Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to week 4. I hope everyone is doing well and that students remain engaged and enthusiastic.

Last week I mentioned our focus this year on developing GVSU’s capacity to prepare our students for the future.

While we cannot possibly claim to know what jobs our students will hold in 20 or 30 years from now, we do have strong indicators for what the major issues, and what the major social and economic drivers will be. The three drivers, in my opinion, are: Technology, Sustainability, and Health. These three drivers intersect and interact with each other and with every other discipline in some interesting ways.

Last April, when I started meeting with Padnos College of Engineering and Computing (PCEC) faculty and staff to prepare for the Dean search, the conversations surfaced many interesting visions and opportunities for the college and for the university. These meetings led us to broaden the conversation from what profile should we look for in the next PCEC Dean, to what domains in engineering and computing should we prioritize at GVSU, and how these disciplines could interact with each other and with the rest of the university. We organized a facilitated PCEC retreat in July, and, in collaboration with faculty from PCEC, produced a white paper that synthesized the conversations and possibilities. This included the option of splitting the college into two entities: one focused on growing engineering with more explicit ties to green and blue economy, and the other focused on computing, as a discipline on its own right as well as a transformational platform for every discipline, every science, and every human endeavor. This summer Berkeley has created a new college with a very similar focus, College of Computing, Data Science and Society.

While the conversation started in PCEC and focused on this college, I want to make sure that any recommendation I make accounts for the impact on other units and faculty and benefits from everyone’s voice, insight, and wisdom. My office will schedule town hall sessions in the coming few weeks. Please watch your email for an invitation and a survey. I hope everyone can attend at least one session, and if not, please fill out the survey to add your input.

Have a great week everyone,

Fatma

Active Learning Classroom Survey Results
Thank you to the more than 100 faculty who responded to the recent survey on scheduling and usage of our active learning classrooms. The results are being shared with associate deans to inform scheduling for 2024-2025. They are also being shared with the Academic Space Committee to inform decisions about more active learning classrooms.

Teaching in Honors: Information Session
Curious about Teaching in Honors? Learn more at an information session on Monday, October 2, 4:30 p.m., Multipurpose Room, Niemeyer Learning & Living Center, Allendale Campus. Information will be shared on the Honors curriculum, the easy course proposal process, and our ongoing Faculty-in-Residence program. Food and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP to Robyn Toth (tothr@gvsu.edu) if you would like to attend.

Social Media & Online Harassment
GVSU’s University Communications hosts a site on the topic of social media at GVSU, including guidelines and best practices. Recently posted to the site is advice for GVSU faculty and staff on dealing with online harassment, such as doxing and trolling.

GVSU CARE Team
The Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution has a one-stop resource for reporting student conduct, Title IX, campus climate, or other student incidents/concerns. Visit the CARE website to learn more about when a referral should be made and how to submit a report. 

Congratulations to Jennifer Moore and Paul Keenlance, Associate Professors of Biology, for their $281,000 grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior to further their wood turtle conservation work. The project will assess areas where wood turtles and raccoons cohabitate. Because raccoon predation is recognized as a primary threat to wood turtle populations, understanding how they co-use the landscape is crucial for safeguarding turtle habitat and nesting sites.

Paleo-Olympics 2023
The Paleo-Olympics will take place on Friday, September 22, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Library North Lawn, Allendale Campus. This annual event brings the university community together for games, demos, and other activities. Join in and play actual ancient games, as well as fun modern games inspired by the ancient world. Educational activities include demonstrations by professors and students, showcasing a variety of ancient skills, crafts, and puzzles.

Fall 2023 Arnold C. Ott Lectureship in Chemistry
Two seminars will feature Dr. Daniel Nocera from Harvard University. Dr. Nocera will describe advances his group has made in the area of alternative energy. A Community Lecture titled "The Global Energy Challenge" will take place on Thursday, September 28, 6:00 p.m., Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus. A chemistry lecture titled "Food and Fuel from Thin Air, Any Water and the Sun" will be on Friday, September 29 at 1:00 p.m., Pere Marquette Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus.