Joel Orosz

224C DeVos Center
(616) 331-7309
OroszJ@gvsu.edu

Joel J. Orosz, a nationally recognized authority on philanthropy, is Distinguished Professor of Philanthropic Studies. His work in philanthropy, both as a practitioner and as a scholar, has centered on increasing the effectiveness of charitable foundations.

Dr. Orosz has written or co-written several books, including For the Benefit of All: A History of Philanthropy in Michigan; Agile Philanthropy: Understanding Foundation Effectiveness; The Insider's Guide to Grantmaking: How Foundations Find, Fund, and Manage Effective Programs; and Effective Foundation Management: 14 Challenges to Philanthropic Leadership-And How to Outfox Them. He was also, for 15 years, a Program director in Philanthropy and Volunteerism at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in Battle Creek, Michigan.

At GVSU's Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Orosz was the founding Director of both the Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, the most comprehensive source of free information on nonprofit management on the World Wide Web, and The Grantmaking School, the first academically-based program to train foundation program officers in techniques of advanced grantmaking. Dr. Orosz's half-time appointment focuses on the continued financial and intellectual development of the Johnson Center, as well as a continued role in teaching and developing new courses for The Grantmaking School.

Orosz earned his Ph.D. in American History from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Orosz and his wife, Florence, live in Kalamazoo with their four children, who range in age from 17 to 22.

Dr. Orosz provided the following information for his personal profile:

• To relax, I like to ... travel to higher ground than Michigan has to offer, collect books, and intimidate my three daughters' goofy boyfriends.
• My personal hero is ... Nelson Mandela, who not only replaced a repressive regime with a democratic one, but also broke the cycle of retribution and revenge, thus demonstrating to all of us the magnanimity of which humans are capable..
• My favorite books are ... on the subjects of philanthropy-of course-along with historical biographies, and numismatics.
• My favorite movies are ... comedies-I believe that all of the wisdom in the world can be gleaned from a close watching of "Blazing Saddles."
• My musical tastes ... were formed (and remain stuck) in the late 1960s and early 1970s, causing me to sing along lustily, but way off-key, to any recordings of artists such as Aretha Franklin, Simon and Garfunkel, Marvin Gaye, Pure Prairie League, Smoky Robinson and the Miracles, the Rolling Stones, and Steely Dan.