Lakers Ready
Division of Academic Affairs
February 6, 2023
Lakers Ready is sent by the Office of the Provost
to faculty and staff within the Division of Academic Affairs
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In this issue of Lakers Ready
- Laker to Laker: Message from the Provost
- Faculty Awards Convocation
- Scholarship Highlight
- Updates
- Initiatives
- Centering Students
- Events
- Important Dates and Links
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Laker to Laker: Message from the Provost
Dear Colleagues,
As we near the halfway point of the semester, we are entering the critical period when some of our students may be wondering whether they have what it takes to succeed in their classes and complete the semester. The question for us is, “do we have what it takes to ensure every student we admit thrives?” None of us alone possesses this answer. No faculty member, no advisor, no financial aid staff, no staff, no RA, alone can tackle this opportunity. But if we pull all these resources together, connect, communicate, share, and act, we can make tremendous progress towards this goal. GVSU is rich in resources ( My Laker Success Resources), including research and evidence-based practices designed to encourage, support, and empower students. We do not expect any of us to have knowledge of all available resources and to expertly navigate them, we are here to help. I have three asks today:
- Please take every opportunity to check in with your students in the coming days and weeks. Ask them how they are doing, how they are feeling. Do not underestimate the power of your words and your influence. Their relationship to you is key. Use it to help them.
- Please take the time to remind students of the My Laker Success Resources, encourage them to use those resources (such as tutoring and GVSU Intersections), remind them of why they were designed and how they can help them.
- The persistence and success of every student is our collective job. We in the Office of the Provost are here to serve you. We set up this form for you to provide us with your thoughts. Please reach out to us with any questions, requests, comments, or feedback. A team in the Provost’s Office will monitor your input and get back with you within a timely fashion.
Now, two exciting announcements: GVSU Quest and Laker Accelerated Talent Link.
Thank you to all who recently shared key topics that are on your minds. This input inspired the need to create a forum to discuss these issues. The GVSU Quest series will be Academic Affairs’ forum to reflect on timely issues drawing on GVSU’s broad expertise and spirit of inquiry. These events are intended to help us frame the questions (thus the name Quest), discover connections, and hopefully generate many subsequent conversations and inquiries. The inaugural event will be devoted to ChatGPT and will take the form of a panel bringing expertise from Computer Science, Communications, Writing, Digital Studies, and IT. It will take place within the next couple of weeks. Please look for an invitation coming separately.
Finally, in support of career-connected liberal arts and sciences education, Grand Valley State University is launching a work-and-learning program with a group of inaugural West Michigan-based partners designed to accelerate the connection between College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students and employers. The program, the Laker Accelerated Talent Link, will pair Grand Valley students with partner companies that will provide an enhanced co-op experience. An initial cohort of 25 students will work with the partners for one year and commit to one additional year of employment after graduation. Students also will earn a certificate in an area related to business or technology that best matches the employers’ needs with the employers providing scholarships for these certifications. The program will be announced publicly in the next few days and will launch in August of this year.
Have a great week everyone,
Fatma
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Tuesday, February 14, 2023
4 p.m. - Ceremony
5 p.m. - Reception
Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center
Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Join Provost Mili and your Grand Valley colleagues in a ceremony to celebrate this year's awards for outstanding faculty achievement in teaching, scholarship, and service. In addition, faculty members who have reached milestone anniversaries for their years of contributions to the University will be recognized. See the Faculty Awards Convocation webpage for photos and accomplishments of the award winners.
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Scholarship HighlightCongratulations to Rachel Powers, Professor of chemistry, for her $127,000 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the evolution of carbapenem resistance. Carbapenems are last-resort antibiotics reserved for treatment of severe bacterial infections. Analysis of ²-lactamase enzymes found in soil bacteria offers the possibility of predicting how carbapenem resistance might evolve and could provide clinicians with an early warning system for the advent of novel resistance mechanisms in pathogenic bacteria.
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UpdatesShared Governance News
Official correspondence about shared governance decisions is available on the Faculty Governance website under the "UAS Recommendations and Provost Responses" button. Recent posts include: - Late Withdrawal Policy - Academic Policies and Standards Committee recommendation
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Centering Students
Withdraw with a "W" Grade - Deadline Changed
Provost Mili recently approved the Academic Policies and Standards Committee's (APSC) recommendation to change the withdrawal date with a "W" grade to the 11th week of the semester. The new deadline is effective for the Winter 2023 semester. Students may now withdraw from a course until Friday, March 24.
Student Awards Reminder
This is a reminder that nominations for the following student awards are due by February 13:
The Excellence-in-a-Discipline Awards honor one undergraduate and one graduate student in each academic major. Unit selections (submitted by the Unit Head) are also due by Monday, February 13.
GVSU Winter Career and Internship Fair
The GVSU Career Center is excited to announce our Winter Career and Internship Fair, which will be held in downtown Grand Rapids at the DeVos Place Convention Center on February 23. 230 employers will be in attendance hiring across majors and industries. All students and alumni are welcome to attend. Please direct your students to the Career Center preparation website to learn more, and encourage them to attend this important event.
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EventsSeminars, Lectures, and Performances
GVSU Arts Celebration Presents "How to Commit Crimes Against Reality" a Lecture by Adam Khalil
Artist and filmmaker Adam Khalil will share his collaborative, multi-disciplinary work in the visual arts. A member of the Ojibwe tribe, Khalil creates work rooted in Indigenous narratives that look forward to new and reimagined Indigenous futures. For a full listing of events surrounding Khalil's February 20-22 visit, see the GVSU Arts Celebration webpage.
Creating a Transformational Institutional Journey to Intentionally Serve Latino Students
Facilitated by Deborah Santiago, Co-founder and CEO of Excelencia in Education, this discussion is scheduled February 22, 9:00-10:30 a.m., Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus. What do Latinx students need from institutions of higher education? This session will highlight best practices in serving Latinx students. Excelencia in Education re-certified GVSU’s Seal of Excelencia in 2022 for our service to Latino students and demonstration of positive outcomes. In this presentation, we’ll explore how Grand Valley can expand upon the work already happening at the university to better serve our students and to learn more about the role that each of us can play.Register for the event here. Additional information is available on the Student Success Series webpage.
Fashion a New Image of Aging - 18th Annual Art & Science of Aging Conference
The Aging Conference is scheduled for February 24 and is a hybrid event: in-person at the GVSU DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, and streaming via Zoom. Keynote speaker: Dr. Tracey Gendron, Professor & author, Virginia Commonwealth University. Presentation: Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It. The conference features twenty workshops on aging-related topics, including student research posters. Our goal is to educate and inspire attendees to reimagine older people as resources, repositories of experience, wisdom, creativity, and curiosity. See the Conference website for additional information and to register your attendance which is open to all.
2023 GVSU Civic Engagement Showcase - Now Accepting Proposals
After three years, the Civic Engagement Showcase returns on April 6, 4:00-7:30 p.m., to the Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Please join colleagues at this "strolling fair" celebration of our civic engagement and community partnerships. Faculty, staff and students are invited to submit proposals this month to "Showcase" engagement activity through creatively designed displays that will capture the attention of attendees. Remarks will be given at 5:15 p.m. See the Civic Showcase webpage for additional information and to submit a proposal.
Professional Development
Faculty Fulbright Scholar Information Session
The Center for Undergraduate Scholar Engagement will host a Fulbright Scholar information session where participants will hear from GVSU colleagues who are recent Fulbright Scholars and from our campus Fulbright Liaison, Dr. Brenda Tooley. The event is scheduled February 10, 3:00 p.m., University Club, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Food will be served! There will be time for questions and good conversation with your colleagues about exciting opportunities within the Fulbright Scholar Program. Please register your attendance on Sprout.
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Important Dates and Links
Previously Shared Events
2/9 - Meijer Honors College Seminar Series: Joel Stillerman - 6:00 p.m. - Room 148, Niemeyer Learning & Living Center, Allendale Campus
2/10 - Faculty Fulbright Scholar Information Session - 3:00 p.m. - University Club, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/10-11 - Roger That! Conference
2/14 - Faculty Awards Convocation - 4 p.m. - Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/15 - OURS Get Involved in Undergraduate Research - 3:00 p.m. - Multipurpose Room, Holton Hooker, Allendale Campus
2/16 - 3-Minute Thesis Competition - 3:00 p.m. - Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
2/20-22 - "How to Commit Crimes Against Reality" a Lecture by Adam Khalil
2/22 - Creating a Transformational Institutional Journey to Intentionally Serve Latino Students - 9:00 a.m. - Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
2/23 - Meijer Honors College Seminar Series: Jakia Marie - 4:00 p.m. - Room 148, Niemeyer Learning & Living Center, Allendale Campus
2/23 - GVSU Winter Career and Internship Fair - DeVos Place Convention Center
2/24 - Fashion a New Image of Agining - 18th Annual Art & Science of Agining Conference - DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
3/23 - Meijer Honors College Seminar Series: Ellen Adams - 4:00 p.m. - Room 148, Niemeyer Learning & Living Center, Allendale Campus
4/6 - Meijer Honors College Seminar Series: Jeremiah Cataldo - 4:00 p.m. - Room 148, Niemeyer Learning & Living Center, Allendale Campus
4/6 - Civic Engagement Showcase - 4:00 p.m. - Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Dates
2/13 - Student Awards Nominations due
2/20-24 - Mid-term Evaluations
3/5-12 - Spring Break
3/24 - Withdraw with a "W" Grade Deadline
4/24-29 - Exam Week
4/28-29 - Commencement
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