Brooks College Faculty Members and Students Recognized for Sustainability Contributions

Sustainability leaders were recognized April 1 at the eighth annual Sustainability Champions Awards. Given Brooks College’s commitment to sustainability in all that we do, it was no surprise that a number of our faculty members and students received many of the 40 awards given to campus and community members who support practices around triple-bottom line sustainability (social, environmental, economic).

Liberal studies students Hannah Swanson and McKenna Smith and environmental studies student Anna Hill received Sustainability Champions Awards for their work on social justice issues in the larger West Michigan community. Jeff Chamberlain, director of the Frederik Meijer Honors College, and Amy McFarland, assistant professor in the Frederik Meijer Honors College and
environmental studies, received Sustainability Champions Awards for their work sponsoring learning opportunities for faculty members and students around sustainability. Linda Chamberlain, Frederik Meijer Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Danielle Lake, assistant professor of liberal studies, received Sustainability Champion awards for engaging students in community-based learning projects focused on affordable housing.

President Thomas J. Haas and Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss congratulated award recipients and discussed the importance of the close partnership between Grand Valley and Grand Rapids.

“We truly appreciate partnering and working with the great city of Grand Rapids. Mayor Bliss knows how much we value sustainability and providing educational opportunities for our students,” said Haas.

Bliss commended Grand Valley for its commitment to sustainability. “Thank you for recognizing those who demonstrate excellence and sustainable practices and who make a positive impact on our community. Grand Valley is a leader in sustainability, serving as a great model for others not only in our region, but globally,” she said.

In addition to the recognition of students and faculty and staff members, community members and organizations were celebrated, including U.S. Green Building Council, West Michigan Environmental Action Council, Hope College, and Consumers Energy.

At the event, Austin VanDyke, a student intern at the Sustainable Agriculture Project housed in the Brooks College, was named the first award recipient of the Dave Feenstra Sustainable Agriculture Project Internship Fund. The fund was established in memory of Dave Feenstra, who died in December. Feenstra retired from Grand Valley in 2012, then returned in 2014 to serve as adjunct farm manager for the Sustainable Agriculture Project. Feenstra’s wife and four daughters attended the ceremony.

“Austin wonderfully exemplifies Dave’s leadership, vision, determined spirit and caring heart. Like Dave, he is destined to leave a legacy at Grand Valley for years to come,” said Anne L. Hiskes, dean of Brooks College.

Student Achievements

Jordan Chrispell, women, gender, and sexuality studies major and Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was recognized as the 2016 Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Outstanding Student for her excellence in academics. She is a member of Iota Iota Iota, the Women and Gender Studies Honor Society. Her civic and community engagement includes organizing a voter registration drive through GVSU Voices for Healthy Choices, serving as a junior staff member for the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Program, and interning at Planned Parenthood, where she focused on reproductive justice and equal pay legislation. Chrispell also participated in the women, gender, and sexuality studies study abroad trip to South Africa.

Dana Eardley, a liberal studies major and a Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was selected for the Liberal Studies Outstanding Senior Award. Eardley has extensive nonprofit and community service experience throughout West Michigan. She has co-authored and published an article entitled “The Social Labs Classroom” in the peer-reviewed journal Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, presented at two academic conferences, completed a teaching apprenticeship, and served as the Farm Club president. Eardley is also a Cook Leadership
Academy member. She is currently pursuing the study-away program Semester in Detroit and plans to graduate in December 2016.

Cody Gallagher, a liberal studies major, received the Liberal Studies Outstanding Thesis Award. Gallagher’s thesis, titled Not Milk — A Feasibility Analysis, was a well-written, entertaining, and creative approach to solving a young problem: the creation of a nut-based milk that contains many similarities to cow’s milk for use in contexts (such as coffee shops) where those particular properties matter most.

Gabriella Patti, a Middle East studies minor and a Frederik Meijer Honors College student, received the MES Outstanding Student Award. Patti was selected from applicants across the United States to go with nine other students on a National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations trip to Qatar. Gabriella is now a Qatar-Malone Fellow and was the assistant secretary general for the Michigan 2016 Model Arab League and has been selected as the secretary general for the 2017 model.

Victoria Price, a religious studies major, received the Religious Studies Outstanding Thesis Award. Price’s thesis, titled Postural Yoga in America, exemplifies the way that the academic study of religion can provide insight into the complex issues involved in a 21st century international context where the integrating of religion and culture remains camouflaged.

Natalie Stagner, an allied health sciences and Frederik Meijer Honors College student, received the Frederik Meijer Honors College Outstanding Senior Award. Stagner’s senior project thesis was titled The Effectiveness of Interviews and Their Impact on an Undergraduate Student. Stagner was actively involved on campus and is planning to continue her education in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at Grand Valley.

Anthony Swieringa, a religious studies major with an emphasis in modern Christian studies, received the Fall 2015 Religious Studies Outstanding Senior Thesis Award for his thesis titled Sacred Words Beyond Sacred Texts: An Argument for Scholarly Work in the ‘Christian Life’ Literary Genre. He also presented this piece at the Midwest American Academy of Religion annual conference ball in the Undergraduate Student Panel in May 2016 at Ball State University.

Meijer Honors College Recognizes Success and Research

The Frederik Meijer Honors College presented students with a number of senior project awards at the April 2016 Meijer Honors College awards ceremony:

• Outstanding Senior Thesis: Steven Warda, Using Pittsburgh as a Model for the Revival of Detroit — An Application of the City Growth and Industry Mix Model
• Outstanding Senior Project: Irada Choudhuri, CleanWorks — Clients’ Interactions with Traditional and Nontraditional Health Care Centers, and Abigail Hayes, Troubled Minds of the Gifted: An Investigation of the Psychological Well-being of Grand Valley State University Undergraduate Students
• Outstanding Creative Achievement: Marissa Riddle, The Black History Project
• Excellence in Collaborative Research: Nick Ciliak, Megan Meiste, and Heather VanOss, Increasing Breastfeeding Support and Promotion in Kent County through Web Presence and Social Media
• Outstanding Leadership and Service: Bradley Mueller, First Year Honors Students and Academic Probation: What Went Wrong, and Sarah Tibbe, Blueprint for Alumni Engagement within the Frederik Meijer Honors College