Student responses to the LIB 100 Peer Mentor Program,
a new retention strategy, indicate that it is making a positive impact in its pilot semester. Designed by Jen Jameslyn, director of the Office of Integrative Learning and Advising, to bridge co-curricular and classroom content, the mentor program ran its pilot semester in Fall 2018. The program features a team of student employee peer mentors who host short discussions following LIB 100/201 campus events, lead service-learning events and host tours of campus resources such as the Knowledge Market and University Counseling Center.

 Designed by Jen Jameslyn, director of the Office of Integrative Learning and Advising, to bridge co-curricular and classroom content, the mentor program ran its pilot semester in Fall 2018. The program features a team of student employee peer mentors who host short discussions following LIB 100/201 campus events, lead service-learning events and host tours of campus resources such as the Knowledge Market and University Counseling Center.

During the Fall 2018 semester, the inaugural team of 5 peer mentors hosted 86 co-curricular events on campus and connected with more than 100 students at those events. Mentors also led 5 service-learning trips with 88 students, including 52 first-year students and visited 5 classes with 127 students. According to an assessment survey which was distributed to all LIB 100 students, 89% of students learned about new resources when a mentor presented to their class. Following a service-learning trip, 94% of students said they were more committed to their role as an active citizen in the community and 97% of students indicated an increased awareness of perspectives different than their own.

The Peer Mentor Program is continuing this semester with four peer mentors: Nokomis Clarey-Schultz, Chavala Ymker, Anna Szalay and Julia Ervin. For more information, visit the Office of Integrative Learning and Advising website.

Are you scheduled to teach a water-related course? The Making Waves About Water initiative is compiling a list of all water-related courses to feature on its website. Peter Wampler, professor of geology, faculty-in-residence in the Honors College and Making Waves co-leader, said listing all water-related courses on one website makes it easier for students to find a class. Wampler said “water-related” can be physical, metaphorical, symbolic, as well as aesthetic aspects of water. Making Waves will begin in the 2019-2020 academic year and create opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, resources and activities. To add a class to the list, please complete this online form. 

Julie Guevara, professor of social work, will assist acting dean Mark Schaub in the transition during the Winter 2019, S/S 2019 and Fall 2019 semesters. An experienced GVSU faculty member, unit head, and long-time Associate Vice President in the Provost’s Office, Dr. Guevara brings a great deal of experience and expertise in all areas of faculty work. She will help out the Brooks Dean's Office on an “as needed” basis and may be visiting departmental meetings, assisting the acting dean with meetings with faculty and unit heads, and other activities to support the work of the College during the transition before a national search is conducted.

Diane M. Wright, professor of modern languages and literatures (MLL) and Inclusion Advocate, will serve as the interim chair of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department beginning May 2019. A former chair of MLL (1997-1999) and most recently Spanish section coordinator (2016-2018), Diane teaches courses on Spanish language, culture and literature as well as a first-year interdisciplinary course in the Frederik Meijer Honors College. Her publications include topics concerning the interaction of oral and written modes of discourse, uses of rhetoric and memory, and the construction of the female speaking subject. Her current research project examines the representations of the Spanish female warrior. Diane follows Anne Caillaud, who has served as interim chair of women, gender and sexuality studies since 2018.