Faculty convocation to include new award presentation

The annual Faculty Awards Convocation will include presentation of a new award and, for the first time, recognition of this year's faculty Glenn A. Niemeyer Award recipients.

James Goode, professor of history, will receive the Internationalization Award, a new honor that recognizes faculty members who make significant contributions to advance global learning at Grand Valley. 

Goode founded the Middle East Studies program and began hosting the Model Arab League on campus. He established and led study abroad programs to Egypt and Turkey and led the first partnership delegation for faculty and staff members.

Three faculty members will receive Niemeyer Awards: Matthew Boelkins, professor of mathematics; Simha Magal, professor of management; and Gregory Wolffe, professor of computing and information systems. In previous years, faculty recipients were recognized in the spring with Niemeyer student awardees. 

The ceremony is set for Thursday, February 4, at 4 p.m. in the DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium. Linda Goossen, professor of diagnostic and treatment services, will give the convocation address.

Recipients of University Awards for Excellence are listed below.

• Outstanding Advising and Student Services Award: Patricia Videtich, professor of geology

• Outstanding Community Service Award: Deborah Lown, associate professor of biomedical sciences

• Outstanding University Service Award: Amy Schelling, assistant professor of education     

• Distinguished Contribution in a Discipline Award: Brian Lakey, professor of psychology

• University Outstanding Teacher Award: Thomas Pentecost, associate professor of chemistry

The Pew Awards for Excellence will be presented to Amy Masko, who will receive the Burch, Jacobs and Moore Diversity Teaching Excellence Award; Nicholas Johnson, Part-Time Faculty Award; Meagan Luttenton-Knoll and Maureen Wolverton, Teaching with Technology Awards. Feryal Alayont, Todd Aschenbach, Richard Geisel, Wendy Reffeor, Ellen Shupe, Jessica VandenPlas and Severine Ward will receive Teaching Excellence Awards.

The Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence will present Distinguished Undergraduate Mentoring Awards to Shannon Brios and David Eick; and Distinguished Early-Career Scholar Awards to Christopher Kurby and Cynthia Thompson. 

Faculty members will be recognized for 25 or more years of service to Grand Valley.