Provost Message - June 14, 2017

Returning from a week-long visit with my family in Australia, I was excited to hear that Long Beach Mayor (and CSULB alumnus) Robert Garcia and President Conoley had officially announced the planned downtown housing project being called the Cal State Long Beach Village, a student-focused and mixed-use development that will boost the university’s presence in Downtown Long Beach.

For those who haven’t heard, the plans call for a 22-story complex to be built in the former City Place shopping center at Long Beach Boulevard and Fourth Street that will contain housing for up to 800 students, faculty and staff. In addition, the complex will include 16 classrooms, a 5,000-square-foot innovation center, a 10,000-square-foot CSULB-run art gallery and museum, and 45,000 square feet of ground floor retail.

Through this project, we are looking forward to extending the deep connection between the city and the campus by establishing this new location where students can live and work while studying at The Beach. We also hope the art museum, innovation center and CCPE classrooms will further enhance the image of the university downtown.

I want to point out that no state or other university funds are going to be expended on this project. I think that’s important to note. Also, there are a couple of official hurdles to get over before the project moves forward, including a review and approval from the Chancellor’s Office and some leasing details. Still, with strong support from the city, it appears the CSULB Village will be a reality.

As I approach my one-year anniversary as provost at The Beach, one of the many things that have impressed me is the high quality of faculty at the university. This has been made very obvious to me in the hundreds of personnel files I have reviewed as part of the RTP process. I congratulate all of those who have been reappointed or received tenure or promotion.

Adding to that positive impression were the small-group lunches I had with a variety of faculty. These were one of the great pleasures during my first year here. In fact, they were generally the highlight of my weeks. We shared free and open discussions about the good things that happen here and also the challenges and tried to discuss how to make things better.

Overall, about 175 tenure-track faculty and full-time lecturers joined me for lunch on these occasions. We have been inviting groups by the year they were hired, and currently, we have invited faculty hired through 2005. I look forward to continuing these lunches during the 2017-18 academic year, and you should also expect to hear something regarding the lunches during my convocation address that will reflect more on these meetings.

I must admit that I was lucky to inherit a very talented pool of AVPs, who helped make my transition at the campus much easier, and the group of deans in place when I arrived was equally impressive. During my first year, we have successfully filled all of the AVP openings, with the exception of the graduate studies position being vacated by Dr. Cecile Lindsay in July. Additionally, the university has now achieved a full complement of permanent and outstanding academic leaders heading up each of the colleges.

The campus also is really fortunate to have such high-quality staff in its ranks, including Ronnie Heard, whose duties include maintaining Lough Fountain next to Brotman Hall. Every morning I come in it seems he is there with his net making the fountain beautiful, and he always has a smile for everyone he greets. There is also my assistant, Amy Paulsen, who runs the Office of the Provost. She, too, always has a smile and positive greeting for everyone she comes into contact with while at the same time doing high-level, strategic work that allows me to do my job. Individuals like Ronnie and Amy are vital to the campus’ everyday operations.

Before I close, I’d like to express my gratitude to one other staff member, Rick Gloady, who came back from retirement and stepped up to the plate to help me with my communications over these last four months. His efforts have truly been appreciated, but someone else will soon be filling his chair. The search for Linda Fontes’ permanent replacement is nearly concluded, and that new person should be joining our ranks early in July.

At the end of this week, I will be heading to Italy with President Conoley to explore an exciting opportunity for our students. I look forward to discussing the trip—the details and any results—with you in my next message.

Provost Announces Interim Replacement for
Vice Provost, Dean of Graduate Studies Position

Provost Brian Jersky has announced that Dr. Jody Cormack, chair of the Physical Therapy Department, has agreed to serve as Interim Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of Graduate Studies. She begins her new duties July 3.

Dr. Cormack, an alumna who earned her B.S. in physical therapy at CSULB, has been a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy since 2003 and has served as chair of the department since 2014. She taught the neurology-related curriculum and served as the director of clinical education. She also created a campus neurology clinic that serves the local community as a learning opportunity for students.

An active member of the campus community, Dr. Cormack has served in the Academic Senate, the Faculty Personnel Policy Council, the CHHS Faculty Council, the CHHS Inter-Professional Education Task Force and the Chair’s Advisory Council. She also served as a faculty advisor for the Chancellor’s Office, coordinating the CSU transition of all physical therapy programs to the doctoral degree.

After CSULB, Dr. Cormack went on to obtain an M.S. in biokinesiology, M.S. in education, and doctor of physical therapy degrees, all from the University of Southern California. In addition to the curriculum, assessment, and leadership focus of her education degree, she completed a fellowship offered by the APTA Educational Leadership Institute focused on leadership in higher education. She also has served as a member of the board of directors for several professional and community organizations.

Unfortunately, the search for a permanent vice provost to replace Dr. Cecile Lindsay was not successful. The provost reported that a new search will begin in the fall with the hope of filling the job permanently by January 2018 or, at the latest, July 2018.

ORSP Seeking Faculty to Fill Vacancies
on CSULB’s Institutional Review Board

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) is currently seeking faculty members to fill two scientific voting membership vacancies on the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The deadline to apply for the openings is July 5.

The IRB is an ethical regulatory committee responsible for the review and approval of research with human subjects. Those selected would serve the board for three years, from September 2017 until August 2020.

To be eligible for the IRB, those interested must hold the rank of professor and represent scientific disciplines, especially education and criminal justice since there are many such protocols in these two areas. Faculty with IRB experience are highly encouraged to apply.

Eligible faculty members may nominate themselves or may be nominated by department chairs. Those interested should submit a letter of interest or nomination describing their interest in, qualifications for and commitment to serving on the IRB and a copy of their curriculum vitae (CV). The application materials should be submitted via email to ORSP-Compliance@csulb.edu.

The letters and CVs will be screened and forwarded to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs to review and develop a slate of recommendations for presentation to the Academic Senate. The final slate of recommendations will be forwarded to the president for consideration of appointment to the IRB.

For more information about the vacancies, contact Jason Wang, director of ORSP’s Research Integrity & Compliance, at ext. 5-2502 or via email at Jason.Wang@csulb.edu. For more information on the IRB, visit the Protection of Human Subjects Policy webpage.

16 Faculty Members Earn Stipends from
the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership

The Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership recently awarded stipends to 16 faculty members, including 14 $3,000 stipends through its Ethics Across the Curriculum initiative to faculty who integrate a three-hour ethics module into their courses and two $5,000 faculty stipends for original ethics research.

The 14 faculty members (and their corresponding departments) receiving the $3,000, pedagogical stipends were:

  • Rachel Blaine (Family and Consumer Sciences) for “Ethical Considerations for Future Registered Dietitian Nutritionists;”
  • Maria Claver (Family and Consumer Sciences) for “Ethical Considerations Regarding End-of-Life Issues;”
  • Nat Hansuvadha (Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling) for “Shaping Special Education Teachers’ Mindsets: Ethical Decision-Making for Students with Disabilities;”
  • Heloiza Herscovitz (Journalism and Public Relations) for “Ethics in Literary Journalism;”
  • Pei-Fang Hung (Communicative Disorders) for the ‘Ethical Decision-Making Process in Speech-Language Pathology in Health Care Settings;”
  • Andrea Johnson (Mathematics and Statistics) for “Students Creating an Ethical Learning Environment in a Mathematics Classroom;”
  • Jeff Kress (Kinesiology) for “Ethical Issues in Sports;”
  • Jung Mee Mun (Family and Consumer Sciences) for “Ethics in Fashion Product Development: Socially Responsible Design;”
  • Danny Paskin (Journalism and Public Relations) for “Ethics in Social Media: An Online Primer for Students;”
  • Amy Cabrera Rasmussen (Political Science) for “Putting Your Knowledge to Work: Ethics, Research, and Political Science Careers;”
  • Cheryl Rock (Family and Consumer Sciences) for “Ethical Ramifications of Counterfeit Food and Food Fraud;”
  • E. Gerrie Schipske (Health Care Administration) for “Ethical Dilemmas of Human Resources Management Relative to the Process of Recruiting, Selecting, Training and Retaining Employees;”
  • Cory Wright (Philosophy) for “Ethical Reasoning in Philosophy and Film;”
  • Yun Yin Zhong (Family and Consumer Sciences) for “Human Exploitation: Ethical Dilemmas in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry.”

 

This year’s ethics research stipend recipients were:

  • Niloofar Bavarian (Health Science) for “Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement: Examining the Ethical Principles Guiding College Students’ Abstention;”
  • Gwen Shaffer (Journalism and Public Relations) for “How Mobile Phone Surveillance Contributes to Digital Inequalities for Disadvantaged Urban Residents.”

 

More than 75 Ethics Across the Curriculum and Faculty Ethics Research stipends have been granted by the Ukleja Center since 2005. All CSULB colleges and disciplines are invited to participate and lecturers, as well as tenured faculty, are encouraged to apply. The application deadline for 2017-18 proposals is Nov. 3.

REMINDER: Deadline to Apply for CCE’s
Summer Curriculum Design Series is June 16

The deadline to apply for the Center for Community Engagement’s (CCE’s) 2017 Summer Service Learning Curriculum Design Workshop Series is Friday, June 16.

Open to tenured and tenure-track faculty and full-time lecturers, these hands-on workshops are for faculty seeking to develop and/or strengthen service learning (a high-impact practice) courses across the curriculum. The workshop series will consist of four, three-hour sessions to be held during the weeks of July 17-21 and July 24-28 on either a Monday/Wednesday schedule or a Tuesday/Thursday schedule (specific days to be determined).

A $750 award of Lottery Funds will be given on the successful completion of the workshop and course development or redesign (i.e., meeting service learning best practices). An additional $250 of Lottery Funds will be provided the first time the course is taught.

For more information, stop by the CCE in AS-127 or contact the center at CCE-SL@csulb.edu or at campus ext. 5-7131.

Teaching Writing Fellow Nominations for
Writing Across Curriculum Program Due June 30

Just a reminder that nomination’s for the inaugural cohort of Teaching Writing Fellows for the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program are due on Friday, June 30.

All tenure-track and tenured instructors are eligible to become a Teaching Writing Fellow. Nominations will be accepted from deans or department chairs, or eligible faculty members also can self-nominate with approval from his/her dean or chair. The nomination form can be found online here.

Teaching Writing Fellows will meet one time for a retreat and workshop in August for eight hours. At that time, members will decide on agreeable meeting times for five or six two-hour meetings spread throughout the academic year. All Teaching Writing Fellows will receive a start-up stipend of $500 and a completion stipend of $500. Lunch will be served at the initial eight-hour meeting.

All nomination forms should be submitted to John Scenters-Zapico.