Tag Archives: Grand Valley State University

Corpse flower set to bloom at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park June 14-16

“Putricia” corpse flower in 2018 (Courtesy, FMG)



By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (FMG) and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) are excited to announce the bloom of a rare Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as a corpse flower.

Lovingly named The Beast by the GVSU biology department staff, peak bloom is expected between June 14 and 16, 2024 inside the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse at FMG. The Beast is on loan from GVSU and is a part of their permanent collection.

Unpredictable, large in size…and pungent!

The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) – also called titan arum – is one of the largest and rarest flowering plants in the world. The unpredictable blooming cycle makes each event a notable occurrence. It can take up to a decade to produce a flowering structure, and blooms for only 24 to 36 hours.

“The Beast” at Frederik Meijer Gardens June 2024 (Courtesy, FMG)


The bloom emits a strong odor resembling that of rotting flesh or a decaying animal, which is how it got the name “corpse flower.” Its distinctive odor attracts pollinators, including carrion beetles and flesh flies, that feed on dead animals and is at its most pungent during peak bloom.

The corpse flower can grow up to 10 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Its leaf structure can reach up to 20 feet in height and 16 feet across. Although the enormous plant in bloom resembles one giant flower, it actually comprises a fleshy central spike called a spadix that holds two rings of male and female flowers, wrapped by the frilly spathe, a modified leaf that resembles a petal.

While the corpse flower’s bloom is short-lived, the plant itself can live for 40 years or more. It spends much of its life cycle as a dormant underground tuber. The corpse flower is native to the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia and was first reported in 1878.

A unique experience

U.S. Botanic Garden Corpse Flower Lifecycle (Courtesy, FMG)

“This is an incredibly exciting and unique thing to experience,” said Steve LaWarre, Senior Vice President of Horticulture at FMG. “Many people go through their entire careers never seeing an example like this in person.

“We are thrilled that in addition to our own Putricia, which bloomed in 2018, we are able to display another Amorphophallus titanum thanks to our colleagues at Grand Valley State University, and that the public is showing such great interest. We are especially excited to work with the biology department at GVSU and are thankful for the collaboration between our organizations.”

GVSU’s plant, which was donated in 2015 by Tim Strickler, professor emeritus of biomedical sciences, bloomed for the first time just two years ago.

“Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse staff members at Grand Valley were definitely surprised to see our Amorphaphallus tintanum starting to bloom again so soon after the last bloom in the spring of 2022,” said Christina Hipshier, greenhouse supervisor. “We are grateful for the help from Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in displaying The Beast.

“Considering that this bloom is happening during a time when most students are not on campus, we are excited for the visibility that this collaboration will bring.”

How to see the corpse flower

Guests can experience the unique smells and sights of this rare event during Meijer Gardens’ normal hours of operation.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at MeijerGardens.org/tickets.

Renowned author and legal analyst, Barbara McQuade, will discuss her new book and tactics to fight disinformation

McQuade’s book focuses on breaks down the ways disinformation has become a tool to drive voters to extremes, disempower our legal structures, and consolidate power in the hands of the few (Courtesy photo)



By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Esteemed author Barbara McQuade will visit the Gerald R. Ford Museum as a guest speaker to discuss her book Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. Scheduled for June 3 at 6:30 p.m., this free program is open to the public.

During the event, McQuade will focus on identifying ways disinformation is seeping into facets of society and how to fight against it.

“After a thought-provoking program with Barbara McQuade in Ann Arbor in April, we are very excited to welcome her to our West Michigan audience at the Ford Museum,” said Brooke Clement, Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. “We hope our guests will enjoy hearing her describe her research and practical solutions to combat disinformation.”

Attendees will have the unique opportunity to engage with McQuade in an inclusive setting, posing questions and delving deeper into this timely topic. A book signing will follow the event.

“We are delighted to partner with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation to host Barbara McQuade as she shares her insights about the dangers of misinformation,” said Megan Rydecki, Director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies.

“As we seek to grow a community of ethical, effective leaders for the 21st century, it is imperative that we advocate for truth and fact-based information.”


(Courtesy, Deborah Reed WKTV)

Author details and event links

McQuade is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, where she teaches criminal law and national security law. She is also a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

From 2010 to 2017, McQuade served as the U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

She was appointed by President Barack Obama, and was the first woman to serve in her position.

McQuade also served as vice chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and co-chaired its Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

This event is a collaborative effort between the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the Hauenstein Center at Grand Valley State University.

Omni from Grand Valley State University provides adults with pathways for degrees and skills

(Courtesy, GVSU)


By WKTV Staff

deborah@wktv.org


Grand Valley State University (GVSU) has announced a new delivery model for adults to advance their economic mobility and career opportunities. This new model merges the best of online and in-person support for adult learners.

Omni: A commitment to adult educational advancement

Omni from GVSU combines an expertly taught curriculum with the agility of flexible education delivered across GVSU’s expanding regional campus network and online. This allows adult learners anywhere to advance their education on a schedule that works with their life and work commitments.

GVSU offers online and in-person education opportunities (Courtesy photo)

GVSU’s Omni is designed to help Michigan residents advance in their careers through an educational experience that is flexible, fast and trustworthy.

“Omni represents a new commitment to adult learners in Michigan, many of whom have previous college credits or work experiences that can be recognized to create a custom path toward a GVSU certificate or degree,” said Philomena V. Mantella, President of GVSU.

Flexible learning opportunities

By blending regional campuses across Michigan with flexible online learning, Omni makes a GVSU education accessible to more adult learners than ever before.

“The needs of Michigan’s workforce demand bold solutions,” said La June Montgomery Tabron, President and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “Opportunities like these are crucial to move our communities toward becoming more equitable places of opportunity, and also help parents better support their children so they can thrive.”

The Foundation is providing support for GVSU’s expansion in Battle Creek.

Guiding steps for advancement

Flexible education options help adults gain further education (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

GVSU Omni is led by Chief Executive Kara Van Dam, previously GVSU’s vice provost for graduate and lifetime learning. Van Dam brings more than two decades of experience in adult post-secondary education.

Van Dam joined GVSU’s leadership team in 2021 to lead a university effort to develop new ways to help the 2.5 million Michigan adults without a post-secondary credential improve their career path and earning potential by completing, or continuing, their education.

“Michigan faces a daunting challenge,” said Van Dam. “Nearly 50 percent of its adult population lack a postsecondary credential despite unambiguous evidence that continued educational achievement is the surest path out of poverty toward sustained economic security.

“Our regional network of campuses across the state and online educational offerings mean that, no matter where people are in their careers and education, GVSU Omni meets students where they are and guides their next step for advancement.”

Learn more about Omni

Enrollment in GVSU Omni’s initial programs will begin in the spring of 2024. Additional programs will be offered in the fall.

For more information about Omni, visit gvsu.edu/omni

GVSU K-12 Connect selected as vetted tutoring provider for MI Kids Back on Track program

Nearly three-quarters of the state’s schools are short of teachers, according to a survey by the Michigan Education Association (MEA). (pxhere.com)


By WKTV Staff

Grand Valley State University’s K-12 Connect academic support program recently received approval as a vetted high-impact tutoring provider for K-12 districts seeking funds from the MI Kids Back on Track program.

The K-12 Connect program joins a select group of approved providers aligned with the requirements for the $150 million MI Kids Back on Track program. This makes providers eligible for K-12 districts receiving grant funds to utilize them for tutoring services.

Empowering students through education

K-12 Connect is dedicated to opening doors of opportunity to students (Courtesy, pxhere.com)

The state funds are designed to support learning that get students back to grade-level academic standards, assist those at risk of falling behind and prepare students for postsecondary education.

As a provider using a Michigan-aligned curriculum, K-12 Connect is primed to deliver high-quality tutoring services to Michigan students, said Amirah Vosburgh, K-12 Connect Director. She said this recognition as a trusted educational partner opens doors to opportunities for growth and impact while enhancing K-12 Connect’s commitment to supporting students.

“This approval is more than just a stamp of recognition; it’s a testament to our dedication to empowering students, supporting educators and fostering academic success,” said Vosburgh. “We believe that this endorsement will not only enhance our credibility but also solidify our position as a leading provider of educational solutions.

“We are excited about the possibilities ahead and remain steadfast in our mission to transform the learning experience for students across our communities.”

Personalized support

K-12 Connect was created in 2020 to address learning loss during the pandemic. It has steadily grown, supporting more than 5,500 students. K-12 Connect is working with educators in 35 school buildings across Michigan this academic year.

In addition, K-12 Connect is approved to provide direct-to-family tutoring in eight states, with more approvals on the way, officials said.

Personalized support helps students excel in learning (Courtesy photo)

K-12 Connect offers personalized support, either during school or after school, for K-12 students across all grade levels. Tutors help students attain proficiency in math, maximize reading capabilities, build skills through academic mentoring to help with high school success and preparation for college, and more.

Learn more about the programming on the K-12 Connect website.

BHSH System and GVSU join forces to offer new nursing scholar program

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Grand Valley State University and BCSH Systems, which includes Spectrum Health, have partner to offer a Nurse Scholar program. (Supplied)

Two of Michigan’s largest institutions have created what they hope will be a model for the nation in addressing the severe talent shortage in nursing. Leaders from BHSH System and Grand Valley State University have announced a partnership with the creation of the BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program. The partnership is designed to increase the nursing talent pipeline by taking away financial barriers to college and smoothing the educational path to employment at BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan.

 

The health system is investing more than $19 million to provide infrastructure, start-up costs and resources for increased clinical placements, training and other support for students in the program. This includes grant dollars for all BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholars. Grand Valley will increase infrastructure support for students in the areas of financial aid, curriculum enhancements, technology and equipment, student support services, simulation enhancements and clinical experiences.

The BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar partnership will create an opportunity for nearly 500 additional students to pursue a career in nursing over the next six years. The university will assume all future infrastructure costs and maintain a permanent increase in the number of students admitted to its Kirkhof College of Nursing, creating a lasting impact for our community, state and region. More than 92 percent of all GVSU graduates within the health professions stay in Michigan.

              

A federal workforce analysis shows Michigan currently has a nursing shortage for its population, and that shortage has been exacerbated by the burnout and stress caused by the pandemic. Leaders at BHSH System and GVSU say the creative solution they’ve designed will build a stronger talent pipeline, and the partnership can serve as a model and inspiration to enterprises, universities, communities and governments to solve the nation’s talent shortages.

“We challenged ourselves to be bold: What can we do, together with GVSU, to permanently increase access to education, strengthen nursing education programs and invest in talented, compassionate people who want to become nurses?” said Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO, BHSH System (formerly Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health). “Our teams delivered a joint, innovative proposal that expands opportunities for up to 500 future nurses and can be the model for others to emulate. We are incredibly excited about the nurse scholar program and the impact this will have in health care, for individual learners and for future generations.”

Grand Valley President Philomena V. Mantella said the agreement is a perfect example of how educational institutions and enterprises can partner quickly and efficiently to address talent shortages.

“These talent gaps hold us back or put us at risk,” said Mantella. “We have many dedicated and talented students who want to pursue nursing, but we needed the creativity and support of our partners at BHSH System to make the expansion of nursing possible and affordable for more talented and diverse students. This program is a huge leap forward and a model for other high need fields. I applaud the ingenuity and willingness of our teams to bring it to fruition.”

                                                                                                      

After all approvals and accreditation, the BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program will be in place by January 2023. 

Robotics competitions kick off at GVSU, WKTV gets ready for E. Kentwood event

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org


Kentwood’s Redo Storm Robotics will hosts its first competition since 2019 on April 1 and 2. (WKTV)

FIRST Robotics competitions kick off this weekend when 36 teams, two from Wyoming, competed in the district event at Grand Valley State University.

The teams from the Wyoming area competing are Lee High School’s robotics team and Potter House’s Tactical Hams robotics team.

Opening ceremonies are set for 10:30 a.m. with matches running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m .on Friday. Saturday, opening ceremonies are set for 9 a.m. with matches beginning at 9:30 a.m. and playoff rounds running from 2-5 p.m. Teams are guided by teachers and industry mentors. Under strictrules, limited time and resources, teams are challenged to raise funds, design a brand, hone teamwork skills and build and program competitive, industrial-size robots.

All events take place at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on the Allendale campus. Events are free and open to the public, however per GVSU and FIRST Robotics COVID-19 guidelines, participants, volunteers and visitors must wear face masks.



Next week, WKTV will be filming the FIRST Robotics competition at East Kentwood High School. The free event follows the same rules and guidelines of the GVSU one.

There will be 33 teams at this event including the local teams of Potter House’s Tactical Hams, Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, and Wyoming High’s Demons. Events will start on Friday with play-offs taking place on Saturday.

GR Ballet, supporting groups local and causes international, presents Jumpstart 2022 series

The Grand Rapids Ballet will present a special donation-based performance of Jumpstart 2022 on Saturday, March 26 to support the refugees caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (which has its country colors being blue and yellow). (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org


A performance of the Grand Rapids Ballet on the Peter Martin Wege Theatre stage is one of the most intimate experiences a viewer can have. And, yet, the world is much larger than that stage — a fact shown by the ballet’s special production of Jumpstart 2022, running March 25-27.

Grand Rapids Ballet dancers in rehearsal for the Jumpstart 2022 program. (Supplied)

Not only is the ballet again collaborating with various Grand Rapids-area arts and education institutions — including Grand Valley State University and Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University — to create eight world-premiere performances that bring “new artistic elements to the forefront.”

But with their hearts and minds clearly on the humanitarian crisis in Europe, the ballet will present a special donation-based performance of Jumpstart 2022 on Saturday, March 26, at 2 p.m., to support the refugees caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

James Sofranko. (photo by Andrew Weeks)

“The conflict in Ukraine and resulting refugee crisis is a horrific tragedy that the world is currently enduring. As artists, we sometimes feel helpless to make a difference, but one thing we can do is use our art to promote the common good,” James Sofranko, artistic director of the Grand Rapids Ballet, said in supplied material. “Please come support this cause and join me in thanking the dancers, actors, musicians, and crew members who are all donating this performance to the people of Ukraine displaced by war.”

All tickets for the special performance will be “donate what you can” (with a suggested $20 minimum donation) with all proceeds benefiting United Way’s United for Ukraine Fund to “support an immediate delivery of food, shelter, transportation, and childcare supplies to those fleeing the conflict.”

While the performance is a ”first-come, first served” event, even with a sellout the ballet will accept online donations for the cause.

Grand Rapids Ballet dancers in rehearsal for the Jumpstart 2022 program. (Supplied)

Ballet members ‘creating” with local groups

The ballet’s Jumpstart series is also an opportunity for the company to become actively involved with not only the artistic creation of new works but also logistical creation of new works — and working with community groups to do so.

“We are an organization dedicated to our community, and I am especially excited this year, in honor of our 50th anniversary, to be able to incorporate collaborations with multiple organizations from around the city, adding yet another layer of creativity and shining a light on how Grand Rapids can come together to create art,” Sofranko said.

In preparation for Jumpstart 2022, eight of the company’s dancers were challenged to “refocus their creative energies, moving into the role of choreographer, building works for other company dancers,” and not only created world premiere works but collaborated with local organizations, including GVSU, KCAD, Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM), Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra, and Opera Grand Rapids.

(Two Jumpstart 2022 works also will be revived from ballet’s 2020-21 virtual season, including a reworking of the film, “Amiss,” choreographed by resident choreographer Penny Saunders, and “Brothers” by Jennifer Archibald.)

The company dancer choreographers include Isaac Aoki, James Cunningham, Zach Manske, Alexandra Meister-Upleger, Yuka Oba-Muschiana, Emily Reed, Nigel Tau, and Adriana Wagenveld.
 

While rehearsals officially began in early March, the works have been well underway for months as the various community partners began their preparations.

 

The Grand Rapids Ballet worked with students from the Fashion Studies program at KCAD’s Pamella Roland DeVos School of Fashion on costume design. (Supplied)

Students from the Fashion Studies program at KCAD’s Pamella Roland DeVos School of Fashion began visiting in January, working in the costume shop, creating custom costumes that will be featured in Wagenveld’s work, “Peri physeōs,” based on Empedocles’ poem of the same name, which translates to “On Nature”.

“I am excited for our students to be working with GRB again this semester,” Lori Faulkner, Fashion Studies program chair and associate professor at KCAD, said in supplied material. “Collaborations are an important part of our program’s learning environment.”

In addition to costuming, community partners were also involved in production and visual elements of Jumpstart 2022. Eighteen students from GVSU worked on animation and movement exercises, which are being applied to Reed’s work, “No Longer Left Outside,” which centers around two pieces of music and includes excerpts from “A Conversation with Myself” by Alan Watts.

 

“The GVSU Department of Visual and Media Arts is thrilled to be partnering with GRB,” Julie Goldstein MFA, assistant professor at GVSU, said in supplied material. “The students in our second-level animation class are collaborating with Emily Reed to generate an immersive imaginary landscape for the Jumpstart performance.”

In addition, company dancer Tau’s work, “What Remains”, takes inspiration from Hwa-Jeen Na’s photography collection at GRAM, which depicts people in their daily lives, capturing “the fleeting moments of introspection,” Tau said.

All the creativity and collaboration also leads to very unique works, ballet artistic leader Sofranko said.

“Jumpstart is a program that I look forward to every season because the dancers always astound me with their abundant creativity and talent,” Sofranko said. “In a performance consisting of all world premieres, I never really know what the show is going to look like until opening night, and that makes for a very exciting process!”

For more information about Jumpstart 2022, and all Grand Rapids Ballet performances and programs, visit grballet.com.

GVSU to host special presentation of theater production ‘Anne and Emmett’

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


Anne Frank and Emmett Till are the subjects of an upcoming theater presentation at Grand Valley State University. (Free domain)

Grand Valley is hosting a special presentation of a play that imagines a conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, two young people who died as victims of hatred and whose lives are now widely remembered.

“Anne and Emmett,” written by Janet Langhart Cohen, is being presented by Ebony Road Players, a theater group based in Grand Rapids that works to bring to the community productions that focus on the Black experience.

The presentation is at 7 p.m. March 24 at the Loosemore Auditorium in DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. It is free and open to the public, said Rob Franciosi, the GVSU professor of English who is organizing the event. The evening also will include a talk-back session and refreshments.

Franciosi said he became familiar with the Ebony Road Players production in 2021 when it was in a streaming format, and thought it would be beneficial to his students in a Frederik Meijer Honors College course about Frank.

“The power of the play, however, is such that I thought it was important to open the performance up to the wider GVSU community as well as the public,” Franciosi said.

The story focuses on a conversation between Frank, a Jewish girl who while in hiding was discovered and died at a concentration camp, and Till, who was kidnapped and killed in 1955 for allegedly offending a white woman. Franciosi said while watching the play, he was struck by the youth of both Frank and Till. He also noted how easy it can be for people to forget that they were children when they died.

“Yet for all the distance between the worlds of Anne and Emmett and our own, the continuing stains of racism and anti-Semitism which destroyed them add a measure of urgency to setting their stories side by side,” Franciosi said. “Aligning the crimes of Nazi Germany to those of the Jim Crow South can, in fact, deepen our understanding of the larger forces which engulfed both Anne Frank and Emmett Till.”

Edye Evans Hyde, executive director of Ebony Road Players, said theater company officials decided to produce the play to highlight the lessons from the stories of Frank and Till.

“We chose ‘Anne and Emmett’ for the relevant stories of two teenagers who experienced similar atrocities at different times in the world,” Hyde said. “We hope that the stories help remind us of the horrors they lived through so we don’t make the same mistakes with our children.”

The production is sponsored by GVSU’s Frederik Meijer Honors College, Joseph Stevens Freedom Endowment, Department of English and Division of Inclusion and Equity.

Rebuilding networks, social capital key for nonprofit organizations

By Brian Vernellis
Grand Valley State University


ALLENDALE, Mich. — Charities and nonprofit organizations will need to develop stronger ties with their supporters because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Grand Valley professor.

photo from pxhere.com

The pandemic challenged charities and nonprofit organizations in an unprecedented fashion, forcing them to strategize virtual ways in connecting with donors online, said Salvatore Alaimo, associate professor of nonprofit management, within the School of Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration.

However, Alaimo said charitable organizations rely on the social capital of networking, relationships, trust and reciprocity that they build and maintain with supporters.

 

“This social capital feeds into whether people donate, whether they decide to volunteer their precious, expendable time or whether they want to serve on the board of your organization,” said Alaimo.

 

The holiday season usually means an increase in donations to charities and nonprofits, and after nearly two years of pandemic restrictions limiting in-person gatherings and events, this season is even more important.

Giving USA’s 2021 annual report stated Americans responded by donating more than $471 billion to charities and nonprofits in 2020, a 5.1 percent increase over 2019. Foundation giving also increased to more than $16 billion in 2020, a 19 percent increase over 2019.

According to the Urban Institute, about 1.5 million charitable organizations function in the United States. While charitable giving has increased, Alaimo believes they will face long-term ramifications due to the challenging times.

  

“For nonprofits, it’s going to be an adjustment of priorities,” said Alaimo. “Staff leadership and boards of directors will have to go back to basics. Who’s the audience they are trying to reach, who are the stakeholders, and how do they maintain relationships if we’re being kept separate from each other.”

More than 80 percent of nonprofits have budgets less than $500,000, so they faced challenges even before the pandemic, said Alaimo.

In-person events are integral to forming connections between supporters and the nonprofit, said Alaimo. But, with the pandemic limiting in-person functions, charities resorted to a myriad of virtual events.

Auctions, fun runs and even golf outings moved online, making those all-important connections difficult to maintain. For all the good technology did to ease the logistics of fundraising, it still created separations between organizations and supporters, said Alaimo.

“As I remind my students, just because we are electronically networked does not mean we are good at networking,” said Alaimo. “Now that COVID has come along, the isolation factor of technology is amplified. My concern is all of that is going to put a dent into social capital, and that’s not going to bode well for nonprofits.”

When it comes to selecting nonprofits that are reputable and allocate money efficiently, Alaimo said there are several websites and databases to help such as GuideStarCharity Navigator or the Better Business Bureau.

WalletHub released its list of best charitable organizations for 2022.

“The nonprofits that best form long-term relationships are going to be more fiscally viable and sustainable,” said Alaimo.

A piece of track at downtown GVSU connects to Wyoming’s past

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Realtor Sam Wilson added a large roof and benches to his Wyoming Park office for the comfort of local residents (and potential buyers) waiting for the next interurban car. (Wyoming Historical Commission)

Recently, Grand Valley State University commemorated remnants of the interurban railway tracks on its downtown campus, rails that once connected to a station in the City of Wyoming that served as a key connector for those wishing to travel to the lakeshore or Kalamazoo.

Started in 1901, the electric transportation system, called the Grand Rapids, Holland, and Chicago Railway, started with a line to Holland and in the following year, 1902, added a Muskegon line. Delayed by politics, the line to Kalamazoo was completed in 1915 by the Michigan Railway Company. Passengers of the interurban could make the decision of if they were heading west or south at a station near Lee Street and Grandville Avenue (now Chicago Drive), located in the City of Wyoming.

“It was located by the old Kelvinator building,” said David Britten, who is with the Wyoming Historical Commission. This made sense since the home appliance manufacturer would open its doors in 1914 with the interurban providing an easy way for residents to get to the plant for work.

There were several stops in the City of Wyoming. If you took the route toward Holland, the interurban would stop at Beverly Hills, Wyoming Park, and Elmbrook neighborhoods. Businessmen took advantage of those route stops to promote bungalow-style homes, spurring growth within the City of Wyoming. Take the interurban to Kalamazoo, which ran along side Divisions Avenue, and it would stop on 50th Avenue in the Kelloggsville neighborhood and  54th Street before heading on to Cutlerville as the train made its way to Kalamazoo. Today Consumer’s Energy power lines follow the old Kalamazoo route.

An ad for the Elmbrook community located between Porter and 28th Street west Byron Center Avenue. (The Street Railways of Grand Rapids by Carl Bajema and Tom maas)

Britten said you can see the interurban route through a Google map overview, but that little remains of the actual tracks.

“In many places, they just paved right over the tracks,” he said, adding the tracks would have run behind the current Godfrey-Lee athletic fields. Some years ago, owners of the property dug up the remaining tracks and pieces, which Britten said he did salvage a few items.

But the tracks contained within a brick inlay on the Mount Vernon pedestrian pathway on GVSU’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus, are more than likely the last stretch of any interurban tracks in West Michigan, according to a GVSU historian.

The exhibit placed above the tracks uses images and text to explain the interurban system and its impact on the region. The piece also gives related historical context for the time, such as how the Grand River was a “working waterfront.” According to Britten, the interurban would travel across the now cement bridge that is a pedestrian crossing for residents to and from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. From there it would make its way south along Grandville Avenue, passing through the car holding area that is now where Grand Valley State University’s downtown campus is located.

At the heart of the commemorative project is a core narrative that is important to the community, said Nathan Kemler, GVSU director of Galleries and Collections, who helped lead the effort to create and install the piece.

The remaining interurban track is contained within a brick inlay on the Mount Vernon pedestrian pathway on the Grand Valley State University’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. (GVSU)

“One reason this project is so impactful is that it was an early sustainable transportation method that was rooted in equity,” said Kemler of the themes captured in the exhibit that is part of the GVSU Art Gallery. “Anybody could ride the Interurban, and it would take you into the city or outside of it to Lake Michigan, Lake Macatawa, or farms.”

Kemler noted that someone could take the Interurban from Grand Rapids to Lake Michigan, then board a steam ship for Chicago, and it was all done through electric power.

Learning about the prevalence of such green technology long ago is eye-opening for students, said Matthew Daley, GVSU professor of history, who was the key researcher on the project.

“Students are stunned that there was this huge integrated network of electric freight and passenger service that then tied into a citywide network of street cars,” Daley said. “You could take an interurban that produced no soot, no dirt, and at some point on West Michigan lines reach over 70 mph.”

In fact, reporters who road the Kalamazoo route noted that the train could cover 47 miles between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo in 44 minutes, according to the book “The Street Railways of Grand Rapids,” by Carl Bajema and Tom Mass.

“It ran really well until Americans discovered in the 1920s that they liked cars,” Daley said.

A GVSU employee puts the finishing touches on the outdoor exhibit about the interurban which is now located at Grand Valley State University’s downtown Pew Campus. (GVSU)

The paving of roads would help to establish the American car industry. By 1926, the Grand Rapids, Holland and Chicago Railway was sold at auction. Britten noted that in 1927, the United Suburban Railway was organized to restore car service from Jenison to Grand Rapids.

 

“It was called the shortest track with the most stockholders,” Britten said with a laugh. The seven miles of track had 700 stockholders. The United Suburban Railway would last until about 1932.

Daley and Kemler both said the story of the interurban gives important insight into fleeting economic conditions, how people come together, the environmental impact on the Grand River and how the community has evolved.

“This is about the changing landscape of Grand Rapids itself and understanding this location before the Grand Valley campus was here and before downtown was revitalized,” Kemler said.

There are no markers in Wyoming of the former interurban, which Britten said it would be nice if a marker was placed. There is only a small portion of the interurban that is part of the walking/bike trail Oxford Trail, which is in Grand Rapids. The Oxford Trail does cross over the old swing bridge the interurban once used, according to Britten.

Female space pioneer featured guest speaker at this year’s ‘Roger That!’ event

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org


Col. Eileen Collins is the featured speaker at this year’s “Roger That!” two-day program. (Supplied)

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) have announced the return of “Roger That!,” a multi-day event celebrating space exploration and the life of Grand Rapids native, Roger B. Chaffee.

In its sixth year, “Roger That!” will take place on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 with various components to the celebration, all themed around women in space — including remarks from pioneering pilot and astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to both pilot a spacecraft and command a space shuttle mission.

“After four in-person events and one virtual iteration of ‘Roger That!’ we’re excited to combine the best of both with a hybrid conference in 2022,” said Deana Weibel, event co-organizer and GVSU professor of anthropology.

The two-part event will feature speeches on both days by Eileen Collins, who made history in 1995 as the first woman to pilot a U.S. spacecraft with the Discovery shuttle flight. In 1999, she was the commander for Columbia, making her the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. She ultimately logged 872 hours in space.

GVSU will host a free academy conference on Feb. 18 that is open to educators and the general public. Speeches will be available in person and virtually, over Zoom.

2022 speakers include: Computational Chemist Michelle Franci; Space Historian Catherine Newell; Planetary Scientist Louise Prockter; Space Educator Crzarina Salido; Bioastronautics Researcher and Spacesuit Technician Yvette Gonzalez; Space Media Archivist Megal Prelinger; Electrical Engineer Heidi Jiao and Space Historian and Eileen Collins’ Biographer Jonathan Ward. 

The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium is named after the Grand Rapids native who perished in 1967 on test of the Apollo 1 mission to the moon. (Supplied)

To attend the “Roger That!” Academic Conference, register at gvsu.edu/RogerThat. The events being held at GVSU this year will be free, as will the virtual talks, but guests must register. A reception with light refreshments will be held ahead of Collins’ talk at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Loosemore Auditorium on GVSU’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The lecture is free through registration at gvsu.edu/RogerThat; it will also be livestreamed.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum will have activities both days centered around local astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, who died in 1967 during a NASA test flight, and space exploration. Hands-on activites include build stations where attendees can design their own rockets and paper airplanes, astronaut challenges, artifact interactions including meteorite samples, and tektite and more.

Collins will speak at 11 a.m. Feb. 19 at the GRPM. Tickets for this lecture will be available free of charge at grpm.org beginning Jan. 14.

Snapshots: Kentwood, Wyoming news and things to do

Life imposes things on you that you can’t control, but you still have the choice of how you’re going to live through this.

Musician Celine Dion



By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org


The Farmers Markets are Opening!

Metro Health Farm Market opens May 14. (WKTV)

The Metro Health Farm Market kicks off the summer season by opening Thursday, May 14. Due to COVID-19, the market will be a little different in that social distancing guidelines will be adhered to and those attending are asked to where masks and leave the personal shopping bags at home. The market will be open form 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. For more on the Metro Health Farm Market and other farmers markets, click here.

Music for Quarantine

Now on Blue Lake Public Radio: the Grand Rapids Symphony (Supplied)

Every Sunday in May, area residents can tune into a previously recorded Grand Rapids Symphony performance. Performances are on at 1 p.m. at WBLU-FM 88.9 in Grand Rapids or click here to access Blue Lake Public Radio online. For the complete line up, click here.

Remembering the Heroes of WWII

May 7 marked the 75th anniversary of when the Germans surrendered to the Allied Forces. This week’s KDL Staff picks features a selection of World War II books from Michael Bornstein’s “The Survivor’s Club to “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei (of “Star Trek” fame). For the complete list, click here.

Fun Facts

A botanist running around like Rambo? Well according to Tim Evans, a GVSU professor of biology, if that’s what it takes to get people to discover Michigan’s amazing natural beauty, well why not? We’re all for it. Here is Evans’ first in a series on “Dangerous Botany.” To check out Evans’ other videos, click here.

GVSU Economist: Local economics stats down sharply, but not as bad as expected

Brian Long is a local business forecaster. Credit: GVSU

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University

It was anticipated the local economic statistics for April would be negative, but the numbers weren’t as bad as expected, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

“This report is one of the weakest we have filed in our 40-year history; however, the data we collected in the third and fourth weeks of April did not turn out to be a record low,” he said.

Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of April.

The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) fell to -45 from -21. Long noted at the onset of the Great Recession, new orders fell to -59 in December 2008.

The production index fell to -48 from -16. The index of purchases fell to -44 from -30, and the employment index plummeted to -41 from -25.

Long said during the Great Recession, it took 18 months (October 2007 to April 2009) for statistics in this local survey to turn back to positive.

“As the economy slowly reopens, we will be closely monitoring the confidence levels of both retail and industrial consumers, both of which have been hit very hard,” he said.

Had it not been for Internet purchases, Long said, auto sales would have been virtually non-existent. He said automakers and dealers have countered many of the lockdown measures with remote and online sales, but U.S. light-vehicle deliveries were expected to fall 50-55 percent in April.

Long said COVID-19 will cause nearly every industry to reevaluate supply chains. “Many firms had no idea that many subcomponents back in the supply chain were coming from China,” he said. “Look for an anti-China backlash.”

 

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”

GVSU Carillon in Grand Rapids to turn blue to thank critical workers

By Dottie Barnes
GVSU


Beckering Carillon will turn blue May 1 – 15 to thank health care workers.

The Beckering Family Carillon Tower on Grand Valley State University’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus will turn blue as a way to thank critical workers for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grand Valley, in partnership with Creative Day Technologies and Odyssey Lighting, is paying tribute to all critical workers, including first responders, health care workers, grocers and many more, who are putting themselves in harm’s way during the COVID-19 crisis.

The carillon will be illuminated by blue lights, installed by Creative Day and Odyssey Lighting, beginning May 1 and extending through May 15. 

“This is one small way to honor all of the critical workers who are working so diligently to keep us safe, fed and cared for,” said President Philomena V. Mantella. “We honor them for their hard work and unwavering commitment. We are forever grateful.”

A sign, next to the carillon, will offer extended words of gratitude from Grand Valley:

“Thank you, Critical Workers! You have risen to the occasion to provide frontline support and ensure our community is cared for, housed, and fed. You have remained calm and steadfast in a time of crisis and uncertainty. We know it has not been easy. Your commitment and fortitude have not gone unnoticed. We see you. We thank you. We will not forget.”

West Michigan resident recovers from coronavirus, donates plasma to ‘pay it forward’

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University


A Grand Valley State University graduate student, who has recovered from COVID-19, said it’s difficult to be studying health care and not be able to practice what she knows.

Hannah Grinwis, 25, is in her second year of GVSU’s physician assistant studies program. Her clinical rotations were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s hard to be sidelined during this health care phenomenon,” she said. “My classmates and I are passionate about caring for others, so it is hard not being able to help patients in a feasible way right now.”

Grinwis was out of the classroom for several weeks and out of her clinical rotation for a couple weeks when she developed a dry cough and minor body aches in March, while home with her husband in Kent City.

That quickly turned into more severe symptoms.

“I had a fever and pretty severe upper back and chest pain that worsened when breathing deeply,” she said. “I also had a very severe headache, shortness of breath and fatigue. I lost my appetite and sense of smell and taste.”

Grinwis said she was able to utilize telemedicine to communicate with health care workers and tested positive for COVID-19 at the Spectrum Health tent in Grand Rapids.

“I have no idea where I got this,” she said. “We followed strict safety procedures during rotations and I had not been working with any patients who were possible COVID-19 patients.”

Grinwis said her husband and sister developed symptoms but neither developed a fever or more severe symptoms. They followed guidance from the Kent County Health Department and Spectrum Health and were all able to recover at home.

Once she was feeling better, Grinwis said she started exploring ways to give back to “pay it forward.” She decided to give plasma. In order to donate, she needed to be symptom-free for at least 14 days with a confirmatory swab that was negative. She received the “all clear” in April and now donates plasma once a week.

“It’s important for me to give back to the community that has helped me,” she said. “I grew up in West Michigan and I want to serve the people who helped me get to this point.”

GVSU expert shares what astronauts can tell us about enduring isolation

By Peg West
Grand Valley State University


With federal guidelines for social distancing extended because of the COVID-19 pandemic and much of the country under stay-at-home orders, a large segment of the population is dealing with isolation for the foreseeable future.

Deana Weibel, GVSU professor of anthropology (GVSU)

Among us is a small segment of the population that understands isolation in a way no one else can. Astronauts have had to find ways to handle isolation to get the job done, to get along with each other and for their overall well-being, said Deana Weibel, professor of anthropology, whose research focus includes space exploration.

Weibel, who recently wrote an article for The Space Review about this issue, shares some lessons astronauts have learned that can apply to everyone in these extraordinary times. The upshot: Even though it’s serious business in space, diversions are crucial for tolerating isolation.

• Have a schedule

With nowhere to go, it is easy to fall into the trap of days almost numbingly running together. What astronauts know, Weibel said, is that having a schedule creates the structure necessary to break up the days and provide mental stimulation.

NASA gives astronauts a significant list of tasks to complete in each 24-hour period, often more than the astronauts can finish, Weibel said.

 

“You’re staying so busy, isolation isn’t really an issue because you always have the next thing to do,” Weibel said.

• Communicate with others outside your current small world

As they move about in the heavens, astronauts have the constant of the ground crew’s voices in their heads, Weibel said. That is a crucial line of support, but astronauts count on more.

 

Even as they orbit the Earth, they can have instantaneous communication with loved ones using a variety of devices, Weibel said. They may be busy with tasks and sometimes carrying out risky maneuvers, but they know how important it is to reach out beyond their confines.

That shows the power of real human connection, which plays out on Earth right now in the popularity of video meetings, video parties and video chats with friends. “If this had happened even 20 years ago we couldn’t have done that,” she said.

• Celebrate milestones, make special efforts to connect, pitch in and look for morale boosters

Weibel said research has shown that isolation can be one of the major causes of conflict with crew members who are confined together for extended periods. She cited work by anthropologist Jack Stuster, who had astronauts keep diaries during their missions.

Some of the conclusions drawn can help those in isolation from wearing on each other as the weeks go by, she said.

Ideas: Be sure to celebrate birthdays, holidays and other passages of time. Little surprises like an unexpected item in the food stash for astronauts can give them a mental boost, Weibel said. So, too, might a splurge treat for a family member in a grocery order or preparing a loved one’s favorite meal.

Speaking of meals, having them together helps with a meaningful connection, Weibel said. Designated nights for movies or a TV series gives everyone something to anticipate, including astronauts. Scott Kelly, who recently wrote about his experiences with isolation while in space, said he binge-watched Game of Thrones twice.

And be sure chores are evenly distributed to cut down on potential resentment while being cooped up. Again, that was important for astronauts, research found.

• Get some fresh air

Weibel noted that astronaut and West Michigan native Christina Koch, who returned to Earth in February from the International Space Station, talked of being eager for outdoor sensory experiences such as feeling a breeze. That yearning shows nature is a balm, and many of those isolated on Earth right now can experience it by getting outside.

The benefit of a walk? Much-needed exercise, something astronauts also swear by, though they have special reasons given their environment. “Astronauts will lose bone mass if they don’t,” Weibel said.

Snapshots: Some things to do this weekend

Sometimes you can have the smallest role in the smallest production and still have a big impact.

Actor Neil Patrick Harris



By WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

Bottoms Up!

Railtown Brewing Citra Warrior IIPA. (Supplied)

Missing a Station 3 Oatmeal Stout form Two Guys Brewery? Good Mooed from Railtown Brewery is what you need to get into a good mood? If you were not aware, many local breweries are offering up packaged craft beer and other goodies that are available for curbside pick and delivery. For more, click here.

Follow The Reading Train

Take a spin on The Reading Train as host and producer Judy Bergsma returns to share some of her favorite stories and share a special COVID-19 message. Many area residents may recognize Judy especially if they were children in the late 1990s and early 2000s and came to WKTV to be part of The Reading Train’s audience. For more, click here.

Sing, Sing a Song

Taking the Sesame Street of “Sing, Sing a Song” to heart, GVSU Senior Joseph VanArendonk wrote a little ditty to express his feelings about the COVID-19. I little sentimental and somewhat tongue-and-check, the song has struck a cord with many of those who are graduating this year — whether they be high school or college. Click here, to lear more.

A is for April and Aphrodite

In the initial Roman calendar, April was the second month of the year. January and February were added in 700 BC. Because it the second month of spring, it is believed that April comes from the latin word “to open,” describing when the trees would open. It is also believed that the name April may have come from the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

GVSU New Music Ensemble’s newest album features pieces inspired by national parks

By Peg West
Grand Valley State University


Grand Valley State University’s New Music Ensemble is set to release an album featuring compositions inspired by the scenery of national parks.

Dawn Chorus will be released April 24 on Innova Recordings and will be available everywhere, said Bill Ryan, ensemble director. The 11-track recording features works created to reflect the splendor of Arches, Badlands, Capitol Reef, Grand Teton, Wind Cave and Yellowstone national parks.


Dawn Chorus Director Bill Ryan speaks before the group’s performance. (Supplied)

It is the fifth commercial recording for the nationally acclaimed group.

Ryan has led the ensemble on three tours of national parks to play compositions he has specially commissioned to correlate with each park; a fourth tour planned for this summer has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Composers for these tours were chosen for their strong connection to the natural environment, Ryan said. Each piece reflects the feature of a particular park that inspired the composers, such as its vastness, its landscape or its wildlife.

The album includes all of the pieces from the 2016 tour as well as some from 2014, Ryan said. Two of the composers are Grand Valley alumni who were students when they wrote the pieces: Ashley Stanley and Niko Schroeder.

Ensemble members, all since graduated, recorded the music at Solid Sound Studios in Ann Arbor, Ryan said.

“When we initially started doing this project, I didn’t have the idea of recording it in my head,” Ryan said. “After getting incredible pieces from the composers, I started looking for a way to share it with an audience beyond the national parks.”

Dawn Chorus has been on three tours of national parks to play compositions especially commissioned to correlate with each park. (Supplied)

Founded in 2006, the ensemble is an undergraduate group that focuses on contemporary music. The ensemble has received recognition from national publications and performed throughout the country.

During this period of remote learning and communication, Ryan reached out to students and alumni to record a piece of music for a video showing what life is like on tour with the ensemble. Each player performed an individual part to a click track — some even using just their phones — and then the music was assembled.

The trailer to Dawn Chourus’ new CD. (Supplied)

GVSU graduating senior writes ‘An Original Song for the (COVID) Class of 2020’

By Peg West
Grand Valley State University


Sentimentality is a time-honored emotion for graduating seniors, and Joseph VanArendonk was feeling that heavily as he approached his last week at Grand Valley State University. 

What sets VanArendonk and his peers apart is the unprecedented mix of emotions that comes from experiencing a lifetime milestone during the pandemic of a lifetime.

VanArendonk channeled those feelings by writing his first ever song: “An Original Song for the (COVID) Class of 2020.”

The piece came together in a weekend. As he wrote a song full of the sentimentality and sadness he was feeling, he also found himself thinking about the he response to the pandemic itself, the lack of social distancing he had witnessed just that day and the strife it is causing.

“The song is just really my internal monologue that rhymes,” said VanArendonk, a human resource management major who is also president of the campus student a capella group, Euphoria.

So the next day he and some his friends, using proper social distancing, of course, recorded scenes for the video about the recommended ways to handle the pandemic, providing a change of tempo in the song and a message: “Understand that you are not alone.”

The result is about three-and-a-half minutes of catharsis and reflection, as well as gratitude and a little levity.

And VanArendonk is looking forward with hope amid the uncertainty. “It lifted my spirits to see an actual date set (Oct. 10) for the postponed commencement. Seeing a solid date is something I have recently learned to value,” he said.

Hospitals put out the call, the community responds

Coppercraft Distillery deliveries hand sanitizer to Holland Hospital.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org


If there is something that staff from West Michigan hospitals have learned during the past couple of weeks, if you ask, the community will rally to help.

As the announcement of the Stay Home, Stay Safe order came out and area hospitals began to see the number of COVID-19 cases rise, hospital officials put out a request for items.

Metro Health – University of Michigan Health Public Relations Manager Jamie Allen said Metro Health has received a number of donations from the community. Among those contributing are:

• Amway donated 3,400 bottles of hand sanitizer

• Steelcase donated 1,800 face shields

• Byrne Electric donated 500 face shields

• The Center for Physical Rehabilitation donated an assortment of gloves, wipes, and sanitizer

• Planet Fitness donated hand sanitizer and disinfectant products

• Posh Nail Spa and Girl Cave Nail Salon donated gloves

• Hoekwater Family Dentistry donated masks and gloves

• Home Depot donated make, filters, and gloves

“We are now asking for homemade cloth masks from the community,” Allen said, adding that they have received about 600 handmade masks from individual donors. “These are something we want to provide to our non-clinical staff members.”

Metro Health – University of Michigan Health is accepting donations from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Items are to be brought to Metro Health’s System Services and Learning Center, 1980 Metro Court, Wyoming. People should enter using the door on the south side of the building, facing M-6. 

Area schools contribute

With public school and college buildings shut down due to the governor’s order, staff at KentISD and several area universities and colleges discovered they had extra personal protection equipment that would not be used for the current school year.

School News Network reported that the Kent Career Tech Center’s Exploring Health Careers program has donated personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, isolation gowns, and cleaning items like hospital-grade wipes and hand sanitizes to Spectrum Health and the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. 

According to School News Network, other schools that have donated include Rockford, which donated 5,000 medical gloves and more than 1,000 masks and Grandville High School science department donated 219 pairs of protective eyewear to Metro Health. As well as Grand Rapids Community College, which donated more than 70,000 pieces of medical and personal protection equipment and have had faculty members volunteering time and expertise to Spectrum Health and GRCC’s Nursing Programs loaning thermometers and donated more than 1,500 thermometer probe covers to the Grand Rapid sPolice Department. 

Various departments at Grand Valley State University have donated medical supplies to regional health care systems and facilities. Efforts include donating disposable gloves from science laboratories as well as custom-made masks designed and created by engineering students and faculty, and face shields and respirators donated by occupational safety and health laboratories.

“It seemed like the right thing to do,” said Michele DeWitt, lead lab supervisor with the GVSU Chemistry Department, who led efforts for donating 90,000 disposable gloves to Spectrum Health. “We don’t want the doctors, nurses and other health professionals to get sick. We want them to be able to help us.”

The Padnos College of Engineering and Computing and the applied Medical Device Institute worked to design and create approximately 1,000 face masks, all made by hand from fabric and metal. Because elastic is in short supply, the design incorporates a metal clamp to hold the mask in place comfortably. Those masks will be donated to American Family Care, an urgent care in Grand Rapids that was already in short supply of equipment.

Businesses getting creative

Business leaders have also rolled up their sleeves to help where they can.

Hearing that there was a major shortage of nasal swaps for the COVID-19 test kits at a Grand Rapids hospital, The Right Place staff identities Keystone Solutions Group, a member of its medical device consortium, MiDevice, that had the capabilities to fulfill the request. The company’s team worked to develop the swabs and being production for West Michigan health care systems.

Many have heard of Holland’s Coppercraft Distillery’s efforts to produce hand sanitizer with the company delivering a 1,000 gallons to Holland Hospital before the end of March and another 1,000 gallons to the Detroit Fire Department last week. 

While Coppercraft is focused on area hospitals and other emergency agencies, Three Oaks’ Journeyman Distillery has answered the call of providing hand sanitizer to the community. 

“In the early 1940s, the Warren Featherbone Company supported the war effort by manufacturing raincoats for the U.S. Armed Forces,” said Journeyman founder and self-proclaimed history buff Bill Welter. “Now, almost 80 years later, we’ve converted our production facility in the historic Featherbone factory to make hand sanitizer for front-line healthcare and essential service providers—as well as our community.”

In March, Journeyman had a fundraising bottle sale for its Hourly Employee Fund and from there requests for hand sanitizer started rolling in with the company website taking online orders

Southwest Airlines Grand Rapids station staff prepares to take snacks to Spectrum Health. (Supplied)

Due to national restrictions, travel has been down especially on the airlines. Southwest Airlines found it had an abundance of snacks it normally serve for on-board flight service and wanted to make sure food items were put to good use. This week, Southwest Airlines Grand Rapids station dropped of 30 boxes of snacks to teams at Spectrum Health as a way of saying thanks to all the healthcare employees putting in long hours to battle COVID-19.

Donations are being accepted at many facilities. For a list of items, click here.  

GVSU expert describes local economy “like a train wreck in slow motion”

Brian Long, photo from gvsu.edu

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University


In the 40-year history of a Grand Valley State University economic survey, the economic situation in West Michigan has seldom looked this grim, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley’s Seidman College of Business.

“Although negative, much of our data collected in the third and fourth weeks of March do not begin to reflect the impact of recent events,” said Long.

Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of March.

The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) slipped to -21 from +7. The production index dropped to -16 from +2. The index of purchases plunged to -30 from +9, and the employment index plummeted to -25 from +9.

Long said the Detroit automakers made good on their promise to report only 2020 quarterly sales, which reflect the aggregate of positive sales months of January and February and the negative month of March. “Even then, sales were off considerably,” he said.

Long said at this early stage, assessing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is almost impossible, but said “we are now in a historical collapse.”

“If, by some miracle, we were to have a viable vaccine in the next few months that could be widely distributed, the economy would quickly begin to recover,” said Long. “However, some marginal businesses have already been forced to close, and there will surely be more to follow. Unfortunately, this crisis is still just beginning.”

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”

How will COVID-19 impact the nonprofit sector? Johnson Center research offers insights

Johnson Center for Philanthropy

By Nate Hoekstra
Grand Valley State University


As the novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the United States and the rest of the world, financial implications on employees and businesses are profound.

Impacts are being felt across the economy, and the nonprofit sector is not immune. Researchers at Grand Valley’s Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy have analyzed IRS 990 form data and have identified trends in the nonprofit sector that nonprofits can expect to contend with as the pandemic evolves. 

The research was led by Jeff Williams, director of the Johnson Center’s Community Data and Research Lab, and is based on an analysis of the financial vulnerabilities of nonprofit organizations.

Williams said models can help nonprofit leaders make educated decisions about their organizations, especially as it pertains to project management, disaster response and using solid data.

The Community Data and Research Lab identified three trends that leaders can use to inform decision making.

1. Before things get significantly better or worse, leaders can expect to see things ‘get weird.’

Williams said in times of crisis when we are looking for certainty the most — even if it’s bad news — is when events are most likely to be unexpected in terms of magnitude, order and topic. 

“Adopting a mental posture of flexibility is key,” Williams said. “Being open about the impending storm in communications with service beneficiaries, clients and staff is essential for maintaining staff morale, too.”

2. Nonprofits are facing three distinct financial threats at the moment, each of which will impact different nonprofits in different ways. 

As entire segments of the economy falter and the stock market tumbles, different types of nonprofits will see decreases in revenue in three very different ways: decreasing revenue from annual campaigns and gifts, dropping demand for services and/or changes to contracts, and decreasing value in investments and stock market fluctuations. Most nonprofits, for example, receive very little investment income, so stock market fluctuations will not be their primary concern.

Williams said a clear understanding of the different types of revenue declines is important because nonprofits are businesses that pay salaries and rent, and purchase supplies and equipment just like any other. However in the big picture, nonprofits serve a broader public mission. Williams said nonprofits should remember to secure their operations first, much like the instructions given to passengers on airliners about oxygen masks: Always secure your own mask before assisting others.

“While businesses are closing and people are at risk of losing employment, there is likely to be an increase of demand for safety net agency services, many of which will be met by nonprofit organizations and their staff,” Williams said. “But if a nonprofit cannot meet its business obligations, it will not be in a long-term position to assist its community in a time of need.”

The full report from the Community Data and Research Lab explores in depth the different financial problems nonprofits of different sizes and categories may face due to COVID-19. The report is available at JohnsonCenter.org.

3. The process of restoring normalcy isn’t a linear process. Multiple stages of recovery often exist, involving different sectors of the nonprofit world at different times.

Williams said while some disasters are a singular event, like a tornado or tsunami, others happen more slowly and recovery often takes many stages. When society works to recover from the pandemic, the nonprofit sector will see those stages take shape. 

Right now, nonprofits are focused on immediate needs, like health care and direct emergency assistance, especially food. However, over time, as the situation stabilizes, the nonprofit sector will need to shift to education, housing and human services. 

Once the virus is well contained, job training, workforce development and other economic and productivity concerns will come back to the forefront. 

Finally, when people feel confident making longer-term plans to return to normal life, nonprofit operations will also return to a more normal activity level.

Upcoming research

Over the next several weeks, the Johnson Center will use additional IRS data to explore other financial aspects of the nonprofit sector, including cash on hand, changes in revenue sources, and what past economic shocks tell us about nonprofit organization creation and failure rates.

For more information, visit JohnsonCenter.org.

Produce from GVSU educational farm will be donated throughout growing season

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University


Produce from Grand Valley State University’s Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP) will be donated to the needy in an effort to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAP, the university’s educational farm, is located just south of the Allendale Campus. 

Youssef Darwich, farm manager and educator, said plans on where to donate the crops are still being finalized. Darwich has been maintaining the farm alone, without student help, in order to practice social distancing. 

“The garden has to keep going. The food system is a really important asset and we want to get it to the people who need it,” he said. “We want to do whatever we can to give back.”

Darwich said, in about a month, radishes, beets, carrots, lettuce and green onions will be harvested.

The typical harvest season is May-October. Darwich said moving forward, he will shift to planting more hearty foods, like peppers, cucumbers, turnips, squash, tomatoes and melons. 

He said farm shares may be available later in the season; share members of the garden are mostly faculty and staff members.

“Now, more than ever, we are reminded of the importance of being healthy and the foundation of health is good food,” said Darwich. “It’s an age-old saying — ‘let food be thy medicine.’ I really encourage everyone to focus on eating healthy to make you as strong as possible.”

New director named for GVSU Galleries and Collections

Nathan Kemler

By Peg West
Grand Valley State University


Nathan Kemler is the new director for Grand Valley State University’s Galleries and Collections for the Art Gallery, where he will lead an operation that places a premium on surrounding the GVSU community with art. 

Kemler will oversee a continuous display of art throughout 130 buildings and grounds at the university. A commitment to widely displaying art and making it accessible to all is a core value of the university and an important reason why Kemler wanted to lead the Art Gallery.

“Art is everywhere on campus. It is a borderless museum,” Kemler said. “I also believe art tells the story of the whole human experience, therefore I believe art matters because we matter. It’s a catalyst for social change. What Grand Valley has is a unique model that is not seen very often. You cannot move through Grand Valley without encountering artwork.”

Kemler replaces founding director Henry Matthews, who is now serving as distinguished university associate, Galleries and Collections. Kemler had been serving as interim director until the recent permanent appointment.

He will lead a team managing more than 19,000 pieces of art, including the largest public collection of Mathias J. Alten paintings in the world. Other high-profile collections include the recently acquired life’s work of photographer Douglas R. Gilbert, which includes rare Bob Dylan photos, and a highly regarded contemporary art collection procured in collaboration with artists in the Chicago area.

While at Grand Valley, Kemler has served as collections manager, curator of collections management, assistant director and then interim director before this appointment. He said over a 20-year career in the museum field, he has worked in every aspect, from collection care and curation to working with community partners and donors.

That wide-ranging experience will be an asset for the Art Gallery’s future, said Ed Aboufadel, associate vice president for academic affairs.

“Nathan brings extensive experience in the museum field, including the collection and exhibition of artwork,” Aboufadel said. “He is well-known across the state for his leadership of the Michigan Museums Association. Nathan’s collaborative leadership style will be critically important to the Art Gallery as we move forward in the 2020s.”

Kemler’s goals for the Art Gallery going forward include leading innovation efforts in digital initiatives, seeking even more community collaborations and curating collections that reflect the university’s learning values, such as stories of empathy and social justice.

How will COVID-19 impact the nonprofit sector? Johnson Center research offers insights

Grand Valley’s Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy (GVSU)

By Nate Hoekstra
Grand Valley State University


As the novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the United States and the rest of the world, financial implications on employees and businesses are profound.

Impacts are being felt across the economy, and the nonprofit sector is not immune. Researchers at Grand Valley’s Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy have analyzed IRS 990 form data and have identified trends in the nonprofit sector that nonprofits can expect to contend with as the pandemic evolves. 

The research was led by Jeff Williams, director of the Johnson Center’s Community Data and Research Lab, and is based on an analysis of the financial vulnerabilities of nonprofit organizations.

Williams said models can help nonprofit leaders make educated decisions about their organizations, especially as it pertains to project management, disaster response and using solid data.

The Community Data and Research Lab identified three trends that leaders can use to inform decision making.

1. Before things get significantly better or worse, leaders can expect to see things ‘get weird.’

Williams said in times of crisis when we are looking for certainty the most — even if it’s bad news — is when events are most likely to be unexpected in terms of magnitude, order and topic. 

“Adopting a mental posture of flexibility is key,” Williams said. “Being open about the impending storm in communications with service beneficiaries, clients and staff is essential for maintaining staff morale, too.”

2. Nonprofits are facing three distinct financial threats at the moment, each of which will impact different nonprofits in different ways. 

As entire segments of the economy falter and the stock market tumbles, different types of nonprofits will see decreases in revenue in three very different ways: decreasing revenue from annual campaigns and gifts, dropping demand for services and/or changes to contracts, and decreasing value in investments and stock market fluctuations. Most nonprofits, for example, receive very little investment income, so stock market fluctuations will not be their primary concern.

Williams said a clear understanding of the different types of revenue declines is important because nonprofits are businesses that pay salaries and rent, and purchase supplies and equipment just like any other. However in the big picture, nonprofits serve a broader public mission. Williams said nonprofits should remember to secure their operations first, much like the instructions given to passengers on airliners about oxygen masks: Always secure your own mask before assisting others.

“While businesses are closing and people are at risk of losing employment, there is likely to be an increase of demand for safety net agency services, many of which will be met by nonprofit organizations and their staff,” Williams said. “But if a nonprofit cannot meet its business obligations, it will not be in a long-term position to assist its community in a time of need.”

The full report from the Community Data and Research Lab explores in depth the different financial problems nonprofits of different sizes and categories may face due to COVID-19. The report is available at JohnsonCenter.org.

3. The process of restoring normalcy isn’t a linear process. Multiple stages of recovery often exist, involving different sectors of the nonprofit world at different times.

 

Williams said while some disasters are a singular event, like a tornado or tsunami, others happen more slowly and recovery often takes many stages. When society works to recover from the pandemic, the nonprofit sector will see those stages take shape. 

Right now, nonprofits are focused on immediate needs, like health care and direct emergency assistance, especially food. However, over time, as the situation stabilizes, the nonprofit sector will need to shift to education, housing and human services.

 

Once the virus is well contained, job training, workforce development and other economic and productivity concerns will come back to the forefront.

 

Finally, when people feel confident making longer-term plans to return to normal life, nonprofit operations will also return to a more normal activity level.

Upcoming research

Over the next several weeks, the Johnson Center will use additional IRS data to explore other financial aspects of the nonprofit sector, including cash on hand, changes in revenue sources, and what past economic shocks tell us about nonprofit organization creation and failure rates.

For more information, visit JohnsonCenter.org.

GVSU economist: Local economy remains soft

Brian Long is a local business forecaster. Credit: GVSU

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University


The West Michigan industrial economy remains marginally soft, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of January.

The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) edged down to -9 from -7, but continues to be ahead of October’s much weaker -21. The production index recovered to -2 from -7. The index of purchases remained negative at -6 from -17, and the employment index fell to -7 from -2.

Long said the West Michigan economy is poised for a period of slower growth entering 2020. 

He said the tariff wars are not over, but there has been progress. The new tariff agreement with Canada and Mexico will correct some inequities that have popped up over the past 26 years.  “For West Michigan, the biggest beneficiaries will be our local auto parts producers who will have their tariffs to Canada reduced or eliminated,” he said. 

Long said some West Michigan farmers may benefit from the Phase I trade agreement with China.

 

“Many of the tariffs that have disrupted Chinese pricing for many commodities and sub-assemblies for some of our local businesses are not included in the agreement,” said Long. “The agreement may contain a lot of loopholes that could allow China to fudge compliance numbers. In fact, it may be a year before we know if the agreement has actually done us any good.”

 

Long said the coronavirus could slightly dampen the world economy. “The CDC tells us that a vaccine is still about 12-14 months away, so world travel and other measures to contain the spread may put a dent in the Chinese economy, as well as other economies around the world, including our own,” he said. 

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”

For more information, contact Brian Long at 269-870-0428. 

Is the best way to educate men about sexual harassment to ‘sexually harass’ them? A GVSU researcher says, well, yes

Grand Valley State University Professor Michael DeWilde (Supplied)

By Dottie Barnes
gvsu.edu

It’s the same each semester. At least half of the women taking a business ethics course with Grand Valley State University professor Michael DeWilde have stories to tell about receiving inappropriate remarks or unwanted advances while at work.

Reactions to these stories from the men in class include looks of embarrassment or disbelief, while others seem a bit oblivious or said they didn’t realize the issue of sexual harassment was that bad.

This led DeWilde, professor of management and director of the Koeze Business Ethics Initiative in the Seidman College of Business, to begin using role play as a teaching tool at both the undergraduate and graduate level when discussing sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace.

In the #MeToo era, DeWilde has developed an innovative approach to help men more deeply understand the impact of sexual harassment. DeWilde demonstrates the role playing technique at conferences and it is the focus of his research on cognitive and emotional empathy.

During the role play, DeWilde plays the part of the “bad-guy harasser.”

During one training session at a Grand Rapids business, he noticed the technique was more effective when targeting a man instead of a woman.

“The feedback from this participant, and from other men in attendance, was ‘Sheesh, is that what it feels like?’ I finally got the desired effect,” DeWilde said.

In his business ethics courses, DeWilde started choosing men for the exercise and their reactions were immediate.

“Some get really nervous and become quite agitated and I have to back off,” he said. “I don’t think men appreciated the toll it takes on women emotionally and how long the effects can last, or what it means to feel a sense of dread to go to work because of harassment.”

Research in cognitive and emotional empathy is one of the Koeze Business Ethics Initiative’s major focuses. DeWilde recently conducted research at The Neuroimaging Lab at Texas Tech University, testing his role play methodology and the best ways to increase empathy. He said initial results from the lab are promising.

Recently, a conference attendee asked DeWilde, jokingly, “So, your solution to the sexual harassment of women is to sexually harass men?” To which DeWilde answered, “Well, in a controlled environment, yes.”

DeWilde said this type of role play he’s developed may or may not prove to be the only or best solution, however, men need to get it at a deeper emotional level in order to change things. 

For more information, contact Michael DeWilde at dewildem@gvsu.edu.

How climate change, millennials and tainted donors are impacting philanthropy

By Nate Hoekstra
Grand Valley State University


Climate change, millennials becoming a majority of the workforce, and increasing critiques of tainted donors are changing the nonprofit sector in profound new ways, according to experts and thought leaders at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.

Those concepts are just a sampling of emerging trends in the philanthropic sector identified in the Johnson Center’s annual 11 Trends in Philanthropy report, which analyzes upcoming and developing issues in the nonprofit industry.

A significant change to the nonprofit sector in 2020 will be the people working in it. This year, millennials will make up more than half of the workforce in the United States, and the generation’s desire for greater flexibility, transparency and meaning in their work is reshaping how nonprofit workplaces function. Those wants, coupled with the lure of social enterprise companies, may be presenting new opportunities for professional impact.

Nonprofits will also be on the front lines of a global issue: climate change. As the impacts of climate change become more apparent, nonprofit organizations and those who fund them will play critical roles in disaster response, policy change, applying a sustainable and climate-focused lens to existing strategies and advancing new ideas for mitigating and reversing ecological damage.

Another major trend that continues to develop is the increasing number and frequency of so-called tainted money and tainted donors. Common examples of this trend include the philanthropy of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender, and the giving of the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, which is linked to the opioid crisis. Some experts in the field even argue that the “cleanliness” of any money gained through capitalist practices should be considered suspect. But all of this concern puts the nonprofits who depend, to varying degrees, on private donations in an ethically complicated spot.

Other trends, which are also analyzed in-depth in the report, include:

— Increasing critiques of “Big Philanthropy”

— Data and mapping tools come together to empower community decision making

— Collaboration and consolidation in philanthropy’s infrastructure

— Data science for social impact

— Increased attention to sustainable development goals

— Alternatives to strategic philanthropy are emerging

— Corporate social responsibility employs many models to align business and philanthropy

— Inclusive growth requires urgent collaboration and deliberate patience



“The philanthropic sector is undeniably sharing in this time of marked upheaval and uncertainty,” said Teri Behrens, executive director of the Johnson Center. “Yet, we still see philanthropy as being best positioned to help unite us, domestically and internationally, to address some of the global challenges we face. We are a sector that focuses on solving problems.”

The full 2020 11 Trends in Philanthropy report is available online at johnsoncenter.org

GVSU, nonprofits launch initiative to aid homeless youth

Mark Contreras and Jamie Hendricks stand in the nurse station at HQ. The two nurse practitioners dedicate part of their work week to provide care for HQ members.
Photo Credit: Valerie Wojciechowski

By Michelle Coffill
GVSU


Grand Valley State University teamed with area nonprofits to officially launch a health initiative on Dec. 12 in an effort to interrupt the cycle of youth homelessness.

Shandra Steininger, co-founder and executive director of HQ called the Comprehensive Health Initiative (CHI) a hub of resources housed at HQ, a drop-in center for teens and young adults who are experiencing unstable housing or homelessness. She said CHI will provide hundreds of youth with access to primary health care, health system navigation, holistic therapy and substance abuse intervention. 

The core partners with HQ are 3:11 Youth Housing, which provides housing to youth experiencing homelessness; GVSU Family Health Center, operated by the Kirkhof College of Nursing; the Wisdom Center, which provides counseling services; and Health Net of West Michigan, which provides health system navigation services.

CHI received grant funding in excess of $400,000 over three years from the Steelcase Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Herman Miller Cares, Frey Foundation and Mars Hills Bible Church.

During the launch event at HQ, 320 State St. SE, Steininger said as state and federal funding for nonprofits has decreased over the years, it became clear a one-stop shop of providers for homeless youth was needed. She drew in partners who would dedicate time at HQ to build relationships with teens and young adults and provide assistance.

“We still have youth who think sleeping outside at night is their best option, so we used a model of building a resource hub with providers who would build intentional relationships with our members,” Steininger said.

Mark Contreras, nurse practitioner at the GVSU Family Health Center, is one of two providers who have regular hours at HQ. The Family Health Center, 72 Sheldon Blvd. SE, serves the GVSU community and many adults who live in the city’s Heartside district.

“We’ve learned from caring for this marginalized population that navigating the health care system for them is complex,” Contreras said. “They can’t purchase a prescription that’s $200 or go across town for a referral if they don’t have a car.”

The FHC nurse practitioners employ the same relationship-building techniques at HQ that they use with patients at the Sheldon Street center. 

“I’m a big advocate that if we’re asking a patient questions, we better be able to do something about it,” he said. “If I ask an HQ member if they have insurance and they don’t know, I can say, ‘Let me introduce you to my friend at Health Net who can help.'”

Steininger is confident assisting HQ members with mental and physical health care needs plays a key role in helping them find stable housing. She said 40 percent of adults who are homeless first experienced homelessness as a teen or youth.

More information about CHI is online.

School News Network: Earning it a way of life for Osorio twins

Patricia Osorio (left) and twin sister Johanna Osorio enjoy some downtime between classes on the Grand Valley main campus (cr. Sarah Anderson/University Communications/GVSU)

By Phil de Haan
School News Network


Grand Valley State University freshmen Odalis Johanna Osorio, who goes by Johanna, and her identical twin sister, Odalis Patricia Osorio, who goes by Patricia, do nothing the easy way. 

Consider their time at Wyoming High School, from which they graduated this past spring.

Already as freshmen they’d decided to push themselves and signed up for Honors English.

“My mom didn’t even know,” recalls Patricia, “and I can remember her asking ‘Why are you guys studying so hard?’”

Johanna continues the story for Patricia — a not uncommon occurrence for the pair, who also often answer questions in unison.

“We wanted to take on that challenge,” says Johanna. “It was hard, but we made it through.”

“I was scared every day in that class,” Patricia adds with a laugh.

“But we gained so much knowledge and skills,” concludes Johanna. “We learned how to study; we learned how to be students.”

Patricia Osorio (left) and twin sister Johanna Osorio pause prior to an afternoon lab on the Grand Valley State University main campus (cr. Sarah Anderson/University Communications/GVSU)

First Generation Students 

The twins have taken that knowledge, and much else learned during their high school days, to their university experience at GVSU, where they are part of a pre-dental program with a goal of one day opening their own dental practice. They already have a name picked out: Osorio Dental. And though they know the road ahead of them will be difficult, they are determined to succeed.

This semester the first-generation college students are taking four classes each, and two of those classes are chemistry and biology, each of which also has a lab.

“It’s harder than we expected,” says Johanna. “It’s going to be a big challenge, but we’ll get there.”

One thing that is making life a little easier for the pair is financial aid. They’ve received assistance from GVSU and were awarded scholarships from the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, based on their grades, activities and a short personal essay. Each received a foundation award of $1,000 from the Josephine Ringold Scholarship fund, which has given approximately $600,000 to students in the Grand Rapids area since it was established in 1991.

“We are still paying a lot since it’s two of us,” says Johanna. “We are very grateful for getting any financial assistance because it does help, no matter how much.”

Patricia Osorio (left) and twin sister Johanna Osorio enjoy some downtime between classes on the Grand Valley State University main campus (cr. Sarah Anderson/University Communications/GVSU)

Hot Chocolate in French 

They’re also grateful to teachers at Wyoming High School, who not only made an impact on them during their time there but have stayed in touch now that they’re at GVSU.

One such person is French teacher Amy Wood.Share your story idea with School News Network

The twins took French all through high school to push themselves and get out of their comfort zones. Fluent in Spanish, thanks to family ties to both Honduras and Mexico, they knew taking Spanish would have been easy. But French would present a challenge, and the twins were resolute in their belief that surmounting challenges was the best way to use high school as a launching pad for college. 

They found a bonus in Wood, whom they call Madame Wood.

“She was a big influence on us, and she’s stayed in touch with us and given us advice,” says Patricia. “We had her class in the morning, and she had this little machine where you could make hot chocolate. It made us feel comfortable.”

‘IT’S HARDER THAN WE EXPECTED. IT’S GOING TO BE A BIG CHALLENGE, BUT WE’LL GET THERE.’ — JOHANNA OSORIO ON UNIVERSITY LIFE 

Jonathan Bushen was another mentor and guide for the twins, and he too has stayed in contact with them. 

“He motivated us to go to university,” says Johanna. “Just the other day he texted, and he was like ‘Have you joined any clubs yet?’”

Patricia laughs. “We told him ‘yes’ because we joined the Latino Student Union, and we’d just been at a meeting!”

Patricia Osorio (left) and twin sister Johanna Osorio catch up on a reading assignment at a scenic spot on the Grand Valley State University main campus (cr. Sarah Anderson/University Communications/GVSU)

Drive + Compassion = Success 

Bushen, who teaches business, technology and video production, says Johanna and Patricia are two of the most gracious and kind students he has taught at Wyoming High School.  “Their drive for success along with compassion for others are some of their many great qualities,” he says. “As their business teacher for three years, I watched them develop into young women who have a passionate heart for others, along with determination for individual success, and it wasn’t hard to see that they would be successful in college, and beyond. I am fortunate to know them and to have just had a small piece in their journey.” 

In addition to supportive former teachers, the twins also have support from family — not just their mom and step dad but also numerous aunts and uncles and cousins — encouraging and pushing them to succeed. In turn, they have a deep desire to model success for others in their family, including a 3-year-old brother and a number of school-aged cousins.

“At Wyoming, when you graduate you get cords that you wear for all of the clubs and activities you’ve been part of,” says Patricia. “For Honors Society, for Key Club (a group that coordinates volunteer activities), for class committees. I remember my cousin looked at us wearing them and said ‘I want those.’ And I said: ‘Girl, you have to earn them.’”

Earning it. For the Osorio twins, there’s no other way.

For more on area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.

GVSU economist: Local economy remains soft

By Dottie Barnes
Grand Valley State University


Brian Long is a local business forecaster. Credit: GVSU

There are no signs of an impending recession, but the local economy will continue to slow in 2020, said Brian G. Long, director of Supply Management Research in Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

Long surveyed local business leaders and his findings below are based on data collected during the last two weeks of November.

The survey’s index of business improvement (new orders) came in at -10, up significantly from -21 in October. The production index is negative, but recovered to -9 from -34. The index of purchases recuperated to -18 from -21, and the employment index came in at -9 from -14.

Looking to 2020, Long said there is no evidence of the overall economy sliding into a recession, but there’s plenty of evidence to indicate a slowing for the industrial economy.

“Part of it has to do with the ongoing trade war with China and the soft business conditions around the world,” Long said.

All three local cyclical industries — office furniture, aerospace and automotive — have more than topped out, Long said, while some segments of the West Michigan agricultural industry, namely corn, soybeans and cherries, have had a marginal year. 

Local employment numbers continue to set records. “Ottawa County posted the lowest unemployment rate of 2.3 percent,” Long said. “Of the major cities in Michigan, the Grand Rapids report of 3.3 percent unemployment is the envy of most other major cities in the state.”

The Institute for Supply Management survey is a monthly survey of business conditions that includes 45 purchasing managers in the greater Grand Rapids area and 25 in Kalamazoo. The respondents are from the region’s major industrial manufacturers, distributors and industrial service organizations. It is patterned after a nationwide survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management. Each month, the respondents are asked to rate eight factors as “same,” “up” or “down.”

Annis Water Resources director to speak about role of government in environmental protection

By Nate Hoekstra
Grand Valley State University

Alan Steinman, director of Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute, will speak at an event hosted by FLOW (For Love of Water) that will focus on the government’s role in protecting health and the environment.

Steinman, a global expert on freshwater ecosystems and research, will present alongside four other experts on policy that relates to water during the event.

“Perhaps more than ever before, with the threats of climate change, invasive species and legacy contaminants impacting the health of the planet and its inhabitants, including humans, enlightened governmental regulation is needed to help ensure we have clean air, soil, and water not only for the current generation, but even more importantly, for future generations,” Steinman said. “It is an unfortunate fact that when we, as a society, opt for lax environmental regulations, economic development and growth trump environmental integrity every time. Governmental regulation can play a critical role in ensuring that economic vitality and environmental protection complement each other and create new opportunities, rather than being perceived as combatants on the planetary battlefield.”

Resetting Expectations: Community Engagement Session on the Role of Government in Environmental Protection and Public Health

Thursday, Dec. 5

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Grand Rapids Public Library, Ryerson Auditorium

111 Library Street NE

To register, please visit http://bit.ly/2JCJmnS

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.

The event’s interactive presentation will trace the history of environmental regulation and illustrate how environmental policies protect individuals, families and communities while fostering innovation and economic gains.

“FLOW’s body of research and reports – Resetting Expectations: Government’s Role in Protecting Human Health and the Environment and the community conversations – is designed to show that the benefits of government protections are both measurable and overwhelmingly favorable in the realm of environmental protection, where the quantifiable benefits of protections greatly exceed the costs imposed on business and the economy,” said Stanley “Skip” Pruss, who authored the reports and is the former director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth and former FLOW board chair.

Other speakers will include:

●     George Heartwell, former Mayor of Grand Rapids

●     Skip Pruss, former director, Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth

●     Liz Kirkwood, FLOW executive director

●     Dave Dempsey, FLOW senior policy advisor



The last half-century has witnessed sweeping changes in the public perception of government and its role in advancing the public interest and improving public welfare. Surveys today show public trust in government is in sharp decline and criticism of government has become a bipartisan social norm. To many, “government regulation” connotes undue interference with markets, competition, and the economy, yet, at the same time, surveys show overwhelming bipartisan support for an essential function of government: the protection of air, water, public lands, and natural resources.

For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-role-of-government-in-protecting-human-health-and-the-environment-gr-tickets-78060269367

GVSU Fall Arts Celebration concludes with holiday concert

By Peg West
Grand Valley State University


A festive performance of songs of the holiday season concludes the 2019 Grand Valley State University Fall Arts Celebration.

The holiday celebration, “Beloved Songs of the Season,” is Monday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. NE. Performers from local school districts will join those from the university for the event.

The concert includes yuletide selections from British composers David Willcocks and John Rutter. Audiences will hear Willcocks’ brass choir settings of beloved carols as well as Rutter’s classical holiday masterpiece, “Gloria.”

The celebration is the perfect way to start the holiday season, said Danny Phipps, chair of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. The evening will also include a sing-along.

“Fountain Street Church, decorated for the holidays and coupled with both the visual and aural effect of massed choirs and instrumentalists, will be a feast for the eyes and ears to everyone who attends,” Phipps said. “This year the University Arts Chorale and Cantate will be joined in performance by the Hudsonville High School Varsity Voices, West Ottawa High School Vocalaires, and our special guests, the Jenison Elementary Honors Choir.”

All Fall Arts Celebration events are free and open to the public. For more information visit gvsu.edu/fallarts.

GVSU president announces lifetime resource for alumni, talent epicenter for community

By Michele Coffill
Grand Valley State University


Philomena V. Mantella announced two initiatives that will strategically position Grand Valley State University into what she called a “breakout university” during her investiture address Nov. 15 as the institution’s fifth president.

Mantella detailed the Laker Lifetime Learning Account, money available to alumni to use for continuing education, and establishment of a talent epicenter, a physical space where companies, nonprofits, students and entrepreneurs will collaborate on ideas. She called both initiatives investments in the future during a time when the landscape of higher education is changing.

“The Laker Lifetime Learning Account will be available for Lakers to reduce costs and improve access to badges, certificates and advanced degrees at Grand Valley,” she said, adding this program will begin in the spring. “The promise of our future demands these changes, investments and our collective fortitude. The commitments I’ve outlined today will ready Grand Valley, and those who partner with us, to create and shape our future as a 21st century education leader.”

Hundreds of people attended the investiture ceremony in the Fieldhouse on the Allendale Campus, including representatives from colleges and universities around the country. Mantella was joined by her family, including her husband, Robert H. Avery, and her mother, Lucille.

Mantella assumed the presidency at Grand Valley July 1; she spent the last 18 years at Northeastern University as senior vice president of Enrollment and Student Life and the chief executive officer of the Lifelong Learning Network.

Mantella said Grand Valley must meet the changing, and challenging, demands higher education faces. These include a declining Michigan high school population, higher education access and affordability and a workforce talent gap. She said the time is act is now and sent a call to the campus community to “Reach Higher Together,” an initiative to lead change in higher education. 

“Our state and our nation need Grand Valley to seize the new reality that allows a university in Michigan to be a ‘breakout university’ by asserting its entrepreneurial spirit, its history of being agile, fearlessly growing and changing to meet new demands, and being hungry to shape education to learning styles that are as numerous as individuals are different,” she said.

To meet these demands, Mantella gave five commitments to the university community: evolving Grand Valley’s liberal education foundation, creating an unparalleled educational model, expanding experiential learning, supporting more students at different stages of life, and investing in alumni through the lifetime learning account program.

“We commit to supporting more students at different stages of life, acknowledging their multiple roles and delivering when they want to learn, where they want to learn, and how they want to learn,” she said. “This will require us to build a sophisticated infrastructure that leverages the power of place and the digital medium.” 

During the investiture ceremony, segments of the campus community offered greetings to Mantella. Kelly Dowker, executive vice president of the Student Senate, said she has had several opportunities to work with Mantella and appreciates her forward-thinking vision.

“President Mantella is adamant about including student voices,” Dowker said. “She is of enormous importance in higher education, not only in Michigan, but throughout the United States.”

President Emeritus Thomas J. Haas, Grand Valley’s fourth president, handed Mantella a baton that had been passed to him by former President Mark A. Murray.

“Leading a public university is a noble calling and representing my colleagues, we look forward to this next chapter,” Haas said. “We have confidence that you are the right individual to lead our grand university. The seed planted in 1960 is adapting to its ever-changing environment and is now growing and shaping people for the next 100 years and beyond.”

Four campus community members offered video greetings during the “Reach Higher Together” portion of the ceremony. They were Lavar Green-Jackson, representing current students; Sarah Daniels, ’09, representing alumni; Shawn Bultsma, representing faculty members; and Eric Payne, ’86, alumnus and Grand Rapids Police Dept. police chief, representing community.

 

Mantella was emotional when speaking about her family. She said she learned about bold moves from her father, whom she called “the original experiential learner in the family.” He left work as a laborer to start his own business.

  

“Through sheer grit, and many failures, he made the most of everything and everyone he encountered,” Mantella said. “My dad showed me how to work hard, follow my passions and turn my lessons into leadership gold.”

Disruptive behaviors may lead to poorer romantic relationships, study of nearly 800 couples finds

Angry twenty something couple yelling at each other. (Creative Commons/Fliker)

By Peg West
Grand Valley State University


Disruptive behaviors, such as substance use and aggression, in one member of a relationship are associated with relationship distress for both partners in that relationship, a study of nearly 800 couples has found.

The findings – reported by researchers from Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University and published in the Journal of Personality Disorders – revealed an association between relationship satisfaction and certain disruptive behaviors, as well as positive and negative personality traits.

“The results of the study help bolster research in both academic and clinical settings about the connections between an individual’s traits and behaviors to relationship satisfaction,” said Mikhila Wildey, assistant professor of psychology for Grand Valley State University and lead author on the study.

Researchers found that disruptive personality traits and behaviors, such as rule-breaking and aggression, were associated with lower relationship satisfaction for both the affected individuals and, interestingly, for their partners.

The researchers gathered data for eight years from nearly 800 couples. Participants were recruited from the MSU Twin Registry, the university’s ongoing, large-scale study of twins and their families.

One of the hallmarks of the MSU Twin registry – which is co-directed by study co-authors Alex Burt and Kelly Klump – is the multi-method assessment of twins and their family members. In this case, researchers focused on the romantic relationships of twins’ parents, which shows the value of twin family designs for understanding many different kinds of family relationships.

Each partner completed surveys that rated their own satisfaction with their relationship. Each couple was also recorded for 10 minutes discussing issues in their romantic relationship to allow researchers to analyze the interactions.

The researchers explained that the findings are consistent with prior work, which along with the scope of the study provides important depth to the research in this area.

Wildey, who is also a couples’ therapist, noted that the findings give insight for approaches in a clinical setting.

“These findings suggest that disruptive behaviors are not something to overlook when considering romantic partners,” Wildey said. “In addition, without any intervention, these behaviors can persist across adulthood and are, therefore, something that should be addressed for couples who want to have a healthier relationship with one another.”

MSU Psychology professor Brent Donnellan was a co-author on the paper. Donnellan, who researches personality, hopes these findings encourage people to consider patterns of behaviors and personality traits when thinking about long-term relationship partners.

“People might overlook these attributes in the initial stages of attraction but this study highlights their relevance for happy and mutually satisfying partnerships,” Donnellan said.