News from the Office of the Provost
FEBRUARY 2022 - VOL. 4, ISSUE 3
A NOTE FROM THE INTERIM PROVOST

A belated happy new year to you all, and I hope your spring semester is off to a great start. Thank you all for your support and well-wishes as I take upon the leadership mantle as your interim provost. As is always the case at Georgia State, there’s a lot to cover in this edition of the newsletter.
First, as stated before, I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to serve in this major role that is essential to academic life at Georgia State. I am thankful to my predecessor, Wendy Hensel, for laying the groundwork that will allow us to continue major initiatives this academic year, as well as her advice and collaboration.
I also thank President Blake for placing his trust in me as I serve in an interim capacity. While there are many issues that can distract us from our purpose of educating students, Georgia State will continue to forge ahead toward new opportunities and greater innovation.
We have many subjects to discuss.
- COVID-19
- Academic Freedom
- Honors College
- President’s Initiatives
- Post-Tenure Review
- Regular and Substantive Interaction
- Development Opportunities
We have seen a tremendous decrease in COVID-19 positivity rates and the number of requests to temporarily change course modality. Please know that our leadership team continues to monitor the situation and will communicate as proactively as possible. Make sure to check your university email and return to the https://covidinfo.gsu.edu/ website.
Academic Freedom
Many have asked me about the political climate and their concerns about academic freedom. Let me make it clear: freedom of inquiry, teaching, research and scholarship are key values that are essential to our university. While we may not have all the answers, please know that the university’s leadership, including myself, are working constantly with stakeholders in higher education and in government to protect these tenets we hold dear.
Twitter
Despite all of the pressures we face, I am proud to see that our faculty continue to demonstrate their excellence day-in, day-out. In efforts to better recognize these efforts, and also better share news from academic affairs, my office has started a new Twitter account – @GaStateProvost – to share news about the good work we are doing. Make sure to follow us! And if you have something you’d like to share with us, please share it through the form here: https://forms.office.com/r/A2SL1FP9yc.
Honors College
I wish to congratulate Sarah Cook, who has been appointed as permanent dean of the Honors College effective July 1. Having started in an executive role during a pandemic myself, I understand the challenges, and in her interim role, she not only responded to the need to engage students academically during a year like none other, but also made vast improvements that have strengthened the Honors College. Her continued leadership will keep this momentum going, and I am grateful for her service.
President’s Initiatives
We continue to make progress in implementing President Blake’s immediate initiatives as we work toward re-envisioning our strategic path forward. Tim Denning, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, and I recently held a webinar to discuss the new Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) challenge that will marshal the unique strengths of our research community to address complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration. You can watch a recording of the webinar at https://ursa.research.gsu.edu/rise/, learn more about evaluation criteria and how to apply.
In order to attract and retain hard-working faculty and staff, there’s progress to be made. Another immediate initiative of the president, a compensation study, takes a look at how we can meet the challenge. We continue to follow the state budgeting process and the proposed $5,000 salary increases as outlined in the governor’s original budget.
You’ll hear more about other exciting implementations of the president’s immediate initiatives soon.
Post-Tenure Review
As directed by the USG, we are moving forward with updates to Georgia State’s policies and procedures for post-tenure review, and annual reviews. We are on a compressed timeline in this process, and I thank everyone who is involved in this work. Further updates are forthcoming.
Regular & Substantive Interaction (RSI)
As we work to deliver high-quality courses regardless of modality, it’s important to remember that it’s not only pedagogically necessary, but a federal requirement, for instructors teaching online classes to have regular and substantive interaction (RSI). My office sent more information about RSI and federal regulations earlier this semester via campus email, but we’ve included it here in this edition for your reference.
Development Opportunities
I must thank Corrie Fountain for taking on the position of associate provost for faculty affairs. She and her colleagues continue the important work of providing support for our faculty, and she has more information about virtual faculty check-ins, mentoring workshops and exciting opportunities for development with the Executive Leadership Academy for Women (ELAW) for staff and the Leadership Academy for Women Faculty (LAWF).
Thank You
Be sure to check out the other articles in this edition that demonstrate our university’s commitment to research, scholarship, teaching, learning and student success.
Once again, thank you for your support as I continue in my new role. Be sure to stay up-to-date with the latest in academic affairs news through campus email, the Provost’s website at https://provost.gsu.edu, and on Twitter at @GaStateProvost.
Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEWS
- In Case You Missed It: The RISE Research Challenge Webinar Now Available
- Introducing @GaStateProvost on Twitter
- In case you missed it: Groundbreaker Lecture
- Sarah Cook Named Dean of the Honors College
- From Online Strategies: U.S. News Ranks Georgia State Online Programs Best in the Nation
- Mentoring Workshops & Exciting Academy Opportunities
- Quality Regardless of Modality: Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Classes Resources from CETLOE
- CETLOE’s Year at a Glance
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Black History Month at Georgia State and Celebrating HERStory in March
- International Initiatives: Opportunities & RFPs: Virtual Exchange Initiative and the Faculty International Partnership Engagement Grant (FIPE)
- Georgia State Research Expenditures Reach $202.4 Million, Setting a University Record
- Georgia State Approved to Offer Ph.D. in Health Sciences
- Diversity Dialogues: Mark your calendars for the Final Diversity Dialogue of 2021-22
- Research: Climate Change Impacts Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Future of Winter Sports
- Intranasal Flu Vaccine with Nanoparticles Offers Robust Protection, Researchers Find
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
- Joyce King Co-Edits Book on Black Students’ Academic, Cultural Excellence
- Jeannie Grussendorf: Students Learn the Politics Behind War and Peace
INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP
- Georgia State Receives $3.9 Million to Strengthen Cybersecurity Scholarship and Education
- Stories from the Second Century Initiative & Next Generation Program
READ PREVIOUS ISSUES
NEWS

In Case You Missed It: The RISE Research Challenge Webinar Now Available
With the Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) challenge, Georgia State is making a one-time, $2.5 million investment to jumpstart up to five-next generation research ideas to further raise the prominence of the university’s research and innovation. If you missed it, a recording of a webinar with Interim Provost Nicolle Parsons-Pollard and Tim Denning, Vice President for Research & Economic Development, about RISE is now available.
Dr. Parsons-Pollard and Dr. Denning explained RISE and answered attendee questions about the challenge, along with details about the application process and selection criteria.
To view the webinar, read more details about the program, application instructions, and the application form, visit https://ursa.research.gsu.edu/rise/.
Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager for the Office of the Provost

Introducing @GaStateProvost on Twitter
To better share the good news about Georgia State’s faculty excellence and achievements, the Office of the Provost has started a new Twitter account at @GaStateProvost.
There, you’ll find kudos about faculty – from new publications to professional service – as well as goings-on involving the offices within the Office of the Provost/Academic Affairs (Online Strategies, Institutional Effectiveness, International Initiatives, Faculty Affairs, and other offices). You’ll also find shared news about other exciting activities at the university, including events from the university’s main calendar and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website calendar.
Make sure to follow the account, and if you’re a faculty member with good news to share, please visit this form through Microsoft Forms to enter your news , or contact your college/school level communications director (directory available here) so that they can also share your news through their own e-newsletters, website and/or college/unit Twitter account. We’ll make sure to coordinate with them.
Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager for the Office of the Provost

In case you missed it: Groundbreaker Lecture
A recording of the 2022 Virtual Groundbreaker Lecture with Dr. Johnnetta Cole, president emerita of Spelman College and Bennett College for Women, is now available online.
We apologize for the error with the audio during the livestream, but it has been restored in this recording.
The recording is available for Georgia State students, faculty and staff at the links below. Use your Georgia State campus ID and password to access the lecture.
Through the Groundbreaker Lecture Series, the university honors those whose actions have created and continue to create significant change in the world, while fostering conversations to address ongoing issues and potential ways to meet these challenges.
The lecture was launched by former Provost Wendy Hensel in 2020, honoring three brave women – Barbara Pace Hunt, Myra Payne Elliott and Iris Mae Welch – who sued for the right to attend Georgia State in the 1950s. To view the inaugural lecture, as well as the 2021 lecture with Dr. Peniel Joseph, visit https://provost.gsu.edu/groundbreaker-lecture/.
Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager for the Office of the Provost

Sarah Cook Named Dean of the Honors College
Georgia State University has named Sarah Cook, current interim dean of its Honors College, as dean effective June 1, 2022.
Since 2020, Cook led the college through the challenges of a pandemic in addition to a charged social and political climate, while continuing its progress to expand opportunities for academic excellence. Under her leadership, she shaped policies for recruitment and admission to the college and the presidential scholarship – resulting in the largest and most diverse first-year class and presidential scholar cohort.
“With a breadth of institutional knowledge, experience in implementing strategic vision and commitment to student success, I am confident that she will continue her excellent leadership of the Honors College, providing opportunities for all students,” said Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
During the societal turbulence as she took on interim leadership of the college, Cook, a professor of psychology, also implemented a curricular initiative for first-year students to think critically about their role in responding to society’s needs.
“Her work has undoubtedly strengthened academics at the university, while also challenging Honors College students to become the critical thinkers we need to lead in our society,” Parsons-Pollard said.
Cook served as associate dean for the college from 2012 to 2020, working with the founding dean to implement two college-level strategic plans. Under her leadership, she devised the Herndon Human Rights Initiative, standardized the undergraduate assistantship program and added a programmatic component to the scholarship experience.
She also raised funds to endow four signature scholarships, including the Alonzo F. and Norris B. Herndon Human Rights Award, the Lonnie C. King Scholarship, the Judy DeLoache Scholarship, and the David E. Cook and Fr. Charles Robbins Scholarship.
Cook has led the significant growth of the Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference (GSURC), with concerted efforts to include more majors across disciplines and forms of presenting research, scholarship and creativity, such as film and musical performance.
First appointed as a member of the Georgia State faculty in 1997, Cook’s other leadership roles include time as chair for the undergraduate studies committee of the Women’s Studies Institute (now the Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies), and director for undergraduate studies in the Department of Psychology.
She earned her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Virginia. As a community psychologist, Cook’s extensive research and scholarship has challenged assumptions about the nature of violence against women, and she has served on multiple expert panels in the Division of Violence Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Justice.
Her research portfolio includes projects funded by the CDC, the National Institute of Justice, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health and the Georgia Department of Human Resources.
Cook cofounded the Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaboration and its widely used, scientifically validated climate survey. In her service, she has engaged in public scholarship, educating large audiences about sexual assault through widely published columns in the news media.
During her time as chair of the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault, she expanded sexual assault centers in underserved areas, and her work with agencies in Virginia was instrumental in developing the country’s first statewide database to track services provided by sexual assault and domestic violence shelters.
Additionally, she has a significant record of service to her field, including membership on the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Women during which she authored policy statements related to campus sexual assault, salary equity and other issues pertinent to women in psychology, and served as a consultant to numerous other organizations in the field.
Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager for the Office of the Provost

From Online Strategies: U.S. News Ranks Georgia State Online Programs Best in the Nation
Several Georgia State online master’s programs have been ranked as the best in the country, according to the 2022 Best Online Rankings released by U.S. News & World Report.
Online master’s programs in criminal justice, graduate education, curriculum and instruction, and educational/instructional media design received the “best of” designation by the publication, which ranks accredited online degree programs.
Georgia State’s overall graduate online education programs in the College of Education & Human Development are ranked 69th in the country. The college’s master’s in curriculum and instruction is ranked 21 in the nation and its educational/instructional media is ranked 13th.
The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies ranked 22nd for its online master’s in criminal justice.
“Our goal is to expand educational access to students who want to earn a degree at a highly regarded research university like Georgia State,” said Kim Siegenthaler, associate provost for Online Strategies, “At Georgia State, we provide you with the flexibility you need and prepare you for success.”
Georgia State Online is an expansion of the academic legacy of Georgia State University. With more than 85 online program options spanning associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, Georgia State offers more online programs than any institution in the state.
Andrea Jones, Vice President, Public Relations & Marketing Communications

Mentoring Workshops & Exciting Academy Opportunities
The Office of Faculty Affairs is offering several services and educational opportunities to aid faculty in their development and will announce exciting opportunities soon for women faculty and staff to join leadership academies.
MENTORING WORKSHOPS
The Mentoring Faculty Workshop Series is designed to help faculty develop and improve their skills in mentoring other faculty. Workshops will address best practices in different facets of faculty mentoring and are structured as a learning and sharing forum to foster a shared understandings about faculty mentoring at Georgia State. Workshops are open to all faculty regardless of appointment type or rank. Each workshop is stand-alone and does not require prior knowledge.
Wednesday March 2, 2 to 3:15 p.m.
Mentoring and Intersectionality
Presenter: Dr. Corrie Fountain, Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
This online workshop will present an inclusive approach to mentoring that is built on intersectionality, belongingness, and authentic care. It will challenge participants to approach the mentor-mentee relationship holistically while providing guidance, encouragement, and support.
Register by Sunday, Feb. 27 at https://forms.gle/9KaMuqmzBj86ewCKA.
For those of you who were not able to attend the February workshop, Mentoring 101-Debunking Myths and Building Networks, you can view the presentation
at this link.
Make sure to mark your calendars for the remaining workshops in this series:
Wednesday, March 30 Friday, April 8, 2 to 3:15 p.m. *** Note date change from previous announcement ***
Best Practices in Mentoring Non-Tenure-Track Faculty
Facilitator: Mindy Stombler, Faculty Associate, Office of Faculty Affairs
Wednesday, April 27, 2-3:15 p.m.
Topic TBA
Please email Kavita Pandit at [email protected] if you have any questions.
COMING SOON: ELAW & LAWF
Check your email soon for more information about the Executive Leadership Academy for Women (ELAW) for staff and the Leadership for the Advancement of Women Faculty (LAWF) and how to apply.
From September 2022 through April 2023, these eight-month cohort-based leadership development programs seek to empower current and emerging women leaders who are committed to self-discovery, lifelong learning, career advancement, and leading from where they are.
Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager for the Office of the Provost

Quality Regardless of Modality: Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) in Online Classes Resources from CETLOE
The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Online Education (CETLOE) has resources for you to help maintain the requirements for regular and substantive interaction (RSI) in your online classes.
RSI is a requirement from the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) that all online courses for which students may receive federal financial aid “involve regular and substantive interaction between students and instructors.”
You can find these resources at https://cetl.gsu.edu/services/regular-and-substantive-interaction/, and register for CETLOE’s RSI workshops on Eventbrite here. (Workshops are being held on multiple dates.)
CETLOE can help you:
- understand what is required
- assess the extent to which RSI activities are already incorporated in your classes
- explore options for incorporating initial or additional RSI activities
- understand how educational technologies can assist you in facilitating RSI activities
RSI is vitally important for both student success, as well as Title IV financial aid and accreditation.
Student-instructor interaction is well documented as a hallmark of effective teaching and is consistent with Georgia State’s educational mission. The expectation is that online classes contain the same or similar types of instructor-initiated activities although there may be a difference in how these are delivered. The goal is equivalent rather than more.
The U.S. DOE requires that all distance education courses for which students may use federal financial aid (e.g., Pell Grant) include regular and substantive interaction between the students and instructor(s). You can find the definition for distance education, inclusive of regular and substantive interaction here: Higher Education Opportunity Act, 34 C.F.R. §600.2.
In November 2021, the University Senate passed the Georgia State policy on Regular and Substantive Interaction in Online Courses, which is available with your campus ID and password on the Georgia State policy library here (you will need to use your Georgia State campus ID and password to access the Georgia State Policy Library). The purpose of the policy is to inform academic units about the U.S. DOE requirements and to eliminate potential university risks associated with violation of these regulations.

CETLOE’s Year at a Glance
The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education (CETLOE) is pleased to share the following report covering its activities during the COVID-19 pandemic through academic year 2021.
This seven-page year at a glance highlights:
- The unfolding story of CETLOE
- The dedication of Georgia State faculty who participated extensively in CETLOE professional development, workshops, events, and community building through this exceptionally challenging time
- The growth of online education at Georgia State University
- What’s next
To download the report, click here to access the PDF.
To learn more about CETLOE services, visit https://cetl.gsu.edu/.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Black History Month at Georgia State and Celebrating HERStory in March
Georgia State continues to observe Black History Month this February and events continue through this week. Visit https://dei.gsu.edu/bhm/ for more details.
The U.S. government has designated March as Women’s History Month, and the university will celebrate HERStory through activities throughout the month. Make sure to keep an eye on your campus email for more information and a link to a special events page on the DEI website.
Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager, Office of the Provost

International Initiatives: Opportunities & RFPs: Virtual Exchange Initiative and the Faculty International Partnership Engagement Grant (FIPE)
The Office of International Initiatives has several exciting opportunities for faculty to expand international education in their curricula, with calls for proposals for several initiatives:
Virtual Exchange Initiative – Apply for a Faculty Fellowship by March 11
The Office of International Initiatives seeks two qualified faculty members for the 2022-23 academic year to help expand the Virtual Exchange Initiative at Georgia State University. One faculty fellow will be selected to focus on assessment and research and another on outreach, training and sustainability.
More details are available in the Call for Faculty Fellowships at this link. Proposals are due Friday, March 11.
FY 2023 Faculty International Partnership Engagement (FIPE) Grant : Deadline – April 29
The Office of International Initiatives (OII) invites applications for the annual Faculty International Partnerships Engagement (FIPE) grant program.
Full-time Georgia State faculty are invited to submit proposals for fiscal year (FY) 2023. OII is providing seed funds for FY 2023 to support leveraging external funding for international research projects, especially those that support student training.
The deadline is Friday, April 29 at 11:59 p.m.
The FY2023 FIPE Request for Proposal may be viewed at https://international.gsu.edu/fipe-2023/.
For added support and guidance, virtual FIPE Grant Preparation Workshops will be held via Webex on the following dates. It is highly recommended that you attend one of these sessions before you apply for this grant. Further information about registration is at the link above:
- Thursday, Feb. 24, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
- Monday, March 7, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
For inquiries about the grant, contact either:
- Anna Tapfer, program coordinator, International Partnerships and Agreements at 404-413-2552 or [email protected], or
- Kike Ehigiator, director, International Partnerships and Agreements at 404-413-2532 or [email protected]

Georgia State Research Expenditures Reach $202.4 Million, Setting a University Record
Total research expenditures at Georgia State University rose to $202.4 million in fiscal year (FY) 2020, a new institutional record, according to an annual survey conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Since FY2010, Georgia State’s research expenditures have increased 150 percent, making the university the fifth fastest-growing institution in the nation. The university also earned a record-high $150.2 million in external research funding during FY2020.
As reported in the survey, the university is ranked #118 out of 910 institutions in the U.S., and #80 out of 415 public institutions. For the past five years, Georgia State has been the highest-ranked institution without a medical, engineering or agriculture school. This is significant as medical schools account for a quarter of all research expenditures nationally.
Georgia State is highly ranked for expenditures in several research disciplines, including education (#11); social work (#13); visual and performing arts (#18); law (#22); social sciences (#31); sociology, demography and population studies (#34); astronomy (#36); and psychology (#53). The university is ranked in the top 10 for expenditures in business administration and business management (#5) and economics (#9). Georgia State is ranked #1 in expenditures for communication and communications technologies.
Across all non-science and engineering fields, the university is ranked #10 in the nation for research expenditures.
Read more at the university News Hub via the link below.
Original article by Jennifer Rainey Marquez, Director of Communications for the Office of the Vice President for Research & Economic Development

Georgia State Approved to Offer Ph.D. in Health Sciences
Georgia State University has received University System of Georgia Board of Regents approval to offer a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Health Sciences degree.
The new degree program, which is the first of its kind in the state of Georgia, will educate future health researchers and educators, with concentrations in cardiopulmonary care, nutrition, occupational therapy and translational rehabilitation science. The new doctoral students are critical to reducing the shortage of health care professionals.
Many colleges and universities in Georgia and the United States have difficulty recruiting faculty with both clinical degrees and experience and a terminal doctorate. The new Ph.D. in Health Sciences, offered by the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, will address that worker shortage and will also be key in promoting interdisciplinary research and education.
Original article by Angela Arnold Go, Director of Communications, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions

Diversity Dialogues: Mark your calendars for the Final Diversity Dialogue of 2021-22
Mark your calendars for the final Diversity Dialogue of the 2021-22 academic year, “Diversity and Georgia State: Where Do We Go from Here,” on April 13 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. via livestream. A link to the livestream and guest speakers will be announced soon.
If you missed previous events, visit the link below to watch.

Research: Climate Change Impacts the Future of Winter Sports
Shorter winter seasons, less snowfall and melting ice caused by climate change will have major implications for the future of winter sports, as outlined in a new report co-authored by Georgia State University associate professor Tim Kellison.
Changing snow conditions have made it increasingly difficult for host cities to have enough snow for athletes to participate in their respective winter sports. To address this, Japanese scientists invented a formula for artificial snow that’s been in use since the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.
This year’s games in Beijing became the first to use almost 100 percent artificial snow, requiring an estimated 49 million gallons of water, 130 fan-operated snow generators and 300 snowmaking guns to create the 1.2 million cubic meters of snow, according to the report.
Kellison and his colleagues recommend that athletes, scientists and Olympic planning committees take environmental concerns and sustainability into consideration when choosing future locations for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Read more and access the report through the link below.

Intranasal Flu Vaccine with Nanoparticles Offers Robust Protection, Researchers Find
An influenza vaccine administered through the nose and constructed with nanoparticles that enhance immune response offers strong protection against different influenza virus strains, according to researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.
The intranasal vaccine contributed to multifaceted immune responses, leading to robust cross protection against influenza in mice. The vaccine consists of PEI-HA/CpG nanoparticles. PEI (polyethyleneimine), a robust and versatile delivery system, can simultaneously carry antigens (hemagglutinin, HA) that induce an immune response in the body, and adjuvants (CpG) that enhance the body’s immune response to an antigen for optimal immunoenhancement.
These comprehensive immune responses and cross protection were long lasting, exhibiting defense from influenza virus over six months after immunization. The findings are published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Intranasal vaccination is an ideal approach for infectious respiratory diseases such as influenza. Seasonal influenza vaccines generally induce narrow immune responses that rapidly decline, which leaves populations vulnerable to novel influenza strains.
Advancements in influenza vaccine technology are needed to protect against a wide range of influenza viruses. Intranasal vaccination can improve local mucosal immune responses by preventing influenza infection at the portal of virus entry.
Learn more through the link below.
LaTina Emerson, Director of Communications, Institute for Biomedical Sciences
Faculty Spotlight

Joyce King Co-Edits Book on Black Students’ Academic, Cultural Excellence
Joyce King, the College of Education & Human Development’s Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership, recently discussed a recent book which she co-edited, “We Be Lovin’ Black Children: Learning to Be Literate About the African Diaspora,” with the college’s News Hub.
She and her co-editors – University of South Carolina Distinguished Professor Gloria Swindler Boutte, South Carolina State University Professor George Lee Johnson Jr. and University of Missouri Associate Professor LaGarrett J. King – created a book with activities that schools, families and communities can do together to better understand and value the African Diaspora’s history, literature, language and culture.
Several teacher educators in the U.S., Africa and the Caribbean contributed chapters that detail their research and experiences with Black students’ cultural and academic excellence. As a result, the book can be used as a resource for educators to confront anti-Black and anti-African attitudes that still pervade schools today.
Read more at the CEHD’s News Hub link below.
Claire Miller, Public Relations Coordinator, College of Education & Human Development

Jeannie Grussendorf: Students Learn the Politics Behind War and Peace
Jeannie Grussendorf is a Principal Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, who teaches about the politics of peace. In a Q&A with the College of Arts & Sciences’ News Hub, Grussendorf discusses the Politics of Peace course, its appeal, its importance, and its applicability for students as they take what they learn into the world.
Learn more through the Q&A at the College of Arts & Sciences’ News Hub link below.
Emma Barrett, College of Arts & SciencesFebruary 2022 Newsletter
Interdisciplinary Research, Scholarship & Education

Georgia State Receives $3.9 Million to Strengthen Cybersecurity Scholarship and Education
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $3.9 million to Georgia State University as part of its CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. The grant will fund a project that aims to address the growing need for a highly skilled national cybersecurity workforce capable of responding to rapidly evolving challenges in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Georgia State is one of eight new grantees joining the 82 universities that are currently part of the NSF program.
The NSF program is meant to increase the volume and strength of the nation’s cybersecurity workforce by providing full scholarships and stipends to students who agree to work in cybersecurity jobs for federal, state, local or tribal governments after graduation. Over a five-year period, the project will provide scholarships to Georgia State students studying issues at the intersection of cybersecurity and AI. SFS students will be prepared with the knowledge and practical skills to apply AI expertise to cybersecurity and privacy problems; understand AI’s safety, security, privacy, reliability, fairness and ethical implications; and build robust and trustworthy AI systems.
Georgia State has established a strong curriculum in cybersecurity and privacy that balances technical rigor and hands-on experiences, offering students the opportunity to study various topics in cybersecurity and privacy. In 2020, the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security designated Georgia State as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education through 2025. These two designations place Georgia State among an elite group of universities that meet the federal government’s criteria for demonstrating a commitment to both cybersecurity research and training.
The project, a joint effort between the Department of Computer Science in the College of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Computer Information Systems in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, will be led by the Information Security and Privacy: Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE) center, which brings together researchers from units across campus.
Some of these faculty members were hired under either the Second Century Initiative (2CI) or Next Generation strategic faculty hiring program (Next Gen).
Read more through the link below.

Stories from the Second Century Initiative & Next Generation Program
The Second Century Initiative (2CI) and Next Generation strategic faculty hiring program (Next Gen) laid the foundation for interdisciplinary research and scholarly excellence. Learn more about the achievements of these faculty members, who continue to innovate and lead new initiatives growing at Georgia State.
News from the Office of the Provost is an e-newsletter highlighting news and activities in academic affairs at Georgia State University. For questions about the February 2022 Newsletter or other editions, email Jeremy Craig at [email protected].
Previous issues are available by selecting the button below.