Leadership Transitions & Searches

Please join me in wishing a happy retirement to Wolfgang Schlör, who recently stepped down as Associate Provost for International Initiatives, having led the office since 2017. You can read more about his contributions further below in the International Initiatives News section of this edition.

Carrie Manning, Professor of Political Science, has graciously accepted appointment to the interim role, and I appreciate her willingness to continue Dr. Schlör’s strong leadership of the Office of International Initiatives as we engage in a national search for the next associate provost.

We are also forming committees to engage in the national searches for deans of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and Perimeter College. Further information about the committees and position profiles will be shared via campus email and on the Provost’s Office Academic Leadership Searches page at https://provost.gsu.edu/searches/.

Strategic Planning Progress

As a co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, I would like to thank all of you who took the time to participate in the recent strategic planning charettes, where your feedback about the draft plan was invaluable and has informed our path forward.

As of this publishing (March 30, 2023), the strategic plan is slated for a vote by the University Senate on April 5. From there, the plan will head to the Board of Regents for a final review over the summer. We will mark the plan’s launch this fall. Be on the lookout for more information and please check the webpage at strategic.gsu.edu.

I am incredibly excited about our next steps and the vision we are laying out for our future, and I hope that you come along for the journey.

I also wish to thank the committee for their work in this process, and to thank Nancy Kropf, our Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, co-chairs Jared Poley, Professor of History, and Karen Wheel-Carter, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives at Perimeter College, and committee member Lisa Armistead, Dean of the Graduate School, for their outstanding leadership.

COACHE Response Update

In a previous newsletter, I promised a little friendly competition when it came to completion of the COACHE survey – and this edition fulfills that promise.

In the Faculty Affairs News section, you’ll find the current response rates to the COACHE survey, with the most recent data at the time of this newsletter’s publication in late March.

These rates include the overall university response rate – and the rates broken down by college/school/institute.

We will update these numbers on the COACHE website at https://provost.gsu.edu/coache/coache-2-response-rates/ through the closing date of the survey on April 12.

The college/school/institute with the highest response rate will receive $20,000 in professional development funds.

Ignite Awards

In this edition’s Research News section, you’ll learn more about the inaugural Ignite Awards – recognizing the outstanding contributions of individuals and groups to research, scholarship and creativity, in addition to mentorship and excellence in administration.

Nominations are due no later than May 1, 2023, and further details are located below.

Women in Leadership: Opportunities for Development & Celebrating Future Leaders

This edition celebrates the newest graduates of the Executive Leadership Academy for Women (ELAW) and the Leadership Academy for Women Faculty (LAWF), who will be honored in mid-April.

These academies are programs that help to advance women in positions of faculty and staff leadership. Meeting them where they are, these programs bring forth professional development and camaraderie among their classmates.

There are much longer descriptions about these programs below, and a listing of this year’s program graduates. Congratulations to all!

And, there’s an opportunity to join the next cohort for the 2023-24 academic year. You can find more information further down in the ELAW/LAWF section of this newsletter – but hurry, the deadline to apply is April 7!

Eternal Flame

Altogether, Georgia State’s student, faculty and staff population is comprised of more than 62,000 people – the size of a small city.

Whenever we lose a member of our community, we feel that loss deeply.

And while we might not have known someone who has passed away personally, it is important that we recognize them. In doing this, we not only keep their memory live, but we also acknowledge the grief of those still here – those who call our late community members classmates, colleagues, friends or family.

This year, the university will hold an inaugural Eternal Flame ceremony on Tuesday, April 11 at 3 p.m. in the Centennial Hall Auditorium in memory of those have passed away. To RSVP and to view the list of those being recognized, visit https://events.gsu.edu/eternal-flame/ef-campus-community/.

Memorials are not only for those who have passed on; they, too, are for the living. By participating, we express our sympathy, and solidify the true meaning of community: being there for one another.

Search Committees for Deans of Andrew Young School and Perimeter College, Associate Provost for International Initiatives, Formed

The university has formed search committees for deans of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and Perimeter College, and the Associate Provost for International Initiatives, and the committees are beginning efforts to launch national searches.

Information pages on the Provost’s Office website have also been created, where you will find updates about the progress of these searches, a nomination form, along with future postings of position summaries and full position profiles.

The information/nomination pages and search committees are as follows.

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Co-Chairs

• LaVonda Reed, Dean, College of Law
• Richard Phillips, Dean, J. Mack Robinson College of Business

Members

• Karen Minyard, Chief Executive Officer, Georgia Health Policy Center
• Maggie Reeves, Senior Director, Georgia Policy Labs
• Cathy Yang Liu, Professor & Chair, Department of Public Management and Policy
• Frances Chen, Associate Professor of Criminology
• Deborah Whitley, Professor of Social Work
• Tim Sass, Distinguished University Professor and & W.J. Usery Chair, Department of Economics
• Shelby Frost, Clinical Associate Professor of Economics
• Denise Jenkins, Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Dean’s Office
• Matt Arp, Director, Office of Academic Assistance
• Gaurav Kumar, President, Andrew J. Young Foundation
• Brian Watson, Vice President, Chief Strategy and Risk Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Naomi Garcia Hector, Student, Public Policy/Presidential Scholar/Social Action Alliance

Information Page: https://provost.gsu.edu/searches/ays-dean/

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Perimeter College

Co-Chairs

• Corrie Fountain, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
• Wade Weast, Dean, College of the Arts

Members

• Jez Catambay-Lopez, Associate Director for Student Life, Clarkston
• Perry Culverson Assistant Director, Student Life, Newton
• Nicole Lynch, Associate Professor, Kinesiology and Health Professions, Clarkston
• Scott Tichenor, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Clarkston
• Amanda Ellwanger, Lecturer, Cultural and Behavioral Sciences, Dunwoody
• Tamika Barnes, Associate Dean, University Library, Dunwoody
• Valerie Matthews, Professor, English, Clarkston (Associate Chair)
• Ken Johnson, Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
• Marijahma Aset El-Holloway, Student

Information Page: https://provost.gsu.edu/searches/perimeter-dean/

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Associate Provost for International Initiatives

Co-Chairs

• Michael Galchinsky, Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
• Sara Rosen, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Members

• Mourad Dakhli, Clinical Professor Institute for International Business, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
• Doug Gardenhire, Clinical Professor and Chair of Respiratory Therapy, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
• Glen Ross, Clinical Associate Professor, Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
• Catherine Chang, Professor of Counseling & Psychological Services and Director of International Programs, College of Education and Human Development
• Christine Stauber, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, School of Public Health
• Lauri Goodling, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Honors and International Initiatives, Perimeter College
• Allen Fromherz, Professor of History, College of Arts and Sciences
• Drew Webster, Assistant Director, International Student Scholar Services
• Farrah Bernardino, Senior Director, Office of International Initiatives

Information Page: https://provost.gsu.edu/searches/apoii/

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Additionally, the Office of the Provost and the Office of Faculty Affairs are continuing the search for a Director for Faculty Development, and you can find out more at the link below.

Find all active searches at https://provost.gsu.edu/searches/.

Opportunities from the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education (CETLOE)

Faculty Teaching Fellowships and Mini-Grants
Get support for your teaching and scholarship goals. Apply for a CETLOE Faculty Teaching Fellowship or mini-grant for the 2023-24 academic year.

Faculty Teaching Fellowships
Fellowships include an award of $15,000 toward a teaching release (with departmental approval), summer support, travel, research supplies or graduate research/teaching assistant help.

Applicants can propose a project design in one of these tracks:

• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• High Impact Practices and/or College to Career

Awardees must be full-time faculty and demonstrate a commitment to excellence in teaching. Fellows will lead a Faculty Teaching and Learning Community, conduct research in the area of teaching and learning and participate in a scholarship of teaching and learning conference.

Applications will open Wednesday, March 15 and are due Friday, May 5.

Learn more and apply here.

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Mini-Grants

CETLOE mini-grant awards support new teaching projects or allow faculty to expand on current projects. Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching. Awards will be made up to $3,500 and can be used for summer 2023 support, travel, research supplies or graduate research/teaching assistant help.

Applicants can propose a project design in these tracks:

• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• High Impact Practices and/or College to Career
• General Pedagogy and Teaching Practices

Applications will open Wednesday, March 15 and are due Friday, May 12.

Learn more and apply here.

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Signature Experience Mini-Grant and Teaching Award

Are you interested in integrating experiential learning into your courses? Consider applying for a Signature Experience Mini-Grant to support your course development efforts.

If you have a history of success in delivering Signature Experience courses for your students, apply to be considered for a teaching award.

The application deadline for both opportunities is Friday, May 5.

Questions? Please contact Christy Visaggi at [email protected].

Learn more and apply for the Signature Experiences Mini-Grant and awards here.

Online Education Committee Formed

Online education continues to be an important academic priority for the university. In support of this, Provost Parsons-Pollard has authorized and charged a new Online Education Committee to realize Georgia State University’s vision for excellence in distance education for students of all backgrounds at all levels.

The Online Education Committee, led by Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Michael Galchinsky, is tasked with coordinating online education efforts across academic and non-academic units. The Committee will recommend ways to address the distinctive requirements of online programs and online students while ensuring that online education is integrated into all academic and student support services and all appropriate academic units.

— Nancy Byron, Marketing & Communications, Georgia State Online

Wade Weast Selected as ACE Fellow

The American Council on Education (ACE) has announced that Georgia State University College of the Arts Dean Wade Weast has been named an ACE Fellow for academic year 2023-24. Following nomination by the senior administration of their institutions and a rigorous application process, 36 Fellows were selected this year.

Since its inception in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutions in American higher education by identifying and preparing over 2,500 faculty, staff and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership through its distinctive and intensive cohort-based mentorship model. Of the Fellows who have participated to date, more than 80 percent have gone on, after their fellowship, to serve as chief executive officers, chief academic officers, other cabinet-level positions and deans.

“The ACE Fellows Program has a proven track record of developing agile leaders, and it fuels the expansion of a talented and diverse higher education leadership pipeline,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “ACE Fellows engage in unique learning experiences before returning to their home campuses armed with a fresh outlook and distinct skillset. I am excited to see all that this class accomplishes.”

Weast became dean of the College of the Arts on July 1, 2016. He holds a doctorate from Stony Brook University and has performed with the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, American Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, on Broadway and with the rock group YES. He can be heard on 10 recordings for labels such as Delos and Newport Classics, and has produced eight recordings for the International Trumpet Guild. Prior to his arrival at Georgia State, he was dean of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and director of the School of Music at the University of South Florida.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to study how other leaders are addressing current issues in higher education,” Weast said. “I want to learn from leaders who are using innovative ways to create and maintain value in their degree programs, so students can see a clear connection between attending college and having a successful career. I want to learn how to use the arts as a conduit to better connect the university with its community. I am grateful to Provost Nicolle Parsons-Pollard — a former ACE Fellow herself — for the nomination and for her guidance and mentorship. I am also grateful to Georgia State for the support and for encouraging me to pursue this leadership development opportunity.”

“I believe that leaders have a responsibility to encourage, guide and support the growth of their team, and I proudly nominated Wade for this program,” Parsons-Pollard said. “I am grateful for his appointment as an ACE Fellow. I am confident that his experiences and development as a Fellow will prove vital for his continued leadership in higher education.”

The program combines retreats, interactive learning opportunities, visits to campuses and other higher education-related organizations, and placement at another higher education institution to condense years of on-the-job experience and skills development into a single year.

During the placement, Fellows observe and work with the president and other senior officers at their host institutions, attend decision-making meetings and focus on issues of interest. Fellows also conduct projects of pressing concern for their home institutions and seek to implement their findings upon completion of the fellowship placement.

At the conclusion of the fellowship year, Fellows return to their home institutions with new knowledge and skills that contribute to capacity-building efforts, along with a network of peers across the country and abroad.

Click here for more information about the ACE Fellows Program.

— Andrea Jones, Vice President, Public Relations & Marketing Communications
Originally published at the university News Hub here.

Corrie Fountain Appointed Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs

Carrie Manning Appointed Interim Associate Provost for International Initiatives

Carrie Manning, Professor of Political Science, has been appointed as Interim Associate Provost for International Initiatives effective March 3, following the retirement of Wolfgang Schlör, who served as Associate Provost for International Initiatives from 2017 to March 3.

Courtney Anderson Appointed Associate Dean of Academic Affairs of the College of Law

Associate Professor of Law Courtney Anderson has been appointed associate dean for academic affairs for the College of Law, effective March 1, 2023.

In this position, the associate dean will coordinate the academic affairs of the law school including the development and management of curricular matters in compliance with the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools accreditation standards, along with ensuring compliance for policies administered by the University System of Georgia and Georgia State University.

Among other things, the associate dean is responsible for identifying, coordinating, and overseeing the program of instruction for law students by part-time and adjunct instructors.

This role is also responsible for supervising the Registrar’s office. Additionally, the associate dean of academic affairs selects and supervises graduate assistants assigned to the associate dean’s office and part-time adjunct instructors.

“I have been so inspired by Georgia State Law students over the years. This opportunity to collaborate with my brilliant and dedicated colleagues as we build and grow academic opportunities to support our students through their educational journey is truly an honor,” said Professor Anderson.

She joined the College of Law in 2012 as an assistant professor of law. Her position was created as part of the Second Century Initiative (2CI), a transformative program that has supported interdisciplinary research and collaboration across campus, and brought some of the best minds in their fields to the university.

Professor Anderson is an affiliate faculty member for the Center for Access to Justice and the Center for Law, Health, and Society. She also developed a course in law, health, and equity.

“Professor Anderson will be a great addition to the College of Law’s leadership team. She brings a variety of experience in leadership, collaboration, and team building,” said College of Law Dean LaVonda Reed.

“Professor Anderson is a visionary who will represent the college well and work to strengthen and cultivate new relationships between the law school and the community,” she added.

Anderson is also a part of the Greenwall Foundation project, along with her colleagues Regents’ Professor Paul Lombardo and Distinguished University Professor Leslie Wolf. The law faculty members received a grant in 2019 from the Greenwall Foundation and formed a partnership with the Georgia State Honors College to develop an undergraduate bioethics course.

Professor Anderson is also the 2022 recipient of the College of Law’s Patricia T. Morgan Award for Outstanding Scholarship.

Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of health, housing, and disparities rooted in systemic racism.

She will succeed Associate Dean Cass Brewer who has served in the role since 2021. Associate Dean Brewer will return to regular full-time faculty duties teaching and researching in the areas of tax law and policy.

“I am grateful for Dean Reed, the faculty, and the students for entrusting me with the duties of the associate dean for academic affairs. Furthermore, I’m grateful that my colleague, Professor Courtney Anderson, whom I deeply admire and respect, will be assuming the duties of associate dean for academic affairs. I know that she will be exceptional and will have the full support of the faculty and the students.”

“We appreciate Associate Dean Brewer for his time, dedication, and service while serving in this critical role. Among other successes, he effectively brought courses back to the building after the disruption of the pandemic and revamped the fall academic calendar to allow for more reading days between the end of classes and the start of final exams,” said Dean Reed.

— Written by Jaya Franklin, College of Law
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Maria Repnikova Named Pate Chair in Strategic Communication

Associate Professor Maria Repnikova has been appointed as the inaugural William C. Pate Chair in Strategic Communication in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgia State University.

The endowed chair was established through a gift from William Pate, the president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB). The chair, which sits in the Department of Communication, has a five-year term and was established to support research and other professional academic activities related to public relations and strategic communication.

“I’m excited to have this opportunity to give back to Georgia State University, which has given so much to me,” Pate said. “It is an honor to have a professor with Dr. Repnikova’s impressive resume and international reputation be the first recipient to occupy this chair.”

Repnikova is an expert on soft power, national media influence, critical journalism, digital diplomacy, and authoritarianism, with a regional focus on China and Russia. She is the author of two books, “Media Politics in China: Improvising Power under Authoritarianism” and “Chinese Soft Power.” She is also the author of a number of academic articles and publications in popular media, including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy.

Repnikova is frequently called on to brief officials, including at the State Department, at the National Defense University, at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and at the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The project she proposed for the next five years will examine Chinese and Russian goals in pursuit of strategic communication aimed at global audiences, as well as the tactics they deploy to pursue these goals. Fluent in both Chinese and Russian, her project will examine official rhetoric, selective Chinese and Russian media coverage, and various exercises aimed at joint construction of communication norms, including by training journalists and signing media agreements. As part of this research, she will also examine the emerging frictions in China-Russia communication, including how non-state actors might challenge official narratives of unity and friendship. She plans to produce a book that will inform research on strategic communication.

“I am deeply honored to be selected for this important position that will allow me to produce original, empirical research on a topic that has thus far been little investigated in the current academic and policy literature,” Repnikova said. “I am grateful to Mr. Pate for his generous gift, and to the Department of Communication for selecting me.”

Jaye Atkinson, chair of the Department of Communication, said Repnikova’s selection honors Mr. Pate’s professional expertise.

“Dr. Repnikova sets a high bar for any future recipients of this endowed chair position,” Atkinson said. “Her quality research is known and respected all over the world. Her reputation will reinforce Georgia State’s reputation as a global institution.”

Pate is a graduate of Georgia State, where he earned an undergraduate degree in journalism and a graduate degree in communications.

Prior to joining ACVB, Pate was president of Career Sports & Entertainment, a national sports marketing and representation firm. He is also the former chief marketing officer of BellSouth, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies.

Pate has served on the Georgia State University Foundation Board of Trustees, the Industry Advisory Board for the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration, and on the College of Arts & Sciences Board of Visitors.

To learn about the rest of the endowed chairs and professors in the College of Arts & Sciences, visit cas.gsu.edu/endowed-professorships.

— Anna Varela, Director of Communications for the College of Arts & Sciences
Originally published on the University News Hub here.

Georgia State Graduates First Students in LPN to BSN Nursing Program

When Meisha Miller and Michelle Shrout-Bratsveen crossed the stage during Georgia State University’s fall commencement to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree they became another example of the university’s part in addressing the nursing shortage in Georgia.

There is a nationwide shortage of registered nurses (RNs). The employment gap grew during the COVID pandemic and closing this gap is essential, as more than 50 percent of Georgia’s RNs are likely to retire in the next decade.

One way to fill RN positions is by elevating nurses already in the profession, educating licensed practical nurses to become baccalaureate prepared registered nurses.

Georgia State is the only institution in metropolitan Atlanta to offer a seamless LPN to B.S.N. degree program. The program includes classes at the Clarkston and Atlanta campuses.

In 2020, Georgia State developed the new program that allows LPNs to enroll in the bridge degree program and graduate in two years with a BSN. Graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensure exam. The bridge program is designed for working LPNs.

Shrout-Bratsveen, an LPN at Emory Ambulatory and Primary Care in Buford, praised the program’s structure.

“For two years, I worked Monday through Thursday, attended classes on Friday and completed clinicals on the weekends,” she said.

Miller, a nurse on staff at Emory’s Winship Cancer Center, added that the program allowed her to work full-time and raise two toddlers (with help from her husband). Like Shrout-Bratsveen, Miller felt that the quality of their education was superior, and the nursing faculty were essential in helping them achieve their goals.

“The instructors are awesome,” said Shrout-Bratsveen. “They are really concerned about us and want you to succeed. It shows in how they instruct and support us.”

“I loved that they [the faculty] were easy to reach,” said Miller. “They always responded in a timely manner, within 24 hours of our emails and texts.”

Shrout-Bratsveen, who returned to nursing school after a decades-long break, previously earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of North Georgia and planned to become a physician’s assistant. However, having three children put those plans on hold and she opted for the LPN program at Lanier Tech and a career in nursing. When Emory Healthcare began a partnership with Georgia State to provide a path for staff LPNs to pursue a B.S.N. degree, Shrout-Bratsveen saw the program as a means of moving up in her profession.

Miller, who is still raising her young family, completed prerequisite courses at Georgia State’s Perimeter College after receiving her LPN from Bauder College. She liked Georgia State’s path to the B.S.N. degree.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity and contacted the coordinator at GPC [Perimeter College] and learned about a presentation for Emory employees,” said Miller

Shrout-Bratsveen investigated other LPN to B.S.N. programs and found that most wanted her to retake her core courses.

“Georgia State took my courses and experience that I already had and built on it,” she said.

Miller and Shrout-Bratsveen are now on a level with traditional B.S.N. degree graduates and look toward futures that may include additional education.

“I would love to work on a master’s degree in nursing at Georgia State,” said Shrout-Bratsveen.

Miller has advice for other LPNs considering additional nursing education.

“It might seem challenging to work and go to school full-time, but it’s not. You just need to be organized. It’s manageable to do both.”

By Angela Arnold Go, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Georgia State’s Respiratory Therapy Program Earns Third AARC Apex Recognition Award

The Department of Respiratory Therapy at Georgia State University has received the 2023-2024 American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Apex Recognition Award, which recognizes departments that demonstrate high-quality outcomes.

AARC cited Georgia State’s best practices in educating future respiratory therapy practitioners and placed the program among an elite group of respiratory care educational programs in the U.S. to receive the award. The respiratory therapy program in the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions is one of only two higher education institutes to receive the award three times consecutively, along with Rush (Ill.) University.

“We’re proud to have a nationally recognized respiratory therapy program, especially following the recent challenging years for respiratory therapy professionals,” said Dr. Huanbiao Mo, Lewis College dean.

“We are humbled to receive our third consecutive APEX award from the AARC,” said Dr. Doug Gardenhire, RT department chair. “This award symbolizes the foundation created almost 54 years ago that has produced over 1,500 respiratory therapists, providing them the highest level of education through a dedicated faculty.”

Established in 1969, the Department of Respiratory Therapy has graduated more than 1,590 respiratory therapists and maintained a 100 percent pass rate on licensure exams for multiple years in a row. Georgia State was the second college or university nationwide to offer a bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy, the first to offer a professional master’s as well as the first Ph.D. in health sciences with a concentration in respiratory therapy.

— Vanessa Hall Brown, College Web Manager, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

2022-23 Graduates: Executive Leadership Academy for Women

• Shana Bagley, Manager of Graduate Communications, Office of Graduate Services, College of Arts and Sciences
• Melissa Barnett, Data Governance Manager, Office of Institutional Effectiveness
• Shantay Bennett, Associate Director of Admissions, College of Law
• Annette Clark, Manager of Retention & Progression, Office of Graduate Services (College of Arts and Sciences)
• Makesha Dockery, Coordinator, Cooperative Education and Internships, University Career Services
• Amanda Emery, Associate Director, Student Success
• Grace Garrett, College HR Officer, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
• Hailey Hester, Assistant Director of Outdoor Education, Recreational Services
• Nikita Howard, Assistant Director, Learning Environments Resources and Support, IIT Learning and Production Environments
• Etosha Philpott, Student Financial Management Call Center, Supervisor, Student Financial Services
• Mariam Qureshi, Manager, Academic & Professional Development, Office of Graduate Services, College of Arts & Sciences
• Teresa Rucker, Human Resource Officer , College of Arts and Sciences – Human Resources
• Allie Seay, Assistant Director of Student Services, International Student & Scholar Services
• Caitlan Shaw, Faculty Review Services Coordinator , College of Arts & Sciences, Dean’s Office
• Shamieca Shine, Interim Director of Operations, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Art & Sciences- Dean’s Office
• Jalesha Turner-Davis, Residence Hall Director, University Housing
• Whitney Vincenti, Assistant Director of Academic Services , Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
• Erin Weeks, Research Associate, National SafeCare Training and Research Center, Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, School of Public Health
• Egypt Workman, Assistant Registrar, Office of the Registrar – Enrollment & Registration Services

Note: Additional biographical information is coming soon.

2022-23 Leadership Academy for Women Faculty (LAWF) Graduates

• Susan Swars Auslander, Professor of Mathematics Education, Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, College of Education and Human Development
• Tamika Barnes, Associate Dean for Perimeter Library Services, University Library
• Jennie E. Burnet, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Director, Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
• K. Jurée Capers, Associate Professor of Public Management and Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
• Jennifer Colatosti, Associate Professor of English, Interim Associate Chair of English, Arts & Humanities, Alpharetta Campus, Perimeter College
• Tonia Durden
  Clinical Professor and Birth through 5 Program Coordinator, Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, College of Education and Human Development
• Laura Edmunds, Associate Professor of English, Perimeter College
• Gina B. Flowers, Associate Professor of English and Associate Chair, Perimeter College
• Crystal Garrett, Associate Chair of History and Political Science, Professor of Political Science,
  Perimeter College
• Olga Glebova, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, Senior Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, College of Arts & Sciences
• Kathryn Hartgrove, Associate Professor of Voice, School of Music, College of the Arts
• Cyntoria Johnson, Clinical Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
• Kenya Kirkendoll, Interim Associate Dean for Nursing, Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing & Health Professions
• Shonda Lemons-Smith, Clinical Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, BSE Elementary Education Program, Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, College of Education & Human Development
• Lauren Margulieux, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences, Director of the Snap Inc. Center for Computer and Teacher Education, College of Education & Human Development
• Tania Maxwell Clements, Area Coordinator for Strings, Conductor – Campus Orchestra, Principal Senior Lecturer in Viola, Violin, and Music, School of Music, College of the Arts
• Sarah McCool, Clinical Associate Professor, Director, Undergraduate Programs, School of Public Health
• Lucy Popova, Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Global Tobacco Research, School of Public Health
• Rasha Ramzy, Associate Chair and Principal Senior Lecturer, University Senator, College of Arts & Sciences
• Sahithya Reddivari, Assistant Department Chair, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Perimeter College
• Amy Steigerwalt, Associate Chair and Professor of Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences

Note: Additional biographical information will be posted soon.

Staff: Apply for ELAW 2023-24

Are you a Georgia State staff member who is looking for the opportunity to learn a wealth of qualities and skills to advance as a leader? The Advancement of Women program is accepting applications from Georgia State staff for the 2023-24 Executive Leadership Academy for Women (ELAW) program through April 7.

From September 2023 through April 2024, this eight-month cohort-based leadership development program seeks to empower current and emerging women leaders and allies on the Georgia State staff who are committed to self-discovery, lifelong learning, career advancement, and leading from where they are.

ELAW is the sister program of the Leadership Academy for Women Faculty (LAWF). Both programs are focused on key leadership competencies in areas such as communication, diversity, mentoring, conflict resolution, and work-life balance. (Faculty can learn more here.)

Application, Selection Criteria and More Information

Interested? Find out more about eligibility, requirements, selection criteria, program schedule and application by visiting https://aofw.gsu.edu/elaw/.

Contact the Office of Faculty Affairs at [email protected] if you have questions.

Faculty: Apply for LAWF 2023-24

Are you a Georgia State faculty member who is looking for the opportunity to learn a wealth of qualities and skills to advance as a leader? The Advancement of Women program is accepting applications from Georgia State faculty for the 2023-24 Leadership Academy for Women Faculty (LAWF) through April 7.

From September 2023 through April 2024, this eight-month cohort-based leadership development program seeks to empower current and emerging women leaders and allies on the Georgia State faculty who are committed to self-discovery, lifelong learning, career advancement, and leading from where they are.

The mission of the LAWF program is to provide leadership development for current and emerging faculty to prepare them as future leaders at Georgia State and in the world of higher education to close the gender gap in the academy.

LAWF is the sister program of the Executive Leadership Academy for Women (ELAW), which for more than 20 years has also focused on key leadership competencies in areas such as communication, diversity, mentoring, conflict resolution, and work-life balance. (Staff can learn more here.)

Application, Selection Criteria and More Information

Interested? Find out more about eligibility, requirements, selection criteria, program schedule and application by visiting https://aofw.gsu.edu/womenfacultyleadership/.

Contact the Office of Faculty Affairs at [email protected] if you have questions.

COACHE II Survey – Response Rates

Here are the most recent response rates by college/school/institute and university-wide as of March 24, 2023, for the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) faculty job satisfaction survey.

The survey, distributed in February to full time faculty who have been at Georgia State for at least one year or more, closes April 12. COACHE, affiliated with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is an iterative process to assess the campus climate and to advance the university as one of the best places for scholars to work. The survey is part of the university’s second COACHE cycle.

For more about COACHE, its current cycle and the 2019-2022 cycle, click the link below the graphic.

The college/school/unit with the highest response rate will receive $20,000 for professional development.

The Write-In Network

The Office of Faculty Affairs congratulates the inaugural cohort of participants in the new Write-In Network for completing a semester of training, support and productivity!

WIN program’s primary aim is to facilitate faculty’s scholarly writing goals. The program provides WIN Fellows with trainings and support around professional goal-setting and goal attainment, as well as resources to promote writing productivity. WIN includes small weekly writing accountability groups and a monthly skill-building meeting.

Participants included:

• Esra Akbas, Computer Science, College of Arts and Sciences
• Ellen Ballard, Criminal Justice and Criminology, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
• Marci Bennafield, Health Sciences, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
• Daniel Coleman, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
• Natasha DeVeauuse-Brown, Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health
• Kostanca Dhima, Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences
• Gina Flowers, English, Perimeter College
• Arianna Gass, Film, Media, and Theater, College of the Arts
• Chunying Li, Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Institute for Biomedical Sciences
• Yin-Chan (Janet) Liao, Learning Sciences, College of Education and Human Development
• Renata Love Jones, Early Childhood Elementary Education, College of Education and Human Development
• Kevin Maloney, Population Health Sciences, School of Public Health
• Michelle Mercier-De Shon, Music, College of the Arts
• Jade Petermon, Film, Media, and Theater, College of the Arts
• Tiffany Player, History, College of Arts and Sciences
• Fernando Rochaix, Fine Arts, Perimeter College
• Rosita Scerbo, World Languages and Cultures, College of Arts and Sciences
• Nida Shaikh, Nutrition, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
• Megan Sinnot, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
• Julie Stoudenmire, Center for Translational Immunology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences
• Hoa Vo, Welch School of Art and Design, College of the Arts
• Shawn Williams, English, Perimeter College
• Michelle Zoss, Middle and Secondary Education, College of Education and Human Development
• Jun Zou, Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection, Institute for Biomedical Sciences

Faculty Selected to Participate in the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity Success Program Event

A group of 18 outstanding faculty have been selected to virtually attend the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) Faculty Success Program (FSP) event this summer.

This 12-week online program, the most popular of NCFDD, helps faculty with the skills necessary to increase research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

The Office of the Provost and each participant’s college or school are co-sponsoring the selected faculty members; the FSP will run from May 14 through August 5. This is the second cohort of faculty in the FSP following a successful launch last year. This year, the cohort includes non-tenure track as well as tenure track faculty.

The faculty include:

• Katie Acosta, Associate Professor, Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences
• Xiaoou Bai, Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
• Alessandra Bautze, Assistant Professor, School of Film, Media & Theatre, College of the Arts
• Sarita Davis, Associate Professor, Africana Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
• Kadir Demir, Associate Professor for Science Education, Middle and Secondary Education, College of Education & Human Development
• Jill Frank, Assistant Professor, Welch School of Art & Design, College of the Arts
• Jake Irwin, Clinical Associate Professor, Physical Therapy, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions
• Qiana Lachaud, Clinical Assistant Professor, Educational Policy Studies, College of Education & Human Development
• Ruschelle Leonne, Assistant Professor, Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health
• Kevin Maloney, Assistant Professor, Population Health Sciences, School of Public Health
• Lelani M. Mannetti, Assistant Professor, Urban Studies Institute, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
• Michael Martinez, Assistant Professor , Spanish, Perimeter College
• Chivon Mingo, Associate Professor, Gerontology, College of Arts & Sciences
• Oghenebruphiyo Gloria Onosu, Clinical Assistant Professor, Management, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
• Jade Petermon, Assistant Professor, School of Film, Media & Theatre, College of the Arts
• Susan Reid, Assistant Professor, School of Film, Media & Theatre, College of the Arts
• Kim Reimann, Associate Professor, Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences
• Nida Shaikh, Assistant Professor, Nutrition, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions

Faculty in the first cohort reported positive benefits from the program, including better work-life balance and increased productivity.

NCFDD is an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community for over 83,000 faculty, post-docs, and grad students, dedicated to supporting academics in making successful transitions throughout their careers. Georgia State holds an institutional membership.

The organization offers workshops, professional development training, and intensive mentorship programs that provide concrete, empirically tested strategies for increasing productivity, and pays special attention to the challenges faced by underrepresented faculty.

Click the link below to learn more.

Opportunity: Director for Faculty Development

Director of Faculty Development

Log #24-060

National Search (Click here for position posting at InsideHigherEd Careers)

IMPORTANT: Please make sure to follow the application instructions and send your materials via email to [email protected].

Georgia State University’s Office of Faculty Affairs invites applications for the Director of Faculty Development. This position reports to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs.

This position is open to faculty at the rank of full professor or associate professor with eligibility for tenure on appointment in one of the academic units at Georgia State.

Candidates must have strong communication and interpersonal skills, excellent judgment, strategic vision, experience with the professional development of faculty, and familiarity with processes related to faculty hiring, evaluation, promotion, and tenure.

Examples of Duties

• Plan, develop, implement, manage, review, and evaluate customized professional development workshops, seminars, training, and other programs and activities.
• Provide a broad range of delivery methods using the most current technologies for professional development.
• Identify and arrange for speakers, provide leadership and coordination for activities and programs, including faculty orientation and onboarding activities.
• Manage awards and other appreciation programming.
• Assist in the development of programming in areas of faculty recruitment and retention.
• Aid in the execution of short workshops and semester(s) long programs.
• Design, conduct, and evaluate annual needs assessments, and informal meetings related to faculty development.
• Encourage innovations and participation in programming.
• Collaborate with academic units and other constituents campus-wide to adapt professional development programming to the needs of the faculty and the university.
• Collaborate with other administrators and staff to plan the logistics and market events and programs, as necessary.
• Advise on the external and internal communications strategies to include social media.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Competent in the areas of mentoring, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and other leadership pedagogy.
• Use of teaching methods that engage, promote critical thinking, and are culturally relevant.
• Flexibility in handling shifting priorities.
• Able to interact effectively and diplomatically with stakeholders across the university.

Qualifications

• Doctorate degree or terminal degree in discipline appropriate for tenure at the associate or professor level
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Experience in faculty professional development
• Familiarity with policies related to faculty hiring, evaluation, promotion and tenure
• Administrative experience

Applicants should submit 1) A letter of interest detailing their professional accomplishments, future goals, and philosophy of faculty development at the University level, 2) a curriculum vitae and 3) three references. Applications can be submitted electronically in PDF format to [email protected] with the subject line: Director of Faculty Development Application – Log# 24-060. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To ensure fullest consideration, submit all materials by March 30, 2023.

Georgia State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, ethnicity, gender, veteran status, or on the basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

News from ADVANCE-IMPACT

The ADVANCE-IMPACT team is currently planning and piloting initiatives to support the recruitment and retention of women, particularly from underrepresented groups, in STEM tenure-track faculty positions at GSU. In March 2023, the team made a presentation to the College of Arts and Sciences chairs and will be visiting faculty meetings to promote the initiative’s programs and resources.

Team members are adapting their partner institution Florida International University (FIU)’s Bystander Leadership Program (BLP) and University of Michigan’s Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE) for implementation at GSU. ADVANCE-IMPACT team members are attending a BLP Train the Trainer workshop at FIU this May in preparation to launch BLP at GSU in Fall 2023.

Other members of the team are currently piloting Launch committees for new tenure-track faculty hires in Geosciences and Neuroscience. These committees are aimed at providing support and mentoring to new faculty members during their first year at GSU. ADVANCE-IMPACT will be forming Launch committees over the summer to welcome new STEM tenure-track hires starting in Fall 2023.

In addition to these exciting developments, ADVANCE-IMPACT is planning their external evaluation for Year 1 of their 3-year grant program. Members will also attend the 2023 ADVANCE Equity in STEM Community Convening this coming June, an opportunity that will enable them to exchange resources and benefit from the experience of others doing work to support equity in STEM.

Faculty who want to learn more about ADVANCE-IMPACT or who want to join the team can visit the ADVANCE-IMPACT website at https://www.gsu.edu/advance, or email ADVANCE-IMPACT Director Marise Parent at [email protected].

ADVANCE-IMPACT at Georgia State is supported by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation, (Award #2204559). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American Heritage Month

Join Georgia State’s Cultures, Communities and Inclusion team and the greater community in observing Asian Pacific Islander & Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month this April. Although the United States officially observes this commemoration in May, the university holds this observance earlier so that all may participate before classes end for the spring semester.

CCI uses the term APIDA, which stands for Asian Pacific Islander Desi American, as a pan-ethnic classification that intentionally includes people of South Asian descent (Desi) as part of the Georgia State community. There is a great diversity of identities and ethnicities encompassed under the APIDA umbrella, including but not limited to East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander.

APIDA Heritage Month, also referred to as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, began as “Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week” after its introduction into Congress in 1977 and eventually passed into legislation by President Jimmy Carter on October 5, 1978. In 1992, Congress officially designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month to honor the community’s rich heritage and contributions that have been integral in shaping the United States’ history.

The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. Learn more about the month, find links to groups and resources, and information about Georgia State events below.

Planning for Juneteenth or Events This Summer? Share Yours for the DEI Website

As this is the final regular edition of the Provost’s Newsletter for the 2022-23 academic year, and as you plan for summertime events, this is a reminder that departments and units are invited to share their DEI-related events through the Georgia State University Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website.

Summer events, including but not limited to Juneteenth, Caribbean American Heritage Month and Pride, can be posted on the website’s Social Justice Summer page at dei.gsu.edu/sjs.

Share your event through the DEI site’s information submission form at dei.gsu.edu/submit-info.

Keisha Lanier Brown Mentors Students to See Themselves as Future Professors

Online Learning in Mathematics Education for Students with Learning Disabilities

After a year and a half of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, school systems across the U.S. have returned to in-person learning.

But the lessons they learned about teaching students in virtual settings can still be applied today, particularly for students with learning disabilities.

College of Education & Human Development Assistant Professor Jonte Myers co-authored a paper in TEACHING Exceptional Children on how educators can teach mathematics content online while ensuring that students with learning disabilities are supported.

More specifically, Myers and his colleagues explain how teachers can support students by using two tools: Explicit instruction and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Explicit instruction is a research-based method of teaching, and UDL is a set of guidelines to “optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.”

“By implementing online explicit instruction in mathematics for students with learning disabilities within a UDL framework, teachers can focus less on individual student accommodations and create accessibility for a broader range of students,” they wrote.

Teachers are encouraged to consider explicit instruction’s five components when designing online lessons:

• Breaking up the lesson into manageable parts
• Modeling how to solve the mathematics problem by sharing slides or video models to demonstrate
• Giving students the opportunity to solve the problem, slowly taking away the cues and prompts for how to solve it as they go
• Offering immediate feedback to students verbally, via a chat window, using online sticky notes or other means of commentary
• Giving students opportunities to practice solving the problem on their own

To ensure lessons meet UDL guidelines, teachers can determine their students’ technology preferences, visualize the information they’re teaching in different ways, and offer multiple methods for students to show what they’ve learned.

Educators who can adapt their virtual learning sessions to fit these guidelines give students with learning disabilities the instructional support they need to succeed.

“Special education teachers being knowledgeable and prepared to implement explicit instruction in mathematics in virtual learning environments is essential,” they wrote.

— Claire Miller, Public Relations Coordinator & Writer, College of Education & Human Development
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Georgia State Wins Prestigious 2023 Senator Paul Simon Award for Outstanding Campus Internationalization

Nominations Open for the International Education Awards

Do you know outstanding faculty, staff or students who deserve recognition for their international achievements? The Office of International Initiatives is accepting nominations for the 2023 International Education Awards.

For categories and submission details, click here.

Deadline for Nominations: 
April 7  – All nominations due (except the Sheth International Alumni Award)
April 28 – Supporting documents due for Sheth International Alumni Award

Virtual Faculty Development Opportunity – 2023 Teaching Asia Across the Curriculum & Region, Sponsored by the University System of Georgia

The University System of Georgia’s Asia Council presents its annual spring “Teaching Asia” faculty development workshop, co-sponsored by the Perimeter College Asian Studies Program, on Friday, March 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The workshop is for anyone who works in the field of international education and wants to increase their knowledge and understanding of Asia. It is FREE and virtual and with a range of topics and regions covered.

To download a program with details, click here to access the document via Dropbox.

To register, click here.

The program is hosted by Georgia College and co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program at Perimeter College, with support from the Atlanta Global Studies Center, and the Asian Studies Development Program.

International Education Week 2023 – Save the Week: Nov. 6-10, 2023

Let the countdown begin for the 2023 International Education Week (IEW)! Incorporate cultural experiences into your calendars or curriculum during IEW the week of November 6 – 10.

For more information and highlights from IEW 2022, visit https://iew.gsu.edu/.

School of Public Health’s Elizabeth Armstrong-Mensah Receives International Teaching Honor

Elizabeth Armstrong-Mensah, Clinical Associate Professor in the Georgia State University School of Public Health, has been honored with the 2023 ASPPH Early Career Teaching Excellence Award. The honor is given to one faculty member each year from among the 138 member institutions in the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.

“The ASPPH Early Career Teaching Excellence Award recognizes faculty for outstanding teaching and mentoring of students in public health research, teaching and practice, and Dr. Armstrong-Mensah excels in all three of these areas,” said Shannon Self-Brown, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences at the GSU School of Public Health.

Armstrong-Mensah joined the School of Public Health in 2017 and strives to create personal connections with each of her students. She founded the school’s Undergraduate and Graduate Research and Publications Club, is the lead faculty member for the school’s Ghana study abroad program and founded the school’s “Meet and Talk” (MeTa) networking series.

“My passion for teaching and mentoring is rooted in the fact that I want every student I teach or mentor to excel,” Armstrong-Mensah said. “When I was a student in college, I benefited immensely from faculty who were passionate about the courses they taught. Their approach helped me excel in my studies. When I became a faculty member, I remembered how I had been taught and decided to pay it forward.”

Through the Undergraduate and Graduate Research and Publications Club, Armstrong-Mensah works with students to develop research that addresses a range of public health challenges. To date, more than 100 students have participated in the club, with more than 50 students publishing peer-reviewed research publications that advance knowledge as part of their club engagement experience.

Her student-focused teaching engages all types of learners, and she mentors Honors College students, serves on MPH thesis committees, guest lectures for other classes and institutions, and has served as an advisor for students participating in research competitions.

“Dr. Armstrong-Mensah employs such a wide range of educational methods to ensure student comprehension and specifically adapts these techniques to match the material she teaches,” noted recent Honors College graduate Jake Coldiron. “In totality, these opportunities allow students to truly live and perform public health in a uniquely supportive and creative environment.”

Through the school’s study abroad program in Ghana, undergraduate and graduate students learn first-hand about sanitation, HIV and women’s health in a developing nation. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel, Armstrong-Mensah transitioned the program to an online synchronous format that enabled her students to learn from program partners such as hospitals, universities and state water and sanitation agencies.

“To this day, I zealously continue to learn how to adapt to changes and develop and learn skills pertinent to public health because of the extraordinary leadership skills that Dr. Elizabeth Afibah Armstrong-Mensah manifested in the virtual study abroad to Ghana,” noted MPH student Angelique Willis.

To enhance networking and professional development for students, Armstrong-Mensah founded the SPH’s “Meet and Talk” (MeTa) Series, which has been held each fall and spring since 2018. Organized in collaboration with a team of students and faculty, MeTa Series events bring students, faculty, alumni and other members of Atlanta’s public health community for networking and breakout sessions focused on academic and career development. The in-person MeTa Series 10 is scheduled for March 9 will include networking with public health leaders, breakout sessions, activities, raffles and prizes.

“Dr. Armstrong-Mensah is dedicated to ensuring that students have learning experiences—both inside the classroom and out—that prepare them to make a difference in the health of communities,” said School of Public Health Dean Rodney Lyn. “She exemplifies the outstanding instruction, mentoring and engagement that the School of Public Health is known for, and I am thrilled that she has been recognized with this significant honor.”

Story by Sam Fahmy, Director of Communications for the School of Public Health
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Retirement of Dr. Wolfgang Schlör

The Office of International Initiatives hosted a retirement reception for Wolfgang Schlör, outgoing Associate Provost for International Initiatives, on Feb. 24.

In his time at Georgia State, Dr. Schlör represented the university as its senior international officer, and led the Office of International Initiatives, a critical element in Georgia State’s efforts to foster global education, research, scholarship and enterprise among its students, faculty and staff.

In this role, this includes oversight over several divisions within the unit, including International Partnerships and Agreements, Special Programs, Study Abroad, Communications, and the Virtual Exchange Initiative.

Under his leadership, OII improved campus awareness of global initiatives and has extended Georgia State’s spirit of student success and opportunity for all to international education.

OII during his time as associate provost garnered an IDEAS Grant to increase African American male participation in study abroad programs, and under his leadership OII won an IIE Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education for the university’s Free Passport Program.

The university also significantly grew its virtual exchange efforts, which provides meaningful collaboration and exchanges between teachers and students from a variety of locations and linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Institutionally, he improved cross-coordination of university-wide work on global initiatives by starting Georgia State’s International Council, and OII became a finalist for the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.

Dr. Schlör was also instrumental in the university securing an initial Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education to start the Atlanta Global Studies Center, a partnership between Georgia Tech and Georgia State that enhances access to advanced language learning, deepens knowledge of global and intercultural issues, and supports research, curriculum enhancement, and student and faculty professional development in global studies and language learning.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, his leadership and his team with OII were essential in the university’s response to the crisis – and even if borders were physically closed for study abroad or exchange, OII made sure that international education remained a part of students’ experiences, through virtual programming efforts and the initial launch of the Free Passport Program.

Carrie Manning, Professor of Political Science, has taken the mantle of Interim Associate Provost for International Initiatives, and a national search for a permanent associate provost will take place this year.

The Ignite Awards: Celebrating the Impact of Georgia State University’s Research, Scholarship, and Creativity

Georgia State is proud to launch the Ignite awards to recognize the outstanding work of our research community. The awards will honor individuals and groups at Georgia State whose innovative contributions have had tremendous impact on advancing knowledge, solving complex problems, creating new innovations, and enhancing quality of life in Georgia and beyond.

The awards include the following. Descriptions are available at the SharePoint link in the blue button below.

• Research Impact Award
• Research Partnership Award
• Research Scholarship and Creativity Award
• Research Mentorship Award
• Early Career Research Impact Award
• Research Administration Excellence Award
• Doctoral Research Achievement Award
• Postdoctoral Research Achievement Award

Nominations for the inaugural 2023 awards will be open until May 1, 2023.

Descriptions of each award are available at the Ignite Awards SharePoint portal, using your campus ID and password. The link is in the button below.

Nominations and accompanying materials should be submitted via the Georgia State University Research Portal at https://ignite.gsu.edu/. All letters, CVs and resumes should be in .pdf format and attached as instructed in the submission form.

Nominations will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the Provost and the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

Engaged Research Competition: Second Round Proposals Due April 7, 2023

The Georgia Policy Labs in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies invites proposals for its second Engaged Research Competition, which will award up to $35,000 to support engaged research with public or nonprofit partners. The competition is open to all tenure-track assistant professors at Georgia State University. Funds can be used for course releases, summer salary, and more from August 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

These funds are intended to remove structural barriers from conducting engaged research (e.g., the longer time to publication when answering questions of practice, complications setting up data sharing agreements, and time spent building trust with a partner).

Applicants must apply through Georgia State’s Internal Grants portal. Applications must be submitted by April 7, 2023, at 5:15 p.m. ET. Applications will be reviewed by a committee, with award decisions expected by the end of the semester.

For more information and to access the application, click the link below.

$2.8 Million NIH Grant to Accelerate Alzheimer’s Disease Research

Data sharing among researchers has the potential to advance research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, but preliminary research from Georgia State University suggests that investigators may experience barriers to optimal data-sharing practices.

Funded by a five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, a multi-institutional team led by Jalayne Arias, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences in the Georgia State University School of Public Health, will identify and evaluate barriers and facilitators to sharing research data. The project aims to develop recommendations and guidelines that support collaboration and accelerate the discovery of new treatments.

“In order to maximize the value of federally funded research, we need to make data more broadly available,” Arias said. “In our previous work, we identified gaps between data-sharing policies and how they were being implemented. This led us to examine the barriers that are preventing investigators from sharing data, particularly in light of the NIH’s 2023 Data Management and Sharing Policy.”

She notes that her preliminary research identified several challenges, including the time required to prepare data for sharing—such as redacting personally identifiable information—and concerns that sharing data might hinder a researcher’s career by making it more difficult to publish their findings in a peer-reviewed journal or by giving other researchers a competitive advantage.

To build upon their findings, Arias and her team will survey 1,000 researchers nationwide who study Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias. Surveys will collect information on participants’ experiences, practices, and perceptions of barriers and facilitators to data sharing. Following the survey, 40 researchers will be selected for in-depth interviews. The research team will then compare the findings of their surveys and interviews with the policies of journals, funding agencies, academic research centers and other organizations involved in therapeutic research. At the conclusion of the study, Arias and her team will issue recommendations to minimize barriers to data sharing.

Arias noted that sharing research data related to Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias can be particularly challenging because of concerns about the confidentiality of study participants. A 2019 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, for example, found that face recognition software could be used to identify study participants based on MRI data.

Although her study is specifically focused on Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias, Arias said her methods and findings have implications for other fields of biomedical research.

“When we get to the end of the five-year study, we expect to have guidelines that are actionable and implementable and that investigators looking at other subfields can use as a starting point,” Arias said. “Data sharing can accelerate research and discovery when done properly, so we’re trying to optimize it.”

Co-investigators on the study are:

• Leslie Wolf, Distinguished Professor and Professor of Law, Georgia State University College of Law
• Karen Nielsen, Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences, Georgia State University School of Public Health
• Eric Campbell, Professor of Medicine and Director of Research, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
• Michelle Mello, Professor of Law and Professor of Health Policy, Stanford University School of Law
• James Lah, Associate Professor of Neurology, Emory University
• Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Survey Research, University of Massachusetts Boston
• Jennifer Yokoyama, Associate Professor, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences

The project reported in this news release is supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AG080093-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. 

Sam Fahmy, Director of Communications, School of Public Health
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

IBMS Research: Psyllium Fiber Protects Against Colitis

Psyllium fiber protects against ulcerative colitis and suppresses inflammation by activating the bile acid nuclear receptor, a mechanism that was previously unrecognized, according to a new study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

The findings published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology (CMGH) reveal that psyllium, which is semi-soluble and derived from Plantago seeds, inhibits inflammation that can lead to colitis in mice by increasing serum bile acids, resulting in the activation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a bile acid nuclear receptor.

Fiber-rich foods promote intestinal and metabolic health, but the extent of protection varies for each fiber type and the mechanisms that offer this protection are poorly defined. It has been unclear whether dietary fiber can benefit severe forms of intestinal inflammation, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which are collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and affect 3 million adults in the United States.

This study was designed to identify specific fibers that might protect mice in two models of experimental colitis. The study also investigated the mechanism by which protective fibers might suppress inflammation.

Several fibers were tested, including inulin, cellulose, pectin, glucomannan and psyllium. The authors found psyllium has the unique ability to improve two chronic inflammatory states: metabolic syndrome and colitis.

“The results were impressive in that even modest amounts of psyllium provided strong protection in both colitis models,” said Andrew Gewirtz, senior author of the study and Regents’ Professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State.

“That psyllium can offer protection against colitis fits with limited human studies that psyllium is effective in maintaining remission of ulcerative colitis, but its mechanism of action was largely unknown,” added lead author Alexis Bretin, a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State, who also noted that the new study has filled this gap of knowledge.

Psyllium led to an increase in bile acids that resulted in activation of the FXR bile acid receptor. Such FXR activation was necessary and sufficient to prevent colitis. This suggests that pharmacologic FXR activation might be useful in managing IBD.

The study also provides evidence that dietary fiber can benefit IBD, which has been unclear.

“There has been a lack of consensus on the impact of dietary fiber on IBD, and the notion that soluble/fermentable fibers might negatively impact IBD has prompted many patients to consume low-fiber diets, thus missing out on the broad array of health benefits provided by fiber,” Gewirtz said. “Our findings indicate distinct fibers act quite differently from each other and thus more human studies of specific fibers are warranted.”

Additional authors of the study were Jun Zou and Vu L. Ngo of the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State; Beng San Yeoh and Matam Vijay-Kumar of the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences; Shawn Winer of the University of Toronto; Daniel A. Winer of the University of Toronto and Buck Institute for Research on Aging; Lavanya Reddivari of Purdue University; Michael Pellizzon of Research Diets Inc.; William A. Walters and Ruth Ley of the Max Planck Institute for Biology; Andrew D. Patterson of The Pennsylvania State University; and Benoit Chassaing of the Université Paris Cité.

The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

To read the study, visit https://www.cmghjournal.org/article/S2352-345X(23)00026-7/fulltext.

— LaTina Emerson, Director of Communications, Institute for Biomedical Sciences
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Amani Mallory, Biomedical Enterprise Alumna, Leads in Digital Health Care

Amani Mallory (B.I.S. ’16, M.I.S. ’19) is working on the technical side of health care at an Atlanta-based software company, assisting customers involved in clinical research with software implementation and driving user engagement.

By LaTina Emerson, Director of Communications, Institute for Biomedical Sciences

Amani Mallory is making her mark on the health care industry through business and technology.

After graduating from the Biomedical Enterprise master’s program in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences in 2019, she landed a job at Florence Healthcare, a software company headquartered in Atlanta, and now works as a senior implementation associate.

“I’ve always been interested in software and technology, but I never saw myself working in the industry because I thought my experience and path didn’t align,” Mallory said. “Surprisingly, a lot of people in software and tech didn’t either and have some very interesting backgrounds.”

Florence Healthcare offers software products that cater to different types of customers involved in clinical research, such as pharmaceutical companies and organizations conducting clinical studies. The software allows users to digitize their workflows, so documents can be uploaded and electronically filed, saving time and eliminating the need to print hundreds of pages.

“A typical project for my team lasts around eight to nine weeks,” Mallory said. “We train customers on how to use the system, customize the system to fit their needs and ensure everything is compliant with either the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or a local equivalent (for international customers).”

Mallory prepares customers for onboarding, creates their testing space and communicates what is expected of them during implementation. She also drives user adoption and engagement to ensure long-term success and seeks opportunities to improve and scale processes that will accommodate rapid growth of the Florence Healthcare team.

She decided to join a software company because it provides a range of opportunities, encourages creativity, offers an optimistic environment with great benefits and has work that isn’t repetitive, among other benefits. Florence Healthcare also values work-life balance, and employees seemed genuinely happy and raved about the culture when Mallory was interviewing at the company.

Through the position, she has developed valuable translational skills and learns about the research studies being conducted by sponsors and contract research organizations.

The Ellenwood, Ga.,-native was the first in her immediate family to attend college or graduate school, receiving her bachelor’s degree in biology from Georgia State in 2016, and the first to pursue a science, medicine or research-related career. Her academic studies in the Biomedical Enterprise master’s program, now the Biomedical Science and Enterprise master’s program, prepared her for this role.

For instance, Florence Healthcare is involved in the drug development life cycle by aiming to digitize clinical trial workflows.

“A lot of the onboarding was learning about how clinical trials work, but I learned all of that in the graduate program,” Mallory said.

The software company must also comply with the FDA and local authorities for international customers. Mallory was introduced to some aspects of compliance during a graduate school course.

Florence Healthcare only had about 50 employees when Mallory started working there two years ago, but it’s quickly moving out of the startup phase. Since the company was rapidly growing, new ideas were strongly encouraged and thinking entrepreneurially was a necessity.

“One of the company values was ‘Experimentation is our superpower,’ and thanks to a course in the program, I could critically think about product/process improvements and effectively communicate my ideas to my team,” Mallory said.

Lastly, Mallory works under the customer experience department at Florence Healthcare, so keeping customers engaged during implementations is extremely important.

“The courses I took related to customer engagement and experience taught me how to walk through the customer journey and analyze what a customer may be thinking and feeling at specific phases,” Mallory said. “Keeping customers on track during implementation is very important because we have timeline goals. Keeping customers happy is important because we want positive survey responses and customer referrals.”

At Georgia State, Mallory also participated in research and completed an internship. Employers found both of these experiences to be assets when she was applying for jobs. Her colleagues at Florence Healthcare still set up one-on-one meetings with her to discuss her academic research experience.

“I talk about my experience in the program to this day,” Mallory said. “To me, it was the perfect combination of being challenging, educational and fun. It felt like the mentors really cared about our success.”

Her advice to current students and recent graduates is to make connections, perfect their resumes, start branding themselves and engage on LinkedIn.

In the future, Mallory would like to become a life science consultant and help clients in the pharmaceutical, device or biotech industries solve problems or reach goals through operational and strategy consulting. She plans to take on different roles in the industry over the next five to 10 years to achieve that goal.

Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Partners In Knowledge: Library Delivers on Research Resources

From the Georgia State University Magazine

Noelle Toumey Reetz, Office of the Vice President for Research & Economic Development

The Georgia State University Library is not only a repository for books and information, it is also one of the busiest spaces on campus. Sitting on the campus greenway and along Decatur Street, the Atlanta Campus library accommodates as many as 11,000 students every day. It’s also an essential partner for the research conducted by students and faculty — a role that’s evolving as fast as research itself.

“The job of our frontline librarians today is to get out into the departments, make connections with faculty, understand the research and the pedagogy that’s happening in the units they’re serving, and connect that with the resources and services we offer,” says Jeff Steely, who has served as Georgia State’s Dean of Libraries since 2015. “It’s no longer a ‘sit at a reference desk and wait for questions to come to you’ role. It’s much more being side by side with the people who are doing the research or the teaching, then looking for the gaps in the university’s information infrastructure and filling those spaces.”

A Three-Part Approach to Research Collaboration

Steely says he sees the library’s mission to partner with research in three main ways: through collections, expertise and facilitating conversations.

Traditionally, students and researchers may come in looking for information in the library’s expansive research databases, which include articles from peer-reviewed journals, specialized magazines and e-books. While the written word is still a primary resource, the library aims to create opportunities for students and researchers to regularly connect with the greater Atlanta community.

“Many of our faculty and grad students are working across disciplinary boundaries, so we are always thinking of ways to create a venue for people to come together and share ideas,” says Steely. At Georgia State, that may happen at a book talk, a data workshop, an intentionally informal faculty gathering, or by way of a recommendation from a library expert.

“I believe an important function of our library professionals is to serve as a bridge in the social network of campus researchers,” says Steely. “Librarians are in a unique position to hear an idea, a question, a need in one disciplinary area and carry that into a conversation in another department.”

Read more at the link below.

New Pilot Program Supports Arts and Humanities Pursuits for Georgia State Faculty

A new pilot program will provide internal grants for faculty in the arts and humanities at Georgia State. The goal of the program is to assist in advancing research, scholarship and creative activity for professional career development and support projects that enhance awardees’ professional standing in their fields.

The special research initiative is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development. Grant amounts will vary depending on the number of applications and breadth of the proposed projects.

“We are delighted to invest in the arts and humanities,” said Tim Denning, vice president for research and economic development. “Excellence in research, scholarship and creativity permeates through every corner of the university, and we want to support all disciplines. This is a great way to highlight our commitment to the entire research community.”

Applicants can request up to $6,000 for resources or assistance to work on a major research project, or written or artistic work that has the potential to significantly enhance their professional career. Sara Rosen, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, calls the awards a terrific new opportunity.

“So often our faculty need support to visit archives, collect data and information, disseminate new forms of digital scholarship, or fund book indexing or other subventions needed for their publications,” said Rosen. “We are thrilled with the recognition and support for research, scholarship and creative activity across all of the disciplines.”

The awards can be used to cover a wide range of pursuits, including projects or collaboration with another faculty member, travel or equipment.

The grant awards can be spent over any six-month period between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. The deadline for proposals is April 7. Awards will be announced in May. More details are available on the URSA Funding Opportunities page.

To learn more about research at Georgia State, click here.

— Noelle Toumey Reetz, Communications Manager for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

From Project RISE: New Georgia State Record Label, MTM Standard, Releases First Four Singles

MTM Standard, the newly established record label with Georgia State University and the School of Music, debuted four student recording artists March 3. This is the first series of releases with more coming throughout March and April.

March 3

DREILU– “Verte”
(Omar Ruiz- fourth year, Music Production & Recording)

MUMBLEBEE – “Cut You Loose”
(Moya Freeman- third year, Music Production & Recording)

ARIZÉ– “Blood Diamond”
(Arize Okolo- fourth year, Media Entrepreneurship)

40IV– “Another Moment”
(Simon Huaman- second year, Music Production & Recording)

This project is a seed grant as part of Georgia State’s first-ever Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence challenge, or Project RISE. MTM Standard serves as an incubator for artists, creatives and aspiring music executives looking to jumpstart their careers while still in school. The group focuses on three main areas: recording/music production, label services/distribution and sync/licensing. These focus areas are a collaboration of curriculum currently being taught in Music Industry courses within the School of Music and relationships being fostered with external industry partners and advisors. The goal is to be a competitor in the music industry while releasing the best quality music with cutting-edge rollout and marketing plans.

Music Industry Professors Al Thrash and Ben Yonas have been mentoring students to manage every aspect of the music release process. From project management and production to booking and business operations, it is the students who are running the show.

“Our music industry program is recognized for constantly producing some of the top future leaders of the music business in Atlanta and beyond,” Thrash said. “Forming a music group on campus that is integrated into our rigorous curriculum furthers our commitment to experiential learning that fosters collaboration within the university, entertainment industry and global community. I am incredibly excited for the students, and I can’t wait to see how they launch artistic and professional careers and build MTM Standard into an empire.”

To stay informed and be the first to hear the latest music drops and updates, text “MTM” to 678-263-2572.

To learn more about MTM Standard’s upcoming events, music submission process and/or student involvement, visit mtmstandard.com and follow MTM Standard on social media and view their linktree.

— Kaylee Bramlett, PR Coordinator, School of Music
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Perimeter College Leads State in Number of Contenders for Prestigious Scholarship

DECATUR, Ga. — Ten students from Georgia State University’s Perimeter College are frontrunners for the nationally competitive Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, representing all but two of those chosen from the state.

In addition, each Perimeter College semifinalist is an Honors College student. They are among 459 semifinalists selected from more than 1,700 applicants attending 215 community colleges in 38 states.

Perimeter’s semifinalists and their academic interests are:

Ariel Ford – Theatre
Paula Gil – Engineering
Tierra Grant – Psychology
Kseniya Harrington – Physics
Serin Kim – Psychology
Mens Muzyin – Engineering
Tsinat Nure – Finance and Computer Science
Areej Rizwan – Engineering
Madelief Tilder – Sociology
Julian Umana-Bernal – Engineering

“We are incredibly proud of these Honors College students who stand out among hundreds of national competitors to become 2023 Jack Kent Cooke finalists,” said Perimeter’s Dr. Lauri Goodling, Associate Dean for Honors College and Associate Dean for International Initiatives.

“Congratulations to them and to our entire Honors College team members who, year after year, help to recruit, track, counsel and mentor students through the arduous application process hoping to increase the number of Perimeter students receiving this highly coveted award.”

Some of the latest research from the American Talent Initiative estimates that roughly 50,000 high-achieving students from low income backgrounds could transfer to four-year colleges each year but don’t, often due to cost. The Cooke Transfer Scholarship is designed to create a clear pathway to a four-year degree by offering up to $55,000 per year along with academic advising and access to a network of peers.

Since 2002, 24 Perimeter students have received the scholarship, many transferring to institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State. The 2021 winners, Awa Cisse and Gideon Melvin, are both continuing their undergraduate studies at Yale University. Papa Ebo Quainoo became a Jack Kent Cooke scholar last year, transferring to Georgia Tech to study engineering.

This year’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship will be announced in April.

— Kenya King, Director of Communications for Perimeter College
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

New Grant Program Offers Support for Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Research

The College of Arts & Sciences at Georgia State University has launched the Dean’s Graduate Research Grant program, an internal grants program that will support graduate students pursuing research, scholarly and professional development opportunities beyond the classroom.

Master’s and PhD students in the college can now apply for up to $2,000 to help cover expenses such as the cost of travel to conferences when the student is presenting author; registration costs for workshops and seminars related to the student’s thesis or dissertation; and materials such as books, software, and research supplies.

“We are excited to support graduate students in the College of Arts & Sciences with new resources for research and professional development,” said Sara Rosen, dean of the college.

“Our graduate students are the next generation of scholars, scientists and professionals. These opportunities will help them broaden their understanding and hone their skills to be successful in their chosen professions.”The program was created thanks to a generous gift from Susan Eckert, who earned three degrees at Georgia State — a B.S. in psychology, a graduate degree in Counseling and Psychological Services, and a Ph.D. in educational administration.

“Graduate students who need some help in paying for the ‘extras’ — like thesis research expenses and trips to professional meetings — don’t have many places to turn for funding without running up even more personal debt than they already may have,” said Eckert, who is retired from a senior administration role at Emory University.  “I am so happy to be able to help these students pay for some of the extra costs of graduate school by joining Dean Rosen in supporting this grant program.

“My hope for graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences is that having these resources will help enhance their academic programs. I also hope an added benefit could also be for the faculty in their recruiting efforts for future graduate students who will be able to see the resources available to support them.”

For more details about the application process including upcoming deadlines, visit https://cas.gsu.edu/deans-graduate-research-grant/.

— Anna Varela, Director of Communications for the College of Arts & Sciences
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Georgia State University Foundation Award Will Save Students $1 Million on Learning Materials

The Georgia State University Foundation Board of Trustees has awarded $20,000 to the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ AYS Open initiative. It will save Georgia State students an estimated $1 million or more on learning materials before 2026, according to Professor Scott Jacques, who heads the initiative.

“Based on our prior experience with AYS Open, we are confident this award will save students, as a group, $1 million or more, generating a 50-times return on the trustees’ financial investment,” Jacques said. “It also will help our students realize greater academic achievement by relieving some financial stress, strengthening Georgia State’s reputation as a leader in student success.”

AYS Open, one of three strategic priorities in the college’s Digital Landscape Initiative, increases the use and quality of free information and knowledge in coursework by making certain materials, like articles and data, open access (i.e., digital, online, free of charge and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions), while using more open-access or otherwise free resources in research, teaching and service. For example, AYS Open Access promotes the use of open statistical software programs over expensive alternatives.

The grant will enable Jacques and Andrew Wheeler, a data scientist and affiliated faculty with the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, to automate a proven, manual process for making expensive materials, like textbooks and other ancillaries, no-cost for students within the college in 2024. They will publish this software under the Georgia State University brand and with an open-source license, thereby expanding its impact nationally and globally.

In the second year, Jacques and Ellen Ballard, a clinical instructor of criminal justice and criminology and the department’s coordinator for no-cost, standardized courses, will use the new automation software to transform learning materials from expensive to no-cost efficiently and effectively across the university.

“We first used this process by working with the University Library to purchase unlimited e-versions of already-assigned materials in fall semester 2019 and immediately saved students $130,000, which multiplied every semester thereafter,” Jacques said.

“We are committed to developing and scaling this innovative, evidence-based student support, and grateful to the trustees for the grant which will allow us do so.”

For more information, contact Amanda Puche at [email protected]. Explore how donor dollars are making a difference at Georgia State and donate to the AYS Open initiative through the Course Materials Acquisition Fund at giving.gsu.edu.

— Jennifer Giarratano, PR Manager, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Immigration Clinic Students Win Case for Asylee

An aslyee who has been in limbo for more than five years is now eligible for lawful permanent residence and eventually citizenship, thanks to hard-working students in Georgia State Law’s Immigration Clinic.

On December 7, Katie Beno-Valencia (J.D. ’24) and Angela Flores (J.D. ’24) were the lead advocates in a Merits hearing before an Atlanta immigration judge with a 96.9 percent denial rate. In February, they received the judge’s decision granting their client asylum on the basis of her race and identity as a member of the social group “Indigenous females in Guatemala.”

The students were coached by the clinic’s supervising attorney Will Miller and associate clinical professor Emily Torstveit Ngara.

“This was a highly stressful situation—losing meant an order of deportation back to Guatemala, where our client’s life would be in danger,” said Miller. “As a result of the students’ efforts, and of their skill and savvy at trial, our client is no longer in removal proceedings and soon will have her green card.”

The students devoted almost 300 hours of work to prepare for the trial after receiving the case in late August 2022.

“They started from close to zero, but got their arms around the law pretty quickly,” said Miller.

The students collected evidence, corresponded with fact witnesses in Guatemala and prepared written declarations for signature. They observed other asylum proceedings at the Atlanta Immigration Court with alumni Judge Pamela Peynado (J.D.’14) and Joshua McCall (J.D.’21) and then practiced all aspects of their trial numerous times.

“The preparation helped me get through the nerves of going to trial,” Beno-Valencia said. “I really appreciated the support our professors offered us; they helped us develop skills and tools for not only this case but to use in our future careers. I felt proud of the work we did and proud of our client.”

At the Dec. 7 trial, Beno-Valencia led the direct exam of the expert witness for Guatemalan asylum seekers. Flores led the direct exam of the client as she shared her testimony.

“This case was truly one of the best-lawyered cases I have seen in my time in practice,” said Ngara. “The students rose to the occasion and ensured that the necessary information made it into the record during testimony, overcoming technical difficulties, language barriers and layers of trauma in the process. The client is incredibly resilient, courageous, hard-working and empathetic. The state of Georgia is better for her being in it, and I am thrilled that she will be able to stay here as long as she chooses.”

During her testimony, the client shared painful details of what happened to her in Guatemala, often through tears.

“Angela accomplished something many seasoned asylum attorneys often fail to do—elicit testimony from a traumatized client consistent, down to the last detail, with the client’s previously submitted written declaration,” said Miller.

Flores attributes the successful direct examination to the diligent preparation of the team, the guidance from professors and the client’s courage and resilience.

“For a client to tell a deeply personal story about the persecution they survived, they have to re-experience it. Understanding how difficult that is, caring deeply for your client, and maintaining hope is important for attorneys of clients who have survived trauma,” she said.

Both Flores and Beno-Valencia were drawn to Georgia State Law because of its Immigration Clinic and their desire to have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

Before attending law school, Beno-Valencia worked as a paralegal at an immigration law firm and at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), She plans to practice immigration law after graduation and says programs like the Immigration Clinic are important “because it offers an individual who may not be able to obtain representation otherwise a chance to have their day in court.”

Flores, who previously worked with children in foster care, hopes to become a child advocate attorney.

“My experience participating in the clinic exceeded all my expectations of what I could learn and accomplish in a semester,” Flores said. “It is an honor to directly represent those who have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. It’s a reminder that all things are possible.”

— Stacey L. Evans for the College of Law
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Georgia Power Foundation Grant Helps Expand GSU Prison Education Sites and Programs

The Georgia State University Prison Education Project (GSUPEP) has been awarded a 3-year, $300,000 grant from The Georgia Power Foundation to support the development and expansion of several initiatives within the project.

The investment will support:

• The initiation of a new instructional program at GSUPEP at the United States Federal Penitentiary (USP) in Atlanta
• The expansion of the existing GSUPEP Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice courses and,
• New programming for a proposed Returning Citizens Center at Georgia State’s Perimeter College.

Currently, GSUPEP supports for-credit and non-credit college coursework for almost 100 incarcerated students at Phillips State Prison in Buford, Ga., and Walker State Prison in Rock Spring, Ga, plus pre-college enrichment courses in  Department of Juvenile Justice facilities across the state.

The goal of GSUPEP is to enable incarcerated students to obtain an associate degree and continue their education.

“With this investment from The Georgia Power Foundation, GSUPEP will be able to develop a new instructional program at the U.S. Federal Penitentiary,” said Patrick Rodriguez, GSUPEP interim director.

“This program will provide quality self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders in becoming educated law-abiding citizens, which is a focal point of our mission statement,” said Ray Coleman, Supervisor of Education at USP Atlanta. “It also showcases the hard work and passion of the teachers here at USP Atlanta, who have motivated and prepared these individuals for collegiate careers. Collectively, it effectively reduces the risk of recidivism and that is a “win” for us all,” Coleman said.

The Georgia Power Foundation grant also will fund a new program of for-credit entry-level college online courses in English and math at the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.

“This expansion of the GSUPEP programs means that more incarcerated individuals in the state of Georgia will be given access to a college education and a potential path to self-sufficiency, agency and empowerment,” said Rodriguez. “It also will place Georgia State University as the only university in the nation to offer for-credit courses in prisons at the juvenile, state and federal level.”

In addition to the U.S. Federal Penitentiary classes and Department of Juvenile Justice courses, the grant will help GSUPEP fund the creation of a Returning Citizens Center (RCC). The center will be a place for formerly incarcerated students and their families interested in returning to college or attending college for the first time.

“The RCC will offer programming both on and off-campus, partnering with the university’s Office of Career Services [for career-related resources], Georgia State University’s  College of Law to provide workshops on finding legal support to help them navigate community supervision, and with the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies to engage students in important policy discussions and work about the criminal legal system. In addition, the RCC will provide programming that addresses support for student mental and physical health needs,” Rodriguez said.

“We are so grateful to The Georgia Power Foundation for their generous investment in GSUPEP, which will help us continue to use education as a bridge to a brighter future for those we serve,” Rodriguez said. “Access to higher education benefits these students and their families, friends and communities.”

— Kenya King, Director of Communications, Perimeter College
Originally published at the University News Hub here.

Georgia State Online Graduate Programs Ranked Among Best by U.S. News

Three graduate programs at Georgia State University have been ranked among the best online programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

The U.S. News 2023 Best Online Programs rankings assessed more than 1,800 graduate and undergraduate programs offered online by regionally accredited institutions — the highest number of degree programs evaluated in the online rankings’ 11-year history.

Georgia State’s College of Education & Human Development was recognized with two highly placed rankings: a tie at No. 19 in the category of Best Online Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction Programs and a tie at No. 69 in the Best Online Master’s in Education Programs category.

In the Curriculum and Instruction category, Georgia State was ranked alongside Purdue University-West Lafayette, North Carolina State, The University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Kansas and Virginia Commonwealth University.

The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in Criminal Justice Administration tied for No. 27 in the Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice category.

“Students who choose to advance their knowledge and careers through our interdisciplinary online M.I.S. in Criminal Justice Administration are taught by the same outstanding faculty who teach on campus,” said Ann-Margaret Esnard, interim dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. “We’re not surprised our program continues to rank so highly among its online peers.”

In evaluating online graduate programs, U.S. News weighed levels of student-faculty engagement, the training and credentials of program faculty, and the services and technologies available to students, among other factors.

“Our online programs exemplify best practices for student engagement,” said Paul A. Alberto, Regents’ Professor and dean of the College of Education & Human Development. “We also maintain the same high-quality instruction that is found in our on-campus programs. These elements help to set us apart from other online programs nationally.”

— Andrea Jones, Vice President for Public Relations and Communications
Originally published at the University News Hub here.