Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Award
The Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Award honors remarkable tenured/tenure-track investigators at Grand Valley State University who began their independent scholarship within the past six years, demonstrate mastery in their field, and show significant potential for continued success.
2024 Recipients
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Adeline Borti, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of English
Joined Grand Valley State University in 2019
Adeline Borti’s exceptional work highlights a combination of productive scholarship that has yielded several publications, including Language Needs of Francophone Students in English as a Second Language, and development of an international reputation. Her international comparative work that builds on her scholarship in Ghana, which focuses on linguistics and literacy around preservice teaching support systems; it exhibits Borti’s interwoven commitment to research, teaching, and service. Her existing recognition and awards, including the Literacy Research Association’s Best Research Paper in 2020, exemplifies her distinguished contributions, support her trajectory and disciplinary excellence, and the positive impacts she continues to have on GVSU.
Zachary DeBruine, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Computing
Joined Grand Valley State University in 2022
Zachary DeBruine produces distinguished work that draws together bioinformatics with AI software development to optimize treatment. The recipient of multiple external grants, including from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and National Institutes of Health, his open-sourced matrix computation software library demonstrates the wide disbursement and broad impact of his scholarship. DeBruine’s emphasis in supporting students in his scholarship highlights his commitment to integrating scholarship, teaching, and service in ways that promote innovative development alongside community connections in West Michigan. His range of activities highlights DeBruine’s recognition within his field and the ways his work supports broader initiatives of GVSU.
Laila McCloud, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Counseling
Joined Grand Valley State University in 2021
Laila McCloud is an award-winning researcher, nationally recognized for her work on higher education research. She published six peer-reviewed articles, one book chapter, and has given several presentations. McCloud was interviewed by the Chronicle of Higher Education for her influential work on ungrading and innovative pedagogical practices. She was recognized as an as an Emerging Scholar by American College Personnel Association and received the 2022 Robert Schaffer Award for excellent graduate teaching and mentoring. She currently serves as Associate Editor of About Campus, and on the editorial board of two other journals. McCloud’s impacts go well beyond GVSU.
Christina Quick, D.N.P.
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Joined Grand Valley State University in 2019
Christina Quick is a nurse practitioner seeking to help practice and theory inform one another in improving outcomes for vulnerable youth. Her efforts toward supporting GVSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program include securing grants from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund for collaborative community assessment on integrating behavioral health with primary care for at-risk children in foster care, and Health Resources and Services Administration focused on enhancing simulation education for nursing students. Her mentorship and involvement in student research projects underscore her commitment to shaping the next generation of nurse practitioners. Her scholarship, teaching, and service impacts the community beyond GVSU.
About the Award
AWARD INFORMATION
The Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Award honors remarkable tenured/tenure-track investigators at Grand Valley State University who began their independent scholarship within the past six years. These scholars demonstrate mastery in their field and show significant potential for continued success. The award recipients have made major contributions to theory, research and creative practice, and they have earned national recognition for their outstanding achievements. In addition to the honor of being designated a CSCE Distinguished Early Career Scholar, recipients are awarded $500. Nominations for the Award are solicited by deans, department chairs, and faculty colleagues.
The criteria used in nominations and evaluations of nominees are: potential to develop a national reputation; major contributions to theory, research, and/or creative practice; and highest standards of professionalism.
ELIGIBILITY
All tenured and tenure-track faculty members who have been employed at GVSU a minimum of one year and a maximum of six years, and began their independent scholarship within the past six years, are eligible.
How to Nominate
NOMINATE
Each college may nominate a faculty member for one of the four University-wide awards. Recipients will be recognized as distinguished scholars. The Faculty Award Committee for each college will select one faculty member (except CLAS, which selects up to seven, and Seidman College of Business, which selects up to two) to be considered for the award. Faculty Award Committee members are selected by the Dean. Faculty Award Committee membership will be a minimum of three faculty. Nominations for the award may come from the college Dean, Department Chair, and faculty colleagues. Self-nominations are not accepted.
NOMINATION PACKET MATERIALS
Packets with missing items will not be reviewed. Nomination packets must include:
- Completed Declaration Page
- A statement from the nominee, one or two pages in length, of the nominee's professional accomplishments deemed most significant.
- Two letters of support from faculty colleagues who have knowledge of the nominee’s ability as a scholar, and who are not committee members. The letters should address the criteria for the award.
- A current Curriculum Vitae.
** Please note: ONLY the above stated documents, combined into a single PDF, will be accepted as a complete nomination packet. No additional documents will be accepted.
DEADLINE
Yearly on November 1st. The nominee’s unit is responsible for obtaining pertinent data and providing the required information. Please check with your Dean for any deadline requiring you to submit to the Dean's office for review and signatures prior to being sent to CSCE by November 1st.
REVIEW PROCESS
The Faculty Research and Development Committee will review all candidates, and CSCE will forward the names of recipients to the Provost and recipients' Dean by December 15th. The Dean's office will inform the receipient of the award. CSCE will inform nominees who are not selected. Up to four awards will be made each year. Each recipient will receive $500. An individual faculty member may not receive the award more than once.