A NOTE FROM THE PROVOST

Welcome back! I hope that you took the time for some well-earned rest this summer and are refreshed and renewed as we head into another busy fall semester at Georgia State.
We are beginning another academic year affected by a pandemic, and you undoubtedly have questions about how we will operate. You will find a wealth of coronavirus resources at https://covidinfo.gsu.edu, including updates and information about policies, procedures, vaccines, mask wearing, and an archive of past university communications. I encourage you to regularly check the site for new information.
There are so many exciting things going on around campus, including new leadership. We were honored to welcome our new president, Dr. Brian Blake, to campus last week. I know that we all will do our utmost to support him as he leads us forward into Georgia State’s next chapter.
We also are excited to welcome Dean LaVonda Reed to the helm of our College of Law, and Dean Rodney Lyn to the permanent position as he continues his leadership at the School of Public Health. Michael Sanseviro likewise will continue his great work in his now permanent role of Vice President for Student Engagement and Programs.
We have been working hard to implement the goals we set forth in our COACHE Action Plan, especially in faculty compensation. In August, we completed our review of the salaries of all full-time faculty in all ranks at all campuses to identify those who were experiencing salary inversion. Inversion occurs when an individual with a given job, rank, and department (such as an Associate Professor of Chemistry) is making less than the highest-paid individuals in the same job and department at the next rank below (such as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry). After a careful review, we were able to distribute equity adjustments to 252 eligible faculty totaling over $740,000. You can read more below and check back with our COACHE website at https://provost.gsu.edu/coache/ for the latest on our progress.
Our feedback from COACHE also made clear that we need to do better in recognizing excellence around our campuses. This fall, we will give out our first award to recognize leaders within our university community whose work and values reflect their commitment to creating an inclusive, just environment – the JEDI Award, standing for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
I’m delighted to give the inaugural JEDI Award to the members of the Task Force for Racial Equality, which drove vital and important conversations last summer. Their recommendations allowed us to develop plans to achieve a more inclusive and equitable institution, and I am grateful for their dedication.
Recipients of the JEDI Award will be honored during the Celebrating Faculty Excellence ceremony, scheduled Sept. 30. You can read more about them, as well as recipients of faculty awards in this issue.
This issue also includes information about training and workshops from our Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education (CETLOE), our progress with Georgia State Online, Georgia State’s economic impact on our economy, the latest in research news, and much, much more.
And remember, as always, you’ll find updates between issues of this newsletter at the Provost’s Office news feed, https://provost.gsu.edu/news/.
I am so proud of how this community has faced and overcome every challenge thrown our way during the pandemic. As I enter my third academic year as provost, I continue to be amazed and impressed every day by our dedicated faculty and staff.
The strength and commitment you have provided to this university are the reasons for Georgia State’s continued recognition as a leader and innovator in teaching, research, scholarship and service.
Thank you for all that you do. I hope that you have a great start to a new academic year, and remember to look after one another, and yourselves.
Sincerely,
Wendy Hensel, J.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEWS
Starting the Fall Semester: The Georgia State Coronavirus Resources Website
Welcome to New Leadership
Task Force for Racial Equality Receives the Inaugural JEDI Award
Difficult Conversations
Celebrating Faculty Excellence
COACHE Progress Update
Promising Results from the EPIC Program
Georgia State Has $2.8 Billion Impact on State’s Economy
Department Adopts Africana Studies Name To Reflect Global Emphasis Of Teaching And Research
Academic Integrity Update
News from Online Strategies and the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Online Education
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion News
Research Highlights at Georgia State
Signature Lecture Series this Fall
Progress & Commitment to Graduate Education
New Faculty Affairs Leaders Appointed
Global Diversity Conference in October
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans: The Role of Self-Care in Black Women’s Lives
Dr. Chara Bohan: Addressing the Consequences of How Southern Textbooks Rewrote Civil War History
NEWS FROM THE NEXT GENERATION PROGRAM
Changing Roadscapes: The Micromobility Lab (Urban Studies Institute)
READ PREVIOUS ISSUES
NEWS

Starting the Fall Semester: The Georgia State Coronavirus Resources Website
As Georgia State moves into another academic year, the university has transitioned its Georgia State Ahead website to the new Coronavirus Resources page at https://covidinfo.gsu.edu. The website has a comprehensive list of searchable FAQs addressing topics from the classroom to sanitation and work schedules, along with a question submission form. There is also information about where to get the vaccine – for free – at Georgia State, testing, and a COVID-19 reporting form, plus an archive of previous university communications to faculty, staff and students.
Welcome to New and Continuing Leadership
Learn more about top leadership below.

LaVonda N. Reed
Dean, College of Law
LaVonda N. Reed, J.D., was appointed as the seventh dean of the Georgia State College of Law effective July 1, 2021.
Prior to her appointment at Georgia State, Dean Reed served as Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at Syracuse University from 2015 to 2021. In this position, she was responsible for supporting more than 1,700 faculty members. She had oversight of research and administrative leaves, promotion and tenure review, policy development and enforcement, and awards, among other duties. She was also responsible for the stewardship and oversight of the Lender Center for Social Justice, as well as the stewardship of a multimillion-dollar endowment to support teaching excellence across the university.
At Syracuse, Dean Reed led initiatives to recruit and retain diverse faculty and created the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and the Center for Faculty Leadership and Professional Development, which helped further the work of Syracuse’s National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant designed to support women and underrepresented minority scholars in STEM disciplines.
Dean Reed first joined the faculty at Syracuse University College of Law in 2006. Her research and teaching are in the areas of wills and trusts, property, and communications regulatory law and policy.
Prior to her appointment at Syracuse University, she was on the faculty of the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. She also was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Donald W. VanArtsdalen of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and practiced communications and corporate law with the international firm of Paul Hastings LLP.
Dean Reed earned her Juris doctor degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Virginia.

Rodney Lyn
Dean, School of Public Health
Dr. Rodney Lyn was appointed as full dean of the School of Public Health, effective June 1, 2021, after serving in this leadership role in an interim capacity. His interim period was an eventful one – serving as a vital member of Georgia State’s COVID-19 Task Force.
He is also Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences. His research is focused on childhood obesity prevention, school and community health, and the reduction of health disparities. He has special interest in identifying effective policy and system approaches to increasing physical activity and healthy eating in children and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on these topics.
Dr. Lyn has led or contributed to funded grants totaling over $16M from federal and state agencies, foundations, and not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator for the Prevention Research Center at Georgia State University. Other recent projects include theRacial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health, a CDC-supported partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to address food deserts; the Georgia Childhood Obesity Prevention Program, a multi-county initiative to support and accelerate local policy and environmental interventions for obesity prevention, with funding from Healthcare Georgia Foundation; Partnerships to Improve Community Health, a CDC-supported partnership with Fulton County Health Department focused on tobacco prevention; and, a study examining mortality disparities and resilience in low-income, minority communities in the South, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Lyn previously served as Deputy Director for GSU’s NIH-funded Center of Excellence on Health Disparities Research.
Dr. Lyn has advised and worked closely with state and federal agencies, professional associations, not-for-profits, and the philanthropic community on a variety of public health topics. He teaches graduate courses including Public Health Policy, Analysis, and Advocacy; Public Health Leadership and Policy; and Childhood Obesity Prevention. He is an active member of the American Public Health Association.

Michael Sanseviro
Vice President for Student Engagement & Programs
Dr. Michael Sanseviro (Ph.D. ’06), associate vice president and dean of students at Georgia State University since 2019, has been named vice president for student engagement and programs at the university.
Dr. Sanseviro had been interim vice president for student engagement and programs and associate vice president for student engagement and dean of students.
Prior to joining Georgia State, he was the associate vice president and dean of students at Kennesaw State University.
Dr. Sanseviro was the dean of students during the consolidation of Kennesaw State and the Southern Polytechnic State University and helped to build a strong student community for Kennesaw State students at the Marietta and Kennesaw campus locations.
Early in his career, he was the director of Georgia State’s first residential housing complex and was also director of student life at Georgia Perimeter College.
Dr. Sanseviro earned his Ph.D. in educational policy studies from Georgia State in 2006.

Task Force for Racial Equality Receives the Inaugural Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award
Thanks to the recommendations of the Task Force for Racial Equality last summer, Georgia State continues to move forward on an action plan to build a more inclusive and equitable institution.
To better recognize those who lead in inclusive excellence at Georgia State, the Office of the Provost has created the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Award. This new, annual institution-wide award recognizes those whose work and values reflect their commitment to:
- Justice: creating a campus free from barriers
- Equity: ensuring all members have access and representation
- Diversity: embracing differences in people and perspectives
- Inclusion: fostering a sense of belonging
To thank and recognize all that the Task Force has done to drive vital and important conversations, Provost Hensel has awarded the entire group with this honor with gratitude for their dedication during a very difficult time for the nation and the Georgia State Community community.
Members of the Task Force will be honored during the Celebrating Faculty Excellence ceremonies on September 30. More information about the JEDI Award and future nominations will be shared with the university in the fall semester.

Difficult Conversations
Like the start of the last academic year, the beginning of this fall semester comes at a time of great uncertainty and many instructors have questions. How can I get students to wear a face-covering? What if political issues come up in my class, but I’m unsure how to support my students or connect these discussions to my course content? What resources are available to help me navigate all of this?
Last year’s Difficult Conversations events helped to answer these questions at a start of an unprecedented semester, and the Office of Faculty Affairs is pleased to offer this open faculty forum again to help navigate this terrain. This session can help faculty think through these issues, whether they are teaching face to face or online.
The forum will be held virtually on Wednesday, Aug. 18, from 11 a.m. to noon. If you aren’t able to make it, a page with recordings and start-of-semester resources will be available at https://provost.gsu.edu/difficult-conversations/. Recordings of last year’s forums are also available on the website.
Steps to Attend the Forum
1. This forum will be held via Webex. Registration is required to receive a link. Click here to register: https://provost.gsu.edu/difficult-conversations/.
2. You can submit your questions for the panel through the registration form or email [email protected]
3. Check your email for the event link 24 hours prior to the event.

Celebrating Faculty Excellence
Georgia State will honor faculty for teaching, research, scholarship and service, along with promotion and tenure, with the Celebrating Faculty Excellence ceremonies on Sept. 30, honoring 2020 and 2021 awardees. The celebration will be held in the University Club at Center Parc Stadium.
Awardees to be honored include:
Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award
2020:
- Ashli Owen-Smith, Health Policy & Behavioral Science
- Ning Fang, Chemistry
2021:
- Deanna Joseph, Music
- Alessandra Raengo, Film Media and Theater
Alumni Distinguished Professorship Award
2020:
- Erin Tone, Psychology
2021:
- Joyce King, Educational Policy Studies
- Todd Henry, Physics and Astronomy
Exceptional Service Award
2020:
- Rose Sevcik, Psychology
2021:
- Brian Thoms, Physics and Astronomy
- Anne Murphy, Neuroscience Institute
- Kim Ramsey-White, Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences
Instructional Effectiveness Award
2020:
- Hongmei Zhang, Biology
2021
- Kelly Cranford, Business
Instructional Innovation Award
2020:
- Jill Anderson, University Library
- Ewa McGrail, Middle and Secondary Education
- Kevin Fleming, University Library
2021
- Mourad Dakhli, International Business
Teaching for Social Justice and Democracy Award
2021
- Owen Cantrell, English
- Ewa McGrail, Middle and Secondary Education
Distinguished University Professor
2020:
- Sarah Brosnan, Psychology
- Javier Stern, Neuroscience
- Daniel Whitaker, Health Policy & Behavioral Science
- Bingzhong Xue, Biology
2021:
- Deron Boyles, Educational Policy Studies
- Tim Denning, Biomedical Sciences
- Glenn Eskew, History
- Glenn Harrison, Risk Management and Insurance
- William Sabol, Criminal Justice
Regents Professor
2020:
- Pam Longobardi, Art and Design
- Xiaochun He, Physics and Astronomy
- Mark Keil, Computer Information Systems
2021:
- Tamer Cavusgil, International Business
- Andrew Gewirtz, Biomedical Sciences
- Natsu Saito, Law
For more details about faculty awards and professorships, select the link at the button below.

COACHE Progress Updates
Georgia State is undergoing a multi-year improvement cycle through the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction process, based on the COACHE survey results. The Provost’s Office action plan is a roadmap toward addressing the faculty concerns found in the survey, and the university is putting the plan into reality. Here are a few updates about Georgia State’s progress in the COACHE process.
Salary Equity Adjustments for Inversion
Last year, the Office of the Provost conducted a review of the salaries of all full-time faculty in all ranks at all campuses to identify those who were experiencing salary inversion.
Inversion occurs when an individual with a given job, rank, and department (such as an Associate Professor of Chemistry) is making less than the highest-paid individuals in the same job and department at the next rank below (such as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry).
Provost Hensel and the university identified a pool of $732,564 to address inversion and consulted with the University Senate about the preferred distribution mechanism. Having now received approval from the Board of Regents, the inversion funds have been distributed to the 252 faculty members determined to be eligible for an adjustment. In many cases, the adjustments will completely correct the inversion.
Where this is not possible due to a limitation of the available funds, individuals are receiving the average amount of available funds per person up to a maximum of $3,700. All faculty receiving a salary adjustment were notified earlier this month, with adjustments effective immediately.
The initiative represents a significant installment in an ongoing university effort to address faculty concerns with fairness and equity in compensation, and these discussions will continue during the 2021-22 academic year.
Action Plan Update
Building a Bridge Together is the university-level action plan to make progress in addressing the findings of the COACHE survey. The university-level plan has been updated to reflect progress in addressing the recommendations, as well as new information to address improvements in how the Provost’s Office is working to better address some of these issues. You can read the revised report in web-based format or PDF format by selecting the relevant link below.
College, School & Institute COACHE Web Pages
Each college, school and the Institute for Biomedical Sciences was directed to create their own unit-level plans to take action on the COACHE survey results. These units have now created their own web pages to keep their communities up-to-date on the latest within their college, school or institute.
Links to the web page listings and access for downloads of unit-level plans (at the Provost’s Office website document library) are located below. Plans can be downloaded a la carte, or in one single ZIP file archive.
Make sure to stay updated on the latest with COACHE through the COACHE at Georgia State website listed below.

Promising Results from the EPIC Program
A Georgia State University experiential, project-based, and interdisciplinary learning pilot program is yielding promising results for student achievement following its initial semesters.
The Experiential Project-based Interdisciplinary Curriculum (EPIC) program was launched in fall 2019 to provide first-year students an opportunity to learn by doing in long-term projects that begin in core curriculum/general education courses, such as English composition or introduction to American government (political science 1101).
Over time, students learn new skills such as data science, geographic information systems, project management and media production en route to completing project tasks. Ultimately, the project hopes to improve the experience of these foundational courses by showing students how their courses connect to one another.
“It is really exciting in that this is more similar to what students will experience outside of college,” said Brennan Collins, EPIC’s program director. “It’s more than, ‘read this, and here’s your assignment.’ Students have to figure things out while encountering unfamiliar problems and have to learn how to solve them quickly, all while working on teams.”
Some example project labs are listed below.
Pollitik, a public opinion lab where students working with Professor Ryan Carlin found fascinating results in analyzing public opinion surveys regarding international leaders and whether the public in their respective countries rally around leaders who contracted COVID-19. Click here to read the Washington Post article.
Mapping Atlanta, aimed at public-facing mapping projects, including a mapping project of a UNESCO World Heritage Civil Rights Trail and an oral history map for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Museum.
The Phoenix Project, using the MARTA Archaeological Collection of the Anthropology Department that contains artifacts and material remains found by university archaeologists during the transit system’s initial rail line construction in 1970s. Students learn about photography, 3D modeling, curation, geographic information systems, and more.
Mediamaking and Mobility, which had students examine Atlanta’s street and transportation system, mobility, what communities were they designed for, and how communities were affected by transportation planning decisions. Students learn how to gather oral histories and perspectives from the community, while also learning media production and geography.
Results are preliminary, but EPIC shows promise to expand upon Georgia State’s efforts to lead in student success, even in the face of the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, unexpected at the program’s launch.
Here are some of the preliminary findings.
In the preliminary analysis, students in the EPIC group and in a non-EPIC group were matched carefully for 11 variables, including (but not limited to) age, gender, race, first-generation college student status, Pell Grants, high school grade point average (GPA), expected family contribution and other factors.
After examining the cumulative GPAs of both groups over two years at Georgia State, on average the EPIC group earned a GPA of 3.062, compared to a GPA of 2.726 among non-EPIC students. When Honors students are removed from the groups, that difference grows to over a half grade point.
Further, the analysis indicated that EPIC can help to solve a different student achievement problem: the likelihood of a student earning a D or F, or withdrawing from a course entirely, known in higher education statistics and research as a DFW.
DFW rates as a whole can be used to gauge how students may struggle with courses in the core curriculum. If students earn a DFW in these early, foundational courses, they ultimately may be less likely to progress to degree completion.
From the preliminary analysis, results indicate that EPIC mitigated DFWs among one of Georgia State’s critical student populations – first-generation college students.
Fall 2021 and Evaluating Scalability
EPIC and EPIC-affiliated faculty will continue to evaluate how Georgia State might apply EPIC in a scalable, broader manner across other core curriculum courses.
For fall 2021, a new EPIC lab will work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to digitize an exhibit on influenza. Other lab projects continue, including two project labs on the Perimeter College campuses connected to the university’s Prison Education Project.
EPIC is supported by a grant from The Teagle Foundation and the Office of the Provost at Georgia State. For more information about EPIC, its project labs and affiliated faculty, select the link below.

Georgia State Has Nearly $2.8 Billion Impact on State’s Economy
Georgia State’s economic impact on Georgia is nearly $2.8 billion, according to new economic data released by the University System of Georgia (USG) in a report that highlights the economic benefits of the state’s higher education institutions.
In fiscal year 2020, the USG was a significant source of stability and played a critical role in the state’s recovery with an $18.6 billion statewide economic impact. The USG’s impact grew 0.6 percent over fiscal year 2019. The system directly and indirectly generated 155,010 jobs.
Graduates are also seeing benefits, with a new study showing a Class of 2020 graduate on average earning an additional $852,162 over the course of their career as a result of their USG degree.
Download the University System of Georgia’s report about all institutions and learn more about Georgia State’s economic impact through the links below.

Department Adopts Africana Studies Name To Reflect Global Emphasis Of Teaching And Research
The Department of African-American Studies at Georgia State University has been renamed the Department of Africana Studies, reflecting a global approach to teaching and research in the department, as well as national trends in academia.
The term “Africana” means studies or research pertaining to people of African descent in Africa, the United States and throughout the global diaspora.
A growing number of departments in the field have adopted the Africana Studies identity, including Harvard University, Ohio State University, the University of South Florida and Cornell University.
Read more from Dr. Jonathan Gayles, chair of the Department of Africana Studies, through the link below.

Academic Integrity Update: “Homework Help” Websites
As Georgia State enters a new semester, the Office of the Provost and the Task Force for Academic Integrity have new resources to assist faculty.
An important new resource addresses homework help websites, such as Chegg, Course Hero and GradeBuddy. These sites have a reputation for helping students cheat and for building their knowledge base from content contributed by students. Such content ranges from exams to lecture notes and homework assignments.
As this infringes on intellectual property rights, faculty have the right to request a takedown of their materials under copyright law. The Office of Legal Affairs has created instruction sheets for some of the most popular sites: Course Hero, GradeBuddy and Chegg.
There is also revised text from the Student Code of Conduct listed below about sharing or posting course materials including audio recordings.
Both resources are linked below.
These PDFs from Georgia State University’s Legal Affairs department provide instructions for faculty and instructors to request the takedown of their specific materials found on different homework help websites, including Course Hero, GradeBuddy and Chegg. The documents include information about the process, copyright laws, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
As approved by the University Senate, August 2020:
The selling, sharing, publishing, presenting, or distributing of instructor-prepared course lecture notes, videos, audio recordings, or any other instructor-produced materials from any course for any commercial purpose is strictly prohibited unless explicit written permission is granted in advance by the course instructor. This includes posting any materials on websites such as Chegg, Course Hero, OneClass, Stuvia, StuDocu and other similar sites. Unauthorized sale or commercial distribution of such material is a violation of the instructor’s intellectual property and the privacy rights of students attending the class, and is prohibited.
For more resources on academic integrity, including policies, syllabus statements, a video explainer for students, academic research and other materials, visit the Academic Integrity website through the link below.

News & Opportunities from Online Strategies and the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Online Education
Catch up on the latest news from the Associate Provost for Online Strategies below.
Georgia State Online Progress Report
It’s early in the development of Georgia State Online, but we’re already reaching one of the highest numbers of online offerings in the state across all degree levels as we continue to add more options for people to find their path towards earning a Georgia State University degree.
While an online student’s transcript will not indicate graduation from an online program, tracking of online students and program is still critically important for the institution. As of Fall 2021, the ONL attribute for students and coding for programs in Banner was put in place to provide the most accurate data for the University.
A revised Online Program Enrollment Growth Incentive was recently approved by Provost Hensel and Jerry Rackliffe, Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration. You can learn more about the incentive model on the CETLOE website.
A substantial investment to grow online enrollments through digital marketing campaigns is ramping up at Georgia State Online. The campaigns are designed to promote the Georgia State Online brand and amplify public awareness of the broad array of online programs offered at Georgia State University. Reach out to the new Director of Marketing and Communications, Nancy Byron, for more information or to schedule a consultation for marketing online programs at the school, college, or program level at [email protected].
Faculty Support for Fall
As you make your final preparations for Fall semester, take advantage of these helpful CETLOE resources.
Schedule a Support Session with a Learning Technologist
Visit the CETLOE homepage to schedule an on-campus or online support session by selecting the link below.
Upcoming Events
From iCollege workshops to part-time faculty development day, see upcoming events to help you prepare for Fall and beyond.
Custom Workshops
CETLOE can design and develop custom workshops for academic departments, faculty, student groups, classes or course projects
Recordings
Browse recordings of past workshops to find the right topic for you on your own time.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion News
Catch highlights of diversity, equity and inclusion news from the university below.
Coming Soon: The Return of the Diversity Dialogues
Last year’s inaugural Diversity Dialogue series brought together the university community to discuss ways to address racism and inequality. The Diversity Dialogues are part of the action plan to address the recommendations of the Task Force for Racial Equality.
The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the return of the series for the 2021-22 academic year.
The schedule for 2021-22 and event topics will be announced via campus email to students, faculty and staff in a few weeks. Keep an eye out for the email, and if you missed any of the 2020-21 series, select the link below to access the event recordings.
Update or Add Your Program/Initiative In the Diversity Database
The Diversity Database at the Georgia State Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website serves as a searchable information hub for DEI programs and initiatives from across the university, with more than 140 listings.
After the database’s successful launch in 2020, the DEI team is looking to keep the Diversity Database fresh and relevant to the entire Georgia State community and beyond.
Do you have an existing program/initiative listing that you need to update? Or is your program/initiative not in the database? Check out the links below to update or add your program/initiative.
Thank you for ensuring that we have the latest information!
The Resource Library
Georgia State is a large institution, and when it comes to DEI matters, at first it might be hard to find what you need, such as a service, department, or policies. Are you looking for any of the following?
- A book or publication
- Policies or procedures
- Help in locating services and departments
- Publications on allyship
- Film or multimedia listings
- Data and Statistics
- On-demand training courses
- Maps and directories
The Resource Library at the DEI website has you covered. With more than 200 listings, this virtual library can be searched by keyword and resource type to find what you need. You can also browse by resource type among the virtual “shelves” if you’re interested in perusing listings in the library.
You can also help the Georgia State community by contributing publications, books, film listings, or other types of resources to this virtual library.
Select the link below to get started at the Resource Library!
Religious Observances & Student Absences/Accommodations
Many students observe religious holidays essential to the practice of their faith. Because there are a large number of faiths represented at Georgia State, it is difficult to provide a comprehensive list of all religious holidays. The DEI website has you covered with a listing of commonly observed holidays among the Georgia State community, along with helpful links to broader calendars of many more observances across faiths.
You can also learn more about religious observances and student absence/accommodation policies at the DEI site.
Select the link below for further information.
Learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Georgia State through the university’s DEI website, linked below.

Record Funding, Antivirals, Scholarly Honors: Research Highlights at Georgia State
Research at Georgia State is proceeding at an unprecedented pace. Learn the latest below.
Georgia State University faculty have earned $142 million in research funding in fiscal year 2021, the third highest total in university history.
The funding comes from federal government agencies, private nonprofits, large corporations and the state of Georgia, among other sources. The total includes $44.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $14.6 million from the U.S. Department of Education, $11.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and $8.2 million from the Georgia Department of Human Services.
Thirty-seven faculty members were awarded more than $1 million, a university record. Among the university’s top 20 grant recipients, half are women.
Read more at the Georgia State News Hub, including key grants won by Georgia State researchers to support investigations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as more details about highlighted major grants received in FY ’21.
Georgia State Researchers Join $20 Million Project To Harness Artificial Intelligence, Transform Online STEM Education For Adults
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it is investing $20 million in a collaborative effort by Georgia universities, the Technical College System of Georgia and other partners to leverage artificial intelligence to transform adult learning in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.
Led by the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), the effort unites experts in computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive science, learning science and education from Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, the Technical College System of Georgia, Arizona State University, Boeing, Drexel University, Harvard University, IBM, IMS Global and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Wiley.
The 5-year NSF grant will establish the NSF AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (ALOE) to be headquartered at Georgia Tech, one of 11 NSF AI research institutes.
Georgia State will be responsible for the learning analytics portion of the grant, said Scott Crossley, a member of the research team and professor of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language at the university. Min Kyu Kim, assistant professor in Learning Sciences in Georgia State’s College of Education & Human Development, will serve as co-lead for learning analytics.
Read more via the link below.
Biomedical Sciences Research Center Will Focus on Developing Much-Needed Affordable Antiviral Drugs
The Center for Translational Antiviral Research has been established in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University to fill the gap for developing affordable, much-needed antiviral drugs that will reduce severe viral diseases and meet the threats imposed by existing and newly evolving viruses.
The research center will focus primarily on RNA virus pathogens of high pandemic potential, such as the coronaviruses, influenza viruses and paramyxoviruses such as Nipah virus.
The center will focus on translating basic discoveries into applicable therapeutic candidates. It will bring together an interdisciplinary group of faculty skilled in scientific collaboration to harness Georgia State’s unique strengths in RNA virus research, antiviral drug discovery and high-biocontainment infectious disease research.
Elliott Albers Receives 2021 Daniel S. Lehrman Lifetime Achievement Award
Elliott Albers, Regents’ Professor of Neuroscience and director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University, has been awarded the 2021 Daniel S. Lehrman Lifetime Achievement Award in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology by the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (SBN).
The award honors the achievements of distinguished investigators in the field, including their role in public education and outreach.
Albers has conducted pioneering studies in two different areas of research central to behavioral neuroendocrinology: the neural control of biological rhythms and the neurobiology of social behavior. He has published more than 170 papers, and his research has been funded without interruption for nearly 40 years by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. Most recently, he was the co-recipient of a $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study sex differences in social reward.
As director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience since 2002, Albers has supported the growth of neuroscience research and degree programs at Georgia State and other Atlanta institutions. Established in 1999 with a $37 million grant from the National Science Foundation and $16 million from the Georgia Research Alliance, the center laid the groundwork for the creation of the university’s Neuroscience Institute in 2008. The inter-institutional collaboration is supported by Georgia State, Emory University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine and Atlanta University Center’s four member schools.

Signature Lecture Series This Fall
The university’s colleges and schools are holding their signature lectures once again this fall. Here are two units’ high profile events, held annually, with exciting and impactful guests. For more on lectures and other college/school events, make sure to check out the university calendar at https://calendar.gsu.edu/.
The J. Rhodes Haverty Lecture with Dr. David Satcher, Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.
The lecture will be held Tuesday, October 5 at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Speaker’s Auditorium on the Georgia State campus. A virtual option is also available. The lecture is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required. Further information about registration is forthcoming and will be distributed by campus email, posted on the university calendar, and posted on the Lewis College website.
Dr. Satcher is the founding director and senior advisor for the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, and is a physician-scientist and public health administrator with an extensive track record of leadership, research and community engagement.
He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College. He holds M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Case Western Reserve University, where he was also elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.
Dr. Satcher served as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States (1998-2002) and the 10th Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (1998-2001). He also served as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Further information about registration, livestream options, and other details will be posted by the Lewis College early this semester. If you have questions, contact [email protected].
School of Public Health: John R. Lutzker Lecture Sept. 20 & Kreuter Katz Lecture on Health Equity Nov. 3
John R. Lutzker Lecture
Monday, September 20 at 2pm
Speaker: Dr. Michael Lindsey
Topic: Suffering in Silence: Identifying Suicidal Behavior in Black Youth and Creating a Research, Policy and Practice Agenda
For more information, visit https://publichealth.gsu.edu/about/lectures-exhibits/the-john-r-lutzker-lecture/.
Kreuter Katz Lecture on Health Equity
Wednesday, November 3 at 2pm
Speaker: Dr. Sandro Galea
Topic: Inequality and the COVID-19 Pandemic: How We Got Here and Where to Go Next
For more information visit https://publichealth.gsu.edu/about/lectures-exhibits/kreuter-katz-lecture-on-health-equity/
Note from the editor: Just like with other events and activities occurring at Georgia State this fall, signature lectures may be subject to change, including changes in presentation modality. Please be sure to keep up-to-date with the college/school websites as listed in the sections above. –JSC

Progress & Commitment to Graduate Education
Nearly two years after its formation, Georgia State University’s Graduate School has confirmed its commitment to graduate education by investing in several programs and initiatives designed to promote graduate student success, provide financial support for graduate students, and expand the impact The Graduate School will have on the university community.
Officially established in 2019 as part of the university’s strategic plan, The Graduate School is responsible for establishing university-level policies regarding graduate education, providing students with professional development opportunities and connecting graduate students with opportunities for financial support throughout their time at Georgia State.
The Fall 2020 semester set a nine-year record for total student enrollment, with more than 7,000 graduate students enrolled in classes at the university. This marks a 6.8 percent increase over the previous year’s total enrollment.
Read more about progress in graduate education by selecting the link below.
Tammy Parrett, The Graduate School
New Faculty Affairs Leaders Appointed

Corrie Fountain
Director of Faculty Development
Dr. Corrie Fountain (previously Davis) was appointed as the director of faculty development in the Office of Faculty Affairs, effective Aug. 1. In her previous role, she served as chair of the Department of Inclusive Education Department and professor of educational research at Kennesaw State University.
At KSU, Dr. Fountain was responsible for the oversight of a department of 14 full-time faculty, 10 part-time instructors and two staff members. The department offers five degree programs and four endorsements. As a department chair, she developed a mentoring program for new faculty, overseen the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, and led strategic planning.
She has chaired and facilitated more than 30 workshops on various topics, including race, gender, sexuality and accessibility. Dr. Fountain also assisted in developing programs such as a Black male mentoring program and led two faculty task forces which resulted in an interactive guide to help new and visiting international faculty become acclimated to campus. She was also involved in the creation of the KSU College of Education’s first strategic diversity plan and student diversity survey.
Her teaching, research and scholarship are in emergent qualitative research with and for African American students using culturally relevant pedagogy and care theory as her theoretical and conceptual frameworks. She has mentored dozens of doctoral students and has been recognized numerous times for her teaching and service to students.
Dr. Fountain earned her doctoral degree from Georgia State in Educational Policy Studies with a concentration in Research Measurement and Statistics.

Mindy Stombler
Faculty Associate for Achievement and Strategic Initiatives
Dr. Mindy Stombler was appointed as Faculty Associate for Achievement and Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Faculty Affairs, effective August 1.
A principal senior lecturer in sociology, Dr. Stombler has served as the Faculty Associate for Non-Tenure Track (NTT) Faculty Development and Review in the College of Arts and Sciences. In this capacity, she has been responsible for developing and implementing targeted efforts to support faculty development. These efforts included orienting new faculty, extensive mentoring, crafting programming, contributing to the faculty promotion and structured review process, and leading college level conversations about NTT concerns and recommended action items. In addition, she participated in promotion sessions for non-tenure-track faculty and served on the University NTT Manual Revision Committee.
Dr. Stombler is an instructional expert. She was Director of Instruction in the Department of Sociology for nearly two decades. Dr. Stombler was awarded the Southern Sociological Society’s Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award; the American Sociological Association’s Carla B. Howery Award for Developing Teacher-Scholars; the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Leadership and Online Education’s inaugural Pedagogical Mentorship Award; and the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award twice. The Georgia Sociological Association also named her Sociologist of the Year.
Dr. Stombler received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Florida State University and joined the Sociology Department at Georgia State in 2000. Her areas of expertise are sexuality, social inequality and pedagogy. She has coauthored multiple editions of two textbooks: Sex Matters (W.W. Norton) and Focus on Social Problems (Oxford University Press).

Diversity Abroad, Global Inclusion Conference Oct. 25-29
Georgia State is the exclusive host sponsor for Diversity Abroad, Global Inclusion 2021, a global education conference that will take place in Atlanta Oct. 25-29. As a national leader in graduating students from diverse backgrounds and enterprising urban research institution, Georgia State embodies the conference’s mission of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in global education and cultural exchange.
With the university’s location in Atlanta, a thriving global and historic city, conference guests will have the opportunity to explore the leading cultural and economic center of the Southeast. Education and diversity-focused professionals from across the US will come together as a community to learn, collaborate and inspire action to develop strategies to lead and support diversity initiatives and programs related to global education and cultural exchange.
To learn more, select the link below.
Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans: The Role of Self-Care in Black Women’s Lives
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of taking care of yourself amid anxiety, uncertainty and stress. For Black women, who often face a disproportionate burden in society, self-care can also be a tool to counter the effects of systemic racism and trauma.
In a new book, Black Women’s Yoga History: Memoirs of Inner Peace, Georgia State professor Stephanie Y. Evans highlights how Black women have historically used yoga to practice self-care. The book, which will be released in paperback in July, includes the personal self-care stories of dozens of Black women, including Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Tina Turner.
“The pandemic emphasized, more than any other prior time, that self-care can sometimes be effective community care,” said Dr. Evans, who leads the university’s Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Select the link below to read a Q&A with Dr. Evans, where she discusses why self-care is so important for Black women and how yoga has fortified Black women for centuries.

Dr. Chara Bohan: Addressing the Consequences of How Southern Textbooks Rewrote Civil War History
If history is written by the victors, then post-Civil War America is a rare exception to the rule, according to Chara Bohan, professor of educational policy studies in the College of Education and Human Development.
Last year, Dr. Bohan and her collaborators, including Dean’s Doctoral Fellow Wade Morris, analyzed history textbooks published in the decades after Reconstruction and found the “Lost Cause narrative,” which advocates a heroic view of the Confederacy, not only predominated in Southern classrooms but crept into history textbooks used across the North as well.
By the 1930s, the so-called “mint julep” portrayals of figures including John Brown, John Wilkes Booth and Nathan Bedford Forrest had become the national consensus.
This recasting of history carries on today, Bohan said, as publishing companies continue to print different versions of history books to comply with the priorities and educational standards of various states. Georgia State’s Research Magazine spoke with Bohan about her research and the lingering implications of Americans’ miseducation.
You can read the Q&A with Dr. Bohan at the link below to the Georgia State University Research Magazine.
News from the Next Generation Program

Changing Roadscapes: The Micromobility Lab (Urban Studies Institute)
Prior to the pandemic, the sight of students zipping around downtown Atlanta on e-scooters was common. Following the lull caused by the need to take precautions against COVID-19, more people across Atlanta are out and about on them. It’s returning sociologists and public policy scholars, among others, to a fundamental question of how micro-scale transportation like e-scooters can become more useful to more people.
Georgia State’s Urban Studies Institute (an outgrowth of the Next Generation Program for strategic faculty hiring) has introduced the Micromobility Lab, the first of its kind in the United States. Its interdisciplinary researchers and scholars seek to to inform micromobility transportation policies in metropolitan regions and provide technical assistance.
Learn more about the micromobility lab below.
News from the Office of the Provost is an e-newsletter highlighting news and activities in academic affairs at Georgia State University. For questions about the August 2021 Provost’s Newsletter, email the editor, Jeremy Craig, at [email protected].
Previous issues are available by selecting the button below.