News from the Provost's Office

Early in summer 2024, Interim President Dick Osborn emailed the campus community a farewell message which included the final draft of a plan written by Dr. David Penner titled “From Contact to Classroom, Enrollment to Graduation.” The gist of that plan can be summed up in two abbreviations stemming from its title: “C2C” and “E2G.”

E2G has now been implemented.

Each school has its own designated advisers, reporting directly to the Dean. Multiple advisers serve the College and are situated near the students they serve, rather than in Sierra Vista Hall. CAS advisers focus on specific departments and their majors, along with one dedicated to Pre-Health advising (for our non-degree-seeking students) and another with particular attention toward HES and student athletes.

Ensuring communication and coordination among the advisers is Kiley Chagnon, Director of SASS (Student Academic Support Services). SASS provides a decentralized “home” for several entities that have been dispersed from the former OACS (Careers, OAS, Testing, the CLC, and the Advisers associated with the College).

It has taken longer to achieve the E2G transformation than Dr. Penner’s plan had anticipated: adviser turnover necessitated new hires, and transitioning several of the positions to salary level was a slower process than expected.

We still have E2G work to do: adjusting non-salaried advisers to a higher pay scale and creating the professional development portion of the E2G proposal. And there may be additional changes in coming months (such as adviser office locations, or transitioning students taking a given major from one adviser to another), all of which should be expected when we pursue a new direction like this.

Important notes:

• SASS will not be maintaining a front office; instead, students and departments should contact directly the Adviser assigned to them.
• Career Services and the Office of Ability Services & Testing remain under SASS (location to be determined); please contact:
  • Careers: Erwin Garrido (egarrido@lasierra.edu ; 951-785-2992)
  • OAS & Testing: Lisa Harper (lharper@lasierra.edu ; & phone to be determined)

The Provost's Office welcomes Kaitlyn Satelmayer as its new Executive Coordinator. In this role, Kaitlyn will serve as the "front desk" for the Provost, plan events and coordinate meetings (with a particularly important role in preparing for graduation ceremonies).

Kaitlyn comes to the Provost's Office after 2 years as the Curatorial and Administrative Assistant at the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology. She is almost finished with her master’s degree in Near Eastern Archaeology from La Sierra University, which she will have completed very soon. Her archeological interests include Domestic Religion and the Archaeology of Childhood.

When not working or pursuing archeological activities, Kaitlyn enjoys trying out various new baking recipes (the finished product—you will often find in the office!) and taking evening walks around the neighborhood, which usually involve lots and lots of stops to pet all the cats she comes across.

Her life goals include pursuing a PhD and eventually becoming a professor. She wants to work with students to uncover the past and share the gift of curiosity with others. Her own curiosity blends with her passion for helping others, and she can often be found around the campus.

John Sutter has accepted the position of Associate Director within the University’s Student Academic Support Services (SASS). This role will include responsibility for advising students in most STEM degree programs. 

Sutter’s office is located in PSC 225, which will make him conveniently available to advise students in the following programs:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Math
• Physics
• Pre-Engineering
• STEM Education

He can be reached at jsutter@lasierra.edu and x2480. Students can book an appointment with John at: https://johnsutter.youcanbook.me.

John first came to La Sierra as a student in 2007, ultimately earning a degree in Psychology.  After graduating in 2013, John joined the La Sierra staff as an Academic Coach.

Within OACS John has served as Adviser and Lead Adviser, as Assistant Director for First Year Experience, and most recently as Assistant Director for Testing and Application Administration. He was involved in activities arising from La Sierra’s involvement in AVID for Higher Education, sponsored by our first Title V grant; Title V experiences included attending the 2017 AVID Summer Institute and serving on the La Sierra AVID for Higher Education Committee.

La Sierra has begun awarding badges. Badges area a form of microcredential that recognize students' academic and co-curricular accomplishments. They benefit students by displaying skill sets they have developed.

Click here to view La Sierra's six badges: La Sierra Badges.

La Sierra's Title V Grant Project Director Marvin Payne has submitted a report on the ninth year of grant activity. Three grants are currently active:

• Guided Pathways (which will be completed in 2024-25)
• STEM Teacher Training (nearing the end of Year 3)
• Sustainability Program (still in its first year)

Highlights of the 2023-24 report include:

STEM Guided Pathways

80 students participated in the Pathways program, which provides additional support for STEM students. 21 STEM-focused events were sponsored, addressing topics such as career / alumni talks, internship information sessions, and networking events.

STEM Bridge

23 students participated in a two-week event in September 2023 that introduced them to campus resources, reviewed math skills, and surveyed scientific research methods.

STEAM Camp

Eight students from local high schools experienced this program in June 2024. Students began the day with either in a biology lab with Dr. Nate Sutter or a chemistry lab with Dr. Natasha Dean. After lunch, students pursued other learning opportunities, ranging from First Aid certification to study of Robotics or Natural History.

STEM Education

The grant projects provided seminars guiding students toward success in the Cal TPA, one of the final hurdles for students seeking teacher credentialing.

Sustainability

Besides sponsoring the inaugural Sustainability Speaker Series (with Arizona State University's Dr. Joni Adamson), two new faculty have been hired to develop the University's sustainability program.