Moving Forward Memo #9: Regular Division Open Forums

A consistent theme we heard during the fall listening sessions was that we should create more opportunities for campus leaders to listen to members of the campus community. To respond to this need, I am pleased to share Moving Forward Memo #9, which tasks each division vice president to incorporate regular feedback forums into their schedules beginning this semester.

Below you will find the dates and times for upcoming open forums, at which you can share your experiences and feedback or ask questions of division leaders. Invitations for each of these sessions will be forthcoming from each division and will include time, location, and information about how to request accommodations. You can click on the name of the division to learn more about the areas of responsibility for each.

Administration and Business Affairs

2 p.m. Friday, April 5 (in person)
1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11 (virtual)

Information Resources and Technology

11 a.m. Tuesday, April 9

Enrollment and Engagement

9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday, May 9

Academic Affairs

9 a.m. Thursday, April 18

Student Affairs

9 a.m. Friday, May 10

University Enterprises, Inc.

11 a.m. Friday, May 10 (virtual)

Inclusive Excellence

Friday, Sept. 20 (time to be shared closer to the event)

University Advancement will hold an open forum in the fall, after that division’s new vice president has started.

These open forums provide an excellent opportunity for the campus community to engage directly with division leaders, voice their concerns, and contribute to the ongoing improvement of our University. We encourage all members of the campus community to participate and make their voices heard.

Stingers Up!

Moving Forward Memos #5-8

After 92 listening sessions with over 1,500 members of our campus community, I am pleased to share the final report from my 100 Days of Listening. The report includes nine themes that emerged from analysis of the sessions, along with information about what participants said is working and areas needing improvement. The report also includes the 23 action items that will be the focus of our 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, which I previously shared with campus.

I want to thank all of the faculty and staff who volunteered to be a part of the strategic activity work groups. In the coming weeks, the executive sponsors of each of the action items will be reaching out to those who put their names forward to update you on the plans for the work groups.

As I shared in a message last month, several recommendations that came out of the listening sessions are operational in nature and are being communicated to appropriate campus leaders via presidential Moving Forward memos. I am pleased to share Moving Forward memos 5-8.

Moving Forward memo No. 5 directed University Communications to add a “Research” and “Scholarships” tabs to our home page (go to the dropdown menu in the upper right corner of the page). You now can more easily navigate to the Offices of Research, Innovation, & Economic Development to learn about the remarkable work being done by faculty, and to the Scholarship Office to learn more about institutional and community scholarships.

Moving Forward memo No. 6 directed Inclusive Excellence to grant Employee Resource Group status to the Chinese and Chinese American faculty and staff who requested this recognition.

Moving Forward memo No. 7 directed Academic Affairs to share information with faculty about campus accommodations policies, practices, and protocols. This critical information will help faculty to be better equipped to support the needs of all of our students. Academic Affairs will be sending that message out this week.

Moving Forward memo No. 8 directed Inclusive Excellence to finalize its protocol for bias incident reporting and follow-up. They will be sending a message to campus this week highlighting updates and enhancements to the Bias Incident Reporting tool and processes.

Thank you to the many people who shared their experiences, concerns and ideas that helped to shape the 100 Days of Listening Report and the Moving Forward memos. Together, we will continue to make Our Sacramento State even better.

Moving Forward Memo #4: Sensory Sensitive Graduation Celebration

At my fall listening sessions with students, I learned that traditional Commencement ceremonies can be overwhelming for students with sensory processing sensitivities. Rather than a celebratory occasion, these students experience the noise, crowds, and other stimuli at Commencement as overwhelming, uncomfortable, and extremely stressful. To provide a comfortable environment for students to be recognized for their academic achievements, I am pleased to share Moving Forward Memo #4, which directs the Disability Access Center (DAC) to host a sensory sensitive graduation event this spring.

The DAC will be reaching out to eligible students with a personal invitation to participate in our first Sensory Sensitive Graduation Celebration, taking place from 2-4 p.m., Wednesday, May 8, in The WELL Terrace Suite. This celebration will provide an intimate setting and sensory accommodations that will allow students to fully focus on their accomplishments. It will also be an opportunity to recognize select faculty members who have a demonstrated record of supporting DAC initiatives. Please contact the DAC at dac@csus.edu for more information about the Sensory Sensitive Graduation Celebration.

By hosting this sensory-friendly event, we hope to make graduation an enjoyable experience for all students, including those with sensory sensitivities. Students who participate in the Sensory Sensitive Graduation Celebration are still welcome to participate in their college Commencement ceremony at Golden 1 Center, and can request accommodations by contacting dac@csus.edu by May 10.

Moving Forward Memo #3: 2024-25 RESG call for applications

We are excited to invite faculty to participate in the Research Enhanced Support Grant (RESG) program for AY 2024-25. This grant is an opportunity for faculty to secure essential seed funding, providing crucial support for launching preliminary and exploratory projects that will empower them to contribute new knowledge and innovative scholarship to their respective disciplines, as well as provide transformational educational experiences for students. This program is funded by the President’s Office and administered by Academic Affairs with support from the Offices of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development (ORIED). This competition will support campus scholarship activities during the 2024-25 academic year. Applications are due by 5 p.m. March 15.

During the listening sessions, we learned that faculty need more time to plan for release time. Moving Forward Memo #3 directed Academic Affairs and ORIED to open the grant applications for the upcoming fall or spring semesters to allow faculty and department chairs time to prepare for course coverage as necessary.

All faculty are eligible to apply, including full-time, part-time, temporary, probationary, librarians, and tenured faculty, as defined in the Unit 3 collective bargaining agreement. Individual and collaborative projects involving multiple Sacramento State faculty are eligible. You can find application guidelines and detailed information on the 2024-25 Research Enhanced Support Grant Call for Applications.

In light of the pending R2 classification, we are committed to advancing new and equity-minded faculty research and scholarship at our institution, which is proudly both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). This grant program not only supports individual research goals, but also contributes to our broader mission of fostering academic excellence and student success. We encourage all eligible faculty members to consider participating in this program. We look forward to engaging with the important research and scholarship that will emerge from this program and witnessing the impact it will have on our students' educational experiences.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact ORIED at research@csus.edu.

Thank you for your dedication to advancing knowledge, scholarship, creativity, and student success at Sacramento State.

In partnership,

Carlos Nevarez

Interim Provost

Moving Forward Memo #2: Promote Sac State Staff

During President Wood’s Spring Address, he officially announced and initiated the “Promote Sac State Staff” Initiative. This initiative is designed to create a culture of continuous learning, growth, development, meaningful inclusion, and pathways for advancement at Sac State.

Each of us plays a critical role in moving the goals of this initiative forward. As co-executive leaders of this initiative, we expect that all managers (MPPs) will provide maximum flexibility and encourage staff members to participate in the multiple opportunities available for their professional growth and meaningful inclusion in the Promote Sac State Staff Initiative. This includes and is not limited to the work of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), participation in the Campus Strategic Plan Priority committees, workgroups, and taskforces, as well as the Antiracism and Inclusive Campus Plan activities.

As we lay a strong foundation for the success of the Promote Sac State Staff Initiative, we will be establishing a workgroup of staff and MPPs to help us co-construct additional components of the Promote Sac State Staff Initiative. Please be on the lookout for future messaging and next steps.

In partnership,

Dr. Mia Settles-Tidwell

Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and University Diversity Officer

Machelle Martin

Senior Associate Vice President for Human Resources

Moving Forward Memo #1: Campus dial-out number

Last week the Division of Information Resources and Technology (IRT) shared a message about the new campus dial-out number. This change occurred because of information shared with me during a listening session, and I am pleased that IRT was able to quickly act to change the dial-out number to seven so that our University Police Department will receive fewer accidental 911 calls.

Like the change in dial-out number, several recommendations that came out of the listening sessions are operational in nature and, as such, are not listed as part of the strategic activities I shared with campus last month. Instead, we have created a list of operational actions that will be communicated to appropriate campus leaders via presidential memos, which we are calling “Having Listened, Moving Forward” memos. These operational action memos direct leaders to implement simple administrative changes that will help to eliminate redundancies, streamline processes, and reduce workload. We look forward to continuing to send these memos throughout the spring semester. Changes made as a result of these memos will be communicated to the appropriate areas on campus.

Moving Forward Memo #1 directed to IRT to change the dial-out number. Thank you to all the staff and administrators in IRT for this quick and efficient work and for providing clear communication to campus about the change.

Thank you to those who attended listening sessions to highlight the various operational actions we need to take to make our campus more effective and efficient. We look forward to making many improvements over the coming weeks and months.