Lieutenant governor to address graduates

The nearly 1,000 Grand Valley State University students participating in the winter commencement ceremony December 12 will hear from alumnus Brian Calley, lieutenant governor of Michigan.

The commencement ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at Van Andel Arena; it can be viewed live at www.gvsu.edu/commencement. 

Media note: Skybox 101B is reserved for media. The box offers a mult box and an elevated, unobstructed view of the podium and platform. 

Calley, elected in 2010, is the youngest lieutenant governor in the country. He graduated from Grand Valley in 2000 with a master's degree in business administration; he also attended Harvard and Michigan State universities. He served two terms in the state House of Representatives and two terms as an Ionia County commissioner. 

Calley is an advocate for mental health. He led the charge to increase access to autism services and promote inclusion in schools and communities for people with development differences. He has been recognized by the U.S. Junior Chamber as one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans, among other honors. 

During the ceremony, the Alumni Association will present the Young Alumni Award to Jessica Cruz, ’06, chief diversity and inclusion officer for Northern Michigan University. She previously worked at Ferris State University, where she served as executive director and co-founder of the Center for Latin@ Studies at Ferris State University. While at Ferris, she established the Promesa Education Pipeline to increase college readiness for underrepresented students. 

Two individuals will receive an honorary degree during the ceremony: Andrzej ChochóB and Nancy Lubbers. ChochóB is the rector of Cracow University of Economics in Poland, which is Grand Valley's oldest international partner. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the partnership. Lubbers served as the first lady of Grand Valley during the 32-year tenure of President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers. She devoted herself to many university campaigns and projects and remains active on the Grand Valley Foundation board of directors, Grand Forum Advisory Board and the campaign committee for Blandford Nature Center.