TO: All Employees
FR: Karen Moranski, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
It’s a new fall here at Sonoma State, and as we enter the second week of the semester, I welcome you to the 2023-24 academic year on behalf of Academic Affairs! It’s going to be an important year as we meet new students and welcome back continuing students, grow enrollment, continue with our Academic Master Planning process, and navigate academic reorganization.
This month, our hearts go out to students, faculty, and staff impacted by the Maui fire and Tropical Storm Hilary. Climate change impacts us all too regularly now and makes it more important that we move forward on Sonoma State projects like the solar array now going up in parking lots on campus, as well as the new Sustainability Minor. We will continue to make sustainability a priority in Academic Affairs and throughout the campus.
I recommend that faculty members reach out to students by email or through Canvas to ask if they are impacted by the recent natural disasters and offer your assistance keeping them caught up in class. If you believe a student needs extra assistance, please use the Students of Concern form so that the Care Team can reach out.
I sadly note the passing of Professor Emeritus of History Dr. Dan Markwyn on August 21, 2023. He taught briefly at Sonoma State in 1967, before returning in 1970 to begin a celebrated career in the History Department, serving as both Chair of History and Chair of the Faculty and winning the Distinguished Professor award when he retired in 2000. He is well-known in local historical circles for founding the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens and the Historical Society of Sonoma County, and he served on the History Committee of the Museum of Sonoma County. He also helped found SSU’s Osher Lifelong Learning institute and taught in it for several years. Our thoughts are with Dan’s family and friends.
We are taking our cue in Academic Affairs from President Mike Lee on the CSU Title IX Audits and the work to eliminate harassment and discrimination at Sonoma State. In his words, “Harassment and discrimination of any kind have no place at Sonoma State. They are inhumane, unjust, and in direct opposition to our mission and values” (Convocation speech). We have made significant progress on our processes and on implementing the recommendations of both audits. Our thanks go to Director Julie Vivas, staff in the Office for Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination, and members of the Implementation Team for their vigilance and hard work. The Dean’s Council is also working directly with Julie Vivas and her staff on prevention efforts, training and professional development, and culture change.
We also have work to do on behaviors that do not meet the policy definitions for harassment and discrimination but are nonetheless disruptive, uncivil, and damaging to the university community. To work on campus culture and at the direction of the President and myself, Faculty Affairs has initiated an Ombuds program for all employees and a faculty Mentoring program. We encourage tenure-track and FERP faculty to consider applying for the faculty director positions of those programs.
Convocation was an excellent event, with important messages from President Lee, myself, Senate Chair Laura Krier, Chair of Staff Council Gillian Estes (read by Katie Musick), new Associated Students President Cassandra Garcia, and CFA Representative Scott Horstein. My message is available on the Academic Affairs website.
Convocation involved a very special presentation of the Excellence in Teaching Awards for Dr. Elisa Velazquez Andrade, retired Professor of Psychology, and Dr. André Minor, our Math Lecturer, who passed away earlier this year. André’s mother, sister, and nephew were in the auditorium, and his wife, Tina, was viewing the event via livestream. We celebrate both of these caring, amazing faculty members who are so committed to teaching and learning.
We are welcoming three new tenure-track faculty members to the campus:
- Dr. Rich Fiddler, Associate Professor of Nursing in the School of Science and Technology
- Anne-Marie O’Brien, Associate Professor of Nursing in the School of Science and Technology
- Dr. Sarah Rapp, Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership in the School of Education
Please reach out to our new colleagues and support them in their first year at Sonoma State. These tenure-track hires are important for the future of academics on our campus.
The Academic Master Plan process continues with two working groups this fall and one next spring:
- Current and New Programs will be working with Gray Associates to refine metrics for program evaluation and begin work on new programs
- Learning Spaces and Technologies begins work this semester under the leadership of Dr. Tom Targett and Dr. Justin Lipp
- Academic Support Services will begin in Spring 2024
To find out more about the process please visit the AMP website.
The Academic Reorganization process began this month with a retreat on August 8 for department chairs, hosted by the deans. Chairs commented that it was helpful to see chairs across all academic departments. Moving forward, we will
- Work with faculty governance to find the best process for consultation and Senate review of the reorganization plan during the 2023-24 academic year.
- Develop an FAQ to answer questions regarding reorganization and provide materials that may prove helpful
- Offer opportunities for faculty, staff, and deans to discuss reorganization in departments and schools
- Offer opportunities for faculty, staff, and deans to discuss reorganization across current schools
- Begin to work toward models of reorganization for further refinement and discussion
We’ll provide more information about specific timelines. You will find the following materials on the Academic Affairs website:
- May 17, 2023 message announcing Academic Reorganization
- July 21, 2023 message regarding the Process for Departmental Reorganization
- August 7, 2023 message announcing a Draft Vision for Reorganization
By the end of the fall semester 2023, we will integrate the materials from Current and New Programs with Academic Reorganization. We will be in a position to make some decisions at the end of the semester.
Thank you for your ideas, your willingness to engage in conversations, and your vision for excellence. We have indeed reached a turning point in our institution’s history, and we will need to come together, faculty and staff, to make change happen. I hope you have a terrific semester working with our students and supporting the overall mission of Sonoma State.