Meijer Honors College Students Panel on Human Trafficking Features James Kofi Annan

In December, students in a Frederik Meijer Honors College class hosted a panel discussion about the fight against human trafficking that featured James Kofi Annan, a former child slave and founder of Challenging Heights, an organization in Ghana dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and educating child victims of trafficking in the fishing industry on Lake Volta.

The panel was assembled by students enrolled in a seminar titled Human Trafficking and Visionary Thinkers, as a culminating event in service to the community. Ten panelists, including a number of Grand Valley faculty members, represented their respective areas in the fight against the trafficking of human beings both internationally and domestically along five domains: detection, intervention, prevention, education, and social action/awareness.

The panel raised awareness on the issue of worldwide human trafficking, and honored Annan as he received the Doctor of Humane Letters degree during Grand Valley’s fall commencement ceremony.

Since 2009, Annan has worked closely with the Meijer Honors College to provide a faculty-led study abroad program each summer. During this seven-week program, students spend five weeks in Winneba, Ghana, immersed in a service-learning experience fighting human trafficking with Challenging Heights or the Ghana Health Service System. This past summer, 15 students participated in the program.

The service-learning program is a life-changing experience for students. “For the first time in their lives, many of these students, and participating faculty and staff members, truly understand their privilege and the great needs of humanity,” said Anne Hiskes, dean of the Brooks College. “They come back inspired to make a difference in the lives of others. They appreciate the gifts of their birthplace and the gifts of education. In short, they return transformed.”

During Annan’s visit to Grand Valley, he and Hiskes signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize the ongoing relationship between Challenging Heights and the Meijer Honors College.

Joseph Verschaeve, affiliate professor of sociology and instructor of the Human Trafficking and Visionary Thinkers seminar, was excited that students had the opportunity to learn from Annan during his visit to Grand Valley. “His leadership and best practices in child advocacy and protection has rightly garnered the attention of the world….[H]is organization, Challenging Heights, has rescued more than 1,300 children so far, while impacting the lives of countless others through intervention, prevention, and policy work,” Verschaeve said. “GVSU students have the great honor and privilege to serve alongside this remarkable global human rights leader, while developing their own capacities to promote peace and justice wherever they may go.”

Grand Valley Recognized as Top Producer of Fulbright Recipients and Study Abroad Participants

This year, Grand Valley was ranked second nationally for the number of faculty members who are Fulbright Scholars and, for the first time, achieved a ranking — 12th — for the number of U.S. Fulbright students. Additionally, the university was recognized in the top 10 among institutions its size for the number of students who participate in study abroad programs.

The Chronicle of Higher Education released a list of colleges and universities that produce the most Fulbright Scholars. Grand Valley was tied for second among master’s degree-granting institutions for faculty Fulbright Scholars. During the 2014-2015 year, three faculty members earned awards to teach and conduct research abroad: Charles Baker-Clark, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, Montenegro; Russ Rhoads, associate professor of anthropology, Sierra Leone; and Jerry Scripps, assistant professor of computing and information systems, Austria. 

Grand Valley tied for 12th place among master’s degree granting institutions for student Fulbright Scholars, with four student recipients: Lydia Benkert, research grant, Ghana; Anne Giocondini, English teaching assistantship, Ukraine; Erin Lutenski, English teaching assistantship, Germany;Hayley Pangle, English teaching assistantship, Azerbaijan.

Mark Schaub, executive director of the Padnos International Center and chief international officer of the university, said being ranked among the top universities for Fulbright opportunities shows the university’s commitment to global learning.

“Furthermore, it is evidence of the high quality of Grand Valley faculty members,” Schaub said. “They compete nationally for these prestigious awards, with regular success. Each award represents three levels of peer review.”

The Fulbright program is a prestigious and competitive program and is the flagship of the U.S. government’s programs in international educational exchange. The program offers a variety of individual and institutional grants, which are awarded on the basis of merit, and allow individuals to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research in other countries.

The Institute of International Education released data from the 2012-2013 academic year, ranking Grand Valley 10th among master’s degree-granting institutions for study abroad. That year, Grand Valley had 721 students studying abroad, which placed Grand Valley third in the number of study abroad students at a Michigan institution behind Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. 

Grand Valley Faculty Fulbright Scholars are administered through the Padnos International Center, which also oversees study abroad programs. The U.S. Student Fulbright Scholarship competition is administered at Grand Valley through the Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowships. The Padnos International Center and the Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowships are both housed in the Brooks College.

Model Arab League Gives Students High-impact Educational Experiences

One of the highlights for students minoring in Middle East studies is participation in the Model Arab League.

Each year, with support from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and Grand Valley’s Padnos International Center, the Middle East studies program hosts the Michigan Model Arab League. A significant experiential learning event, it is also an opportunity for Grand Valley students to prepare for the National Model Arab League (MAL) simulation held in Washington, D.C., later in the semester. This year, as in years past, 10 Grand Valley students attended April’s national model simulation at Georgetown University.

The local Michigan Model Arab League, hosted by Grand Valley in February, was an opportunity for all 16 students enrolled in the three-credit MAL course, Contemporary Issues in the Middle East, to participate. In all, more than 100 students from Michigan and Illinois attended the Michigan MAL. Students came prepared to role-play as delegates from the 23 member states of the Arab League. Through this active-learning opportunity, students gained valuable experience with communication, problem-solving, and working in teams.

“The students really learn a lot,” said Coeli Fitzpatrick, associate professor of philosophy in the Meijer Honors College and coordinator of the Middle East studies program. “The problems they are trying to solve are real ones and they have to present realistic solutions, while staying in role for their particular country.”

At Grand Valley, the MAL course is team-taught by faculty members in the Middle East studies program; the content is problem-based and interdisciplinary. Students must research and prepare to represent a country from the Arab League on a committee that deals with issues of relevance in the contemporary world. Committees include Environmental Affairs, Cultural Affairs, Joint Defense, Political Affairs, Palestinian Affairs, and an Arab Court of Justice.

Fitzpatrick explains, “Students have to learn how to represent their country as if they were a diplomat from that country. They must know their country’s positions on a great number of issues and current political events. They must know who their allies and enemies are.”

Over the course of the simulation, students collaborate with other students representing other Arab countries to write resolutions to suggest realistic solutions to real problems faced by their country and by the region as a whole. The model uses parliamentary procedure, and students use their knowledge of parliamentary procedure strategically to make their arguments and get their resolutions passed. Students are given awards based on how true to character their arguments are. For example, a delegate from Saudi Arabia would be very guarded about how he/she spoke about women’s rights. A student may feel very strongly about an issue on the agenda regarding women’s rights, but as an “official delegate” of Saudi Arabia, the student must learn how to speak about this in a way that may be very different from how he/she feels, and to do so in a manner that preserves decorum.

Participation in the national model simulation at Georgetown University is by invitation only. Students from Grand Valley compete and collaborate with some of the most well-known schools in the United States, such as Georgetown University, Boston University, West Point Military Academy, and the University of Massachusetts. The D.C. model also features prominent guest speakers from the Arab world. At the most recent simulation, students heard from the Qatari ambassador to the United States, and several intellectuals and service men from think tanks in the D.C. area.

In addition to the academic benefits from classroom learning and from participation in the model simulations, participation in the Model Arab League simulations yields other benefits for Grand Valley students. The Washington, D.C.-based organization which sponsors the model simulations (the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations or NCUSAR) offers MAL alumni a chance to compete for study visits to Arab countries. These study visits are fully funded by NCUSAR, and allow the students (10 per trip) to meet with cabinet ministers, royalty, intellectuals, activists, and Arab students from the countries they visit. Because of our participation in MAL, Grand Valley has been able to send our students on trips to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco.

“These study visits are life-changing events for our students and often put them in a position to compete on a national level for competitive awards and slots in graduate programs, as well as make them more competitive on the job market,” said Fitzpatrick.

GVSU Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Partnership With Cracow University of Economics

In May 2015, President Haas led a delegation to Cracow, Poland, to participate in a ceremony celebrating four decades of successful collaboration between Grand Valley and its longest-running overseas partner, Cracow University of Economics (CUE). President Emeritus Lubbers and the original CUE Rector of 1975, Antoni Fajferek, Ph.D. were honored for their vision in starting the student and faculty exchange, which continues to this day. President Haas was recognized with an honorary degree from CUE and delivered a lecture at the May convocation in Cracow. The current CUE Rector, Andrzej Chochól, Ph.D., will be recognized with a GVSU honorary degree at the December 2015 Grand Valley Commencement ceremony. The Padnos International Center plays a key role in nurturing the relationship between the two institutions.

Padnos International Center Fosters and Celebrates Cross-Cultural Understanding

The Padnos International Center (PIC) works to fulfill an important aspect of the Brooks College and Grand Valley’s strategic plan to increase the global learning opportunities for all of our students and faculty and staff members. PIC is most commonly recognized as the office on campus that facilitates international institutional partnerships, supports study abroad and faculty/staff exchanges, and advises international students. But PIC does much more than that: it sponsors programming to help the campus community engage meaningfully with international students who spend a semester or more calling Grand Valley their home.

PIC’s “Fit the Mitt” program just completed its first full year of implementation. The program, cleverly named to invoke both the state of Michigan and international students’ needs to feel welcome and at home while at Grand Valley, aims to promote cross-cultural mentoring among university faculty and staff members and international students. Grand Valley alumna Libby Jawish, who majored in French and minored in Middle East studies and Arabic, took on the newly created position of international student integration coordinator in the Fall 2014 semester. Her job is to ensure Grand Valley’s 400-plus international students are connecting with American students and faculty and staff members, as well as overseeing “Fit the Mitt.”

This year, the program paired 59 new international students with 52 GVSU employees as mentors. With the creation of these mentoring relationships, international students have an opportunity to connect meaningfully with someone who knows the culture and the community and can help them transition during their time in the United States and while at Grand Valley. “This connection allows the international student to acclimate easier due to the resources from their mentor,” said Jawish. “It also provides the faculty or staff member with the opportunity to gain cultural understanding from their mentee.”

To celebrate the kind of engagement with global learning opportunities on campus like those provided by “Fit the Mitt,” PIC presents Pineapple Awards annually to a faculty, staff, or community member and a student for the hospitality they showed to international students. This year, Jayne Dissette, academic systems supervisor, received a Pineapple Award for the hospitality she shows to all international students, especially to her two “Fit the Mitt” mentees, Moritz Eckardt and Elsa Strecker.

Event Draws Study Abroad Alumni

More than 165 people attended the Study Abroad Alumni Reunion sponsored by the Padnos International Center on September 25, 2014, at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market.

Mark Schaub, chief international officer, said the event celebrated international exchange and friendship, while raising money for scholarships. Proceeds went to the Mark A. and Elizabeth C. Murray Scholarship, which is intended for students with financial need who want to study abroad. Music at the event was provided by The Crane Wives, musicians who graduated from Grand Valley.

Study Abroad in Cape Town Collaborative by Design

Grand Valley has made a name for itself in Manenberg,a township in Cape Town, South Africa, because of a collaborative study abroad program sponsored by the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS) Department and the Women’s Center.

Established in 2012, the six-week program combines service learning with a strong academic component. Danielle DeMuth, associate professor of WGS, said students tutor sixth-graders, attend academic lectures, and tour the country to learn about the rich and diverse history of South Africa. 

Grand Valley launched the program in partnership with the Students Health and Welfare Center Organization (SHAWCO), a South African NGO that works to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged individuals in developing communities in Cape Town. SHAWCO is affiliated with the University of Cape Town.

DeMuth, the faculty director, said it was important to work in collaboration and solidarity with a South African organization. “We’re bringing our skills and strengths to do what they ask of us,” she said. Buoyed by the tutoring they receive in English and mathematics, some South African students are then placed in SHAWCO leadership development programs.

Brittany Dernberger, assistant director for the Women’s Center, said being in South Africa gives program participants a unique perspective. “Cape Town has one of the highest income disparities in the world,” Dernberger said. “We stay in a relatively affluent area and travel to the center, which is in an area where many homes don’t have running water or electricity.”

Kanyn Doan participated in the 2014 program. In a blog post, Doan said she “stepped down from the high horse I was on” and allowed South Africa to teach her things. “Privilege and power really do blind the heck out of us,”Doan wrote.

DeMuth said Grand Valley students return to campus with new strengths and skills. “They develop an understanding of empathy as they really are seeing people that they worked with as equals,” she said. “They tap into strengths they didn’t know they had, and they think in terms of social justice.”

For more information about the South Africa program, visit gvsu.edu/wgs; the site includes photos and a student blog.