Witt honored by board

When outgoing Grand Valley State University Student Senate President Ben Witt addressed the Board of Trustees for the last time Friday, he said he wore an alumni shirt 'to make it official that I'm on my way out.'

At it's April 19 meeting, the Grand Valley Board of Trustees passed a 'resolution of appreciation' for Manistee-native Witt's work. The resolution, read by Chair Dorothy Johnson, said he served with 'integrity, distinction and diligence' and cited his 'maturity and judgement in the highest degree.'

Presenting Witt with a gift, GVSU President Mark A. Murray said: 'You have been a great leader. You have a great future ahead and we're looking forward to seeing how you help change the world out there.'

Witt went into his final meeting with the seriousness that has marked his two-year tenure on the Senate. He spoke of several initiatives he has worked on, including the Association of Michigan Universities, a group he helped found that unites student government across state colleges and universities to lobby state government on issues of common interest.

One of Witt's lobbying initiatives is to convince the state Legislature to amend the absentee voting rules to make it easier for college students to vote from school. For instance, he said, under current rules, a student from Manistee County could register to vote in Allendale, but that student wouldn't be able to vote in his or her first hometown election by absentee ballot.

Witt served as a resident advisor in his student housing, and was a member of the search committees that chose Grand Valley's top two positions: President Mark A. Murray, and newly-named Provost Gayle Davis.

That's a feat that's not likely to be duplicated at Grand Valley, said Vice President for University Relations Matthew McLogan.

'Ben is amazing. He has juggled many important responsibilities in the past few years and has handled each as if it were the only thing he had to do. His time management skills, if nothing else, would put most professional managers to shame,' McLogan said.

Witt graduates from Grand Valley as a double major in criminal justice and history. After graduation, he leaves for Washington DC to participate in an internship at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and hopefully find permanent employment.

'It's been great working with you for the past two-and-a-half years,' said Witt to the board.