News from the Office of the Provost
March 2023
Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
 
As our students pause this week for Spring Break, faculty and staff must now also pause and consider a new challenge before us: an unfavorable state budget outlook that will impact us deeply for the next year and beyond. This is certainly not welcome news, but I believe the work we have done leading up to this shortfall leaves us well-positioned to meet this challenge head-on and continue finding innovative practices as we provide transformational educational experiences to our students.
 
The Governor’s proposed 2023/24 budget includes a total ongoing increase of $227.3 million General Fund for base growth across the California State University system. Although this is a five percent increase in the General Fund appropriation, it represents an increase of only 2.85 percent to the CSU operating budget and is $286.4 million less than the amount requested by the CSU Board of Trustees—more than half of what the Trustees feel we need to fully operate. It's important to remember that the budget is not final; the CSU system will continue to work with state officials over the next three months to seek additional funding.  But we must accept that our university is likely facing budget reductions which will affect all divisions and require very difficult decisions about what can and will be funded and what cannot.
We have weathered larger budget reductions in the past and managed to restore them. Moving forward, I will be working with deans, associate deans, directors, and chairs to solidify our operations and prepare for the expected changes. One thing that will not be changing, however, is our commitment to providing high-quality, equity-minded education to the students and families that depend on us.
 
The budget news is disappointing, of course. We have come so far in the past three years: coming out of the pandemic, drastically improving graduation rates, keeping enrollment steady as other campuses struggle. But it would be a mistake to approach this challenging budget outlook as an unbreachable barrier. Instead, we need to remember the innovative practices we undertook to get where we are today and move confidently forward in our pursuit of excellence—with student success always our guiding star.
 
Academic Affairs will be key to that excellence. President Nelsen wants student learning and enrollment to be the highest priority goals in a reduced-budget scenario and recognizes that we are mission critical to achieving those goals. The key to our fiscal health at this time is, and will continue to be, maintaining our enrollment—a daunting prospect at a time when college enrollment is dropping nationwide. It has never been more important to increase our status as a “university of choice”, something you do every day in your impact on students’ lives. When we come through this lean budget period as a stronger campus, it will be because every one of you did what we do best: engaging our students and guiding them on the transformative journey of higher education.
 
I appreciate each and every one of you and the hard work you have done to make us a stronger, more academically focused campus. Academic Affairs holds the core mission of this university, teaching and learning, and our achievements in improved outcomes are undeniable. I am fully confident this division is ready to face the hard choices ahead—and lead the way as Sacramento State moves boldly into our future.
 
 Carlos Nevarez
 
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Senate Chair Adam Rechs presents an Outstanding Faculty Award to Brian Baldus

Recognizing Academic Excellence

2022-2023 Outstanding Faculty Awards


Established by the Academic Senate in 1992, the Outstanding Faculty Awards recognize the important role faculty play in teaching, learning, student success, and accomplishing our universities strategic goals. This year’s awards were presented March 9 in a special event that allowed the honorees to be celebrated by their families, friends, and peers for the outstanding work.

2022/23 Award Recipients:
 
Outstanding Faculty Awards for Teaching
Mya Dosch, Art, College of Arts and Letters
Masoud Ghodrat Abadi, Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Brian Baldus, Marketing & Supply Chain Management, College of Business
Alexa Sardina, Criminal Justice, College of Health and Human Services
Shannon Pella, Teaching Credentials, College of Education
Cynthia Kellen-Yuen, Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Alexandra Morrison, Psychology, College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
 
Outstanding Faculty Awards for University Service
Angela Laflen, English, College of Arts and Letters
Anna Baynes, Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Pooria Assadi, Management and Organizations, College of Business
Tanya Altmann, Nursing, College of Health and Human Services
Chia-Jung Chung, Teaching Credentials, College of Education
Eliza Morris, Physics and Astronomy, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Elvia Ramirez, Ethnic Studies, College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
 
Outstanding Faculty Awards for Scholarly and Creative Activity
Torsa Ghosal, English, College of Arts and Letters
Xiaoyan (Sherry) Sun, Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Evren Eryilmaz, Information Systems & Business Analytics, College of Business
Laura Gaeta, Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health and Human Services
Corinne Lardy, Teaching Credentials, College of Education
Kathie McReynolds, Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Young-Im Lee, Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
 
Outstanding Faculty Awards for Community Service
Lorelei Bayne (Collaborative Award), Theatre and Dance, College of Arts and Letters
Michele Foss-Snowden (Collaborative Award), Communication Studies, College of Arts and Letters
Elaine Gale (Collaborative Award), Communication Studies, College of Arts and Letters
Aaminah Norris (Collaborative Award), Teaching Credentials, College of Education
Dale Allender (Collaborative Award), Teaching Credentials, College of Education
Rodolfo Barniol Duran, Physics and Astronomy, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Shelby Moffatt, Criminal Justice, College of Health and Human Services
Ghazan Khan, Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Nancy Huante-Tzintzun, Ethnic Studies, College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
  • New Director of Undergraduate Studies appointed - Sharyn Gardner has been appointed Director of Undergraduate Studies. Dr. Gardner has a Ph.D. in Business and Management from the University of Maryland and joined the Sacramento State College of Business (COB) in 2005. Before joining Sac State, she was an assistant professor at The College of New Jersey and also has extensive experience in management during her tenure in industry prior to her switch to academia. Dr. Gardner has taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels on topics such as business communications, organizational behavior and management, strategic human resource management, and is focused on teams within organizations. She has held multiple leadership positions at Sac State including Department Chair for the Management & Organizations Department, Interim Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning, Faculty Coordinator for the COB Center for Small Business, COB Faculty Coordinator for the Faculty Student Mentor Program, COB Assessment Director, and Interim Co-Director for the Office of Academic Program Assessment. She has also been involved in many service activities for the University, including the University Budget Advisory Committee and the University Strategic Planning Task Force, receiving the COB Outstanding University Service Award in 2021.

  • Out of Darkness Campus Walk - The 12th Annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk for Suicide Prevention will be held April 6 at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Well. Come early for the 4 p.m. Mental Health Resource Fair. This year’s theme is “We Walk Together, We Heal Together”. Participating in the walk shows the Hornet community support for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Register as a team with your family, friends, clubs, and organizations. Click here to register for the walk. For questions, email Ali Orlando at orlando@csus.edu

  • ECS and NSM to host annual D3 event April 26 -The College of Engineering & Computer Science (ECS) and the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics (NSM) will be hosting their annual D3 “Discussion, Discovery, and Dissemination” scheduled on Wednesday, April 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Harper Alumni Center. Industry, alumni, and our campus community partners are invited to attend and engage with ECS and NSM faculty about academic research interests and creative activities. The goal is to promote new ideas and discover cross-discipline collaboration opportunities. The event is free. If you are interested in attending, or have questions please contact jasonvanzant@csus.edu.

  • Posttraumatic Growth Conference - The HHS Center for Health Practice, Policy and Research is hosting “The Science & Practice of Posttraumatic Growth - Recognizing Personal and Community Strength and Growth in the Aftermath of Trauma”  on Saturday, April 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Harper Alumni Center. Joyce Mikal-Flynn, professor in the School of Nursing, will join motivational speaker, mindset expert, and world-class athlete Charles Clark, and a panel of experts for this empowering conference. Join them as they speak on how we can acquire the tools to transform adversity and trauma into strength through the development of resilience, compassion, and posttraumatic growth. Visit here for more information and to register for the conference.

  • New Hornets Abroad Website - The Office of International Programs & Global Engagement (IPGE) is pleased to announce the launch of the new Hornets Abroad website!  The website is the result of a months-long collaboration between IPGE and IRT.  The new TerraDotta platform is a significant upgrade over the existing application system, as it serves a centralized location where students can search available programs, submit applications, and upload documents to a secure site. IPGE offers over 90 different study abroad programs that students can choose from, and all majors are welcome to apply. You can see the new website here. 

  • ECS faculty secure $600K NSF grant - Faculty from the department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Dr. Praveen Meduri, Dr. Milica Markovic, and Dr. Mohammed Eltayeb led a team that have been awarded a $600,000 National Science Foundation grant for “Project ACE: Active-learning (A) based Engineering Curriculum-transformation (C) for Excellence in Equity (E).” This research project investigates the effectiveness of project-based learning and course-based undergraduate research experiences to fill an important knowledge gap in the field of engineering epistemologies. 

  • Sacramento State’s Grad Slam 2023 - The Office of Graduate Studies will be hosting Grad Slam from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Grad Slam is not only a competition, but a celebration of exciting research conducted by Sacramento State's graduate students. This live event is free and will be on Zoom. Register here to receive a Zoom invitation.

  • State Hornet Journalists win nine awards - The State Hornet, Sacramento State’s student newspaper,  took home nine Best of Show awards at the Associated Collegiate Press convention held March 9-11. Among the awards: Second-best student media website in America. You can find the full list of winners here. 

  • Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition on May 5 - The winners of the Carlsen Center’s upcoming University Wide Pitch Competition on April 5  will move on to the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition on May 5. This event will be hosted by San José State University’s SpartUp Program. Learn more about the competition here.

  • ROTC Administrative Support Coordinator receives national recognition - Amber Griffith, our ASC II assigned to support ROTC and the Military Science department, has been nationally recognized as a US Army Cadet Command Hero of the Battlefield for her work supporting our students. Sacramento State’s ROTC commander LTC Justin Ottenwalter says: "This is the first time any of our instructors or students have been honored at the Cadet Command Level since I've been here and shows how much her work is appreciated by us and our superiors.”

  • Sacramento State Film Professor’s documentary makes its streaming debut - Associate Professor Kathy Kasic recently debuted her documentary Lake at the Bottom of the World. The film follows Kasic and her team as they embark on an Arctic expedition to document a subglacial lake. This documentary is now available for streaming. Read a review of Lake at the Bottom of the World from  Sacramento News and Review here.

  • Sacramento State secures NSA designation - The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program, managed by NSA's National Cryptologic School, has designated Sacramento State as NSA CAE institution for 2023-2028. CAE-designated institutions must complete validation of a Program of Study, which is a series of courses and experiences that a student can reasonably accomplish in the course of attaining a degree or completing a certificate. This designation will enable many valued opportunities, such as scholarship funding for our students, faculty, and greater Sacramento community.

  • Construction Management Professor wins Regional Teaching Award - Assistant Professor Dr. Atefeh Mohammadpour from the Department of Construction Management in the College of Engineering and Computer Science has received the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Regional Teaching Award. This award recognizes our faculty member’s contribution to construction education, excellence in teaching, service to the Associated Schools of Construction, and dedication to the construction profession. 
Meliksah Demir,  Sacramento State's first Endowed Professor of Happiness and Psychology, talked to ABC 10 about campus "Happiness Day" celebration. 
 Jenni Murphy, dean, continuing education, on Sacramento being ranked second in the nation for tech workforce diversity.
Martin Boston, assistant professor, ethnic studies, was interviewed by Capital Public Radio about California’s Reparations Task Force.
Maria Quintana, assistant professor, labor history, talked to Capital Public Radio about unionization at local Starbucks stores.
Stephen Brock, coordinator, school psychology program, talked to EdWeek about the best way to inform classmates of a student’s suicide.
Visit the Academic Affairs Flickr Page

Have news for our April newsletter? Email Cherie Ann Parker at cherie.parker@csus.edu