Dear colleagues,

I hope that you and yours are well despite the challenges and stress that we have faced as a community and a country this year. Everywhere you look, you will see Georgia State’s faculty and staff working hard to accomplish our mission and serve our students during this unprecedented fall semester. I am grateful for the many contributions across campus that keep our institution going.

I am also proud to be a part of a university that continues to be recognized as a leader in higher education. In the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, we remain one of the nation’s most innovative universities, and are among the top 10 universities in social mobility, successfully graduating students regardless of their economic background. In a time when so much is contentious, we all can be proud of our mission, our students, and our faculty, who are accomplishing amazing things.  You can learn more below.

In this edition of the newsletter, you will find updates and information about our continued efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion, including a discussion on the Diversity Dialogues and how you can view past events. We congratulate here the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies for winning the 2020 Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) Diversity Award. The organization cited the Andrew Young School’s outstanding contributions in research, teaching, service and exemplary standards in diversity.

The upcoming election has dominated the news cycle, and you can find out here how Georgia State is engaging our community. We discuss Civic Engagement’s efforts to encourage student voting and the Women’s Philanthropy Network Voting Rights Speaker Series, which will host university experts on November 11 to give an after-election analysis.

I have said it many times, but I must repeat: thank you for everything you have done, and continue to do, to make Georgia State the unmatched institution that it is and to fulfill our mission in teaching, service, research and scholarship.

I hope that you remain safe and have a successful completion to the fall semester. Please get some well-deserved rest over the Thanksgiving and Winter Holiday breaks.

Sincerely,

Wendy Hensel
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Georgia State Near the Top in Innovation & Teaching, In Top 10 for Social Mobility in U.S. News & World Report 2021 Survey

Among other top rankings for innovation and undergraduate teaching, Georgia State has ranked ninth in the nation for social mobility in the 2021 Best Colleges edition of U.S. News & World Report.

The magazine’s Social Mobility rankings indicate how well schools graduate students who received federal Pell Grants, which typically are awarded to students from households whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually. However, most Pell Grant money goes to students with a total family income below $20,000.

In other rankings, in the Academic Programs to Look For category, Georgia State ranked sixth for its first-year experience. The indicator measures how well a university builds into its curriculum first-year seminars or other academic programs that regularly bring small groups of students together with faculty or staff. The university ranked fifth in the Learning Communities category. These experiences help to bolster student success for all students.

Overall, Georgia State University is ranked the third most innovative university in the nation and third for its commitment to undergraduate teaching in the 2021 Best Colleges edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine.

Georgia State ranked first among public universities in the Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching category. It’s the third year in a row the university has been ranked in the top three among national universities for its “unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”

The innovation and undergraduate teaching rankings are based on a survey of presidents, provosts and admissions deans at colleges and universities across the country.

Return to Table of Contents

Voting: Get Involved and Examine the Results

Georgia State is engaging the university community this election season with resources to promote civic engagement and an event to examine the election’s results. The university also reminds faculty about University System policy regarding excused absences and voting:

VOTE.GSU.EDU: Civic Engagement has partnered with the Andrew Goodman Foundation to create the VOTE.GSU.EDU website to promote good citizenship and ensure Georgia State students have access to nonpartisan voter information. On this website, students may: register to vote, confirm their voter registration status, determine how and where to vote, learn about what and who is on the ballot, explore the issues, apply to become a poll worker, view upcoming voter engagement events at Georgia State University, and find important election dates and deadlines.

Nov. 11, Noon to 1 p.m. – Examining the Results with the Women’s Philanthropy Network Voting Rights Speaker Series: Scheduled for one week after Election Day, join the Women’s Philanthropy Network at Georgia State to discuss what the election results tell us about who voted and why. Expert panelists for the session, titled “What Happened?” will include Georgia State Professor Dr. Amy Steigerwalt and Emory Professor Dr. Andra Gillespie. To watch this event, and for recordings of previous events in the speaker series, visit https://giving.gsu.edu/wpn-voting-rights-series/. There will also be an Oct. 21 session about Georgia State’s efforts to provide opportunities to its students to seek leadership positions, entitled “Women Leading the Way.” You can also view the event at the link above.

Excused Absences: As a reminder, per Board of Regents Policy 4.1.3, students are encouraged to vote in all federal, state, and local elections. Students whose class schedules would otherwise prevent them from voting are to be permitted an excused absence for the interval reasonably required for voting.

Thank you for your nonpartisan support of our students throughout this election season.

Return to Table of Contents

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Wins NASPAA 2020 Diversity Award

The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) has honored the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies with its 2020 NASPAA Diversity Award. The award recognizes a public policy, affairs, or administration program that exemplifies the highest standards in diversity through outstanding contributions in research, teaching, and service. The Andrew Young School was recognized during the organization’s conference, held virtually, on Oct. 16.

To learn more, select the button below.

Return to Table of Contents

Catch Up on the Diversity Dialogues

The Presidential Diversity Dialogues, part of the action plan to address the recommendations of the Task Force for Racial Equality, are meant to bring together the university community to discuss ways to eradicate structural racism. The dialogues kicked off with a presidential town hall on Sept. 30, followed by an Oct. 6 conversation on underrepresented minority faculty COACHE survey data.

The next dialogue, “Policing and the Georgia State Community,” starts at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 29, with an extended conversation on policing, the Atlanta community, and intersections with protests and politics. Discussants will include Georgia State scholars, community leaders, and Georgia State police officials.

Catch the Oct. 29 event, watch previous dialogues, and check out a calendar of upcoming events, by selecting the button below.

Return to Table of Contents

Save the Date: Second Annual Groundbreaker Lecture Feb. 11, 2021

Make sure to mark on your calendar the Provost’s Second Annual Groundbreaker Speaker Series Lecture, scheduled to be held virtually from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2021. The 2021 Provost’s Groundbreaker Speaker Series event will be a conversation with Dr. Peniel Joseph, a Professor of Public Affairs and the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values at the University of Texas-Austin.

He is also the Founding Director of the LBJ School of Public Affairs’ Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. The author of six books, the conversation will include discussion about his latest work, The Sword and The Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Groundbreaker Lecture has been established to recognize those who have made a major impact in the advancement of our society. Through the series, the university honors those whose actions have created and continue to create significant change in the world, while fostering conversations to address ongoing issues and potential ways to meet these challenges.

To learn more about the Groundbreaker Lecture series, and to view the impactful inaugural event in 2020 honoring the brave women who sued to desegregate Georgia State in the 1950s, select the button below.

Return to Table of Contents

Georgia State Introduces National Institute for Student Success to Expand Work in Nationally Recognized Student Success Initiatives

Georgia State University, the national leader in eliminating achievement gaps in higher education, will open a first-of-its-kind National Institute for Student Success to further its work and expand its reach.

The National Institute for Student Success will provide a structure for innovations to continue and to expand over the next decade and beyond. By connecting the key members of Georgia State’s student-success operation with peers from across the U.S. and the world, the Institute will incubate, test and disseminate the next generation of innovations in student success.

Georgia State has been widely recognized for designing and implementing scalable models for student success, more than doubling its graduation rates while proving students from all backgrounds can succeed at equal rates. More than 500 higher education institutions serving more than 3 million students have sent teams to Georgia State over the past six years to learn more about the university’s innovative approaches to helping students graduate.

To learn more about planned components of the Institute, select the button below to learn more at the Georgia State University News Hub.

Return to Table of Contents

Nominations Open for Georgia State Faculty Awards

The Office of Faculty Affairs is accepting nominations for the following Regents’ and Georgia State awards, listed in order of nomination deadline. Please nominate outstanding faculty for these important recognitions.

Unless otherwise indicated, contact [email protected] if you have questions about any of these awards.

Return to Table of Contents

Watch the COACHE Survey Results Presentation

If you missed the Sept. 24 presentation of the preliminary results from the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Faculty Satisfaction Survey, you can view a recording by selecting the button below (you will need your campus ID and password to access the recording).

This survey is considered the gold standard in measuring faculty satisfaction and is part of the implementation of recommendations from the Commission for the Next Generation of Faculty. The results cover all aspects of faculty life at the downtown and Perimeter campuses.

Faculty have access to the preliminary results received. The report is available for faculty in iCollege under Courses.

Return to Table of Contents

Interview with Provost Hensel on Album 88/WRAS

Provost Hensel recently discussed this fall’s unprecedented semester in an extensive interview on 88 Affairs, a public affairs program of Album 88/WRAS. The interview covered the planning involved for the fall semester, course modality, health and safety, and more.

You can listen to the interview by selecting the appropriate button below. 88 Affairs also interviewed Dean of Students Michael Sanseviro as well as with Interim Dean for the School of Public Health Rodney Lyn; their interviews are also available below.

Return to Table of Contents

21st International Education Week to be Held Nov. 9-13

Georgia State University will celebrate the 21st anniversary of International Education Week (IEW) during the week of Nov. 9-13.

As a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education, the week celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange. Colleges, universities, high schools, and organizations are encouraged to host virtual events that celebrate global education and foster cross-cultural understanding.

Colleges, schools and units will hold exciting and interesting virtual signature events across the university’s campuses; events will be announced through college, school and unit websites, on their Twitter and Facebook pages, and through electronic display boards across campuses.

Keep an eye out for more information about these events, and learn more about International Initiatives at Georgia State by visiting https://international.gsu.edu.

— Iris Eben, Manager of Marketing & Public Relations, Office of International Initiatives

Return to Table of Contents

International Education Award Winners Announced

The International Education Awards recognize outstanding faculty, staff and students for their commitment to international education. Awards are given at the annual International Honorary Reception during International Education Week in November.

The Office of International Initiatives is pleased to announce the winners of the Georgia State International Education Awards.

Award Winners

Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement
Dr. Jorge Martinez-Vazquez

Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement
Dr. Eunice Heredia-Ortiz

Faculty Award for Global Engagement – Teaching, Service & Outreach
Dr. Douglas S. Gardenhire

Faculty Award for Global Engagement – Research & Scholarship
Dr. Şeyda Özçalışkan

Staff Award for Global Engagement
Dr. Theo ten Brummelaar

International Graduate Student of the Year
Udagamage Kushan Chathuranga Wijewardena

Study Abroad Student of the Year
Issiah Terry

Selection committees composed of individuals from across the university reviewed the nominations and decided award winners.

Each recipient’s record of outstanding international contributions and accomplishments was recognized as worthy of distinction and inspiring to the students, staff and faculty of Georgia State.

Visit the International Education Awards site for more information about the awards and recipients. Award winners will be honored at the invitation-only virtual International Honorary Reception on Monday, Nov. 9.

 — Iris Eben, Manager of Marketing & Public Relations, Office of International Initiatives

Return to Table of Contents

Virtual Exchange Initiative — Call for Proposals

The Office of International Initiatives (OII) and the Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC) seek proposals from Georgia State University (GSU) faculty to integrate Virtual Exchange (VE) activities into classes with a minimum enrollment of 100 students taught Fall Semester, 2021. Georgia State faculty whose proposals are accepted for funding will receive a total of $3,000. For further information, please contact Nannette Commander at [email protected].

Return to Table of Contents

Dr. Ciara Smalls-Glover

Ciara Smalls Glover, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Georgia State, is examining factors that mitigate the adverse effects of discrimination against persons from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, including consequences for emotional, academic and physical health. Select the button below to read more.

Return to Table of Contents

Dr. Daniel Takabi

Just as machine learning has pushed forward revolutionary capabilities for facial recognition and autonomous driving, the potential for causing serious harm from tampering with algorithms poses a significant challenge. Cybersecurity and machine learning are still developing sectors, and Dr. Daniel Takabi, Associate Professor of Computer Science, is helping Georgia State students prepare to enter the increasing job market for high-demand cybersecurity skills using a fellowship from Microsoft.

Return to Table of Contents