Lubbers honored by NCAA Division II

Arend D. (Don) Lubbers, President Emeritus of Grand Valley State University and former chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council, received the Division II Conference Commissioners' Association (DII CCA) Award of Merit, on Wednesday, October 15 during a banquet in Colorado Springs, CO.

The Award of Merit is the highest honor presented by the DII CCA and is reserved for those individuals who have made the most exceptional contributions to the entire NCAA Division II membership and Division II student-athletes.

The NCAA federated along divisional lines in August of 1997. During those early years of a federated NCAA, Lubbers was at the helm for Division II. From August 1998 to October 2001, Lubbers was a member of the NCAA Division II Presidents Commission, which later became the Presidents Council. He served as chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council from August 1998 to October 1999. While a member of the Division II Presidents Council, Lubbers also served on the NCAA Executive Committee, the Division II Administrative Committee, the Division II Strategic Planning Project Team and the Division II Budget & Finance Committee.

At the awards presentation last week, DII CCA President, Mike Marcil, Commissioner of the Sunshine State Conference, said Division II will always be grateful for Lubbers' tremendous contributions during those critical years when the NCAA was restructuring.

"President Lubbers was not only able to successfully address all of the immediate challenges of federation, but he also had the vision and leadership to develop programs that have resulted in the long-term success of Division II," Marcil said. "Division II emphasizes student-athletes learning through academic achievement, through athletic competition and through engagement with their communities. The initiatives that President Lubbers supported and helped implement have enabled all Division II institutions and conferences to provide a student-athlete experience that is second to none." Marcil added, "President Lubbers' efforts truly have had a profound positive impact on the lives of countless Division II student-athletes and will continue to do so for many years to come."

Lubbers became president of Grand Valley in 1969 at the age of 37, making him one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. When he retired in 2001, he was the longest-serving public university president in the country. In the 32 years between, Lubbers led the university's evolution from a small, liberal arts college to a regional university.

An array of academic buildings and residence halls in Allendale, the creation of the Meijer Campus in Holland, and the opening of the Eberhard Center and Richard M. DeVos Center in Grand Rapids all occurred during the Lubbers presidency. The university also extended its service with programs in Muskegon and Traverse City, in cooperation with local community colleges. Lubbers guided the university's response to regional education needs with the establishment of the Seidman College of Business, the Kirkhof College of Nursing, and the Schools of Education, Social Work, Health Sciences, Engineering and Communication. Also during his tenure, GVSU's programs in music, art, chemistry, education, social work, business, and nursing earned professional accreditations. Lubbers Stadium on the Allendale Campus is named for him.

Lubbers is a native of Holland, Mich. and a graduate of Hope College, where his father, Erwin Lubbers, served as president. He received his master's degree in history from Rutgers University in 1956, and taught at Wittenberg College in Ohio before returning to Rutgers in 1958 to pursue his doctorate. In 1962, Life magazine named him to its list of the top 100 young men under 40 in the United States. Lubbers came to Grand Valley from Central College, in Pella, Iowa, where he had served as president for nine years. He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Central College, Hope College, the University of Sarajevo, the Cracow Academy of Politics in Poland and Kingston University in England.

Lubbers joins an impressive group of individuals who have received the D. II CCA Award of Merit: Noel Olson, former Commissioner of the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1998); Bob Vanatta, former Commissioner of the Sunshine State Conference (1999); Fred Jacoby, former Commissioner of the Lone Star Conference (2000); Sonny Moran, former Athletic Director at Morehead State (KY) University (2001); Bill Moore, former Commissioner of the New England Collegiate Conference (2002); Mike Racy, NCAA Vice President for Division II (2003); Dr. Adam Herbert, former President of the University of North Florida (2004); Dr. Kent Wyatt, former President of Delta State University (2005); Don Landry, former Commissioner of the Sunshine State Conference (2006) and Dr. Charles Ambrose, President of Pfeiffer University (2007).