Two Grand Valley State University students were selected to work with City of Grand Rapids executives under a fellowship named for former Mayor John H. Logie.
Daniel Petersen Jr., of Greenville, and Benjamin Mathew, of Grand Rapids, will work with senior executive staff including City Manager Kurt Kimball, Assistant City Manager Greg Sundstrom, and with Logie. Petersen's fellowship is for the fall 2004 semester; Mathew will begin his duties in January.
The fellowships for Grand Valley students were created last year with gifts given at Logie's retirement party. A recipient will receive tuition-free course credit and a stipend of $1,500.
Petersen, who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in public administration, is not a stranger to local government. The 23-year-old successfully beat an incumbent GOP Montcalm County commissioner in the August primary and will appear on November's ballot. Petersen has served as campaign manager for the Montcalm sheriff and a former state representative.
Mathew has a double major in group social science and natural resources management. He currently volunteers for the West Grand Development Corporation, which provides affordable housing on Grand Rapids' west side. He is a past resident assistant at GVSU and also served as chair of the university's Alternative Spring Break, which sends students on weeklong volunteer projects throughout the country.
Logie, who served as Grand Rapids mayor from 1991-2003, said he was eager to begin the fellowship program.
"We have two outstanding young men. In my years as mayor, I repeatedly found a significant lack of understanding among students about what local government does, and how it does it. We hope to begin to remedy that," he said. "Right now we are engaged in the presidential election, as well as state and local elections. Our young people generally have not been as eager as my generation was, to actively participate in choosing our leaders. We hope to begin to remedy that as well."
