Provost Newsletter Sep 2022

September 2022

Provost’s Message

Hello Colleagues,
Welcome to the 2022-2023 Academic Year! We have had a good start to the Fall Semester, and I am particularly happy to note that we seem to be experiencing a period of general health. It has been wonderful to see so many of you in person, and data from CSUN’s IT division shows a definite increase in the numbers of people on campus. In fact, over the first three weeks of the semester, we reached a peak of 31,000 devices concurrently connected to CSUN's Wi-Fi network. In addition, comparing the first two weeks of Fall 2021 with Fall 2022, there has been a 60 percent decrease in average Zoom sessions per day. All of this demonstrates the level of engagement on campus and how far we have come.

A lot is happening in Academic Affairs, and below are a few highlights of some of the good news. In addition, CSUN is offering some tremendous training opportunities for everyone. Staff may take advantage of a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities covering topics from Personal Branding to Success as a 1st Generation Professional. See the CSUN Professional Development & Training Calendar for details. Faculty will find a wealth of fascinating and worthwhile programming and resources from newsletters to webinars provided through our membership in the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. Be sure to read the item on NCFDD below.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter, and I look forward to seeing you on campus.

Mary Beth Walker, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Latest Academic News

Chicana/o Studies Dept. Makes a Difference in LA Schools

This summer, our Chicana/o Studies Department worked with Urban Visionaries, Reclaim Our Schools LA, the Asian Youth Center, and local schools to co-sponsor the Community Action Research Program (CARP). CARP was established to support the training and development of youth leaders (4th-12th grade), educators, staff, and interns. (Click to read more)

CSUN EOP Celebrates its Legacy and Free Speech

September is a time for celebration as we commemorate EOP Month across all CSU campuses! We encourage our CSUN community to learn about our rich history of access and equity by visiting our history page.

EOP will host a campus-wide event on Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 12-3PM at Bayramian Hall Lawn. Enjoy trivia games, food treats, prizes and join our EOP community to celebrate the program that has changed the lives of so many people! (Click to read more)

ERA System Delivers Insight

Conceptualized by The Tseng College and realized in partnership with Campus IT, The Early Retention Alert (ERA) system gives support staff automated backend insights to retention by leveraging and simplifying existing student engagement metrics and Campus platforms (Canvas/Tableau). Staff are able to act on those curated automated insights to provide current student support in the form of making them aware of resources that may assist them with their needs—another tool in the support arsenal.

students walk in front of the college fo education

Ed.D. Doctoral Dissertation Showcase October 22

The Educational Leadership Program will hold the Doctoral Dissertation Showcase 2022 on October 22 from 10 am until noon in ED 1129 and on Zoom. The purpose of the showcase is to provide research information to the PK-16 professional community as well as broaden doctoral students’ horizons of research and dissertation, support them in starting and finishing their research, disseminate scholarly work, promote research culture, support institutional efforts to advance equity and social justice, and model academic paper presentations.(Click to read more)

Initiative for Equity in

Faculty Hiring Moves Forward

CSUN seeks to foster inclusive excellence and equitable outcomes in recruitment and hiring practices through the implementation of innovative, evidence-based practices that will bolster the retention of faculty from underserved groups. The recently released manual, Tenure-Track Hiring Toolkit, along with its companion appendices, provides a step-by-step overview of the entire search process as well as examples and templates for all the documents needed as part of an equitable search. The next date for search committee member training is October 7, 2022. Click this link to learn more.

Take Advantage of Invaluable Resources and Training Through the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity

Oviatt Library

Faculty, postdocs and graduate students are encouraged to look into the many resources offered by CSUN's membership in the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). More than 280 CSUN faculty created accounts and took advantage of the courses and webinars offered through NCFDD in 2021, with the three, most popular courses being: Every Semester Needs a Plan, How to Develop a Daily Writing Practice, and How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities.

In fact, our New Faculty Academy year-long program designed for all new faculty hired during the pandemic integrates the NCFDD. “The NCFDD core curriculum and other resources have been transformative in so many ways,” said Dr. Nayan Ramirez, Criminology & Justice Studies. “Not only have I gained invaluable skills that have increased my productivity, I have also learned different strategies to ensure my work-life balance and overall career success.”

To learn more about the programs and resources available, please visit this link.

California State University, Northridge
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Message from the Provost, Mary Beth Walker