2019/2020 Academic Calendar Changes

May 23, 2019

The 2019/2020 Academic Calendar was approved by Faculty Senate May 3, 2018 and the President on May 13, 2018. Typically minor adjustments are made at certification (late May) and placed on the first Faculty Senate agenda as an information item. This year certification necessitated more impactful changes to come into compliance with payroll dates and the minimum number of instruction days as outlined in CSU HR 2018-13, and to accommodate the shift of all commencement dates to the spring semester. The following changes were made to the originally approved calendar:

The first academic work day for the 2020 Spring Semester will be Thursday, January 16, 2020.

“While the pay day for any given academic pay period is the same as the pay day for the corresponding state pay period and cannot be changed by the campus, the beginning date for the first pay period and the ending date for the last pay period of an academic term must conform to the beginning and ending dates of the academic term. The initial pay period of both the fall and spring terms may include up to 45 calendar days. As a result, the earliest permissible start date for the first pay period of the fall term is Saturday, August 17, 2019 (for the September 2019 pay period), and the earliest permissible start date for the spring term is Thursday, January 16, 2020 (for the February 2020 pay period).” See HR 2018-13.

Spring Break will be March 30 – April 3.

“Typical Year - The typical academic year shall consist of 147 instructional days, or the equivalent in effort. From year to year and from campus to campus, a variation of plus or minus two days is permissible.” See Attachment B HR 2018-13.

Consultation with the Faculty Senate Chair and Campus Administration determined that moving Spring Break to be inclusive of the Cesar Chavez Holiday was the least impactful way to gain the needed additional instructional day, for a total of 145 instructional days, as required by HR 2018-13. This change is meant to be one-time and not policy.

The other options were:

1. adding a Friday to the start Fall 2019 semester;
2. adding a Monday to the end of the Fall 2019 semester, and revising finals for a Tuesday through Monday schedule;
3. adding a Monday to the end of the Spring 2020 semester, revising finals to a Tuesday through Monday schedule, and pushing commencement back a week.

Commencement will be May 15-17, 2020.

Changes made to the Academic Calendar so late in the planning process impact everyone. The Associate Vice President, Academic Excellence will work with Faculty Senate to double check that the proposed future calendars as generated by the new Academic Calendar Policy meet CSU policies, so the Faculty Senate can consider any needed adjustments well ahead of CSU certification deadlines.

Changes to the 2019/2020 Academic Calendar can be viewed here.

Sincerely,
Steve Perez
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty Convening for Anchor Institution, April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

Dear Faculty,

As you know, President Nelsen last fall established an Anchor University Task Force as a step toward transforming our institution into an “Anchor University.”

We are pleased to announce that the Task Force will hold a Faculty Convening event on April 22, 2019. The purpose of this faculty convening is to inform our faculty colleagues about the Anchor initiative and gather preliminary data about their community engagement activities.

Faculty input at this event will further help us understand how and where our engagement efforts happen and how we can co-create priorities with our community partners. The Task Force held a successful Community Convening on Feb. 22, 2019 in Oak Park and will build on this effort with the upcoming Faculty Convening.

Please encourage your faculty to attend, and they can RSVP via the attached event flyer. Faculty may contact one of the following individuals if they have further questions about the event:

• Sheree Meyer, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters, co-chair of Task Force Steering Committee and main facilitator of the Faculty Convening: meyers@csus.edu;
• Phil Garcia, VP for Public Affairs and Advocacy and co-chair of Task Force: garciap@csus.edu;
• Michelle Dang of the School of Nursing, co-chair of Task Force and Steering Committee: dang@csus.edu.

Thank you,
Steve Perez
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (interim)

SCUSD Strike, April 10, 2019

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

As you are probably aware, teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) are slated to conduct a job action on Thursday, April 11, 2019. This one-day strike is likely to affect Sacramento State students who have internships, service learning experiences, employment, or other placements at schools in SCUSD. Our students are likely to find themselves in a position where they must make a decision whether to report to their school and/or to cross a picket line.

Please be supportive of our students' decisions, no matter what they decide is in their best interests. Please be flexible and understanding if the actions of SCUSD teachers affect our students' learning opportunities. Sacramento State takes no position in this labor dispute, but members of the Hornet family impacted by the strike deserve our assistance if they are affected by it.

Thank you for all that you do,
Steve Perez
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (interim)

Academic Affairs Strategic Plan

Friday, March 15, 2019

In the 2017-18 academic year, the Division of Academic Affairs worked through developing a strategic plan for the Division. There was extensive conversation and consultation including over 35 group meetings and approximately 350 people including faculty, staff, students, and community members.

You can see the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan plan on the Academic Affairs website. We can all be proud of what we are doing. Our mission is: In support of the University’s Mission: Academic Affairs cultivates and supports inclusive and dynamic learning, meaningful scholarship, and vibrant community engagement and our Vision is to be the recognized leader in transformative education.

We have four goals to support achieving our mission:
• Goal 1: Further the Academic Progress & Success of All Students
• Goal 2: Strengthen Academic Programming
• Goal 3: Enhance the Support and Development of Faculty & Staff
• Goal 4: Engage with Communities and Impact in the Region

As you review the Mission, Vision, Values and Goals for Academic Affairs, I hope you recognize the value we bring to the University’s mission, which states: “As California’s capital university, we transform lives by preparing students for leadership, service, and success.” We are proud of the important contributions of our faculty and staff. We should not be surprised by the Mission, Vision, Values and Goals as they express exactly what we are, and should be, doing.

I encourage you to look at the indicators for success and strategies that were developed through the planning process. We have already made significant progress on many of the strategies. For example, one strategy for Goal 2: Strengthen Academic Programming is to “Develop a transparent and predictable budget process.” While we can always improve in this area, current progress can be illustrated by the information found on the Academic Affairs Budget Office website where you can find the Division’s budget reports for the last two years.

We will continue to make progress on these strategies as we move through the year. However, while the Mission, Vision, Values and Goals of the Division should not change over time, the ways of achieving them (the strategies and indicators for success) should evolve, as some are accomplished and new methods of addressing them are developed. We are currently working on a process to allow for the review of progress and evolution of our strategies to best support the mission of the University.

Thank you all for your work on our strategic plan, and for everything you do to support our students and each other,

Steve Perez
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (interim)

Message to Faculty, March 7, 2019

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Dear Academic Affairs Staff:

The following message was sent to all faculty last night.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

It is our understanding that a walkout is being planned for tomorrow related to the killing of Stephon Clark. We all support our students and their right to free speech. If our students choose to participate in the walkout, please be understanding of their motives, feelings, and circumstances.

To get a better idea of how some of our students are feeling, I’ve appended a letter I received earlier today from some of our students.

Thank you for all that you do,

Steve Perez

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (interim)

Letter from students

My name is Coley Carman, President of the Black Student Union. I come to you on behalf of the Black students on this campus who may be experiencing distress as a result of the District Attorney’s findings in the case of Stephon Clark’s killing. It is imperative that faculty are aware of the manner in which this stress manifests within students and creates a feeling of alienation within the classroom, resulting in the denigration of their academic efficacy.

On Saturday March 2nd, members of the Black Student Union were a part of the Arden 13. The Arden 13 is a group of 13 students who staged a sit-in protest in the middle of Arden Fair Mall on Sunday, March 3rd, resulting in the mall’s subsequent shutdown. A larger amount of students were also involved in the protest on the night of March 4th, which resulted in the arrests of 84 individuals. After waiting for their peers to be released by Sacramento Sheriff until approximately 2 am, those students successively returned to class the next day.

For those of us who are not protesting, the reality that our life does not matter is on the forefront of our mind. To put it into context academically, Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs states that we require our basic needs to be met first before we can think further into self-actualization. A thought that continues to reoccur in my mind is that “my life does not matter, so why do I need to be in a classroom.”

For the faculty, administrators, staff and those who are here to serve students, it is extremely crucial to be aware of the impact this has on us. We would like for you all to understand the following statements.

Black students are suffering and coping with trauma:

• Students may not be able to focus, might feel agitated, and may not be sleeping.
• Faculty should not feel disrespected or slighted because students are not 100% (mentally, emotionally) present in classes. Please do not expect too much of us at this point.
• Understand that students may not be doing their best work or may not be consistent in doing work because they are coping with trauma.
• A community of students is mourning.

Key points for Faculty:

• Please understand that business cannot just go on as usual. This is a disruption with a long term social and psychological impact.
• Create a space of openness to ensure students are comfortable and secure when approaching staff regarding their concerns.
• The efficacy of staff is also correlated to the repudiation of the false narratives put forth on student protesters by the media. It is also very important that staff do a self-reflection of their role and relationship with their students in order to successfully tend to their needs.
• It is helpful if faculty are transparent with students about what they know and don’t know.
• Faculty should understand that it is not solely the students’ responsibility to explain the issues to them. It is also within the parameters of the faculty’s role to be informed on how to best serve their students.
• It is important for faculty to figure out for themselves if and how they can be allies and support students affected by this tragedy.

Coley A. Carman

Black Student Union President

Kevin U. Boozé

Omega Psi Phi President

Adwoa V. Akyianu

Black Student Union Vice President

Khalil J. Ferguson

Black Student Union Founder

Welcome Back Message From the Provost, January 16, 2019

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you had a great holiday season, were able to spend time relaxing, being with people you love, and are ready to take on the spring 2019 semester. Last semester, your dedication to our students and each other was heartening to see. Despite a two-week closure, you pulled together to put our students’ well-being and educational experience at the forefront. Despite the challenges presented by the significant interruption to classes, your work minimized its impact. Thank you for your patience, care, and understanding during that stressful time.

As the seasons of the academic year continue, and we enter a new semester, it is worth reflecting on our path over the past few years. Our focus has been, and will continue to be, on three things:
• Providing a first-class education for our students and supporting their success;
• Developing and supporting the success of our faculty and staff; and
• Embracing our role as the Anchor University of California’s Capital Region.

We have made great strides on all three fronts. Thanks to the work of our faculty and staff, our students are succeeding at an unprecedented rate. One need only look at the CSU GI report and dashboards to see the progress we have made. As you will see, Sacramento State has made “good progress” toward our 2025 goal that 30% of all first-time, first-year students graduate within four years. Our University commitment to providing students who want to graduate in four years the opportunity to do so through dedicated teaching, intentional advising, and enhanced availability of courses is paying off as our four-year grad rate has gone from 8.5% for the 2011 cohort to 14.7% for the 2014 cohort. This progress is mirrored in the other Graduation Initiative Goals (Freshman four-year graduation rate, Freshman six-year graduation rate, Transfer two-year graduation rate, Transfer four-year graduation rate, Pell equity gap, and the URM equity gap) highlighted by the elimination of the URM equity gap where the 2012 cohort shows a negative 1.2% gap in the six-year graduation rates. This data helps quantify our accomplishments, but we should also reflect on the qualitative impact that your work and commitment has made. Our students see how much you all care about their success and how hard you work to make it happen.

In addition to the success of our students, the dedication and accomplishments of our faculty and staff continue to inspire. One of the pleasures of working in academic leadership is the opportunity to see the tremendous accomplishments our faculty achieve on a regular basis. As one example of this dedication, please join me in congratulating Dr. Anthony Sheppard on being named the recipient of the John C. Livingston Faculty Lecture award, for which recipients are “recognized for having transcended their disciplines and, in so doing, having positively affected the life of the University through their teaching, service, and their creative and scholarly activities – displaying a consistent and engaging collegiality and a strong commitment to students throughout their career at California State University, Sacramento." Dr. Sheppard will present the annual Livingston Lecture at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19th.

Other examples of the efforts and success of our faculty can be seen in the many recipients of Outstanding Faculty Awards for Teaching, Scholarly and Creative Activity, University Service, and Community Service (listed below). Congratulations to the recipients on these accomplishments. To continue this level of accomplishment, we are investing in future success by hiring numerous tenure track faculty and continuing to develop our support for all our faculty through the Office of Faculty Advancement, Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development.

Without the numerous people working in support of the University, we would not be able to support our students or each other at the level we have achieved. As just one example, we can look at the people in the new College Success Centers like: Tiffany Northern, Maria Lindstrom, Ashley Ciraulo-Stuart, Karina Figueroa-Ramirez, Alisa Patterson, Ryan Gorsiski, Brian Yu, Raquel Quirarte, Scarlette Charles, Gabrielle Hoskins, Mayrose Acob, and Cheryl Lugo. These are just some of the people who work diligently to aid our students’ success. The College Success Centers are a developing partnership between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to supplement the work done by our colleagues in Academic Advising. And as the budget season approaches, please thank those who do the budget work in our division, particularly the College and Library Resource Analysts who work so hard to keep us on track. These individuals are clearly not alone in their commitment to our students, and they exemplify the work of all our staff supporting our students and University. We could not be successful without them.

Last semester, President Nelsen announced our commitment to serving as the Anchor University for the Sacramento region. As an Anchor University, we are reaffirming our responsibility for the success of our students and region, as well as recognizing the many initiatives already underway. These efforts are highlighted by your accomplishments in the community. I look forward to seeing how we can continue to develop as an Anchor University through the coordinated efforts of the Community Engagement Center; the Anchor University Task Force; Sacramento State Downtown; the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and your work on the numerous boards, community groups, and organizations that you enhance through your efforts.

Again, Happy New Year and welcome to the spring 2019 semester. I look forward to working with all of you as we continue to develop our alignment and efforts to support our students, each other, and our community. Along with our partners within the University, we have accomplished a lot and are only getting started.

Best Wishes,
Steve

2018-19 Outstanding Faculty Award Recipients

Outstanding Teaching Awards

• Reiko Komiyama, Department of English (A&L)
• Jesse Catlin, Marketing and Supply Chain Management Area (CBA)
• Lisa William, Graduate and Professional Studies in Education (EDU)
• Kimberly Mulligan, Department of Biological Sciences (NSM)
• Dong Shen, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (SSIS) Outstanding Scholarly and Creative Activity Awards

• Jonas Cope, Department of English (A&L)
• Peter Choi, Marketing and Supply Chain Management Area (CBA)
• Melissa Holland, Graduate and Professional Studies in Education (EDU)
• Jun Dai, Department of Computer Science (ECS)
• Jennifer Wolf, Division of Social Work (HHS)
• John Spence, Department of Chemistry (NSM)
• David Andersen-Rodgers, Department of Political Science (SSIS) Outstanding University Service Awards
• Nancy Sweet, Department of English (A&L)
• Albert Lozano, Graduate and Professional Studies in Education (EDU)
• Milica Markovic, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (ECS)
• Marlyn Jones, Division of Criminal Justice (HHS)
• Cynthia Kellen-Yuen, Department of Chemistry (NSM)
• Wesley Hussey, Department of Political Science (SSIS) Outstanding Community Service Awards
• Robert Stanley, Department of English (A&L)
• Rose Borunda, Graduate and Professional Studies in Education (EDU)
• Warren Smith, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (ECS)
• Robert Pieretti, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (HHS)
• Enid Gonzalez-Orta, Department of Biological Sciences (NSM)
• Yan (Joni) Zhou, Department of Economics (SSIS)

Archive of Provost Communications

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