June 12, 2011 June 18, 2011 June 22, 2011 June 23, 2011 June 28, 2011 June 29, 2011 June 19 - August 21, 2011 July 6 - July 27, 2011 July 9, 2011 July 16, 2011 August 24, 2011 October 29, 2011
Tigers Game hosted by Metro Detroit Alumni Club | RSVP
Denver Alumni Club Colorado Rockies vs. Detroit Tigers Baseball Game | RSVP
San Diego Alumni Reception | RSVP
Los Angeles Alumni Reception | RSVP
Austin, TX Alumni Reception | RSVP
Dallas Alumni Reception | RSVP
Cook Carillon International Concert Series, Allendale Campus More
Beckering Family Carillon International Concert Series, Pew Campus
GVSU Alumni & Family Cherry Festival Parade Info | RSVP
All Alumni Golf Outing Details | Sign Up
Freshman Move-In | SAVE THE DATE! Details Coming Soon.
Homecoming: GVSU vs. Michigan Tech | SAVE THE DATE! - Details Coming Soon.
2008 ALUMNUS SHAPING MINDS ACROSS THE OCEAN Matt Cooley’s phone rang on graduation day in December of 2008. It was his future calling from more than 3,000 miles away. A principal offered Cooley, ‘08 and his wife Victoria (Hope College grad, '06) teaching jobs in the Netherlands at the United World College Maastricht. After a long paperwork process, they left their hometown of Grand Rapids and headed across the ocean, again. The scenery wasn’t entirely new for Cooley who had spent the better half of 2007 in the Netherlands teaching K-12 students as part of GVSU’s study abroad program. As an English major, with an emphasis in Language Arts and an Elementary Education minor, teaching has always been Matt’s passion. "I want to empower them with tools they need to succeed in a world where positive role models are hard to find,” said Cooley. Cooley has been teaching 37 fourth grade students from all over the globe every day with the help of his current teaching assistant and GVSU study abroad student, Tina. The last two years of teaching math, science, language, the arts, and geography to several children who do not understand English, has taught him a few lessons as well. “It was always exciting to think that one day I would teach abroad, but for it to become a reality has been more challenging and more rewarding than I thought it would be.” Cooley says his experiences at Grand Valley have taught him to be a worldly learner, and he continues to stay in touch with former professors at GVSU for their honest advice and ideas. He currently resides in Maastricht, Netherlands with his wife Victoria, and their English bull dog puppy Zoe.
Honor our finest now! Nominate Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Educators
Do you know a GVSU graduate who deserves recognition for tremendous personal and professional accomplishments? How about an incredible faculty member? Nominations are now being accepted for the upcoming academic year's Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Educator awards. Now is the time to be proactive and nominate that deserving person you’ve been thinking about! Deadline for all 2011-2012 nominations is July 22.
Remember, your nomination does more than just help to ensure that the achievements of talented and hard-working Lakers are recognized. By holding up the best of your alma mater for the world to see, you are also increasing the value of your degree. Make nominations here! | Read About Past Distinguished Alumni | Read about Past Outstanding Educators
Play golf, win a trip to Vegas, a VIP Laker Football Package & more!
The annual GVSU Sleep Inn & Suites Alumni Scholarship Golf Outing is a little more than a month away! Join your fellow alums and GVSU supporters on Saturday, July 16 at the Meadows.
Registration fee includes 18 holes and cart, a GVSU golf shirt, refreshments, and a BBQ dinner. This year we're continuing the Instructional Program for beginners. Raffles, silent auction, and prizes to the best players.
Details | Sign up | Facebook Event
A Year-End Invitation... Are YOU up for the Challenge?
Although ground has already been broken on two of Grand Valley's biggest campus projects - the Mary Idema Pew Learning & Information Commons and the L. William Seidman Center - the university still needs additional support from its alumni in making these buildings reality for Grand Valley students. Are YOU up for the challenge
? There is no better time than now to make a fiscal year-end gift (by June 30, 2011) to one or both of these projects!
And, with thanks and appreciation to donors like Rich and Helen DeVos, who are generously offering the DeVos Challenge, you can DOUBLE the impact of your gift! Click HERE to watch a short video from Ryan Slusarzyk, '08
Seidman graduate on how you can get involved. Why wait? Make your gift today and join hundreds of other alums who are already supporting these projects. Give Now and shape the future for generations of Grand Valley students to come! Questions? Please contact Jill Dooley at 616-331-6527 or jill_dooley@gvsu.edu.
Limited time offer, while supplies last! Order a special copy of Grand Valley Celebrates 50 years of Shaping Lives--hand-signed by three GVSU presidents--for $19.95.
Get your first book or purchase another to give the story of Grand Valley to a friend or new graduate. Find the commemorative book and other GVSU 50th anniversary memorabilia by visiting www.gvsu.edu/anniversary and clicking “Share the spirit.”
- June 12 - Detroit Tigers Baseball with the Metro Detroit Alumni Club -Enjoy the exclusive climate-controlled Tiger Den for an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch hosted by the Metro Detroit Alumni Club. Following lunch, attendees will enjoy outfield box seats as the Detroit Tigers try to sink the Seattle Mariners. One lucky attendee will win a visit to the pre-game set with Fox Sports Detroit anchor and GVSU alumnus John Keating, '79. More | RSVP
- June 18 – Detroit Tigers Baseball with the Denver Alumni Club -- The Tigers go transcontinental to take on the Colorado Rockies, and Denver Alumni Club Leaders Nick Janiga, '07 and Matt Muller, '05 invite Lakers from all altitudes to enjoy the match-up. You’ll graze on a pre-game appetizer buffet and hear university updates at the Blake Street Tavern, a block away from Coors Field. Come cheer on your teams! More | RSVP
- June 22 - San Diego Alumni Reception - West Coast Lakers salute Grand Valley, Part 1! Join San Diego Alum Candyce Covington, '02 & '04 at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort and Spa. Enjoy a night of news fresh from GVSU, meeting Laker alumni, and fabulous food and drink. Play your part in celebrating the 50th anniversary of GVSU! More | RSVP
- June 23 - Los Angeles Alumni Reception - West Coast Lakers salute Grand Valley, Part 2! Join Los Angeles Alum and Southern California Alumni Club Leader Cindy Scott, '08 at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in North Hollywood. Enjoy a night of news fresh from GVSU, meeting Laker alums, and scrumptious food and drink. Play your part in celebrating the 50th anniversary of GVSU! More | RSVP
- June 28 - Austin Alumni Reception - The Alumni Association is bringing the hospitality down south to wrap up GVSU's 50th Anniversary celebration. Join Austin Area Alumni Club leader Alison Smith Randall, '99 at Cork & Co. Wine Lounge
for an evening of delicatessen, sipping wine and socializing. Please RSVP
by June 20. More
- June 29 - Dallas Alumni Reception - Enjoy a night out under the Lone Star sky at La Hacienda Ranch in Carrollton with the GVSU Alumni Association. Join alumnus Dr. James Meernik, '85 at this unique setting for one final GVSU 50th Anniversary celebration. Enjoy some fantastic Texas fare and have fun with your fellow alums. RSVP to the fiesta by June 20.
More
- July 9 – GVSU Alumni & Family Cherry Festival Parade – Join the National Cherry Festival Parade in Traverse City as part of our Laker armada led by the GVSU Laker Marching Band, Laker Cheerleaders, Louie the Laker, and other GVSU Alumni. It’s a blast, it’s tasty, and it’s the Laker highlight of this weeklong festival with something for everyone. Please register yourself and all attending with you in advance. More | RSVP & Register
Make sure you check out all our events on our at-a-glance Calendar at top left or go to Alumni Events for the full scoop!
- May 7 - Young Alumni Kentucky Derby Party and New Graduate Welcome - Fresh from the gate (graduation), new grads mingled with other Young Alumni to celebrate the Derby. Held at the GVSU Pew Campus, nearly 70 attendees admired big hats and swanky outfits, enjoyed mint juleps and Derby fare, won prizes, and best of all, learned what is means to be involved alumni. Young Alumni Council members Jessica Scudder, '01 and Megan Koops-Fisher, '07, '08 offered GVSU updates and shared ways to stay connected with GVSU. Photos
- May 12 – New York City Alumni Club Reception - Big Apple area alumni celebrated the 50th anniversary in a retro/modern setting with fellow Lakers at BUtterfield8. New York City Club Leader Darryl Nicholson, '08 and friends hosted an evening of networking with Laker alumni, and more. Photos
- May 18 - Cincinnati Alumni Club Reception - Cincinnati area alumni celebrated Grand Valley's golden anniversary in style, with Alumni Association Board Member April D. Robles, '98 hosting a soiree at Cincinnati's heritage-rich Montgomery Inn at The Boathouse. Photos
- May 19 - Indianapolis Alumni Club Reception - Lakers in the heartland toasted Grand Valley's golden anniversary at the Seasons 52 Fresh Grill and Wine Bar in Indianapolis. Indianapolis Alumni Club Leader Jennifer Poad-Baker, '92 hosted the gathering, and guests celebrated the Laker half-century. Photos
Laker Athletes Making National Waves
Women Athletes Named Outdoor Track and Field National Champions
The Grand Valley State women's outdoor track and field team captured the school's first ever Division II National Championship by winning the 2011 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Turlock, California. GVSU is now the first NCAA women's program in history (Division I, II, or III) to win the cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field national championships in the same academic year. Three Lakers earned individual national championships. Liz Murphy won the national championship in the hammer throw and Lauren Buresh won the national championship in the shot put. The men's team finished in a tie for 16th place after Daniel Vanek's individual national championship in the shot put. Full Article
4 Peat! GV Rowing wins fourth National Collegiate Championship Regatta
The Grand Valley Rowing team came out on top in the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championship in Gainesville, Georgia. The squad won its fourth straight ACRA Women's and ACRA Overall Team Points Championship at the two day competition.
GVSU Softball Player Katie Martin Named Division II Player of the Year
Sophomore Katie Martin from Ann Arbor was named the 2011 Daktronics NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. Martin is first player in GVSU history to be named a first-team Daktronics All-American since the program began in 2007.
7th Annual Club Soccer Golf Outing
Join coach Jeff Crooks and men and women club soccer alumni at the 7th Annual Club Soccer Golf Outing on Saturday, August 27 at the Meadows. Grab your foursome for the 1:30 p.m. scramble, raffles, prizes, and a dinner to follow. All proceeds from this fundraiser go directly to each program. Team Registration: $500 Individual Registration: $150. For more information, please contact Coach Jeff Crooks at 989-330-0990 or crookje@gvsu.edu
Apply for the GVSU Kellogg-Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship
Grand Valley is seeking applicants for the 2012 cohort of the W. K. Kellogg Foundations Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship. Qualified applicants should possess a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and be interested in teaching science or math in one of Michigan's high need secondary schools. Selected applicants will receive $30,000 to pay for tuition, fees, and living expenses while they complete the program. Apply | Learn more You can also contact Loretta Konecki, Project Director koneckil@gvsu.edu for more information.