Grand Valley celebrates 75,000th graduate

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Some 2,500 students are expected to participate in Grand Valley State University’s commencement ceremonies May 1 at Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids. One of those graduates will be the 75,000th to be awarded a Grand Valley degree.

Former Grand Valley President Mark A. Murray and ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos will speak at the university’s commencement ceremonies. Murray, now the president of Meijer Inc., will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony. DeVos is the scheduled speaker for the 3 p.m. ceremony.

Also graduating will be three Hungarian students who will receive degrees as the first participants in the Studies in Trans-Atlantic International Relations (STAIR) Project. The project is an agreement between Grand Valley, Cracow University of Economic in Poland and the University of Debrecen in Hungary. Students who major in international relations can earn dual degrees at Grand Valley and one of the European universities.

Students participating in the morning ceremony will be from five colleges: Seidman College of Business, College of Community and Public Service, Padnos College of Engineering, College of Health Professions, and Kirkhof College of Nursing. Morning ceremony speaker Murray served as Grand Valley president from 2001-2006. During that time, enrollment grew from 18,000 to 22,000 and Murray led initiatives to improve student diversity, academic quality, and expand student life programs. He will also receive an honorary doctor of public service degree. Stuart B. Padnos will receive an honorary doctor of arts degree during the morning ceremony. As president of the Stuart and Barbara Padnos Foundation, he has established a scholars program for study abroad recipients and also created the first endowed chair in art and design.

Three colleges — College of Education, College of Interdisciplinary Studies and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences — will graduate students in the afternoon ceremony. Afternoon commencement speaker Rick DeVos established ArtPrize in 2009 as an idea to merge social networking, artwork and the public. He is also the co-founder of Spout.com and other Internet companies devoted to bringing simple solutions to large, cultural problems. DeVos will be presented with an honorary doctor of public service degree. Helen DeVos will receive an honorary doctor of arts degree. She is a champion for West Michigan's cultural arts, and an advocate who has made lasting, positive impacts in health and education.

The Alumni Association will present its Distinguished Alumni Award to John Beyrle, U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation, during the afternoon ceremony. Beyrle graduated from Grand Valley in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in French. He joined the State Department in 1983.

Linda (Nicki) Grinstead, professor of nursing, will receive the Outstanding Educator Award from the Alumni Association during the morning ceremony. Grinstead joined Grand Valley's faculty in 1978.