College
Awards

2023 College Award Recipients & Criteria

University
Awards

2023 University Award
Recipients 

Process of Nominations

1. During the College Awards cycle, faculty and staff will receive an email from the College Advisory and Communication Committee (CACC) about the process and timeline of the award cycle. This will include a nomination form.
   1. Nominations can come from faculty, staff, students, or an academic unit. Nominees may also self-nominate.
   2. Nominators will need to carefully read the descriptions of each Award before nominating their colleagues. 
   3. Along with a completed nomination form, the nominator should include a statement (750 words or less) discussing the nominee's qualifications.
2. After the nomination is submitted to CACC, the nominee will receive an email to accept or deny the nomination for the Award and be given the opportunity to include their own brief statement (250 words or less).
3. After the nomination cycle is over, the College Advisory and Communication Committee (CACC) will meet to process and discuss the nominations and select the recipients of the Awards based on the nominees that best fit each category's criteria. 
4. Recipients of each College Award will be awarded their plaque at the Winter College of Education and Community Innovation Meeting.

Process of Nominations

1. During the University Awards cycle, faculty and staff will receive an email from the College Advisory and Communication Committee (CACC) about the process and timeline of the award cycle. This will include a nomination form.
2. Unit heads or their designee will determine the process for University awards nominations within their department.
3. Nominees will be selected.
4. Nominees will be notified by September 24th, 2023, of the unit’s desire to nominate them.
5. By September 29th, 2023, the unit head or their designee will forward all the names and awards of the individuals who have accepted their nominations.to Shawn Evans in the Dean's Office. Please read the guidelines and requirements for each award you are submitting for very carefully to ensure accuracy.
6. The unit head or their designee will work with nominees to submit the completed nomination packets to Shawn Evans by October 24th, 2023, as a single, combined .pdf file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about the nomination process for university awards

Award Categories

Glenn A. Niemeyer Award
University Outstanding Teacher Award
Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award 
Outstanding University Service Award
Outstanding Community Service Award 
Outstanding Academic Advising & Student Services Award
Internationalization Award
Pew Awards for Excellence
CSCE Awards for Scholarly and Creative Excellence
Other Awards

CSCE Faculty Awards

Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award
Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Award
Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Award
Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Award

Pew Awards for Excellence

Pew Teaching Excellence Award
Pew Teaching with Technology Award
Pew Excellence Award for Library Faculty
Pew Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty
Pew Excellence Award for Teaching and Learning Enrichment
Burch, Jacobs, and Moore Diversity Teaching Excellence

University Faculty Awards

Glenn A. Niemeyer Faculty Award
Glenn A. Niemeyer Student Award
Outstanding University Service Award
Outstanding Community Service Award
Outstanding Academic Advising & Student Services Award
Internationalization Award

Links to the above awards can be found on the Provost's website.

Outstanding Community Service Award

Priscilla Kimboko, Ph.D.
Professor of Community Leadership and Development
Joined Grand Valley State University in 2000

Priscilla Kimboko is recognized for her exceptional work in applied gerontology and leadership skills. Over the past 20 years, she has served as Chair and Co-Chair on multiple organizational boards, bringing experts together to collaborate on policy change for older adults. For the past 17 years, she has organized the Annual Art and Science of Aging Conference on Grand Valley’s campus, hosting hundreds of participants and dozens of presenters. In addition to her conference work, Kimboko has provided professional education on essential health matters for older adults and served on committees and advisory boards at the local, state, and national levels. Her dedication and service have had a significant and positive impact on the aging community in West Michigan.

Internationalization Award

Paola León, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of of Social Work
Joined Grand Valley State University in 2012

Paola León’s commitment to internationalization is steadfast. She brings passion and leadership to the classroom, her department, her college, and Grand Valley. León has been integral in elevating globalization into Grand Valley’s social work curriculum. Her colleagues indicate she continually strives to infuse a global perspective everywhere possible, whether leading students to El Salvador and Guatemala or mentoring them in programs in Grand Rapids and Ghana. She has designed and restructured social work courses to focus on diversity, equity, and human rights, all with an international focus. León is a Fulbright scholar and has conducted significant work in Peru, including creating a partnership with Grand Valley’s School of Social Work and San Marcos National University in Lima, Peru.

Pew Teaching with Technology Award

Richard Vandermolen, Ed.D.
Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Counseling
Joined Grand Valley State University in 2016

As an instructor, Rick Vandermolen intentionally grounds the use of technology in pedagogical research to meet his students’ needs, including challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether using mainstream technologies or exploring new and emerging ones, such as Owl cameras and active learning classrooms, he leads with knowledge, clear expectations, and strong guidance for students. A colleague states, “Dr. Vandermolen is a role model of leadership in our program, department, and college regarding technology integration…[and] active dissemination.” From chairing his college’s technology committee to his involvement in campus faculty learning communities, Vandermolen embodies excellence in teaching with technology.

Pew Teaching Excellence Award

Joseph Fisher, Ph.D.
Professor of Teaching and Learning
Joined Grand Valley State University in 1996

Setting a new standard in Grand Valley’s special education program, Joseph Fisher and colleagues embraced the purpose of translating “research into classroom practice at a level that improves the educational outcomes of children with disabilities.” In his words, “Reorienting the program to this standard significantly changed my teaching philosophy and dramatically challenged and enhanced my approach to teaching.” This led to the design of purposeful clinical teaching experiences for Grand Valley students, centered on this ideal. Even in the pandemic, Fisher held this value as he and his students successfully pivoted to online instruction. Reflecting on his teaching excellence, an experienced colleague states, “his teaching is simply brilliant.”

Internship Advocate of the Year

Laura Marsh, M.S.W.
Visiting Professor and Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies Internship Coordinator
School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies

Laura is the internship coordinator for Legal Studies and Criminal Justice. She brings a great deal of professional expertise and connections to her position as internship coordinator. The Career Center recognized her ability to go above and beyond to assist students in finding a wonderful placement. For example, due to her belief in the importance of experiential learning, she is a key champion of the Career Center, and has directly increased student turnout in select career events by nearly double. She has also been a valuable teammate in creating some of those events. The advisors at the Career Center have also seen how engaged and responsive she is in her work. She truly is an advocate for her students to make meaningful connections between them and the world of work. Her students admire and appreciate her knowledge and support. With all of this in mind, the Career Center was proud to present the award of Internship Advocate of the Year to Laura Marsh.