Longtime student awarded degree posthumously

Brian Haskin, a student who majored in computer science, was awarded a bachelor's degree posthumously at a ceremony October 1.

Haskin died in August after a lifelong battle with cancer. He was 32. He enrolled at Grand Valley in 2002 and worked toward his degree part-time for nearly 10 years.

Haskin was very involved on campus. He worked for a variety of campus departments, including the Language Resource Center's computer lab. He was involved in Grand Valley's annual Renaissance Faire and served as the group's treasurer.

During the ceremony in Cook-DeWitt Center, Haskin's friends presented his parents, Julie and Tim Haskin, with a watercolor portrait, created by friend and alumna Kristie Good. The ceremony coincided with the start of Grand Valley's annual Renaissance Faire.

"Brian struggled with challenges every day, but he always kept a positive attitude and kept moving forward," said Julie. "I always knew Brian had a lot of friends, and it has become even more apparent how big of an impact he had on people."

Julie, a staff member in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, said his degree was a surprise. A friend of Brian's sent a letter to Grand Valley asking for a degree to be awarded to him. LeaAnn Tibbe, associate director of Student Life, and Paul Leidig, director of the School of Computing and Information Systems, arranged for his degree to be awarded.

"It's so gratifying to see Grand Valley honor him and recognize his hard work," said Julie.

Leidig said Grand Valley will miss him immensely. "Brian was a dedicated, hard-working student who enjoyed computer programming, and he was very active in engaging other students and faculty with all of his endeavors," he said.

Brian's degree was presented by Tibbe to his parents.