A Message from VP Shorty

Dear colleagues,

Whew, we made it through April! As we transition into the summer months, I want to celebrate the incredible dedication, resilience, and care each of you brings to our Grand Valley community. The past academic year has brought both significant accomplishments and its share of challenges, and I sincerely hope this season offers you the space to truly rest, recharge, and prioritize your own well-being.

A special congratulations to all our colleagues who recently graduated – what a fantastic achievement! And thank you to everyone who made our commencement ceremonies such a resounding success. Your hard work and commitment to our students is truly appreciated.

This summer, please take a moment to prioritize yourself and engage in whatever activities bring you joy. Whether you're teaching summer courses, engaged in research, preparing for the fall semester, or catching up on emails, I encourage you to take that well-deserved time for yourself and take your vacations. Remember, rest is not just a pause—it's an essential part of sustaining the important work we do together.

Looking ahead, we are continuing to closely monitor changes in the federal landscape that may impact our students, faculty, and staff. For the latest updates and information, please continue checking The Hub—your go-to space for all university messages and resources.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all that you do for our students and for one another. I am looking forward to the many celebrations we have ahead. Again, I wish you a restful and restorative summer, and hope to see you around campus soon!

Sincerely,

Robert Shorty
Vice President for People, Equity, and Culture
Chief People and Inclusion & Equity Officer

The next cohort of Leading Lakers: Activate will begin fall 2025. All individuals interested in engaging in the leadership programming must start by completing this foundational tier 1 program, Activate. 

To participate, submit your interest for the upcoming cohort of Activate by August 7, 2025. This cohort will take place on Tuesday September 9, 2025 and Tuesday September 16, 2025, on the Valley Campus in the Kirkhof Center (KC), room 2263. All regular, full-time employees (AP, PSS, Faculty, MGS, POAM, COAM, Security Staff) are eligible and encouraged to submit an interest form. 

The GVSU Cornhole Tournament returns on May 22, with the first bags being thrown at 11 a.m. Only a few spots remain on the bracket–find a teammate and a corny team name, sign up for your chance at being the 2025 champions, and start practicing your throws! Register today.

Leadership Roundtable: Lead, Develop, Care – A Leadership Framework
June 3, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Valley Campus

Have you ever paused to think about how you lead? Explore a practical framework to help bring clarity to your leadership.

Best Practices for Effective Interviewing
June 12, 2-3 p.m., Valley Campus

Learn the skills needed to conduct effective interviews, create tailored questions, and make informed decisions. 

On May 13, Inclusion & Equity hosted a retreat for dedicated leaders from GVSU’s eight affinity groups. The day's agenda created space to come together and strengthen their collective impact and shared purpose across campus. The retreat was rich with reflection, connection, and collaboration – allowing leaders to deepen relationships, explore new strategies, and envision bold ways to advance equity and belonging for faculty, staff, and students. 

Learn more about Faculty and Staff Affinity Groups at GVSU and how to get involved.

As we seek to advance an inclusive campus climate, the religious, secular, and spiritual dimensions of faculty, staff, and students must be taken in to consideration. Join us via Zoom on June 4, 10-11:30 a.m., for a discussion on recent trends that have impacted America's religious diversity, to better understand how religious, secular, and spiritual identity impacts student experiences, and gain knowledge of resources to create a healthy multi-faith campus environment. Learn more and register.

Thank you to everyone who joined the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX for Resolution Pool training on April 16! We are excited to share that the pool now includes 51 colleagues, representing 34 departments across campus. We want to recognize our PEC Division colleagues who have pursued this opportunity to develop their critical thinking and professional neutrality skills in service of the OCRTIX resolution process:

We rely on this large, diverse group to process cases in a timely manner and prevent conflicts of interest. However, we can always use additional support! If you are interested in joining the Resolution Pool, please hold October 15 and 16 on your calendar for the next training session.

Service typically requires a time commitment of 8-15 hours spread across multiple weeks/months. All roles come with a $200 stipend upon completion of service. Learn more about the Resolution Pool.

Last month, we shared a number of examples of how you can work with your Employee Ombuds. While your Employee Ombuds is here to support you, there are a number of things the Ombuds cannot do due to the neutral, informal, independent, and confidential nature of the role, including:

Learn more about your Employee Ombuds.

Inclusion & Equity hosted an inaugural Shared Equity Leadership (SEL) Summit on May 2, bringing together faculty, staff, and students from across the university. The goal of the summit was to align and support the university in our shared work, and foster community amongst one another. In the midst of a challenging climate, the SEL Summit created space for participants to engage in honest dialogue, collaborative learning, and strategic visioning to align across divisions, units and departments. It aimed to support colleagues in deepening their capacity to lead equity efforts across campus and affirmed GVSU’s commitment to advancing equity through shared responsibility, courage, and care.

Wow, you made it all the way here! Enter for a chance to receive PEC swag as a thank you for your engagement ⚓️