Joel J. Orosz, a program director for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has been named distinguished professor of philanthropic studies at Grand Valley State University.
He becomes only the third person in the university's history to hold the title of distinguished professor. Orosz's duties, which officially begin in September, will include helping facilitate a knowledge management grant received by GVSU's Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership.
The $445,000 grant, announced on June 26, will allow Johnson Center staff to publish literature, host conferences, and train foundation staff members around the state and country.
Donna VanIwaarden, director of the Johnson Center, said Orosz's talents and leadership in the field of philanthropy also will bring national recognition to the center.
Joel has been a distinguished practitioner in philanthropy, having played a key role in the creation and strengthening of the philanthropic infrastructure, both in Michigan and nationally, she said. He will bring additional dimensions to the center as a scholar, a teacher and a community resource.
Orosz has worked at the Kellogg Foundation since 1986. He has published several books including, For the Benefit of All: A History of Philanthropy in Michigan, the first history of state philanthropy, and The Insider's Guide to Grantmaking: How Foundations Find, Fund and Manage Effective Programs.
Projects that Orosz has facilitated reach throughout the state and nation. Notably, in 1988, he helped launch the Michigan Community Foundations' Youth Project, a $66 million challenge grant initiative that has leveraged more than $100 million in matching funds for the endowments of state community foundations. The MCFYP has trained more than 7,000 teen-agers in fund-raising and grant making.
On the national level, Orosz has provided assistance to Gen. Colin Powell, creator of America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth; and helped plan and implement former President George Bush's Points of Light Foundation.
In 1992, Orosz was the Kellogg Foundation program officer who helped establish the Johnson Center at GVSU. The center is located in the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, and is named after Dorothy Dottie Johnson, the current GVSU Board of Trustees chair.
We were interested in supporting the growth of philanthropic centers in Michigan, he said. At that time, Grand Valley was the only university to step forward with a comprehensive plan that included a faculty of tremendous diversity and strength.
Orosz and his wife, Florence, live in Kalamazoo with their four children, who range in age from 10 to 16.
