In this issue:

Dean's Message
Fall Kick-off Meeting Recap
Celebrations 
Recognitions
Community Engagement
College Governance
Annual Schedule Information
Classroom Issues
CECI Happenings
Did You Know?
Upcoming Events
Important Dates
Resources

Colleagues,

The semester is well and truly underway, and I hope you are fully engaging with our students.  As we step into this new academic year, we are greeted with fresh possibilities and renewed energy.  Our students are eager to learn, explore, and grow, and they look to us as guides and mentors.  It is our collective expertise and enthusiasm that will shape their experiences and success.  I can confidently say that CECI faculty and staff are not here to solely impart knowledge but to inspire curiosity, foster critical thinking, and build a supportive environment where every individual feels valued and empowered.  It is through our collaborative efforts that we create an atmosphere where excellence can flourish.

Please consider joining one of our strategic planning working groups.

• Empowering students and their success
• Capacity building for the future
• Advancing adult participant and post-graduate education
• Caring for people and culture
• Celebrating and nurturing research and scholarship
• Engaging with the community

Each working group should have four to six members.  By early November, each working group should propose two or three strategic planning objectives for the college to consider incorporating into its new strategic plan.  If you are willing to serve on one of these working groups and contribute to shaping the future, please contact Rita Cooper.

This year, let’s continue to support each other, celebrate our successes, and learn from our challenges.  Together, we can make this year one of our best yet—full of achievements, meaningful connections, and moments of joy.  Thank you once again for your dedication and for the role you play in making our college a place of excellence.

~Sherril

Thank you to all who were able to attend this year's kick-off meeting on Monday, August 19.  We hope you were able to mix and mingle with new and returning colleagues and learn more about academic freedoms.

Educational Leadership and Counseling
Tova Hartle, Assistant Professor
Tamara Johnston, Visiting Professor
Sarah Parker, Affiliate Professor
Tony Warren, Affiliate Professor

Literacy, Educational Foundations, and Technology
MaryJohn Adkins-Cartee, Assistant Professor
Sarah Chase, Affiliate Professor
Stacy Slomski, Grant Manager

Office of Certification and Accreditation
Jane Auchter, Department Coordinator 
Sacia Gilbertson, Graduate Assistant
Grace VanHaitsma, Graduate Assistant

School of Social Work
Jerry Hendrick, Visiting Professor
Mohammed (Didar) Hossain, Assistant Professor
Ronke Olawale, Assistant Professor

Teaching and Learning
Laura Holwerda, Visiting Professor
Liz Winter, Visiting Professor

Grow Your Own Grant
Jen Walenta, Clinical Experience Coordinator

Carrie Buist, associate professor in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies, received the Award for Professional Excellence from the Michigan State Police for her tireless work creating and leading the GVSU Cold Case Investigation course.  

Congratulations to CECI faculty who earned contract renewal, tenure, or promotion during the Winter 2024 semester.

Contract Renewal
Jen DeWaard, T&L
Julia Snider, T&L

Early Tenure and Promotion
Joshua Bishop, SSW

Three CECI Spring/Summer sections get “five stars” based on student responses to the Laker Impressions of Faculty Teaching (LIFT) evaluations. These are sections with 3+ credits, a lecture/discussion format, a very high score in both satisfaction and challenge, a response rate over 50%, and an enrollment over 14 students for undergraduate courses or over 9 students for graduate courses.  The sections with five-star recognition in the Spring/Summer 2024 term are:

Laura Holwerda's EDI 630 03 (Teaching Mathematics: PK-6)
Julia Snider's EDS 652.02 (Foundations of Spec Ed)
Richard Geisel's EDL 670.01 (School Law)

Note that the five-star recognition is not a list of all courses with high student satisfaction, nor is it a formal teaching evaluation.  Rather it is equivalent to a “student choice” award and thus is intentionally a statistical rarity.

Thank you to Laura, Julia, and Richard for keeping your students happy.

Erica Hamilton, associate professor in Literacy, Educational Foundations, and Technology, will serve as interim vice provost of the Graduate School, overseeing policies and procedures, enrollment management, communication with graduate students, and curriculum and program review.  Hamilton most recently served in the Provost's Office as assistant vice president for Academic Affairs.  Forum article.

Salvatore Alaimo, professor in the School of Community Leadership and Development, was a recent guest on the Nonprofit SnapCast podcast discussing advocacy and lobbying with host, Mickey Desai.

Earlier this month, a group of new faculty and staff and a group of our international students enjoyed walking tours of downtown Grand Rapids, visiting important landmarks and hidden gems that revealed the local history, architecture, and culture.  The tours were guided by Candice Smith of Tours Around Michigan. 

Renovations are continuing on GVSU's Holland Campus for the GVSU Police Academy with new classrooms, computer labs, and training facilities.  The 54th recruit class began this fall with 44 cadets at the inaugural Holland campus.

The 2024 Summer Institute was a three-day workshop for our educators and partners and provided a deep dive into place-based stewardship education.  Educator and local partner participants conducted community scans of the downtown campus, learned about partnerships through hands-on programming at the Public Museum, researched water quality by sampling a local creek for macroinvertebrates, and even conducted their own stewardship project: painting and installing rain barrels at the Downtown Community Garden!  The days were packed with content and immersive learning.  Participants showed up each day ready to learn and engage alongside the Groundswell team, and fantastic visiting presenters from the museum, local non-profits, and other field experts contributed their facilitation to a great professional learning opportunity.  Overall, teachers received 21 SCECH credits for attending, a certificate of completion at the conclusion of the three days, and a surplus of resources to take back to their school or organization.  Groundswell offers professional learning opportunities for educators throughout the academic year; go to gvsu.edu/groundswell to learn more! 

The new Birth to Kindergarten program currently has teacher candidates in their fourth year.  As part of a new partnership between GVSU and the Outdoor Discovery Center Network, teacher candidates are doing their clinical apprenticeship in the nature-based preschools alongside trained educators, social workers, and naturalists while also taking a strategies course on-site.  The passion of the educators there is truly infectious – this is the start of good things to come!

Hospitality and tourism students from around the world will get the opportunity to listen and connect with some of the industry’s top executives and insiders, thanks to a no-cost, online event, courtesy of GVSU.

The inaugural International Hospitality Students Day, an all-day livestream event, will unite students, educators, professionals, and anyone interested in the tourism and hospitality industry. Deborah Gardner, CMP, a 30-year hospitality veteran, will host and lead the discussion on her webcast, Hospitality Today Live Broadcast Show.

The livestream begins on Hospitality Today Live’s Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube channels, beginning at 9 a.m. EDT on Friday, October 4.  For more information, contact Kristy Jack.

CECI Governance Committees
All agendas and minutes are posted on our website.

Faculty Council briefly met with CECI faculty during the Fall Kick-Off Meeting to review committee charges and goals for the fall semester and provide updates on CECI committee assignments.  During the Fall 2024 semester, Faculty Council hopes to address the following four goals: 1) update Faculty Council charges to ensure no overlap with other standing CECI committees, 2) streamline CECI’s university and college election process, 3) formalize a process for raising faculty concerns, and 4) continue to strengthen communication between Faculty Council, standing CECI committees, UAS, and the Dean’s Office.

Below are the Faculty Council Committee meetings scheduled for the Fall 2024 semester.  All committee meetings will be on Wednesdays from 9:00 AM-10:00 AM via Zoom.  All Faculty Council Committee meetings are open to CECI faculty and an agenda with a Zoom link will be shared a week prior to each meeting.

Wednesday, September 18
Wednesday, October 16
Wednesday, November 20
Wednesday, December 4

Faculty Council is also asking CECI faculty to share any current concerns they would like the committee to address this upcoming academic year.  Faculty can submit feedback until Friday, September 20 using the following link: https://www.menti.com/al1m6r6o13xz

The CACC held its first meeting on August 28 to begin planning for the upcoming year.  We are continuing the Global Awareness Collaborative Colloquium (GACC) with a focus on Armenia.  The Keynote Presentation is scheduled for Monday, October 7 in the UClub beginning at noon with Sherie Klee and a fun round of trivia.  Next, will be the GVSU Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday, October 16 in the Louis Armstrong Theater beginning at 7:30 p.m.  More events are being planned, so check the GACC website often.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact your CACC representative.

Our representatives:
Jade Bowman, OCA
Paul Bylsma, ELC
Hannah Chiu, SSW GA
Rita Cooper, Dean's Office
Raymond Higbea, SCLD
Christopher Kierkus, SCCJLS - chair
Jamie Langlois, SSW
Kelly Lormand, T&L
Mei Mah, CEP
Rui Niu-Cooper, LEFT
Melanie Rabine-Johnson, UAC

Upcoming Meetings:
Wednesday, September 19 
Wednesday, October 16 
Wednesday, November 20 
Wednesday, December 11 

We are excited to invite all CECI faculty and staff to attend and participate in our first committee meeting on September 18 at 3:30 PM.  We would love to have your inputs, ideas, and feedback.  Look for an e-mail from Dr. Rick Vandermolen providing a location and zoom link.  Subscribe to the GVSU Education Programs channel on YouTube to be notified of future Big Byte webinars.  For past webinars, check out the technology and innovation committee’s website.

Please note these three Blackboard Ultra feature enhancements:

1) Assignments and Tests functions are now separated into two distinct features. Students will be able to view assignment instructions without starting an attempt.  In the past, some students appeared to have blank submissions for assignments when all they did was view the instructions.  To take advantage of this feature, faculty are encouraged to recreate their assignments. Read this Knowledge Base article for details.

2) Now you can get a little more creative with course document layouts!  Instructors can use multiple columns and rows that can be resized and edited in blocks.  Additionally, a new block type called Convert a file allows you to select a file from your computer and add its text and images directly to an Ultra document.  To assist you with this new functionality, read this Knowledge Base.

3) The Create Button (the familiar purple plus) is moving from the center to the left side of your screen for easier access.  Additionally, the Details and Actions panel will now be conveniently located on the far-right side of the screen, allowing for a more streamlined workflow.  These changes are designed to improve navigation and make your course management even smoother.

Also, note that registration for eLearning webinars is now conducted through Workday Learning.  Please allow up to 15 minutes to receive the Outlook calendar invitation, including the Zoom meeting link.  Departments can also request that webinar topics be customized and scheduled at their convenience.

New Coursedog trainings are being offered and will provide an overview of Coursedog class scheduler. Topics will include how to navigate Coursedog and the Section Dashboard, schedule rounds and open editing in the Section Editor, requesting changes outside of schedule rounds, and other important tips. 

The annual schedule deadlines for the 2025-2026 academic year are also available. 

Check out the Registrar's Schedule Changes website for Coursedog trainings, annual schedule deadlines, and much more.

For any classroom issues or suggestions, please use the FIXIT webpage.

For support in classroom and conference room environments, please use the Academic Technology & Support - IT Classroom Issues webpage. 

The CECI Happenings is an informational form that can submitted by any faculty, staff, or student to promote an event, publication, etc. for our social platforms and newsletter. 

The GVSU Alumni Relations Office in partnership with the Seidman College of Business and supported by CECI and the other GVSU colleges, contracted with Lightcast, a global leader in labor market data, to conduct a national online survey to collect career pathway data from alumni.  The National Alumni Career Mobility Survey (NACM) was administered in March, April, and May 2024.  It queried undergraduate alumni who completed their degree in 2013 or 2018.  The survey collected information on career satisfaction, economic mobility, employment history, community engagement, and student loan debt.  It also queried the alumni on their career preparedness obtained at GVSU through their acquisition of competencies, career advising from various sources, high-impact learning activities, and extracurricular participation.

Note that Special Education had only four alumni return surveys. Therefore, Special Education is excluded from program breakouts.

More NACM data related to CECI programs is available by clicking on the button below.

September 18 - CECI Technology and Innovation Committee Meeting at 3:30 PM
October 4 - International Hospitality Student's Day
October 5 - Fall Laker Open House - Kirkhof Center - 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
October 7 - GACC Keynote Presentation - UClub - 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
October 16 - GACC GVSU Symphony Orchestra - Haas Center for the Performing Arts - 7:30 p.m. 
October 20 - 22 - Fall Break
October 25 - Fall Laker Open House - Kirkhof Center - 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
November 12 - Majors Fair - Location TBD
November 13 - Teach-In - Seidman 1008 Multipurpose Room
November 14 - Teach-In - Kirkhof Center
November 14 - CECI Fall Social - Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall - 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
November 16 - Fall Laker Open House - Kirkhof Center - 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
November 27 - December 1 - Thanksgiving Recess
December 7 - 14 - Examination Week
December 7 - Classes End and Commencement
December 14 - Semester Ends
April 14 - Year-End Winter Meeting - Seidman 1008 Multipurpose Room

The 12th Annual Teach-In will be in a hybrid format (in-person and virtually).

Wednesday, November 13 at Pew Campus in Seidman Center, 1008

Thursday, November 14 at Allendale Campus in Kirkhof Center

More details on the Teach-In website.

FALL PERSONNEL ACTIONS
August 26 - Fall Personnel Portfolios due to Unit Heads by 11:59 p.m.
October 25 - Unit Head submits appropriate fall personnel documents to Dean
October 31 - Dean forwards fall personnel documents to CPC
November 15 - CPC submits fall personnel recommendations to Dean
December 20 - Dean submits fall personnel recommendations to Provost
January 31 - Provost makes fall personnel decisions and notifies all appropriate people

SABBATICALS
September 1 - Sabbatical Leave Proposals due no later than 11:59 p.m.
September 23 - Revised sabbatical leave proposals are due
September 30 - Unit sabbatical recommendations due
November 15 - University Sabbatical Review Committee recommendations are due
December 15 - College Dean sabbatical recommendation is due
January 31 - Provost sabbatical decision is due

FACULTY WORKLOAD PLANS (FWP)
October 1 - Faculty Workload Plans due

WINTER PERSONNEL ACTIONS
October - Candidates for winter personnel actions can apply in writing to the Dean.

Thanks to all those who contributed to the September 2024 edition of CECI Connections:
Dean Sherril Soman, Mara Spears, Emily Nichols, Kathryn Ohle, Mark Hoffman, Paul Stansbie, 
Jackie Doyon-Martin, and Pooja Gadige

If you have any questions or suggestions or want to share your newsworthy information with us,
please use the link below.

cecidean@gvsu.edu | (616) 331-6821 | gvsu.edu/ceci