Lakers Ready

Division of Academic Affairs

July 1, 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,

Several of you sent me their reflections and appreciations for the concept of Slow Productivity by Cal Newport sharing how you are putting it in practice. Thank you. It is amazing how being busy forces us to deliberately shield time to fully and deeply engage with one idea, one task, and how rewarding it is when we do.

Until we make it a regular practice, I trust we all have a few precious time sanctuaries. For me, flying is one such sanctuary. I am not tempted to get wireless; instead, I enjoy those hours with no texts, no emails, and no distractions. On my 8 hour flight back to the US this past week, I spent the time re-reading one of my favorite books: The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde. I re-read it looking for all the ways in which what we do, education, and scholarship, are much more appropriately framed as gifts, than as commodities that exist in the commercial world. They are gifts because they touch the giver as much as they do the receiver; they are gifts because their value stems not from their acquisition and possession but from their movement and circulation. They are gifts because they touch our souls, stretch our minds, and expand our compassion. Education and scholarship are gifts because they cannot happen in a vacuum; they require relationships and more importantly they weave new relationships and cultivate rich communities. It is the relational nature that makes the learning enduring.

I mulled this framing to think about the nature of Liberal Education, GVSU’s signature, and as a way to think of education in the age of AI.

Here are some interesting ideas and quotes from the book:

Art, (like education) lives in two different economies, one essential, one accidental.

"Works of art exist simultaneously in two 'economies,' a market economy and a gift economy. Only one of these is essential, however: a work of art can survive without the market, but where there is no gift there is no art."

On the relational nature of education:

"When gifts circulate within a group, their commerce leaves a series of interconnected relationships in its wake, and a kind of decentralized cohesiveness emerges."

And this paragraph just because it is so beautiful and applies so well to education:

"Between the time a gift comes to us and the time we pass it along, we suffer gratitude. Moreover, with gifts that are agents of change, it is only when the gift has worked in us, only when we have come up to its level, as it were, that we can give it away again. Passing the gift along is the act of gratitude that finishes the labor. The transformation is not accomplished until we have the power to give the gift on our own terms. Therefore, the end of the labor of gratitude is similarity with the gift or with its donor. Once this similarity has been achieved we may feel a lingering and generalized gratitude, but we won’t feel it with the urgency of true indebtedness."

May you all be experiencing daily joy and fulfillment from the many gifts moving through you.

With my highest regards,

Fatma

It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Felix Ngassa has accepted my offer to become the next Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs with responsibilities related to curriculum. Dr. Ngassa will join the Office of the Provost on July 6.

Dr. Ngassa joined Grand Valley in 2003 and is a Professor of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In addition to teaching, Dr. Ngassa most recently served as Chair of the University Academic Senate, completing an impressive seven-year term. He is the recipient of many Grand Valley awards, including the Glenn A. Niemeyer Award, the Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Award, and the Outstanding Educator Award. This past year, Dr. Ngassa participated in the competitive and prestigious American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship Program. Throughout the intensive program, he broadened his leadership perspectives by immersing himself in broad and detailed conversations at another institution and interacting with leaders in higher education. He is a strategic thinker, collaborative, thoughtful, and has a keen eye for details.

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Ngassa as he joins us in his new leadership role.

Engaged Scholarship

The summer issue of Grand Valley Magazine highlights AI research by Zachary DeBruine, Assistant Professor of Computing, which supports Corewell Health's rare disease division; a project from Sookkyung Cho, Associate Professor of Music, Theatre, and Dance, that takes student musicians into community spaces; and a story that introduces the new deans of computing and nursing. This issue also highlights students who traveled across the country for service projects and an alumni group who created a popular show on PBS.

Congratulations to Sara Maas, Outreach Coordinator in the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing, for receiving a $10,000 grant from the Eaton Charitable Fund to support the 2024 Science Technology and Engineering Preview Summer (STEPS) Camp. The camp brings middle school students to GVSU to explore engineering, applied technology, and careers with hands-on activities. STEPS seeks to increase the engagement of marginalized students in STEM fields, with a focus on aviation. This grant will support camp materials and high-impact experiences.

Jeremiah Cataldo, Professor of Philosophy in the Honors College, published Disembodying Narrative: A Postcolonial Subversion of Genesis. This work challenges dominant traditions of interpreting Genesis and explains how those traditions have influenced who we are, how we relate to each other, how we read the Bible, and why, despite an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, we passionately cling to what divides us. Click here to learn more about this book.

Updates

Planning to apply for a sabbatical this Fall? Request a sabbatical proposal preread from the University Sabbatical Review Committee for feedback on a draft proposal. Drafts received after the submission deadline of July 8 may not be reviewed.

The electronic sabbatical site is open for eligible faculty to submit a proposal. Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. on September 1. The sabbatical website provides a proposal template and helpful information for completing the proposal.

The Search Committee for the position of Assistant Director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution would like to invite all interested Faculty members to participate in the candidate presentations on the topic of "Meeting the Current Student Conduct Challenges of College Students". The presentations are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on July 12, July 15 and July 16. A virtual option will be available and an evaluation form will be requested. If you are interested in participating, please register at this website.

Events

Join Provost Fatma Mili and Provost's Cabinet members as we thank and celebrate AP and PSS staff members in the Division of Academic Affairs. There will be summer treats, laughter, conversation, and swag for those who want to participate in a fun activity. Join your Academic Affairs staff colleagues for one or all of the appreciation events by confirming your attendance plans. All events will be outside, with back up rain locations, if needed. 

South Allendale Campus: Tuesday, July 9, 3:00-4:30 p.m., Atrium, Haas Center for Performing Arts

Health Campus: Monday, July 22, 3:00-4:30 p.m., The Schowalter Family Terrace, 5th floor, DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health

North Allendale Campus: Tuesday, July 23, 3:00-4:30 p.m., Bonfire/Multipurpose Room, Holton Hooker Living Center

Pew Grand Rapids Campus: Monday, July 29, 3:00-4:30 p.m., Regency Room, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Important Dates and Links

Previously Shared Events 
7/9 - Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Event - 3:00 p.m., Atrium, Haas Center for Performing Arts
7/22 - Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Event - 3:00 p.m., The Schowalter Family Terrace, 5th floor, DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health
7/23 - Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Event - 3:00 p.m., Bonfire/Multipurpose Room, Holton Hooker Living Center
7/29 - Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Event - 3:00 p.m., Regency Room, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
8/22 - New Graduate Student Orientation - 2:00 p.m., Varies Events, Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
8/23 - New Graduate Student Orientation - 12:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
8/23 - New Graduate Assistant Orientation - 3:00 p.m., Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Dates
8/5-6 - Examinations: 2nd 6 and 12 Weeks

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

During the summer, Lakers Ready will be published biweekly: June 17, July 1, 15, 29, and August 12. Weekly distribution will return on August 26.