Dear Colleagues:

Last week I shared the Academic Affairs Strategic Framework and 2026 Action Plan.  The framework, along with the Reach Higher Together priorities, serves as our guide for the next five years. It establishes our priorities and values and directs where we will spend our time, talent and resources. Like the Reach Higher Together priorities, the Academic Affairs Strategic Framework was built with the voices of GVSU faculty, staff and students. It reflects our shared vision for the future of academics at the University.  

As President Mantella shared in her email earlier today, divisional planning across the institution will now move forward, aligned and integrated with the Academic Affairs Strategic Framework. I am excited about this collaboration across the institution. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to this work.  

As President Mantella also noted, GVSU has a renewed and explicit commitment to financial stewardship. As we approach the Board of Trustees' review of our next budget at their July 2026 meeting, all divisions are working to identify dollars that could be reallocated to institutional strategic priorities. Academic Affairs is approaching this work holistically—not simply reducing costs, but thoughtfully repurposing resources so we can directly support students, faculty, and staff while ensuring sustainability over the long term. I am grateful to be at Grand Valley during this particularly challenging time for American higher education, as our institution’s history of thoughtful stewardship allows us to plan from a position of relative fiscal strength. 

Over the next three years, Academic Affairs will focus on strengthening the foundations that will help us stay rooted as we face the headwinds and build our future. This work centers on investing in our people, ensuring that faculty and staff have the support they need to thrive. It also prioritizes investing in our students and building equitable pathways to their ongoing success. We will be creatively rethinking and realigning our work, breaking down silos and building community. The goal is to ensure that we remain stable, direct our resources to our strategic priorities, and stay laser focused on student success. 

This work cannot be done alone. We will engage broadly with faculty, staff, and students to ensure alignment with our mission, vision and values and to foster what our School of Communications colleague Dr. Adrienne Wallace called “strategic hope” in her Faculty Convocation speech last week. To make space for shared conversation, several events will take place in the upcoming weeks. Please make time to attend. 

Budget 101: Understanding the GVSU Budget 

As we continue to work together to develop our shared vision and priorities in a fast-changing educational landscape, it’s increasingly important that all members of the GVSU community understand the GVSU budget, how it works, and the levers available for budget changes. In this introductory session co-sponsored by University Academic Senate, the Office of the Provost, and the Shared Leadership Steering Committee, experts on GVSU budget planning, including colleagues from the Office of Finance and Administration, will introduce Academic Affairs faculty and staff to how the GVSU budget functions, where resources are prioritized, and how budgets are allocated. Please RSVP to reserve your seat.

Budget 201: Understanding Budgetary Levers 

Staff from the Office of the Provost will facilitate a discussion about the financial planning levers available to the Division of Academic Affairs. Participants will identify the primary drivers of cost for the division and engage in a hands-on exercise exploring the impacts of changing various budgetary levers such as faculty workload, class size, and other factors. A discussion on the financial and non-financial impacts of each choice, the tradeoffs between the choices, and which options are most appropriate for us as an institution and as a community will follow. Please RSVP to reserve your seat.

Finally, I would like to share that I am starting the process of aligning resources with priorities by reorganizing the Office of the Provost. This is challenging work, and I am grateful for the leadership of the team. This restructuring includes reducing higher-level administrative positions and expanding opportunities for faculty leadership. As details become finalized, I will share more about our new structure and other strategic administrative changes. 

We will navigate these complicated times guided by our mission, vision, and values. Thank you for your passion and care as we move Grand Valley forward together. 

Best, 

Jennifer Drake, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs