The William C. Baum Endowment Fund at Grand Valley was established in 1998 to support Professor Baum's two great passions: politics and classical music. The endowment enables GVSU to host lectures on important, contemporary political topics and recitals by noted classical musicians, especially pianists

The Baum Endowment was established to reflect the shared interests of Baum family members. Professor Emeritus William "Bill" Baum, who died in 2007, was a political science professor at Grand Valley for 40 years and retired in 2005. Nancy Baum, a Grand Valley dance educator, died in 2011. Their son Jefferson taught dance at Grand Valley from 2000-2007.

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Professor Baum was a strong supporter of the arts, especially classical music. Besides his appointment in the Department of Political Science, where he taught courses on constitutional law, political thought and the Holocaust, he also taught in the Department of Music. Students appreciated his creativity, intellect and his ability to challenge them. Bill’s commitment to education and democracy will live on through the endowed William Baum Lecture Series, which has enabled us to bring numerous speakers and classical musicians to Grand Valley.

2024 Baum Artist Recital, Soyeon Kate Lee, piano

First prize winner of the Naumburg International Piano Competition and the Concert Artist Guild International Competition, Korean-American pianist Soyeon Kate Lee has been lauded by The New York Times as a pianist with “a huge, richly varied sound, a lively imagination and a firm sense of style,” and by the Washington Post for her “stunning command of the keyboard.”

2024 Hauenstein Center Progressive Conservative Summit, Constitutional Reform

In 1787, fifty-five Americans gathered in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention, drafting the document that would act as the supreme law of the United States: the Constitution. The Constitution has since been amended 27 times by generations of Americans seeking to achieve “a more perfect union.” For the 2024 Summit, both sides have proposed amendments to address the needs of the country but disagree on individual reforms.

Co-sponsored by The Hauenstein Center, Political Science William Baum Endowment, and the Gerald r. Ford Presidential Library & Museum.

Guest Artist Recital, The Innocents by John Lane and Allen Otte

This dramatic soundscape is comprised of seventeen individual tableaus which endeavor to explore various aspects of the issues surrounding wrongful imprisonment and exoneration in the American criminal justice system: mistaken identity, incarceration, psychology, politics, injustice, and resilience. Though we do this from our admittedly privileged perspective, we have available not only the information – both factual and testimonial – but, significantly, we have resources of a time and sound-based art. In performance we have the opportunity to direct and focus not only attention, but more importantly, to engage on an emotional level where experience is more than simply processing facts and figures.

Who Cares About Arab Public Opinion? Featuring Dr. Russell Lucas

The Michigan Model Arab League invited students to hear this year's keynote speaker, Michigan State University professor of International Relations and Global Studies Dr. Russell Lucas. His talk focused on the role that the broader Arabic publics' thoughts and feelings have on policies concerning the Middle East. He addressed questions such as;

• Is there a place for the Arab publics' thoughts in the latest set of crises in the Middle East?  
• How do Arab leaders factor in what their people think about domestic and international affairs?  
• Do foreign leaders need to take the attitudes and desires of Arab publics into account when making foreign policy?  
• Should interested outsiders even try to take one more layer of complexity into account when looking at this turbulent region?  

Sponsored by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, and the William C. Baum Endowment

Racial Riptides: Competition, Conviction, and the Contagion of Racialized Policies across American States, Presented by Dr. Periloux Peay

Dr. Periloux Peay from the Department of African American Studies at the University of Maryland joins us to present parts of his current book project. In this talk, he will address the racial political landscape in the U.S. and how it resembles a “riptide” with anti-transformative forces violently pulling back progress. Join us and hear Dr. Peay discuss the key factors contributing to the progress and retrenchment of racialized policy at the state level in the U.S.

Sponsored by the Political Science Department, and the William C. Baum Endowment

Co-sponsorship of Dr. Courtney Freer: Islam and Politics in the Gulf Region, February 16, 2023. 

Co-sponsorship of Elizabeth Welch: Understanding the State Supreme Court, December 1, 2022.

Co-sponsorship of 2022 Elections Panel, October 27, 2022.

Co-sponsorship of Matthew Perley: Crossroads of Cultures: Heritage Preservation Work in Central Asia and Afghanistan, September 26, 2022.

Co-sponsorship of On the Wall Artist Talk: featuring Jason Reblando, "Canal by Canal",  September 17, 2021.

Co-sponsorship of Conference on Stellars' ethics, Physics Department, August 2020. 

Co-sponsorship of Dr. Alkazemi talk, Area Studies, February 13, 2020. 

Co-sponsorship of Dr. Jonathan Bass, Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. April 7, 2019. 

https://www.gvsu.edu/mtd/module-events-view.htm?siteModuleId=2FB0AC29-01CD-D73F-241334812F3D7078&eventId=1836969A-D7AF-BBEE-AEB09DF970101D44

Co-sponsorship of Dalia Fahmy Lecture, Middle East Studies Program, February 14, 2019. 

https://www.wgvunews.org/post/dr-dalia-fahmy

Co-sponsorship of Danny Postel,  Area and Global Studies Department. February 11, 2019. 

Co-sponsorship of Professor Bawole's Lecture, Global Health Taskforce and Sociology Department, October 5, 2018. 

https://www.gvsu.edu/gh/2018-grand-valley-state-university-global-health-showcase-5.htm

Co-sponsorship of James W. Carey Lecture, School of Communications, September 26, 2018. 

Co-sponsorship of Jennifer Weiss-Wolf "Periods Gone Public" Honors College, Karen Zivi, March 23, 2018

Co-sponsorship of Safoi Babana-Hampton from MSU documentaries “Hmong Memory at the Crossroads” and “Growing up Hmong at the Crossroads”, Modern  Languages & Literatures, Feb. 28, 2018

Co-sponsorship of Thomas Jerome Sienkewicz presentation on “Roman Emperors and Classical Myths in 21^st-Century Editorial Cartoons Around the World”, Classics Dept., Feb. 19, 2018

Co-sponsorship of Michigan Sociological Association Fall Conference, Sociology Dept., October 27-28, 2017

Co-sponsorship of Sean Ansett lecture “Addressing Supply Chain Human Rights: A practitioner’s Dilemma”, March 2017.

Co-sponsorship of Great Lakes History/Conference on Americas, History Department, October 2016.

Co-sponsorship of Jonestown Survivor Presentation, Dr. Arthur Bainomugisha lecture, Anthropology Department, October 12, 2016.

Co-sponsorship of Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival with Area Studies, March/April 2016.

Co-sponsorship of Stoics Initiative, Classics Department, November 16-20, 2015

Co-sponsorship of Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival, Latin American Studies, September 17-20, 2015

Co-sponsorship of Well House event - Ethan Nadelmann & Major Neil Franklin discussion on drug policy, May 2015  

Co-sponsorship of Ambassador John K. Shinkaiye from Nigeria – Presentation topics: The Boko Haram Security Threat and the question of regional integration; March 2015. Area Studies.

Co-sponsorship of Howard Zinn’s play “Marx in Soho”, March 2015.  English Department.

Co-sponsorship of Edward Su, Benediktsson-Karwa, Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and President-elect of the Mathematical Association of American, January 2015. Mathematics Department.

Co-sponsorships of events on undocumented immigration in the US – panel discussion and lecture on April 9-10, 2015, with guest speaker Jose Angel N., an undocumented Chicago-based immigrant from Mexico and author of the recent book Illegal. Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant. Presented by the Philosophy Club.

Co-sponsorship of the Mosaic Lecture series on March 18, 2015, with guest speaker Dr. Francis Edward Su, Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College – Voting in Agreeable Societies. Dr. Su is President-Elect of the Mathematical Association of American and first person of color to hold this position. Presented by the Mathematics Department.

Co-sponsorship of 13^th Conference on the Americas - “Contact Zones and Borders in the Americas”. Keynote speakers: Dr. Juan Manuel Sandoval Palacios, National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico, and Dr. Ana Patricia Rodriguez, University of Maryland, College Park. March 2015.

Co-sponsorship of presentation by writer/poet Kama Sywor Kamanda, March 2014. (Modern Languages)

Model Arab League - guest speaker Ali Younes, February 2014. (Area Studies)

Charles Harnes (GVSU alumnus), retired Senior Migration Advisor, International Organization for Migration, and development programming consultant. Presentation “International Migration: Trends and Implications for International Relations”. November 2013.

Co-Sponsorship of the GVSU Pre-Law Society Forum. September 2013.

Co-sponsorship of Sociology Department one-man play - Howard Zinn's "Marx in Soho".  March 2013

Co-sponsorship of Latin American Studies Conference on the Americas - "Places, Bodies, and Practices in Latin America". Guest speakers: Dr. Saskia Sassen, Columbia University & Dr. Ana Rosas Mantecón, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitan-Itztapalapa. March, 2013

Co-sponsorship of Middle East Studies Lecture. Lecture by Kivanc Ulusoy, Istanbus University - "The Europeanization of the Religious Cleavage in Turkey: The Case of the Alvis". January 2013.

Co-sponsorship of 22nd Conference of the International Association of Feminine Hispanic Literature and Culture. November 2012.

Co-sponsorship of Latin American Studies Lecture Series. Lecture by Debra Castillo, Cornell University - "Waiting Before the Law". November 2012.

Co-sponsorship of the Native American Student Association Pow Wow. April 2012.

Co-sponsorship of Michigan Model Arab League Lecture – Lawrence Davidson – Israeli-Palestinian Conflict since 9-11. February, 2012.

Co-sponsorship of Model Arab League Lecture. Keynote speaker: Dr. James Zogby. February 2011.

Dr. James J. Zogby is the author of Arab Voices (Palgrave Macmillan, October 2010) and the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. He currently serves on the national advisory board of the American Civil Liberties Union, The Human Rights Watch Board of Directors for the Middle East and North Africa and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Additionally, he is a Senior Advisor for the polling firm Zogby International. Dr. Zogby writes a weekly column, "Washington Watch," which is currently published in 14 Arab and South Asian countries. From 2001 until now he hosts the award winning "Viewpoint with James Zogby" on Abu Dhabi Television, LinkTV, Dish Network, and DirecTV.

Contribution to 2011 Fall Arts Celebration. Academic lecture by Michael Sandel.

Co-sponsorship of LAS Conference on the Americas. Keynote speaker: Dr. Doris Sommer, Harvard University. November 2010.

Co-sponsorship of Michigan Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference. Keynote speaker: Dr. Jim Loewen. November 2010.