Faculty and staff sketches

October 1, 2024 (Volume 48, Number 3)

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Faculty and staff members who have given presentations, were recognized for outstanding contributions or had their research published are detailed below. The campus community can submit a sketch online for future publication. 

In the News
Veterans agency presents GVSU with innovation award
GVSU was among five Michigan institutions to win the inaugural Education Innovation Award from the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency (MVAA).

Grand Valley received the award at the third annual Veteran-Friendly Schools Innovation Conference in East Lansing on September 16. GVSU was recognized for its dedicated assistance programs to help veterans from their collegiate education through the process of starting their own businesses. 

The MVAA award specifically highlighted The Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur-Lab and TRIO Veteran Upward Bound among the university’s many veteran-centric programs including Veterans Advance, GVSU Veteran Promise and Peter Secchia Military and Veterans Program.

“I am incredibly proud that two Grand Valley programs received the MVAA Innovation Award,” said Shane Scherer, Military and Veteran Resource Center director. “These programs have played a pivotal role in empowering our student veterans. By fostering innovation and growth, we continue to strengthen the success and well-being of our veteran community.”

This award follows GVSU receiving gold status by the MVAA as one of the best veteran-friendly schools in Michigan for the 10th consecutive year.

Grand Valley received two grants from MiLEAP (Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential) announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer September 30. The grants target student success as outlined in the governor's Sixty by 30 plan. The university received $347,070 to support students facing financial hardship; as well as a $74,999 grant to conduct an investigation and assessment of barriers and opportunities to student success.

Grand Valley earned a Gold Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, based on the 2022 campus voting rate.

Scott Rood, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, was interviewed by MoneyGeek for a story about travel credit card rewards.

Bopi Biddanda, professor of water resources, was interviewed by WUWM's NPR station for a story about the discovery of submerged sinkholes in Lake Michigan.

Brian Johnson, professor of criminology and program coordinator for Human Rights, took students to Chicago for the Day of Dignity hosted by the Chicago Refugee Coalition. Student Paris Lawson was interviewed by WGN for a story about volunteering for the day.

Santos Ramos, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies, was interviewed by Second Wave Southwest Michigan for a story about providing opportunities for Battle Creek youth to learn about Hispanic and Mexican culture.

Shannon Owen, director of Northern Michigan programs, was interviewed for a story by Northwestern Michigan College about the Direct Connect program, which aims to double the number of transfer students from NMC to GVSU.

TRIO SSS STEM-Health Sciences is seeking personal stories and photos from faculty and staff who were first-generation college students. These would be used for National First-Generation College Day on November 8. Submit your information online or contact Linda Rettig, director of the office, at [email protected], by October 20.

Sketches
Information Technology held its service awards, recognizing service, innovation and leadership among staff members. Cody Eding, solutions architect, Enterprise Architecture, earned the Leadership Award; Hunter Bridwell, emerging technologies coordinator, earned the Innovation Award; and Johanna Hoekstra, IT assistant, earned the award for Service Excellence.

Corey Anton, professor of communications studies, received the Media Ecology Association's 2024 Walter J. Ong Award for Career Achievement in Scholarship. He gave presentations at the 25th annual Media Ecology Association conference at Daemen University and at the sixth biennial Philosophy of Communication conference held at Duquesne University. Anton served as guest editor for a double issue of ETC: A Review of General Semantics and wrote an article, "Politics and General Semantics: Humanity, Time-Binding, Wealth, and Superabundance," within the collection.

Bopi Biddanda and Tony Weinke from the Annis Water Resources; Eric Snyder, professor of biology; and student Kaylynne Dennis were authors of an article, "Postcards from the Field," published in Eos, Newsmagazine of American Geophysical Union.

Bopi Biddanda, professor of water resources, gave a presentation, "Karstic Chronicles: Two Decades of Exploration of Submerged Karst Sinkholes in the Great Lakes," at the 67th Annual Conference of the International Association for Great Lakes Research in Windsor, Canada. Biddanda also presented a webinar, "Time-Space Portals: Mat Worlds of Submerged Karst Sinkholes in the Great Lakes," for the NOAA Libraries.

Anthony Spencer, associate professor of communications and graduate program director, gave a presentation, "Challenges for Latin American Journalists in the Age of Disinformation," at the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists in the Western Hemisphere.

Abigail Gautreau, associate professor of history, and Leigh Rupinski, archivist for public services and community engagement, were authors of an article,  "From History Student to Historian: Integrating Archival Research in the Undergraduate Classroom," published in Archival Outlook.

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Faculty & Staff Sketches