Faculty honored in convocation

Nearly three dozen awards were given out at the inaugural Faculty Awards Convocation on February 7. The convocation was established by the Office of the Provost to acknowledge the outstanding academic contributions of Grand Valley faculty.

University-wide awards were presented for teaching, scholarship, advising and service, along with the traditional 25-year medallions and newly designed awards for faculty who have completed 30, 35 and 40 years of service at Grand Valley.

Provost Gayle Davis said the purpose of the convocation was to “set aside some time to stop long enough to think about what goes on here every day, with the excellence in every area of faculty work — excellent teaching in and outside of the classroom, heavy-duty significant scholarship that advances the profession as well as informs our teaching.”
“I want us to remember that everyday there are things going on at Grand Valley that we should be taking huge pride in, and I hope we can highlight that message more often,” Davis added.

President Thomas J. Haas said the event provided an opportunity to thank Grand Valley’s faculty. “The reputation of a university, in my opinion, is predicated on the quality of the faculty, on how those faculty engage with students day in and day out,” Haas said. “The reputation of Grand Valley is really embodied by those that we have here, and those who are in the classroom as we speak today.”

Award recipient and philosophy Professor Stephen Rowe told the convocation that “at our best the university can be the hope of society, a model of what society could be, especially as a microcosm of unity in diversity, where diversity and difference are truly welcomed and enhanced, while all care for the common space in which alone this dialogical relationship of mutual thriving becomes possible.”The following awards were presented:

Milestone Celebrations   
• 40 Years
Julianne VandenWyngaard, professor of Music
• 35 Years
Doulatram Chattulani, associate professor of Education; Carol Garey, senior librarian; Harold Larson, professor of Engineering; Faite Mack, professor of Education; Jitendra Mishra, professor of Management; Melvin Northup, professor of Natural Resources Management; Stephen Rowe, professor of Philosophy; Beverly Seley, professor of Art
• 30 Years
Barbara Roos, associate professor of Communications; Laura Vander Broek, associate professor of English
• 25 Years
Phyllis Gendler, professor of Nursing; Dellas Henke, professor of Art; Ellen Pool, associate professor of Music

Pew Excellence Awards   
• Pew Teaching Excellence Awards
John Gabrosek, associate professor of Statistics; Frank Hughes, associate professor of Criminal Justice; Parag Kosalge, assistant professor of Management; Aaron Lowen, assistant professor of Economics; Ross Reynolds, Professor of Physics; Darren Walhof, associate professor of Political Science; Ellen Yezierski, assistant professor of Chemistry
• Pew Teaching Excellence Award for Part-Time Faculty
Tom Ebels, College of Education adjunct faculty
• Pew Excellence Award for Library Faculty
Doug Way, Assistant Librarian

University Excellence Awards   
• Outstanding Advising and Student Services Award
2008    Mary Schutten, associate professor of Movement Science
• Outstanding Community Service Award
2007    George Grant, Jr., associate professor of Social Work; 2008 John Shinsky, associate professor of Education
• Outstanding University Service Award
2007    Beverly Seley, professor of Art; 2008 Neal Rogness, associate professor of Statistics
•Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award
2007    Ashok Kumar, Professor of Management; 2008 Stephen Rowe, Professor of Philosophy
• University Outstanding Teacher Award
2007    Star Swift, associate professor of Business Law; 2008 Gayla Jewell, associate professor of Nursing