Horizons Summer 2021
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Student Spotlight
Students Find Innovative Solutions To Real-World Problems
During the initial stages of the global pandemic last fall, Mitchell Piazza ’21, a computer science major, along with three of his senior classmates, Jessica Ricksgers, Karan Tamang, and Aron Sunuwar, sat in their rooms recording countless hours of data on a quest to find an innovative way to reduce the spread of viruses like COVID-19.
Impact
Why We Give: To Honor Those Who Served
Peter Secchia was a proud and grateful veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He loved his country and community, and dedicated much of his life to improving them in any way he could. He also valued education, from K-12 to college, and he took his philanthropy seriously, investing in things that would pay off for others. When it came time for his family to carry on Peter’s work and passions in a way that would make him proud, Grand Valley’s commitment to veteran support seemed like a perfect opportunity.
Lubbers Society Profile: Investing in the Future
Rita Grant is an Associate Professor in the School of Accounting and teaches financial and international accounting. Her research interests include international reporting, entrepreneurship and family-owned business. Rita has been a loyal donor to Grand Valley State University for 36 years, making her a part of the valued Lubbers Society. In addition to her support of accounting students, she has also supported program funds, priorities in Seidman College of Business, and other areas of the university. Rita considers giving to an endowed scholarship an important investment in the future.
Fund Spotlight
Creating a Veteran-Inclusive Community
GVSU values and considers the spectrum of skills, experiences, and perspectives that veterans bring to our campus and we're committed to and proud of our efforts to help service members and their families successfully transition from military service to graduation and beyond. We strive to provide opportunities for our veterans to reach their full potential. By supporting the Military and Veterans Resource Center, your gifts will help Grand Valley take our standing as one of the top veteran-friendly universities and expand it to be the top veteran-inclusive community. Our veterans deserve the best we can offer and thanks to the generosity of donors like you, we can take our excellence in this area to a new level.
New Endowments and Scholarships
We celebrate the following donors for establishing new endowments and scholarships at Grand Valley, as well as the new Gillett Society members who have included GVSU in their estate plan. Your gifts ensure that students have the funding and resources they need to complete their degree, and that Grand Valley will have a lasting impact in our community. Thank you!
See full list here
Events
Celebrating 60
Grand Valley’s Diamond Anniversary Celebration
Top donors gathered on June 10 as we launched Grand Valley’s next 60 years and enjoyed time together after a long time apart. We said a fond farewell to retiring GVU Foundation Executive Director, Karen Loth; thanked our supporters who have helped us through our first 60 years; and envisioned the future with President Mantella as we looked toward the next 60.
