Grad students honored with Dean's Citation Awards

The Graduate School recognized more than 50 graduate students with Dean's Citation Awards during a celebration April 14 in Loosemore Auditorium on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. 

The students were recognized for outstanding academic performance; each recipient was given a certificate of recognition and a graduate honors cord.

Graduate students can be nominated by faculty and staff, advisors, a graduate program director, a department chair or a school director. The nominees are reviewed by the dean of Graduate Studies in consultation with others involved in graduate education; final selection is made by the dean.

Academic Excellence in the Degree Program

Seidman College of Business

•     Jason A. Balgavy, Business Administration

College of Community & Public Service

•     Anna M. Mucci, Criminal Justice

•     Dave Chesla, Health Administration

•    Julia J. Henshaw, Social Work

College of Education

•     Taylor Benjamin Hardy Boyd, Higher Education

•     Star L. Zetocha, School Counseling

Padnos College of Engineering & Computing

•     Tony L. Phillips, Computer Information Systems

•     Matthew R. Lueder, Medical & Bioinformatics

College of Health Professions

•    Ashley L. Avery, Physical Therapy

•    Amanda M. Sherman, Speech-Language Pathology

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•     Carl T. Nord, Biostatistics

•     Andrew J. Umstead, Cell & Molecular Biology

•     Isaac D. Simon, Communications

•     Sarah L. Chanski, English

•     Conor W. Dahlquist, School Psychology

Kirkhof College of Nursing

•     Megan J. Madole, Nursing-Doctorate

•     Megan M. Rose, Nursing-Masters

Outstanding Master's Thesis 

College of Education

•     ReChard L. Peel, Higher Education

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•     Danielle R. Bradke, Biology

•     Samantha B. MacKay, Biomedical Sciences

•     Karen E. Luidens, English

Outstanding Final Project  

College of Education

•     Carrie Smucker, Education Technology

•     Blaine Harvey, Higher Education

•     Andrea Bourque, Literacy Studies

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•     Divya Vaishnavi Gandra, Cell & Molecular Biology

•     Jennifer R. Palm, Communications

Kirkhof College of Nursing

•     Tanya A. Rowerdink, Nursing

Outstanding Publication 

College of Health Professions

•     Tonya N. Calkins, Physical Therapy

Excellence in Service to the Community or Profession 

College of Community and Public Service

•     Brittany A. Byrnes, Health Administration

College of Education

•     Brandon A. Shamoun, Higher Education

•     Joseph B. Kessel, School Counseling

•     Kathryn J. Lett, Literacy Studies

College of Health Professions

•    Erin A. Spruit, Physical Therapy

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•     Emily E. Dunnigan, Biology

•     Samantha B. MacKay, Biomedical Sciences

•     Bikash Rana, Cell & Molecular Biology

Kirkhof College of Nursing

•     Kaitlin J. Hendriksma, Nursing-Doctorate

•     Danielle M. Hartig, Nursing-Masters

Excellence in Leadership and Service to GVSU 

College of Community & Public Service

•    Jennifer L. Clark, Social Work

College of Education

•   Brittania B. Schreurs, Higher Education

College of Engineering & Computing

•     Shardul C. Kachare, Engineering

College of Health Professions

•    Douglas C. Sjoerdsma, Physical Therapy

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•     Nikki S. Marlatt, Cell & Molecular Biology

Kirkhof College of Nursing

•    Allison E. Reynolds, Nursing-Doctorate

•    Kim R. Henry, Nursing-Masters

Promoting Diversity and Inclusion at GVSU

College of Community and Public Service

•     Belinda Bardwell, Public Administration

College of Education

•     ReChard L. Peel, Higher Education

College of Health Professions

•     Katharine P. Cline, Physical Therapy

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•    Cheryl L. Christie, Cell & Molecular Biology

Excellence in Sustainability

Kirkhof College of Nursing

•     Ali R. Saheb, Nursing-Doctorate

•     Jessica P. Pelletier, Nursing-Masters

3-Minute Thesis Competition Winner

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•    Samantha B. MacKay, Biomedical Sciences

Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award 

College of Education

•     Shawn Bultsma, School Counseling

College of Health Professions

•    Karen Niemchick, Public Health

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•     Daniel Bergman, Biomedical Sciences

Kimboko Inclusion Award

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

•     Melba Velez Ortiz, Communications