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April 27, 2015

Survey shows majority satisfied with SVSU campus climate

Students, faculty and staff at Saginaw Valley State University reported high levels of general satisfaction with SVSU’s campus climate during a survey conducted last November and December.

Campus climate is defined as “the current attitudes, behaviors, and standards of faculty, staff, administrators, and students concerning the level of respect for individual needs, abilities, and potential.”            

The level of comfort experienced by faculty, staff, and students is one indicator of campus climate, and 82 percent of survey respondents reported they were “comfortable” or “very comfortable” at SVSU.

The survey also explored attitudes and experiences related to a number of issues, including academic success, diversity, work-life balance, and pathways to promotion.  Members of historically under-represented groups (women, ethnic minorities, LBGQ individuals) expressed lower levels of satisfaction in certain areas.  Consistent with national data, 24 percent of SVSU respondents said they personally had experienced exclusionary, intimidating, offensive or hostile conduct.

Based on the findings, SVSU’s campus climate team will develop recommendations and action items to make SVSU more welcoming for all members of the campus community.

Participation in the survey was high among all three employee groups, administrative/professional staff (55 percent), faculty (51 percent), and support staff (93 percent). SVSU also saw 17 percent of undergraduate students participate. In all, 2,358 members of the campus community completed the survey.

Rankin and Associates, a firm that specializes in assisting campuses and organizations in assessing their environments for learning and working, worked with SVSU on administering the survey and analyzing the data. Sue Rankin led three presentations on the findings: Thursday, April 23 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Curtiss Hall seminar rooms, and Friday, April 24 at 9 a.m. in the Ott Auditorium in Gilbertson Hall.  

Copies of the executive summary and the full report are posted svsu.edu/climatesurvey.

April 24, 2015

SVSU, mascot deliver needed supplies to Saginaw elementary school

Students at Saginaw's Jessie Rouse Elementary School received 10 boxes full of school supplies after a collection drive organized by Saginaw Valley State University students, staff and faculty.

No. 1 Fan, one of SVSU's Cardinal mascots, helped deliver the boxes full of notebooks, pens, chalk, children's books, poster boards, rulers and markers to the school campus on Wednesday, April 22.

The supplies were collected during the “SVSU Cares For Kids School Supply Drive” that kicked off in February. 

“I thought it went very well, especially since this was our first time doing this,” said Jenny Jimenez, whose idea sparked the campaign.

Jimenez, SVSU's assistant director of graduate and international admissions, said she pitched the idea to university officials after a conversation with her friends in Saginaw Public Schools turned to the need for supplies at some facilities.

“We have such a great student body, faculty and staff, and so I thought, we could put something together for the schools,” Jimenez said. “It was a natural fit.”

The drop-off was the first of the campaign, but organizers plan to continue the tradition on a regular basis, dropping off needed supplies to schools in the Saginaw, Bay and Midland areas in the future.

April 24, 2015

SVSU, Delta College offer joint program in nursing

A new dual enrollment program between Saginaw Valley State University and Delta College will allow nursing students chasing both a bachelor’s degree and a career in healthcare to achieve those goals more quickly.

Andrea Frederick, SVSU coordinator of the initiative that kicked off in fall 2014, said the program is “a wonderful opportunity” both for prospective nurses and the community’s healthcare partners.

“Recently, there has been increased pressure to have more BSNs (nurses with bachelor’s degrees) providing patient care,” said Frederick, an SVSU assistant professor of nursing. “This is one intervention that will help our area to achieve that goal.”

The new program fast-tracks the process by offering classes for associate’s and bachelor’s degrees concurrently. In some cases, SVSU classes are offered on Delta’s campus in an effort to centralize attendance.

Students who enrolled in the program during its inaugural semester are expected to receive an associate’s degree from Delta College in spring 2016 and a bachelor’s degree from SVSU that same December.

Jarrod Givens, a student in the joint program, already sees the advantages of the initiative.

“Most people who go the regular route would work as an RN (registered nurse) and go to school at the same time,” said the Linwood native who hopes to become a traveling nurse one day. “Right now, we’re not working, so it’s easier and it gives us more time to study.”

One of his classmates, Katheryn Howden, said the initiative creates a more efficient learning process. The collaboration synchronizes the academic requirements of the SVSU and Delta College nursing programs while also eliminating the challenges experienced when students attempt to juggle a nursing position with baccalaureate schoolwork.

“Because we are going year-round, we won’t lose our skills,” Howden said. “It’s nice to be able to keep your skills and refresh them. It’s a great program.”

Howden, who is pursuing a career as a neonatal intensive care nurse, said the program offers relevant coursework, coordinated instruction and supportive faculty.

“It’s been great,” the Ypsilanti native said. “They really want you to succeed, and everyone has been so helpful.”

SVSU and Delta recruit students for the concurrent program from the Delta Nurse Scholar Program, which typically selects 30 Delta students per semester, based on academic criteria and other factors, including work experience related to nursing.

April 22, 2015

SVSU students explore alternatives to the handshake in ‘Ban the Hand’ presentations

Thursday, April 23, 2:45 to 5:30 p.m.
Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts, SVSU

Saginaw Valley State University students will share what they have learned in examining alternatives to the traditional handshake in an academic exercise across the colleges of Arts & Behavioral Sciences and Business & Management. They will present their ideas Thursday, April 23.

Students in the Vitito Global Leadership Institute, a program for business students, were required as a leadership exercise to devise and implement a social initiative. The project, “Ban the Hand” aims to reduce the number of germs exchanged during a handshake, by instead using a “fist bump.”

Meanwhile, sociology students developed posters that highlight the results of a social experiment associated with their implementation of different alternatives to shaking hands.

The sociology students will present from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.; the Vitito Fellows will present form 4 to 5:30 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts on the SVSU campus.

April 20, 2015

Registration open for SVSU Literacy Center summer clinics

The Literacy Center at Saginaw Valley State University will offer tutoring in math, reading, and writing to students ranging from kindergarten upward through 12th grade, and adult learners during the upcoming summer.

Participating students attend 1-hour small group or one-on-one tutoring sessions Mondays to Thursdays from June 15 to July 2, and can choose between sessions starting at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. The Literacy Center is located in SVSU's Gilbertson Hall.
                
All students undergo a 1-hour assessment to determine their strengths and improvable areas in math, reading, or writing prior to tutoring. Assessments take place June 1-2, at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., and 6 p.m. A $50 non-refundable deposit is due at the time of, or before, the assessment.

Tutors then create individualized lesson plans based on the students' assessments and a research-based tutoring system to help students maximize their potential. All of the Literacy Center's tutors are certified teachers who hold master's degrees in literacy and/or certification in reading recovery, or a bachelor's or master's degree in a related field. The Literacy Center also offers resources and provides collaboration opportunities to parents and guardians who wish to be involved in the learning process.

Tuition for attending the Literacy Center is $360 per subject, with an additional $30 fee for the initial assessment.

For more information, visit svsu.edu/literacycenter or contact Laurie Haney at 989-964-4982.

April 20, 2015

Visual Hacking: The Eyes Have It

By Jennifer Paradise

Someone looking over your shoulder is not a comforting feeling. Think about where it can happen. You can be on a plane flipping through a magazine, at a coffee shop reading the news on your laptop, or at the office reading emails. Wait a second. At the office reading emails? Absolutely! If this has happened to you then you've been visually hacked. Another person's wandering eye is one of the most common yet one of the most overlooked forms of gaining access to personal information.

How do we protect ourselves from visual hackers?

1. Be aware of your surroundings.
2. Educate yourself and others.
3. Keep a "clean desk" policy. When you leave your workspace, remove documents on your desk from view and lock or turn off device screens.
4. Set screen savers and timeouts on computers, tablets, smartphones, and other devices.
5. Require the use of privacy screen protectors on device screens.
6. Identify at-risk employees who travel frequently or work outside of the office, and discuss rules for working on sensitive information when away from work.

If you have questions about visual hacking, please contact the Support Center at mysupport.svsu.edu, support@svsu.edu, or x4225.

April 17, 2015

Skype for Business to Replace Lync

By Jennifer Paradise

In recent months, Microsoft announced that Skype would be replacing Lync as the collaboration product in Office. Branded as Skype for Business, it will soon be coming to a computer near you.

What does this mean for SVSU?

The Skype for Business update will only affect users currently running Lync 2013. If you are running Lync 2010, then nothing will happen. Lync 2010 users can still communicate with Skype for Business users.

Software-wise, most collaboration products function the same so the change should be fairly smooth. When your workstation is updated, you will see a new interface that's a combination of Lync and Skype. Users can still chat, share files, and communicate just like before with most of the improvements being behind the scenes.

If you have questions about the update to Skype for Business, please contact the Support Center at mysupport.svsu.edu, support@svsu.edu, or x4225.

April 17, 2015

Guest Guitarist to perform with SVSU Jazz Ensemble

Guitarist Edmond Smith will join with the Saginaw Valley State University jazz ensemble for a concert Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in SVSU’s Rhea Miller Recital Hall.

Selections to be performed include “Lost in the Shuffle,” “Groove Merchant” and “A Good Time was Had by All.”  The jazz ensemble is directed by Jeff Hall, SVSU jazz-artist-in-residence; he will play the saxophone for a few numbers with the ensemble, which includes nearly 20 students.

Known as a jack-of-all-trades guitar player, Smith has performed with a number of local bands, as well as national acts such as R&B great Bettye Lavette, pop artist El DeBarge and jazz greats George Brown and Melvin Rhyne. He completed a bachelor’s degree in music education at Aquinas College.

The concert is open to the public; admission is free of charge. For more information, visit svsu.edu/music or call 989-964-4159.

April 16, 2015

SVSU Hires Linda Sims to Lead Communication, Marketing and External Affairs

Saginaw Valley State University has hired Linda Sims to lead communication, marketing and external affairs for the university.  She comes to SVSU from Consumers Energy, where she has served in a variety of public relations roles for more than 30 years, including the past 10 in the senior role of executive director of public affairs for the utility.

April 16, 2015

SVSU to join effort to beautify Saginaw’s Houghton-Jones neighborhood

Saginaw Valley State University will be well represented at the All Around The Garden Global Youth Service Day Project Wednesday, April 22.

One of the event’s coordinators is Keshara Mumford, an SVSU social work major from Detroit who is involved in the United Way of Saginaw County's Healthy Kids Healthy Futures Partnership Americorps program. Mamie Thorns, special assistant to the president for diversity programs, will speak at the kickoff for the event.

Social and service fraternities and sororities from SVSU will participate in gardening activities, including Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Phi Omega, Phi Beta Sigma, Kappa Tau Epsilon, Sigma Pi and Phi Sigma Sigma.

The service project is planned from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Saginaw's Houghton-Jones Neighborhood Association headquarters at 1708 Johnson in Saginaw. Additional volunteers are welcome to assist in the effort by gathering at the headquarters.

The event is sponsored in part by Houghton-Jones Neighborhood Association and the United Way of Saginaw County.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. The kickoff ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. Participants should park in the Houghton Elementary School parking lot at 1604 Johnson, directly across the street from the headquarters.

Those interested in participating can call (989) 776-0555, (989) 752-1660, or email jhales@unitedwaysaginaw.org or info@houghtonjones.org.

In 2015, SVSU received the Community Engagement classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a distinction achieved by only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities. For more on SVSU’s community engagement, visit svsu.edu/communityengagement/.