Happy Tuesday, colleagues!

July has been full of so many amazing moments. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to present our work and continued momentum to the Board of Trustees. I shared our 2025-2026 annual report, highlighting people demographics, key work from the division, and an announcement of our Labor and Employee Relations team.

I am also happy to have had a moment to connect with GVSU retirees at the Laker Retiree Summer Social, where we honored new retirees, and caught up with colleagues who dedicated much of their time to Grand Valley. You can get a glimpse of the event through the photo gallery, captured by photographer Cory Morse.

Now, it's hard to believe another academic year is just around the corner. In just a few short weeks, we'll welcome students back to campus and begin another year of learning and connection. Before we dive into the busy season, we have one important opportunity to pause and invest in ourselves.

Tomorrow is the GVSU Wellness Summit, and we hope you'll make time to join us. Whether you attend a presentation, participate in an interactive session, connect with colleagues, or simply take a moment to focus on your own well-being, every experience is an investment in you. Caring for ourselves helps us show up more fully for our students, colleagues, and campus community. You'll find more information about the Wellness Summit, along with other featured events and opportunities, below.

As we look toward August, there are numerous meaningful ways to engage in welcoming our newest Lakers, including the Helping Hands program, beginning Wednesday, August 26, with a range of days and times available to volunteer. As Dr. Jenny Hall-Jones said in her note last week, "the first six weeks at college are critical to retention and a student’s sense of belonging; the first few days being the most important." If you're an alum, you can also register to support move-in with fellow alumni on August 26.

At the end of move-in week, you can also help by greeting students during Laker Kickoff. Each of these moments helps create the sense of belonging that defines the GVSU experience. We hope you'll consider lending a hand as we prepare to welcome students back to campus.

Sincerely,

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

Tomorrow is the big day! Join us for the Wellness Summit, an all-day opportunity to invest in your well-being and explore the many dimensions of wellness at GVSU. Designed with you in mind, the Wellness Summit offers a combination of scheduled and at-your-leisure activities in a variety of formats, making it easy to participate in ways that fit your interests and schedule.

View the full Wellness Summit schedule of events.

Most of us spend a significant portion of our work week in meetings, but how many of those meetings are truly productive, engaging, and worth everyone's time? Join colleagues from across campus for an interactive Leadership Roundtable inspired by The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker as we explore practical strategies for designing meetings that are more purposeful and action-oriented. Learn more and register via Workday Learning.

Say goodbye to paper forms! You can now complete and submit your Academic Participation or Tuition Reduction requests within Workday. Enter your course information, complete the request, and submit it for manager approval.

This process applies to faculty and staff submitting requests for themselves, and for eligible dependents. To learn how to submit via Workday, follow the Help articles:

The Standards of Conduct Policy for Employees (SLT 3.3) was updated to include the following adjustments:

For more information, view the SLT 3.3 Update FAQs.

To help you get ready for Homecoming this fall, join Mike Przydzial, Director of Alumni Relations, for a virtual info session on August 6. You’ll hear about exciting updates to this year’s celebration, ways to get involved, and how you can help welcome Lakers back to campus. RSVP to get the Zoom link.

The GVSU Campus Health Center is offering sports physicals for your dependents at a cost of $25 per physical! Scheduling is available from June 22, 2026 through August 14, 2026 at this rate. Please call (616) 331-2800 to schedule an appointment.

We look forward to supporting your families in preparing for upcoming sports seasons. To learn more about the services we provide, please visit the Campus Health Center webpage.

If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out to Corey Pfeiffer, RN Care Manager, at pfeiffec@gvsu.edu.

Please note: All patient information and patient history must be completed prior to your appointment.