Faculty and staff sketches

April 22, 2025 (Volume 48, Number 16)

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University Development's Annual Giving team received several awards for campaigns like Student Philanthropy Week.

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
Michelle Rhodes, associate vice president for Financial Aid, was interviewed by Rapid Growth for a story about proactively helping students access the Michigan Achievement Scholarship.

Shawntae Mintline, director of Southeast Michigan Omni, was interviewed by Crain's Detroit Business, for a story about how Omni's network of campuses and organizations can bring a GVSU education to learners across Michigan.

Sketches
University Development's Annual Giving team received recognition from the Annual Giving Network's "Best in Annual Giving Awards" for recent campaigns. 

• Study Abroad Campaign: Silver Award in Crowdfunding Appeal
• Faculty & Staff Campaign: Bronze Award in Faculty/Staff Multi-Channel Campaign
• Student Philanthropy Week: Bronze Award in Student Multi-Channel Campaigns

Jim Penn, professor of geography and sustainable planning, gave a presentation, “Sistemas Agroforestales en Loreto y el Futuro: Cambios Socioeconómicos, Oportunidades y Desafíos,” at III Congreso Internacional sobre la Amazonía Peruana (CONIAP) in Iquitos, Perú.

John Weber, professor of geology, was among the co-authors of an article, "Trinidad and Tobago Geogenomics: Exploring Connections Between Geology and Vicariance and Dispersal Biogeography," published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.  

Elisa Ortega-Schultz, Employee Ombuds officer, wrote a chapter, "Anticipating Changes in Organizational Ombuds Practice," for a book, The Organizational Ombuds: Foundations, Fundamentals & The Future.

Deborah Herrington, director of the CLAS Center for Experiential Learning and professor of chemistry, was a co-author of an article, "Is This a Helpful YouTube Video? A Research-Based Framework for Evaluating and Developing Conceptual Chemistry Instructional Videos," published in the Journal of Chemical Education.

Scott Stabler, professor of history, and GVSU alumni Timothy J. McKeeby and Justin Sheldon wrote a book chapter, "Reconstruction's Accomplishment: Black Education and the Rise of the Civil Rights Movement," in Teaching Emancipation and Reconstruction, 1861-1876.

Edward Aboufadel, senior associate vice president for Academic Affairs, wrote an article, "A Mathematician Wanders Into A Sportsbook," published in The College Mathematics Journal.

Management faculty Jim Sanford and Catherine Jones-Rikkers, and Nancy Kooienga, marketing and communications director for the Michigan SBDC, were authors of an article, "Breakdancing for Business," published in the Seidman Business Review.

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Faculty & Staff Sketches