Clone of It's April in Academic Affairs!

Dear Academic Affairs Colleagues, 

It’s April in Academic Affairs, and here are some highlights: 

Encourage your graduate students to participate in The Next Step for Career Readiness.

The Next Step: CSU Graduate Career Readiness is an 8-module asynchronous course hosted by the CSU and available to all SSU graduate students. Students may log in and complete any or all of the modules at their own pace. Upon completing each module, they earn a badge. Students who finish all eight modules also earn a CSU microcredential in career readiness.

Questions? Visit this FAQ page. Faculty and staff may also enroll in the course to better understand the content and align it with their own programming. 

Congratulations to Megan Kane and Derek Girman on their contributions to this CSU-wide effort.

Cheer on our graduate students at SSU’s Grad Slam 2026 TODAY @ 1pm.

Grad Slam is a campus-wide competition in which graduate students present their research, scholarship, and creative work in just three minutes or less using only one slide. The event highlights the depth and impact of graduate work across Sonoma State while helping students develop essential skills in research communication. Enjoy complimentary snacks while you watch in the Learning and Academic Resource Center (1st floor of the Library) or register for the Zoom link. Finalists will go on to participate in the CSU-wide Grad Slam on May 1.

Drop in: Fireside Chat with the Interim Provost - April 13 @ 3pm in the Student Center

These Fireside Chats are informal drop-in opportunities. Join me and colleagues in a relaxed setting with no agenda. The goal is simply to listen, connect, and better understand the experiences and ideas of our campus community. We will be near the fireplace in the Living Room of the Student Center (1st floor) on April 13 at 3pm.

Please come to our International Staff and Faculty Afternoon Tea on April 15 @ 12pm in International Hall 107. 

At a time when events around the world are affecting members of our campus community in different and deeply personal ways, we hope this gathering offers a space for connection and community. We warmly invite all faculty and staff to join an International Afternoon Tea, with a focus on supporting and connecting our international colleagues.

The Global Engagement Office will provide tea, coffee, and snacks. You are welcome to bring your lunch and join the conversations. No RSVP is needed. This is an informal space for social connection and community

Participate in an Academic Exchange on Reduced-Credit Bachelor’s Degrees - May 4 @ 12pm at CTET.

On Tuesday, the LA Times published an article: Colleges are swiftly shortening bachelor degree programs to three years. As has been shared in Academic Senate and elsewhere, the CSU is interested in pursuing reduced-credit pathways. You can read about these Proposed Title 5 Updates here. Join AVP Lillig and me for an open discussion of the topic, including benefits and concerns in the CTET (Salazar 1061) or via Zoom on May 4 at 12pm.

Look out for summer opportunities for SSU staff and faculty to experience digital storytelling.

Dr. Anthony Rizzuto (Writing), Loriann Negri (LARC), and Dr. John Lynch (CTET) have received a CSU + Adobe for All grant. This grant will support the integration of digital storytelling into first-year writing courses in AY 26/27, strengthen LARC’s embedded tutor program, and create opportunities in Summer and Fall 2026 for SSU faculty and staff to gain hands-on experience with digital storytelling and the Adobe Creative Suite, to which we all already have access.

Congratulations to all three, and thank you for your support of our campus.

Jenn Lillig will continue as Interim AVP for Academic Affairs in AY 2026/27.

President Spagna has asked me to continue as Interim Provost in Academic Year 2026/27, and I am grateful for the opportunity. I am also very pleased to announce that Dr. Jenn Lillig has agreed to continue as Interim AVP for Academic Affairs during this period. What’s more, Dr. Lillig and I just attended WSCUC’s Academic Resources Conference this week, where she officially became our campus Accreditation Liaison Officer. 

Wishing you a weekend well-suited to the rainy forecast,

Stacey