Feature Stories
Myron (Mike) Mast
A professor at Grand Valley State University’s School of Public,
Nonprofit and Health Administration, Dr. Myron “Mike” Mast has served
as a member of the GVSU faculty for 35 years.
He began his
academic career in 1967 teaching public administration and political
science at Lamar State University (Texas) and later at Ball State
University (Indiana).
Mast came to Grand Valley in 1975, and
has helped guide the incredible growth and change within the public
administration programs during his tenure. He coordinated the public
administration programs during the late 1970s and mid-1980s, and
helped the university obtain a 1991 grant to create a philanthropy
center (now GVSU’s Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and
Nonprofit Leadership). He was active in developing the Master of
Public Administration degree and later witnessed the creation of the
Master of Health Administration degree.
Mast holds a
bachelor’s degree in political science from Calvin College, and
master’s and doctorate degrees in political science and public
administration from the University of Colorado. He also completed
post-doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota and Michigan
State University.
Mast is described by his former students
as accessible, caring, and as one who consistently goes above and
beyond the call of duty to ensure student success. They commend him
for his personal approach to teaching and for his wonderful sense of
humor.
He has authored and presented a wide variety of
papers at conferences and workshops throughout the nation, and is
active in community affairs. He is a member and the founding president
of the West Michigan Chapter of the American Society for Public
Administration. He served as a volunteer probation officer in Kent
County and as a board member for the county’s former Hearing and
Speech Center. He has also helped the City of Grand Rapids with
Citizen Satisfaction surveys.
Mast is currently engaging in
a period of phased retirement. He and his wife, Willa, a Grand Valley
alumna, reside in Grand Rapids. They have two sons, Michael, a GVSU
alumnus and Russell, a graduate of the University of Chicago. Mast
plans to enter full retirement soon to spend time with his family,
including four grandchildren, and caring for his vintage houses in
Grand Rapids.
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