Alumni

Welcome Alumni

Welcome to all alumni! 

Political science majors are accomplishing incredible things in Michigan and all around the world. We love to hear from you! If you'd be interested in being featured in one of our spotlights, send an email to [email protected] with a picture and some or all of the following:

  • Name, major(s), minor(s) (optional), and year of graduation from GVSU:
  • Describe your accomplishment (education, work, voluntarism, etc.), and optionally, anything you did previously (just a couple of sentences or as much as a page):
  • Anything you’d like to mention about how your classes, professors or activities at GVSU prepared you for your current path (optional): 

If you are looking to make contact with fellow alumni, check out the GVSU PLS and IR alumni Facebook group.

If you need a letter of recommendation, you'll find our letter of recommendation guidelines here, and faculty contact information here

We look forward to hearing from you!

Spotlights

Richard Damstra Spotlight

Richard Damstra

Richard Damstra, Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Embassy in Riga, Latvia

Mollie Smith Spotlight

Mollie Smith

Sales account manager at Learning Care Group in Novi, Michigan

Kirsten Zeiter Spotlight

Kirsten Zeiter

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the U.S. State Departments Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

View More Spotlights

Distinguished Alumni

Periodically, the Political Science Department is asked by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to invite a Political Science or International Relations alumnus to campus for the Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence program. The program provides a venue for departments to invite outstanding alumni back to campus to share their post-graduation experiences with the GVSU community.  Through the program, our distinguished alumni have the opportunity to share their insights about what constitutes strong academic preparation for students.

Political Science and International Relations Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence:
James Spaanstra 2005
Edward Cardenas 2006
Bob Monaghan 2007
James Meernik 2010
Nerina Cevra 2012
Richard Damstra 2015
Tim Zeeb 2017
Alan Dunklow 2019

Distinguished Alumni

Edward Cardenas '95 Spotlight

Edward Cardenas '95

Media and Communications Expert

James Spaanstra '74 Spotlight

James Spaanstra '74

Energy and Natural Resources Attorney

Tim Zeeb '02 Spotlight

Tim Zeeb '02

Managing Director in Finance

Richard Damstra '96 Spotlight

Richard Damstra '96

Foreign Service Office, U.S. Department of State

Nerina Cevra '01 Spotlight

Nerina Cevra '01

Human Rights Lawyer

View More Distinguished Alumni



Page last modified April 13, 2021