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March 2021
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A Note from the Provost

COVID-19 vaccination site at Tiger Stadium

Dear Colleagues,

Just over a year ago our lives changed dramatically. In March 2020, we were still learning about the coronavirus and how to keep ourselves safe from infection. In March 2021, “masking up” is a part of our everyday routine and our faculty, staff, and students are eligible to receive a vaccine. In March 2020, we were opening a PPE production facility in our PMAC. In March 2021, we are planning diploma ceremonies and hosting basketball games. In March 2020 we were rapidly transitioning to a remote learning and working environment, and wondering when we would ever return to “normal”. In March 2021, we have solidified our plans for a fully in-person fall semester and the “normal” is coming back in to focus. As we approach the end of the spring semester, it’s important to reflect on how far we have come and how much we have accomplished.

Last week, I appointed three Provost’s Fellows for Academic Affairs: Jacqueline Bach, Sibel Bargu Ates, and Jason Hicks. I am excited to welcome the three of them to the Office of Academic Affairs, and am grateful for their willingness to serve LSU during this critical period of reflection and transformation. They will serve in my leadership cabinet until the completion of a national search for the Vice President for Civil Rights & Title IX, which is currently held on an interim basis by Senior Vice Provost Jane Cassidy.

Jane has wasted no time in beginning the critical work to address the 18 recommendations from Husch Blackwell – job postings have been created, reporting lines have been adjusted, and critical conversations continue to guide a path to a better LSU. We know that we have a great deal of work to do, wrongs to right, and trust to rebuild. Thank you for your collective commitment to substantive change.

Best,
Stacia L. Haynie
Executive Vice President & Provost
J.W. Annison, Jr. Alumni Professor

Our People

Three Provost's Fellows Appointed for Academic Affairs

Jacqueline Bach
Dr. Jacqueline Bach headshotPh.D. Professional Education Studies, Oklahoma State University
M.A. English, University of West Florida
B.A. English/Secondary English Education, Florida State University

Jacqueline Bach is the Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Services in the College of Human Sciences and Education and holds the Elena and Albert LeBlanc professorship in the School of Education. Since she joined LSU in 2006, she has served as the Director of LSU’s Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies program and has held several leadership positions in the School of Education. At the university level, she has served on the Institutional Effectiveness Council, several policy revision committees, and the faculty senate’s courses and curriculum committee. She was a member of the 2013-2014 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellow Cohort.

In her role as Provost’s Fellow for Academic Affairs, Bach will serve as the Executive Vice President & Provost’s representative on all program review matters and the liaison to the Learning & Teaching Collaborative. In addition, she will chair LSU’s Pregnancy & Parenting Program and the Student Technology Fee Committee.

Sibel Bargu Ates
Dr. Sibel Bargu Ates headshotPh.D. Biological Oceanography, University of California at Santa Cruz
M.S. Chemical Oceanography, University of California at Santa Cruz
B.S. Biology, Istanbul University

Dr. Sibel Bargu Ates is the Associate Dean in the College of the Coast & Environment and holds the Shell Professor in Oceanography/Wetland Studies in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. Since she joined LSU in 2006, she has served as an LSU Faculty in Residence and chaired the first student retention committee and developed the undergraduate research program in the College of the Coast & Environment. She was a member of the 2019-2020 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellow Cohort.

In her role as Provost’s Fellow for Academic Affairs, Bargu Ates will serve as the Executive Vice President & Provost’s representative on the Administrative Process Improvement Committee, the Benefits Oversight Committee, the Campus Planning Oversight Committee, the Committee on Naming University Facilities, the Executive Oversight Committee for University Operations and Services Assessment, and the Faculty Senate Benefits Committee. In addition, she will serve as ex-officio on the University Budget Committee and collaborate with the Office of Facility & Property oversight on overall space allocation and planning.

Jason Hicks
Dr. Jason Hicks headshotPh.D. Cognitive/Experimental Psychology, University of Georgia
M.S. Experimental Psychology, University of Georgia
B.S. Psychology, Truman State University

Dr. Jason L. Hicks is Associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and holds the William R. & Letitia Bell professorship in the Department of Psychology. Prior to becoming Associate Dean in 2018, he was Chair of the Psychology Department from 2014-2018. His 23 years of service at LSU include overseeing the LSU undergraduate psychology degree programs from 2004-2009, the psychology graduate degree programs from 2009-2014, and being the respective Director of these programs. He was a member of the 2015-2016 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program cohort.

In his full-time role as Provost’s Fellow for Academic Affairs, Hicks will serve as the principal resource for interpretation and application of all academic personnel policies for the Executive Vice President & Provost. His responsibilities include travel and expenditure approvals, as well as faculty hiring and credentialing. In addition, he will serve as the SEC ALDP Liaison for LSU.

Manship School of Mass Communication Dean Search

The Manship School of Mass Communication Dean Search Committee is pleased to announce that two candidates will visit LSU at the end of March and beginning of April to participate in on-campus interviews. The two candidates are Dr. Battinto Batts Jr. and Dr. Naeemah Clark. Candidate biographies and CVs are now available on the search website.

As part of their interviews, candidates will speak at open forums, which all members of the LSU campus community are invited to attend. The open forums will be held via Zoom, and will be recorded for those that cannot attend at the designated time. Zoom information for each interview can be found on the search website.

An online survey to collect feedback on the candidates will be available, and the results will be shared with campus administration and search committee members. This anonymous survey will open on March 29 at 8 a.m. and close on April 13 at 11:59 p.m.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

The state of Louisiana partnered with LSU to administer doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, March 14, at a mass vaccination event at Tiger Stadium. LSU hosted a second vaccination event at Tiger Stadium on Friday, March 26, offering first doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine.

As of Monday, March 29, all Louisiana residents ages 16 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

LSU will continue to offer vaccinations to those in the LSU community who pre-registered as they become available. If you have not yet pre-registered to receive the vaccine at LSU, please visit COVID-19 Vaccine Preregistration.

Once you receive the COVID-19 vaccine, either at LSU or elsewhere, please complete the Vaccination Reporting Survey so LSU can keep track of how many vaccines are still needed on campus.

Please visit LSU Roadmap to Spring for more information and updates regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

2021 and 2020 Graduates Invited to Walk Across the Stage

LSU is pleased to announce that it will hold in-person commencement exercises this spring. May graduates, March graduates of the LSU Online program, and all LSU graduates from throughout 2020 will have the opportunity to walk across the stage and have their names called during the ceremonies.

Ceremonies for 2021 graduates will be held on Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8. The Vet School will hold a ceremony for DVM candidates on Monday, May 10, and the Law Center will hold a ceremony for its JD and LLM candidates on Saturday, May 15.

All 2020 graduates from last May, August and December who did not get to walk across the stage at a commencement ceremony due to the pandemic are invited to attend a separate ceremony exclusively for them on Friday, May 14.

All ceremonies will be streamed online for those unable to attend in person.

Masks will be required at all times. Please know that if the status of the pandemic changes, or if the state’s event guidelines change, these ceremonies could also change.

Please visit the LSU Commencement page for more information regarding locations, times, and more.

Make-Up Class Days

Because classes were cancelled last month due to the winter storm, LSU must hold make-up days to ensure that the spring semester meets the minimum number of required class days. The last make-up day will be held on April 10.

COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey

LSU is currently participating in the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) faculty job satisfaction survey, operated by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Eligible faculty have already received a link to take the 25-minute survey, sent from coachefaculty@abtsurvey.com, featuring “COACHE” in the subject line. Additionally, faculty will soon receive an email reminding them to participate. More information about the survey can be found at the LSU COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction webpage. Additional questions can be sent to COACHE@lsu.edu.

The survey data will be used to directly engage faculty concerns as LSU develops policy to improve faculty satisfaction. These data will better align LSU priorities with faculty priorities, but without faculty participation the data cannot be effective. Therefore, LSU asks you to please take the time to participate. The survey will close on Monday, April 12.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting Wins Award for LSU Rural Life Museum Film

Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) was honored by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters (LAB) with the award for Best Series or Documentary during LAB’s 2021 Virtual Prestige Awards presentation. The documentary "A Living History: LSU Rural Life Museum Turns 50" won the award in the large-market television station division.

"A Living History: LSU Rural Life Museum Turns 50" documents how the museum got its start becoming a historical and educational treasure, not only for Louisiana, but for the world. The educational program takes viewers through the historical buildings that make up the museum explaining the details of the architecture and exploring the early ways of life in Louisiana from farming and gardening to cast iron production.

"A Living History: LSU Rural Life Museum Turns 50" was written, produced and directed by Tika Laudun and photographed and edited by Rex Q. Fortenberry. The documentary is available for viewing with LPB Passport, an extended viewer benefit. Visit the LPB Passport webpage for more details.

Faculty Support

Online & Continuing Education semi-annual Open Town Hall, April 14 from 2 - 3 p.m.

LSU Online & Continuing Education Open Town Hall

The Online & Continuing Education (OCE) team is holding their semi-annual Open Town Hall on Wednesday, April 14th, from 2 to 3 p.m. OCE holds these Town Hall meetings throughout the year as a way to share the goals and values of the OCE organization. OCE is extending an invitation to you and the broader LSU community providing attendees with:

  • an update of progress being made in various OCE areas;
  • information regarding plans for the future (e.g., upcoming programs, courses, partnerships); and
  • the ability to connect with our OCE team and offer feedback.

This event is open to all LSU faculty, staff, and students. You may access the meeting here or by using Meeting ID: 942 1950 8891 and Passcode: 627450.

Preparing Your Courses for Summer 2021

The LSU Online & Continuing Education team is working to support faculty as they prepare to teach in the upcoming 5-week Summer terms. Please see below for resources that may be helpful as you prepare your courses.

  • This job aid, Condensing Course Content Effectively, can get you started on planning your course organization for the shorter 5-week Summer term.
  • The Design & Development team will be offering a Preparing for Summer 2021: Condensing your Course Content for Shorter Terms workshop on 3/30/2021 and 4/7/2021 (they will be recorded for later viewing). For more information and to register, visit the Training and Event Registration site.
  • Your College In-Residence Support is always available for assistance, so do schedule your consults as needed! In addition, we will also be offering dedicated Live Support hours starting mid-April and leading up to term start for just-in-time assistance.

Stay tuned and watch your email inboxes for communication around these resources coming very soon!

Please Complete the Great Colleges Survey

The Great Colleges to Work For survey is still open! LSU is participating in this study designed to gather benchmarking data within higher education and to recognize institutions that have built great workplaces. An invitation to take this survey was distributed to 600 randomly selected full-time faculty and staff on March 8. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, April 2. If you have not yet completed the survey, please take a moment to share your valuable feedback. This survey is a great opportunity to assess the climate of our campus. Whether or not our institution is recognized, we can learn from the feedback and make improvements for our future.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this survey, please contact the Office of Human Resource Management at hr@lsu.edu or 225-578-8200.

Changes to Workday Authentication

In a continued effort to improve security for LSU’s environment, on April 20, 2021, a change will be made to LSU’s Workday environment requiring LSU A&M employees to access Workday through LSU’s Single Sign On (SSO) via Microsoft. LSU A&M employees will utilize Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) similar to the way users access LSU mail, Microsoft Office, Zoom, and Box. As Microsoft-based authentication with MFA is already in place, no additional changes or actions are needed by users.

This article outlines the user experience (will require login with your myLSU account to view the article).

For any questions or issues, please contact the ITS Service Desk by phone at 225-578-3375 or by email at servicedesk@lsu.edu.

Women's Center 2021 Women's History Month Panel

As a follow-up to the Closing the Gaps: Engaging Men As Allies panel that was held in February, the LSU Women's Center is hosting the Women's History Month: Refusing to be Silenced panel. This panel will be a discussion with women faculty & staff about their experiences at LSU. The panel will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, March 31, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Register for the panel here.

Blackbaud Award Management Project

Blackbaud Award Management (BAM) is LSU’s new online scholarship management system that went live in December 2020. BAM offers many useful features and benefits for faculty and staff who are involved in the scholarship awarding process, and importantly provides a one-stop shop for students to learn about and apply for privately funded scholarships at LSU.

LSU is currently in the process of accepting student applications through BAM, with most applications closing on April 16 for opportunities in the 2021-22 academic year. The goal is that scholarships awarded for the 2021-22 academic year will be administered in BAM and that award processes follow the new university timeline.

LSU appreciates your collaborative work to implement BAM and looks forward to your continued partnership in this strategic shift. Should you have any questions about this project, please reach out to provost@lsu.edu.

Interactive OER for Dual Enrollment Program from LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network at the Louisiana Board of Regents 

LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, a program of the Louisiana Board of Regents, is forming Faculty Cohorts for the Interactive OER for Dual Enrollment program. Twenty-five cohort groups will be formed, each composed of one faculty member from the LSU campuses with teaching responsibilities aligning to one of the selected courses. LSU participants will be joined by one faculty representative from each of the other public post-secondary systems in Louisiana, a LAICU faculty representative, and a librarian Cohort Leader.

Faculty interested in being considered for participation in this program can apply through the online form below. The deadline for applications is April 16, 2021 at 5 p.m. The Board of Regents will issue a system contract to the LSU campuses for faculty services totaling $200,000 over the three-year grant period. Contract funds may be utilized at the discretion of the system, following all applicable state laws and policies, to fund the work of the faculty.

The program welcomes participants with experience or interest in textbook affordability, open access/open educational resources. LSU faculty can submit an application.

If you have any questions regarding this project or faculty expectations, please email Dr. Teri Gallaway, Associate Commissioner for LOUIS, teri.gallaway@laregents.edu.