Grand Valley to celebrate new graduates

More than 3,000 Grand Valley State University students will participate in commencement ceremonies April 28 and 29 at Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids.

For the first time, commencement is expanding to three ceremonies to improve the overall experience for graduates and their families. The first ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday; second and third ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday. 

Shelley Padnos, chair of the executive committee of the board of Louis Padnos Iron and Metal Company, is the speaker for the ceremony on Friday, April 28. On April 29, Sean Patrick Welsh, executive vice president and regional president for PNC Bank, is the morning speaker, and Erion Veliaj, Grand Valley alumnus and mayor of Tirana, Albania, is the afternoon speaker. 

Grand Valley Commencement Ceremonies

Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. 

Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. 

Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids

Ceremonies will be webcast at www.gvsu.edu/commencement.

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

The April 28 ceremony will include the following colleges: Seidman College of Business, College of Community and Public Service and Padnos College of Engineering and Computing. The morning ceremony on April 29 will include: College of Health Professions, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Kirkhof College of Nursing. The afternoon ceremony on April 29 will include College of Education, Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Speakers

Padnos is among the third generation of family members overseeing Louis Padnos Iron and Metal Company. She was appointed to serve on the National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology, Superfund Subcommittee under the Clinton administration. She has served on numerous boards, including Grand Valley's Board of Trustees from 2007-2014. 

Welsh began his banking career in 1986 and has held several vice president positions in finance, corporate banking and investment real estate. He serves on boards for The Right Place, Spectrum Health Systems, YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids and Grand Valley University Foundation, among others.

Veliaj was elected mayor of Tirana in 2015 and has been involved in Albania's political system since 2003 when he founded MJAFT!, which raises awareness for diverse social and political issues in Albania. He has worked for several international humanitarian organizations and earned a degree in political science from Grand Valley in 2002. 

Awards and honorary degrees

The Alumni Association will present its Distinguished Alumni Award to Eglantina Gjermeni, '98, minister of urban development for the Republic of Albania. Gjermeni earned a master’s degree in social work from Grand Valley in 1998. She is a dedicated social researcher and lecturer, and successfully led the Gender Alliance for Development Center for 10 years. 

The Outstanding Educator Award will be presented to Sheryl Vlietstra, affiliate professor of elementary teacher education. She helped establish the Michigan Literacy Project, which provides funds to recent Grand Valley graduates who are teaching in underserved Michigan school districts. She has raised more than $32,000 to help grow the program. 

Gary Verplank, Ellen Thompson and Nancy Mulnix Tweddale will receive honorary degrees. Verplank, chair and CEO of Shape Corp., is a member of the Grand Valley University Foundation Advisory Cabinet and served as a committee member for two university lakeshore campaigns. Thompson began her career as an elementary school teacher and founded, with her husband, Bob, the Thompson Foundation, which has funded thousands of K-12 and college students through scholarships, including two at Grand Valley. Mulnix Tweddale, '95, is a retired medical psychologist and has chaired the Grand Rapids Arts Festival. She was vice president of Grand Valley Colleges Foundation from 1970-1974 and chair from 1974-1980. 

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/commencement.