Surviving Breast Cancer

Nancy Levenburg, an assistant professor of marketing at Grand Valley State University, was selected as the U.S. Small Business Administration's Michigan Research Advocate of the Year for 2003. Levenburg's accomplishments were impressive, but many didn't know just how impressive they were. In 2002, Levenburg was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she opted not to take medical leave.

'The award was quite meaningful to me, because it was the culmination of a year in which I had finished six months of chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiation therapy with missing only one class,' Levenburg said.

Levenburg is an assistant professor of marketing at Grand Valley and teaches marketing research and Internet marketing courses at the graduate and undergraduate level.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Levenburg said her students were a big help on the road to recovery.

'My students were a huge support to me. What they didn't know is that I had to take naps on the floor in my office so I could make it through my night classes,' Levenburg said. 'But their cards, notes, and e-mails really kept me going.'

This year's Relay for Life took on special meaning for Levenburg, particularly when her students yelled 'Go Professor Levenburg!' during the Survivor's Lap.

Levenburg was honored for her undergraduate marketing research course, which she's taught since 1997. In the course, she requires students to complete service-learning projects for small businesses that are affiliated with the Michigan Small Business Technology Development Center, which is housed at Grand Valley. Under her supervision, students conduct marketing research studies for the business clients. The process used mirrors the practice of professional market research firms: students develop research proposals, design questionnaires, collect and analyze primary data, develop conclusions and recommendations, and prepare written reports and oral presentations for clients.

Levenburg's students have conducted research studies for hundreds of small businesses, cultivating an outstanding reputation in the community. As a result, small businesses actively seek to become involved in the program and there is always a waiting list of clients.

Levenburg was honored during a luncheon hosted by the Economic Club Committee of the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce in June.

For more information about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit the official Web site at http://www.nbcam.org.