GCSU University Senate Newsletter
October 2025
Happy Spooky Season, Bobcats!
Our October 17th Senate meeting brought a full slate of important conversations, policy updates, and collaborative opportunities across campus. Here are a few highlights that I want to share with you:
- Public CV Policy
- Starting Spring 2026, faculty teaching courses must have a public "CV" posted online.
- Not a traditional CV as only the following must be included:
- All institutions attended and degrees or credentials earned
- Institutional directory information (e.g., office address, office phone number, institutional email, and institutional website (if applicable)
- Some debate on what "office address" means (e.g., office number, physical address, campus box)
- Statement of teaching and research interests
- Recent publications or scholarly output
- "Recent" is also up for debate
- CoAS Dean gave guidance for past 5 years
- Applies to anyone teaching a course, including adjunct faculty and graduate students!
- The university is working with Simple Syllabus to develop an easy template to use, so we will be working in the same platform as the syllabi.
- Suggestion: Prep and keep a Word doc that covers the first 4 bullet points in anticipation then cut-and-paste directly from their Word doc.
- Easiest way to know your tasks for the semester is to access the Simple Syllabus Dashboard through MyGCSU under Service Apps.
- Due by Jan 5, 2026
- Public Syllabi
- Spring 2026 syllabi for Core IMPACTS and education courses were posted on October 20, 2025.
- For Summer 2026 and Fall 2026, all courses must be posted 7 days before registration begins in March.
- They are pulling CRNs from Banner now, which will mean that there is no way to have multiple sections in an XLS course shell with only one syllabi anymore.
- I found out from Alison Shepherd that you cannot copy custom components if they are set to PRIVATE.
- Set to public then submit for approval. You can change them back to private after you copy the syllabus to the other section(s).
- I'm happy to help with this process as I just figured it out myself and it's clunky.
Campus Safety Enhancements
- New cameras, panic buttons, AEDs, and patrol vehicles.
- Exploring “shot spotter” tech and classroom door locking solutions.
- Chief Hardin stressed they want to take appropriate action to keep campus safe without over-reacting and paying for more than we actually need.
- RAVE Guardian app recommended for all.
- Campus Carry clarification:
- Cannot have weapons in the following areas:
- Classrooms or spaces with dual-enrolled high school students
- Dr. Anderson stated that since the law was passed in 2017, the registrar's office has had 3 total requests for information regarding this aspect of the policy.
- Faculty, staff, or administrative offices
- Rooms where disciplinary hearings are conducted
- Buildings or property used for intercollegiate sporting events / athletic venues
- Student housing complexes (dormitories, Greek housing, etc.)
- Preschool or childcare spaces
- Spaces used for Health Services or Counseling
- Presiding Officer "Tour de Deans"
- Purpose:
- Identify any college-specific concerns needing University Senate input
- Share current University Senate initiatives and opportunities for collaboration
- College of Arts & Sciences (CoAS)
- See a need clearer communication on academic dishonesty reporting.
- Suggestion to include Student Conduct staff in department meetings.
- Clarify “seniority” in professional leave policy.
- 4950 courses taught repeatedly should go through C&I as new courses.
- College of Health Sciences (CoHS)
- Conflict between certification requirements (e.g., nurse practitioners) and BOR’s outside activity policy. Working with Provost's Office to address those challenges.
- Mobile Health Clinic staffing challenges—may need more course releases or full-time directors to shoulder the rising obligations.
- College of Education (CoE)
- Improve campus-wide communication of Senate-passed policies.
- Provost plans to include updates in her notes; newsletter and FrontPage are helping.
- Library
- Wants to raise awareness of services beyond books.
- Interested in reducing duplication of efforts (e.g., maker spaces) and increasing collaboration to embrace our liberal arts mission more fully.
- Celebrating Open Access Week (Oct 20–26) with social media, educational materials, and a Times Talk on Oct 22 at noon.
- College of Business & Technology (CoBT)
- Meeting scheduled for Oct 27 at 11 AM with their leadership team.
Strategic Engagement
- Presiding Officer now serves on the new Senior Advisory Council.
- Quarterly meetings with leadership to advise on planning and innovation.
- Just had our first meeting on Tuesday, Oct 21st where we discussed the following:
- Revision of the mission statement of GCSU
- Strategic Planning Committee is working on it and will be reaching out to stakeholders for feedback soon on the draft
- Reach our to Mandy Jarriel and/or Cara Smith with questions
- Graduate Education Taskforce formed to develop forward-thinking direction on graduate education at GCSU to make sure our graduate portfolio stays market-aligned, distinctive, and responsive to emerging trends in higher education.
- President Cox and Cara Smith provided updates on the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE) accreditation standards.
- Stakeholder comments were taken into consideration and the revised standards were approved. You can read them via the website linked above.
Policy Communication
- Provost to include Senate updates in her monthly Provost's Notes.
- Newsletter and FrontPage announcements showing promise!
- Event to Keep on Your Radar:
- The Department of Psychological Science and the Bobcats FIRST QEP Team are hosting Dr. Meg Jay, a developmental clinical psychologist who specializes in "twentysomething," on Thursday, Oct 23rd at 2 pm in Magnolia! She is the author of several renowned books, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review and recently on the Mel Robbins Podcast. She will be on campus to speak about her work and what college students can learn about "the defining decade" of their 20s. Reception will follow in the Willow Room!
Thanks for your continued advocacy and engagement. Let’s keep building a transparent, equitable, and collaborative campus community!
If you would like to learn more about the University Senate, including who your representatives are, please visit our website!
President's Report
President Cox’s October report to the University Senate highlights key developments from the Board of Regents, upcoming campus initiatives, and important reminders for faculty and staff:
Board of Regents Highlights
- Approved MOU between GCSU and Georgia Military College for joint law enforcement support.
- Discussed “strategic reserves” (carryforward funds); GCSU reported $5.9M used for equipment, staffing, and tech planning.
- USG Fall 2025 enrollment: 380,000+ students (up 4.6% from last year).
- Number of students increased by 17,000 for USG institutions
- Degrees awarded increased by 7.9%, with a 15% jump in graduate degrees.
-
Open Enrollment
- Runs Oct 27th-Nov 7th via OneUSG.
- See the USG Benefits Website to learn more!
- Active enrollment year — action required to maintain coverage even if you plan to make no changes to your coverage!
- Be sure to complete your certifications to avoid tobacco and working spouse surcharges!
- Do NOT wait until the last minute to complete your Open Enrollment elections.
- Often, the OneUSG system lags during the final days as there is a significant increase in web traffic across all 26 institutions in the USG and it could cause issues!
- Contact benefits@gcsu.edu for help.
-
Ethics Awareness Week (Nov 3rd-9th)
- Events include:
- Nov 3: Meet our new General Counsel + livestream of Chancellor’s presentation on Leading with Integrity in a Complex World featuring Jimmy Blanchard, retired Chairman and CEO of Synovus..
- Nov 4: Food Waste Challenge at the MAX.
- The Office of Sustainability will be in the lobby of the MAX to raise awareness on food waste and encourage students to submit their guess on how many pounds of food waste is collected in a 24-hour period.
- Nov 5: Campus Shred Event + “Build Your Own Bobcat” activity.
- Campus Shred Event, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, provides an opportunity for faculty and staff to purge items in accordance with the USG Records Retention Schedule. Students are invited to “Build Your Own Bobcat” using recycled materials from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm with the location TBD.
- Nov 6: Food Waste Challenge prize ceremony at the MAX 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm.
- Nov 7: USG Ethics & Compliance Panel livestream.
- The USG virtual presentation Ethics & Compliance Best Practices Panel will be 10:00 am -11:00 am featuring Dr. Robert Scott, President, Albany State University speaking on The Compliance Catalyst: Leadership that Shapes Culture.
- Events include:
-
Save the Dates
- Faculty & Staff Fall Festival: Oct 23, 5–7 PM, Front Campus
- Lake Sinclair Drawdown: Begins Oct 25, refill starts Dec 1
- Hanging of the Greens: Dec 4, 5:30 PM, Front Campus
- Winter Commencement: Dec 13, 1 PM, Centennial Center
🎓 Speaker: Dr. Laurie Peebles, Department of Music, University Excellence in Teaching Award Winner 2025
Provost's Report
Provost Holley Roberts shared several important updates regarding academic policy, personnel changes, and strategic initiatives:
Personnel Updates
- CoBT Dean search: Virtual interviews soon.
- Looking into a direct appointment of Dr. Indiren Pillay as CoAS Dean.
- CoE Dean search begins Jan 1, 2026.
- Dr. Harold Mock appointed Interim AVP for International Education.
Classroom Safety
- Locksets being installed to allow doors to lock from the inside.
Records Retention
- Internal audit revealed non-compliance.
- GeorgiaVIEW recommended for maintaining classroom records as it maintains the records for the required length of time.
Core IMPACTS Survey
- Launches Nov 10, 2025.
- GC2Y faculty asked to allocate 3–5 minutes of class time.
Staff Council has hit the ground running this semester! All officer and Senate positions are now filled, and the team is already working on initiatives to support and celebrate our campus staff.
🎄 Calling All Parade Elves!
Staff Council is registering GCSU for the Milledgeville Christmas Parade on December 7 at 3 PM, and we need your help!
- Planning committee
- Day-before decorating
- Day-of parade support
- Walkers, float decorators, hot chocolate heroes 🎅☕
Staff, Senate, and SGA — we’d love your help! Scan the QR code to join the festive fun!
👋 Welcoming New Bobcats
We’re rolling out a Mentoring New Staff Program soon! In the meantime, new staff will receive a welcome email introducing Staff Council and ways to get involved in campus life.
⚽ Upcoming Events
-
Staff Appreciation Soccer Game
📅 Nov 5th @ 5 PM
🎉 Popcorn, raffle prizes, and maybe Morning Grind Coffee (TBD)! -
Ethics Awareness Week
📅 Nov 3rd–9th
Join us for learning sessions and a shred cycle day to safely dispose of sensitive documents.
To learn more about Staff Council, reach out to Kim or visit their website!
The Student Government Association (SGA) has been going strong so far this semester! Ezra Ryall, Vice President, reported for SGA at the meeting last week.
Senate Updates:
- Four new senators have been appointed! However, there are still three open Senate seats:
- 2 at-large seats (open to any student)
- 1 for a senior senator
- If you know a student who’s passionate about campus life and leadership, please share their name and email with Serena Semere at serena.semere@bobcats.gcsu.edu so she can personally reach out.
Advocacy & Funding:
- Funded International Club for International Fest.
- Drafting resolutions on:
- Departmental merchandise in the bookstore
- Campus sustainability initiatives
Recent Events:
- Professional Clothing Drive (co-hosted with Sustainability Office): Over 200 students attended!
- Upcoming:
- International Fest – Hot chocolate & coffee bar on Oct. 22, 2025, from 5 until 7 p.m.
- Bobcat Boo Bash – Candy for students & community on October 22, 2025, 6-8 PM at Centennial Center
Shared Governance:
- Hosted Student Affairs Policy Committee (SAPC) during Oct 3 Senate session.
- SGA members actively serve on university and departmental committees.
Cabinet Initiatives
- Graduate Affairs: Engaging with coordinators and students to assess needs.
- Ethics Week: Collaborating with Rhonda Fowler on planning.
- Service Advancement: Coordinating hands-on community service projects.
Student Conduct Board
- Fully active this semester.
- Members trained and reviewing the Bobcat Code.
SGA continues to champion student representation, collaboration, and service across campus.
To learn more about SGA, visit their website!
Mental Health Resources for Employees:
Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Contact Acentra at 1-844-243-4440 or go to the usg.mylifeexpert.com (company code: USGCares). 24/7/365 help!
- They just launched the Talk Now feature that skips some of the barriers between you and crisis care.
- The chat on the website is a real, live licensed mental health counselor, so that's helpful, too!
- They also have a new app called Acentra Connect that let's you access a lot of the same resources. The chat on the app is AI, so keep that in mind.
Help finding services:
- Mental Health Match, which sounds like a dating service for counselors, but it is a free service that helps you find the right match for getting help with your mental health needs. You can select any demographic details you think are important for your therapist to have, areas of focus you want them to specialize in (e.g., grief, anxiety), if they take your insurance, if they are taking new clients, if they are in-person or virtual, etc.
- Open Path Collective is a nonprofit network of psychotherapy professionals who offer discounted services to members (one-time, lifetime membership fee of $65).
- Providers offer both in person and telemedicine services.
- Rates are offered at a significant discount to prevailing local prices for mental health services (starting as low as $30/session).
