GRAND VALLEY
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Remembering influential leader Richard DeVos The university’s most generous contributor died at the age of 92 on Sept. 6. BY MCKENNA PEARISO ASSOCIATE@LANTHORN.COM
LEADER: Rich DeVos dedicated his life to improving West Michigan. COURTESY | NBA.COM
The Grand Valley community is mourning the loss of one of the university’s most influential leaders, Richard M. Devos, who died at age 92 on Sept. 6. DeVos played a pivotal role in the university’s growth from its founding in the 1960s. He was a prominent figure in revitalizing Grand Rapids, and his work in improving higher education, health care, and the economic development of the city made GR what it is today. Grand Valley’s President Thomas J. Haas said DeVos was one of the university’s greatest leaders who was imperative to the development of the Grand Valley community, most noteworthy being the establishment of the downtown Grand Rapids campus. DeVos served as President of the Grand Valley University Foundation for 24 years. Before that, his work for the university dates back to the 1970s during his time on the Board of Control. DeVos’s work with Grand Valley dates back to the 1970s when he worked on the GVSU Board of Control. “Rich gave so much of himself to Grand Valley,” Haas said. “His enthusiasm and vision were contagious, and drew the entire com-
Rich gave so much of himself to Grand Valley. His enthusiam and vision were contagious, and drew the entire community together to help provide a world-class eudcation to West Michigan citizens.” Thomas J. Haas GVSU President
munity together to help provide a world-class education to West Michigan citizens.” DeVos and his late wife, Helen, were some of Grand Rapids and Grand Valley’s most generous benefactors. The DeVos family has donated an estimated $36 million to Grand Valley. Several of the uniSEE DEVOS | A2
ENVIRONMENT
Successful sustainability GVSU ranked fourth out of 17 universities for achievement in continuous efforts in bettering environmental impact BY RACHEL MATUSZEWSKI RMATUSZEWSKI@LANTHORN.COM
During the spring, Grand Valley State University was recognized as a top performer in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 2018 Sustainable Campus Index. The university was ranked fourth out of 17 for waste minimization and 10th for well-being and work for master’s level universities. The Office of Sustainability answers questions for Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System program by AASHE. Their thorough assessment requires the ten groups from the Campus Sustainability Advisory to help improve sustainability on campus. Their areas of focus include building and landscaping, community engagement, energy and water management, finance, food systems, health and wellness, student affairs, transportation, waste management and sustainability education and research. “We’ve been delighted to improve our score—over the years it’s gone up every year we’ve done it.” Campus Sustainability Coordinator Yumi Jakobcic said. “It’s a great way for all of us to get in the same room and talk about ways we can collaborate to make something bigger happen.” Last year, the Office of Sustainability utilized the expertise of GVSU graduate student Samuel Afoakwa, who has worked to bring a recycling program to the Univer-
sity of Ghana, where he studied as an undergraduate student. “Myself and two other friends started this volunteer group of plastic recycling,” Afoakwa said. “It was really a challenge at first because we didn’t get full support from our school. We ended up sending proposals to private companies to help us fund recycling bins, which was a struggle because we didn’t have money and we were student volunteers.” Though the team struggled, they succeeded. “After so many rejections we were able to get about 14 recycling bins and now it has increased to 300. The school has cared for it and now we have a department set up for recycling on campus,” Afoakwa said. Afoakwa has been involved in many of the eco-friendly changes GVSU has implemented. He partnered with the Green Team—students who help others sort trash into the correct bins, and created a promotional video for Recycle Mania last semester. They were ranked seventh nationally. Afoakwa accredits GVSU’s success in the competition to getting the word out to the student body. Afoakwa will also be continuing the Zero Waste football games for three out of six games this season with the help of volunteers. There will also be a sustainability week from Oct. 1 - 6. The Office of Sustainability and Campus Sustainability Advisory SEE SUSTAINABLE | A2
ORGANIC: A student sorts through locally grown produce that benefits GVSU’s sustainability initiative. GVL | ARCHIVE
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