divisions of Academic Affairs and Omni. The documents were developed collaboratively with input from shared governance and colleagues in both divisions and address frequently asked questions, the shared partnership agreement, the co-design model, criteria for online course development, and the shared revenue model.

The Winter Commencement ceremonies have been announced. For complete information about the ceremonies, visit the Commencement website. 

This program invites students, faculty, and staff to collect personal data for a week, draw it by hand, and share their creations at Student Scholars Day. This practice of slow data transmission provides a concrete connection between digital literacy and students' experiences. Events surrounding Dear Data can be found on the Libraries Events Calendar. Faculty can reach out to their liaison librarian with questions.

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 Sarah Johnson, Assistant Professor of Biology, on her award of $3,793 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coastal Program, via the Superior Rivers Watershed Association, for "Seed Bank Assay for Fish Creek Estuary." Dr. Johnson will be supporting an undergraduate student to complete and disseminate research on this project.

Congratulations to Carl Ruetz, Professor of Water Resources, on his award of $21,775 from the Manistee County Community Foundation for "eDNA techniques for conducting a standardized evaluation of 2025 Arctic Grayling reintroduction stocking efforts in the Upper Manistee, Boardman, and Maple Watersheds." This project will test both the success of the Arctic Grayling in Michigan and the effectiveness of the method of eDNA techniques for this work.

Whitt Kilburn, Associate Professor of Political Science, authored Introduction to Political Analysis in R. The book anchors two upper level Political Science courses and reflects the Political Science department's innovative approach to teaching politics through applied statistics and data science, through the study of legislative district gerrymandering, public opinion polls, and global development. Click here to learn more about this book.

Events

How are you experiencing this current moment in our country and world? This Campus Conversation on February 4, 6:30-8:00 p.m., 2204 Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus, seeks to offer a facilitated space for a community conversation about how people are doing. Our goal is to increase awareness, understanding, and mutual support on campus. Classes welcome. Registration required. INT 100/201 approved.

The 10th Roger That! Conference will be held February 20-21 at GVSU and the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The theme this year is Time and Space. There is an exciting line up of virtual speakers from 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on February 20, followed by in-person, family-friendly activities at the DeVos Center including workshops and panel discussions. NASA and SpaceX astronaut, Dr. Jeanette Epps, is the keynote speaker on February 20, 6:30 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus and on February 21, 11:00 a.m., at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for faculty to build community relationships that support research, scholarship, and student engagement. This workshop on March 20, 3:00 p.m., via Zoom, will explore how to increase visibility, extend reach, and grow your network. Participants receive profile feedback, practical tips, curated resources, and leave with a clear, actionable LinkedIn plan. Register on the Technology Commercialization Office website to receive the Zoom link.

University Technology Council is leading the update of GVSU's Digital Transformation (DX) Strategy, and you are invited to participate. Share your suggestions and feedback by completing a brief form and/or adding a town hall session. More information and registration links can be found on the IT website.

On May 12 and 13, the Technology Commercialization Office (TCO) invites you to an interactive workshop on developing external partnerships to advance faculty research, scholarship, and student engagement. Learn how to identify shared value, explore collaboration opportunities, and engage partners and GVSU support services. Apply strategies to real partnership ideas and hear insights from panelists and guest speakers. Learn more about the workshop, the times and locations, on the TCO website.

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.

In Case You Missed It

1/21 - MLK Events are being rescheduled

Important Dates and Links

Previously Shared Events
2/10 - Faculty Awards Convocation - 4:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/20 - 2/21 - 10th Roger That! Conference - Pew Grand Rapids Campus and the Grand Rapids Public Museum
3/20 - Connecting with Opportunity Workshop - 3:00 p.m., via Zoom
4/7 - SSD Keynote Address - 4:00 p.m., Pere Marquette Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
4/8 - Student Scholars Day
5/12 & 5/13 - Developing External Partnerships Workshop - 9:00 - 4:30 p.m. (5/12), 9:00 - 12:00 p.m. (5/13), GVSU Bike Factory, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Dates
2/23-27 - Mid-term Evaluations
3/8-14 - Spring Break
4/25-5/2 - Examination Week
5/1 & 5/2 - Commencement 

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.