Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Ph.D., Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear colleagues,

Welcome back! I hope you had a refreshing and restful summer, filled with time to recharge and pursue your passions.

I want to thank all who keep the campus going throughout the summer-from the faculty who teach, department and dean’s office staff and administrators who are here for our students and preparing for what is to come next, and to the facilities professionals who are busy getting the campus ready for the next semester. And who could forget the Student Success team working hard to bring in a new first-year class and support our returning students? This list is not exhaustive, and it would be difficult to enumerate the many people who ensure that we are ready on day one. Thank you for your support and your dedication!

Lastly, as we embark upon another dynamic academic year, I want to take a moment to catch you up on what’s happened over the summer, and to fill you in on what’s ahead.

Regents’ Professors

After classes ended in May, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia officially approved the initial appointment of Balasubramaniam Ramesh and the reappointment of S. Tamer Cavusgil and Andrew Gewirtz to the system’s highest academic rank, the Regents’ Professor. Please join me in celebrating our outstanding faculty on this achievement.

The criteria for becoming a Regents’ Professor are very high. This rank represents the best not only of the university and of the system, but it also confirms our faculty’s reputation for excellence in research and scholarship on a global scale. Well done!

This summer, my communications team has worked to highlight our faculty award winners and Distinguished University Professors on our LinkedIn page. If you haven’t seen the latest, I encourage you to visit our LinkedIn page at this link and follow us for future updates.

COACHE

We are currently in the action planning stage of our second round of the COACHE (Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education) faculty job satisfaction survey and improvement process.

The university has released an institutional action plan to address matters found in the survey.  The university-level plan is divided into four broad areas identified for improvement, with 14 steps as goals for achievement. These steps address the specific issues raised in the survey regarding service, teaching, benefits and salary, and personal and family policies.

Soon to come are the college-, school- and institute-level action plans, which we will publish at the COACHE at Georgia State website. When these plans become available, we will let you know by campus email and on the website.

Searches

Last academic year was a time of change for academic leadership positions at the university, and I must repeat my thanks to Lindsey Cohen and Courtney Anderson, who are both serving as interim deans for the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Law respectively.

This summer, Georgia State retained the firm of Heidrick & Struggles in the search for the next permanent dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Law. A search committee was assembled for the College of Law, and the search firm will be working closely with the College to draft a leadership profile.

As always, my office will do its utmost to keep you informed about the progress of these searches and to make additional information about finalist candidates available to you.

On another note, as we ended last academic year with the finalist presentations for the next executive director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education (CETLOE), I want to make sure you’re aware of the appointment of our new CETLOE executive director, Kim Manturuk. I am certain she will provide the leadership necessary for CETLOE to continue innovating how we educate our students amid technological and societal change. Once again, welcome!

Excellence in Teaching & Learning

Kim comes to Georgia State with a great team in already in place – a team which was recognized after the spring semester by the Board of Regents. They awarded the inaugural Regents’ Award for Excellence in High-Impact Practices and Experiential Learning to Georgia State’s Experiential, Project-based and Interdisciplinary Curriculum (EPIC) Program.

EPIC offers opportunities to learn by doing through long-term projects and seeks to develop a more meaningful general education experience by showing students how their courses connect to one another. Congratulations, once again, to our EPIC team!

Strategic Plan

Our strategic plan is the guidepost for our next decade, and this summer we’ve made further progress.  While we are in the final stages to announce the first set of initiatives, some are already taking shape.

In affirming our sense of identity and place, the university has created the GSU Blue Line, a new 3.7-mile marked walking on our Atlanta campus. The GSU Blue Line will connect the campus, create distinctive quads, build a better sense of place and, ultimately, become a destination in itself at Georgia State.

Keep your eyes open for upcoming news about the initiatives moving forward.

Thank you to all who have participated in the planning process and who will be working to implement a slate of transformational initiatives.

Click here to read more about the Strategic Plan.

A Final Word

As always, I thank all of you for what you do to make Georgia State a leader in research, scholarship, creativity, teaching and service. I wish you the best for the new academic year, and please make sure to take care of yourselves and each other.

Sincerely,

Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs