February 5, 2009 - Provost Office - Grand Valley State University

Provost Office
February 5, 2009

Congratulations to our 2009 Milestone, Pew Awards for Excellence, and University Awards for Excellence winners!

	25 Years Dorothy Armstrong, Ph.D. Professor of Education	1980 Adjunct Instructor of Education 1983 Visiting Instructor of Education 1984 Instructor of Education 1988 Assistant Professor of Education 1990 Associate Professor of Education 1996-present Professor of Education
	25 Years Edward Baum, Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry	1983-present Professor of Chemistry 1983-1989 Chair, Chemistry Department 2002-2006 Scientist in Residence, Honors College
	25 Years Ruthann Brintnall, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Nursing	1984 Visiting Instructor of Nursing 1986 Assistant Professor of Nursing 2007-present Associate Professor of Nursing
	25 Years M. Catherine Gardner, Ed.D. Associate Professor of Mathematics	1978 Adjunct Instructor 1983 Instructor of Mathematics 1993 Assistant Professor of Mathematics 1997-present Associate Professor of Mathematics
	25 Years Richard Hall, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Management	1983-present Associate Professor of Management 1988-1989 Acting Chair, Management Department
	25 Years Jonathan White, Ph.D. Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies	1983 Associate Professor of Criminal Justice 1989 Founding Director, School of Criminal Justice 1993 Professor of Criminal Justice 1996 Assistant Dean, Social Sciences Division 1998 Associate Dean, Social Sciences Division 1999 Dean, Social Sciences Division *2002 Director, US Bureau of Justice Assistance, State and Local Anti- Terrorism Training (SLATT) 2004-present Executive Director, Homeland Defense Initiative 2008-present Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
	30 Years Linda (Nicki) Nicholson Grinstead, Ph.D. Professor of Nursing	1978 Assistant Professor of Nursing 1981 Associate Professor of Nursing 2002-present Professor of Nursing
	35 Years Carl Arendsen, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Mathematics	1973 Assistant Professor of Mathematics 1975-1976 Assistant Dean of College IV 1976-1977 Acting Dean of College IV 1977 Assistant Professor Mathematics and Computer Science 1979 Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science 1987 Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science 1989-1990 Assistant Department Chair, Mathematics and Computer Science 1995 Professor of Mathematics 2008-present Professor Emeritus of Mathematics
	35 Years Milton Ford, Ph.D. Professor of Liberal Studies	1973 Assistant Professor of English 1975 Associate Professor of English 1982 Professor of English 1990-1993 Chair, English Department 2005-present Professor of Liberal Studies 2008-present Director, LGBT Resource Center
	35 Years Bennett Rudolph, Ph.D. Professor of Marketing	1973 Assistant Professor of Business 1977 Associate Professor of Business 1979 Associate Professor of Marketing 1984-present Professor of Marketing
	35 Years Theodore Sundstrom, Ph.D. Professor of Mathematics	1973 Visiting Lecturer of Mathematics 1975 Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics 1976 Assistant Professor of Mathematics 1980 Associate Professor of Mathematics 1988-present Professor of Mathematics Fall 1989 Interim Chair, Mathematics Department Fall 2004 Interim Chair, Mathematics Department
	40 Years Samir IsHak, Ph.D. Professor of Management	1968 Assistant Professor of Political Science 1971-1976 Director, School of Public Services 1972 Associate Professor of Political Science 1976-1978 Director, Exchange Programs with Egypt and Kuwait 1977 Professor of Political Science 1981 Professor of Public Administration 1982 Professor of Management and Public Administration 1986-present Professor of Management 2001-2003 Director, International Business Programs with China
	40 Years Lynn Mapes, Ph.D. Professor of History	1968 Instructor of History 1969 Assistant Professor of History 1977 Associate Professor of History 1983-present Professor of History
	Pew Teaching Excellence Award Peter Anderson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Classics Joined Grand Valley in 2004	Dr. Peter Anderson views student learning as a process, and he seeks to engage students and help them learn to evaluate their own progress, much as he works to improve his own teaching by continually evaluating his strengths and weaknesses. Student evaluations are uniformly positive and frequently cite his humor, patience, enthusiasm, and helpfulness as well as his ability to make his classes interesting. For example, in Greek 351, he explains the course goals and collaborates with the students to develop the syllabus. Students consequently understand the pedagogical value of the activities and assessment and feel much more invested in the course. In Classics 380, students are asked to practice a type of mindfulness used by the Roman Stoics and to blog about their experience and course readings. Beyond that, Professor Anderson regularly engages students outside the classroom through his popular weekly sight-reading session, a summer Latin reading group, and the Classics Society, which he encouraged students to form and which he now sponsors.
	Pew Teaching Excellence Award Rachel Anderson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English Joined Grand Valley in 2004	Dr. During her time at Grand Valley, Dr. Anderson has continually sought ways to engage her students in mastering difficult subjects. She is innovative in her use of a wide variety of instructional techniques, devoted to her craft and to her scholarship, and able through all of that to pass along her love of English literature, particularly Shakespeare, to students and colleagues. Through her work with the Bard-to-go Program she has introduced Shakespeare to area high school students, and she recently escorted a group of students to China.
	Pew Teaching Excellence Award Neil MacDonald, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Joined Grand Valley in 1994	Since joining Grand Valley, Dr. MacDonald has inspired many students in biology. Student evaluations of his teaching are uniformly outstanding. They cite his knowledge, patience, humor, and clarity of explanations. Dr. MacDonald extends learning beyond the classroom through hands-on projects in Natural Resources Management, and he values and incorporates the social construction of knowledge into assignments. Students find him approachable and accessible. In a time of increasing specialization, Dr. MacDonald is unusual in that he teaches 13 different classes and is heavily involved in student mentoring and internships.
	Pew Teaching Excellence Award for Part-Time Faculty Sheryl Vlietstra, M.Ed. Adjunct Faculty in the College of Education	A part-time, very student-centered teacher, Sheryl Vlietstra exhibits traits that are extraordinary for any professor at the university. She is consistently helpful and supportive of all students, an active mentor who makes such strong connections with students that she continues her support and dialogue with them well after they graduate. She does very well teaching challenging classes that are out of the “norm,” continually inspiring students to excel in what they do whether in the classroom or in their field placements.
	Outstanding Advising and Student Services Award Christine Yalda, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Joined Grand Valley in 2004	Dr. Yalda is fully dedicated to mentoring and guiding students through the criminal justice and legal studies programs. She is known for giving her time generously to students in support of their academic success including serving as their mentor for their career and professional development. She serves as the professional advising liaison for the School of Criminal Justice and participates in the Freshman Orientation process. An extraordinarily caring and empathetic individual, she is a valued colleague in her college.
	Outstanding Community Service Award Barbara Reinken, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Education Joined Grand Valley in 1996	Dr. Barbara Reinken’s description of her professional mission is, “to create a world in which all people lead successful lives as literate members of their respective societies.” To this end, her community service, focusing on literacy, has known no boundaries. Prior to joining Grand Valley, Dr. Reinken worked as a classroom teacher, Title I reading teacher, reading resource teacher, and elementary school principal. With that background, she initiated a literacy program with Godfrey-Lee Public Schools that resulted in the creation of a Literacy Center that has produced improved test scores for at-risk participants in the school district. As co-chair of the Michigan Department of Education state review of initial certification reading courses, her leadership skills have focused on improving literacy throughout the state. Dr. Reinkin’s service has been felt on many levels, and numerous lives have been enriched through her excitement, enthusiasm and passion for improving literacy.
	Outstanding University Service Award Milton Ford, Ph.D. Professor of Liberal Studies Joined Grand Valley in 1973	Dr. Milton Ford is a pleasant, unassuming, skillful listener who began his career at Grand Valley with College IV. For over thirty years, he has devoted his talents and energies to enriching the university environment for both students and faculty through an impressive variety of service, from running a faculty writing workshop to serving as chairperson of English. In addition to being the creator of the very popular Life Journey course, he is the architect and the first director of theLesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Resources Center. Indeed, Dr. Ford’s advocacy work for and on behalf of the LGBTcommunity at Grand Valley has contributed significantly to the understanding and enhancement of diversity at the institution.
	Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award Thomas Herzog, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Joined Grand Valley in 1970	Professor Herzog’s influential contributions to environmental psychology are extraordinary by any standards. He has published approximately 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. His research and publication record is rated as being among the top 1% of researchers in his field. One clear evidence that his research is highly respected is the number of times it is cited by other researchers – over 600 citations spread evenly across the whole range of articles and research topics. Indeed, what characterizes all his work is that it opens new areas of inquiry. Dr. Herzog is someone who thinks broadly and creatively about environmental perception. One of his seminal works on environmental psychology, applied to architecture, introduces the concept of ‘mystery,’ the promise of further information as one moves more deeply into a setting. More recently, Professor Herzog went contrary to mainstream perceptual psychology by focusing on higher-level perceptual processes. His most significant work is that on ‘restorative environmental features,’ including work that distinguishes between attention recovery and reflection as distinct components of environmental restorative effects.
	University Outstanding Teacher Award Donald Pottorff, Ph.D. Professor of Education Joined Grand Valley in 1987	Winner of a Pew Teaching Excellence Award in 2001, Dr. Pottorff brings a wealth of experience to his teaching, including teaching internationally in different areas of Asia. Over his career at Grand Valley, he has worked in various capacities with teachers, students, and administrators. While teaching at the university he frequently returned to K-12 classrooms to diagnose, remediate, and foster reading and writing poetry in students. Grand Valley students note in their evaluations their appreciation for Dr. Pottorff in multiple ways – his wisdom, his expertise, his caring nature, his ability to make learning meaningful, engaging, and relevant. A respected professor, Dr. Pottorff mentors new faculty in teaching, thus sharing his expertise with not only his students, but his colleagues as well. Dr. Pottorff shows the same caring nature outside of Grand Valley by sponsoring disadvantaged students in Cambodia, providing them with hope through a college education.

Last Modified Date: February 20, 2009

Grand Valley State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution