Each year the Mathematics Department hosts an annual awards banquet to recognize exemplary students and their families. This year the banquet will be held on Thursday, April 9.

Scholarships

One way students are recognized for their excellence in mathematics is with a Mathematics Department Scholarship.  Through the generous contributions of alumni, and many past and present mathematics faculty, the Mathematics Endowment Fund provides funds to support annual scholarships for select mathematics majors.

This year we are delighted to award Department Scholarships to five exemplary students. The selection criteria include a personal essay, grade point average, letters of recommendation, and extra-curricular mathematical endeavors. The students who have received this honor are:

Andrew DiLernia

Kaitlyn VanBoven

Megan Reiley

Nicholas Schweitzer

Suzanna Lange

Congratulations to all of these fine continuing mathematics majors.

VanderJagt Mathematics and Athletics Scholarship

Prof. Don VanderJagt served the mathematics department and Grand Valley State University for more than 40 years.  Among his many roles at the university was his long-standing position as the GVSU faculty representative to the NCAA.  Don loved athletics and was as passionate about Grand Valley’s excellence on the field as he was in the classroom. 

Before his retirement, Don and his wife Barb endowed a scholarship in their name to honor a student majoring in mathematics who demonstrates excellence in both mathematics and athletics.  A list of past recipients can be found on a plaque outside the math department office.

This year we are delighted to announce that Jordan Drake, a pitcher on the varsity baseball team, is the recipient of this year’s VanderJagt Scholarship.

Awards

Our Outstanding Sophomore Award recognizes the academic achievements of one or two students at the beginning of their academic careers.  The purpose of the award is to encourage continued success in the study of mathematics.  Students may only win this award by being nominated by one or more faculty; the 2015 Outstanding Sophomore is granted to Tanner Rufenacht and Nick Schweitzer.

In addition, we will honor nine students receiving Department Senior Awards for their accumulated excellence in the mathematics major and their overall contributions to the department.  Students such as these make a positive difference in the life of the mathematics department as they have demonstrated exemplary work in their courses and often have demonstrated leadership and participation in extracurricular mathematical activities. The winners of department senior awards for 2015 are:

Nick Armstrong
Sara Andrasik
Brea Beals
Kyle Ferguson
Brent DeJong
Addie Levin
Andrew Otten
Alton Schneider
Carl Uzarski
Burritt Watrous

Congratulations to all of these outstanding students.  We wish them the very best in all of their future endeavors. 

Finally, the department’s Outstanding Graduate for 2015 is Kayla Kolbe.