Faculty and staff sketches

April 28, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 16)

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Students and staff attended the Fostering Futures Scholarship Gala. Brandy Thompson, program coordinator for Fostering Laker Success, is standing at right. B. Donta Truss, vice president for Enrollment Development and College Futures, is pictured at center.

Faculty and staff members who have given presentations, were recognized for outstanding contributions or had their research published are detailed below. The campus community can submit a sketch online for future publication. 

In the News
GVSU staff and students from the Office of Student Support and Belonging supported the Fostering Futures fundraising gala in mid-April at the J.W. Marriott in Grand Rapids. The event raised more than $50,000 for Fostering Futures scholarships, which remove financial barriers to higher education for youth from the foster care system.

Polly Diven, professor of political science, was interviewed by WOOD-TV for a story on solutions to end the U.S. war with Iran.

Chris Hinsch, associate professor of marketing, was interviewed by WalletHub for a story about gas reward credit cards.

Jennifer Pope, associate professor of marketing, was interviewed by WalletHub for a story about Barclay's credit cards.

Sketches
Jason Crouthamel, professor of history, gave a presentation, "I've Fallen Deeply in Love with My Fokker Triplane: Masculinity and German Aviators in the First World War," at the Conference on Masculinities, Militaries and Violence in Transition, hosted by the Budeswehr Centre for Military History in Potsdam, Germany.

Eric Harvey, associate professor of journalism, broadcasting, and digital media, wrote an essay about the cultural impact of Bob Marley's "Legend" album, published by Pitchfork.

Felix N. Ngassa, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs, was accepted to attend the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in June.

David Álvarez, professor of English, wrote a chapter, "'Come, However Briefly, In': Ambiguous hospitality in Ingrid de Kok's Poetry," for a book, Re-Membering Hospitality in the Mediterranean, 

Ed Aboufadel, senior vice president for Academic Affairs, was a panelist for a webinar, "Working Effectively with Higher Administration," sponsored by the American Mathematical Society.

Annie Whitlock, associate professor of history, was elected vice president of the National Council for the Social Studies, the largest professional organization for social studies educators in the country.

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Faculty & Staff Sketches