Provost update: Powering professional growth

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1 Subscribe Share Past Issues Translate Provost Update; Professional development grants awarded to staff; SJSU Salzburg Scholars and Fellows change the campus and the world we live in; University 101 guides new faculty in first term; New deans and AVPs learn Spartan culture; Writer's Help 2.0 offers support to students; Subscribe to the Academic Spotlight blog. View this in your browser Academic Affairs Division Newsletter October 2015 edition Provost update: Powering professional growth One of the best things about being involved in a university is that I continually have the opportunity to engage with people and learn new things. Just this month, I attended the Homecoming football game, a celebration of the CIES International Gateway s 40 th anniversary, the Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast, and the Faculty Diversity Committee s Fall Fling, among many other events. This busy month has been a reminder for me that one of my important roles as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs is fostering a culture of engagement and continual learning for all of you. archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 1/11

2 I am proud that the Academic Affairs Leadership Team has come together to develop new opportunities for professional growth. Two new programs have been developed to help members of our community acclimate to the culture at San Jose State. With University 101 and an administrator on boarding program, faculty and administrators are learning about how each division on campus works together to support student success. These programs are about showing people what it is like to be a Spartan while also providing opportunities for growth. We are also focused on providing resources to our staff. I am pleased to share the news that 48 groups and individuals received a staff professional development grant to use by May 30, A second call for applications is open now, with applications due Nov. 13. For faculty, a new slate of research, scholarship, and creative activity support services launched this fall, including the University Grants Academy. See a full list of upcoming events online. We continue to support the Academic Affairs Leadership Discovery Group. In its third year, Social Work Professor Peter Allen Lee is now facilitating the program. It provides faculty and staff members a chance to evaluate their readiness to take on new responsibilities while also creating an action plan to attain their career goals. Dean Lisa Vollendorf, from the College of Humanities and the Arts, is also leading the Dean's Leadership Academy. The program focuses on faculty who want to take on more responsibilities and learn about pathways to leadership positions in the Academy. The program is sponsored and paid for by the deans and is currently supporting 17 faculty members. I look forward to hearing suggestions from you on ways we can continue to support your professional growth. Andy Feinstein Provost and VP for Academic Affairs archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 2/11

3 Professional development grants awarded to staff The list of 48 staff members to receive professional development grants was included in the printed program at the Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast on Oct. 23. Amy D Anna, a marketing coordinator with the College of International and Extended Studies, was excited to learn about the Staff Professional Grant program via an sent out early this semester from the Provost Office. She is one of 48 individuals and groups of staff members who successfully applied for a grant offered this fall through the Academic Affairs Division priority group on RSCA and professional development. Individuals were allowed to apply for up to $1,500, with groups eligible to apply for $5,000. A second call for Academic Affairs Staff Professional Development Grant proposals has been announced. Staff members will have until Nov. 13 to submit an application and will be notified in December if their application was successful. See the full list of awardees from the first round of funding. This will help by adding formal education to my applied experience in the field of marketing and PR," D'Anna said. archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 3/11

4 She said the courses she takes have allowed her to keep current and gain exposure to crucial developments in cultural communications, social media, technological advances and more. D Anna said she appreciates that the provost understands staff members are an integral part of SJSU and deserve professional growth. Most times we are the first line of contact and often support students throughout their entire academic career with SJSU, she said. This relationship is crucial to our student body and improving it through staff development will only make SJSU a better place. Mark Adams, the project director for the Pakistan Distance Education Enhancement Program (PDEEP) and an instructional developer with the ecampus group in Academic Technology, is planning to use his grant to take a course called Managing without Authority at Stanford University. The course focus is on how to influence and persuade others, build and maintain effective working relationships and get things done in a diverse, global environment, he said. The course will support his work on the PDEEP grant as he helps to develop an ecampus infrastructure for Allama Iqbal Open University in Pakistan as well as in working with faculty members at SJSU to share the benefits of online tools. Lauren Andersen, a financial analyst in the University Library, will use her grant to attend the CSU Academic Resource Conference. I changed positions from human resources to finance this last January, she said, via . This conference will help me to continue to learn more about the world of finance from a CSU perspective. SJSU Salzburg Scholars and Fellows change the campus and the world we live in archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 4/11

5 Claire Tsai, left, a SJSU Salzburg Scholar is one of 18 students who attended the summer program in Austria. She and the other scholars are actively engaged in promoting global citizenship. Photo courtesy of Salzburg Global Seminars. Claire Tsai, 16 Art History and Visual Culture, is only halfway through her time as an SJSU Salzburg Scholar, but she is already describing the experience as transformative. One main point for me is that I saw more clearly how dangerous it is to keep a single framework for understanding the world, Tsai said. Each year, the SJSU Salzburg Program coordinators select students to be scholars and faculty or administrators to be fellows for an 18 month period, with the number selected each year varying. In 10 years, 261 Spartans have participated, with many extending their involvement beyond their 18 month commitment, according to Dr. William Reckmeyer, the program director and a co founder. The goal for students, faculty and administrators is that through the program not only are they transformed on an individual level, but that they have an institutional impact on improving global citizenship when they return to campus. As a scholar, Tsai participated in a semester long course on global studies last spring before attending the week long Global Citizenship Program in Austria, now known as the Global Citizenship Alliance. She will be working with the archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 5/11

6 other scholars and fellows to pursue projects that promote global citizenship, though she said the group is still winnowing down ideas for this year. Blanca Sanchez Cruz, the director of the MESA Engineering Program and assistant director of the Engineering Student Success Center, is a Fellow this year. She said she was encouraging engineering students to apply when they suggested she should apply to be a fellow. It was a confirmation or validation of my thought about the need for more intentional and systematic efforts to globalize curriculum and bridge across existing efforts on campus, she said of the summer session, via . In the context of the MESA Engineering Program, I work with educationally disadvantaged students, who because of time, finances or misconceptions, are often the most likely to hesitate to get involved or are at risk of being left out. Jessy Goodman, a lecturer in the College of Humanities and the Arts and the College of Social Sciences, has a unique perspective on the program as she has participated as a scholar and a fellow. It changed the course of my life, she said, noting that she made connections through the program that led her to taking a lecturer position upon graduation. It opened up a lot of ways of thinking. Goodman participated as a Scholar when she was an MFA student, taught the global studies course last spring to the latest batch of scholars and is a fellow this year. I got a ton of great ideas and tools to use, she said, of incorporating concepts of global citizenship into her composition classes. My students are so much more engaged with the material. University 101 guides new faculty in first term archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 6/11

7 New tenure/tenure track faculty listen to Dennis Jaehne, who formerly served as the associate vice president of Undergraduate Studies and interim deputy provost, at the first University 101 workshop. New faculty members are learning the ins and out of San Jose State with a new program titled University 101. Dennis Jaehne, who formerly served as the associate vice president of Undergraduate Studies and interim deputy provost, is coordinating the program and curriculum for the professors. The university is a complex system with lots of moving pieces, Jaehne said. I have a good picture of it after 26 years. For the program, faculty members are invited to attend four workshops that are two hours each, with an optional workshop each month. The topics range from student demographics and the admission process, Academic Affairs processes, budget and shared governance. Andrea Golloher, a new professor in the Connie L. Lurie College of Education special education department, said she signed up for University 101 to learn behind the scenes details that make the university work. The session on curriculum requirements helped clarify some of my questions and highlighted some policies I was unaware of, she said, via . Golloher said she would recommend the program to other new faculty and said archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 7/11

8 she would suggest including information on parking/permits for future cohorts in an early session. Ellen Middaugh, another professor in Education with the child and adolescent development department, said the program made her feel valued to know the university is making an effort to support her transition to the faculty. As new faculty, we have a lot to juggle with teaching new classes and keeping our research going, she said, via . While all the information we need is available online, it can be hard to make time to find it. So having an overview that lets us know what is out there and where to look is very helpful. New faculty members who attend all the monthly sessions will receive a stipend of $1,000 to use toward professional development, professional travel or equipment, with those attending 75 percent of the workshops receiving $750. New deans and AVPs learn Spartan culture Dean Mary Schutten, of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, is one of several administrators participating in an extended on boarding program this year. New deans and administrators in the Academic Affairs Division have been archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 8/11

9 participating in an on boarding program developed to provide them with information about San Jose State and the surrounding area, gain familiarity with campus units and resources, and introduce them to the culture of the university. Lynda Heiden, former chair of the Academic Senate, helped create topics and led each session to which the new managers were invited, along with the new vice presidents for Student Affairs and University Advancement. The administrators met weekly starting in July, then bi weekly once Fall classes began. In early sessions, the group learned about the often confusing acronyms used on campus, the physical layout of the campus and downtown San Jose, and enjoyed a campus tour led by Annette Nellen on the history of the university. Over the course of the semester, representatives from a range of divisions and units across campus met with the group to share information about their work and its interface with Academic Affairs, such as the Academic Senate, the African American and Chicano/Latino Student Success Task Forces, Student Affairs, and Campus Police/Safety, among others. The on boarding process was very helpful in providing opportunities to meet a diverse group of members from the SJSU community, said Mary Schutten, the dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. The meetings provided information about the many departments that work together to make SJSU what it is today. Schutten, who joined SJSU in July, said the sessions so far have provided a perspective of the campus, information on who to contact for various needs, and information about the culture of the university. She said she found presentations by UPD, the Behavioral Intervention Team, finance and athletics especially helpful in her role as dean. My experience with onboarding has been great and made me feel very welcome, said Sandeep Muju, the executive director of the Research Foundation. (It) has been a great experience and an efficient way to get acclimated to SJSU. archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 9/11

10 A new online tool, "Writer's Help 2.0," provides support to students on drafting, revising and editing written communications. Writer's Help 2.0 offers support to students A new tool implemented by faculty in the College of Humanities and the Arts, Writer s Help 2.0, is now available for all faculty and students through Canvas. The online writer s handbook focuses on all aspects of the writing process, including drafting, revising and editing. The handbook provides information on what makes good writing, an introduction to academic and professional writing, and advice on how to communicate cross culturally, among other features. The handbook includes assignable modules to allow faculty to integrate lessons into their courses and includes game like quizzing to help students work through grammar and writing topics. The Center for Faculty Development and H&A are hosting two workshops for faculty on Monday, Nov. 9, from 1 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in IRC 210. The workshops will allow faculty members to learn about the online tool and how to incorporate it into courses. Lunch will be provided; RSVP required by Nov. 2. Subscribe to the Academic Spotlight blog archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 10/11

11 Visit the Academic Spotlight blog and subscribe now to get a weekly round up of posts with more stories of faculty research, student success and other news about Academic Affairs. From the main page of the blog, visitors can submit their address to subscribe to notifications. We also encourage you to share your ideas and stories for consideration. Please Melissa Anderson, the executive communications specialist for the provost, at melissa.anderson@sjsu.edu with any updates you would like to share. Copyright 2015 San Jose State University Office of the Provost *All rights reserved. archive1.com/?u=bee290757ecb4d88376ed920d&id=eb73149c5f&e=00a5f8031e 11/11