History of SVSU - 1963-2013

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Saginaw Valley State University: The Years of Growth and Maturity 1989 – 2013


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013


History of SVSU: 1989-2013

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

© 2014 Saginaw Valley State University All rights reserved. This book or portions thereof may not be reproduced in any form—except in brief quotation (not to exceed 1,000 words) in a review or professional work­—without permission in writing from Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, University Center, Michigan 48710. Editors:

J.J. Boehm Paul C. Chaffee Basil A. Clark Tim M. Inman Brad Jarvis Jan R. Poppe Carlos Ramet

Designer: Tim M. Inman Publisher: Saginaw Valley State University 7400 Bay Road, University Center, Michigan 48710 Printer:

Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Edwards Brothers Malloy

ISBN:

978-0-692-27305-0


iii

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Saginaw Valley State University: The Years of Growth and Maturity 1989 – 2013


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Contents Acknowledgements Forward Chapter 1 A Strong Academic Foundation Accreditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Expanded Accreditation, Program Assessment and Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Transfer Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Changes in the Way We Learn — Technology and the Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Technology and Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Technology and Distance Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Extraordinary Becomes Ordinary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Technology and V-Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 General Education — Teaching Critical Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A Foundation Strengthened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Table 1.1: General Education Requirements at SVSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Blending Faculty Research with Quality Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Resource Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Table 1.2: SVSU Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays Scholars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 A Maturing Institution — Attracting the Best and Brightest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Research — And Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Table 1.3: SVSU Braun Fellowship Recipients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Table 1.4: Endowed Chair Positions at SVSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Experiential Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A Mission of Civic Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Back to the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Chapter 2 Managing A Maturing Institution Regional Economic Development and Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Global Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Economics of the Environment, Innovation and Regionalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Cardinal “Green” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Center for Business & Economic Development (CBED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 The Business & Industrial Development Institute (BIDI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Independent Testing Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Saginaw Valley Research & Development Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34


History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Office of Continuing Education & Professional Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The Office of Career Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Educational Partnerships and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Supporting Quality Teaching and Student Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Charter Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Regional Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Collaborations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Health Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 The Fine Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Table 2.1: Lecture Series at SVSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 A Culture of Caring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Chapter 3 Global Communities Office of International Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Student and Faculty Exchanges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Sister Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Student Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 The World in Coursework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Student Programs with a Global Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Roberts Fellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Gerstacker Fellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Vitito Fellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Promoting a Diverse Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Chapter 4 Strategizing and Managing Physical Growth H. Randall Wickes Stadium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Curtiss Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 South Campus Complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Founders Hall and the Julia Stacey Edwards Bell Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Moving Forward: The 1996 Campus Master Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 On-Campus Student Housing – Unexpected Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Herbert Dow Doan Science Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The Construction Boom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Doan Student Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Regional Education Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Ryder Center Recreational Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Zahnow Library Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Continued Growth and Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

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Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Pioneer Hall Renovations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Health & Human Services Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 More and More a Residential Campus – Functional and Beautiful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Chapter 5 Governance and Structure University Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Academic Programs and Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Human Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Public Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . University Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Information Technology Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Academic Departments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of Business & Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College of Science, Engineering & Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faculty Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Support Services Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Institutional Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Registrar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Business Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Controller’s Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphics Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Outstanding Performance Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mail Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120 121 123 124 125 126 127 127 128 128 128 128 128 130 130 130 132 132 133 134 134

Chapter 6 Athletics Transitions at the Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Winning Football Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Watson Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playing for National Championships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intramural Sports and Club Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

141 144 145 147 150

Chapter 7 A Rich History of Philanthropy The Annual Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Forward 90 Fund Drive (Capital, 1988 – 1990) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Association for the Advancement of SVSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188


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Endowment for Enhancement (Endowment, 1992 – 1994) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Campaign for Distinction (Endowment, 1996 – 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating the Future Fund Campaign (Capital, 2000 – 2002) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gateway to the Future Fund Drive (Capital, early 2000s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Promise for Tomorrow Campaign (Endowment, 2002 – 2010) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cardinal Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rosalind C. Fredericks Educational Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Operations Endowment Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conservation Endowment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The 50th Anniversary Campaign (Endowment, 2012). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

188 188 190 190 192 193 193 193 193 193 195

Chapter 8 The Alumni Association and Alumni Relations Alumni Scholarships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alumni Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distinguished Alumni Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distinguished Alumni Award – By College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Outstanding Alumni Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rising Young Alumni Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Future Outstanding Alumni Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Honorary Alumnus Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

199 199 199 200 200 202 202 202

Epilogue Notes Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

214 217 220 222 226 227 228 229

Addendix A Board of Control Membership 1989 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

230 230 230 230 231 231


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1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

231 231 231 231 231 231 232 232 232 232 232 232 232 233 233 233 233 233 233

Appendix B Board of Control Biographical Sketches David J. Abbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Raana W. Akbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hugo E. (Ted) Braun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruth A. Braun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Carmona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry L. Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sandra M. Cotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles B. Curtiss, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sally Stegeman DiCarlo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy G. Edmunds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elias J. Escobedo, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cathy W. Ferguson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David R. Gamez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gerald (Jay) Hornsby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K. P. Karunakaran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Burnett S. Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry J. Klykylo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. Brian Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Lofton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey T. Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carmen Munoz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G. Elva Revilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

234 234 234 235 235 235 235 236 236 236 236 236 237 237 237 237 237 237 238 238 238 238


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Donna J. Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas E. Rush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gumecindo Salas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Florence (Jo) Saltzman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lawrence E. Sedrowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda L. Sims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenee Velasquez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert J. Vitito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert H. Walpole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George E. Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leola Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joyce K. Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerome L. Yantz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

238 239 239 239 239 240 240 240 240 240 241 241 241

Appendix C Board of Control Scope of Authority Separation and Delegation / Reservation of Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Appendix D Time-tested Leadership Robert T. Becker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Merry Jo Brandimore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James P. Dwyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Mary Hedberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Deborah Huntley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Kowaleski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Robert L. Maurovich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James G. Muladore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard E. Payne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Carlos Ramet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jo Ann Stanley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Mamie T. Thorns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Kenneth R. Wahl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

245 245 246 246 247 247 248 248 249 249 250 250 251

Appendix D Academic Affairs Administration Vice President for Academic Affairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dean of the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dean of the College of Business & Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dean of the College of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dean of the Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dean of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

252 252 252 252 253 253


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Appendix E Organizational Charts 1989 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279

Appendix F Aerial Photographs of the Campus 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

280 282 284 286 288 290 292 294 296


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Appendix G Campus Maps 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306


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Acknowledgements When the 50th anniversary of the founding of Saginaw Valley State University was approaching, President Eric Gilbertson called on Professor of English Basil Clark, the author of a book written about SVSU’s first 25 years, and Associate Professor of History Brad Jarvis to begin research on the next edition of Clark’s first book on the university’s history. Their initial research and early drafts provided the foundation for this volume. Also contributing to the editing of the documents provided by Clark and Jarvis were Paul Chaffee, retired publisher of The Saginaw News who the university retained as a communications consultant; Jan Poppe, director of branding and marketing support in the Office of University Communications; and Carlos Ramet, executive assistant to the president/executive director of public affairs. J. J. Boehm, director of media and community relations, edited Chapter 6 on athletics. In addition to editing, Tim Inman, director of photography, advertising and publishing services in the Office of University Communications, researched and edited the photographs included in the following pages, and completed the design and layout for this edition. Others who contributed their time to this project include Rose San Miguel and Kirker Kranz, archivists in the Melvin J. Zahnow Library; Mrs. Hisako Satoh, retired chair of the Board of Control, Shikoku University; Mr. Ichiro Satoh, chair of the Board of Control, Shikoku University; Dr. Noboru Fukuoka, retired president of Shikoku University; Shikoku University Office of International Programs; and former Shikoku University exchange professors to SVSU. Additionally, Mrs. Yoko Mossner provided assistance with Japanese language translation. Saginaw Valley State University holds the copyright to all the photographs included in this book. Although individual credit to each photographer is not included, the editors would like to express appreciation to all the photographers who worked for the Office of University Communications since 1989 and may have some of their images printed in this book. The editors have attempted to be inclusive of all those ­— named or unnamed — who have contributed to the continued growth of the university from 1989 through 2013.


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In 1989, new president Eric Gilbertson and his wife Cindy would have turned east into campus after coming to this sign that marked the school’s main entrance on Bay Road.


xv

Forward

Forward President Eric Gilbertson delivered these remarks at the university’s 50th anniversary banquet on Nov. 9, 2013, at Saginaw Valley State University. My first day on this job 24 years ago, I wrote two letters: one to Sam Marble and one to Jack Ryder. I thanked them each for all they had done to help create the opportunity I had inherited. I was deeply grateful then; in retrospect and knowing what I know now, I am even more grateful tonight. Twenty-four years ago SVSU was ripe and ready to become what it has become. It had been created with bold imagination, had persevered through difficult times and grown and matured into an extraordinarily promising institution. Cindy and I arrived from Vermont with Sara and Seth and a timid Labrador retriever and a predatory calico cat. We felt lucky to be here. In fact, we were incredibly lucky to be here. During these past 24 years some buildings were constructed — lots of them, actually: buildings to support and improve academic programs ... buildings to house and amuse students ... buildings that encouraged the arts to thrive and recreation to enrich the lives of a campus community. So, how did all this happen? It happened because a number of key legislators endured the tenacious and persistent lobbying of Gene Hamilton and still chose to dedicate their political careers to the development of this institution in and for their region. Then thoughtful board members took the risks of borrowing money to build a residential campus that would bring students from throughout Michigan and, indeed, from around the world to this flat valley. Skilled architects and planners worked hard and long to make the difficult and critical decisions about what to build and where to build to create the theaters and stages on which the performances of a university would play out. And then the women and men of the maintenance and custodial staff gave these places the care they needed to serve the people and programs they housed.


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That is how this wonderful and beautiful campus came to be — all these people made it happen. There were endowments created and programs developed: endowed chairs to provide academic leadership; fellowship and grant programs to give students extraordinary opportunities; lectureships and performances to enrich the intellectual and cultural life of the campus for students young and old and a community. How did all this happen? Generous donors were inspired by the possibilities. Friends did the difficult and often awkward work of explaining these possibilities and asking; and then dedicated faculty and staff did the hard work of making these programs and possibilities come alive for students. And so now we have the Roberts Fellows and Gerstacker Fellows and Braun Fellows and Kantzler Fellows and Vitito Fellows. We have endowed chairs and the Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists Program and the Dow Student Research and Creativity Institute. We have Rhea Miller concerts and the Rush and Edwards and Barstow and O’Neill lectures, and we have the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. And there are literally hundreds of endowed scholarships to help and reward our students. These and more are now part of the fabric, the culture of our university. But they weren’t always there — people made them happen. And there were new academic programs developed and existing ones upgraded and redeveloped; countless lectures and projects and exams were constructed and delivered; books and articles were published — the most important and most difficult work of an academic institution. New ideas added excitement and enjoyment to the life of the campus — games and conversations and yes, just plain fun. These and other initiatives brought the campus alive with ideas and opportunities. How did this happen? Faculty and staff worked and cared, day to day, sometimes going unnoticed and often unappreciated. We appreciate them now. Over these years, the reach of the university was extended around the world. Students and visiting scholars were drawn here from every continent. And SVSU students and faculty boarded airplanes from Michigan to distant places and returned forever changed. Friendships were deepened and new ones created with institutions and colleagues in Japan and India and Ghana and Taiwan. In fact, as we have already seen, distinguished representatives of those sister institutions are here with us tonight to celebrate this moment with us. Board members — the Board of Control, the Board of Fellows, the SVSU Foundation Board, the Alumni Board — gave of their time and treasure and talents to guide and direct the course of the university. They gave — that’s it, they gave — because they believed in what the university did and could mean in the lives of others. And vice-presidents and deans and key staff members joined as a team to work — incredibly hard — and to worry — they do worry, 24/7. It was their calling to push and prod and ensure that tasks, large and small, were done to move the university forward to its better future. I can tell you first-hand that no one tried harder or cared more than these colleagues — colleagues who also became friends.


Forward

And, of course, students came and went — tens of thousands of them. They came from the Thumb, and the Great Lakes Bay Region, and along the I-75 corridor, and then from places 12 time zones away and everywhere in between. They learned and, sometimes, they taught the rest of us. And they left something of themselves here, too. They created traditions — new clubs, fund-raising events like their annual “Battle of the Valleys,” parades and parties and painted rocks and all manner of mischief. They won and lost games of sport; they acted out important ideas and characters in plays; they grew as we watched them on stages and in laboratories. They made memories — for themselves and for those of us who were privileged to share these moments with them. And because of all they did, and what we knew they might become, they made us all want to do better, to be better. Perhaps now, on an occasion like this, we might begin to see it all come together — rather like an impressionist’s painting. The collective work of so many people — each adding strokes from their own brushes — each adding their own artistry to the shared canvas. They all did it, individually and together — hundreds and thousands of faculty and staff and board members and donors and politicians and, of course, students. And you all did it. It’s a thing of beauty to behold tonight. I confess to being something of a hopeless romantic about the very idea of a university — often given to rhapsodizing what it is and does in the lives of people and a society. But I do believe that the university is the chosen instrument of our highest and best hopes. So now, half a century later, we have in our care and keeping an institution that has touched and inspired and lifted the lives of literally tens of thousands of individuals and tens of thousands of their families. None have been more profoundly touched and enriched than the Gilbertsons; and none could be more grateful. But here’s the thing: this collective work of art is never finished. Never. The university is always about the business of creating and being created. It’s fascinating to imagine — or try to imagine — the university students will need 50 years from now. But there are tens of thousands of yet unborn — not yet conceived — human souls who are counting on us. We know only this: the university they will need will have to be far better than the one we have created so far. Far better. We also know that 50 years is not really a very long time. Looking back, it seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. And now the clock is ticking swiftly and relentlessly towards the year 2063. There’s so much yet to do . . . we’d better get to work. Thank you. Eric R. Gilbertson President (1989 – 2013)

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Eric Gilbertson delivers his first “Welcome Back” remarks to the campus community on Aug. 31, 1989, in Marble Lecture Hall.


1

Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

Chapter 1

A Strong Academic Foundation On the afternoon of Aug. 31, 1989, new President Eric Gilbertson stepped to the podium at the front of a packed Wickes Lecture Hall — a room later renamed for the university’s first president, Samuel Marble — to formally welcome new and returning faculty and staff to another academic year. The annual fall orientation speeches became a trademark of the president over the years, allowing for reflection on the university’s past and a preview of where he would take it in days ahead. Gilbertson ended his remarks with a quiet reprise of the roll-call admonition from the television police drama series Hill Street Blues that all in attendance should “go out and do it to them before they do it to us.” In what amounted to one of President Gilbertson’s first public actions as SVSU executive, his 1989 orientation speech served to introduce not only himself to the SVSU community but, as important, his vision for the future and emphasis on deliberate planning to get there.1 Gilbertson had come to SVSU from Johnson State College, a small picturesque institution in Vermont’s Green Mountains. He had launched himself into a career in academic administration at a young age, having become the president of Johnson College when he was just 34 years old. Prior to that, Gilbertson had received degrees in economics and law, had worked as an attorney before serving for a time as legal counsel to the Ohio Board of Regents and as an executive assistant to the president of The Ohio State University. Only 44 when he accepted the position of president of Saginaw Valley State University in 1989, Gilbertson relished the opportunity to return home to the Midwest. He savored the challenge of helping to shape an institution even younger than he. He could not have known at the time that Saginaw Valley State University was to become his home for the next quarter century, or that by the end of his administration the university’s physical size would triple and student enrollment nearly double. Speaking just three years after Gov. James Blanchard referred to Michigan as “the comeback state” for balancing its budget and digging itself out of financial distress during the 1970s, Gilbertson spoke of the need to manage resources carefully while still promoting


2

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

growth. Cognizant of the financial problems that would face the state into the 1990s, and aware that the Legislature had drastically reduced its commitment to the state’s colleges and universities during the previous decade, Gilbertson told his audience that SVSU’s future success was not going to rely on ready infusions of cash. He, nevertheless, was unequivocal that SVSU could fulfill the promise forecast by those who had created the institution a quarter century earlier and envisioned by the faculty, staff, administrators and students who had helped it grow under the management of his predecessors Samuel Marble and Jack Ryder. Marble, the institution’s first president, had originally come to the area from Wilmington, Ohio, in 1958 to serve as president of Delta College, a two-year community college. He had a reputation as a visionary and could see the value of a four-year institution for the region; when he proved unsuccessful in moving Delta in that direction, he began work to build Saginaw Valley College. As its first president, he was instrumental in securing fund-

Jack Ryder, who retired as SVSU’s second president in 1989, arrived at the college in 1974 during a time of economic recession, threats of legislative budget cuts and nagging rumors that the state government wished to repurpose the college campus into a prison.


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

ing, supervising the initial accreditation process and stressing the importance of interdisciplinary education. It was up to the college’s second president to guide SVSU through its adolescent phase. Jack Ryder arrived at the college in 1974 during a time of economic recession, threats of legislative budget cuts and nagging rumors that the state government wished to repurpose the college campus into a prison. Ryder recalls that while getting a haircut soon after arriving in Saginaw, the barber referred to Saginaw Valley College as a “community college.” At that point, Ryder made it his mission to change the image of SVC both locally and in Lansing. He and his wife, Lila, carefully crafted an image of the college, and later the university, as a teaching institution and a community resource. Because his background prior to his career in higher education was in secondary school administration, including a brief stint in Saginaw County in the 1950s, Ryder maintained that the university’s primary emphasis was providing a high-quality education for its students. Ryder retired in 1989, handing over the university to Gilbertson who would see it through an era of maturation. The previous presidents had left a legacy of intelligent employment of resources, creation of innovative academics, cultivation of community involvement and thoughtful planning.2 Gilbertson embraced these principles, using them to structure his vision for SVSU’s growth over the ensuing 25 years. He shared this vision with the larger university community a few months after arriving, when he delivered his first State of the University Address on Jan. 18, 1990. He called for the creation of a planning task force, comprised of representatives from administration, faculty, staff, students and the public. They would study ways to maximize the university’s mission as a teaching institution in the midst of a Michigan economy recovering from recession and facing declining numbers of high school graduates. One year later, the task force released its report, “Promises to Keep.” It was the first such comprehensive planning document published by the university in nearly 20 years. It outlined a strategy of careful physical expansion, promotion of ethnic and racial diversity in the staff and student populations and development of quality academics that would involve students in work outside the classroom; plans to expand opportunities for faculty and students to study abroad and participate in international exchanges were included in the document. Although SVSU regularly updated its planning vision every four or five years during his tenure, the principles articulated by Gilbertson during his first year in office remained remarkably consistent. Over the next two and a half decades, SVSU would become even more rooted in its mission to be an institution of quality undergraduate education, a supporter of innovative research and scholarship, a regional center for cultural enrichment and a proponent of global economic entrepreneurialism.3

Accreditation

A strong university is built on a foundation of quality academics. For SVSU, this meant that its departments and colleges faced periodic external review by national evaluation organizations to attain accreditation, indicating they met or exceeded stringent standards for excellence. All professional programs at SVSU have achieved accreditation or reaccredita-

3

Promises to Keep


4

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Crystal Lange

Terry Ishihara

Altaf Rahman

James Mitchell

Paul Uselding

tion from national organizations. The College of Education received accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in 1992, recognizing SVSU as a premier institution for teacher preparation. Its status required constant maintenance, and every few years the college needed to prepare for visits by accreditation reviewers. It showed evaluators it prepared future teachers according to NCATE standards, typically more stringent than those the state of Michigan mandated. Similarly, nursing instruction at SVSU received accreditation from the National League of Nursing (NLN) in 1989. The NLN renewed the program’s status every eight years, giving SVSU the longest accreditation period allowed. When nursing administrators sought and received accreditation in 1991 for the Master of Science in Nursing degree, the NLN stipulated that current and new faculty needed to have doctorates in order to offer graduate courses. Crystal Lange, dean of SVSU’s nursing college, already had been encouraging her staff to obtain doctorates. Still, most nursing faculty at that time had master’s degrees, and many needed to take the rare step of returning to college to earn doctorates.4 Program accreditation placed SVSU on par with other highly recognized and valued peer institutions. In 1989, Terry Ishihara and Altaf Rahman co-chaired a committee that prepared the College of Science, Engineering & Technology to receive approval from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which meant that the college ranked among the best of the nation’s schools in its specialty. Approximately 12 percent of the colleges and universities in the nation had accredited engineering departments in the years after SVSU’s College of Science, Engineering & Technology achieved the distinction in 1990.5 Accreditation also significantly assisted the university in recruiting students and helping graduates find employment or placement in advanced-degree programs. Likewise, the College of Business & Management was among fewer than a quarter of the business colleges in the nation to receive accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). That daunting task began in 1993. In the decade following former Dean James Mitchell’s retirement in 1993, four permanent and interim deans led the College of Business & Management as it sought accreditation. Paul Uselding, who became dean in 1999, learned in the spring of 2003 that the AACSB had accredited the college and ecstatically proclaimed that “we have a new address — we’ve moved to a better neighborhood!” Uselding added that “the value of a degree in business from SVSU just went up significantly. I would anticipate that we can recruit students here that heretofore might not have considered SVSU. I think we will attract more and better students.”6 Also in the College of Business & Management, the Accounting Department created the Bachelor of Professional Accountancy during the 1994-1995 academic year to keep its standards in line with the expectations of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and stay ahead of expected changes in Michigan’s accounting laws.7

Expanded Accreditation, Program Assessment and Improvement

The Occupational Therapy program admitted its first students in 1993 and received initial accreditation from the American Occupational Therapy Association in 1995.8 The Chemistry Department gained certification by the American Chemical Society, the athletic training program by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and in December 2009 the Department of Music became a member of the


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

Nicole Calandrino was a chemistry major who loved science. At SVSU, she started a new dream, about a career in the administrative end of a biotechnology or environmental company, possibly mediating between administration and research and development. After a job shadow and marketing project for a Midland biotechnology company, she was surer than ever about her dream. “I want to minor in agricultural studies to better merge my interest in science and business,” Nicole said. With mentoring and advice from Dr. Joseph Affholter (The Dow Entrepreneur-in-Residence, a scientist and businessman) and Dr. Martin Arford (associate professor of geography and chair of the agricultural studies steering committee), Nicole switched her major to economics and has minors in biology, entrepreneurship and now agricultural studies.

5


6

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Robert S.P. Yien (left), who retired in 2006, served as the university’s chief academic officer for an unprecedented 27 years. His contributions and leadership as vice president for academic affairs provided the basis for SVSU’s comprehensive curriculum and international program development. Following retirement, Yien remained active in fostering sister-college relationships with SVSU. Donald J. Bachand succeeded Yien and added the responsibilities of provost in 2010. Bachand led the institution to receive new accreditations in music and clinical laboratory sciences; seven other accreditations were renewed under his leadership. Prior to his appointment as vice president, Bachand served as dean of the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences for nearly 10 years.

National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The Department of Social Work also achieved national accreditation.9 To ensure that the colleges maximized their resources to benefit student learning, Gilbertson created the Academic Program Advisory Board and charged it with assisting departments with their assessment goals, evaluating or creating programs and fostering diversity. The chair, by tradition the associate vice president for academic planning and assessment, reported directly to the vice president for academic affairs, at the time Robert S. P. Yien. When Yien retired in 2006, Donald J. Bachand assumed the vice president’s position and instituted an evaluation procedure through which department chairs or representatives submitted detailed reports documenting goals and successes. That proved instrumental in steering university resources to the improvement and development of its programs.10

Transfer Agreements

During the 25 years since Gilbertson’s arrival, SVSU has signed numerous articulation agreements with other colleges and universities that allow students to transfer to SVSU and receive full credit for previous coursework. These agreements have made SVSU an attractive


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

7

destination for students seeking bachelor’s degrees. SVSU’s earliest agreements date back to its relationship with Delta College, which played an important role in the birth of the university. SVSU welcomed thousands of students from Delta during its first 34 years and agreed to new articulation agreements in 1997, making transfer to SVSU even smoother for students in 13 specific Delta degree tracks. In 2002, the two schools created a joint-degree arrangement for high school industrial arts teachers.11 In 1997, SVSU signed its first agreement with Kirtland Community College in Roscommon, Mich., and in 2013 the two schools agreed to offer the university’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree on KCC’s campus. SVSU also developed an agreement with Mount Pleasant’s Mid-Michigan Community College in 1997, expanding on it in 1999 to allow MMCC law enforcement students to transfer credits to SVSU’s Criminal Justice Department. In addition, SVSU and Mott Community College signed an articulation agreement in 1999, and one year later restructured it to make it easier for the Flint school’s graduates to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work at SVSU. The university also began a partnership with St. Clair County Community College in 1999 to provide teacher certification courses at Port Huron. An articulation agreement with Niagara College formalized the transfer of credits for the Ontario institution’s students seeking a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.12 Articulation agreements also aid SVSU students working toward specialized degrees. For example, in March 1998 SVSU signed an agreement with Michigan State University allowing students to transfer to any of 27 majors within its College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. SVSU received a $300,000 Agricultural Program Development Grant from the Michigan Department of Education to support this agreement.13 These articulation agreements made it easier for students, many of whom could not afford four years at a university or who had only recently discovered a career path to get the education and degrees they needed.

Changes in the Way We Learn — Technology and the Library

Over the years, SVSU embraced ways to make rapidly changing technologies work for its students. One of the first initiatives made library holdings more accessible. In 1980, SVSU became a charter member of the Valley Library Consortium (VLC), a partnership among the Public Libraries of Saginaw, Delta College and SVSU’s Zahnow Library. In 1989, the VLC expanded to include an additional 14 regional library systems. The project totaled more than $1 million, largely because of construction and technological improvements at each library. A grant from the Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation, a private non-profit charitable organization established after World War II and named for Saginaw businessman and politician H. Randall Wickes, covered much of the expense. Zahnow Library became the de facto headquarters for the consortium, and space behind the circulation desk was reserved for VLC equipment and staff. Work then began on creating an online catalog that included the collections for all member institutions. “One of the future objectives of the consortium is to allow patrons with personal computers to be able to dial in to obtain information about library holdings,” explained Zahnow Library Director Jean Houghton in 1991. Less than two years later, Zahnow Library unveiled the new VALCAT system, a significant pre-World Wide Web innovation through which patrons could access the collections at VLC-member libraries.14

Jean Houghton


8

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

By the end of 1996, additional improvements in technology compelled the university to leave the VLC. Houghton pressured the other institutions to at least shop the alternatives, but at an August meeting of the Administrative Council, the VLC members voted to stay with the current system. Houghton disappointingly recorded later that the “VLC chose to make what is, in our view, the short-sighted decision to stay with and upgrade the current system rather than continue the search.” Houghton advocated that Zahnow Library continue researching options and adopt its own system. In a lengthy Nov. 6 memo to Gilbertson and Yien, Houghton justified the decision: More and more of the information we need is in computers. The online environment is changing forever the way we receive information and learn … As we … reach out beyond the library and university walls and enter the era of electronic full text, we must provide the best tools within our means for both our students and our faculty.

Dale Irish

Linda Farynk

“If we want to stay in sight of the leaders and be in a position to share databases and products with our state university peers,” Houghton wrote, “we must have independence of action and be willing to move quickly when opportunities present themselves.” A new adaptable system would create “a future computer environment in which a student could access the library catalog, search the Internet, register for classes and check on the status of their financial aid package from a single keyboard.” On Oct. 15, Houghton requested permission from Dale Irish, then director of business services, to open contract negotiations with Innovative Interfaces Inc., a library system vendor. Even after negotiating for a 36 percent reduction in price, the replacement system would cost the university approximately $25,000 per year more to implement and operate. Houghton approached a November meeting with Gilbertson prepared to move ahead with another less expensive, less attractive, option. Librarian Thom Zantow remembers that when Houghton returned from her meeting with Gilbertson, her “face was as white as a sheet.” “He said yes!” Houghton uttered in disbelief to the assembled staff. “And God bless Eric” for the decision, said Zantow, for the implementation of the Innovative Interfaces Inc. system made SVSU competitive in terms of electronic service capabilities with almost any university library in the nation. Under the direction of Linda Farynk, who succeeded Houghton in 2002 as library director, Zahnow Library began increasing its collection of online databases, allowing students to search for — and read — academic sources with only a few clicks of a mouse. By 2011, the library — in addition to physical collections — provided access to more than 24,000 e-books and nearly 41,000 e-journals.15

Technology and Research

The advent of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s transformed how students and faculty conducted research. Before 1993, students researching in academic journals needed to consult bound indices, usually published annually by professional academic organizations. Sometimes these indices were collected into databases that students could consult in a library via CD-ROM. While the Internet existed at the time, information delivery was solely by text. Thus, students could find citations in these databases and then access the journals in the library stacks. The days when students could actually read them online were


9

Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

yet to come. The development of Mosaic in 1993, which allowed for images to be transmitted via the Internet, allowed the World Wide Web to explode in popularity. Some, such as Norm Sterchele, professor of educational leadership, understood the Web’s potential almost immediately. Sterchele offered a course, “Computers in the Classroom,” as early as 1983. At a time when the number of Web sites still was exponentially small when compared with today’s levels, he presciently predicted that the World Wide Web, and by extension the Internet, was going to become a primary way that scholars taught and researched. “I think that it’s the way education is going to be moving,” Sterchele said. “The Internet should be a primary resource for people doing research … Teachers need to become research facilitators and co-learners with students. The Internet makes that extremely easy; it makes information accessible.”16

Norm Sterchele

Personal computers began appearing in force on campus in the early 1980s once construction of Brown Hall, Science West and Zahnow Library began. “The equipment budget allowed us to buy such things,” recalled James Finzel, director of computer services. The computer services staff stretched to keep ahead of student and faculty demand for computers well into the 1990s, when the campus finally connected to the World Wide Web.


10

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Technology and Distance Learning

Distance learning emerged as a way to connect with students who could not attend on-campus classes regularly. Such courses began as correspondence classes in which students completed readings and assignments they mailed to faculty members for their review. Comments and grades would return by mail to students. With the explosion in personal computing in the 1980s, colleges and universities explored how technology could connect the university’s resources to the student with a home computer. In 1989, James Mitchell, dean of the College of Business & Management, advocated a distance-learning platform for the school’s Master of Business Administration candidates. A contract with the Electronic University Network would allow students with a computer to communicate with professors and access libraries. As the cost of traditional classroom courses continued to grow, Mitchell predicted, electronic course offerings would become commonplace “five or 10 years down the line.” Although the distance-learning proposal failed to take off, Mitchell’s idea foreshadowed the digital-age changes to instruction.17 But innovation does not mean accepting defeat along the way. While the distance learning proposal failed, another idea took root. The university deployed satellite television to broadcast live lectures and special events to remote locations. The first dishes were atop Brown and Pioneer Halls in 1990, and by 1995 students in Cass City — some 50 miles distant — were participating by television in nursing classes taught on the SVSU campus.

The Extraordinary Becomes Ordinary

SVSU had just four computers on campus in 1978. The only personal computer apparently belonged to James Finzel, director of computer services. He bought it at Radio Shack for $600. As the power of technology — and funding to pay for it — grew, the Computer Services Department’s responsibilities did, too. Personal computers began appearing in force on campus in the early 1980s once construction of Brown Hall, Science West and Zahnow Library began. “The equipment budget allowed us to buy such things,” Finzel recalled. The computer services staff stretched to keep ahead of student and faculty demand for computers well into the 1990s, when the campus finally connected to the World Wide Web. It seems almost quaint when considering these early steps into the Internet Age. At a time when people now are instantaneously connected to virtually anyone in the world, bandwidth for the entire university community was limited to 30 incoming emails at any given time.19 When Finzel retired in 1999, the university hired Ken Schindler, who became its first executive director of information technology. Schindler came from Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wis., with 25 years experience working with digital technology in both public and private settings. Soon thereafter, the Computer Services department was renamed Information Technology Services (ITS).20 In 1999, the university began researching available Web-based instruction platforms, which allow students to correspond with the instructor and classmates, access course materials, conduct research and complete assignments all from a remote computer. The university rolled out a system known as Blackboard for all courses in fall 2000.21


11

Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

Beginning in fall 2002, Brian Mudd, manager of the instructional technology center, coordinated the installation of “smart podiums.” These computerized lecterns gave instructors ready access to a computer, the Internet and control of media devices such as digital projectors and DVD players. Technicians initially installed smart podiums in 25 classrooms, but within a year nearly 94 percent of campus classrooms had some form of computer presentation capability. By 2011, all classrooms at the university had been equipped with technology to enhance teaching and learning.

By July 2001, the university had completed upgrades that increased campus bandwidth to allow for high-speed downloading and broadcasting on the Internet. Soon thereafter, the university began connecting all classrooms to the Internet and to various digital media. Beginning in fall 2002, ITS began installing “smart podiums.” These computerized lecterns gave instructors ready access to a computer, the Internet and control of media devices such as digital projectors and DVD players. Technicians initially installed smart podiums in 25 classrooms, but within a year, nearly 94 percent of campus classrooms had some form of computer presentation capability; by 2011, all classrooms at the university had been equipped with technology to enhance teaching and learning.


12

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Technology and V-Space

ITS staff trained faculty and students to use more than four dozen software packages, including the online instructional system V-Space, which replaced Blackboard in 2007.22 Many instructors began teaching courses online, either as hybrid courses that blended time in the classroom with learning from afar or as completely online offerings. In 2006, the College of Education, for example, began offering many of its graduate courses online. One of the biggest changes for students involved registration. In March 1995, the university introduced telephone registration, helping alleviate the necessity for students to wait in line to sign up for classes. Beginning in December 2002, students could register online for the first time, and this rapidly became the manner by which nearly all SVSU students enrolled in their courses.23

General Education — Teaching Critical Thinking

The academic foundation for a student’s career at SVSU relies on general education, a body of courses that students must pass to graduate. These courses are deemed vital to the overall scholastic well being of a student and are predicated on the recognition that all students must have a base understanding of the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities and other knowledge. In a global society, employers are finding that even for candidates for careers in the sciences, where technical skills are paramount, graduates must have a diverse repertoire of skills and knowledge. Students who can access a broad knowledge base in the liberal arts and technical sciences find they are more adaptable to career changes. Beginning in the 1990s, SVSU dramatically revamped its General Education requirements. Representatives of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), during a March 1994 visit, expressed concern that General Education as configured constituted a “smorgasbord” of courses and advised the university to evaluate their ability to teach critical thinking, writing and verbal communication. This was not unexpected. The NCA had noted concerns with General Education during its very first accreditation visit in 1970. The evaluators said that the collection of courses lacked clear focus. In addition, the university had been working on revisions since the mid1980s. Following an accreditation visit in 1986, the faculty had ratified changes to General Education in response to recommendations from NCA evaluators. By 1991, SVSU’s strategic planning task force, in its report Promises to Keep, found that — despite improvements made to General Education in 1988 — the university still lacked a coherent assessment strategy and an oversight committee. The strategic planning document stipulated that the course lineup required greater structure, identification of goals for student achievement in various content areas and clear explanations of how courses met targets. Some course culling also needed to occur. At one point, more than 260 courses existed within General Education. The NCA agreed with this assessment in its 1994 report, endorsing conclusions that courses needed better connections to goals and tracking of how students met them.25


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

13

The university took the NCA’s evaluation as an exciting challenge. Instead of tinkering with the system, the university had the opportunity to scrap the old plan and to create a new one.

A Foundation Strengthened

During the next five years a faculty-led committee developed a completely new General Education format that was a dramatic departure from traditional systems that emphasized content knowledge. Courses would fit into two main groups: academic practice, which focused on learning methods, skills and theories; and general knowledge, which preserved a familiar content focus but added emphases on oral and written communication. For some faculty, the new system was too radical. Understanding the content taught in foundational courses was vital to success in the advanced courses, they argued, and content consequently was more important to overall student success than skills. Supporters of the new plan countered that skills, such as effective oral and written communication, were an imperative for students in all disciplines and needed to be emphasized in General Education. Another source of contention was that the streamlined system would remove many courses from General Education. Faculty who worried about maintaining enrollment numbers in their courses fought to keep them. Moreover, it was not entirely clear how many existing courses fit into the new system, leading many to believe courses might require complete revision. During an occasionally raucous curriculum approval forum on Nov. 4, 1999, the proposal fell to defeat by a narrow margin.26 In response, a new “General Education Working Group,” co-chaired by Clifford Dorne, associate professor of criminal justice, and Eric Gardner, assistant professor of English, met frequently for a month in early 2000 to fashion a new proposal. Through careful listening to faculty, the committee realized that most were more comfortable with a traditional content-knowledge system. The committee established eight categories of knowledge that students would need to qualify for graduation (see Table 1). A joint faculty-administration governing structure, the General Education Committee (GEC), would approve the courses that departments wished to place within the new categories. Departments were to define goals for student achievement and collect data indicating how well students were reaching them. The GEC was to review departmental reports periodically. The faculty easily approved the new system during the ratification meeting that winter, and the university rolled it out for the fall 2000 semester.27 The committee also retained an emphasis on abilities assessment by creating two additional categories for writing and verbal communication. Drawing on support from the administration and the community, the university created awards incentives for the best students in writing and oral communication. In 1997, Ted and Ruth Braun, members of the Board of Control and community philanthropists, contributed the funding that established the annual Braun Awards for the best student writers in each college. The English Department recognizes best writers each year with the Tyner Awards, and the First Year Writing Program acknowledges its successful graduates with an award named in 2005 for Robert S.

Clifford Dorne

Eric Gardner

Ruth & Ted Braun


14

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Table 1.1: General Education Requirements at SVSU Category 1

Literature

Category 2

Arts

Category 3

Numerical Understanding

Category 4

Natural Sciences

Category 5

Historical and Philosophical Ideas

Category 6

Social Sciences

Category 7

Social Institutions

Category 8

International Systems

Category 9

Oral Communication

Category 10

Written Communication

Student Objective: To read major literary works critically with appreciation and understanding Student Objective: To appreciate the arts; to understand the arts as vehicles for human expression Student Objective: To understand and manipulate data; to respond to arguments and positions based on numbers and/or statistics Student Objective: To understand basic scientific concepts; to appreciate how these concepts are verified through experimentation and observation; and to become knowledgeable and responsible citizens in dealing with the challenges of a sophisticated technological society Student Objective: To identify and subject to analysis the significant ideas and events of human history by understanding cause and effect relationships through historical and logical investigation, narration and synthesis Student Objective: To analyze and interpret social phenomena and human thought processes using the techniques and procedures of the social sciences Student Objective: To identify, describe and understand the workings of important social, economic and political institutions and the relationship of the individual to these institutions Student Objective: To understand the nature of significant international systems and to step outside of the constraints of one’s own society Student Objective: To develop greater proficiency in English or a foreign language in general and discipline-specific settings Student Objective: To write effective, researched academic texts in English


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

P. Yien, then vice president for academic affairs and the First Year Writing Program’s founder and biggest supporter. In 1999, the Department of Communication presented the first Sims Award for Excellence in Public Speaking — established by community leader Larry Sims and his wife, Linda, a community services manager for Consumers Energy Company and a former member of the SVSU Board of Control, to promote the importance of good interpersonal communication. The Department of Communication oversees the competition and awards cash prizes to the winners.28 Despite its foundation upon a traditional content knowledge model, SVSU’s General Education is nonetheless innovative. It relies on shared governance between faculty and administration, demonstrating a unified commitment to the importance of general education for all students. In fact, Board of Control member D. Brian Law referred with pride to this mutual obligation to undergraduate education as the “high water mark” of his Board tenure at SVSU. The system likewise emphasizes assessment of student achievement, meaning that instructors can track progress and address weaknesses. At the 2003 annual Higher Learning Commission meeting in Chicago, SVSU representatives used their experiences over the previous 15 years to host a panel discussion on how faculty and administration at colleges and universities could improve general education curricula. The meeting was packed. SVSU had created a good system, and others wished to learn from its example. NCA evaluators in 2004 lauded the new General Education at SVSU. In 2006, an improved assessment strategy for General Education took effect, designed to evaluate intensively the courses, categories and holistic levels to gauge student achievement in critical thinking, logical reasoning and effective communication. A committee, made up of faculty and administration representatives, was charged with re-evaluating the plan every three years.29

Blending Faculty Research with Quality Teaching

SVSU faculty members are evaluated on professional involvement, usually measured by research presentations and publications, when they are reviewed for tenure and promotion. SVSU, however, also stresses the importance of teaching ability. In its 2005 vision statement, the Board of Control equated exemplary student instruction with research and community involvement as indicators of successful faculty. According to the contract negotiated between the Faculty Association and the SVSU administration, when faculty members apply for tenure or promotion, 50 percent of the evaluation relies on teaching effectiveness and the remainder the professor’s professional and service résumé. The Professional Practices Committee (PPC), which consists of faculty and administrative representatives, assesses faculty members by relying on in-class observations, departmental reports and student evaluations. SVSU’s successful faculty are required to give evidence of good scholarship and, more importantly, excel in the classroom. SVSU boasts a dozen Fulbright Scholars (Table 2) and numerous professors with status as top scholars and educators in their fields.30

Resource Support

The university has supported pedagogical improvement through initiatives such as the Center for Teaching Excellence, which coordinates a summer institute for all new faculty

15

D. Brian Law


16

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Table 1.2: SVSU Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays Scholars Scholar

Destination

Year(s) Spent

Department

Purpose

Art Andrews

Norway

1982-­‐1983

Chemistry

Research

Gary Thompson

Poland

1982-­‐1984, 1987-­‐1988

American Literature

Lecture

Nigeria

1987-­‐1989

English Language

Lecture

Turkey

1991-­‐1992

Physics

Lecture / Research

Janice Wolff

Sweden

1999

Rhetoric / Composition

Research

Karen Krause

Mexico

2001

Sociology

Research

Scott Youngstedt

Morocco and Tunisia

2001

Anthropology

Research

Thomas McManus

Finland

2001-­‐2002

Education

Lecture / Research

Paul Munn

Turkey

2001-­‐2002

American Literature

Lecture

Judith Kerman

Dominican Republic

2002

American Literature

Lecture / Research

Hong Park

Korea

2002-­‐2003

Economics

Lecture / Research

John Lesko

Oman

2007-­‐2009

TEFL / Applied Linguistics

Lecture

Phyllis Hastings Al Menard


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

and assists departments with teaching workshops. The center initiated a first-year faculty orientation in 2007 and established the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support in 2005.31 The administration, with the support of private donors, did much over the years to support faculty research. In 1999, the SVSU Foundation introduced the Foundation Resource Grants, designed to support faculty projects or to assist them in gaining necessary skills. In 2002, a donation from the Allen Foundation Inc. of Midland, a non-profit organization that Dow Chemical Company chemist William W. Allen established in 1975, set up the Allen Foundation Research Fund to help attract to SVSU the best academic and research talent in areas related to health. The fund supported research on genetic mutations connected to Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease.32 In 2006, a Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation donation created the Braun Fellowship (Table 3), awarded each year to two faculty members to support three years of research by providing release time and $37,500. The inaugural Braun fellows were: political science professor Jesse Donahue, who examined the intersection of politics, science and art in zoos and similar public spaces built during the Great Depression; and history professor Thomas Renna, who conducted research in the Vatican archives as part of his work comparing two significant medieval popes, Bonface VIII and John XXII.33

17

Jesse Donahue

Thomas Renna

A Maturing Institution — Attracting the Best and Brightest

The university began recruiting endowed chairs in 1996 to bring to campus some of the brightest minds in various fields (Table 4). Endowed chairs are top scholars who engage SVSU students and faculty in cutting-edge research, teach classes, and interact with the area community in their areas of expertise. Frank N. Andersen, a successful Saginaw businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, endowed a professorship in nursing in 1996.34 In 2007, the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation contributed $2 million to endow an Entrepreneurship Institute and fund an Entrepreneur-in-Residence position. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence worked with the institute to give students practical experience by helping area businesses find solutions.35

Research — And Students

Because of the amount of time SVSU faculty spend in the classroom, they frequently integrate their research with their coursework. This has benefited SVSU students, who work along with their instructors on projects. To support these collaborations, a Strategic Planning Task Force established the Student Research & Creativity Institute (SRCI) in 2005. SRCI provides up to $10,000 for student-faculty collaborations that promote research, service learning initiatives or professional activity. A gift from The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation subsequently created an endowment to support the joint-research projects. By 2013, the Dow SRCI had supported more than 60 projects. Some projects explored the effects of an increased state minimum wage on businesses, studied suicide prevention strategies to implement them at SVSU, supported music performances in New York City and Rome, created a solar-powered water-filtration unit for use at disaster sites and investigated the role of President Gerald Ford in the 1975 East Timor crisis.

Frank Andersen


18

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Table 1.3: SVSU Braun Fellowship Recipients Year 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Recipient Jesse Donahue

Department Political Science

Thomas Renna

History

Eric Gardner

English

Gretchen Owocki

Teacher Education

M. Patricia Cavanaugh

English

Zhidong “Patrick” Pan Enayat Mahajerin

Mathematics

Joseph OforiDankwa

Management

Dorothy “Dottie” Millar Paul Teed

Educational Technology & Development History

Kenneth Jolly

History

David Stanton

Biology

Garry Johns

Mathematics

Hong Park

Economics

Elizabeth “Beth” Roe Stephen Taber

Nursing

Mechanical Engineering

Biology

Description Examine the intersection of politics, science and art in public spaces, especially zoos and aquariums during the New Deal. Continuation of extensive research on medieval history for publication in a book comparing Popes Boniface VIII and John XXII, two of the most significant popes during the Middle Ages. Uncover the work of black American writers during the 19th century, particularly those away from the Eastern cities of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Write a book designed for K-5 educators on reading assessment and instruction, and use those strategies in SVSU’s reading clinic. Examine the history of tutoring and multiple existing techniques in the U.S. and abroad, as well as the psychological basis for successful tutoring. Examine the properties of mathematical transformations, and in particular reflexivity properties. Author a textbook tailored to 21st century needs in the areas of mathematical modeling, contemporary numerical methods and computer programming. Study the emerging economy of West Africa, and specifically the nation of Ghana, to more fully describe the scope and opportunities associated with the West African market. Author a book on youth and young adults with disabilities and how family members or guardians can work with them toward achieving self-determination. Author a book on the partnership of Joseph and Harriet Hawley, a married couple during the Civil War. Write a series of scholarly articles exploring AfricanAmerican activity in 20th century Detroit. Study the genetic composition of zebra mussels, an invasive species that has had a dramatic impact on Great Lakes water quality. Study how college students learn mathematics to find optimal solutions that should have the greatest impact on student achievement. Survey 5,000 U.S. firms to collect data on in four major areas: organizational structures; organizational culture and environment; knowledge management practices; leadership; and outcomes of knowledge management. Collaborate with clinical staff at long-term care facilities on methods designed to improve patient care. Team with SVSU students to search for insect species unknown to science.


19

Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

Table 4: Endowed Chair Positions at SVSU Table 1.4: Endowed Chair Positions at SVSU Chair Position

Donor

Chairpersons

Herbert H. Dow Endowed Chair in Chemistry

Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation

Harvey Randall Wickes Endowed Chair in International Studies

Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation

The Dow Chemical Company Centennial Chair in Global Business Carl A. Gerstacker Endowed Chair in Education

The Dow Chemical Company

David Swenson (Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin); 1996-2008 Bryon Merrill (Ph.D. – Michigan State University); 2008-2009 David Karpovich (Ph.D. – Michigan State University); 2010Norbert Elbert (Ph.D. – University of Kentucky); 1997-2000 David Hunt (Ph.D. – University of Houston); 20012002 Diana Lawson (Ph.D. – Kent State University); 20032006 Said Elfakhani (Ph.D. – University of Texas – Dallas); 2007-2011 Joseph Ofori-Dankwa (Ph.D. – Michigan State University); 2012George Puia (Ph.D. – University of Kansas); 2000-

James V. Finkbeiner Endowed Chair in Ethics

Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation

Charles J. Strosacker Endowed Chair in Engineering Clifford H. Spicer Endowed Chair in Engineering E. Malcolm Field Endowed Chair in Health Science Harvey Randall Wickes Endowed Chair in Nursing Andersen / Lange Endowed Clinical Professor in Nursing Dow Entrepreneur-inResidence

Charles J. Strosacker Foundation

James Leming (Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin); 2001-2008 David Callejo-Perez (Ph. D. - Florida International University); 2009Francis Dane (Ph.D. – University of Kansas); 20022010 Drew Hinderer (Ph.D. – University of Michigan); 2010-2013 Christopher Schilling (Ph.D. – University of Washington); 2001-2013

Dr. E. Malcolm Field

Alan Freed (Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin); 2007-

Dr. E. Malcolm Field

Jeffrey Smith (Ph.D. – Emory University); 2010-2013

Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation

Vacant

Frank N. Andersen

Jane Barnsteiner (Ph.D. - University of Michigan); 2008-2010

Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation

Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation

Kenneth Kousky (M. Econ. – University of Pennsylvania); 2007-2011 Joseph Affholter (Ph.D. – Stanford University); 2011Note: The lack of end dates of service in this chart indicates that the chair held the position as of 2013


20

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

The Dow SRCI, perhaps unique to SVSU, has funded projects to stimulate students to greater achievement in their post-graduate careers. Professors and instructors have also encouraged students to present their work at professional conferences. As of 2011, more than 270 students had participated in regional, national and international conferences. More than half of that number presented papers at these events. At least 14 students published their work as well.37

Experiential Learning

Some of the more exciting enterprises at SVSU are those that bring recognition in national and international competitions. Consider the SVSU firefighting robot team. In 1998, SVSU hosted the national Student Robotics Automation Contest. Soon after, Russell Clark, professor of electrical & computer engineering, began advising student teams that compet-

Advised by Russell Clark, professor of electrical & computer engineering, student teams annually design an autonomous robot that navigates through a maze in order to extinguish a fire (candle). The students compete at Trinity College’s Annual Fire Fighting Robot Competition, which takes place in April at Trinity College in Connecticut. This team won the contest in 2007.


21

Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

ed each spring in the international contest at Trinity College in Connecticut. In 2003, SVSU finished 16th and, in 2007, Clark’s team won the competition. Then there was the Society of Automotive Engineers race car. The idea began in 1993 when a team of student engineers (Otto Schultheis, Rod Sanderson, Dave DuPree, Sue Brown, Bob Keitzman, and Mary Armitage) built a car to compete in the Midwest Regional Mini Baja Vehicle Competition in Ohio. Despite a potentially ominous beginning — one of the car’s wheels did not fit snugly, and “we were afraid it would come off,” Schultheis recalled — the team secured a new axle at the last minute and departed for Marysville, Ohio. The team placed 13th in a field of 65 teams. It earned third in manufacturability, second in structural integrity and first in originality.38 This successful beginning gave birth to the university’s SAE Formula Race Car team. An SVSU team first competed in the Formula SAE design competition in 1998 at the Pontiac

More than a decade of work with student-built, Indy-style race cars led to an SVSU professor earning statewide accolades for the effort. Brooks Byam, the mechanical engineering professor who founded SVSU’s Cardinal Formula Racing program in 1998, was honored in May 2013 with the Carroll Smith Mentor’s Cup during the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers Collegiate Design Series at Michigan International Speedway. The award is the namesake of legendary racer Carroll Smith and is given by past award recipients. SVSU over the years has finished in the top 20 in FSAE competitions including sixth in 2002, eighth in 2005, 14th in 2008 and 18th in 2010. Byam’s 2013 racing team placed second in the world in acceleration en route to a 51st place finish out of the top 120 international college programs.


22

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Silverdome. Success initially was modest as the students and faculty learned more about the competition. In 2001, the SVSU team finished 51st out of 125 international teams, earning its best ranking (15th) in the design category. From there the team dramatically improved. In 2002, it finished sixth overall and once again did well in the design category, ranking higher than any other team from Michigan. The team placed in the top 10 again in 2005, ranking well in various engineering categories. In 2008, the team finished 14th overall at the Michigan Motor Speedway and recorded the fastest acceleration time in the world. It was the first time that an SVSU team finished first in judged categories.39 The most important success was opportunities it provided the students. The team finished well in 2005, partly because of its third place finish in presentation and marketing. That illustrated the interdisciplinary nature of the race team, which incorporated students from the College of Business and Management. The following year, the newly appointed and first-ever Dow Entrepreneur in Residence, Ken Kousky, also provided assistance, demonstrating a further cross-college involvement. Many engineering graduates have gone on to careers in the automotive industry, some of them in high profile positions. For example, Allen Hart, a 2005 alumnus and SAE Formula Race Car team member, credits his experience with the Formula SAE race team for landing a job with the prestigious Penske Racing. Hart was a member of Ryan Newman’s team that won the 2008 Daytona 500 and also worked as the data engineer for Sam Hornish’s NASCAR team.40

A Mission of Civic Engagement

Many students participate in leadership initiatives related to academic courses. Consider Julie Keil’s moot court curriculum, which the lecturer of political science introduced to her courses in 2010. The students enjoyed it so much, they took the initiative to seek funding to send teams to the regional moot court competition in Worcester, Ohio. There, the team of Stuart Chipman and Joe Chrysler earned second place, allowing them to advance to the national competition in New Orleans. Chipman finished 14th in the nation. Of his achievement, Chipman said that “on a résumé, it’s invaluable. Every law school has a moot court team and having prior experience makes me a serious prospect for recruitment.” Chrysler returned to the national competition in 2011, winning the individual oration competition. Keil said the moot court experience has helped prepare interested students for law school and demonstrated for all who participated that they could compete successfully with students from select liberal arts colleges and the large research universities.41 The same was true for the department’s Model United Nations team. More than 100 students participated between 2007 and 2012. At the 2011 American Model United Nations Conference in Chicago, the SVSU team earned many awards, including recognition as the best overall delegation for its representation of the Russian Federation. Political Science students engaged in other extracurricular activities such as editing their own academic journal, The Sovereign, and creating a student-led initiative to inform and register area high school students to vote.42 In 2006, the Department of Political Science established the Center for Public Policy & Service, which aimed to make SVSU “the recognized regional hub for political and public


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

Stu Chipman, 2011, B.A. (sociology and Spanish majors), completed his second year of law school before spending the summer of 2013 in an “externship” position with the Chicago-based law firm of Schiff-Hardin LLP. He was the firm’s only 2013 summer associate selected for their Ann Arbor office. “My liberal arts education at SVSU really helped me feel competitive in every way with the people here [U of M] from schools like Harvard and Yale,” Chipman said. “In no small part, I got the job [law firm externship] based on my credentials from SVSU. Being able to say in an interview, ‘No, I didn’t sign up for that—I created that,’ has taken me a long way.”

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

service events.” John Kaczynski, assistant professor of political science and director of the center, assisted students in finding internships with government and public service organizations. The center also functions as a locus in the Great Lakes Bay Region for community groups, educational institutions, politicians, businesses and individual citizens to share and discuss ideas promoting community development.43 John Kaczynski

Back to the Future

In February 2013, the Board of Control approved a new strategic plan for the university. It retained many of the core elements that guided SVSU during its second quarter century. The university emphasized classroom — as well as experiential/service learning — in its distinctive educational programs. To facilitate these initiatives, SVSU continued to place emphasis on improving classroom technology and on making resources available electronically. Importantly, the university recognized that creating a diverse and dynamic campus community was key to preparing students for success in a global economy after graduation, while also reiterating its goal of remaining a regional academic and cultural center.44

The university developed strategic plans that included emphasis on making resources available electronically. In January 1993, Melvin J. Zahnow (seated), for whom the libary is named, accepted an invitation from Jean Houghton (far left), former director of the Melvin J. Zahnow Library, to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the ValCat system; also in attendance at the event were (from left): Karl Steiner, former director of the Valley Library Consortium; John Cole, former director of IT at Delta College; and Norman Maas, former director of the Public Libraries of Saginaw.


Chapter 1: A Strong Academic Foundation

The first Alternative Break was during winter 2004. The issue was Wildlife Rescue, and the students worked with Bald Cypress Project in Hammond, Louisiana. Nick Tereck (above), one of the site leaders, was among a total of seven participants.

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

The College of Business & Management in 1999 established the Family Business Program, which offers educational opportunities to those who run region-based, family-owned businesses. The program was renamed the Stevens Center for Family Business at SVSU February 10, 2011, in honor of Morrie and Julie Stevens, who were instrumental in building a support network for family businesses through SVSU. Morrie was on the founding board and Julie was the first associate director for SVSU’s Family Business Program when it was formed. At the dedication ceremony, Morrie Stevens (pictured above) said, “The next generation is the future of family-owned businesses ... Providing them with a solid education that addresses the challenges and opportunities unique to leadership in a family company will help promote their success, and the success of their businesses, and the good health of our economy.”


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Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

Chapter 2

Managing A Maturing Institution In fall 1993, only four years into his administration, Eric Gilbertson sat down for an interview with Amy Barnes, reporter for The Bay City Times. She asked the SVSU president to reflect on the university’s past and future on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Instead, Gilbertson talked about where the university was at that moment: in the early stages of a remarkable growth spurt. (The campus would double in physical size and student population would grow by nearly a quarter over the ensuing decade.) “We’re maturing as a full-blown university,” Gilbertson told Barnes. The president acknowledged that expansion eventually would slow and that careful conservation of resources was key to success: “The challenge is to fight and find the resources to meet new needs,” while monitoring a limited supply of capital. Those new needs, Gilbertson said, fit the university’s mission, advanced since its earliest days, “to give more people access to a college education, develop a more highly educated work force and serve as a regional cultural and intellectual resource.” In 1993, responding to new needs meant finding ways to enrich the university’s offerings of degree programs and expand community outreach. Education and community engagement often intertwined in collaborations between the region’s organizations and SVSU faculty, staff and students.1

Regional Economic Development and Outreach

SVSU has long understood its role in regional economic development. “We are very much concerned about the direction of the economy,” Marwan Wafa, then dean of the College of Business & Management, said in 2005. He added, “[and] the linkages between SVSU … and the business community are critical to making an impact on this community.”2 Linkages frequently have been interdisciplinary. George Puia, Dow Chemical Company Centennial Chair in Global Business, pointed out in 2011 that business, technology and industrial development all work hand in hand. “It takes different skill sets to run a business than it does to develop technology,” Puia noted. “It takes a team … [and] we’re exposing business

Marwan Wafa


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

students to technology and innovation while engineering students are introduced to business.”3

Global Outreach

George Puia

Such interdisciplinary education involves the liberal arts, the heart of SVSU’s educational mission. In 2011, Puia and Mark Potts, assistant dean for undergraduate programs, led a group of students to Bulgaria where they gained experience in how to do business in an emerging global market and how local development often correlates with global factors. In preparation, the students learned some Bulgarian language and culture; in addition, they discovered the importance of a good foundation in the humanities and the social sciences in business success.4

The Economics of the Environment, Innovation and Regionalization

George Eastland

SVSU has developed long-standing relationships with regional industries to assist its students while supporting economic development. Established in 1985, the Applied Technology Research Center (ATRC) helped increase the technology base in the Saginaw Valley. Money from the State of Michigan Research Excellence Fund helped with the ATRC’s establishment, and it has linked university researchers with regional industries. In 1990, the ATRC helped with the development of three new businesses: S & S Recycling, Omni Tech International and Carbonetics Inc.5 In 1990, a research team led by George Eastland, professor of chemistry, studied ways to remove heavy metals from waste streams and convert them to a usable form. In 1992, the university introduced an Entrepreneur Certificate Program, and two years later the College of Science, Engineering & Technology received a grant through the Saginaw Bay National Watershed Initiative to research ways that Michigan electroplating operators could recover waste minerals from rinse streams. The university, mindful of the region’s major industries, introduced the Bachelor of Science in environmental chemistry in 1994, which was the first such major offered in Michigan. The College of Business & Management in 2000 established the Family Business Program, which has offered educational opportunities to those who run region-based, family-owned businesses.6 Over the years, the university has designed numerous undergraduate and graduate degree tracks, often with professionals in mind and in response to changing technological and economic realities. The Bachelor of Applied Studies degree, first offered in 1993, is an example. The courses assisted professionals with associate’s degrees in business, technical or applied sciences fields retool to find employment in rapidly changing workplaces.7 The College of Science, Engineering & Technology introduced the Master of Science–Technological Processes degree in 1997 to aid manufacturing and technical professionals who wanted to expand marketable skills. The courses stressed leadership, management strategies and advanced technical knowledge. However, it was discontinued after some 10 years largely because the pressures that economic decline placed on local industries made partnerships problematical.8


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Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

Cardinal “Green”

Several departments have done significant work introducing students to global environmental concerns. Some of this comes through instruction, such as the Department of Geography’s focus on the security of global water resources through its unit on World Water Day. Other opportunities for students come via their professors’ research projects. One example of such projects emanates from a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. It funded a partnership among various departments in the College of Science, Engineering & Technology, the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences and the Bay County Health Department, all engaged in a joint quest to seek solutions to Saginaw Bay water-quality challenges. Biology faculty David Stanton and Art Martin along with David Karpovich, H.H. Dow Endowed Chair of Chemistry, involved students as researchers. They learned how to devise cost-effective solutions to environmental problems. For instance, students explored ways to combat the zebra mussel infestation of Michigan waters, and during a September 2012 cleanup of Saginaw Bay beaches, Martin Arford, associate professor geography, had students explore the factors causing pollution along the shoreline.9

Faculty from various departments at SVSU involve students and engage in a joint quest to seek solutions to Saginaw Bay water-quality challenges, including (clockwise from top left): Martin Arford, David Stanton, David Karpovich and Art Martin.


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

In April 2013, the university dedicated the Arnold & Gertrude Boutell Greenhouse/Sustainability Center, a new 1,500-square-foot expanded facility that serves as a laboratory for botany classes, space for research and housing for the Green Cardinal Initiative. The facility was made possible by a $250,000 gift from the Arnold and Gertrude Boutell Memorial Fund. Students in the new agriculture studies minor, launched in the fall 2013 semester, also utilize the greenhouse for coursework and research.

The university initially built a greenhouse in 2005 just north of the intersection of Michigan and Pierce Roads as an interdisciplinary initiative to encourage sustainable agriculture in an industrial world.


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

The SVSU Greenhouse and the Green Cardinal Initiative are among these innovative projects. In 2005, the university initially built the greenhouse just north of the intersection of Michigan and Pierce Roads as an interdisciplinary initiative to encourage sustainable agriculture in an industrial world or, as the project’s mission statement set forth, to “promote a healthy campus and local community by developing environmentally sustainable, socially just and economically viable food and fuel systems.” The initiative was especially timely as many scientists around the world explore ways to conserve resources during times of heavy use, rising prices, dangerous conflicts and increasing pollution. Funding from the Allen Foundation, a Department of Labor Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant and the SVSU Foundation supported a project that collected waste from university dining services and converted it to organic fertilizer using earthworms. This fertilizer helped plants in the SVSU Greenhouse to grow. The initiative sought connections in the broader community for joint environmentally responsible projects such as organic food growing, sustainable food preparation and recycling. As part of the enterprise, Brian Thomas, associate professor of sociology, created the Green Cardinal Youth Mentorship Project. SVSU students developed mentorship opportunities as well as recycling and sustainable living activities.10 In 2012, a grant from the Arnold & Gertrude Boutell Memorial Fund supported the expansion of an on-campus greenhouse to serve as an educational facility for a surprising array of disciplines, expanding beyond botany and plant science to include biology, chemistry, engineering, health sciences, education and social sciences.

Center for Business & Economic Development (CBED)

Some of the university’s most expansive collaborations involving community engagement came under the supervision of the Center for Business & Economic Development (CBED). CBED dates from 1991, when Gilbertson created it by combining several SVSU offices linked to the outside community and giving them more influence collectively than they had separately. In 2013, CBED had six components: • Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center – Northeast • Independent Testing Laboratory • Saginaw Valley Research and Development Corp. • Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development • Osher Lifelong Learning Institute • Office of Career Services

The Business & Industrial Development Institute (BIDI)

CBED’s ancestor was the Business & Industrial Development Institute (BIDI), established in 1982-1983. BIDI’s initial purpose was twofold: to identify, research and establish local businesses using “dormant” technology from large corporations and to provide programming to help entrepreneurs succeed. BIDI, as far as is known, never established any businesses with the technology its research identified—patented ideas banked by corporations but unexploited for various reasons.11 It did, however, sponsor workshops, an Entrepreneur of the Year awards ceremony, a certificate program for entrepreneurs and an

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Harry Leaver

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Entrepreneurs Club, which met monthly with dinner, a keynote speaker and time for entrepreneurs to socialize. In 1994, BIDI entered into a contract with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center and became a regional office for mid-Michigan. That relationship continued within CBED. Initially, the SVSU regional office was the Center for Manufacturing Improvement. The name changed to the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center – Northeast in 1999. MMTC received its operating capital from a combination of federal and state government and private industry. It offered a variety of services to help manufacturers compete in an evolving, increasingly global marketplace and offered performance benchmarking. With more than 9,000 reports on file, MMTC-NE has compared a clients’ business with similar operations in its database to provide assessments of its competitive position. Past directors have included Richard Krueger, Timothy Clark, Harry Leaver (prior to his becoming executive director of CBED) and Robert Schooks. Jeremy Bockelman was the director in 2013. BIDI also provided a business planning service, and from 1995 to 1997 was a regional office for the Michigan Small Business Development Center. In 1996, it began to provide administrative support to the Tri-County Economics Club, which later changed its name to the Great Lakes Bay Economics Club. In 1997, BIDI entered into a cooperative training relationship with the American Society of Employers. A representative maintained an office on campus until 2010, when the relationship ended. The BIDI office eventually split into the Center for Corporate & Professional Development and the Center for Manufacturing Improvement. CCPD continued to offer many of the same training programs as BIDI in addition to some new ones. CMI focused specifically on the manufacturing sector and offered public and contract training and to special interest groups.

The Business & Industrial Development Institute (BIDI) was established in 1982-1983 with the goal of hosting workshops such as this one in September 1985 that helped entrepreneurs succeed.


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Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

Independent Testing Laboratory

The origins of The Independent Testing Laboratory date to 1982 when Earl Warrick, interim dean of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology, was assisted by The Dow Chemical Company. The lab’s first piece of equipment, an Instron tensile-testing machine, was still in use in 2013.12 Warrick’s successor, Thomas Kullgren, fostered the lab’s early development. Bruce Hart began as manager of the lab in 1983. Though included under the umbrella of SVSU’s Center for Business & Economic Development, the lab supports itself through grants and client fees. In 2013, the lab could count more than 120 customers, including The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Corning Corporation, General Motors Corporation, Michigan Sugar Company, Walbro, Gougeon Brothers and a sizeable number of smaller companies, among them multiple start-ups. Helping smaller operations was a primary mission of the lab.13 The lab’s independent status within the university appealed to clients. Since the lab does not follow the academic calendar, it is available year round to advance SVSU’s mission of community service. Though typically quiet about its work, the lab has occasionally saved clients, both public and private, from significant inconvenience and expense. There was the time, for example, in the 1990s when a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality test of air pollution in Bay County recorded an abnormally high level of airborne contaminants. It turned out that on the day the testing showed a spike in pollution, a farmer was plowing a field near the test site and strong winds delivered clouds of dust to the site. The results threatened Bay County with reclassification and might have meant that the EPA would not have allowed any industrial expansion in the county. Bay County made a deal with the Michigan DEQ: The SVSU

Bruce Hart

The Independent Testing Laboratory, under the direction of Bruce Hart (left), is available year-round to service clients.


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Independent Testing Lab would monitor dust in the air every day for a year to demonstrate that the high reading was aberrant. Lab technicians set up four monitoring sites, including one on the roof of the former Bay City Mercy Hospital building, which had been converted into a senior citizen residence. Bruce Hart and student assistants visited the site every day to collect air filters. On more than one occasion, police officers arrived to investigate because residents of the senior facility reported suspicious persons climbing onto the roof of their building. However, their efforts paid off—the sampling proved that the flagged reading was abnormal, rescuing Bay County from reclassification.14 The real payback to the university was that the lab has offered experience to students. They become technical assistants and, having made strong connections with regional entrepreneurs, often receive job offers after graduation.15

Saginaw Valley Research & Development Corporation

The university established the Saginaw Valley Research & Development Corporation in the early 1990s to facilitate communication between the university and business and industry. The idea was to identify ways to make SVSU’s scientific and technical research commercially viable as well as to provide outside access to that expertise. For example, Christopher Schilling, as Strosacker Chair of Engineering (2001-2013), worked on biofuel technology to lessen dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Brooks Byam, professor of mechanical engineering and advisor to the Cardinal formula racing team (1998 to present), researched ways to make a lighter-weight composite steering wheel. David Swenson, H. H. Dow Chair of Chemistry (1996-2008), learned how to raise Thai prawns in a greenhouse with the goal of commercializing the concept (although, some members of the SVSU family suspected he did this solely to provide shrimp for the delicious jambalaya he occasionally prepared during football tailgates).

Office of Continuing Education & Professional Development

Jo Brownlie

Informal continuing education courses go back to the early history of SVSU but were formalized in the early 1990s. By 1995, when the university hired Ed Minnock as the executive director of the Office of Continuing Education (OCE), it had expanded to include the Center for Corporate & Professional Development (CCPD), the Center for Manufacturing Improvement, the Conference Bureau, the SVSU Box Office and had responsibility for credit courses offered in Cass City. Minnock left the university in 2000, and Jo Brownlie became acting director of continuing education, in addition to serving as director of CCPD. Brownlie continued to supervise OCE until 2006, when she became director of what was later renamed the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), and Monica Reyes became director of the office of continuing education.17 Later, OCE branched out and professionalized its offerings to include a variety of certifications, such as a Master’s Certificate in Financial Planning, an Online Teaching Certificate, a Medical Career Certificate, the Great Lakes Bay Hispanic Leadership Institute and several other career enrichment activities.17


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

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The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Minnock, in February 2000, suggested that the university create a lifelong-learning center to provide study opportunities to regional citizens older than 50. By October, an organizational committee was setting up the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR). Saginaw, Bay City and Midland community foundations each had provided $10,000 grants to help with the launch. Following Minnock’s departure from SVSU, Jo Brownlie assumed direction of the ILR. In September 2001, the ILR fall kick-off event attracted 205 applications for membership.18 Then, in July 2005, the institute received a $1 million grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation. With that, it became the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute—a freestanding entity within the Center for Business & Economic Development. Osher Foundation officials, pleased with OLLI’s work, awarded a second $1 million to SVSU in July 2007. In its first decade, ILR/OLLI grew to 1,416 members from the original 205, an increase of 518 percent. The number of class registrations increased 350 percent, from 766 to 2,955. Off-campus trips, domestic and international, were a popular OLLI attraction. By 20012002, members had participated in 26 such journeys.19 Members formed special interest groups as OLLI matured, satisfying such common interests as bridge, ceramics, bicycling and Buddhist psychology. In 2013, Brownlie was continuing to serve as director of OLLI.

In 2005, SVSU received a $1 million grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to fund its lifelong-learning center for regional citizens older than age 50. The institute has had great success, resulting in an additional grant of $1 million issued two years later.


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

The Office of Career Services

Though SVSU historically has helped students find employment at graduation, the Office of Career Services dates from 2000, when SVSU hired Michael Simon as director of career planning & placement. In 2009, as part of an administrative reorganization at the vice presidential level, it underwent a name change to Office of Career Services and a transfer from the Student Services division to the Enrollment Management division. In 2012, the office migrated to the Center for Business & Economic Development. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) was so impressed with staff-created career planning tutorials launched in 2008 it designated them “best practices” and in December 2009 invited Simon’s successor, Mike Major, to deliver a webinar on the subject. On-line implementation of the Cardinal Career Network in July 2010 was a seminal development for Career Services. It enabled the university to turn its students into active job seekers from the moment they arrived on campus. Prior to the network’s establishment, a student interested in a job or federal work-study opportunity would visit Career Services to file an application and then wait for first-come-first-considered processing with minimal attention of individual aptitudes, skills or interests. The Cardinal Career Network allowed for uploading of files to determine student eligibility for on-campus employment and filtered them. Students could compete for jobs using their résumés and cover letters. The Cardinal Career Network, also available to SVSU alumni, linked to NACE postings and a database of available national and international positions. The Office of Career Services offered numerous workshops and employment fairs, both general and industry-specific.

In addition to full-time employment following graduation, students at job fairs can apply for internships and co-operative education opportunities with Great Lakes Bay Region employers.


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

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Students can test their marketability even before graduating by attending employment fairs held annually on campus.


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Educational Partnerships and Resources

SVSU has developed numerous partnerships to assist practicing teachers, aid school districts and better prepare its College of Education graduates. The Math & Science Resource Center was among the most high-profile regional education developments. In 1989, the university initiated the Greater Saginaw Valley Regional Education Cooperative (GSVREC), a loose—nevertheless expansive—confederation of schools and organizations in a 14-county region encompassing Delta College, Mid-Michigan Community College, nine intermediate school districts, four regional education media centers and 68 school districts. Ten grants totaling nearly $500,000 supported the plan, which put into use technology to link resources and make them available for educators and students from pre-K through the college level. In 1990, Ralph Coppola, the initial project director of sponsored programs at SVSU, said: “Problems in improvement of education mirror those of economic development … The major impediment to economic development has been the lack of sharing of resources and the lack of development of regional strategies for economic growth.” The goals were to create a math and science center to augment the Valley Library Consortium, establish a cooperative (ArtWorks) to support regional arts instruction and develop the Greater Saginaw Valley Telecommunications Network.20

In 1990, Ralph Coppola, the initial project director of sponsored programs at SVSU, said: “Problems in improvement of education mirror those of economic development … The major impediment to economic development has been the lack of sharing of resources and the lack of development of regional strategies for economic growth.”


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

In October 1995, biology professor Walter Rathkamp opened the Math & Science Center. He already had created the award-winning Project SOLVE (Science Outreach Leadership Venture for Excellence), an innovative teacher workshop on methods for teaching science to gifted students, and Project MOLVE, which focused on math instruction. Rathkamp, as a project designer for the GVSREC, spent years developing its math and science center, which among other services supported teachers with instruction kits.21 The Math and Science Center produced popular SMEK (Science, Mathematics, and Engineering for Kids) Extravaganzas that evolved into week-long summer day camps. SVSU was one of four universities in Michigan to receive state funding in 2007 to help math and science instructors at high-need schools.22 In response to a statewide shortage in the number of certified special education teachers, the College of Education in 1990 created endorsements for teachers of learning-disabled and emotionally-impaired students. The state also approved the university’s plan to offer five endorsement tracks for school administrators.23 The following year, the college unveiled its Master of Arts in Teaching-Special Education degree. In 1997, the college began offering an Education Specialist degree and created the Master of Science-Natural Science Teaching degree with the assistance of colleagues in the College of Science, Engineering & Technology.24

In October 1995, biology professor Walter Rathkamp opened the Math & Science Center.

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Supporting Quality Teaching and Student Engagement

In 1999, SVSU secured what Gilbertson called at the time, “the largest, most important federal grant in our history.” The U.S. Department of Education awarded the university a five-year, $9.7 million Partnership Grant for Improving Teacher Quality, one of 25 granted in the nation out of more than 250 applicants. The faculty and administration in the College of Education, the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences, the College of Science, Engineering, & Technology and U.S. Representatives James Barcia and Dale Kildee had proposed that the university create development teams to devise strategies to improve teacher quality. Participation in the project extended to 16 regional intermediate school districts, 12 charter schools, the Detroit City Empowerment Zone, Clare County officials, Flint Enterprise Communities and various local businesses. The grant impacted nearly 1,200 education students at SVSU, approximately 47,000 practicing teachers and more than 366,000 students in 147 school districts. It helped revamp undergraduate teacher preparation in core content and methods courses. Teachers learned how to incorporate technology and practical examples into their classrooms. The money provided sustained mentoring and continuing education for educators seeking to meet national and state standards and accelerated teacher certification. The project established leadership development opportunities for regional teachers and administrators. The success led to additional federal grants—two totaling more than $3 million—that helped teachers make better use of rapidly-changing technologies.25 A 2004 National Science Foundation grant made it possible for two dozen science teachers to attend a weeklong conference addressing the challenges faced by rural and small town educators.26 SVSU also worked with local school districts on initiatives to improve students’ research and writing abilities. Beginning in 1993, SVSU, Delta College and the Saginaw Public Schools, by applying together, obtained grants from the National Writing Project to create a

Kay Harley (far right), professor emerita of English, co-directed the Saginaw Valley National Writing Project.


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

summer teacher institute. The Saginaw Valley National Writing Project—which Kay Harley, professor of English, and Jane Denton, Saginaw Public Schools language arts coordinator, co-directed—soon grew to include schools in Bay County.27 In 2009, Deborah Smith, professor of teacher education, received support from the Michigan Department of Education for the Urban Literacy Cadre project, focusing on improving achievement among inner-city students.28 The College of Education also developed new graduate programs designed to meet the needs of area teachers and administrators. For instance, beginning in 2003 the college developed master’s degree programs in instructional technology, online learning and principalship.29 The History Department worked with local students researching projects for participation in the annual National History Day in Michigan event, and in 2013 the university hosted the state competition.

Charter Schools

SVSU became a sponsoring institution for charter schools. Following a trend Minnesota started 1991, Michigan was one of many states to approve enabling legislation. Charter schools, which received a lower level of state support than traditional facilities, enjoyed exemption from some government oversight. Many emphasized special curricula, such as science or the arts, and measured success on student outcomes. The Legislature allowed non-profit organizations, government entities, private corporations and universities to charter and oversee the schools. SVSU became interested in charter schools right after lawmakers endorsed them in 1993. SVSU leaders saw charters as a way to improve educational opportunities in economically-disadvantaged rural and urban communities. But not everyone was enamored with the idea, as then Board of Control member Leola Wilson recalled. Wilson, a member of the Saginaw Intermediate School District Board of Education, questioned the feasibility of charter schools. Public education proponents feared they would “cherry pick” students, drain resources from inner city districts and undermine teacher unions. Gilbertson, acknowledging concerns, worked with a special board subcommittee in 1994 to study the topic. The group met with school superintendents and teachers, SVSU faculty and representatives of the state Office of Charter Schools. The committee reported that SVSU’s sponsorship was a way to improve schools and benefit communities. Through its School & University Partnership Office—led by former regional secondary school district superintendents Wayne Vasher, followed by Joseph Rousseau—SVSU chartered its first schools in 1996. The university started with Traverse Bay Community School in Traverse City, Northwest Academy in Charlevoix, Cesar Chavez Academy in Detroit, Grattan Academy in Belding, Chatfield School in Lapeer and the Pontiac Academy for Excellence in Pontiac. By 2003, the university was sponsoring 18 schools with nearly 6,000 students. The College of Education implemented new strategies in classroom management and curriculum alignment at Cesar Chavez Academy, helping result in a dramatic increase in Michigan Educational Assessment Program scores. A decade later, the university was overseeing 27 schools enrolling nearly 13,000 students throughout the state.30

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

The College of Education entered a key transitional period as the university completed its first half-century. The interest in elementary and secondary education careers had grown significantly in the Great Lakes Bay Region during the 1990s, producing an enrollment rate for the College of Education that exceeded the national average. But a 2003 internal report warned that such growth in enrollment numbers would not continue. “Employment opportunities in elementary and secondary education are predicted to decline after 2013,” the report indicated, “with a consequent lessening of interest in education as a career field.” The predictions were uncomfortably accurate, and the downturn in opportunities for graduates occurred faster than authorities anticipated. Between 2004 and 2007, the incoming student population in the College of Education declined more than 55 percent. Education graduates had to search for jobs in states other than Michigan, and significantly fewer new students embraced education as a career. The economic recession of 2008-2009 capped a decade of single-state depression in Michigan. As many families left to seek jobs elsewhere, compounding the effects of a demographic dip in potential students, schools cut staff and closed campuses to match declining enrollment. Changes in state law eliminated incentives for postgraduate study; enrollments in the college’s graduate degree programs plunged and by 2013, education degree enrollments at SVSU were approximately a third of what they were at their peak. The college responded by exploring ways to reduce credit hours and become more attractive to potential students.31

Regional Healthcare

Almost from its inception, the university had planned a program in health sciences, and various feasibility reports were commissioned in the ensuring years. In 1974, Crystal M. Lange, who directed the associate degree program in nursing at Delta College, proposed a bachelor’s degree program at SVSU that would build upon associate degree programs. Lange was appointed dean of SVSU’s School of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences in 1976. Following approval of the new program by the State Board of Nursing, the State Legislature and Governor William Milliken, the program was authorized and later became the first academic program at SVSU to receive specialized accreditation. Lange also helped create a Master of Science in Nursing program, ratified by the faculty in 1987, as well as an Occupational Therapy program, which was approved by the Board of Control in 1992 and received specialized program accreditation three years later. After stepping down from her post as dean in 1996, Lange served as interim director for faculty support and sponsored programs and as associate vice president for academic affairs before her death in 1999. Months before her passing that summer, the Board of Control authorized renaming the nursing college for Lange—the only one at SVSU named for an individual. Gilbertson lauded Lange’s contributions to the university, asserting that: “Crystal’s name should be an inspiration to all those students and others who will benefit from her life and her work.”32 This spirit and commitment has consistently emphasized community engagement. When Lange came to SVSU, she brought along her friend and colleague, Janalou Blecke.


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

For nearly four decades, Blecke called SVSU home, serving as a nursing professor, as assistant dean under Lange during the 1990s, and eventually as dean of the college beginning in 2003. As dean, she expanded the size of the college, bringing in kinesiology and social work, which previously were part of the College of Education and the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences, respectively. She redefined the meaning of “health sciences” as reflected in a revised name for the college: Health & Human Services. Following her retirement in 2010, Blecke remained in the college as an instructor. Blecke shared Lange’s support of community relationships. In fact, she had long believed that working with the public was a vital part of healthcare education. Doing so would create the practical workplace experience Lange so passionately advocated. “Crystal was always telling students that they ‘need to stretch,’” Blecke said, “and this meant that students should challenge themselves, and working in the community was one way to do that.” The approach may help account for the high concentration of SVSU graduates employed in mid-Michigan nursing.33 The Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services has done much to prepare its graduates for an extremely dynamic workplace while simultaneously responding to community needs. In 1993, SVSU’s nursing college participated with its counterpart at Michigan State University and local health care agencies in a five-year Kellogg Foundation project that developed a model for the best practices in educating health professionals in how to meet the needs of their communities.34

The university’s nursing college is named for Crystal M. Lange, who served from 1976 until her death in 1999, and is credited with establishing SVSU’s B.S.N. and M.S.N. programs.

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In 1995, the college revised the Master of Science in Nursing to include a concentration for community-oriented, family-focused, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners.35 The Parish Nursing Program, developed in 2001, is an example of the college’s work. Its goals were to provide training for nurses in church parishes, develop and support the Parish Nurse Network of east central Michigan and establish collaborative relationships with community agencies and organizations.36

Collaborations

To deal with the need for additional qualified faculty and staff to instruct a larger student population, Blecke launched a partnership with Covenant HealthCare, Saint Mary’s of Michigan, Bay Regional Medical Center and Mid-Michigan Medical Center. The university would provide student interns, and the hospitals would reciprocate by encouraging their qualified nurses to serve as part-time instructors. In 2007, Blecke chaired the Health Initiative Task Force, a group created to combat the region’s shrinking number of nurse educators. The task force drew on funds from regional community foundations, the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Underwriting Nursing’s Development Programs to train nurses seeking to teach at institutions such as SVSU on a part-time basis. Valeriah Ann Holmon, a surgical nurse at Mid-Michigan Medical Center with more than 25 years of experience, referred to her time teaching nursing students at SVSU as “my way of giving back to a profession that I am passionate about.” By 2013, the college was admitting three times as many students as it did at the college’s inception more than 30 years earlier.37

Valeriah Ann Holmon with Janalou Blecke.


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

Under Lange’s and Blecke’s leadership, the college instituted advisory committees of community health care representatives who would meet with instructors to provide feedback that helped them to adapt to a health care changes. Likewise, with the help of retired MidMichigan Health CEO and then SVSU Executive-in-Residence Terry Moore, the college began its annual Health Care Conference in 2009. Practitioners at the “front lines” of the profession discussed pertinent developments in the field with faculty and students.38 The college introduced two new health science degrees in 2006, one at the undergraduate level and another for graduate students. The courses helped future healthcare leaders understand how to balance budgets and manage costs, expect and plan for demographic changes and stay ahead of technological innovation.39 In 2011, the first students graduated with SVSU Medical Laboratory Science degrees and others began work in the new gerontology certificate program.40 The college announced in 2012 that it would offer the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing advised nursing schools to transition from master’s-level programs to doctoral ones. Aimed at nurse practitioners, this was the first doctoral program SVSU offered.41

Health Projects

Students are directly involved in many community health care initiatives. Kinesiology and exercise science students have used their courses to address health and fitness problems for all stages of the life cycle. One example was development of physical fitness instruction to improve firefighters’ cardiovascular health. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in that group. Another developed fitness and nutrition plans for senior citizens; many of them lack proper in-home care. Kinesiology students, under the guidance of Josh Ode, associate professor of kinesiology, designed exercise and healthy eating practices for students at Saginaw’s Francis Reh Academy.42 Peer Health Education, which reached more than 11,800 students in 2010-2011, helped students manage sleep, sexual health, nutrition, illness avoidance and more. The American Heart Association recognized SVSU as a “Start! Fit-Friendly” company, and as one of only two universities in Michigan to achieve “gold” status.43 What began with undergraduate nursing classes grew into a regionally respected multi-disciplinary graduate health care education complex, with community involvement always at the root of this growth.

The Fine Arts

The fine arts are a natural focus for a university’s community outreach. Plays, music and art exhibitions regularly draw audiences to SVSU. The long running Voices in the Valley series brings poets and writers to campus each year. An endowment the SVSU Foundation administered beginning in 2004 supported the series. The University Art Gallery moved to its location in Arbury Fine Arts Center in 1988. The gallery has also showcased work by state and regional professional artists.44 The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum began presenting the works of artist Marshall Fredericks in 1988, and its staff organized rotating exhibits and educational outreach initiatives. Among the latter are popular summer art camps for children. Marshall

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In 2013, the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum achieved accreditation from the highly-regarded American Alliance of Museums; just 6 percent of museums nationwide are so designated.


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

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Rhea E. Miller

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Fredericks’ son Carl noted in 2011 that he hoped the museum would increase its community footprint by digitizing images of its collections to make them available for students around the world while also producing SVSU graduates familiar with public arts initiatives. The authors of the museum’s mission statement stipulated that it raise public awareness of the museum, encourage support for the arts and “embed an educational component in everything we do.”45 In 2013, the museum achieved accreditation from the highly-regarded American Alliance of Museums; just 6 percent of museums nationwide are so designated. In 1993, the Rhea Miller Concert Series began bringing renowned musicians to the university for public concerts. The financing for the series came from Rhea E. Miller, administered by Miller Trust for Music Education. Miller taught in the Saginaw Public Schools from 1922 until her retirement in 1965, eventually becoming the district’s director of music education. She was known for her service to students and her innovative approaches to music curriculum. Miller served on the boards of the Saginaw Community Concerts Association and the Saginaw Art Museum. SVSU, to honor her community service, awarded Miller an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree May 6, 1988.46 The Theodore Roethke Poetry Prize has been awarded since 1968, generally on a triennial basis. In 2011, the SVSU Board of Fellows became the sponsor of the prize and elevated the award from $3,000 to $10,000 and the award ceremony was enhanced to a five-day celebration, The Theodore Roethke Poetry & Arts Festival, with events offered in Bay, Midland and Saginaw Counties, as well as on campus. Previous winners have included such notables as Robert Pinsky, Carl Phillips, Carolyn Kizer, John Ciardi and Robert Penn Warren.

In 1989, the Valley Wind Quintet consisted of Jane Bellen, Lauren Rongo, Drew Hinderer, Bill Wollner and Linda Hargett.


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Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

Table 2.1: Lecture Series at SVSU Lecture Series Wickson-Nickless Distinguished Lectureship in Business Edwards Lecture in Philosophy & Religion

Year Introduced 1992

The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists Program The Albert J. Beutler Forums on Ethics & Practice The Arnold and Gertrude Boutell/Citizens Bank Executivein-Residence Speaker Series The Thomas & Hilda Rush Distinguished Lecture

1996

Barstow Excellence in Teaching Humanities Seminar

1999

1993

1997 1998

1998

Focus Prominent business leaders regarding on current topics Internationally renowned scholars on interdisciplinary topics pertaining to philosophy and religion Invite scholars and artists with prominent national or international stature to speak and perform on campus Prominent scholars on current topics in ethics and leadership Renowned professionals speak on topics pertaining to business leadership SVSU faculty or staff members whose work has brought recognition to themselves and the university Scholars to spend a day or more on campus to workshop with students and educators and address the community on prominent issues in the humanities

In 1982, Drew Hinderer, philosophy professor and bassoonist; Bill Wollner, music professor and French horn player, and Mary Anderson, adjunct faculty member and flutist; along with Midland Symphony Orchestra oboist Jane Bellen and clarinet player Linda Hargett, created the Valley Wind Quintet. Public performances became such an important aspect of its outreach that Bob Yien, then vice president for academic affairs, rewrote Wollner’s job description to include public performances. The lineup remained relatively constant during its first three decades, with Anne Holub replacing Anderson at flute in 1984 and then Lauren Rongo succeeding her in 1987, and Zahnow librarian Thomas Zantow taking over for Hinderer in 2008 as bassoonist. Over the years, the Quintet toured Japan and performed hundreds of public concerts. It headlined the first concert in Founders Hall on February 13, 1996.47 The university has brought to campus renowned scholars and popular experts to speak on contemporary political, economic and cultural topics. Former Tennessee Senator William Brock, the secretary of labor in the Ronald Reagan administration, spoke in 1993 on the impacts of the North American Free Trade Agreement at the time Congress was debating it. Andrei Kozyrev, the Russian foreign minister from 1990-1996, lectured on “The Changing Face of Russia” just after the fall of the Soviet state. Poet Maya Angelou, biographer Walter Isaacson, presidential historian Michael Beschloss and Harvard University scholar and literary critic Henry Louis Gates Jr. are just a few of those who have brought their expertise to campus for the benefit of the community and campus.48


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Maya Angelou

William Brock

Michael Beschloss

Andrei Kozyrev

Walter Isaacson

James Bradley

Henry Louis Gates Jr., with Liana and Donald Bachand

SVSU annually invites renowned scholars and popular experts to campus to lecture on contemporary political, economic and cultural topics. Many notable speakers have been hosted as Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists, a program established in 1996 through an endowment from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.


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Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

The Distinctive Program in Music supports the Musical Artists in Residence and sends music ambassadors into area schools, and the Distinctive Program in Theatre underwrites scholarships, performances and participation in the American College Theatre Festival.49 Four times between 2009 (when it was the first Michigan visit in 25 years) and 2014, SVSU hosted the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Each of the festivals drew more than 1,600 theatre students to campus. The university’s theatre facilities impressed the visitors so much that SVSU’s venues were profiled in an edition of American Theatre magazine, which Ric Roberts, associate professor of theatre, characterized as the “top magazine” in the field, “like Sports Illustrated [is] for sports.” The Saginaw County Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated that the first two festivals in 2009 and 2010 brought nearly $5 million into the local economy.50 One of the oldest cultural outlets on campus is Cardinal Sins, the student-produced publication showcasing writing, poetry, art and photography of students and staff at SVSU. The journal celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2010 and won numerous awards over those years. The 2005 fall and 2009 winter issues of Cardinal Sins received a first place with special merit award from the American Scholastic Press Association.51 An example of how students in the arts have engaged in community service initiatives is the CARe (Community Arts Research) project, which supports student efforts to produce community-inspired artworks. Since 2002, CARe artists have created public murals that graced more than 20 buildings in the Great Lakes Bay region.52 Public engagement occasionally has immersed the university in controversy. In spring 2007, the university’s Theatre Department produced the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, “Angels in America: Part I: Millennium Approaches,” which focuses on two couples dealing with the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York City. Director Ric Roberts understood that the play was a risky choice, largely because of brief nudity in one scene and the frequent use of profane language. The play, however, had become a cultural phenomenon; four other state universities in Michigan had produced it since 1999 and the movie channel Home Box Office had aired a version that was a critically acclaimed miniseries in late 2003. Still, no one at SVSU was prepared for the protests during its opening weekend in late April. Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association, charged that the nude scene and the play’s portrayal of homosexuality amounted to pornography. He contacted legislators and organized allies throughout the state. By the time the play opened, the president’s office had received more than 1,000 angry emails calling on Gilbertson to cancel the show. State Rep. Jack Brandenburg (R-Harrison Township) called for Gilbertson’s resignation. “Taxpaying citizens should not have to subsidize this garbage,” Brandenburg said in calling for the Legislature to freeze SVSU funding. In the days before the final weekend of the show, 43 legislators wrote an open letter to Gilbertson protesting the university’s decision to produce a play that “includes full-frontal male nudity and the use of the f-word in every way possible.” The university remained resolute. Gilbertson and the university’s media relations office ran interference for the Theatre Department, deflecting criticism away from the performers. The president published an open letter on the university’s website explaining his decision to let the show go on: “Part of any comprehensive range of performance art must also include

Ric Roberts


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pieces that may be more controversial, unnerving, occasionally even raw. Audience’s experiences would be sheltered and incomplete without exposure to contemporary plays that raise troublesome questions—even in controversial ways. … Freedom of expression allows the Theatre Department to put on this play, but it also protects the rights of … people to protest this play.” Playwright Tony Kushner contacted Gilbertson and told him that this letter was among the finest statements by an administrator on behalf of his work. Nonetheless, the situation remained tense during the play’s two-week run. Ultimately, the protests galvanized the students and made them determined to go on with the show. As protestors gathered outside the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts on opening night, police officers guarded the entrances and the usual number of ushers working was doubled. The situation never became violent, and the cast and crew took it all in stride. Ticket sales increased by 33 percent over usual levels during the play’s limited run. Roberts recalled that the experience taught his students the degree to which “theater is a mirror to society” and reflected the contentious, yet often respectful manner, in which people debated important cultural and political issues. During a university holiday party that December, Roberts and theatre student Caleb Knudson chatted with Gilbertson. When the topic of the spring’s fireworks arose, Knudson commented that he wished the department would put on Kushner’s sequel, “Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika.” Roberts remembered a long pause while Gilbertson eyed him and Knudson carefully before responding, “Wait until I retire.”53

A Culture of Caring

SVSU fosters experiences inside and out of the classroom that help students develop leadership. During 2010-2011, more than 3,300 students volunteered for some form of civic engagement through the Office of Student Life. More than 1,200 students participated in academic internships. Such activity comes through sponsored programs, such as Christmas in July of the 1990s when students helped renovate homes in Saginaw, or the Alternative Breaks opportunities, offered after 2004, that encourage students to devote their spring breaks to learning more about a social issues in another part of the country.54 The Student Association began The Battle of the Valleys charity fundraising competition with football rival Grand Valley State University in 2003. In November 2012, SVSU students won their fifth consecutive Battle, outraising competitors at GVSU by nearly 30 to 1. In 2011, the Battle and the Relay for Life together raised more than $90,000 for charity.55 In the 10 years of the competition, SVSU students have raised almost $275,000 for such charities as Special Olympics of Michigan, Great Lakes Bay Miracle League and Salvation Army of Saginaw County, to name a few. Concern for the community extends well beyond the borders of the Great Lakes Bay Region. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, nursing students expressed to instructors a desire to do something—anything—to help. Ava Lewis, professor of nursing, responded by organizing a seven-day trip for more than a dozen students and volun-


Chapter 2: Managing A Maturing Institution

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In the 10 years of the Battle of the Valleys competition, SVSU students have raised almost $275,000 for such charities as the Salvation Army of Saginaw County, which in 2010 received a check for $40,088.

teers. The group delivered supplies to schools and shelters. The experience was rewarding but did not come without heartache. Everywhere the students looked, they saw buildings destroyed, families devastated and lives shattered. Lewis recalls that working with the children who couldn’t sleep due to post-traumatic stress syndrome was the worst. “One little boy really sticks out in my memory,” Lewis remembered. “He talked about the hurricane, and the water coming into the house and how his daddy put him on his shoulders. When they were walking out, the water covered his daddy’s head.” When he returned to campus, Scott Schlaud, a member of the contingent, said, “This has changed my life and opened my eyes to the many ways a nurse can help people’s quality of life.”56 Alternative Breaks is a student-run, student-led program that offers SVSU students an “alternative” to the traditional holiday and spring breaks. Students learn about an important social issue and then travel the country, or sometimes other countries, to provide service related to a particular issue. Started in 2004, this program has gained in popularity each succeeding year.


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Roberts Fellows, funded by endowments the SVSU Foundation administers, began in 1999 and became among the most successful outlets for outstanding students interested in understanding global affairs. The program honors Donna Roberts, who was a member of the Board of Control and the SVSU Foundation Board of Directors. Fellows are pictured with distinguished Civil War historian Allen Guelzo, who visited in 2013.


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Chapter 3: Global Communities

Chapter 3

Global Communities Upon first arriving, Robert S. P. Yien clearly recalled his first impressions of the school: to him, it looked like one lone building in the middle of a cornfield, he mused. During his 27 years as vice president for academic affairs, Yien helped SVSU grow into the major regional institution it was to become. Among the accomplishments of which he has said he was most proud is the degree to which he, President Eric Gilbertson, and many others worked to internationalize the campus by bringing multinational faculty and students to SVSU and by introducing those at SVSU to the larger world.

Office of International Programs

SVSU has greatly expanded its international programs during the past 25 years, bringing more students and scholars from other nations to campus and fostering more travel experiences for students overseas. Internationalizing the campus and making it more global helped cultivate leadership in SVSU graduates. As Gilbertson noted, “I hope [students] become comfortable with the people that they will be working with and competing against.”1 The 1991 strategic plan “Promises to Keep” identified three main strategies for international programs at SVSU. One was to encourage student international experiences on campus and off. Ideally, this would entail study abroad, and it involved bringing international students to the campus. To support these international students, the second strategy was to develop necessary academic infrastructure on campus, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. The third strategic goal was to “internationalize the curriculum” by offering more courses with a global focus.2 The administration made a leadership position within the Office of International programs permanent, though the position itself has been called “director,” “special assistant to the president,” “interim director” and “acting director” at various times. When Gilbertson arrived, history professor Robert Braddock held the position on a part-time basis and served from 1989 to 1991. He was succeeded by Lee Heywood “Woody” Pelton, who served


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Woody Pelton

from 1992 to 2002. Others who have headed the office have been Stephen Kazar (2006 to 2008), Jim Dwyer (2008 to 2010) and Stephanie Sieegreen (2010 to 2014).3 When Pelton arrived, he felt that the best way to provide international experiences for students was to get them to study abroad. “Our students travel better in a pack, rather than individually, and with someone they know,” said Gilbertson. Beginning in winter 1993, several SVSU faculty took students to England for a full semester. But the realization was that most SVSU students could not come up with the financial resources or the time to devote a full semester abroad. The solution was to encourage faculty to create more opportunities that would take students abroad for a couple of weeks rather than two or three months.4

Student and Faculty Exchanges

Another attempt to promote a sense of global community stemmed from the international student and faculty exchange initiatives the university had forged. Many of these partnerships were with Asian institutions. SVSU was lucky to have people with connections there. Michigan Gov. James Blanchard had sent Yien to Japan in 1989 to help establish a Michigan center for study at Hikone, in Shiga Prefecture. Yien also was instrumental in developing SVSU’s oldest exchange relationship—with Shikoku University in Tokushima, Japan.5

SVSU’s oldest exchange relationship is with Shikoku University in Tokushima, Japan. Students from Shikoku first arrived on campus in 1979. This cohort made the trip in August 1990.


Chapter 3: Global Communities

The exchange partnership with Shikoku developed from the sister-city arrangement between the city of Saginaw and Tokushima. The first group from Shikoku, which at the time was a university for women, arrived in 1979. In later years, dozens of Japanese students and faculty came to SVSU—more than 80 between 1986 and 1991 and 37 students in that final year alone. The university sent its first students in 1982.6 For the administration at Shikoku University, the exchange offered the same benefits for its students as SVSU hoped to provide for domestic students. Shikoku President Noboru Fukuoka noted that coming to SVSU benefitted Shikoku students by stimulating them to learn English through immersion in American culture. Fukuoka has said Shikoku students, much as those of many places around the world, can be inward looking in terms of their worldview; experiencing other cultures can shatter this provincialism.7 Despite the intention to have the partnership focus on students, the Shikoku-SVSU relationship became primarily a faculty exchange. The Japanese visitors remembered their trips to SVSU fondly. The campus community welcomed them and took them shopping, sightseeing and to parties. Some vividly recall their new friends taking them to see the Upper Peninsula, Mackinac Island, Toronto, Niagara Falls, even New York City. Kazuko Okada enjoyed golfing with her colleagues at SVSU, saying that all were nice and took care of her

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during her stay in a new country. “I had so much fun that I forgot about my husband!” recalled Noboko Shinohara, who said she was worried that she would suffer homesickness.8

Sister Institutions

Saginaw Valley State has developed additional exchange relationships over the years. A partnership with Shanghai International Studies University In China began in 1991, and the University formalized a nursing exchange with Jinan University in 1994 after nearly six years of visits. Yien assumed a leading role in developing relationships with universities in Taiwan, such as Shih Hsin University (2002) and Ming Chuan University (2003). After retiring from SVSU in 2005, Yien guided the latter in its successful effort to become the first university in Asia accredited in the United States. In 2012, a branch of Ming Chuan University opened in the Regional Education Center on the SVSU campus. Exchange relationships with schools in India, Australia, France, Poland, Mexico and South America also developed, although many later lapsed. The Office for International Programs looked to resurrect or expand some while seeking new partnerships in Asia and Africa. In 2011, SVSU was one of 10 colleges and universities in the United States to participate in the International Academic Partnerships Program’s 2011 China initiative, which sought to encourage better relationships with that nation. In 2012, Gilbertson signed an agreement through which the College of Science, Engineering & Technology would mentor academic program development at Pentecost University College, which has campuses at Accra, Sowutuom and Agogo, Ghana.9

Student Services

The Office for International Programs focused its support on international students residing on campus, whether or not they arrived here as part of these exchanges. The office employed translators and tutors to assist students with academic work, as well as counselors to support those finding it difficult to acclimate to a new culture. Arguably the most important help anyone can provide an international student is with learning a new language. ESL began in the fall of 1996. The administration believed that this was the most important step in drawing students to SVSU who previously might have shied away because of concerns about their grasp of English. By 2011, the Office of International Programs had hired native Chinese and Arabic speaking students to serve as advisors for international students on campus. By the same token, SVSU worked to broaden the linguistic capabilities of its own students. SVSU officials hoped that establishment of a Japanese language program, for instance, might spur more study abroad to Japan. Beginning in 2006, SVSU offered courses on Arabic language and culture, which Middle Eastern instructors taught through the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistance Program (see Table 1).10 Though the language focus in the Office of International Programs has always been on teaching English to foreign students, there has also been an intent to bring international guests to campus to teach language and culture classes. Table 1 shows an emphasis on the Middle East, an intentional choice in response to the U.S. State Department’s encouragement on strategic language studies.


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Chapter 3: Global Communities

SVSU has developed multiple international relationships over the years. President Eric Gilbertson and Academic Affairs Vice President Robert S. P. Yien (left and center, above) signed an exchange agreement in the early 1990s with Dr. T. Okubo, former president of Tenri University, Tenri, Japan. In 2013, President Gilbertson (left) authorized an undergraduate student exchange program agreement with President Kazumi Matsushige and Board Chairman Ichiro Satoh of Shikoku University, Tokushima, Japan.


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The World in Coursework

The international focus led to changes in curriculum, too, as departments increasingly offered more globally-focused courses. One early step was the interdisciplinary International Studies major, which was designed to promote student success in many global-economy careers. In 1996, the College of Business & Management improved international business offerings. In addition to introducing the Harvey Randall Wickes Endowed Chair in International Business and The Dow Chemical Company Centennial Chair in Global Business, the university received a Business International Education grant from the U.S. Department of Education. That paid for expansion of training in international business for professionals and supported faculty-led seminars for members of the regional business community. The college also developed new courses, increased library holdings, revised the graduate certificate program and developed the international business major. Another Business International Education grant in 2002, written by George Puia, Dow Chemical Company Centennial Chair in Global Business, with Saginaw Future Inc., created the SVSU Global Business Initiative, which provided training for local small- to medium-sized businesses, recruited international business students to SVSU and supported faculty development. Such initiatives have resulted in significant growth in the international student population at SVSU. As of 2012, international students comprised approximately 6 percent of the SVSU student body, twice the percentage in 1998. Most of these students come from China or Saudi Arabia. During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, concerns that students might refrain from foreign travel proved unfounded. International students continued coming to SVSU, and staff continued to welcome and work with them. The World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001, had a deeper impact, affecting the international student population in a number of ways. In response to the terrorist attacks, the U. S. government cracked down on foreign visas, making it harder for students to gain permission to enter the country. International students on campus feared what might happen as Americans determined how best to respond to the tragedy. In the days after the attack, senior officials organized a meeting in Founders Hall at which a number of Muslim students attended. Students aired their concerns. Some worried that students would treat them differently, and that they might have to “blend in” by disguising their Muslim identity. A few reported hearing some derogatory comments directed their way while standing in line or heading to class. Essentially, they were worried, afraid and uncertain as to how best to respond. The administration assured the students they were important members of the SVSU community and that it would accept them as such. Pelton remembers the meeting as a cathartic experience. In essence, the fellowship exhibited in Founders Hall that day in 2001 exhibits the relationships SVSU’s International Programs aims to instill within all members of its community.11

Student Programs with a Global Component Roberts Fellows Roberts Fellows, funded by endowments the SVSU Foundation administers, began in 1999 and became among the most successful outlets for outstanding students interested in


Chapter 3: Global Communities

The World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001, affected the international student population in a number of ways. For example, the U. S. government cracked down on foreign visas, making it harder for students to gain permission to enter the country. The campus community held a 9/11 memorial ceremony one year later in the campus quad.

understanding global affairs. The initiative supports an intensely selective number of undergraduates distinguished by academic success and leadership potential. The program honors Donna Roberts, who was a member of the Board of Control and the SVSU Foundation Board of Directors. Her personal success story chronicles a rise from a family with no higher education interest or experience to retirement from The Dow Chemical Company as secretary to the Board of Directors and assistant general counsel to the company. The Roberts Fellows idea sprung from conversations between Gilbertson and Drew Hinderer, a professor of philosophy, who shared a conviction that SVSU enrolls many bright students with potential to compete at any number of top universities in the country but are limited by a lack of self-confidence and experience. Over lunch one day in winter 1998, Gilbertson challenged Hinderer to develop what became the fellowship. As it turned out, there was no academic model anywhere for this venture, and it was up to SVSU to develop its own.12 With funding assured, a two-directional academic experience evolved: a year-long leadership seminar on campus, followed by a trip to Asia. Planners chose Asia in part because they believed that destination was more demanding for SVSU students than trip to Europe; it also required more support and preparation. Consistent with a university pattern of growth through careful planning in response to a need, the Roberts Fellowship has matured during its more than two decades of existence.

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Hinderer’s planning was determined by his training and experience as an academic. The on-campus seminar focusing on ethics and leadership and on Asian studies reflected Hinderer’s experience and expertise as a member of the Department of Philosophy. The program is currently co-led by Andrew Swihart, professor of philosophy, and Brian Thomas, associate professor of sociology. Roberts Fellows, in the beginning, showed potential but a limited vision of opportunities. Increasingly, the typical Roberts Fellow applicant became more ambitious and often saw the fellowship as a stepping-stone to prestigious graduate schools. Hinderer evolved

Above: Donna Roberts Center: The 2011-12 Roberts Fellows visiting the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. Insets, right, from top: The Roberts Fellows dine with students from Tokushima in 2012; RF alumna Tricia Szymanski is now regional director of Feed the Poor in Central America; and Drew Hinderer, who developed the model for the Roberts Fellowship program.


Chapter 3: Global Communities

from a formal, professional classroom-style posture to becoming more comfortable in his role as sponsor. He became increasing informal with the fellows and expanded learning opportunities for them beyond classroom instruction to service projects, co-curricular projects and a variety of leadership experiences in Asia. As the number of Roberts Fellows alumni increased, opportunities for networking and support activities developed, especially in large cities such as Chicago and Washington, D.C.13 The fellowship endowment covers the cost of the trips. Hinderer and Yien steered the focus to diverse ways to study leadership in Asian countries, first through academic instruction provided by host institutions and then through more experiential means.

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Roberts Fellows alumni are lavish in praise for their on-campus SVSU leadership seminar, but the Asian trip remains most vivid in memory. “I learned a lot while traveling in China, Taiwan and Japan,” wrote one Fellow. “The time I spent in Xian and Hiroshima was particularly life altering. In Xian, I was exposed for the first time in my life to abject poverty.” Another said of Todai-ji Temple in Nara, Japan, “We did not just look at photographs in a book, see slides in a classroom lecture, or pull images off of the Internet. We walked in the footsteps of people who lived, struggled, celebrated … worshiped and died throughout the previous 1,200 years.”14 The fellowship has achieved its 1999 goal of making available a “year-long program of both academic course work and extracurricular activities … designed to develop Fellows’ potential as future political, economic and civic leaders.” Some Roberts Fellows alumni enjoy high-profile positions. Tricia Szymanski, for example, is regional director of Feed the Poor, the second-largest charitable nongovernmental organization in Central America. More typically, Roberts Fellows alumni are assuming leadership in their communities. Pam Logghe Szabo, of the first cohort, used her experience in Asia to develop a class curriculum in Howell, Michigan, which has become a blueprint for her entire school system. Gerstacker Fellows Inspired by the success of the Roberts Fellowship, the Gerstacker Fellowships grew out of conversations between Stephen Barbus, dean of the College of Education, and Gilbertson in 2006. Both were concerned about the continuing need for informed and effective educational leadership in mid-Michigan and SVSU’s role as a resource. The discussions spawned a grant proposal to the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation in Midland. The foundation had a history of generosity to SVSU, including a $1 million donation toward the construction of the university’s Regional Education Center and $1.25 million to establish the Carl A. Gerstacker Endowed Chair in Education. In the fall of 2005, the foundation approved a $1.5 million grant to endow the Gerstacker Fellowship Each academic year, SVSU selects 12 fellows, all teachers and administrators in positions of education leadership but not necessarily graduates of SVSU. The curriculum unfolded during 12 monthly weekend meetings. Topics included organizational development, communications, ethics, human resources, finances, global education and leadership, politics and diversity. International travel precedes a symposium at which fellows present findings and perspectives. The first six classes traveled to Asia, and the class of 2013 visited Finland. The fellows speak of renewed energy and a reaffirmed sense of purpose in their careers in education leadership. Amy Hutchinson—then English/World Language Department chair for the Midland Public Schools and now assistant principal of Midland High School— wrote in The Gerstacker Fellowship Program: A Unique, Year-Long Learning Experience for Selected School Leaders [2009]: “I have gained a network of colleagues, whom I call friends, with shared educational values. Professionally, my knowledge base has increased in such a way that I am more competent and confident as an educational leader. The international travel to China and Japan is unforgettable. My perspective about people, cultures and how best to educate children will benefit my students and co-workers for many years to come.” As of 2012, fellows were active in 22 Michigan school districts—rural, suburban and urban.


Chapter 3: Global Communities

Gerstacker II was initiated in 2011 to allow fellows to build on what they had learned in their fellowship year. An additional endowment of $1 million from the Gerstacker Foundation, supplemented by SVSU’s provision of instructional staff and administrative support, opens Gerstacker II to 10 graduates of Gerstacker I. For two-semesters, the cohort focuses on leadership in education and participates in a four-day domestic travel experience. In 2012, the Gerstacker Foundation funded a student-staff exchange between Midland High School and Fushing Private High School in Taiwan, with Midland travel in April 2013 and reciprocation planned for spring 2014. Meanwhile, at SVSU, delegates from the Ministry of Education in Chongqing, China, arrived in November 2012 for a one-week stay during which they visited four Michigan school districts. The participants drafted a twoyear exchange plan before they left for home. The Gerstacker fellows had visited Chongqing during their Asian trip that spring.

Inspired by the success of the Roberts Fellowship program, the university received a $1.5 million grant from the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation to endow the Gerstacker Fellowship, which was co-coordinated by Carolyn Wierda (standing in top photo) and Robert Maurovich (right).

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Vitito Fellows The Vitito Global Leadership Institute is yet another successful program of distinction. In February 2012, conversations about the institute began between Gilbertson and George Puia, Dow Chemical Company Centennial Chair in Global Business. Robert Vitito, then board chair of Citizens Bank and a former member of the SVSU Board of Control, and his wife Bobbi agreed to a legacy gift to endow the initiative. Selected in November 2012, the first 12 business majors and minors began classes in January 2013. A distinguishing feature of the Vitito selection process from the start was recognition of students who may, at first, have been academically undistinguished and who showed promise after having found the right focus for their work. Recruiters, as stipulated in the 2012 “Vitito Program Planning” document, were to “cast a broad net to include late starters and transfer students as well as traditional high-performing undergraduates.” Over three semesters, fellows undertake course work and local field experiences to develop leadership skills, then complete a 10-day international study tour to meet with foreign entrepreneurs, corporate executives and government officials. Graduates are encouraged to become a part of the Vitito Fellowship alumni network, participate in events and offer guidance to current Fellows.

Promoting a Diverse Campus

Roosevelt Ruffin

Early in Gilbertson’s administration, the university made significant strides to improve racial, ethnic and gender diversity on campus. This was echoed in the “Promises to Keep” strategic plan issued in 1991, and that year the Board of Control adopted a “Statement on Cultural Diversity” that directed the president to “pursue aggressively the development and support of those programs and activities” that “focus on achieving a greater diversity among the faculty and staff as well as the student body and all other groups the university supports or services.” Diversity was a fundamental part of the university’s mission during its second quarter century, as evidenced by the creation of committees such as the Task Force on Diversity, the Task Force on Racial Issues and the President’s Forum on Diversity.15 Likewise, the Festival of Unity celebrations begun in 1990, and the international food festivals and international cultural nights became tremendously popular.16 Additionally, a range of diversity-based registered student organizations have become an integral part of student life. In summer 1990, Roosevelt Ruffin began as SVSU’s director of multicultural programs/ affirmative action. Ruffin was well known in the Saginaw community as a multi-talented theatre performer, and author of a history book who had served as a principal in the Saginaw school district and Saginaw city councilman. Ruffin’s responsibilities were manifold: to direct efforts to achieve a multicultural working and learning environment on campus and to oversee hiring practices so as to comply with federal Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action standards.17 Ruffin died in October of 1994. His replacement, SVSU alumnus Craig Tatum, helped the university establish a task force of administrators, faculty and staff to examine policies on affirmative action, multiculturalism and related issues.18 In 1998, he was succeeded by Vince McMillon, whose duties included developing programs in K-12 and intermediate


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A gift from Robert and Bobbi Vitito endowed the Vitito Global Leadership Institute; in January 2013, the first 12 students began coursework for the institute, which also involves a 10-day international study tour.


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Kerry Segel

Steve Sherlock

school districts to recruit minority students and employees to SVSU. McMillon held a master’s degree in social work and entered the ministry in 2001. He was followed by Mamie Thorns, who joined SVSU in 2002 as special assistant to the president for diversity programs. Her office continued the work of her predecessors, developing recruitment and outreach strategies, resolving discrimination complaints and creating training workshops and programs for faculty, students and staff. The Office for Diversity Programs supports the Human Relations Office in the collection and evaluation of data related to recruitment, promotion and attrition.19 In 2008, the university reported that the percentages of women and minority faculty had remained stagnant for the previous three years.20 The administration responded by introducing the Inclusion Advocacy Program in 2009. The Office for Diversity Programs stepped up training in effective recruitment, screening and hiring practices and making mandatory an “inclusion advocate” on each job search committee.21 The office developed a recruitment plan that detailed strategies for seeking talent at conferences, engaging minority faculty members at SVSU to assist with job searches, participating in jobs fairs at universities with high numbers of minority candidates, using targeted advertising and a network of community contacts. The Office for Diversity Programs worked to ensure that gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender students and faculty find SVSU non-discriminatory.22 Beginning the early 1990s, the university received various grants that aided initiatives designed to increase the number of minority students in college. In 1990, Delta College and SVSU received a Michigan College/University Partnership grant from the Michigan Department of Education. The funding went to initiatives designed to urge minority students to continue their education beyond graduation from high school. A grant from the Strosacker Foundation allowed the university to further promote participation of minorities and women in science. A NASA College Space grant supported SVSU’s participation in the Mid-Michigan Minority Pre-Engineering Program (M3PEP).23 In January 1992, SVSU partnered with the Saginaw Public School District, supported by the Michigan Humanities Council, to help area teachers understand more fully African American cultural issues and history and consequently to impact their teaching, especially in classrooms with many minority students.24 The College of Education secured a Goals 2000 grant from the state Department of Education in 1995. This funded a pilot project to help train teachers on issues of diversity in the classroom.25 Kerry Segel, professor of English, and Steve Sherlock, professor of sociology, were instrumental in getting $81,000 grant from the state Office of Minority Equity in 1994 to create a successful 4-S (Select Student Support Services) program called FAST (Flexible Academic Support Track), designed to help academically and economically disadvantaged minority students transition into the university by training faculty and peer leaders to provide them with academic support.26 SVSU has paid particular attention to taking additional steps to recruit more minority students into the nursing program. In 2001, the College of Health & Human Services received a series of grants, the largest being a federal Nursing Workforce Diversity grant, designed to recruit students from educationally and financially disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to attracting and retaining new students, the college also used this funding to


Chapter 3: Global Communities

SVSU has paid particular attention to recruiting more minority students through a series of grants, special programming and the establishment of fraternal organizations, such as this Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. work with current and future registered nurses to prepare them for leadership roles and for new opportunities in the field. The college received another three-year NWD grant in 2009 to augment opportunities for economically and educationally disadvantaged students.27 Generous support from regional philanthropists has also allowed the university to offer scholarships to support minority students at SVSU. The Linneaus C. Dorman Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Phae H. Dorman Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Rosa Parks each developed from a financial gift given by the Dormans and matched by The Dow Chemical Company. The Jean Davis Warrick Scholarship for Women supports female students working toward a degree in the College of Business & Management. Dr. Earl L. Warrick, who taught business courses at SVSU, and his wife Jean presented the initial money for the scholarship to the university, along with a second gift from Dr. Warrick’s employer, The Dow Chemical Company.28 SVSU has also worked with various community agencies on diversity initiatives. The Saginaw County Youth Leadership Institute derived from a partnership between the university and the Bridge Center for Racial Harmony, a Saginaw-based non-profit organization focusing specifically on intergroup, race relations programs. Almost 100 high school students from the Great Lakes Bay Region participate in workshops on leadership, diversity, and service. The institute’s first class of 51 students graduated from the program in 2006.29 Beginning in 2011, SVSU partnered with local businesses, chambers of commerce and community foundations to host the annual Great Lakes Bay Regional MLK Celebration on Martin Luther King Day.30 These efforts represent a solid record of partnerships that connect the university to its neighbors in the global community—not bad for a college that started with “a lone building in the middle of a cornfield.”

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The university hosts annual events that bring international traditions and tastes to campus. Among the most popular events are Intercultural Night (an opportunity to showcase national music, dance, dress and other elements), and International Food Festival, at which—


Chapter 3: Global Communities

in cooperation with the university’s Dining Services staff—SVSU’s international students prepare foods in the traditions of their home countries.

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

With support in 2006 from The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Corning Corp., and The Bridge Center for Racial Harmony, the Saginaw County Youth Leadership Institute became the Great Lakes Bay Regional Youth Leadership Institute. The commitment from local com-


Chapter 3: Global Communities

panies enabled the institute to expand its student participation from a class of 51 students its first year (2005-06) to 96 students each following year. The institute is under the direction of Mamie T. Thorns, special assistant to the president for diversity programs (top right inset).

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Workers install the glass SVSU seal into the south entrance to the Student Center.


Chapter 4: Strategizing and Managing Physical Growth

Chapter 4

Strategizing and Managing Physical Growth The tremendous growth in the size of the campus from 1985 to 2013 is often the first thing noticed by campus visitors who can recall only the early years of SVSU. Blossoming from family farmland in the 1960s, by 2013 the SVSU campus had grown by more than three times its 1985 size. During Gilbertson’s administration, the university built or expanded more than 30 structures, an investment of more than $286 million. To put that into perspective, in 1989 the entire campus consisted of 14 structures that cost a little more than $53 million to build. It is perhaps natural for visitors to ask if such growth would continue. “Every year, I have to wonder about that myself,” mused Stephen Hocquard, who since 1992 oversaw the growth of the campus in his role as assistant vice president of facilities planning and construction. But in 2010, focus shifted to maintenance and renovation as the university’s student population reached its target population of approximately 10,000 students. SVSU might never again see the on-campus construction boom of the 1990s and 2000s.1 A good campus plan must consider location and maintenance of vital infrastructure such as plumbing, electrical conduits, roads and parking lots. New buildings garner public attention with groundbreaking ceremonies and formal dedications, but much of the growth of a campus relies on careful planning of what are generally more mundane initiatives. Projects that go unnoticed comprise a significant part of planned campus growth. Buildings, and the spaces that separate them, must work together. “The success of the total [campus] design is as much associated with the layout of the buildings as with each of the building’s design,” Hocquard said in 2005. “The spaces between buildings and the landscaping provide a sense of place as much as the buildings do.”2 Accordingly, the Facilities Planning and Construction Office staff plan for all elements of the physical campus to work together functionally as well as aesthetically.

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Throughout the years, the university expanded roadways and replaced outdated equipment. It negotiated with Kochville Township for utilities easements that would provide water and sewer service for the campus and for expected corollary growth outside of campus. Obtaining direct water service in the 1990s rendered the water tower — a symbolic fixture on campus — obsolete. Crews dismantled the tower in the fall of 2000, saving the university thousands of dollars in annual maintenance costs. In 1991, the university replaced extensive underground electrical cables following a campus blackout. Additional parking lots kept up with increased traffic and enrollment growth. The campus telephone system underwent significant upgrades in 1994 and 2012, and work was necessary to provide Internet service and wireless hubs for the campus. On a regular basis, each building on campus needed to have its mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems updated.3 But for 25 years, more high profile facilities projects — augmenting SVSU’s emphases on teaching, scholarship and community engagement — shaped the university’s identity.

Stephen Hocquard since 1992 has overseen the growth of the campus in his role as assistant vice president of facilities planning and construction.


Chapter 4: Strategizing and Managing Physical Growth

H. Randall Wickes Stadium

The first campus-improvement project of the Gilbertson administration was the 1989 expansion of the football stadium. The Board of Control discussed plans that year to add an additional 3,000 seats and to modernize the outdoor complex. Gilbertson noted prior to construction that private gifts would “enable us to enjoy a fine stadium facility without cost to taxpayers or our students.” Donations totaling $1.2 million funded the stadium renovations, which began in 1991. Contractors added 1,500 permanent seats, a new press box, a concessions stand and restrooms. Using soil from the excavation of the large retention pond at the university’s main entrance, crews erected a 23-foot-high, 220-foot-wide, horseshoe-shaped berm around the field, giving the stadium a traditional bowl look. The football team kicked off the first game Sept. 14, 1991, against Wayne State. The new-look Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium honored the legacy of Wickes, whose foundation had been the principal donor.4

Curtiss Hall

Planning began in October 1987 for the facility that became Curtiss Hall, the largest in the university’s history to that date. After nearly two years of planning, the committee charged with studying the needs for such a facility reported to the Board of Control that a new multi-use business and professional development, conference, fine arts and entertainment center would serve a vital role in the university’s mission to “become a major stimulus for business innovation and professional development within this area.” The committee noted that the structure would, first of all, support economic growth and entrepreneurism in the region. Second, the building would provide a space where business professionals could interact with SVSU faculty and students to develop strategies for success in industry and education. Third, it would serve as a locus for interactive programs designed to prepare students and professionals for the challenges of the 21st century marketplace. And fourth, it would become a place where the varied interests of business, government, labor and education could share ideas and resources. Based upon this report, the board authorized the university to pursue construction of what the project’s architects called the West Complex.5 Aspects of some early plans, such as a student union, a bookstore and a conference center were eliminated in the preliminary discussions to keep the costs manageable and a funding request from the state feasible. To obtain the Legislature’s approval to go ahead with the project, the university sent plans for a $19.8 million, 138,000-square-foot building. The state government, in 1991, allowed the university to hire an architect, and the administration engaged Harley, Ellington, Pierce, Yee and Associates of Southfield to create design plans. The firm, after input from university faculty and staff, proposed a building much larger than first considered.6 The architects drafted a design that included space for the College of Business & Management, Continuing Education, the Conference Bureau, International Programs, the Lifelong Resources and Gerontology Services (which later became the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), a 300-seat musical recital hall, a 600-seat performing arts auditorium, a telecommunications center, a business development institute and classrooms.

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Charles B. Curtiss

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

The revisions increased the scope to 203,000 square feet at a cost of nearly $33.5 million. The plan added banquet and conference facilities as self-supporting entities that private contributions would finance, and they were not included in the funding request to the state.7 The Legislature approved funding for the West Complex project June 30, 1992, agreeing to provide $33 million in loans over the ensuing three years. Gilbertson referred to the funding approval as some of the best news the university had received in years, going a long way toward making SVSU into a cultural and intellectual center for the region.8 State Senator Jon Cisky (R-Saginaw), a former member of the SVSU criminal justice faculty, House Speaker Lewis Dodak (D-Montrose) and representatives James O’Neill, Jr. (D-Saginaw) and Rollie Niederstadt (D-Saginaw) worked hard to secure the necessary support from Lansing.9 Then Gov. John Engler presented a choice to the university. The state would support only one of two planned university projects. It could accept the money for the West Complex, or use it instead for a campus power plant. Over the years, each building had been erected with its own heating and cooling systems, meaning that by the early 1990s the campus contained 76 separate systems. In summer 1989, the university had expressed the need to build a common heating and cooling plant on campus; the administration chose to proceed with the West Complex. (In place of the power plant, the university began construction in the mid-1990s on a more inexpensive “energy loop.” The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in Wickes Hall received an update and connection to other buildings around campus. Completed in 1999, the loop improved energy efficiency while providing backup for a failure. In 2003 and 2009, the university expanded the loop and in 2010 replaced the original Wickes Hall unit from 1968 with an energy efficient air handling system.)10 Gov. Engler attended the groundbreaking for the West Complex in August 1994.11 Revisions to the plans continued throughout the process as university staff worked to stay within its budget. It was Hocquard’s first project after arriving on campus and, he said, it was not an easy task. There was “a certain period of time where, about four or five times in a row — after we’d done some drawings [and] had some estimates done — that we were $600,000 over budget,” he said. “So then we’d have big meetings, and we’d cut out things and change things and we thought, ‘OK, that’ll be $600,000.’ We’d go back, and they’d redraw it, and then they’d get the estimators working, and they’d come back and say that we’re $600,000 over the budget. That went on several times to the point that it was not funny.” The process resulted in rather significant changes to earlier architectural drafts, most notably the location of the eastern entrance to the west so as not to encroach upon the central quad. After two and a half years of construction, the West Complex officially opened April 17, 1997.12 While contractors were constructing the West Complex, the university announced that it would name one of the buildings for Charles B. Curtiss, a prominent supporter of the university since its inception and member of the Board of Control for 32 consecutive years from 1963 to 1995. Curtiss was a successful stockbroker from Bay City who had helped plan the creation of Saginaw Valley State University. One of his proudest accomplishments was serving as the guiding force behind “Design for a College,” a document written in 1966 that was instrumental in shaping the university’s growth over the ensuing years. Considering the


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important role that Curtiss had played in planning the university, and in emphasizing the importance of good planning for future growth, it made sense to name this campus facility “Charles B. Curtiss Hall.” The main entrance atrium was christened Groening Commons in honor of William H. Groening, SVSU’s first Board of Control chairman.13 Groening had been a member of the Committee of 300 that worked to establish Delta College and the institution that became SVSU. He served as a Midland councilman and mayor from 1950-52 and retired from his position as vice president and general counsel for The Dow Chemical Company in 1977. In a 1994 interview, Groening stated that his work on behalf of SVSU over the years came from his innate sense of reciprocity: “I firmly believe that every person who has received a college or university education and has achieved material success has a moral obligation, by voluntary efforts or monetary contributions or both to give back to higher education some of the benefits bestowed upon that person.”14 The board named the 274-seat Rhea E. Miller Recital Hall for the prominent Saginaw music educator in February 1997, only days following her death at the age of 100.15 The 524seat performing arts auditorium in 2005 was designated as the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts. In addition to his five decades as a neurosurgeon in Saginaw, E. Malcolm Field donated much of his time and financial support to community fine arts initiatives. Field played piano for patients in the Saginaw hospitals, and he served as organist for the First Methodist Church in Saginaw Township for more than 40 years. The university awarded Field an Honorary Doctor of Science degree in May 2000.16

William Groening

Rhea Miller

Malcolm Field

Gov. John Engler, second from right, attended groundbreaking ceremonies for the “West Complex” in August 1994.


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Curtiss Hall was the final campus building that the state paid for entirely. After 1991, the Legislature approved partial funding contingent upon matching grants for academic buildings, which meant an end to state oversight at all stages of planning and construction. After completion of Curtiss Hall, SVSU managed its own construction projects. The university deemed that change a significant improvement.17

South Campus Complex

In 1989, the state government provided a little more than $235,000 to fund the renovation of the first buildings constructed on campus, the “66 Building” and the “68 Building.” The work transformed the former into the campus physical plant facility and the latter into space for Central Stores, the Graphics Center and a black box theater.18 During this period, U.S. Rep. J. Robert Traxler approached the university regarding an intriguing idea. The Bay City Democrat chaired the House Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies, the latter of which included the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Since the 1980s, various scientists, some within NASA or affiliated with NASA projects, had explored ways that the space agency could gather and interpret global climate data from NASA satellites. The idea was that if such a system of data collection existed, it could be used by government agencies, universities and private corporations to model probable changes in global climate and develop appropriate responses. In 1989, Congress approved a $3.9 million NASA grant to create the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). Traxler announced on Feb. 9, 1990, at SVSU that CIESIN would come to SVSU.19 SVSU became a part of CIESIN because of Traxler’s influence in the U.S. House. SVSU was also attractive because of innovative approaches the university had made in promoting science education. One of CIESIN’s goals was making climate data useable in classrooms, and the expectation was that faculty in the College of Education and the College of Science, Engineering & Technology could offer advice in how to achieve this. Accordingly, SVSU hosted or participated in workshops in 1990 and 1991 designed to test the efficacy of storing, interpreting and disseminating data for middle school and high school teachers. A $525,000 NASA grant funded the largest of these. The sessions included more than 145 teachers — including several from Carrollton, Swan Creek and Hemlock — from six states, representatives from six universities (SVSU, Ball State University, East Tennessee State University, the University of Western Illinois, Youngstown State University and the College of William & Mary) and advisors from three state Departments of Education (Michigan, Illinois and North Carolina). CIESIN included three Michigan entities: SVSU, the University of Michigan and the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM). The director was former NASA astronaut, Jack Lousma, and two administrators from SVSU served on its executive board: Robert Yien, vice president for academic affairs, as chairman and Jerry A. Woodcock, vice president for administration & business affairs, as treasurer.20 In fall 1990, as part of a bill approving another $9 million to fund the CIESIN project, Congress included $1 million to fund the planning of an Affiliated Data Center for NA-


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President Eric Gilbertson officially presented the keys to the Administrative Services Building to Peter Banks, president of CIESIN’s board of trustees, during an Open House program in October 1992.

SA’s Earth Observing Satellite system, which potentially would have the capacity to store and process daily incoming data that equaled the entire holdings of the Library of Congress. CIESIN appointed Gary Bachula, a former aide to both Traxler and Governor James Blanchard, as facilities planning director for the project and directed him to find a suitable location. Traxler suggested that SVSU was an attractive site. Bachula and his staff set up shop in the Administrative Services Building (later renamed South Campus Complex A), which had been built to house administrative offices after a fire in April 1985 had completely destroyed a “temporary” complex made up of mobile units. On Dec. 19, 1991, the university hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of the Administrative Services Building. The project doubled the size of the building, which CIESIN leased from the university. Although the building never reached full capacity while CIESIN remained as a tenant, the expectation was that it would eventually house 75-80 administrators, technicians and clerks.21 At the groundbreaking, Traxler announced that he had helped secure $29 million in federal funds to build a research and data center somewhere in the Saginaw Valley. This facility would serve as CIESIN’s gateway, connecting it to resource managers, educators, scientists, public policy makers and business interests around the world. The center, he said, would contain the necessary technological power to collect, store and disseminate data.


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While the project sounded exciting, some within the university noticed warning flags. Despite all the rhetoric regarding the planned data center, CIESIN remained frustratingly vague about precisely how it would accomplish its goals. CIESIN representatives talked, for instance, of being able to link the proposed data center with NASA’s Distributive Active Archives Centers Network. However, they could not clearly articulate how this would work or what advantages it would bring. Second, some on campus noted that it was unclear as to exactly what the staff in the new building actually did. One remarked, with tongue firmly in cheek, that CIESIN was unquestionably good at ordering office furniture but, despite the release of attractive publications, it was unclear what specific services the consortium aimed to provide. Many were skeptical of predictions that thousands of visitors would eventually tour the CIESIN center. And finally, when CIESIN requested that the university provide it with a large piece of land in the northwest section of campus for its data center, the Board of Control balked. The university was torn between its desire to support what could become a technological cornerstone and the uncertainty of whether CIESIN would ever get there.22 Gilbertson offered some prescient caution during the groundbreaking for the expansion to the Administrative Services Building when he stated that: It is important, too, to make clear what CIESIN is not. CIESIN presents some major opportunities for SVSU – but not the only opportunities in our future. CIESIN is unique in the scale of its work and the public notoriety it has received – but it is not likely to skew the focus or change the priorities of this university, an institution with a comprehensive range of programs and a strong undergraduate teaching mission. CIESIN is not, again, a tonic for our problems or an elixir guaranteeing the university fame and fortune. It is an opportunity – one opportunity – only that.23 While the university should receive credit for pursuing an idea that seemed promising, it should also be lauded for remaining cautious and skeptical. This was especially true at a time when many thought CIESIN would transform the Saginaw Valley into a science research center that would revitalize the regional economy. The Board of Control offered land on campus to CIESIN provided that it relinquished its claim to it if the center left campus. CIESIN refused, and the Board voted 7-1 to hold firm with its offer. CIESIN never built its data center on the SVSU campus — or anywhere, for that matter. For a time, it considered a site on Ojibway Island in Saginaw. That proved ephemeral as well, in part because the land contained sawdust from the city’s lumber era and proved too unstable for construction. Traxler retired from Congress in January 1993. The 1994 Newt Gingrich revolution, during which Republicans swept into the House of Representatives, closed the financial tap to projects such as CIESIN. Furthermore, the emergence of the Internet made a large data center of the sort CIESIN envisioned in the early 1990s obsolete by the latter part of the decade. In 1998, CIESIN found a home at New York City’s Columbia University, as part of its Earth Institute. Following CIESIN’s departure from SVSU, the Administrative Services Building was renamed South Campus Complex and housed offices for facilities planning and construction, the campus police department and the controller’s office.24


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Founders Hall and the Julia Stacey Edwards Bell Tower

During the construction of Curtiss Hall, the university was developing two other structures that were to define the campus identity. Often affectionately referred to as the “chapel” because of its church-like appearance, Founders Hall was the culmination of a university fundraising drive to provide a setting for perhaps 100 to 120 people for public lectures, recitals, poetry readings, convocations, Honors Society functions, ceremonies, memorials and similar events. The university obtained the $1.5 million from private donors for the project. Albert Beutler, executive director of the SVSU Foundation, coordinated the fundraising, which began in 1993. Initial projections came back with a cost for the structure that was nearly double the planned budget, and the Board of Control insisted on the original budget and approved a design that met that goal. Construction moved rapidly after the April 25, 1995, groundbreaking, and the university dedicated Founders Hall Dec. 14 of that same year. The finished building’s design and setting near a pond in the woods north of Campus Drive made it a favored spot on campus.25

Albert Beutler

This was the view outside the north windows of Wickes Hall in April 1995, just before groundbreaking ceremonies were held in the area beyond the pond and in the top center of this photo, where Founders Hall was built.


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William J. Edwards chaired SVSU’s first fundraising campaign in the early 1960s and provided the funds for construction of an on-campus bell tower, which was named for his wife, Julia Stacey Edwards, in 1998.


Chapter 4: Strategizing and Managing Physical Growth

The Julia Stacey Edwards Bell Tower has also become a central piece of the SVSU campus, frequently photographed and used in promotions and publications. The desire to erect an iconic edifice that could become a university landmark dates to at least 1993 when the Board of Control formed a committee — chaired by Richard Thompson, dean of student affairs — to explore the feasibility of building a modest version of the types of towers that adorn some large campuses around the country. By April 1994, plans for a $150,000 bell tower had progressed to the point that the committee was weighing two potential locations for the structure: west of the Leaping Gazelle fountain in the quad and outside the west entrance of the yet-to-be-completed Curtiss Hall. Thompson reported that the committee had considered placing within the tower a large brass bell that could ring at certain times or on special occasions.26 Eventually the bell tower’s chosen location was near the east entrance to Groening Commons. That emerged as a preference after revisions to Curtiss Hall plans had moved that facility’s entrance back from the quad and restored a walkway leading to the hall. Construction crews completed the bell tower in summer 1998, and the university dedication took place Oct. 17, 1998. The money for the bell tower came from William J. Edwards, who as president and founder of the Lake Huron Broadcasting Corp. had chaired the very first SVSU fundraising campaign in the early 1960s. As a token of love for his wife and as a symbol of appreciation for the university he helped build, the tower was christened the Julia Stacey Edwards Bell Tower. The university, eight months later, dedicated the adjacent amphitheatre built with donated funds from Melvin J. Zahnow to honor his wife Lillian.27 One of SVSU’s original incorporators, Frankenmuth resident Zahnow was chairman and trustee of Wickes Corp. and former chairman of the Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation. Over time, Edwards Bell Tower became a campus meeting spot, a much-photographed edifice and an architectural symbol for SVSU, replacing the mundane, yet fondly remembered, water tower.28 The Bell Tower has been the site for both planned and impromptu memorials. For example, on the night of Sept. 11, 2001, a candlelight vigil was organized to honor the victims of the 9/11 tragedies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. As soon as news of the terrorist attacks reached campus, administrators canceled classes for the rest of the day. Gilbertson approached Merry Jo Brandimore, vice president for student services, about organizing a gathering for students coping with the shocking events of that day. Brandimore and her staff organized a vigil at the bell tower with The Rev. Ron Cook volunteering to officiate at the service; approximately 500 students participated in the event.

Moving Forward: The 1996 Campus Master Plan

It was a particularly busy time for the university in 1994, with multiple building projects simultaneously progressing when Gilbertson appointed a committee of 11 faculty to study and recommend revisions to the 1978 campus Master Plan. The document had long served as the guide for campus growth and the improvement of utilities, roads and the aesthetic beauty of the campus. Its successor was the 1996 Campus Master Plan, drafted with the guidance of Johnson, Johnson & Roy Inc., the Ann Arbor architectural consulting firm that had helped develop the 1978 plan. The updated outline’s

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Richard Thompson

Melvin J. Zahnow

Merry Jo Brandimore


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primary goal was “to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to campus development” that would “emphasize the importance of the university” in the broader community.29 With funding for construction in the 1980s, the academic buildings on campus formed an “academic core,” stretching east from Wickes Hall. The 1996 Master Plan called for limited additional building in the core, instead setting aside other campus land for future construction. One such area was labeled Subcampus Zone C, which was deemed a potential research-and-technology park and where the Board of Control later located the Regional Educational Center and the Health & Human Services buildings. Other potential areas were Subcampus Zones A1 and B, near the Ryder Center and the athletic fields and the territory north of Campus Drive and east of Davis Road, which was set aside for “potential future use” and as an “insurance policy” against unexpected development. The plan also called for the construction of elevated walkways along with more pathways and outdoor gathering places designed to connect campus buildings and make the grounds more inviting. The plan also projected the creation of additional parking spaces to serve an expected 8,000 students. The 1996 Master Plan functioned as the university’s primary vision for growth during the construction boom of the 1990s and 2000s. In 2012, the board authorized a new campus plan.30

On-Campus Student Housing – Unexpected Demand

One aspect of the university’s growth that was not taken into full consideration in the 1996 Master Plan was the growth in student housing. “I don’t think we had all of that student housing in mind when we developed the master plan,” Hocquard recalled. As enrollment increased during the 1990s, Robert Maurovich, vice president for enrollment management, recommended that the university better accommodate its larger student population. In many ways, the resultant decision to construct more housing on campus was key to the rapid growth on campus. With more beds for students came the need for improved and expanded infrastructure, more dining options, expanded police and safety presence, a health care center, recreational facilities and a student center.31 In December 1995, the Board of Control began considering additional housing that would accommodate a modest total of 50 students near apartments on Pine Grove Lane. The board expressed two goals: to create a more on-campus “feel” in transforming the university from its origins as a commuter college into a residential campus, and as means to recruit students from a wider geographical range. A Pine Grove Apartments expansion opened for students in fall 1996 at a cost of just under $2 million, and a $600,000 expansion opened the following year.32 In early 1998, the university borrowed $23 million to fund more housing construction, and set aside from this $5.25 million for a science facility.33 The loan financed Living Center North, a 300-bed residence hall that opened for students in late 1999, and the first stages of the University Village apartment complex, which opened to student residents in 2000.34 The campus felt the impact of the new student residences immediately. One of the first res-


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ident assistants at Living Center North, Kristi MacKenzie, called the building’s opening “a huge changing point in living on campus at SVSU. It showed this is a school that is going to meet the needs of its students.” Students increasingly chose to remain on campus instead of leaving for off-campus apartments after their first or second year as they typically had done before.35 In fact, by 2008 more than 70 percent of the freshman class was choosing to live on campus. In July 2002, the Board of Control authorized the construction of even more student housing, via the addition of another unit to the University Village apartments and another wing to Living Center South. Students moved into these housing projects, the cost of which totaled a little more than $11 million, in late 2005.36

More than 70 percent of freshmen by 2008 opted to live on campus in new housing units, such as Living Center South. By 2013, SVSU could accommodate 2,700 residential students.


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In 1997, the state of Michigan approved funding for construction of the Herbert Dow Doan Science Building, which opened in early 2001.

Herbert Dow Doan Science Building

The Herbert Dow Doan Science Building, commonly referred to as “Science East” by the campus population, was the first academic building project completed after the unveiling of the 1996 Campus Master Plan. The idea for a new instructional facility initially emerged in the early 1990s as space for the nursing program. Soon a greater need for more classrooms and laboratories for general sciences courses became apparent, shifting planning to a new science building. Preliminary designs had the proposed building east of Collings Drive adjacent to the Ryder Center. The administration quickly decided on its eventual location, adjoining Zahnow Library and the existing science building, which was renamed Science West following renovations and the completion of the new structure. The university, once planners were satisfied, began the process of obtaining state funding.37 In 1997, the Legislature approved a $25 million loan to SVSU for construction of an instructional science facility, provided that the university matched 25 percent of that amount.


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Work on what architects initially labeled “Instructional Facility 3” began with groundbreaking in 1999 and was completed by early 2001. The new building provided classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices. As part of the project, workers renovated existing laboratories and classrooms in Science West and created a second-floor entrance to Zahnow Library. After completion of the facility, students and faculty could walk from the Pioneer Hall, through the Science Buildings and all the way around to the new Curtiss Hall without being forced outdoors, a nice perk during the winter months. It also closed up the to-be-avoided wind tunnel between the library and Science West. Before Science East was built, the wind would blow through the narrow passageway between the buildings, making winter walks to class quite chilling. “It was not a pleasant place,” Hocquard recalled. In the spring of 2001, the Board of Control named the facility the “Herbert Dow Doan Science Building” for the former president of The Dow Chemical Company. “Ted” Doan served on numerous private and government science and technology boards and was a strong supporter of SVSU since its earliest days. In honoring Doan, the board lauded the many ways in which his support of science education had “enriched the lives of the people in the region and beyond and has provided a solid foundation on which the campus continues to expand and develop.”38

The Construction Boom

While dramatic changes occurred during the 1990s, nothing compares with the construction boom of the early 2000s. In a single year, 2002, the campus grew nearly 20 percent in facility square footage.39 The next year, the university dedicated four new or renovated buildings: the Regional Education Center, the Doan Student Center, a recreational facility addition to the Ryder Center and a fourth floor to Zahnow Library. Much of the funding for these projects came from the “Creating the Future Campaign,” an initiative that raised private money with matched state funds for capital projects.40 Doan Student Center One of the goals in creating a greater campus identity for SVSU students was to create a gathering place for student activities. In 2001, the university began planning for a new student center that would aid this process by creating a “campus village” of sorts where students could congregate. The new center would house many of the amenities of traditional student unions, such as dining services, convenience stores, student organizations office space, meeting areas and entertainment facilities. The plan entailed expanding and renovating a 45,000-square-foot structure built in 1993 that contained a food court and the campus bookstore. The board funded the redesigned Doan Student Center with private donations and a small increase in student fees. Construction began in May 2002, and the finished Student Center opened just prior to the beginning of the fall 2003 semester. It quickly became the focal point on campus for student engagement and activities.41 Regional Education Center The first academic building project outside of the academic core was the Regional Education Center north of Campus Drive. For a time, the College of Education lacked a home

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of its own. Faculty and resources were spread through many buildings. After CIESIN vacated the Administrative Services Building, the College of Education moved in. There still was not enough room. The administration determined that SVSU needed a new building to provide faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, lecture facilities, a resource library and the means to develop partnerships with regional school districts. Work on the Regional Education Center began in October 2001 and was finished nearly two years later at a cost of $28 million. The dedication took place Aug. 19, 2003; students began using the facility that fall semester. The board named the large auditorium for Alan W. Ott, a long-time member of the SVSU Foundation Board of Directors who was responsible for raising much of the funding necessary to complete the center. In later years, the Regional Education Center became the home of other academic departments, such as sociology and political science, providing an interdisciplinary focus for the center.42 In 2002, the university also built a satellite center 112 miles southeast of the main campus in Macomb County. It catered to education graduate students who lived too far away to commute to SVSU. The Macomb Area Education Center contained four classrooms, a distance education center, a computer lab, a conference room and a workroom. The university hired John Armstrong, former superintendent of the nearby L’Anse Creuse Public Schools in Macomb County, as director of off-campus programs for SVSU initiatives at Macomb and Saint Clair Community College. Students began taking classes at the center in the winter semester of 2003.43 By 2013, more than 3,000 educators had obtained SVSU master’s degrees or teacher certifications at the Macomb Center.

James E. O’Neill Jr.

Ryder Center Recreational Facility The Ryder Center for Health and Physical Education — named for Jack M. Ryder, the second president of SVSU, and his wife Lila — opened in 1989. The center was a central location for indoor SVSU athletics and intramural sports. The men’s and women’s basketball teams played in the main arena, named for former state Rep. James E. O’Neill Jr. The Ryder Center also sported an Olympic-size swimming pool. Over the years, the university held commencement in the Ryder Center; it also became a center for community activities such as trade shows, concerts, high school graduation ceremonies and job fairs.44 In fall 2001, Gilbertson announced a “modest expansion” of the Ryder Center — a recreation facility that added a glass-walled wing on the south side. It contained weight-training and exercise machines such as treadmills, and other equipment for SVSU students, faculty and staff to use free of charge. Memberships to use the recreation facilities were sold to the public.45 Zahnow Library Expansion Zahnow Library had received a modest makeover during construction of the Herbert Dow Doan Science Building, relocating the main entrance and opening additional access on the second floor. It would garner a much more extensive facelift in 2003 with the addition of a fourth floor. That added stack space, offices, study carrels and a meeting/reading room overlooking the campus quad. The board named the reading room for Roberta Allen, chair of the Allen Foundation, which was generous to the university over the years.


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Initially planned as part of the project for the science building, the administration had to scale back a more extensive library renovation because of budget constraints. Instead, the Zahnow Library expansion became its own project in 2001. This came as a surprise to the library staff, which had just gotten used to the new first and second floor entrances. Before construction could commence, the staff needed to relocate offices and books, covering what was left with large sheets of plastic. Construction was not without its challenges, as the new floor would top a structure not originally designed for an extra floor. Saginaw contractor Spence Brothers Construction of Saginaw and the architectural firms Jickling Lyman & Powell of Troy and Harley Ellis of Southfield solved the problem by strengthening the foundation and reinforcing each support column throughout the building. The library closed for more than two weeks in May 2002 while builders swung heavy steel beams into place. Throughout the process, stacks remained closed to students, meaning that if they wished to check out items they had to submit their requests to student workers who, armed with flashlights, dispersed into the plastic covered stacks to retrieve the books. Moreover, after the project’s completion the library staff worked diligently to sort and to re-shelve the more than 44,000 books they moved during construction. The new floor was dedicated in October 2003. The contractor and architects received a Merit Award from the Michigan Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America in 2003 for their work on Zahnow Library.46

The Melvin J. Zahnow Library, originally built in the mid-1980s, received an extensive facelift in 2003 with the addition of a fourth floor.


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Continued Growth and Enhancements

A comparatively minor, yet very visible, portion of this construction boom was the redesign of SVSU’s “front door.” The 1996 Campus Master Plan recommended improvements to the campus main entrance to meet the needs of projected growth. The plan included the creation of a wide boulevard between the Bay Road lanes, a visual buffer to predicted commercial development west of the highway. Workers completed a new entrance to SVSU, which included a redesigned Campus Drive and a new entrance sign flanked by twin detention ponds, in 2002 at the same time that the Michigan Department of Transportation widened M-84 to a four-lane highway, including a boulevard that starts at Pierce Road and stretches north to almost at the intersection at Three Mile Road. Soil from the excavation of the north pond helped create the highway expansion. A curving, sweeping new sign over the entrance drive replaced the 3-foot-high masonry sign that had stood there since 1991.47

A new sign and twin ponds were constructed in 2002 to enhance the “front door” to campus.


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Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

In 2002, SVSU finished an ambitious project that doubled the size of the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum. A fundraising campaign raised $2 million to support the project, and the addition contained space for classrooms, archives, offices, educational programming and museum curation.48 Later, in 2013, a new outdoor sculpture garden, named in honor of donors Joanne and Donald Petersen, was unveiled.

Pioneer Hall Renovations

By the turn of the 21st century, the Pioneer Hall of Engineering & Technology, which housed classrooms and laboratories for engineering and the physical sciences and was originally built in 1978, was due for a modernization. Construction began in 2006, making Pioneer Hall inaccessible for an entire academic year. The College of Science, Engineering & Technology faculty and staff relocated to Arbury Fine Arts Center during construction.

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“Relocating my office and the engineering labs took almost a month to pack and move,” recalled Robert Tuttle, associate engineering professor, adding that “it was pretty hectic because we packed while finishing winter classes.”49 Life proved difficult for the art students and faculty as well. Space already was a concern for art students, and the presence of the engineering classes made space even more at a premium in Arbury. “Sculpture students have to share the same space with those doing paintings, and there isn’t enough room to leave their work out while they’re creating it,” Hocquard noted at the time. Sharing space with the engineers made the space even more constricted.50 In 2007, the original theatre building was renovated to serve as an art studio for the Art Department. After a year of construction, Pioneer Hall re-opened Sept. 10, 2007, with new classrooms and state-of-the-art foundry, bio-fuels, engine dyno and automotive performance laboratories.51 Pioneer Hall earned a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) silver rating, the first building in the Great Lakes Bay Region to attain such an honor. Before awarding LEED status, the United States Green Building Council evaluates buildings according to five criteria: site sustainability, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials and resources and environmental quality. The building’s round support beams use 20 percent less steel while allowing easy access for wiring, piping, and ductwork. The floors are polished concrete, reducing maintenance and replacement costs exponentially. The floors reflect light and, when coupled with the installation of energy-efficient windows and photo-sensors that dim lights when there is enough sun, use of electricity was dramatically reduced. An innovative heating and cooling system made the building energy efficient. Faucet sensors, waterless urinals and other water-saving installations made Pioneer Hall more than 30 percent more water efficient than building code standards mandate. The emphasis on conservation and efficiency was apparent even during the interior demolition phase. Project architect Paul Haselhuhn of the Saginaw firm of Wigen Tincknell Meyer and Associates noted that the contractors had installed recycling bins throughout the construction site. “The contractors are recycling everything from steel to plastic to cardboard to masonry products,” Haselhuhn said. “Ordinarily, a lot of that would have gone to a landfill.” A section of the old roof was saved and reinstalled, diverting rainwater to nearby planted areas that filter the runoff before it drains away.52

Health & Human Services Building

Discussions that would lead to the construction of the Health & Human Services Building began as early as 2006 when the Board of Control noted the need for more space for nursing and health sciences programs. Peer institutions were opening new buildings with state-of-the-art equipment in a field where technology changes rapidly, and Gilbertson set a new home for the College of Health & Human Services as a primary need if the university wished to maintain its effectiveness and competitiveness.53 Janalou Blecke, dean of the Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services, spent a lot of time in Lansing talking to legislators to get funding for the new building.


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“Everything just aligned,” she said. The estimates for the building came in under budget, meaning that architects could integrate some of the options that were on the wish list. Construction offered jobs for people in the region. The end result, Blecke noted, was that the building was “anything and everything I could have ever, ever hoped for.” Construction crews broke ground in 2009 and completed their work in the summer of 2010.54 The project included the expansion of the parking lot for staff and students using the new building and the adjacent Regional Education Center. The cost was $28 million, with the state providing 75 percent and SVSU picking up the remainder. The university dedicated the facility Aug. 16, 2010.

The 90,000-square-foot Health & Human Services Building features the largest aqua-thermal heating and cooling system in Michigan.


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The 90,000-square-foot building features the largest aqua-thermal heating and cooling system in Michigan. It contains solar-energy collectors capable of producing 15 kilowatts of electricity. These inclusions make the Health & Human Services Building an example of cutting-edge energy technology, enough so that the university received a LEED silver rating from the United States Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for this building as well. “This new facility will provide students the highest quality education and preparation,” said K. P. Karunakaran, chair of the SVSU Board of Control, at the building’s dedication. “We are grateful to our regional legislators for their support of this most important project.”55 K. P. Karunakaran

More and More a Residential Campus – Functional and Beautiful

The university board and Gilbertson determined that SVSU had reached its optimum size for the foreseeable future, and by 2013 had transitioned toward better accommodating the students and staff on an increasingly residential campus. Part of this entailed maintaining the beauty of the campus and making it a more livable space. Campus Facilities staff work year round in their commitment to, in the department’s own words, “create and maintain an exceptional environment to sustain SVSU’s competitive advantage.” For example, work on the walking trail around campus began in autumn 2001 with a grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The plan for the project called for the path to circle the campus, allowing space for bicyclists, walkers and joggers.56 A beautiful addition to the campus, the Robert and Amy Yien International Garden, was dedicated June 2, 2008. Designers modeled the 14,000-square-foot garden on a traditional Chinese garden, and it features two waterfalls, a limestone walkway and nearly 40 kinds of plants.57 In 2010, Hocquard received $40,000 from the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network to aid in creating a Native Planting Preserve north of the University Health Center to educate and raise awareness in the community about native plants. The university also maintains wetlands adjacent to Founders Hall.58 The administration indicated additional improvements to on-campus housing would continue.59 The university in 2009 installed security cameras and improved the campus emergency warning system. Part of such measures entailed the creation of a system through which students and staff could receive emergency notices via email and text message. The university also integrated various energy conservation measures and installed power generators for backup in case of electrical outages. At the start of the 2009 academic year, administrators and Covenant HealthCare opened the University Health Center at the northeast intersection of Bay Road and Pierce Road. The $2.6 million facility resulted from a partnership with the hospital and provides urgent care, and laboratory testing for the campus community and others.60 An explosion in the number of people using the Ryder Center also prompted the Board of Control in 2010 to authorize expansion of recreation facilities. Cardinal Fitness programs had grown rapidly from a little more than 100 student users during the 2007-2008 academic year to 900 two years later. During that same time, participation in intramural sports had grown 58 percent. “We want our students to have access to programs and facilities that allow the opportunity for a well-rounded student life,” Merry Jo Brandimore, vice president


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The Robert and Amy Yien International Garden was dedicated June 2, 2008.

for student affairs/dean of students, said in 2010. “And Ryder Center simply can no longer accommodate our students’ growing demand for campus recreation offerings.” The newest Fitness Center opened in 2011, boasting more than 47,000 square feet of additional space for an elevated jogging track and modern exercise equipment.61 Ryder Center also grew to accommodate athletics as well. In winter 2012, the university named the pool in Ryder Center the Gerstacker Regional Aquatic Center. Funds from the Gerstacker Foundation and a match from SVSU made upgrading the pool possible. This was to become the home for the SVSU swimming and diving team, recruiting its first women athletes for competition in 2014-2015, and men the year following. In June 2013, the university also broke ground on a field house adjacent to the Ryder Center; it will house a 300-meter indoor track with a synthetic practice surface for the soccer, football, baseball and softball teams. The renovations will alter seating in the O’Neill Arena to produce a more intimate setting for basketball games and permit greater capacity for large functions such as commencement ceremonies. The new and improved Ryder Center will open in late 2014.62

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The university also continued to regularly renovate academic buildings. In 2008, for instance, SVSU received nearly $3 million from the state to add classroom and laboratory space to Arbury Fine Arts Center. Contractors finished the addition the following year.63 Also in 2008, the university completed a half-million dollar expansion of the dining facilities in the Regional Education Center, which would serve that building as well as the students and staff from the Health & Human Services Building.64 The university dramatically redesigned the Doan Center dining facility in 2011, adding more than 100 seats to accommodate a larger campus population. The renamed “Marketplace at Doan” opened that fall.65 The second 25 years of SVSU’s growth was rapid, and most likely the university’s most significant era of growth it will experience. University officials have stressed that this growth came as a result of careful long-term planning. The university, they pointed out, consistently managed projects carefully, ensuring that each came in at or under budget and reminding donors — whether they are public or private — that investing in SVSU was a smart decision.


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By 2013, dining options included (clockwise from top) Albert E’s, Einstein Brothers Bagels, Pappa Johns, the P.O.D. (Provisions on Demand) and the Marketplace at Doan, for which an open house/ribbon-cutting ceremony included Matt Wilton, former Dining Services director; James Muladore, executive vice president for administration & business affairs; and Ronald Portwine, associate vice president for administration & business affairs.


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Art students gained additional space when an addition to the Arbury Fine Arts Center was completed in 2009.


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The newest Fitness Center opened in 2011, boasting more than 47,000 square feet of additional space; an elevated jogging track and modern exercise equipment provide visitors with options for exercise.


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The campus bookstore relocated several times between 1989 and 2013; its 2013 location at the west end of Curtiss Hall provides students and visitors with a reminder to shop for apparel and school supplies.


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Gov. John Engler gave remarks in the lobby of the Arbury Fine Arts Center during groundbreaking ceremonies of Curtiss Hall, which opened in 1997 and is the home of the College of Business & Management.


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Construction of Founders Hall moved rapidly after the April 25, 1995, groundbreaking. The university held dedication ceremonies Dec. 14 of that same year.


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Construction crews broke ground on the Health & Human Services Building in 2009 and completed their work in the summer of 2010. The university dedicated the facility Aug. 16, 2010.


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After a year of construction, a remodeled Pioneer Hall re-opened Sept. 10, 2007, with new classrooms and state-of-the-art foundry, bio-fuels, engine dyno and automotive performance laboratories.


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The first building project outside of the academic core was the Regional Education Center north of Campus Drive. In 2003, the auditorium was named for Alan W. Ott, a long-time Foundation Board member.

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The Bell Tower has been the site for both planned and impromptu ceremonies, including a one-year anniversary memorial to honor the victims of the 9/11 tragedies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.


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The Lillian Zahnow Amphitheatre and the Joanne and Donald Petersen Sculpture Garden provide space for outdoor performances or as quiet areas for reflection.


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At the start of the 2009 academic year, administrators and Covenant HealthCare opened the University Health Center at the northeast intersection of Bay Road and Pierce Road.


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Contractors added 1,500 permanent seats, a new press box, a concessions stand and restrooms to Wickes Memorial Football Stadium in 1991; endzone seating and lights for night games were installed in 2011.


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After what architects referred to as “West Complex” was completed in 1997, the university named the central commons of the facility for former Board of Control member William Groening.


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In 2010, SVSU received $40,000 from the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network to aid in creating a Native Planting Preserve north of the University Health Center. The university also maintains wetlands adjacent to Founders Hall.


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In December 1995, the Board of Control began considering additional housing that would accommodate two goals: to create a more on-campus “feel” in transforming the university from its origins as a commuter college into a campus with a significant residential population, and as means to recruit students from a wider geographical range.


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In 2001, the university began planning for a new student center that would aid this process by creating a “campus village” of sorts where students could congregate.


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The center piece of the campus, and SVSU’s tallest structure, is the Melvin J. Zahnow Library. The fourth floor, which houses the Roberta Allen Reading Room, offers a spectacular view of the campus quad.


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Eugene Hamilton served as special assistant to the president for government and community relations. He assumed the critical role of liaison with the Michigan Legislature.


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Chapter 5: Governing and Structuring the University

Chapter 5

Governance and Structure Board of directors and regents are common names that describe those civic volunteers who are charged with oversight of colleges and universities. SVSU’s governing body, the Board of Control, is the link between the university and the State of Michigan, and it has been integral and active in the shaping of SVSU. Governors appoint, subject to Senate confirmation, eight members and predominantly, though not exclusively, have looked to the Great Lakes Bay Region for nominees for the eight-year terms. Usually, two members rotate off every two odd-numbered years, though reappointment is an option some governors have exercised. The president is an ex-officio member (i.e., by virtue of his position with the university). “The work of our governing board is hugely important,” Gilbertson has said. “And, historically, the members of SVSU’s board have made tremendous contributions to the direction and character and success of the university.”1 He elaborated during his January 2011 State of the University speech: The board’s policies are … key to understanding its effectiveness in governing. Unlike many boards — school boards, city councils and some other college and university boards — the Board of Control has historically operated under policies that clearly prescribe how matters are to be handled and decided. Many of these date back to the very founding of this institution. .... The most important board policy is known as “Policy 101.”2 Under this policy, the general responsibility for managing the work of the university is delegated to the president; but the board reserves to itself final decision-making authority for matters that it has deemed most important. ....


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These important decisions include: the approval of the university’s mission statement; its annual budget, including tuition rates; collective bargaining agreements; construction projects costing in excess of $250,000; the creation or elimination of colleges or degree programs; the awarding of tenure and promotions; real estate transactions; charter school contracts; and the appointment and evaluation and … removal of the university president.3 During the university’s first 50 years, the Board of Control, with extremely rare exceptions, operated harmoniously among members and between itself and the university president. This is in very great part because of “Policy 101,” which past board member and chair William Groening initiated in SVSU’s early years. The president has had broad latitude — and serious responsibility — to communicate with the board. The Gilbertson administration made it a priority to keep members of the board well informed to ensure transparency and awareness of all governance-related activities and decisions. Additionally, the board was disinclined to use its formal meetings to deliberate on strategies for the operation of the institution. It expected not to engage in desultory planning sessions but to let the president lead. He brought to the board agendas for their approval and stipulated his rationale for why they should do that. The president, Gilbertson has said, does his job if he has done his homework and maintained a confident posture before the board — this way, he enjoys the board’s confidence in him and his recommendations for the good of the university.4 Exceptions occurred, as happened in a policy discussion about prayer at commencement. The board chair, encouraged by a certain amount of popular sentiment, argued for inclusion of prayer in the commencement ceremony. The president, in a carefully argued statement, opposed such a move. He lost in a split vote, and prayer was in. In practice, prayer was a non-sectarian observance of silence following a brief invocation by an SVSU faculty member, active or retired. SVSU’s Board of Control tends to remain non-partisan, even as political affiliations of members vary according to that of the sitting governor. The notable exception occurred during the early 1990s deliberations over the university’s relationship with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network5 (see Chapter 4). (See Appendix A for a list of Board of Control terms of appointment and Appendix B for brief biographical sketches of board members who served from 1989 to 2013.)

University Administration

Typical of administrative structure for any complex service or corporate organization, SVSU achieves coherence of its long-range planning and day-to-day operation though a hierarchy of offices and officers, culminating in the university’s president, who serves at the board’s pleasure. Gilbertson became president of SVSU in August 1989, and during his tenure enrollment grew by more than 80 percent; endowments more than quintupled; the campus tripled in size with $295 million in construction; the university received some $40 million in grants; and nine different academic or professional agencies accredited college units.


Chapter 5: Governing and Structuring the University

A small number of special assistants support the president and a handful of division heads with titles of vice president or executive director are direct reports. Beneath these division leaders are a modest number of deans and directors who oversee various functions: academic affairs, administration & business affairs, student services & student affairs, university development, information technology services, marketing and communications, community outreach, and enrollment management. Administrative growth and complexity over time remained consistent with the growth and complexity of the university (see Appendix D for a review of the SVSU organizational charts from 1989 through 2013). On the top administrative level immediately below that of the president, the 1989-1990 chart stipulates two vice presidents, one non-academic dean and a director of development and the SVSU Foundation. By 2010-2011, this top executive level included a provost/vice president for academic affairs, an executive vice president for administration & business affairs, a vice president for enrollment management, a vice president for student affairs, an executive assistant to the president/executive director of public affairs, an executive director of the Center for Business & Economic Development, an executive director of information technology services and an executive director of the SVSU Foundation. Adjustments to this organizational structure at times reflected a strategic plan or the departure of key personnel; other times these changes were designed to streamline operations. An example was changes that took place in 1995-1996 when John Fallon III resigned as vice president for public affairs to accept a university presidency out of state. This allowed for one of the senior administrative positions to be redefined. Gilbertson, as he explained to faculty and staff during his beginning of the school year orientation remarks Aug. 24, 1995, “created a new position, vice president for student services & enrollment management, to bring together all of those administrative functions directly related to the recruitment and retention of students.” At the time, institutional planners were giving highest emphasis to recruitment and retention of students, and that remained the case at least through 2013. Other times, administrative change involved adjustments to functions and their oversight. That was the case in 1998-1999, when the president separated responsibility for admissions into undergraduate and graduate offices to reflect expanding interest in graduate education. Over the years, Academic Affairs has had a history of the greatest stability in organizational structure: deans of SVSU’s five colleges, as well as directors of Zahnow Library/ Learning Resources, Instructional Support Programs, Writing Center, Registrar, Institutional Research, Sponsored & Academic Programs Support, and Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum. Appointments to middle and upper administrative positions in Academic Affairs explain, in part, the collegial relationships that developed during the history of SVSU. (See listing of administrators and their affiliations in Appendix E.)

Academic Programs and Leadership

Offices administering the university’s growing and increasingly complex student population underwent far more varied modifications. The 1995-1996 creation of vice president

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for student services/enrollment management entailed absorption of a number of functions formerly assigned to the dean of student affairs: Academic & Student Support, Academic & Career Services, Minority Student Services, Registrar, and Scholarships & Financial Aid. The Admissions Office was moved into this unit after the Public Affairs division was eliminated. Athletics and Co-Curricular/Commuter Programs (with the addition of Campus Life Center), the Children’s Center, Disability Services, Health Services and Personal Counseling Services remained in Student Affairs. In 2001-2002, the Office of International Programs was moved into this division, as well. Then, in 2003-2004, when Richard Thompson, dean of student affairs, moved to the newly-created position of university ombudsman, all Student Services offices reunited into a single unit under the vice president for student services & enrollment management, headed by Robert Maurovich. This continued until Maurovich retired in 2010, when further reorganization split the unit into two parts: Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, each headed by its respective vice president. Once again, the retirement of a key member of the administration occasioned important changes to university organization, as Gilbertson explained to faculty and staff, in consideration of “the importance of enrollments to the university.”6 The new vice president for enrollment management assumed responsibility for Admissions, Financial Aid, Academic Advising, Career Planning & Placement, Web Communications and International Programs; the new vice president for student services became responsible for Student Life Programs, Residential Life, Health and Counseling Services, Minority Student Services, Recreation Programs and Disability Services. Urgency about retention of students drove the organizational changes in Student Services and Enrollment Management. The university was recruiting successfully; numbers of entering students continued to grow. But too many students were departing SVSU without completing their degrees. President Gilbertson commented about this in his 2010 State of the University address: One big issue both the Enrollment Management and Student Services Divisions — as well as the rest of us — will have to work on in the months and years ahead is ahead is our university’s still disappointing rates of student degree completion. We need to be self-critical and candid about this matter. We have made slow — glacially slow — progress at increasing our freshman retention rates; but there’s nothing much to brag about in this regard. We’re still not doing nearly well enough. The loss of students through attrition places enormous pressure on our admissions efforts, and it will be increasingly difficult to maintain enrollments if we continue to lose students at the rates they now leave.7 Other administrative changes reflect the times. This especially was true with technological advances. Older faculty members recall ditto spirit duplicators, cumbersome opaque projectors, 16 mm film projectors and the awkward carts that transported mounted heavy television monitors with VHS players below them. Digital copiers and smart podiums made the equipment obsolete.


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A sophisticated communications network evolved to link the university community: email replaced paper, computers enabled online access and the Sakai V-space teaching-learning platform connects students and instructors in ways that were only subject of fantasies in 1989. These developments can be attributed to the appointment of support personnel with highly sophisticated computer and electronic communications skills. A vice-president-level executive director of information technology first took office in 19992000, and he gained the support of a director of computer services. Administrative adjustments also acknowledged service to the larger community, which spawned the university more than five decades ago. In 2003-2004, the university added a vice-president-level executive director of the Center for Business & Economic Development, supported by a director of the Center for Manufacturing Improvement. In following years, Continuing Education was moved to this division, along with the university’s Independent Testing Laboratory, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Office of Career Services and the later decommissioned Center for Entrepreneurship and Commercialization. Changes in the administration of International Programs reflected their priority at SVSU since its very early days. The institution’s first major planning document in 1966, Design for a College, recognized that “some form of an international program would be appropriate at Saginaw Valley College, and if designed with care and imagination could give quality and distinction to the school.”8 Since 1989, the Office of International Programs has been housed in various units and divisions, from Continuing Education to the Office of the President to Student Services and Enrollment Management. In 2013, the Office of International Programs was moved to the Academic Affairs division. (Appendix E charts the details of these changes, as it does for other modifications to university administration.) The structure for the Division of Administration & Business Affairs remained relatively constant from 1989 to 2013. Changes accommodated the growth and developing complexity of the university and occasionally were a result of adjustments elsewhere in the SVSU organizational table, with the result that the division has been significantly expanded. In 1991-1992, the controller and budget director received a new title, assistant vice president for administrative affairs and controller, along with increased responsibility. The director of the university bookstore became part of this division, too. In 1992, the university outsourced management of the store to Barnes and Noble.

Human Resources

The title of the director varied since Larry Fitzpatrick was personnel director and contract administrator in 1989, when the office had a staff of five. Consistent with a national trend, the Personnel Office became Human Resources and Contract Administration in 1997-1998. In 2001-2002, Human Resources changed to Employment and Compensation Services and Staff Relations (ECS), units reporting to the vice president for administration & business affairs. When Jack VanHoorelbeke became director and contract administrator in 2008-2009, he restored the title to Human Resources to unify the department and become consistent with industry standards. Applicants for employment would expect to correspond with the six-person Human Resources Department rather than ECS, he reasoned.9

Jack VanHoorelbeke


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The departure of a key administrator sometimes drives organizational changes. In 2001, the incumbent vice president for administration & business affairs resigned. The assistant vice president, who was also controller, succeeded him, and the assistant’s position was redefined simply as controller, reflecting the lessening of responsibility. SVSU, by the way, has enjoyed extremely sound fiscal management, a string of clean audits and a superb bond rating from Moody’s.10 In spring 2002, the director of engineering services title changed to assistant vice president, campus facilities. Two new positions were added: director, custodial and grounds operations and — in response to rapid expansion of the university’s physical plant — director construction and maintenance operations. The following academic year, the director, custodial and grounds operations changed titles again, to director of process improvement. A number of internal changes in reporting lines took place in 2003-2004 generating a new set of position designations. With the elimination of the position of vice president for public affairs, the director of the University Conference and Events Center (UCEC) moved to the Administration & Business Affairs division. The incumbent became the special assistant to the president for governmental affairs. In 2013, UCEC changed its name to The Conference Center at SVSU and assumed additional sales and marketing responsibilities of overseeing public-related events at the Ryder Center. The increasing size of the university around 2004-2005 put added pressure on campus security, leading to a redefinition of titles in the Public Safety function. The incumbent director of public safety became the director of university police and, in the following year, chief of university police. In 2005-2006, the Administration & Business Affairs division gained an assistant to the vice president. In 2006-2007, the administration eliminated three positions: director of construction and maintenance operations; director of process improvement; and director of business development. Director of business services dropped from the organizational chart in 2007-2008. The director of auxiliary operations become the assistant vice president for business services in 2008-2009 when the vice president received a promotion to executive vice president for administration & business affairs. The addition of two new positions that year was a reflection of other changes to the focus and structure of the university: director of athletics and director of scholarships & financial aid.

Public Affairs

SVSU draws life from its constituencies and responds by nourishing them: socially, artistically and intellectually. Good planning in this space is essential to the university’s health. At SVSU, the realm of “public affairs” serves as a high level responsibility, though not a formal division or department. It encompasses relationships with Michigan’s government, a source of substantial if diminishing funding; private fundraising; the nurturing of alumni; community outreach and partnerships; and integrated marketing and communications. In 1990-1991, the university acknowledged the importance of public affairs with the creation of a division with a vice president managing it. Initially, it included Continuing Education and Public Services; Admissions, which in 1995-1996 moved to Student Services


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& Enrollment Management; Development and the SVSU Foundation; and Information Services and Public Information. The following year, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving; Athletic Promotions (which faced elimination the following year); the Business and Industrial Development Institute; Continuing Education and Public Service; Corporate Relations and Placement joined the department. In 1992-1993, the Conference Bureau became part of Public Affairs. In 1995, the administration eliminated the vice president slot and replaced it with a special assistant to the president, two executive directors and a director. The changes enabled tighter departmental control and closer oversight by the SVSU president. Eugene Hamilton took over as the new special assistant to the president for government and community relations. He assumed the critical role of liaison with the Legislature. Hamilton, in 2001-2002, was still in that position when Gilbertson upgraded it back to a vice presidency responsible for Community Relations, Continuing Education, University Communications and the Conference & Events Center. Development and the SVSU Foundation continued separately under an executive director, whose oversight included Alumni Relations and Annual Giving and Development. Two years later, this directorship was combined with the vice presidency under Lucille Beuthin, and Hamilton took the title of special assistant to the president for governmental relations, affirming the university’s sensitivity to strong ties with the Legislature. Another burst of changes to SVSU’s Public Affairs structure occurred in 2008-2009. The departure of Beuthin from the vice presidency returned the organization to the executive/ director setup similar to that in place between 1995-1996 and 2001-2002.

University Communications

From an Information Services unit crafting news releases and brochures about the university in 1989, University Communications grew in importance to one of the seven divisions that report directly to the president. Under the direction of Marilyn G. Frahm, the team attained stewardship of the university’s reputation and brought to bear talent and technology to promote its public image in an increasingly competitive higher education environment.11 After the April 24, 1985, fire destroyed the Administrative Annex north of Wickes Hall, Information Services moved into the new Administrative Services Building on south campus. When CIESIN took the space, Information Services moved again — this time, to the second floor of Wickes Hall. The Nursing Department expanded into the second floor of Wickes, so Information Services relocated to the third floor. Tim Inman, the department’s photographer, said that’s how SVSU became a relatively early entrant into the soon-to-bedominant world of digital photography. The darkroom was on the second floor in space formerly occupied by the Chemistry Department. Because it was too expensive to relocate darkroom plumbing, Inman said the department “went digital,” and the nurses and nursesto-be gained a lunchroom with a sink. The transition to digital photography and the addition of Mac computers with sophisticated page design software dramatically improved the number and quality of university publications produced in University Communications. Prior to technology upgrades, the

Marilyn G. Frahm


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Lucille Beuthin

Carlos Ramet

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department’s two full-time graphic designers could do no more on average than 35 jobs per month; with digital equipment, that number increased to peak output of 100-120 jobs per month.12 In competition with non-profit and commercial organizations, including The Dow Chemical Company and the region’s hospitals, University Communications produced publications in-house — such as Reflections magazine, This Is SVSU, and the undergraduate recruiting publication Viewbook — that received multiple awards for excellence from the American Advertising Federation. After Frahm’s retirement in 1997, Cecilia Jerome took over as director of Information Services, which was renamed University Communications in 2000 to avoid confusion with the new Information Technology Services department. For four years, the SVSU Foundation and University Communications both reported to Lucille Beuthin, named in 2003 as vice president for public affairs/executive director of the SVSU Foundation. Beuthin redefined the roles of key staff in University Communications based on specializations: Inman was named director of creative services; J. J. Boehm was hired in 2003 as director of media relations; and Jan Poppe joined SVSU in 2004 to direct SVSU’s branding and marketing. In 2008, following the elimination of the position of vice president for public affairs and the return to an organizational structure with University Communications and the Foundation Office as separate units, University Communications reported to the Office of the President and was under the direct supervision of Carlos Ramet, executive assistant to the president/executive director of public affairs. University Communications evolved away from a strictly service role to brand management, including the formal development of graphic standards. Under Ramet’s leadership, University Communications staff were instrumental in identifying key institutional qualities that were reflected in all university marketing and communications.

Information Technology Services

Administrative support for information technology increased dramatically and went through frequent realignment after 1999-2000 and the appointment of an executive director. At this time, the director of computer services moved out of the Administration & Business Affairs division and into the new unit, reporting to an executive director. A modest title change in 2000-2001, when the director of computer services became the director of information technology services, suggests increasing dependence on information technology throughout the campus and consistency with how digital operations were advancing everywhere. This trend became dramatically evident in 2006-2007, when the university funded and filled four more IT positions: manager, instructional technology center; manager, network service; coordinator, online teaching and learning; and webmaster (with a modest title change in 2007-2008 to web programmer). In 2008-2009, the line up changed again, eliminating the coordinator of online teaching and learning and the web programmer. The new look included positions for an executive director of information technology; a director of information technology services; a manager of Instructional Technology Center; and a manager of network services.


Chapter 5: Governing and Structuring the University

Then in winter 2013, this configuration again underwent dramatic reorganization, splitting into two complex sub-units, each with its own director: enterprise, applications and development; and technology and support services. Both reported to the division’s executive director.

Academic Departments

In 2013, SVSU’s faculty, with the support of administrators and staff, were housed in 34 academic departments. Throughout most its first 50 years, the university’s academic departmental structure evolved quite conservatively. By the mid-1970s, the organization style had moved away from the interdisciplinary approach the founding planners had envisioned — divisions of Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences — to one in which department chairs report to their respective deans. Of particular note, SVSU never had administrative department chairs. The faculty would elect one of their colleagues for a two-year term as department chair. The chair remains a working member of the faculty and, if he or she chooses, of the SVSU Faculty Association, the bargaining unit. “The departmental chairperson shall chair department meetings and coordinate departmental activities, including the activities of departmental clerical, laboratory and teaching assistants as mandated by the department,”13 the association’s contract with the university stipulates. Additionally, “the department chairperson, at the initiative of the department, shall coordinate matters of departmental concern including class schedules, teaching assignments of faculty members, adjunct faculty, … number of preparations, departmental budgets and class size, and is responsible for advising the dean or director on such matters and other matters of all departmental duties.”14 Departments are responsible for determining their curricula, initiating change through the Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee and for general education courses through the General Education Committee. Both are standing committees. Departments initiate requests for hiring new colleagues and oversee searches for these colleagues. Departments contribute supporting documents to tenure and promotion bids by their members, though the Professional Practices Committee makes recommendations about these matters to the university administration. Ultimately the Board of Control approves tenure decisions. Since 1989, the university has added a number of departments, or reconfigured existing units, to accommodate its growth and increasing complexity. Here is a chronology of significant developments over the years: College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences Communication and Theatre split to become separate departments (1999-2000). Humanities split off from English (2001-2002); then returned to English (2002-2003). Geography split off from History (2008-2009). Rhetoric & Professional Writing split off from English (2010 – 2011). The university, for a while, had a Humanities Department with a few courses and, in time, eliminated it.

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College of Business & Management First accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business in 2003. The departments of Accounting, Law and Finance merged (2013) into a single new department: Accounting, Law & Finance. College of Education Advanced Educational Studies combined the departments of Educational Leadership and Services and Educational Technology and Development. Teacher Education split to become two departments: Teacher Education — Elementary, Early Childhood & Special Education; and Teacher Education — Middle & Secondary Education. College of Science, Engineering & Technology Electrical Engineering & Technology dropped Technology (1996-1997) and added a computer component (1996-1997) to become Electrical & Computer Engineering; and Mechanical Engineering (2000-2001) also dropped Technology. Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services The college added Occupational Therapy (1993). Kinesiology moved from the College of Education (2008-2009). Social Work moved from the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences in (2008-2009). Of particular interest is the reconfiguration of Health & Human Services to enfold departments from other colleges, essentially creating a new college. Expanding from Nursing & Allied Health Sciences to Health & Human Services provided a logical home for Kinesiology and Social Work, both from large colleges, thereby distributing instructional load somewhat more equitably to serve students better. The Communication & Theatre department responded to growing enrollments and an upgrading in fine arts with completion of the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts. Changes in the College of Education came with increased sophistication in the discipline and in response to fluctuations in professional expectations of public and private school teachers. Engineering became accredited, eliminating the need for the prior technology programs that had served students well in the developing years of the university. Rhetoric & Professional Writing was the university’s response to student demand for a pragmatic writing major.

Faculty Association

Full-time faculty members had organized into the SVSU Faculty Association (SVSUFA) beginning in 1972; the SVSUFA is an affiliate of the Michigan Education Association (MEA) and the National Education Association (NEA). Before right to work legislation passed in 2013, the members’ contract required them either to join the association or to remit to it an agency fee equivalent to dues. Members had the option of paying that amount to the operating budget of the university.15 Historically, more than 95 percent of the faculty chose to join the FA.16 Beginning in 2014-2015 and with a new contract, the dues structure would change to comply with Michigan law.


Chapter 5: Governing and Structuring the University

Contracts, typically for three-year terms, between the university administration and the association determined working conditions and compensation, and faculty monitored renegotiation of the contract with high interest. While much remained unadjusted from one contract to the next, occasionally changes were profound and shed light on the development of the university. An example is the refinement of General Education curriculum in response to a need the university recognized and its accrediting agency, North Central Association’s Higher Learning Commission, emphasized. After extensive discussion and debate at all levels, especially among SVSU faculty, the university adopted a new 10-category structure to bring coherence to General Education. Terms of the 2002 contract formalized the process. A standing committee, the General Education Committee (GEC) — chaired by an administrator appointed by the academic vice president and with membership comprised largely of faculty representatives from each of the five colleges — would rule on all courses proposed for General Education credit. The Curriculum and Academic Policies Committee (CAPC) would review those decisions before a vote by the full faculty. North Central/HLC had encouraged the university administration to support a faculty proposal for increased release time for department chairs. HLC advised more faculty involvement in planning, and noted that academic departments need more time to do that. The proposal arose from the growth of academic departments and the increase in the number of faculty members in them and first appeared in the 2008-2011 contract. For the 1999-2002 contract, negotiators agreed for the first time to new academic rank, non-tenurable lecturer. Most credentialed by master’s degrees, the lecturers were to assist with meeting heavy demand for 100-200 level courses, the majority in English and mathematics. Less visible were changes such as those made to provide compensation for “overload” teaching. Negotiations between the faculty and administrators traditionally were amicable from 1989 to 2013, conducted in the spirit of strengthening opportunity for SVSU students. There were exceptions, and the dissonance was not always between the association and the administration. Occasionally, the most energetic debate occurred within the association. During negotiations for the 2005-2008 contract, for example, energetic email exchanges developed over an insurance provision. The apparent passion especially targeted the faculty’s chief negotiator, and some colleagues who were friends became estranged, at least for the short term. The Michigan Education Special Services Association (MESSA), the MEA’s health care provider through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, had mandated exclusive right of coverage. The faculty, which had a limited choice of carriers that included Health Plus, would no longer have that option. Furthermore, the two plans offered by MESSA were more expensive than the alternatives. The ratification meeting was emotionally charged. Negotiation team members stood resolutely before their constituents in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall bracing for attack and immensely grateful when a number of colleagues joined them in support, including a se-

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nior faculty member who testified that costs for his wife’s cancer treatment would have proved ruinous if not covered by MESSA.17 In the end, 80 percent of the membership voted in favor of the contract.18 In an unexpected sequel, the process encountered one last bump. With only six of the eight Board of Control members present to vote on the resolution to approve the contract, and with the need for a majority vote to pass, the agreement failed 4 to 2. Only after the president’s hastily called executive session and the arrival of a seventh member did the board approve the agreement.19

Support Services Association

The support staff chose in 1980 to organize for collective bargaining as the SVSU Support Staff Association (SSA), another affiliate of the MEA and NEA. As with faculty contracts, Michigan labor law covers the association contracts with the university. The association has two divisions: … all full-time and regular part-time Secretarial/Clerical Division employees and Plant/ Business Services Division employees … but excluding: Human Resource Assistants, Office of Human Resources (2); Secretaries to the Vice Presidents (Business, Academic and Public Services, (3); Secretary to the Director of Institutional Research and Planning (1); Secretary to the Assistant to the President / Secretary to the Board of Control (1); Secretary to the Dean of Student Affairs (1); Supervisors and all others.20 All support service personnel described in this recognition must either join the Association as dues-paying members or remit to the Association a service fee equal to membership dues.21 Contracts over the years stipulated that seniority determined employment advancement for Campus Facilities, and qualified internal applicants — or those from outside SVSU if there were none — would have eligibility for clerical vacancies. Contracts also covered safety in the workplace in the form of uniforms, safety goggles and safety-toed shoes.

Institutional Research

Chris Looney

In 2003-2004, the administration combined the Registrar and Institutional Research offices, and Chris Looney assumed responsibility for both. Combining the two units was not without precedent, however. Looney’s predecessor, Paul Saft, had headed both. The responsibilities of the Office of Institutional Research have remained stable over time. They include reporting institutional data to the state of Michigan and the federal government, compiling data on student demographics and responding to various surveys such as the one conducted by U. S. News and World Report for its rating of American colleges and universities; the department does not deal with academic assessment or university budgeting.22

Registrar

From 1989-2013, the university’s class registration process evolved from on-site pencil and paper first, to telephone registration that involved keying in data, then to online submission of forms. Kristen Gregory, special assistant to the provost, was the voice for keying


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The entire staff in the Registrar’s Office were recognized as “Staff Members of the Month” in December 1999 for their work in averting a crisis when a failure of the telephone system required all student course schedules to be processed by hand.

prompts for telephone registration. Looney recalls the awful week in November 1999 when the telephone system failed 30 minutes after registration opened on a Monday morning and remained out of service until Friday. In the interim, the Registrar’s Office processed 5,000 registrations by hand. The staff worked at the office counter without relief to accommodate the long lines that backed up. Looney stood at the counter for eight hours straight, and Robert Maurovich, vice president for student services & enrollment management, provided refreshments for students waiting in line. For this meritorious performance, the entire staff in the Registrar’s Office received Staff Members of the Month designation in December 1999.23 Investigation revealed that the telephone outage had occurred at an AT&T facility in Chicago, when a technician interpreted the high volume of registration traffic as overload and intentionally shut down the system. In 2012, Looney announced his plans to retire and Cliff Dorne was named registrar designee, assuming full duties of the position in 2013.


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Business Services

Connie Schweitzer

Unseen and perhaps underappreciated by many on campus is the work of Business Services, which is charged with carrying out a variety of detailed activities to enable the university to get on with its daily work. A director has managed the unit, and in 2013 that was Connie Schweitzer; she succeeded long-term director Dale Irish. The director of business services had responsibility for Central Stores, Purchasing, the Mail Room, Graphics, the phone system and risk management. SVSU affiliated with the Michigan University Self-Insurance Corporation (MUSIC), which has included 11 of the 15 public universities in the state. The business director’s responsibilities have included insurance coverage for property, general liability, workers compensation, “wrongful acts” such as termination of employment and endangerment of students, transportation vehicles, pollution and cyber capacity. Among her memorable experiences, Schweitzer recalled the dedication of Curtiss Hall. As a university buyer, she was responsible for purchase of the furnishings in the building. But on dedication day, she found herself hustling about in a dress and heels to make last-minute adjustments to them.24

Controller’s Office

Susan Crane

The role of the Controller’s Office is to provide timely and accurate employment, accounting and business services to the university. In addition to its part in university accounting and financial management, this office also handles accounts payable, accounts receivable, grants and cash management, payroll, employment and student accounting service functions. Just two controllers have served from 1989 to 2013, James G. Muladore and Susan Crane, who became controller in 2001 when Muladore became vice president for administration & business affairs. As with so much of the university, the Controller’s Office underwent many changes. In 1989, it had 12 staffers; by 2012 that tally had more than doubled to 25 full-time and one half-time staff positions. Major changes occurred in the grants area, in a new centralized facility for financial services and in response to growth in residential life. By 2013, three full-time employees worked on grants; in 1989 none. The new Campus Financial Services Center opened in August 2012 on the first floor of Wickes Hall, combining student accounts, financial aid and financial inquiries into a centralized space. The number of students residing on campus, which approached 3,000 in 2013, increased the number of Residential Life accounts and those for student organizations. Additionally, construction projects significantly added to financial recordkeeping, and regulatory compliance requirements multiplied.25 Sources of pride in the Controller’s Office, Crane said, included a history of clean audits, the conversion to online billing and completion of the Campus Financial Services Center in 2013. But not every adjustment took place smoothly, she added. For example, when PNC Bank went through a merger, a new account structure was part of the transformation. Many university employees with accounts failed to notify the controller, and direct deposit of paychecks did not work. The Controller’s Office went into crisis mode, prepared checks by hand and drove them to PNC Bank, where staffers manually entered them into relevant


Chapter 5: Governing and Structuring the University

accounts. It was all done so efficiently account holders did not even realize that anything unusual had happened, Crane said.26

Graphics Center

The Graphics Center supervisor, Perry Toyzan, joined SVSU in 1981, succeeding Larry Neetz, who was the first Graphics Center employee and director. Previously, there was no centralized facility for university printing. In the early 1980’s, Graphics Center acquired a Multigraphics TCS System 5 offset duplicating machine, which was capable of printing, collating and stapling documents in a single operation. The center evolved into the role of printer to the university. Its work included printing of syllabi and exams, football programs, the Cardinal Sins literary magazine, class projects and posters. The Graphics Center began with four full-time staff, and part-time student workers supplemented the crew; instead of increasing the staff to meet the printing demands of a growing university through the years, the Graphics Center upgraded technology to accommodate increases in production.

Perry Toyzan has managed on-campus printing services since 1981.

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Outstanding Performance Award

Trisha Stantz

In 2007, the university established The Outstanding Performance Award to annually recognize the accomplishments of an administrative/professional staff member who has demonstrated outstanding individual and/or team performance based on one or more of these criteria: team work, exemplary work, leadership, creativity and organizational abilities. Recipients of this award include: Trisha L. Stantz, Scholarships and Financial Aid, 2007; Richard A. (Tony) Thomson, Counseling and Health Services, 2008; Susan Brasseur, Conference and Events Center, 2009; Kristen Gregory, Academic Affairs, 2010; Gerald Stuart, Campus Facilities, 2011; Scott Mellendorf, Melvin J. Zahnow Library, 2012; and Marilyn Wheaton, Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, 2013.

Mail Room Tony Thomson

Susan Brasseur

Kristen Gregory

Gerald Stuart

Scott Mellendorf

Marilyn Wheaton

One might expect that email would have reduced the volume of business at the mailroom, as had happened almost everywhere the U.S. Postal Service operated. That didn’t happen at SVSU. A mosaic of developments meant a robust flow of letters and packages through the mailroom over the years. The influences included steady increases in residential students, online purchasing of textbooks and brisk traffic of packages to and from the homes of international students. Some Middle Eastern students mail home auto parts as large as bumpers and wheels. Other international students found it advantageous to ship out big jars of multiple vitamins to their home countries.27 The mailroom is a subsidiary of University Center — the U. S. Postal Service (USPS) branch at Delta College, which reports to the Bay City post office. The SVSU mailroom has offered all the services offered at Delta College. And it accepts FedEx and UPS packages, which Delta can’t do because private operations must stay separate from postal service branches. Nearby residents sometimes use the SVSU mailroom because they find it convenient and friendly.28 Attempts to secure a campus USPS branch failed over the years because of the political problem of identifying the university with one community. The SVSU post office carries a Saginaw address and ZIP code. University Center is less community specific, and therefore avoids the prospect of offending some of the institution’s constituents. In 1975, just one full-time employee moved the mail, 19-year-old delivery clerk Jerry Wallaert. He succeeded Henry Lefler, and attributes his getting the job to his ability to drive a stick-shift vehicle. Wallaert came in second for the position, but the mail truck at the time had a manual transmission that the favored candidate couldn’t handle.29 Still on the job in 2013, Wallaert has a part-time assistant and three student employees during fall and winter terms.


Chapter 5: Governing and Structuring the University

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Mail delivery has been reliable under the supervision of Jerry Wallaert, who joined the university in 1975 at the age of 19.


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Among the traditions in the Athletic Department is the annual “Axe Bowl” between the Cardinals and Northwood University. The winner is presented the “trophy” — and paints the handle in school colors.


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Chapter 6: Athletics

Chapter 6

Athletics SVSU began the 1990s with a new era of national affiliation and entered a new arena of competition when it moved its athletic programs from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For nearly two decades, the Cardinals participated in the NAIA. In 1989, the university and other Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools allowed their NAIA contracts to expire. The primary reason was money. The athletic department regularly had to pay for the team to attend local, regional and postseason tournaments, and that placed pressure on tight budgets. By becoming a member of the NCAA, SVSU would gain funds from the parent organization to offset many of these expenses. All Cardinal teams, except for football, remained in the GLIAC. The conference dropped the sport following the 1989 season, only to pick it up again in the summer of 1999. In the interim, SVSU played in the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference, a merger of former GLIAC football schools with the Heartland Collegiate Conference.1 SVSU left the NAIA on a high note. The softball team won its second consecutive GLIAC Championship in 1989, having finished in the top three in the conference every year since 1983, and went on to win the NAIA National Championship that spring. Two golfers, Adam Anthony and Jay Kinsey, were NAIA All-Americans in 1989, the final year Bob Becker coached the golf team before retiring from coaching golf to focus his attentions on athletic director duties. The men’s indoor track team, which Bay City Handy High School and Central Michigan University alumnus Jim Nesbitt coached, finished second in the conference and won the NAIA District 23 meet. The women’s team did nearly as well, also placing second in the conference and finishing as runners-up in District 23. At the NAIA national meet, the men’s team finished 38th while the women’s team earned a 24th place finish. The SVSU women’s basketball team also was riding high entering the 1990s. From 19811988, the team went 197-26 — including a remarkable 101-11 in the GLIAC — and reached the NAIA national tournament each year, finishing as national runners-up in 1985. Guard Gail Goestenkors, born the year SVSU was founded, led those teams. She moved on to forge

Adam Anthony


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Suzy Merchant

Chris Bertie

Dave Bertie

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

a successful coaching career at the University of Texas and Duke University and as assistant coach for the 2008 gold medal U.S. women’s basketball team in Beijing, China. With the move to the NCAA and a higher level of competition, SVSU sports teams, while generally successful during the early 1990s, failed to reach the national heights of the winning teams of the 1980s. Although Claudette Charney’s women’s basketball teams played well , the best season under her guidance was the 1992-93 team, which finished 11-5 in the GLIAC and 20-9 overall. Suzy Merchant took over as head coach for the 1995-96 season, following a disappointing 12-14 campaign the year before. Merchant’s teams were 31-23 in the conference during the next three seasons, 54-29 overall. She left SVSU following the 1997-1998 season to accept the head coach position at Eastern Michigan University and then later moved on to Michigan State University. The men’s basketball team also failed to match the successes of teams from the previous decade. The most successful coach in the program’s history was Robert Pratt, who guided the team to an overall 394-295 record (199-173 in the GLIAC). In the 11 seasons from 19751986, Pratt guided his teams to an overall 217-108 record, 109-61 in the GLIAC — earning two conference championships, eight NAIA District 23 tournament appearances and the right to compete in two NAIA national tournaments. In eight seasons from 1986-1994, Pratt’s teams played below .500 basketball, posting a 107-115 record, 56-74 in the GLIAC, during that span. But his teams finished strong during his final three years at the helm, going 52-32 overall and 32-22 in the conference. Pratt stepped down following the 1996-97 season, but remains on the faculty as an associate professor of teacher education. The Cardinal volleyball team, despite beginning the 1990s with some promise, did not finish the decade as a winning program. Women’s volleyball at SVSU dates to 1980, when the team that season finished tied for sixth place in the GLIAC with a 3-11 conference record. That was the team’s best finish for nearly the next decade. In 1987, Chris Bertie, office manager for Woodruff Contracting in Bridgeport and wife of SVSU head athletic trainer Dave Bertie, became the head coach of the team and guided it to its first winning season in GLIAC play. In 1991, the team finished 9-7 and in fifth place on its way to a 25-14 overall record. Pregnant with her daughter, Bertie stepped away from the team prior to the beginning of the 1992 season. Replacing her was Beth Clark, a former standout at Central Michigan University who began coaching volleyball at Midland High School in 1990 and who also served as the SVSU campus recreation supervisor. Expectations for the team were high in 1992, and that season’s media guide stated that “Clark inherits a program that has risen from the perennial GLIAC cellar to the brink of title contention.” Unfortunately, Clark’s teams returned to the conference basement, completing losing seasons in both 1992 and 1993. Bertie returned in 1994 to guide the team to back-to-back 19-15 seasons. Bertie’s winning seasons in 1991, 1994 and 1995 constituted three of the team’s four sole winning campaigns in its existence to that point. Despite the overall winning record in 1994 and 1995, the team sported a disappointing 13-23 record in conference play. In 1996, the team went 10-20 and 4-14 in the GLIAC. In its first 17 years in the GLIAC, the volleyball team finished with only one winning season in conference play.


Chapter 6: Athletics

The men’s and women’s track and field and cross-country teams performed well after their respective introductions to the NCAA. In its first season, the men’s cross country team finished first in the conference and third in the NCAA regional meet. This proved the team’s best season during the next decade. It finished second in the GLIAC in 1994 and third in 1995. Its best finish in the NCAA Regional was 11th in 1992, and the team placed 12th on four other occasions. The women’s team finished second in the conference in 1997, its best showing in the GLIAC. It also placed in the top 10 in the NCAA regional meet three times: in 1990, 1992 and 1997. Nesbitt’s track teams also performed well. The men’s indoor team finished in the top three in the conference every year from 1989-1998, winning the GLIAC in 1997 and finishing first in the District 23 meet in 1989, its last year in the NAIA. The women’s team likewise placed in the top three in the conference each year during that span, finishing atop the GLIAC in 1995 and 1997. Although finishing third in the conference in 1991, the women’s team impressively finished in 11th place at the NCAA Regional Meet that same season. The university also hosted the NCAA Division II indoor national championships March 1314, 1992, the first national championship competition held on the SVSU campus. Nesbitt’s outdoor teams did just as well. The men’s team finished in the top three in the conference, runners-up six times, each year from 1989-1997. The women’s team placed in the top three every year from 1993-1998, winning the conference in 1997 and 1998. It also placed in the NCAA regional meet every year from 1989-1996, earning a sixth place finish in 1989 and a 10th place finish in both 1991 and 1995. George Ihler coached the SVSU football team from 1983-1993, and his teams enjoyed the most success during his first two years. The former coach at Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw took over the team as it came off a 1-9 season and guided it to a 9-3 record, winning the GLIAC with a perfect 6-0 conference record. Ihler repeated the feat in 1984, finishing 8-3 and again undefeated in the conference. From then on, Ihler’s teams hovered around .500, going 44-46-1 overall (33-32-1 in the conference) from 1985-1993. Jerry Kill replaced Ihler as head football coach in 1994. SVSU was Kill’s first head coaching opportunity other than a two-year stint at a Kansas City high school in 1988 and 1989. Despite this relative lack of experience, Kill built a winning program. During 1994-1998, the Cardinals went 38-14 overall. In 1997 and 1998, Kill’s teams flourished behind two junior college transfers who terrorized opposing offenses. One was Paul Spicer, a junior defensive end who transferred to SVSU in 1996 from the College of DuPage. Spicer fractured his leg in the third game of the season in 1996, so it was not until the following year when he was able to play a complete season. In the 11 games that season, Spicer recorded 16½ sacks, shattering the team single-season record and helping earn him Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference “Player of the Year” honors. On the other side of the defensive line from Spicer in 1997 was Lamar King, another junior college transfer who in his first season with the Cardinals finished with 15½ sacks. Those 32 combined quarterback takedowns helped SVSU to a 9-2 season, and a somewhat disappointing third-place finish in the conference. Spicer signed as an undrafted free agent with Seattle Seahawks following the 1998 draft; most of his success as a professional football player came with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2000 to 2008. King

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Beth Clark

George Ihler

Jerry Kill


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Walt Head

Art Tolfree

Kathy Kinasz

Mary Murphy

Keri Becker

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was taken by the Seahawks in the first round of the NFL draft the following season — a rare feat for an NCAA Division II player — and helped SVSU to a 9-2 record and second place finish in the GLIAC in 1998. That season included a devastating loss at home to Brian Kelly’s Grand Valley State University Lakers. The Cardinals jumped out to a 26-0 lead after the first quarter but could score only 10 points the rest of the way. The Lakers scored two touchdowns in final four minutes, the last in the final seconds, to eke out a 37-36 win and steal the conference title from the Cardinals. The SVSU baseball team likewise developed into a successful program in the 1990s. In 1983, Walt Head, a former amateur coach and professional baseball scout for the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays, became SVSU’s head coach. By 2013, he had managed the baseball team for 31 seasons, making him one of the longest tenured and most winning coaches in NCAA Division II history. Head claimed he never focused on winning the GLIAC title in his early years because they always had the NAIA postseason tournament to fall back on. When SVSU dropped its affiliation with the NAIA prior to the 1990 baseball season, he shifted his goals. After that, doing well in the conference was vital if his teams wished to play in the postseason, and Head said as much before the season in 1991: “Our number one goal is winning the league title, and we hope to get into the NCAA tournament.” In the first few years, Head’s teams generally finished just behind the top teams in 3rd or 4th place, with Ferris State University usually winning the conference. In 1993, the Cardinals won the postseason GLIAC tournament after finishing around .500 in the conference that season. Head’s team went 36-14, 21-7 in the conference in 1995, to win its first GLIAC title.2 By contrast the SVSU softball team enjoyed early success in the 1990s but fell on harder times later in the decade. Art Tolfree led the program to three consecutive GLIAC titles from 1988-1990 and the NAIA National Championship in 1989. During those three years, the team compiled a 122-37 overall record (an impressive .767 winning percentage) and crushed the GLIAC competition to a tune of 36 wins and 8 losses. Tolfree stepped down following the 1990 season, and new head coach Art Gillis guided the team to a third place tie in the GLIAC. In 1992, the Lady Cardinals recorded its first 50-win season (50-13) on its way to a second place finish in the conference. The teams of this era were led by star pitchers Kathy Kinasz (1989-92; 88 wins, 117 starts, two saves, 1.02 ERA) and Julie Bydalek (1987-90; 80 wins, 100 starts, three saves, 1.07 ERA). The Cardinals also boasted many good hitters. By 2013, Mary Murphy (1987-90) remained the Cardinals all-time leader in career batting average (.409), hits (235), runs batted in (143), runs scored (159) and triples (21). She is also among the leaders in career home runs (13) and stolen bases (71). In 1992, Keri Becker posted a single season record for most hits in a season with a remarkable total of 81 in 212 at bats. The team’s success also brought national exposure to SVSU. In partnership with the Midland Department of Parks and Recreation, the university hosted the 1990 and 1991 NCAA Division II National Women’s Softball Championship Tournament. After these years of success, the team slipped back to the pack in the conference as a revolving door of coaches — three in four seasons during 1993-1996 —made it difficult for the team to find any consistency.3


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Chapter 6: Athletics

Transitions at the Top

In 1998, Bob Becker announced that he would retire following 18 years as athletic director. The following decade was one of fluidity atop the Athletic Department. The administration promoted head football coach Jerry Kill to athletic director in June 1998 in advance of Becker’s retirement.4 As a coach, Kill emphasized that his students perform well in the classroom. As an administrator, he brought athletics and the academic departments together to monitor attendance and achievement. He made certain that athletes attended class and urged them to sit in the front row. Kill also was adept at the little things. He brought people in the department together, for example, by remembering their birthdays. Within months, however, Kill confided to many of those close to him that the pressures of administration combined with the time necessary to build a successful Division II football program were proving too much for him. Within a year of his appointment, Kill resigned as athletic director and head football coach, citing a need to return home to Kansas to assist with an ailing parent.5 He later returned to the gridiron as head coach at Emporia State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Northern Illinois University and, in 2010, the Big Ten’s University of Minnesota. Gilbert “Griz” Zimmermann replaced Kill in 2000. A former football player at the University of Michigan, Zimmermann came to SVSU after having served as assistant athletic director at Southern Methodist University since 1993. His background was in strength and conditioning. While at SMU, Zimmermann assisted with the rebuilding of a program devastated by the 1987-1988 “death penalty.” The NCAA had suspended the football program for much of two seasons as punishment for massive rules violations that included the payment of players. Zimmermann stayed at SVSU for three years, leaving in 2003 to take the same position at Gannon University in Pennsylvania. Golf coach Joe Vogl replaced Zimmermann on an interim basis in 2003 before administrators named him athletic director in May 2004. A former golfer at SVSU, Vogl became the second golf coach to serve as athletic director at SVSU, and as a coach he was just as successful as his mentor Becker. He led the golf team to GLIAC titles in 1996 and 1998, and took them to national tournament appearances in 1997 and 1998. Three times he was named the GLIAC “Coach of the Year” — in 1993, 1996 and 1998. Just as his predecessor, Vogl left after three years. He resigned in June 2006 to return to coaching and assume the new position of director of annual giving in the SVSU Foundation.6 Despite the turnover atop the department, many of the Cardinal teams enjoyed success during this era. The men’s and women’s track and field teams from 1999-2005 finished in the upper third of the GLIAC nearly every year. Perhaps the best season for both indoor track teams was 2003, when the men’s team finished third in the conference and 20th at the NCAA regional meet. The women’s team finished as the conference runner-up that season and the next year earned a 14th place finish in the NCAA regional. The men’s outdoor track team finished between second and fourth in the GLIAC each year save one from 1999 through 2005. Coincidentally, the year that the team finished with its lowest standing in the conference, fifth place in 2002, was also the season that it earned its highest finish (13th place) in the NCAA Regionals. In 2006, team co-captain Adam Roach was named 200506 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the GLIAC after finishing 11th in the nation in the

Griz Zimmermann

Joe Vogl

Adam Roach


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Andy Bethune

Dan Dorian

Kraig Enders

Jay Scott

Scott Corby

Fred Neering

indoor mile (setting a University record with a time 4 minutes, 9.4 seconds) and 12th in the outdoor steeplechase. Vogl’s replacement as golf coach, Andy Bethune, also guided the team to a GLIAC championship in 2005.7 The men’s bowling team enjoyed tremendous success, beginning with the 1991 U. S. Bowling Congress (USBC) collegiate national championship. Coach Dan Dorian led the team to a runner-up finish in 1996 followed by the team’s second national championship the next year. Led by Bill “The Real Deal” O’Neill, who would go on to become the 2005-2006 Professional Bowling Association Rookie of the Year and the 2009-2010 U. S. Open Champion, the bowling team embarked on a remarkable run in 2004 when it finished as national runners-up. In 2006, SVSU bowlers became national champions once again, repeating in 2007 and finishing in second place in 2009. Walt Head’s baseball program enjoyed its greatest success during this period. In the four seasons from 2000-2003, the Cardinals won two GLIAC regular season championships and another postseason conference tournament title. During this span, the Cardinals went a remarkable 83-28-1 in the GLIAC, enjoying the team’s first and, as of 2013, only 40-win season in 2000. Led that year by infielder Jason Valenzuela, who batted .448 and slugged .583, the Cardinals made the NCAA regional playoffs. Valenzuela set a team record for hits in a season with 86, getting on base half of the time he came to the plate. He also finished the season with 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts. Fellow infielder Kraig Enders also posted a wonderful season in 2000, batting just over .400 and setting the team record for home runs with 13. Like Valenzuela, Enders also stole 23 bases and was caught just once. Left-hander Tim Goheen was the standout pitcher, finishing 2000 with an 11-1 record and a 2.48 ERA. While the Cardinals failed to advance far in the postseason, they returned in 2001 and picked up right where they left off. As a team, the Cardinals batted .347 with a .516 slugging and a .442 on base percentage. Valenzuela again shone, hitting for a .369 average and stealing 32 bases. Other stars were Jay Scott (who returned to SVSU and joined the biology faculty in 2012), who batted .438 with 29 steals and slugger Adam Piggott, who finished with a .437 batting average and got on base more than half the time he came to the plate. Offense was clearly not the weakness for the Cardinals in 2001, and if there was one, it might have been the pitching. Scott Corby led the team in wins with 11, but he finished with a mediocre 4.52 ERA. The Cardinals again reached the NCAA postseason but again failed to advance deeply in the playoffs. During the ensuing three seasons, the Cardinals drifted back into the pack in the GLIAC, finishing with a losing conference record in 2006.8 The SVSU women’s softball team initially kept pace with their baseball counterparts, finishing with four consecutive winning seasons in the GLIAC from 1997 to 2000. In 1999, the Cardinals even won 42 games (against 17 losses), but in a deep GLIAC that season this was only good enough for a fourth-place conference finish. In fact, the Cardinals finished between third and fifth each year during this stretch of winning seasons. The coach during this period was Fred Neering, a long-time high school softball coach who as an assistant had helped the Bay City All Saints high school girls’ team to a 34-2 and state runner-up finish in 1996. Neering’s final three seasons at SVSU were less successful. The Cardinals sported a losing record in 2001, finishing seventh in the conference. After a 13-4-1 start to their season in 2002, the Cardinals finished 9-16 for another losing season in the GLIAC.


Chapter 6: Athletics

Sabrina Lane, who had been an assistant coach at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, replaced Neering prior to the 2004 season. Lane spent three years at SVSU before becoming the head coach at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania. During those three seasons, the Cardinals finished in the middle of the GLIAC, going 31-27 in the conference and 68-71-1 overall. Other Cardinal programs struggled. For instance, the men’s and women’s soccer teams experienced growing pains well into the middle of the 2000s. Soccer began as a varsity sport at SVSU in 1970, although it was dropped after only a few years following the departure of coach Paul Gill. Interested faculty, staff and students resurrected soccer as a co-educational club sport in 1980, with history professor Robert Braddock serving as the first coach. In 1994, soccer returned to varsity status, fielding men’s and women’s teams. The former finished its inaugural season with a 4-9 record while the women’s team was 1-3-5. For the next few seasons, the teams generally remained below .500. During its first decade, the varsity men’s team often sported rosters filled with underclassmen and, perhaps as a result, posted losing seasons. Likewise, the women’s team began slowly before recording a winning season in 2000 (7-6-2 overall and 4-4-1 in the GLIAC). The team’s record fell to 3-14-1 in 2001, the last season for Jim Conner as coach of the Lady Cardinals. Drago Dumbovic — a native of Croatia who had played soccer professionally for the Detroit Rockers and the Detroit Neon and coached the former from 1998 to 2001 before opening his Soccer Academy of Excellence in Midland in 2001 — became coach in 2003. After an initial 5-10-1 season, Dumbovic’s teams then ran off three consecutive winning seasons, finishing third in the GLIAC in 2004. From 1997 to 2007, the men’s basketball team finished with an overall winning record twice: once under coach Warren Wood, who replaced Robert Pratt in 1997 and led the Cardinals to a 14-13 record in his only season, and a second time under Dean Lockwood in 2002-2003. Overall during those 10 seasons, the Cardinals played for three coaches (Jamie Matthews followed Dean Lockwood and coached the team from 2004 to 2007) and finished with an overall record of 108 wins and 153 losses (57-124 in the GLIAC). The women’s team fared no better over this span. After Suzy Merchant’s departure, four different coaches helmed the women’s basketball team (Lori Flaherty, 1998-2000; Angela Jackson, 2000-2001; Kim Chandler, 2001-2004; and Vonnie Kilmer, 2004-2008). The only winning season in the conference came in 1998-1999 when the Cardinals actually improved upon Merchant’s final season, finishing 19-7 overall with an impressive 14-5 record in the conference. During the ensuing nine seasons, the team struggled, going 79-160 overall and 39-124 in the GLIAC. In 1997, Bob Sells became the coach of the SVSU volleyball team following two successful seasons as an assistant at Northwood University. Initially his teams finished in the middle of the GLIAC, sporting an overall 33-30 record in 1997 and 1998. After that, the team descended rapidly in the conference standings, finishing in the cellar in 2002 with a 1-17 conference record. Will Stanton, previously the head coach at Mott Community College, replaced Sells before the start of the 2003 season. Although Stanton eventually would lead the Cardinals to success, his teams’ initial seasons were rough. The Cardinals were winless in the conference in 2003 and 2004, and the team only defeated two GLIAC opponents in

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Sabrina Lane

Bob Sells


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

2005. Stanton finally led the Cardinals to a winning season in 2006, but the improvement in the conference — to a 6-12 record — only earned them a ninth-place finish.

A Winning Football Program Matt LaFleur

Brian Dolph

Glenn Martinez

Ruvell Martin

Isaac Crawford

John DiGiorgio

During the early 2000s, football emerged as the university’s most successful sports program. Randy Awrey, formerly the head coach at Lakeland College in Wisconsin, assumed head coaching duties for the 1999 season following Kill’s departure. It was SVSU’s first season in the GLIAC after the MIFC disbanded in the summer of 1999. Awrey and the Cardinals’ introduction to the new conference was a rude one as the team finished 4-6 that year. In 2000, the team defeated Grand Valley State in star quarterback Matt LaFleur’s first collegiate start and finished 9-2 in the regular season, its only GLIAC loss a 17-3 defeat at home to rival Northwood University, who shared the conference title with SVSU. LaFleur’s top target was senior wide receiver Brian Dolph, who was named an All-American and GLIAC Player of the Year. The team qualified for the NCAA postseason playoffs for the first time in school history, traveling to Pennsylvania to take on Bloomsburg University in the first round. SVSU led 24-19 at halftime but was outscored the rest of the way in a 46-32 loss. The 2001 season performance was even better. The team was stacked with offensive talent: future NFL coach LaFleur at quarterback; Glenn Martinez and Ruvell Martin, two sophomore wide receivers who eventually would play in the NFL for several seasons; and freshman offensive lineman Todd Herremans who would later become a longtime starter with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cardinals finished 9-1 in the conference, its only regular season loss a 38-7 thrashing at Grand Valley State in week two. In the NCAA playoffs, the Cardinals hosted Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The game did not begin well for SVSU, with the Cardinals trailing by 25 points at halftime. Then the team unleashed a marvelous comeback in the second half, scoring 26 points unanswered. The final touchdown came with less than a minute and a half to go, and defensive back Isaac Crawford intercepted IUP’s Bryan Eyerman, one of the Indians’ five turnovers, to seal the victory. The ensuing week the Cardinals traveled to Allendale for a rematch with Grand Valley State. This time the Cardinals made the game much closer; it became a seesaw battle with each side falling behind, then reclaiming the lead. GVSU held on in the game’s final minutes for a 33-30 victory. In 2002, the team went 9-2 in the regular season, losing the conference title to Grand Valley State, which won NCAA Division II national championship that season. The following season was SVSU’s best year to date. The Cardinals went undefeated in the regular season and were ranked No. 1 in the nation. The highlight victory was a 34-20 road win over Grand Valley State, probably uneclipsed among Cardinal football regular season wins through 2013. The GLIAC champion Cardinals beat Edinboro University in the opening round of the playoffs before hosting their rival, the GVSU Lakers, for a second round rematch at Wickes Stadium. This time the Lakers won 10-3, ending the Cardinals’ season in heartbreaking fashion as Grand Valley State went on to repeat as national champions. The Cardinals posted an excellent season in 2005 behind a stellar defensive unit highlighted by senior linebacker John DiGiorgio who was named GLIAC Player of the Year and an


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All-American; he would go on to play in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills. The team finished with an 11-2 overall record, including playoff victories over Northwood and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Once again, the team’s only losses came at the hands of Grand Valley State. The final meeting for the two teams that season — the Lakers hosted the Cardinals in Allendale — was SVSU’s third playoff game, ending in a familiarly disappointing 24-17 loss. GVSU went on to win the national championship again.9

Mike Watson Era

Mike Watson began working as SVSU’s new athletic director in February 2007. He replaced George Eastland, professor of chemistry and the long-time faculty athletics representative, who served as interim athletic director after Vogl stepped down from the role. A graduate of Miami University of Ohio, Watson played four seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints before returning to his alma mater in 1983 as a football coach. Watson devoted the ensuing two decades to a career in collegiate athletics, eventually becoming the associate director of athletics at Miami in 1995. Watson’s primary mission at SVSU was rebuilding what in many ways had become a fragmented department. He noted while walking around Ryder Center during his first weeks on the job that coaches regularly would pass each other in the halls without acknowledging one another. He felt it important to get people within the department to talk to one another as the first step to create an atmosphere in which coaches, staff and athletes would

Mike Watson, who played four seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, was named athletic director in 2007.


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feel comfortable sharing ideas. Watson removed the partitions that separated cubicles in the Athletic Department offices. He mandated that nearly all coaches have offices under the same roof in Ryder. During an early department meeting, he said his plan for creating community might not work well for everyone and asserted that “if you are not here, it’s of your own accord.”10 Following the 2006 football season, Gilbertson approached Awrey about a contract extension. According to Gilbertson, Awrey hesitated, citing uncertainty about wanting to work under Watson. Awrey had built a winning football program at SVSU, and some who worked with him praised him for his focus, intensity and organizational skills. Eastland said he simply could “get things done.” Others saw Awrey as stubborn and unwilling to change. Then, within months of Watson’s arrival, and while Awrey was in the final year of his contract, the university authorized an independent investigation into potential violations of NCAA rules relating to the football program. Coach Awrey reportedly had negotiated reduced housing rates at a local apartment complex for his two sons, players on the Cardinals football team, and for two assistant coaches. Based upon the investigation, administrators submitted a self-report to the NCAA. The NCAA accepted the university’s actions, which included forfeiting a number of the football team’s 2007 season wins, and instituted no further sanctions. In addition, SVSU did not renew Awrey’s contract. Awrey denied that he had violated NCAA rules, and sued the university, claiming breach of contract. In March 2011, a Saginaw County jury decided that Awrey had completed the terms of his prior employment contract and was entitled to a longevity bonus, but that the employment contract should not be extended. The university’s administration responded to the verdict, stating that it “did the right thing by reporting the violations that the NCAA accepted.”11 Awrey’s replacement as head football coach was Jim Collins, previously head coach at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, for more than a decade. A wide receiver at Wittenberg University, Collins brought an exciting offensive attack to SVSU that frequently produced high-scoring contests, including a wild 55-52 victory over Grand Valley State in the final game of the 2012 season. From 2008 through 2012, the Cardinals’ record under Collins was 35-20 with two postseason playoff appearances. In 2009, the Cardinals lost to Nebraska-Kearney 35-20, and two years later it lost 30-27 to the defending national champion, the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In 2009, linebacker John Jacobs was named an American Football Coaches Association All-American and GLIAC “Defensive Back of the Year.” In 2011, SVSU hosted its first nationally televised game, as the CBS College Sports Network and Fox Sports Detroit carried the team’s game against Ashland University. The CBS staff was so pleased with the support the university provided for the national broadcast that it asked to do it again the following season when the Cardinals hosted the defending Division II national runners-up, Wayne State University.12


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In his first four years as head football coach (2008-2012), Jim Collins led the Cardinals to a 35-20 record with two post-season playoff appearances.

Playing for National Championships

Generally SVSU varsity athletic programs have enjoyed success since 2007. The men’s and women’s basketball teams, for instance, have become competitive in the GLIAC. Prior to the 2007-2008 season, the university hired Frankie Smith, formerly a successful high school coach in West Virginia and assistant coach at Miami University of Ohio, to take the reins of the men’s basketball team. After two losing seasons, Smith led the team in 2009-2010 to its first winning campaign (16-12 overall) in seven years. The season also marked the first winning season in the GLIAC (13-9 in the conference) since the 19971998 season. The GLIAC named Smith its 2010 “Coach of the Year” and guard Chris Webb was named “Freshman of the Year.”13 Webb would go on to a stellar career, being named first team all-GLIAC following his senior season (2012-13), while Smith left SVSU after the 2011-2012 season to return home to West Virginia and be closer to his family, and the university hired Randy Baruth as his replacement. Since the winning season of 2009-2010 the men’s team generally lost more games than it won, but its performance within the conference had improved when compared with the previous decade. The women’s team, by contrast, struggled. Head coach Vonnie Kilmer left in 2008 after compiling a record of 35-72 over four seasons. Three coaches, Shannon Baugh, Joe Zinni and Jamie Pewinski, led the team during the four seasons from 2008 through 2012, guiding it to an overall 24-82 record and only 16 wins within the conference. The team began a turn-


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Jenny Bellsky

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around under Pewinski, who finished her collegiate career by playing one season at SVSU, completing her degree in 1999. Her team finished the 2012-2013 regular season with a 13-14 record, going 11-11 in the GLIAC for its first non-losing year in the conference since 1999. Center Emily Wendling combined strong post play with uncommon perimeter skills, leading to her selection as 2013 Freshman of the Year and a first team all-GLIAC performer. For many other teams success was more the norm. For instance, in 2009 the university’s cheerleading team qualified for the National Cheerleaders Association collegiate nationals for the first time. And the men’s track team finished second that year at the postseason Midwest regional, advancing to the Division II national meet later that season where it finished 20th in the nation. Interim coach and SVSU graduate Jenny Bellsky earned the 2009 Midwest Region “Coach of the Year” honor. In 2010, runner Tony Filipek was the Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year after finishing fourth in the nation in the 800-meter at the NCAA Division II indoor championships. Teammate and fellow All-American Charlie Richards finished seventh. An expansion to Ryder Center begun in 2013 will provide the track team with indoor training facilities and a 300-meter indoor track, scheduled for completion in 2014. What a dramatic change from the early days when the SVSU track team won NAIA national championships in 1982 and 1983 without any indoor track.14 After years of scuffling in the GLIAC cellar, coach Will Stanton and the volleyball team finally manufactured a successful year. In 2007, the Cardinals completed SVSU’s first 20win season, finishing with a 20-12 record and sixth place in the conference. In 2008, the team went 25-8 overall and finished third in the GLIAC with an 11-5 record. At the end of the year, the Cardinals were ranked nationally (24th) and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Stanton earned American Volleyball Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” honors. Stanton’s Cardinals did even better the following year when the team finished 12-4 in the conference (22-10 overall) and earned a share of the program’s first GLIAC title. The team returned to the NCAA postseason, making it to the Midwest Region semifinals before losing to Lewis University. In recognition of her leadership, senior Kait Harris achieved 2009 GLIAC Volleyball “Player of the Year” status. In the three seasons following the remarkable 2008 and 2009 campaigns, the team enjoyed one more successful campaign in 2011, winning 15 matches in the GLIAC and finishing the season in third place.15 Walt Head’s baseball teams enjoyed successful seasons in 2007 and 2008, winning the GLIAC conference regular-season title in 2007 with a 21-7 record (34-14 overall). Following a losing campaign in 2009, the Cardinals remained around .500 through 2012 with an overall 73-73 record (54-46 in conference play). For the softball team, however, this was a period of tremendous achievements coupled with a distracting scandal. After years of disappointing finishes, first-year coach Everett Roper led the Cardinals to a winning 23-18 campaign in 2007. In 2008, the Cardinals won their first GLIAC championship since 1990, finishing the regular season with a 34-17 overall record. The Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Great Lakes regional postseason tournament, where they were eliminated with two consecutive losses. The next season the Cardinals did even better, finishing with a 39-11 record and an impressive 18-4 in the GLIAC. The Cardinals again won the


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GLIAC championship and played in the NCAA postseason tournament, advancing to the final game of the Midwest super regional. There the Cardinals lost 12-3 to the University of Indianapolis. In the postseason coaches’ poll, the Cardinals were ranked 14th in the nation and senior outfielder Marsha Beaubien became the first Cardinals All-American in softball in 17 years. Beaubien led the GLIAC in batting average (.396), runs scored (45), slugging percentage (.649) and on-base percentage (.483). Perhaps most remarkably, Beaubien led the league with 40 stolen bases — which surpassed the total number of stolen bases for each of the other teams in the conference.16 Nov. 8, 2009, police arrested Roper and charged him with driving while under the influence of alcohol and possession of marijuana. Roper denied the charges but later pled guilty to a reduced charge of driving while impaired and served a 30-day University suspension at the beginning of the 2010 softball season. April 1 of that year, the university fired Roper, alleging that he had misused a University credit card while taking the team on a spring training trip to Florida. Roper had apparently lost some of the receipts for his purchases in Florida, and three of the charges for van rentals exceeded the university’s transactions limits. The termination was a controversial decision. The charges seemed minor when compared with scandals in higher profile collegiate athletics, prompting some to speculate if the dismissal was actually a belated reaction to Roper’s earlier arrest. Moreover, Roper enjoyed support from some of his players and their families as well as from many within the university. He had implemented a successful “academic game plan” designed to monitor his players’ success in the classroom. His team often sported the highest GPA among all SVSU athletic units. Nevertheless, coming on the heels of Awrey’s dismissal, Athletic Director Watson had signaled that the university would not permit any transgressions of NCAA or university rules.17 Following Roper’s dismissal, interim coach Tim Rousse guided the team to an appearance in the NCAA Midwest regional tournament. The next season under Rousse was a memorable one. The Cardinals won 42 games and made it to the 2011 NCAA Division II World Series, finishing the year ranked No. 6 in the nation. They rolled through the Midwest regional and super regional to make the championship tournament, the only unranked team to do so. They beat No. 25 C. W. Post and No. 2 North Georgia on the way to the Final Four before losing a double-header to the University of California – San Diego in the semifinals. Pitcher Jade Fulton led the way, finishing the year with a 31-11 record, five saves, and a 1.19 ERA. She also recorded a remarkable GLIAC season record 426 strikeouts. The GLIAC named Fulton Pitcher of the Year, and she ended the season a member of the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association All-Midwest Region First Team and a Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American. Fulton finished her SVSU career third all-time in wins (with an overall record of 71-21) as well as the career leader in both saves, with 19, and strikeouts, with 907.18 The women’s tennis team experienced more struggles than success, but it has shown some promise in recent years. Coaching the team were Jim Teal (1998-2001), Pharrington Douglas (2002-2003) and Mike Major (2003-2010), who was named GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2010, but stepped down to focus on his appointment as director of career services, departing with a record of 48-84 overall and 21-54 in GLIAC play over eight seasons. Major

Marsha Beaubien

Everett Roper

Tim Rousse

Jade Fulton

Jim Teal


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was replaced by 2003 SVSU graduate and former player Jenn Boehm, who led the team to an 8-6 GLIAC record (13-10 overall) in 2012-2013, the program’s first winning conference season in more than a decade. This resulted in a No. 9 ranking in the Midwest Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the first such regional ranking in memory. The top player of this era was Yunjiao Shangguan, an international student from China, who was named first team All-GLIAC all four years of her career, 2009-2012. By the end of the 2000s, both the men’s and the women’s soccer teams had developed winning programs. The university appointed former soccer standout and 2007 alumnus Cale Wasserman as head coach prior to the 2009 season, and the men’s team rose quickly to national prominence. He replaced Andy Rishmawi, whose men’s team went winless in the GLIAC in 2006 before rebounding for a winning record the following season; they dropped to 2-6 in the conference in 2008. Wasserman’s initial season was rough, with the Cardinals winning only one game in the conference. Then, in 2010 the Cardinals finished the season with an overall winning record, finishing just below .500 in the GLIAC. In 2011 the team went 12-5-3 and won their first GLIAC title. They played in the postseason NCAA Division II super regional tournament where they lost to top-seeded Rockhurst University, 1-0. Junior defender Zach Myers was named GLIAC “Defensive Player of the Year” and coach Wasserman the GLIAC “Coach of the Year.” The 2012 season performance was superior. The Cardinals went 18-3-4 (9-2-2 in the GLIAC) and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II national championship game on Dec. 1, 2012. Despite a frenetic comeback at the end of its game against Lynn University, the Cardinals lost 3-2. Coach Wasserman took home yet another honor: National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II National Coach of the Year, and Myers was named the association’s national Player of the Year.19 Keeping up with their fellow soccer players, the women’s team rattled off five winning seasons between 2007 and 2012, reaching the NCAA Division II postseason tournament for the first time in 2009. That season the Cardinals went a remarkable 10-1-2 in the GLIAC and finished second in the conference to Grand Valley State, losing both years to the Lakers in the tournament championship game. The Cardinals lost to Quincy University in the first round of the NCAA tournament and coach Dumbovic was GLIAC Women’s Soccer “Coach of the Year.”20

Intramural Sports and Club Teams

Outside the varsity teams, several SVSU club sports would claim national championships. Men’s club hockey skated to back-to-back American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III National Championships in 2009 and 2010.21 The club dodgeball team hosted the national championships at SVSU in 2012 and emerged from the 16-team field with a national title of its own. In 1997, a women’s club basketball team also won a national championship. Some might say that intramural and club sports teams define the true student-athlete. Participation at SVSU has increased markedly, with more than 1,750 students signing up for intramural competition in 2012-13. As of that year, 19 club teams were active at SVSU, in-


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cluding swimming, volleyball, tennis, wrestling, rugby, lacrosse, soccer and hockey. While the university provides some funding, recreation team members typically depend on fundraisers, donations or dues. Athletes attend meetings and practices, help plan road trips, write constitutions, market their teams, promote games and get their teams into conferences so they can play against other schools’ club teams. In 2007, Campus Recreation Coordinator K. J. Foster noted that club sports athletes “have jobs on or off campus, all pay dues to play and they receive no athletic scholarships … however, they sweat, bleed and cry for their sport — that’s a true student-athlete.” Club swim team member Marie Molinik said club sports are attractive because they offer all of the thrills of competition without the stress of varsity sports. “It’s more laid back; the team designs the rules, and the athletes don’t have as much weight on their shoulders because they’re competing for the fun of the sport,” Molinik said, adding that “people actually want to be at practice and team events because they come on their own terms.”22 All students are welcome to participate in club sports, regardless of athletic ability. Sarah Kitchen, a 2010 graduate who hailed from Marlette, recalled telling people she had joined

Sarah Kitchen’s participation in SVSU’s club swim team transformed her “awkward, flailing-about motion” into something that “actually started to resemble the real thing.”


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the SVSU club swim team. “She doesn’t know how to swim!” friends and family incredulously exclaimed, many of them laughing. Kitchen acknowledges that the news came as a shock, but for her it was an important step in becoming part of the SVSU community. “I welcomed the exercise, and I wanted to be involved with an activity on campus,” Kitchen said. The other team members welcomed her and taught her to swim, at least to the degree that her “awkward, flailing-about motion … actually started to resemble the real thing.” Other than learning a new skill, Kitchen says that the best part of joining the team was that “I was getting out of my dorm room, getting the exercise I desired and meeting many new people through my experiences.” Club sports can also help students in their careers. “We know that when students become involved in something outside the classroom, they significantly improve their chances of succeeding in college, both socially and academically,” noted Gilbertson in explaining the university’s support of club sports.23 Watson’s biggest accomplishment, he said, was emphasizing academic performance among student athletes and pressing for increased graduation rates. Many directors, he noted, have forgotten the original purpose of university athletics: to allow men and women

Among the sports that provide non-varsity student athletes with opportunities to compete at the club level are dodgeball, lacrosse, equestrian, rugby and hockey.


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to compete against each other while earning a degree. SVSU student-athlete graduation rates had lagged behind other successful programs. In 2012, Watson noted, for instance, that the graduation rate for student-athletes at his former school, Miami of Ohio, was at 84 percent, and his goal was to get SVSU to that same level. SVSU’s rate was approximately 20 points lower than that. The Athletic Department rewards student athletes for academic success with profiles on a “4.0 GPA Wall” that also contains photographs of every graduating athlete. The Athletic Department encourages coaches and athletes to volunteer in the community. Through outreach enterprises such as “Cards Who Care,” Cardinal athletes regularly visit patients at hospitals and medical care centers. Cardinal Kids Club, the Cardinal Cabaret Auction, Breast Cancer Survivor events and Community Youth Days all raise money for charity and bring students into contact with the broader community. The so-called “father of SVSU athletics,” Bob Becker, likely would appreciate that traditions and values instilled from the earliest days remain and that the Cardinal athletic program continues to “coach kids.”24

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Between 2000 and 2003, the baseball team won two GLIAC regular season championships and another postseason conference tournament title. During this span, the Cardinals went a remarkable 83-28-1 in the GLIAC, enjoying the team’s first and, as of 2013, only 40-win season in 2000. Infielder Jason Valenzuela, (inset), batted .448 and slugged .583 to lead the Cardinals into the NCAA regional playoffs. Valenzuela set a team record for hits in a season with 86, getting on base half of the time he came to the plate. He also finished the season with 23 stolen bases in 25 attempts.


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The men’s bowling team has enjoyed tremendous success, beginning with the 1991 U. S. Bowling Congress (USBC) collegiate national championship. Coach Dan Dorian led the team to a runner-up finish in 1996 followed by the team’s second national championship the next year. Led by Bill “The Real Deal” O’Neill (bottom photo), who would go on to become the 2005-2006 Professional Bowling Association Rookie of the Year and the 2009-2010 U. S. Open Champion, the bowling team embarked on a remarkable run in 2004 when it finished as national runners-up. In 2006, SVSU bowlers became national champions once again, repeating in 2007 and finishing in second place in 2009.


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Since 1989, SVSU has had five head basketball coaches who each coached the Cardinals for more than one season: Robert Pratt (1973-1997), Dean Lockwood (1998-2004), Jamie Matthews (2004-2007), Frankie Smith (2007-2012) and (in full-page photo) Randy Baruth (2012-present).


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Guard Chris Webb was named 2010 “Freshman of the Year” and would go on to a stellar career, being named first team all-GLIAC following his senior season (2012-13).


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The SVSU women’s basketball team has been coached since 1989 by (in left column, from top) Claudette Charney (1985-1995), Suzy Merchant (1995-1998), Lori Flaherty (1998-2000), Angela Jackson (20002001); (in right column, from top) Kim Chandler (2001-2004), Vonnie Kilmer (2004-2008), Shannon Baugh (2008-2011) and Jamie Pewinski (2011-present).


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Center Emily Wendling combined strong post play with uncommon perimeter skills, leading to her selection as 2013 Freshman of the Year and a first team all-GLIAC performer.


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In 2009 the university’s cheerleading team qualified for the National Cheerleaders Association collegiate nationals for the first time.


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Brian Eggleston

Casey Hocquard

Golfers who achieved recognition as collegians include Dave Tokarsky, a 2000 NCAA All-American, and Brian Eggleston, a 1998 NCAA All-American. Casey Hocquard — who in 2009 set the single season low score average (73.2) — was named to the All Region team and was SVSU’s MVP in 2008 and 2009.


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The starting lines of a men’s and women’s cross country meet are a mix of brightly-colored uniformed runners who typically complete the 5-8K race route in approximately 18-30 minutes.


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Starting with the 2011 season, SVSU played its football games in Wickes Memorial Stadium at night.


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In 1997 and 1998, Coach Kill’s teams flourished behind two junior college transfers who terrorized opposing offenses. One was Paul Spicer (right), a junior defensive end who transferred to SVSU in 1996 from the College of DuPage. In the 11 games that season, Spicer recorded 16½ sacks, shattering the team single-season record and helping earn him Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference “Player of the Year” honors. On the other side of the defensive line from Spicer in 1997 was Lamar King (left), another junior college transfer who in his first season with the Cardinals finished with 15½ sacks. Spicer signed as an undrafted free agent with Seattle Seahawks following the 1998 draft; King was taken by the Seahawks in the first round of the NFL draft the following season — a rare feat for an NCAA Division II player.


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Former head coaches Jerry Kill, George Ihler, Jim Larkin and Muddy Waters posed for a photo at the football program’s annual golf outing. Randy Awrey coached the football team from 1999 through 2007.


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During the 2013 season, the Cardinals had abundant opportunities for endzone celebrations, thanks to the record-setting performances by quarterback Jon Jennings (No. 11) and wide receiver Jeff Janis (No. 82). Records broken by Jennings include: passing attempts (1,237), completions (799), passing yards (10,710), passing TDs (96), total career offense (12,055) and total offense per game (280.4); he also is ranked second among career leaders in total offense per play (280.4) and passing completion percentage (64.6). At 6-foot-


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3-inches and 219 pounds, Janis was a top 2014 NFL Combine performer in both the bench press and the three-cone drill; he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash and had a 37.5-inch vertical jump. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Green Bay Packers. At SVSU, Janis holds the career records for receiving yards (4,305), pass receptions (246), reception TDs (46), receptions per game (5.45) and TDs scored (49); and he finished his collegiate career ranked second in total points (294).


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Cardinal football fans through the years have come to expect quality high-energy half-time presentations staged by dance teams who put in hours of practice to choreograph their performances.


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Led by GLIAC “Defensive Player of the Year” Zach Myers, the 2012 men’s soccer team went 18-3-4 (9-22 in the GLIAC) and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II national championship game. In his senior year, Myers was named an NCAA Academic All-American and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II National Player of the Year.


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The women’s team rattled off five winning seasons between 2007 and 2012, reaching the NCAA Division II postseason tournament for the first time in 2009.


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In 2011, the Cardinal softball team won 42 games and made it to the NCAA Division II World Series, finishing the year ranked No. 6 in the nation.


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The tennis team achieved an 8-6 GLIAC record (13-10 overall) in 2012-13, the program’s first winning conference season in more than a decade. This resulted in a No. 9 ranking in the Midwest Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the first such regional ranking in memory. The top player of this era was Yunjiao Shangguan (inset), an international student from China who was named first team All-GLIAC all four years of her career (2009-12).


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In 2010, runner Tony Filipek was the Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year after finishing fourth in the nation in the 800-meter at the NCAA Division II indoor championships.


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The women’s outdoor track team placed in the top three every year from 1993-1998, winning the conference in 1997 and 1998. It also placed in the NCAA regional meet every year from 1989-1996, earning a sixth place finish in 1989 and a 10th place finish in both 1991 and 1995.


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After years of scuffling in the GLIAC cellar, Coach Will Stanton’s (inset) volleyball team in 2009 finished 12-4 in the conference (22-10 overall) and earned a share of GLIAC title — the program’s first.


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The “Cards Who Care” program, which was launched in 2009 in conjunction with Convenant Hospital of Saginaw, allows SVSU student-athletes to visit with patients and their families in the hospital with the hope of brightening up their stay.


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The Athletics Department’s signature fundraising event, Cardinal Cabaret, features live music, cash bar and raffles, along with silent and live auctions. The night’s events support the future successes of Cardinal athletes.


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From 2009 through 2013, the Athletics Department raised nearly $20,000 for the fight against breast cancer. In February, breast cancer survivors are recognized during a basketball game.


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SVSU annually hosts some 700 young athletes for “Community Youth Days” — ­ the children interact with Cardinal athletes from all sports and have fun learning skills, along with having a chance to win prizes.


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Cardinal Kids Club, which was launched in 2009, brings the families with young children in the Great Lakes Bay Region to the campus of SVSU to engage in the Cardinal athletics experience. Members are exposed not only to athletic contests and discounts on camps, but also to opportunities to directly interact with athletes, coaches and the Cardinal mascot.


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The university’s campus recreation staff organize some 25 “sports” — from badminton and billiards to sand volleyball and wiffleball — that allow students to continue their participation in organized sporting activities in college.


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David Swenson was SVSU’s first endowed professor — the H. H. Dow Chair in Chemistry.


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Chapter 7: A Rich History of Philanthropy

Chapter 7

A Rich History of Philanthropy From its earliest days, Saginaw Valley State University benefited from thousands of volunteer hours and millions of dollars of private support. It was corporate and private contributions that, at the birth of the institution, raised the initial $4 million stipulated by the State of Michigan for acceptance of the private Saginaw Valley College as a public institution, and this spirit of generosity toward SVSU continued over the years. The SVSU Foundation was established in 1977 as a separate legal entity with the mission of generating and cultivating a community of enthusiastic and loyal donors to support educational objectives.1 The foundation has even deeper roots in the history of the university, originating in 1965 with establishment of the SVC Development Fund2 and the transfer of property from the private college to the state. The December 1965 articles of incorporation for the fund listed assets in real property as “none” and in personal property as $125,000. The university revised the founding documents Oct. 11, 1976, and then again with the state’s addition of “university” status on Dec. 17, 1987, to form what is now known as the SVSU Foundation.3 By 2013, the corpus had grown to $64 million overseen by a board of directors led by six officers — a chair, the university president as first vice chair, a second vice chair, the secretary, the treasurer and an executive director — and members that include sitting and former appointees to the Board of Control, community leaders loyal to the university and several honorary directors.

The Annual Fund

The foundation’s nurturing Annual Fund took shape 1977 “when 17 friends of SVSC volunteered to plan and implement the first mail campaign for the … college”4 and expanded over the years to become an essential component of private support for the university, especially student scholarships. Some 133 donors contributed $42,721 then.


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Annual Fund support grew incrementally since then. In 2012, 1,715 donors contributed $254,591, a record high as of that year for both. Donations to the fund from alumni also were at an historic high in 2012 — $102,957 from 1,063 individuals. Similarly, support from university employees for the fund rose steadily as the alumni corps and number of faculty and staff expanded over the decades, reaching a record $53,107 in 2012 from an all-time high number of 141 contributors.

Forward 90 Fund Drive (Capital, 1988 – 1990)

At the end of 1988, President Jack Ryder reported to the Foundation Board that the fundraisers had completed the Fine Arts Center portion of a Special Funds Drive, which also included a campaign to support fine arts, a library, financial aid, engineering and equipment. While the drive had not reached goals for the other beneficiaries, the president recommended that the initiative end and a new one begin.5 Ryder introduced Forward 90 with a $4.9 million goal, enough to fund the unmet objectives, expand the football stadium and endow athletics awards, too. At the December 1989 meeting of the Foundation Board, President Eric Gilbertson reported that if the stadium addition could proceed with $1.2 million already raised for it, then “Forward 90” could conclude by fall 1990 with a goal of $1.9 million.6 Forward 90 pledges and gifts had reached $1,664,420 at that point and the campaign ultimately met the revised target with 80 percent of contributions from foundations and corporations and the remaining 20 percent coming from individual donors.7

Association for the Advancement of SVSU

In the early 1990’s, the foundation formed the Association for the Advancement of SVSU to encourage and accelerate private financial support to the university. Donors at the $200 level and above received lapel pins and occasional invitations to special events, such as dessert receptions before Rhea Miller concerts. The association was one of a number of revenue-enhancing strategies that preceded more integrated donor recognition schemes in the early 2000s.

Endowment for Enhancement (Endowment, 1992 – 1994)

The SVSU Foundation began the initiative to support endowed chairs and professorships, a visiting artist and lecture series, international programs, merit scholarships and capital projects. Started with a goal of $10 million, it raised almost $4 million in about two years.8

The Campaign for Distinction (Endowment, 1996 – 1997)

“The Campaign for Distinction: Intellectual Bricks and Mortar” was at the time described as “the largest fundraising initiative in the history of the university.”9 As its name suggests, this was not a drive for new buildings but for expanded opportunities within them. Ambitious and complex, the campaign was an unqualified success. By fall 1997, it had surpassed its goal of $11 million and by the following March reached more than $13.3 million in gifts and pledges.10


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Three eminent corporate, financial and professional leaders were co-chairs: William S. Stavropoulos, president and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company; Robert J. Vitito, president and CEO of Citizens Banking Corp.; and Jerome L. Yantz, a partner of the CPA firm of Weinlander Fitzhugh. The campaign leaders subdivided fundraising into categories that included leadership gifts, university community, alumni, Bay area, Thumb area, Midland area and Saginaw area, each with a division chair and all supported by James L. Wolohan, the SVSU Foundation chair, and Gilbertson. The focus was threefold: endowment for student scholarships, recruitment and support of outstanding faculty and enhanced academic programs. The initiative endowed 29 new scholarships and increased 17 existing endowments. It established endowments for four professorial chairs: The Dow Chemical Company Cen-

The three co-chairs for The Campaign for Distinction (left to right), Robert J. Vitito, Jerome L. Yantz, and William S. Stavropoulos, acknowledge the successful completion of the campaign.


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Huge E. Braun Jr.

Joel Gougeon

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tennial Chair in Global Business; the Carl A. Gerstacker Endowed Chair in Education; the Charles J. Strosacker Endowed Chair in Engineering; and the Harvey Randall Wickes Endowed Chair in International Business. These endowed chairs joined the previously endowed H. H. Dow Chair in Chemistry, the first such position at SVSU. Endowments for enhanced academics included support for visiting scholars and artists, lectureships and special programs. They included the Frank and Lucille Andersen Nursing Endowment; the Barstow Excellence in Teaching Humanities Seminar; the Arnold and Gertrude Boutell-Citizens Bank of Saginaw Endowed Executive-in-Residence; the Dow Corning Foundation Endowed Professorship in Education; the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Visiting Scholars and Academic Development Endowment; the Rhea E. Miller Music Education Endowment Fund; the Rhea E. Miller Music Department Endowment Fund; the Thomas and Hilda Rush Distinguished Lectureship; and the Saginaw County Child Development Center Endowment Fund. Endowed awards included the Ruth and Ted Braun Endowment for Awards for Writing Excellence; the William G. Elliott Business Law and Legal Environment Professorial Endowment Award; the Gilbertson Award for Study Abroad Scholarship; the Mayme Hamilton Award Endowment for Excellence in Tutoring by Students; the Donna J. Roberts Award for Study Abroad Scholarship; and the Bob and Bobbi Vitito Student Leadership and Service Awards Endowment.

Creating the Future Fund Campaign (Capital, 2000 – 2002) John Kunitzer

G. James Williams

Grant A. Schaefer

The State of Michigan approval of $30 million to expand and upgrade campus facilities included a requirement that SVSU contribute a 25 percent match. Consequently, the “Creating the Future” campaign, as Gilbertson described it, “was designed to augment and match state funding for critical building projects on campus for our expanding student population. As a result of this successful campaign, construction and furnishing is being completed on the Regional Education Center, a fourth floor for the Zahnow Library, a new Student Center, and an addition to Ryder Center for healthy student lifestyle activities.”11 Launched early in 2000, the “Creating the Future” campaign was concluded at the end of 2002, having surpassed its $9.5 million goal with $9,583,529 pledged by more than 2,700 individuals, businesses and foundations. The campaign featured distinguished leadership. Co-chairs were prominent attorney and philanthropist Hugo E. “Ted” Braun Jr.; Joel Gougeon, a state senator; CPA firm leader John Kunitzer; and former Board of Control treasurer G. James Williams. Jerome L. Yantz, Grant A. Schaefer and Thomas Ludington, all with service as SVSU Foundation chairmanships, represented the foundation. The team also included Gilbertson and Robert J. Vitito, chair of the Board of Control. The “Creating the Future” campaign and the “Campaign for Distinction” together exponentially strengthened the intellectual and real capital of the institution, giving SVSU the stature of a confidently maturing university.

Gateway to the Future Fund Drive (Capital, early 2000s) Thomas Ludington

The “Gateway to the Future” fund drive in the early 2000s had a more modest goal: improving the main entrance to the university. The initiative was described this way: The


Chapter 7: A Rich History of Philanthropy

proposed “‘Gateway to the Future’ will be a statement of pride for the community — pride in having a high-quality, flourishing regional university in its midst.” The entrance, flanked by two water retention ponds, was completed as part of an expansion of Bay Road (M-84) into a four-lane divided highway.

The “Gateway to the Future” fund drive in the early 2000s had a more modest goal: improving the main entrance to the university.

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“The Promise for Tomorrow Campaign” included $3 million from Dr. E. Malcolm Field.

The Promise for Tomorrow Campaign (Endowment, 2002 – 2010)

Burnett S. Kelly

Domimic Monastiere

Lloyd Yeo

Begun in 2005, the “Promise for Tomorrow” campaign, the largest in SVSU’s history, raised more than $23 million, exceeding its original goal of $20 million. The project funded several major endowments:12 • $3 million from Dr. E. Malcolm Field to create two new endowed chair positions, the Clifford Spicer Chair in Engineering, and the Malcolm and Lois Field Chair in Health Science; • $2 million from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation to establish the Entrepreneurship Institute and endow an entrepreneur-in-residence position; • $1.5 million from the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation to establish the Gerstacker Fellowship to provide leadership training to select K-12 educators; and • $1.5 million from the Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation to establish the Braun Fellowship, named in honor of Ruth and Ted Braun of Saginaw, to recognize and support exceptional accomplishments and potential of SVSU faculty and staff. • Additionally, nearly $3 million from the campaign created more than 50 new scholarships, many of these to help needy students.”13 The steering committee of the venture included Braun; Herbert D. “Ted” Doan of the The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation; B. J. Humphreys of the legal firm of Lippert, Humphreys PC; Burnett S. Kelly, SVSU Executive-in-Residence and former Dow Corning USA corporate president; Dominic Monastiere, president of Chemical Bank-Bay City; Alan Ott of the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation; Yantz; and Lloyd Yeo of the CPA firm of Yeo & Yeo.


Chapter 7: A Rich History of Philanthropy

Cardinal Club

The Cardinal Club members donate to support SVSU athletics scholarships. In its first year, 1992, the Club had 89 members and raised $23,905; in 2013, 192 members contributed $53,294.14

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, which opened in 1988, benefited from several endowments established through the foundation beginning in the early 1990s. The 1996 Phase II Expansion Capital Campaign exceeded its $2.5 million goal by its end in 2003. A description of the expansion of the facility that resulted is under the “Buildings and Grounds” section. The “Preserving the Legacy of Marshall M. Fredericks” campaign was launched in summer 2012. Designed to strengthen the assets held by the Museum and ensure their maximum potential into the future, the campaign combines both capital improvements and endowments. Rosalind C. Fredericks Educational Trust The SVSU Foundation received a challenge grant of $125,000 from philanthropist Dorothy Arbury in 1994 for the establishment of the Rosalind C. Fredericks Educational Trust with the understanding that donations from the public would match the gift. Arbury created the trust to support the educational events at the museum and expand the audience of the museum. She intended the trust to improve services to students and adults and build on the school-tour programs in place since 1989. In 1999, the trust’s focus shifted to supporting employment of a curator of education. The 2012 market value of the endowment was $616,060, which resulted in distribution of $24,100. Operations Endowment Fund The sculpture museum Operations Endowment Fund was created in the early 1990s to help support the daily operations of the facility: staff salaries and benefits; three or four temporary exhibitions annually; conservation and preservation of 2,400 items in the objects collection and 200 linear feet of archives; staff development and training; events, supplies and equipment; marketing; and advertising, printing, postage and travel. In 2012, the market value of the endowment was $278,596, which provided a distribution of $10,500 for the year. Conservation Endowment A $52,182 gift in 1992 from Marshall Fredericks and his wife Rosalind Cooke set up the conservation endowment for use in the preservation of the museum’s sculptures and other artistic works in SVSU’s collection. The museum began managing the Marshall M. Fredericks Archives when all of the artist’s professional and personal papers arrived at the museum following his death in 1998. A permanent part-time archivist joined the staff in November 2007. She became a full-time employee Aug. 1, 2009, when the museum received a project grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to begin digitizing the archives.

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In 2012, the market value of the endowment was $107,274, and the year’s distribution was $4,800. The museum began promoting an Exhibition Endowment in 2007 to provide funding for a minimum of three temporary exhibitions annually. The corpus goal was $1.5 million, and by 2012 the market value $120,670.

The “Preserving the Legacy of Marshall M. Fredericks” campaign in 2012 strengthened the assets held by the museum and ensured their maximum potential into the future.


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The 50th Anniversary Campaign (Endowment, 2012).

May 10, 2013, SVSU announced “Talent. Opportunity. Promise. The Campaign for SVSU,” with a $25 million goal and a focus on the institution’s 50th anniversary. During a “quiet phase” the previous academic year, the university solicited donations from major regional donors and the SVSU faculty and staff. The resulting endowments, according to the foundation, would help “attract and retain the top talent in faculty, staff and students; continue to provide a wide range of distinctive opportunities for academic, professional and cultural development; [and] create a more promising future for our students, our region, and the world.”15 Chairs for the campaign were attorney John A. Decker, businessman D. Brian Law, contractor Herbert A. Spence III and philanthropic foundation executive Jenee L. Velasquez. A steering committee of seven persons worked on the campaign: investment advisor David J. Abbs, a former SVSU Board of Control chair; Donald Bachand, SVSU vice president for academic affairs and provost; K. P. Karunakaran, M.D., former chair of the Board of Control; retired banker and foundation board member Dominic Monastiere; former hospital executive and foundation board member Terence F. Moore; electricity company executive Linda L. Sims, a former Board of Control member; and accountant Jerome L. Yantz of the Board of Control. Honorary committee members included Braun and his wife Ruth; former Board of Control member Charles Curtiss and his wife Sue; Linneaus and Phae Dorman; Dr. Malcolm and Lois Field; retired Air Force General Dave Hall and his wife Jackie; attorney B. J. Humphreys and his wife Laura; foundation executive Alan Ott and his wife Jean; excavation company owners Tom and Ginger Marx; foundation executive Margaret Ann Riecker; former SVSU president Jack Ryder and his wife Lila; businessman Martin Stark; retired banker Bob Vitito and his wife Bobbi; and community leader Judy Yeo.

Of notable mention at the time of this publication’s printing is the largest single gift from an SVSU alumna. Janet M. Botz, 1974, B.A., announced a gift of $1 million for the 50th Anniversary Campaign to create the Botz Fellowship, an internship program for liberal arts students in the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences.

John A. Decker

D. Brian Law

Herbert Spence III

Jenee L. Velasquez


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The Alumni Association — in this photo, meeting in 1993 in the Alumni Lounge when it was still located in Zahnow Library — is responsible for several traditions, including establishing the Landee Award for Teaching Excellence.


Chapter 8: The Alumni Association and Alumni Relations

Chapter 8

The Alumni Association and Alumni Relations The Alumni Association’s charter meeting took place April 6, 1967, less than a year after the college’s first graduation of 10 students in 1966. A half-century later the alumni corps had grown to nearly 40,000.1 Already in 1967, charter alumni were venturing beyond Michigan. Two members of the class of 1966 posted Illinois addresses and one resettled in Texas; six of the remaining seven were in what is now the Great Lakes Bay Region, Arenac and the Thumb, and the seventh had moved to East Lansing. In May 2011, SVSU alumni were living in all of Michigan’s 83 counties (the only exceptions were Keweenaw County in the remote tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula and isolated Isle Royale in Lake Superior). Moreover, SVSU graduates were living and working in all 50 states, with significant populations in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, as well as North Carolina, Texas, California and, especially, Florida. Of course, most alumni remained closer to home in eastern and southeastern Michigan. But due to the campus globalization over the past few decades, many alumni are residents in other parts of the world. Over the years, the association matured significantly since Bertram Schafer enrolled in “Saginaw Valley College” as student number 01, Roselyn Argyle became the first student to receive an “SVC” degree and the first class elected initial officers — Schafer as president, Argyle as vice president, Mary Caumartin as secretary and Richard Wallace as treasurer2 — to lead the charter membership of Frank J. Isackson (B.S. chemistry), Faye C. Frank (B.A. psychology), Stanley J. Gorzinski (B.S. biology), Allen D. Shaddock (B.A. psychology), Henry Hatter (B.S. chemistry) and Richard S. Wallace (B.A. economics). A number of significant association traditions took shape during the very early years of the association. One is the Landee Award. Each year the university has recognized one, or occasionally two, full-time faculty as the recipient of the Franc A. Landee Award for Teach-

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ing Excellence.3 Alumni — as well as students, faculty and staff — nominate the candidates. The award committee, representing a cross-section of the university, makes the selection. The Alumni Board lapsed into a brief period of inactivity in the early 1970s and returned to life when Ryder assumed the presidency. The board adopted a constitution and bylaws May 1, 1976, and the organization developed continuously after that.4 By 2013, 18 members of the SVSU Alumni Association Board of Directors were working with the university’s Alumni Relations staff to fulfill the association mission statement’s stipulation that it “… engage graduates and students in a mutually beneficial relationship with the university and … promote loyalty and support among our alumni” and to work toward its strategic vision to “... create awareness of the association, strengthen membership, support students and create distinctive initiatives.”5 Attracting more alumni to the association was a pervasive theme over the years, and to this end it established a number of regularly scheduled social events that included annual homecoming observances each fall and an alumni recognition banquet and fundraiser. The association has provided ushers for commencement and supervision of the annual spring student telethon in support of the Annual Fund. In 2012, the Office of Alumni Relations partnered with the Office of Admissions to create CARDS, a recruitment initiative designed to encourage alumni to connect with prospective students. The acronym stands for Cardinal Alumni Recruiting Dedicated Students.

Alumnus Jason Swackhamer ushers graduates to their seats during the May 2011 commencement ceremony.


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The importance of the association, and the alumni in general, is evident in its working relationship with the presidents. They have supported a professionally staffed Office of Alumni Relations, hosted annual dinners and business meetings for the board, briefed members on university development and attended alumni events.

Alumni Scholarships

As the association matured, interest grew in establishing an alumni-endowed scholarship. The Alumni Association board established a scholarship in April 1991 “to recognize students who have shown scholastic achievements in their chosen fields … and to recognize and encourage the continued progress of, and to provide assistance to, SVSU students.”6 In 1992-1993, Shirley Jo Kelly, an SVSU senior, became the first recipient. At that time, the endowment corpus was about $9,000; by Sept. 1, 2013, its market value had grown to $550,230. Later, the Alumni Association board and other alumni groups set up additional scholarship funds: Contributions from local businesses and graduates of SVSU’s M.B.A. program established the SVSU Alumni Endowed M.B.A. Scholarship to assist M.B.A. students acquire advanced degrees. The board, with individual gifts and proceeds of an annual golf outing, created the Bob Becker Scholarship to recognize the contributions of the former SVSU athletic director and provide financial assistance to exceptional female student athletes. Alumni employees of The Dow Chemical Company set up the Dow Chemical Employees Scholarship to recognize superior academic performance. Alumni working at Dow Corning Corp. endowed the Dow Corning Employees Scholarship to offer financial assistance to students majoring in science or business. Hispanic alumni and members of the Hispanic community in the Bay-Midland-Saginaw region established the Hispanic American Community Endowed Scholarship to help students pursue higher education at SVSU and to encourage a rich mix of individuals on campus.

Alumni Awards Distinguished Alumni Award After 1976, the association, at its annual Alumni Celebration, presented the Distinguished Alumni Award to a graduate of SVSU. The honor acknowledged distinguished service and accomplishment that enhanced the prestige of the university. Past recipients of this award since 1989 include: 1989 Andrea R. Willis ’74 M.A.T. Classroom Teaching-Elementary 1990 Raquel Ontiveros ’75 M.A.T. Learning Disabilities 1991 Elmer R. Hollenbeck ’70 B.A. Accounting 1991 Larry Sahr ’73 B.A. Sociology 1992 James A. Griffiths ’81 B.B.A General Business 1992 Gary L. Loster ’88 B.A. Criminal Justice 1993 Caroline G. M. Scott, M.D. ’79 B.S. Biology

Caroline G.M. Scott


200

Gail Goestenkors

Anthony Ceccacci

Francisco Itzaina

Janet Greif

Greg Grocholski

Arthur O’Neal II

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

1994 1995 1966 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Timothy L. Lipan ’74 Roselyn D. Argyle ’66 Thomas E. McIntyre ’71 Norwaine Reed ’72 Janet M. Botz ’74 Judy M. Werner ’84 Gail A. Goestenkors ’85 Patricia A. Shaheen ’71 John M. Kunitzer ’73 James C. Howell ’77 Rajkumari M. Wiener ’73 Ying-Chun (Jimmy) Yang ’94 Anthony Ceccacci ’79 Alice M. Gerard ’85, ’91 Vicki LeBlanc Rupp ’83 Laverne (Vern) Weber ’79 Francisco Itzaina ’71 Lynnette Cooke ’88

B.B.A. Marketing B.A. Psychology B.A. Sociology B.A. Psychology B.A. Sociology B.S.N Nursing B.A. Physical & Health Sciences B.A. English B.B.A. Accounting Education B.A. Criminal Justice B.S. Biology M.B.A. B.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology B.S.N., M.S.N. B.S. Business Chemistry B.B.A. B.A. Economics CBM

Distinguished Alumni Award – By College Traditionally, the Alumni Association selected one Distinguished Alumni Award recipient each year, but in 2012-2013, in recognition of SVSU’s 50th anniversary, it chose a distinguished alumna or alumnus from each of the five colleges for the award. Here is the list of the individuals who received the award: Paul Bridgewater ’75 B.A. Political Science Janet Greif ’94 B.A. Elementary Education; ’98 M.Ed. Education Leadership Greg Grocholski ’90 M.B.A. Ellen Talbott ’99 M.S.N. Nursing Client Care Donald Whittington ’78 B.S. Data Processing Outstanding Alumni Award In 2003, the university began presenting the Outstanding Alumni Award to an alumna or alumnus of each of the five SVSU colleges to recognize remarkable professional success and the resulting positive reflection on the reputation of all graduates of the respective colleges and the university. In 2013, the five Distinguished Alumni Awards took the place of the Outstanding Alumni Awards in recognition of SVSU’s 50th anniversary. Past recipients included: College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences 2003 Phillip Stahle ’78 2004 Herman Clark ’87, ’90 2005 Donald F. Pussehl, Jr. ’85, ’90 2006 The Hon. Bartholomew Stupak ’77 2007 Arthur W. O’Neal II ’98, ’04 2008 Walter H. Reynolds ’84


Chapter 8: The Alumni Association and Alumni Relations

2009 2010 2011-2012

201

David Gilmour ’81 Billy Dexter ’84 John Hamilton ’87

College of Business & Management 2003 William Mulders ’83, ’92 2004 Laura Yockey ’91 2005 Diane Y. Hoover ’90, ’97 2006 James G. Muladore ’72 2007 Raymond L. Christie ’91 2008 Michael A. Finney ’79 2009 Michael Tribble ’87 2010 Robert Stafford ’85 2011-2012 Donald McAnelly ’91 College of Education 2003 Bethany Rayl ’91, ’99 2004 Nathaniel McClain ’01 2005 Rhonda A. Provoast ’95, ’98, ’01 2006 Kathleen J. Spaulding ’00 2007 Kimberly A. Prime ’76, ’83, ’99 2008 Mary Anne Ackerman ’90 2009 Joy Baker ’84 2010 Steven Zott ’81 2011-2012 Gregory Green ’01 Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services 2003 Averetta Lewis ’79, ’85 2004 Beth McNett-Fettinger ’79 2005 Susan B. Schafsnitz ’98 2006 Cheryl A. Burzynski ’87, ’96 2007 Alice M. Gerard ’85, ’91 2008 Terrance Lerash ’81 2009 Andrea Frederick ’96 2010 Richard Herm ’77, ’81, ’04 2011-2012 Rita Munley Gallagher, ’79 College of Science, Engineering & Technology 2003 Richard Nash ’88 2004 Steven Keinath ’76, ’81 2005 Scott L. Carmona ’81 2006 Anthony J. Ceccacci ’79 2007 Scott D. James ’89

Michael Finney

Kimberly Prime

Alice Gerard

Scott Carmona


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2008 2009 2010 2011-2012

Abdullah Wafa

Vance Fulton

Ginger Marx

Ernest Paulick

Eldon Graham

David Barker

Gerardo C. Gonzalez ’75 William Washabaugh, Jr. ’85 Catherine Baase ’77 Ronald Miller, M.D. ’78

Rising Young Alumni Award The Rising Young Alumni Award, beginning in 2011-2012, recognized an outstanding alumnus or alumna who displayed successful service and accomplishment or professional growth within his or her first five years following graduation from SVSU. 2011-2012 Abdullah Wafa ’09 College of Business and Management 2012-2013 Darryn Crocker ’08 College of Health & Human Services Future Outstanding Alumni Award Future Outstanding Alumni Award, inaugurated in 2011-2012, is presented annually in recognition of an outstanding SVSU student who has displayed successful service and accomplishment as a student enrolled at SVSU. 2011-2012 Vance Fulton ’12 B.P.A. College of Business & Management 2012-2013 Elyse Ledy ’13, B.A. College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences Honorary Alumnus Award The Alumni Association Board of Directors made the Honorary Alumnus Award a tradition. It acknowledges individuals who have rendered distinguished or valuable service to the university or association. Those who have achieved this distinction include: Gloria Hoffmann Ginger K. Marx 1999 Charles F. Pelzer 1971 Eric R. Gilbertson 2001 Jo A. Stanley 1985 Cynthia F. Gilbertson 2001 Teruo T. Ishihara 1986 Ernest E. Paulick 2001 Robert L. Pratt 1987 Basil A. Clark 2002 Lila Ryder 1989 Merry Jo Brandimore 2003 Charles B. Curtiss 1989 Robert C. Braddock 2004 John F. Curry 1990 David R. Weaver 2005 Richard P. Thompson 1991 Robert S. P. Yien 2006 Eugene J. Hamilton 1992 Walter R. Rathkamp 2007 Albert J. Beutler 1994 Eldon L. Graham 2008 Alma W. Gilmore Doud 1995 David E. Barker 2009 Deanna K. Schultz 1997 Robert Maurovich 2010 Jon L. Cisky 1998 George Eastland 2011 Donna J. Roberts 1998 Walter Head 2011 Thomas M. Marx 1999 Janalou Blecke 2012


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203

Vincent (Wu-Tien) Lin, 1993, M.B.A., and the Taiwan SVSU Alumni Association welcomed the 2010 SVSU Roberts Fellows in Taipei. More than 50 Taiwan alumni attended the gathering.

The first-ever SVSU African American Alumni Chapter, initiated in 2011, has several goals, chief among them reconnecting African American alumni to the SVSU campus community and each other, mentoring current students, building scholarship support, serving as a voice to be an advocate for minority student issues and opportunities, and assisting with the recruitment of the “best and brightest” African American students to SVSU. The first event for the SVSU AAAC brought together 23 African American alumni and 53 current students. Panelists included (from left) Billy Dexter, 1984, B.A.; Eugene Marve, 1995, B.A.; Christopher Pryor, 1995, B.A., M.A., 2000; and Terri Tilford-Burt, 1987, B.A.


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

The annual Alumni Celebration is a night to recognize recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award and also acknowledge the Young Alumni Award and the Future Alumni Award winners. The evening features


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205

a reception, dinner, awards presentation, and keynote address. Earlier celebrations included guest performances by Jeff Daniels and the comedy troupe Capitol Steps.


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Lou E. Loon makes himself an “honorary cardinal” at the annual “Alumni at the Loons” event, at which Loons players also meet and greet alumni at a pre-game tailgate at Dow Diamond.


Chapter 8: The Alumni Association and Alumni Relations

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Every summer, the Alumni Association and Cardinal Athletics host a golf outing that helps fund SVSU student scholarships. In the bottom photo, Scott Carmona watches his tee shot, as do David Abbs and Eric Gilbertson.


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The 18-hole, four-person scramble includes lunch, beverages, dinner, contests and hole prizes, and more.


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

CARDS (Cardinal Alumni Recruiting Dedicated Students) was launched in 2012 to encourage alumni to recruit prospective students to SVSU.

In fall 2013, works by art alumni were featured in the University Art Gallery. Forty-three alumni submitted pieces for the show.


Chapter 8: The Alumni Association and Alumni Relations

Alumni enjoy catching up at the Homecoming tent.

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Epilogue This is the fourth in a series of histories of Saginaw Valley State University. It takes its place in a succession beginning with Stuart Gross’s Where There’s a Will..., unpublished but on deposit in manuscript in Zahnow Library archives. Gross tells the beginning of it all, from the community effort that led first to the founding of Delta College and then SVSU. Basil Clark’s Saginaw Valley State University: The Early and Formative Years amplifies this story and moves it forward to 1989, the year Eric Gilbertson became president of the university. Eldon Graham’s Saginaw Valley State University: History of the Academic Programs, 1963-2003, follows with an in-depth narrative of how those programs developed since the founding of the university. In this volume, Brad Jarvis and Basil Clark have continued SVSU’s story, bringing it up to date for the university’s 50th anniversary. The years covered by this book, 1989-2013, represents one-half of SVSU’s history, a period coinciding with Gilbertson’s entire presidency, given the president’s announcement in June 2013 of his intention to retire. In their individual ways and with the resources available to them, these historians have described what has brought the university to the present. What has happened is a beautiful success story, with remarkably few false steps after the birthing years. The past is clear in hindsight; but what about the future? SVSU’s enrollments have leveled off at around 10,000 students, a planned target from the institution’s very early days. There are a rich variety of academic and athletic programs, a modern and attractive campus and strong community support. Careful recruiting brought many young and talented faculty and students to campus from nearby and continents away. The future looks bright for Saginaw Valley State University. Firmly established as an academic and economic resource in the region and increasingly in the state and beyond, SVSU is prepared to offer what is best in the tradition of higher education: a place where its students of all ages can find opportunity to grow socially and intellectually as citizens in the coming decades of the first century of the new millennium.


Epilogue

The Two Bears, by Marshall M. Fredericks

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Notes Chapter 1 1

Interior, August 29, 1989 and Interior, September 5, 1989.

2

1989 Orientation Speech; Basil A. Clark, Saginaw Valley State University: The Early and Formative Years, 1963 to 1989 (University Center: Saginaw Valley State University, 1998), 7-8, 31-34, and 62-63; and Interview with Jack and Lila Ryder, 9 September 2011.

3

President Eric Gilbertson, State of the University Address, January 18, 1990.

4

Eldon Graham, 64, 78; Interior, May 6, 2003; and “Portrait of a Pioneer: The Legacy of Crystal M. Lange,” in The Saginaw Valley Vintage, Issue 2, October 13, 2003, p. 9.

5

Eldon Graham, 96.

6

Interior, May 6, 2003.

7

Eldon Graham, 50.

8

Eldon Graham, 79 and Interior, May 2, 1995.

9

Next Steps 2000-2005, 5; Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 8; and Strategic Planning 2008-2011, 11.

10

Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 8-29 and Interview with Don Bachand, February 1, 2013.

11

Clark, The Early and Formative Years, 4, 28; Interior, September 16, 1997; and Interior, June 4, 2002.

12

Interior, October 14, 1997; http://www.kirtland.edu/kirtland-svsu-bsn-program.html, accessed June 4, 2013; Interior, April 6, 1999; Interior, May 4, 1999; Interior, December 7, 1999; and Interior, September 19, 2000.

13

Interior, April 7, 1998 and Interior, April 2011.

14

Interior, October 31, 1989; Interior, December 15, 1992; Interior, January 26, 1993; and The Valley Vanguard, October 10, 1991, 3.


Notes

15

VLC Administrative Council Meeting minutes, October 18, 1995, UA. 410, Box 9, Melvin J. Zahnow Library Records (hereafter Zahnow Library Records); VLC Board Meeting minutes, November 15, 1995, Zahnow Library Records; VLC Administrative Council Meeting minutes, March 20, 1996, Zahnow Library Records; VLC Administrative Council Meeting minutes, August 21, 1996, Zahnow Library Records); VLC Strategic Planning Committee Meeting minutes, September 17, 1996, Zahnow Library Records; Memorandum, Jean Houghton to Zahnow Library staff, November 6, 1996, Zahnow Library Records; Memorandum, Houghton to President Eric Gilbertson, “Choosing a New System,” November 6, 1996, Zahnow Library Records; Memorandum, Houghton to Dale Irish, November 15, 1996, Zahnow Library Records; Email, Houghton to Gilbertson, November 15, 1996, Zahnow Library Records; and Strategic Plan, 2008-2011, 13.

16

Interior, October 10, 1989.

17

Interior, October 10, 1989.

18

Interior, September 18, 1990.

19

Interior, April 4, 1995.

20

Interior, September 28, 1999 and Interior, February 22, 2000.

21

Interior, July 30, 1996; Interior, October 31, 2006; “College News,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 8; and Personal Communication, Deborah Roberts and Elizabeth Rich, February 4, 2013.

22

Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 26 and Strategic Plan, 2008-2011, 4.

23

Interior, October 31, 2006; “College News,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 8; Next Steps 2000-2005, 18; Strategic Plan, 2008-2011, 13; and Telephone conversation and email correspondence with Chris Looney, Registrar, Saginaw Valley State University, February 14, 2013.

24

Eldon Graham, 41-44.

25

Clark, The Early and Formative Years, 32; SVSU Self-Study Report, Prepared for the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, January 1994, University Archives LD4787.S34S45 1994; 1990 President’s Orientation speech; Promises to Keep, Section 2; Interior, August 25, 1992; and Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 30-31.

26

Memo, Ad Hoc Committee on General Education to Faculty Colleagues, re: “Proposed Changes in SVSU General Education Program,” September 21, 1999 (in possession of Eric Gardner); Memo, Ad Hoc Committee on General Education to All Faculty, re: “Revised General Education Proposal,” November 1, 1999 (in possession of Eric Gardner); and Interview with Eric Gardner, October 17, 2012.

27

Memo, Dr. Cliff Dorne and Dr. Eric Gardner to SVSU Faculty, re: “General Education,” January 19, 2000 (in the possession of Eric Gardner); Memo, Cliff Dorne and Eric Gard-

215


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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

ner to SVSU Faculty, re: “General Education,” February 10, 2000 (in possession of Eric Gardner); Memo, General Education Working Group to All Faculty, re: “General Education,” March 3, 2000 (in possession of Eric Gardner); and Eric Gardner interview, October 17, 2012. 28

Interior, September 2, 1997; “Writing Excellence Award Named for Long-Time Academic Affairs Vice President,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 9; and Interior, May 4, 1999.

29

Basil Clark interview with Brian Law, May 29, 2013; Eric Gardner, Diane Boehm, Clifford Dorne, and Mary Hedberg, “It Can Happen: General Education Reform Through Assessment,” A Collection of Papers on Self-Study and Institutional Improvement, 2003. Volume 3: Promoting Student Learning and Effective Teaching, Susan E. Van Kollenburg, ed. (Chicago: The Higher Learning Commission, 2003), 119-122; Eldon Graham, 41-44; Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 1; and Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 4, 32-35.

30

https://www.svsu.edu/sponsoredprograms/notinmenu/fulbrightscholarawardprograminformation/. Lists of faculty accomplishments are always dangerous as they might negligently omit the outstanding work done by so many. Nevertheless, some examples of recent accolades bestowed upon SVSU faculty are: PAUL TEED teacher award; History Professor Ken Jolly received the Michigan Campus Compact’s annual Faculty/Staff Community Service-Learning Award in 2007, see Interior, February 27, 2007; In 2012 the Midland Section of the American Chemistry Society selected him Chemistry professor David Karpovich as the region’s Outstanding College Chemistry Teacher for the year, see “Outstanding College Chemistry Teacher Award Goes to SVSU’s Karpovich,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2012, 5; Dr. Enayat Mahajerin became an American Society of Mechanical Engineering Fellow, an honor bestowed upon only the top 3 percent of the more than 100,000 mechanical engineers eligible, see Interior, May 2012; and also in 2012 English professor Eric Gardner received a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to support his research on the Christian Recorder, a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, see “SVSU Professor Earns Highly Sought Humanities Fellowship,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2012, 5.

31

Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 1-2.

32

Interior, July 16, 2002; “Educating Healthcare Professionals,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 14-19 and Interior, June 25, 2002.

33

Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 9 and Interior, October 31, 2006.

34

Interior, September 22, 1998; Interior, January 26, 1999; and Interior, October 31, 2006. For information on the Endowed Chair and professor positions, see Eldon Graham, 3839, 65-66, 88-89, 98; Interior, April 2, 1996; Interior, October 22, 1996; Interior, April 15, 1997; Interior, June 24, 1997; Interior, December 16, 1997; Interior, August 4, 1998; Interior February 9, 1999; Interior May 30, 2000; Interior, October 17, 2000; Interior, May


Notes

8, 2001; Interior June 19, 2001; Interior, July 16, 2002; “Educating Healthcare Professionals,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 14-19; Interior, June 25, 2002; Email Communication, Emmie Busch, Coordinator of Scholarships and Development Communications, SVSU Foundation, Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), February 11, 2013; Telephone and Email Communication, Ann Schneider-Branch, Assistant to the Executive Director, SVSU Foundation, SVSU, February 11, 2013; and Telephone and Email Communication, Rebecca Clifford, Administrative Assistant to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, SVSU, March 6, 2013. 35

“Business Matters” Newsletter, College of Business and Management, Saginaw Valley State University, Volume 3, Fall 2007.

36

Interior, September 27, 2005.

37

Strategic Plan, 2008-2011, 3.

38

Interior, October 14, 1997; Interior, April 22, 2003; Eldon Graham, 97; “Russ Clark: Engineering the Future,” in The Spirit of Service. This is SVSU. Seventh Edition, 2010-11; and Interior, June 15, 1993.

39

Eldon Graham, 98; Interior, June 2, 1998; Interior, May 29, 2001;Interior, March 1, 2005; Interior, June 1, 2005; and “SVSU Racers Place among World’s Engineering Elite,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2008, 9.

40

Interior, March 1, 2005; and Interior, June 1, 2005; “SVSU Racers Place among World’s Engineering Elite,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2008, 9; and “SVSU Alumnus on Daytona 500 Winner,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 6.

41

“Compete to Succeed: Arts & Behavioral Sciences,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2011, 14-17; “Arguing His Way to Success,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Spring 2012, 67; and Julie Keil email to Brad Jarvis, June 4, 2013.

42

John Kaczynski, “Politics and the Millennial Generation,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Spring 2012, 28-31.

43

Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 15; http://www.svsu.edu/politicalscience/cpps/aboutus/, accessed March 6, 2013.

44

SVSU Strategic Plan, 2013-, approved by the Board of Control February 11, 2013, http:// www.svsu.edu/missionstatement/strategicplan2013/; accessed March 13, 2013.

Chapter 2 1

Amy Barnes, “Goal is making good, better: Mature university looks forward,” in “Three Decades of Dedication,” insert included in the November 10, 1993 The Saginaw News, 12-13.

2

“College of Business & Management: It’s Business Unusual,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2006, 8 and “Community Projects: A Real-World Final Exam,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2006, 9.

217


218

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

3

Angela Bauer, “Forward Thinking: Promoting Regional Resources and Building Bridges of Collaboration,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2011, 24-28.

4

Angela Bauer, “Forward Thinking: Promoting Regional Resources and Building Bridges of Collaboration,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2011, 24-28.

5

Interior, June 6, 1990.

6

Interior, June 6, 1990; Interior, July 28, 1992; Interior, February 22, 1994; Interior, September 27, 1994; “College of Business & Management: It’s Business Unusual,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2006, 8 and “Community Projects: A Real-World Final Exam,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2006, 9.

7

Interior, November 23, 1993.

8

Eldon Graham, 92 and Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 28.

9

Angela Bauer, “Forward Thinking: Promoting Regional Resources and Building Bridges of Collaboration,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2011, 24-28 and “’Musseling’ Past Ecological Problems,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Spring 2012, 23-27; and “Investigating Lake Invaders,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2007, 18-19.

10

Interior, June 29, 2005; Interior, March 2008; and Brian Thomas, “greencardinal.org,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2008, 11-13.

11

Jo Brownlie. Unpublished notes.

12

Interview with Dr. Thomas Kullgren and Bruce Hart. SVSU. 07 January.

13

Kullgren and Hart.

14

Basil Clark. Telephone conversation with Bruce Hart. SVSU. 01 July 2013.

15

Kullgren and Hart.

16

Jo Brownlie. Unpublished notes.

17

Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development. SVSU website.

18

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “Celebrating Our First Decade of Learning.” [University Center, MI]: SVSU [2011]. 4.

19

“Celebrating Our First Decade of Learning.” 6.

20

Interior, September 12, 1989; Interior, May 8, 1990; and Interior, December 1, 1992.

21

Interior, December 20, 1994 and Interior, October 24, 1995.

22

Interior, February 4, 1997 and Interior, February 27, 2007.

23

Interior, October 2, 1990 and Interior, November 20, 1990.

24

Eldon Graham, 64-65.

25

Interior, September 14, 1999 and Eldon Graham, 66-69.

26

Interior, June 22, 2004.

27

Interior, May 4, 1993; Interior, April 19, 1994; and Interior, October 10, 1995.


Notes

28

Interior, October 2009.

29

Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity, December 1, 2006, 27.

30

Next Steps 2000-2005, 10; SVSU Board of Control Minutes, November 14, 1994; SVSU Board of Control Minutes, June 19, 1995; SVSU Board of Control Minutes, March 4, 1996; and “Saginaw Valley State University 2012-2013 Charter Schools (Updated 1/8/13),” document provided by Dawn Gillespie, Administrative Secretary, School & University Partnerships Office, March 18, 2013.

31

Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 17 and Right Sizing the University: Enrollment Goals for the Next Decade, A Report from SVSU’s Long Term Enrollment Planning Group, p. 10, in UA. 300, Box 1, Division of Enrollment Management Records, Administrative Files, Reports, 2003.

32

Interior, June 15, 1999; Interior, July 6, 1999; Board of Control Minutes, August 16, 1999; and Interior, November 9, 1999.

33

Interview with Janalou Blecke, July 23, 2013.

34

Angela Bauer, “Forward Thinking: Promoting Regional Resources and Building Bridges of Collaboration,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2011, 24-28; “Educating Health Care Professionals,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 14-19; and Eldon Graham, 79.

35

Angela Bauer, “Forward Thinking: Promoting Regional Resources and Building Bridges of Collaboration,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2011, 24-28; “Educating Health Care Professionals,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 14-19 and Eldon Graham, 79.

36

Eldon Graham, 79-80.

37

“The Crisis in Health Care: An SVSU Response,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2006, p. 4; “New Briefs,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2007, 4; Interior, February 2008; and “In Their Own Words,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 42.

38

Interview with Janalou Blecke, July 23, 2013.

39

Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 28; Angela Bauer, “Forward Thinking: Promoting Regional Resources and Building Bridges of Collaboration,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2011, 24-28 and “Educating Health Care Professionals,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 14-19.

40

Strategic Plan, 2008-2011, 10-11.

41

“College of Health & Human Services Adds Doctorate Degree,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Spring 2012, 6.

42

“Educating Health Care Professionals,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 14-19; “Exer-Science,” Reflections2013 Magazine, Fall 2012, 26-29; and “The Skinny on Healthy Living,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 12-13.

43

Strategic Plan, 2008-2011, 47.

219


220

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

44

Interior, September 19, 1989 and Interior, December 6, 1994.

45

Interview with Carl Fredericks, September 30, 2011 and http://marshallfredericks.org/ information/mission, accessed March 18, 2013.

46

Interior, May 3, 1988 and Interior, February 18, 1997.

47

“Valley Wind Quintet !0th Anniversary: A Gift of Music,” UA.512 – Department of Music – Publications – Brochures – Valley Wind Quintet, 1992; SAME AS ABOVE EXCEPT Flyers – Valley Wind Quintet, undated; AND Programs – Valley Wind Quintet, 2002, 2004, 2008. SVSU Archives, Zahnow Library; and personal communication, Thomas Zantow, March 25, 2013.

48

Eldon Graham, 50; Interior, March 9, 1993; Interior, November 9, 1993; Interior, September 10, 1996; Interior, January 21, 1997; Interior, March 18, 1997; Interior, January 27, 1998; Interior, August 25, 1998; Interior, February 22, 2000; Interior, February 13, 2001; Interior, October 27, 2004; and Interior, November 16, 2004.

49

Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 15.

50

“Students Excel in ACTF Regional III Theater Festival, Reflections Magazine, Spring 2009, 7 and Janet Martineau, “Theatre Festival Shines National Spotlight on SVSU,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2010, 14-17.

51

“Cardinal Sins Observes 30th Anniversary,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2011, 8.

52

www.svsu.edu/care, accessed November 26, 2012; Interior, February 9, 2005; and “News Briefs,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2007, 5.

53

Mary Oakley, “Theatre prepares for ‘Angels,’” Valley Vanguard, April 16, 2007, Vol. 39, no. 22, p. 7; Alex Baumgardner, “’Angels’ criticism misguided,” Valley Vanguard, April 23, 2007, Vol. 39, no. 23, p. 4; Pat Herald, “’Angels soars on strong acting,” Valley Vanguard, April 23, 2007, Vol. 39, no. 23, p. 9; Marisa Gwidt, “Emails highlight opposition to play,” Valley Vanguard, April 23, 2007, Vol. 39, no. 23, p. 9; Justin Engel, “SVSU President Defends Controversial Production,” Saginaw News, April 27, 2007;Dawson Bell, “SVSU Will Continue ‘Angels in America’ Despite Protests,” Detroit Free Press, April 27, 2007; and Interview with Richard Roberts, September 10, 2013.

54

“A Capitol Experience,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2009, 15-18 and Strategic Plan, 20082011, 4-6.

55

Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 46 and Lauren Wietchy, “Fundraising Total Tops $33,000 in Victory,” Valley Vanguard, November 12, 2012.

56

“Bringing Hope Amid the Devastation,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2006, p. 5

Chapter 3 1

Tara Palmateer and Phillip Mace, interview with Eric Gilbertson, December 8, 2011.

2

From “Promises to Keep: Towards a University of Vitality, Distinction and Purpose,” Report of the Planning Task Force, January 1991, Archives LD4787.S34 P63 1991; Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 20; and Interview with Woody Pelton, October 3, 2012.


Notes

3

“Saginaw Valley State University: A History of International Activities,” compiled by Donald Staub, Eastern Michigan University, 2000 (Archives, LB2375.9(?)73 2000), 10-11; Interior, March 17, 1992.

4

Interior, January 12, 1993; Interview with Stephanie Sieggreen, Director, Office of International Programs, Saginaw Valley State University, September 12, 2012; Interview with Woody Pelton, October 3, 2012; and Tara Palmateer and Phillip Mace, interview with Eric Gilbertson, December 8, 2011.

5

Robert Yien interview, August 9, 2012 and August 1990 Board of Control Minutes.

6

“Saginaw Valley State University: A History of International Activities,” compiled by Donald Staub, Eastern Michigan University, 2000 (Archives, LB2375.9(?)73 2000), 31-32; Interior, May 4, 1993.

7

Interview with President Noboru Fukuoka, DATE and Interview with Chairman Ichiro Sato, DATE. Perhaps indicative of this special relationship between the two schools, SVSU presented then President Haruo Saito an honorary Doctor of Science degree at its own Commencement Ceremony on May 8, 1993. “Saginaw Valley State University: A History of International Activities,” compiled by Donald Staub, Eastern Michigan University, 2000 (Archives, LB2375.9(?)73 2000), 31-32; Interior, May 4, 1993.

8

Interviews with Noboko Shinohara, Yae Furuta, Mari Mayama, Kazuko (Ikumoto) Okada, Naoyuki Yoshida, Yoko Abe.

9

“Saginaw Valley State University: A History of International Activities,” compiled by Donald Staub, Eastern Michigan University, 2000 (Archives, LB2375.9 73 2000), 21-23, 64-65, 67, 79; Interview with Robert Yien, August 9, 2012; Robert S. P. Yien, The Making of the First U.S.-Accredited University in Asia: A Personal Account of the MCU Accreditation Story (Ming Chuan University, 2011); Interior, July 30, 1991; Tara Palmateer and Phillip Mace, interview with Eric Gilbertson, December 8, 2011; Palmateer and Phillip Mace, interview with Anna Dadlez, November 10, 2011; “SVSU Selected for Partnership Program to Enhance U. S. Relations with China,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2011, 12; and Aug. 22 edition of USA TODAY or Valley Vanguard article.

10

“Saginaw Valley State University: A History of International Activities,” compiled by Donald Staub, Eastern Michigan University, 2000 (Archives, LB2375.9 73 2000), 11; Strategic Plan, 2008-2011, 2; and https://www.svsu.edu/sponsoredprograms/notinmenu/fulbrightscholarawardprograminformation.

11

Interview with Woody Pelton, October 3, 2012.

12

Drew Hinderer. Personal Interview. 25 October 2012.

13

Drew Hinderer. Personal Interview. 25 October 2012.

14

Tamara Watkins and Carrie Sauter. The Roberts Fellowship at Saginaw Valley State University: The First Five Years (1999-2004), 32, 36. Jolene Heidenberger. The Roberts Fellowship: Celebrating 10 Years: The Second Five Years (2004-2010), 19.

221


222

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

15

Interior, August 12, 1991 and Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 37.

16

Interior, August 12, 1991.

17

Interior, July 16, 1990.

18

Interior, February 7, 1995; Interior, September 26, 1995; Interior, February 6, 1996

19

Interior, July 16, 2002 and Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 37-38.

20

Continuing Excellence: 2004-2008, Closing Report Presented to the Board of Control February 11, 2008, 5.

21

Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 8.

22

Saginaw Valley State University, “A Monitoring Report to the Higher Learning Commission on Program Assessment, General Education Assessment, and Diversity,” December 1, 2006, 42-43.

23

Interior, December 11, 1990 and Interior, December 18, 1990.

24

Interior, January 7, 1992.

25

Interior, December 11, 1990; Interior, December 18, 1990; Interior, June 2, 1992; Interior, January 7, 1992; Interior, September 27, 1994; and Interior, February 21, 1995.

26

Interior, September 27, 1994 and Next Steps 2000-2005, 2.

27

“SVSU Lands Major Grant to Improve Diversity among Nurses,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2009, 11; and Interior, October 2009.

28

Basil Clark interview with Linneaus and Phae Dorman, October 5, 2012 and Interior, November 25, 1997.

29

“First Youth Leadership Institute Class Celebrates Graduation,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 10.

30

Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 53.

Chapter 4 1

“New Instructional Facility Tops the List of Campus Capital Projects,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2009, 9 and Saginaw Valley State University, “Square Footage of Buildings,” August 22, 2012, document provided by Stephen Hocquard.

2

Stephen Hocquard, 9th Annual Rush Lecture, October 2005.

3

October 1992 Board of Control Minutes; August 1994 Board of Control Minutes; November 1994 Board of Control Minutes; March 1999 Board of Control Minutes; May 1999 Board of Control Minutes; June 2000 Board of Control Minutes; Interior, October 31, 2000; May 2008 Board of Control Minutes; February 2010 Board of Control Minutes; and October 2010 Board of Control Minutes.


Notes

4

Interior, November 7, 1989; December 1989 Board of Control Minutes; February 1990 Board of Control Minutes; August 1990 Board of Control Minutes; UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Box 1, Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium, 1991); July 1991 Board of Control Minutes; and 1991 Orientation Speech.

5

August 1989 Board of Control Minutes.

6

October 1989; July 1991 Board of Control Minutes; and Interior, July 14, 1992.

7

October 1991 Board of Control Minutes.

8

1992 Orientation speech.

9

Interior, July 14, 1992.

10

August 1989 Board of Control Minutes; August 1990 Board of Control Minutes; February 1993 Board of Control Minutes; March 1994 Board of Control Minutes; December 1995 Board of Control Minutes; June 2003 Board of Control Minutes; October 2009 Board of Control Minutes; February 2010 Board of Control Minutes; Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 36; and Hocquard interview.

11

See Valley Vanguard for stories of groundbreakings/dedications. August 1993 Board of Control Minutes; 1993 Orientation Speech; 1994 Self-Study Report, p. 47.

12

Hocquard interview.

13

1995 Orientation Speech; August 1995 Board of Control Minutes; and UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Box 1, Groening Commons, 1991. The decision to name the atrium after William Groening had actually been made three years before the official dedication. See March 1994 Board of Control Minutes.

14

Interior, July 26, 1994 and “Design for a College,” SVSU Profile of Charles B. Curtiss, Reflections2013, Spring 2012, 44-45.

15

Interior, February 18, 1997.

16

“Pioneer Hall, Theater Undergo Facelift,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 13; Lindsay Knake, “Q&A with Saginaw neurosurgeon Dr. E. Malcolm Field: ‘Reaching 50 years a privilege for a kid who grew up in a barnyard’,” MLive, May 18, 2012; and Interior, May 9, 2000.

17

Hocquard interview.

18

December 1989 Board of Control Minutes and September 1991 Board of Control Minutes.

19

Interior, February 13, 1990 and Interior, October 9, 1990.

20

Interior, February 13, 1990; Interior, October 9, 1990; Interior, April 23, 1991.

21

Interior, October 23, 1990; Interior, March 12, 1991; Interior, December 17, 1991; and Interior, January 7, 1992.

22

Interior, December 17, 1991; Interior, January 7, 1992; Interview with Eric Gilbertson, President, Saginaw Valley State University, December 12, 2012; and Interview with E.

223


224

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Kirker Kranz, Media Services / Interlibrary Loan, Zahnow Library, Saginaw Valley State University, February 4, 2013. 23

Interior, January 21, 1992.

24

Interview with Eric Gilbertson, President, Saginaw Valley State University, December 12, 2012; and Interview with E. Kirker Kranz, Media Services / Interlibrary Loan, Zahnow Library, Saginaw Valley State University, February 4, 2013.

25

UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Box 1, Founders Hall, 1995; 1995 Orientation Speech; and Hocquard interview.

26

April 1994 Board of Control Minutes; February 1998 Board of Control Minutes; 1998 Orientation Speech; and May 25, 1999.

27

February 1998 Board of Control Minutes; 1998 Orientation Speech; Interior, October 6, 1998; and Interior, May 25, 1999.

28

“Never send to know for whom the bell tows [sic],” in The Saginaw Valley Vintage, Issue 3, November 13, 2003, p. 14.

29

1994 President Gilbertson Orientation Speech and 1996 Campus Master Plan, UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Construction, SVSU Campus, 1996 – Zahnow Library Archives.

30

Hocquard interview.

31

Hocquard interview.

32

December 1995 Board of Control Minutes; May 1996 Board of Control Minutes; and Saginaw Valley State University, “Square Footage of Buildings,” August 22, 2012, document provided by Stephen Hocquard.

33

1997 Orientation Speech and February 1998 Board of Control Minutes.

34

1999 Orientation Speech and August 2000 Board of Control Minutes.

35

“The Rise in Residential,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2008, 17-18.

36

March 2002 Board of Control Minutes; July 2002 Board of Control Minutes; 2003 Orientation Speech; and Saginaw Valley State University, “Square Footage of Buildings,” August 22, 2012, document provided by Stephen Hocquard.

37

December 1995 Board of Control Minutes and Hocquard interview.

38

1999 Orientation Speech; March 2001 Board of Control Minutes; Interior, March 27, 2001; 2001 Orientation Speech; report from Steve Hocquard, Assistant Vice President for Campus Facilities, February 2002 Board of Control Minutes; and Hocquard interview. Due to increased demand for biology laboratory space in ensuing years, the Board of Control authorized funds to build more laboratories in 2005 and again in 2008. See December 2005 Board of Control Minutes and February 2008 Board of Control Minutes.

39

2003 Orientation Speech.

40

Interior, September 23, 2003; 2003 Orientation Speech; and UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Box 2, Student Center, 2003.


Notes

41

2000 Orientation Speech; Interior, April 10, 2001; 2001 Orientation Speech; October 2001 Board of Control Minutes; February 2002 Board of Control Minutes; 2003 Orientation Speech; and Next Steps 2000-2005, 17.

42

2001 Orientation Speech; December 2002 Board of Control Minutes; Michigan Constructor magazine, Fall/Winter 2003, p. 37, UA.130, Box 2, Campus Facilities Department Records, Instructional Facility 2002 and 2003; and 2003 Orientation Speech.

43

Graham, 63; February 2002 Board of Control Minutes; 2002 Orientation Speech; Interior, January 28, 2003; Interior, February 25, 2003; and Interior, July 8, 2003.

44

August 1989 Board of Control Minutes; December 1992 Board of Control Minutes; Appendix C of SVSU Self-Study Report, Prepared for the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, January 1994 – in Archives LD4787.S34S45 1994; and March 1996 Board of Control Minutes.

45

2001 Orientation Speech; October 2001 Board of Control Minutes; 2003 Orientation Speech; and UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Box 2, Student Center, 2003. It cost $6 million which is about 3 times as much as the original Fitness Center. Interior, May 2010. Interior, February 2012.

46

1999 Orientation Speech; February 2000 Board of Control Minutes; 2001 Orientation Speech; Interior, April 16, 2002; Interior, September 24, 2002; Interior, June 17, 2003; 2003 Orientation Speech; Michigan Constructor magazine, Fall/Winter 2003, p. 37, UA.130, Box 2, Campus Facilities Department Records, Instructional Facility 2002 and 2003; and interview, E. Kirker Kranz, February 4, 2013.

47

December 1989 Board of Control Minutes; July 1990 Board of Control Minutes; August 1990 Board of Control Minutes; August 1992 Board of Control Minutes; 1996 Campus Master Plan, UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Construction, SVSU Campus, 1996 – Zahnow Library Archives ; March 1999 Board of Control Minutes; 2002 Orientation Speech; and October 2003 Board of Control Minutes. Campus Drive was redesigned once more in the summer of 2011 in order to improve the flow of traffic exiting campus.

48

March 1999 Board of Control Minutes; February 2002 Board of Control Minutes; and 2002 Orientation Speech.

49

December 2005 Board of Control Minutes; December 2006 Board of Control Minutes; “Pioneer Hall, Theatre Undergo Facelift,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 13.

50

“Pioneer Hall, Theater Undergo Facelift,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 13.

51

UA.130, Campus Facilities Department Records, Box 2, Pioneer Hall, 2007.

52

“SVSU Campus Goes Green,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2007, 6-8 and Interior, January 2009.

53

December 2006 Board of Control Minutes and December 2007 Board of Control Minutes.

54

UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Box 1, Health & Human Services Building, 2009 and 2010.

225


226

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

55

December 2006 Board of Control Minutes; December 2007 Board of Control Minutes; May 2009 Board of Control Minutes; UA.130, Campus Facilities, Department Records, Box 1, Health & Human Services Building, 2009 and 2010; “New Instructional Facility Tops the List of Campus Capital Projects,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2009, 9; Interior August 2010; and Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 37.

56

May 2001 Board of Control Minutes and February 2002 Board of Control Minutes.

57

“Yien International Garden Enhances Beauty of Campus Courtyard,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2008, 7 and Interior, April 2008.

58

Interior, August 2010 and Hocquard interview.

59

February 2010 Board of Control Minutes.

60

May 2001 Board of Control Minutes; February 2002 Board of Control Minutes; 2002 Orientation Speech; May 2007 Board of Control Minutes; October 2007 Board of Control Minutes; June 2008 Board of Control Minutes; and February 2009 Board of Control Minutes. MORE PERHAPS NEEDED regarding Health Center’s opening.

61

CITE SOURCES FOR RECENT ADDITION – it cost $6 million which is about 3 times as much as the original Fitness Center. Interior, May 2010. Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 53.

62

Interior, February 2012 and “Ryder Center Expansion Groundbreaking” program, June 3, 2013.

63

May 2008 Board of Control Minutes and February 2009 Board of Control Minutes.

64

May 2008 Board of Control Minutes.

65

December 2010 Board of Control Minutes.

Chapter 5 1

State of the University Address. 27 January 2011. 4-5.

2

Please see Appendix C for a complete transcript of this policy.

3

State of the University Address. 27 January 2011. 8-9.

4

Interview with Dr. Eric Gilbertson. SVSU. 15 May 2013.

5

Interview with Dr. Eric Gilbertson. SVSU. 15 May 2013.

6

State of the University Address. 28 January 2010. 2.

7

28 January.

8

26.

9

Interview with Jack VanHoorelbeke. SVSU. 18 August 2011.

10

Interview with Eric Gilbertson. 15 May 2013.

11

Telephone interview with Tim Inman and Craig Snook. SVSU. 26 June 2013.

12

Telephone interview with Tim Inman and Craig Snook. SVSU. 26 June 2013.

13

SVSU Faculty Contract. Article I.2.

14

SVSU Faculty Contract. Article I.3.


Notes

15

Faculty Contract. A 12.1.

16

David Schneider. Email to Basil Clark. 24 May 2013.

17

Basil Clark. Personal memory.

18

David Schneider.

19

Eric Gilbertson. Personal interview. SVSU. 15 May 2013.

20

SSA Contract. 2009-2010. 3.100.

21

Beginning in academic year 2015-2016 when a new contract is negotiated, dues structure will be changed in compliance with Right to Work legislation passed in Michigan in 2013.

22

Interview with Chris Looney. SVSU. 28 June 2013.

23

Interview with Chris Looney. SVSU. 28 June 2013.

24

Interview with Connie Schweitzer. SVSU. 30 May 2013.

25

Interview with Susan Crane. SVSU. 05 July 2013.

26

Interview with Susan Crane. SVSU. 05 July 2013.

27

Interview with Jerry Wallaert. SVSU. 19 June 2013.

28

Interview with Jerry Wallaert. SVSU. 19 June 2012.

29

Interview with Jerry Wallaert. SVSU. 19 June 2013.

Chapter 6 1 2

Interior, August 15, 1989 and Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012

“1991 Preseason Outlook,” Cardinal Baseball 1991 Media Guide, Athletics Department Records, UA.226, Box 2, Folder Baseball – Media Guide – 1994.

3

Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012 and Interior, Dec. 19, 1989.

4

Interior, June 2, 1998

5

Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012.

6

Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012.

7

“Runner Wins Scholar-Athlete Award,” Reflections Magazine, Fall 2006, 11.

8

From Media Guides 1997-2006 – and online

9

Interior, October 21, 2003.

10

Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012 and interview with Mike Watson, January 4, 2013.

11

Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012; Andy Hoag, “Win-win: Jury rules that former SVSU coach Awrey didn’t break NCAA rules, but contract didn’t renew,” March 30, 2011, www.mlive.com; and Andy Hoag, “: Former coach Awrey’s four-year contract ‘absolutely’ did not extend in 2006,” March 26, 2011, www.mlive.com.

12

“Two Earn All-American Honors,” Reflections, Spring 2010, 5 and Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012.

227


228

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

13

“Winter Athletes Gain Awards,” Reflections, Spring 2010, 4.

14

“Athletic Honor Roll,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2009, 9; “Four Fall Sports Programs Earn Post-Season Tournament Berths,” Reflections, Spring 2010, 4; and “Winter Athletes Gain Awards,” Reflections, Spring 2010, 4.

15

“Athletic Honor Roll” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2009, 13; “Four Fall Sports Programs Earn Post-Season Tournament Berths,” Reflections, Spring 2010, 4; and “Two Earn All-American Honors,” Reflections, Spring 2010, 5.

16

“SVSU’s Season Ends in D-II Softball Super Regional Final,” May 16, 2009, http://www. gliac.org/sports/sball/2008-09/news/NCAA_SR_Final; “SVSU’s Beaubien Garners All-American Honors,” May 21, 2009, http://www.gliac.org/sports/sball/2008-09/news/ NFCA_AA; and “SVSU and Ferris State Earned Places in Final NFCA D-II Top 25 Poll,” June 3, 2009, http://www.gliac.org/sports/sball/2008-09/news/NFCA_Final_Poll_09.

17

Andy Hoag, “Saginaw Valley State University softball coach charged with drunken driving, marijuana possession,” January 9, 2010, Saginaw News, http://www.mlive.com/news/ saginaw/index.ssf/2010/01/saginaw_valley_state_universit_36.html and Kyle Austin, “Former Saginaw Valley State softball coach Everett Roper improperly used university credit card, according to termination letter,” April 14, 2011, Saginaw News, http://www. mlive.com/cardinals/index.ssf/2011/04/former_saginaw_valley_state_so.html.

18

“Cardinals Make Impressive and Historic Run through the NCAA Tournament,” Reflections2013, Fall 2011, 6.

19

“Men’s Soccer Raises Conference Championship Banner, Earns Post-season Berth,” Reflections2013, Spring 2012, 13. Valley Vanguard story and the records on the website.

20

“Four Fall Sports Programs Earn Post-Season Tournament Berths,” Reflections, Spring 2010, 4. and records from online.

21

Valley Vanguard, April 14, 1997, p.1 and “Athletic Honor Roll,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2009, 13

22

Sarah Kitchen, “They Sweat, Bleed and Cry for Their Sport,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2007, 16-17 and Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 44.

23

Sarah Kitchen, “They Sweat, Bleed and Cry for Their Sport,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2007, 16-17.

24

Interview with George Eastland, September 19, 2012; interview with Mike Watson, January 4, 2013; “Cardinals Sharing and Caring for Others,” Reflections Magazine, Spring 2010, 10; and Strategic Plan 2008-2011, 45.

Chapter 7 1

SVSU Web.

2

Albert J. Beutler. “Speech to the 25th Anniversary Founders Dinner.” 29 September 1988.

3

Beutler.

4

Saginaw Valley State College Foundation. “Report of Annual Giving.” 1986.


Notes

5

Resolution 121. Foundation Board Minutes. 13 December 1988.

6

Foundation Board Minutes. 12 December 1989.

7

Foundation Board Minutes. 11 December 1990.

8

Last reference in Foundation Board minutes.

9

“Building Futures Together.” Report of Annual Giving. 1997.

10

Report of Annual Giving. 1997.

11

Creating the Future: Investing in Tomorrow’s Teachers and Leaders. Saginaw Valley State University.

12

SVSU Press Release. 23 June 2010.

13

SVSU Press Release. 23 June 2010.

14

SVSU Office of Annual Giving.

15

Faculty/Staff campaign brochure.

Chapter 8 1

The number of graduates in the alumni database that was used publicly in the May 2013 Commencement program, with eighty-two percent residing in Michigan.

2

Alumni Association Board Minutes.

3

Franc A. Landee was a former employee of The Dow Chemical Company who taught part-time in chemistry during the early years of “Saginaw Valley College.” Landee passed away in the 1960s, and the Excellence in Teaching Award was established in late 1969. The initial funding was made available by Landee’s family; the cash award when the honor was first presented in 1973 was $200, which was equally shared by Robert S. P. Yien and Curtiss McCray.

4

SVSU Alumni Announcer. Summer 1999, 5.

5

Saginaw Valley State University. Alumni Association. 2012 Web.

6

Annual Endowed Scholarship Application. SVSU. 2012-13. Web.

229


230

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Addendix A

Board of Control Membership 1989 Chair Mrs. Florence F. (Jo) Saltzman Vice Chair Joyce K. Woods Secretary George E. Ward Treasurer Henry J. Klykylo Hugo E. Braun, Jr. Terry L. Clark Charles B. Curtiss Gerald Hornsby Ernest Lofton Carmen Munoz Jack M. Ryder, ex officio (January 1 – June 30, 1989) Robert S. P. Yien, Acting President, ex officio (June 30 – August 28, 1989) Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio (beginning August 29, 1989) 1990 Chair Vice Chair Secretary Treasurer

Joyce K. Woods Henry J. Klykylo Terry L. Clark George E. Ward

Charles B. Curtiss Gerald Hornsby Elva Revilla

Mrs. Florence F. (Jo) Saltzman Eric R. Gilberston, ex officio 1991 Chair Joyce K. Woods Vice Chair George E. Ward Secretary Gerald Hornsby Treasurer Charles B. Curtiss Ruth A. Braun Terry L. Clark Nancy G. Edmunds Henry J. Klykylo Elva Revilla Thomas E. Rush Mrs. Florence F. (Jo) Saltzman Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 1992 Chair George E. Ward Vice Chair Elva Revilla Secretary Gerald Hornsby Treasurer Charles B. Curtiss Ruth A. Braun Terry L. Clark Nancy G. Edmunds Donna J. Roberts Thomas E. Rush Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio


231

Appendix A

1993 Chair Thomas E. Rush Vice Chair Ruth A. Braun Secretary Robert H. Walpole Treasurer Charles B. Curtiss Terry L. Clark Elias J. Escobedo Burnett S. Kelly Elva Revilla Donna J. Roberts George E. Ward Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 1994 Chair Thomas E. Rush Vice Chair Ruth A. Braun Secretary Robert H. Walpole Treasurer Charles B. Curtiss Elias J. Escobedo Burnett S. Kelly Donna J. Roberts George E. Ward Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 1995 Chair Ruth A. Braun Vice Chair Robert H. Walpole Secretary Donna J. Roberts Treasurer Elias J. Escobedo Charles B. Curtiss Burnett S. Kelly Thomas E. Rush George E. Ward Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 1996 Chair Ruth A. Braun Vice Chair Robert H. Walpole Secretary Donna J. Roberts Treasurer Elias J. Escobedo Charles B. Curtiss Burnett S. Kelly D. Brian Law Thomas E. Rush

George E. Ward Robert J. Vitito Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 1997 Chair Robert H. Walpole Vice Chair Burnett S. Kellly Secretary D. Brian Law Treasurer Robert J. Vitito Ruth A. Braun Elias J. Escobedo Donna J. Roberts Thomas E. Rush Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 1998 Chair Robert H. Walpole Vice Chair Burnett S. Kelly Secretary D. Brian Law Treasurer Robert J. Vitito Ruth A. Braun Elias J. Escobedo Donna J. Roberts Thomas E. Rush Linda L. Sims Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 1999 Chair Burnett S. Kelly Vice Chair Robert J. Vitito Secretary D. Brian Law Treasurer Linda L. Sims Ruth A. Braun Elias J. Escobedo Thomas E. Rush Robert H. Walpole Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2000 Chair Burnett S. Kelly Vice Chair Robert J. Vitito Secretary D. Brian Law Treasurer Linda L. Sims Ruth A. Braun Elias J. Escobedo


232

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Thomas E. Rush Robert H. Walpole Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2001 Chair Robert J. Vitito Vice Chair Linda L. Sims Secretary D. Brian Law Treasurer Jerome L. Yantz Ruth A. Braun Elias J. Escobedo Burnett S. Kelly Robert H. Walpole Eric R. Gilbertson, exofficio 2002 Chair Robert J. Vitito Vice Chair Linda L. Sims Secretary D. Brian Law Treasurer Jerome L. Yantz Raana W. Akbar Ruth A. Braun Sandra M. Cotter (appointed October 18, 2002 to replace Robert Walpole) Sally Stegeman DiCarlo Robert H. Walpole (resigned) Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2003 Chair Vice Chair Secretary Treasurer

Linda L. Sims Jerome L. Yantz D. Brian Law Sally Stegeman DiCarlo (resigned May 16, 2003) Sandra M. Cotter (appointed August 14, 2003) Raana Akbar (term expired) Ruth A. Braun Sandra M. Cotter David R. Gamez K. P. Karunakaran Lawrence E. Sedrowski Robert J. Vitito (term expired) Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio

2004 Chair Linda L. Sims Vice Chair Jerome L. Yantz Secretary D. Brian Law Treasurer Sandra M. Cotter Ruth A. Braun David R. Gamez K. P. Karunakaran Lawrence E. Sedrowski Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2005 Chair Jerome L. Yantz Vice Chair David R. Gamez Secretary K. P. Karunakaran Treasurer D. Brian Law David J. Abbs Ruth A. Braun Sandra M. Cotter (term expired) Lawrence E. Sedrorwski Linda L. Sims (term expired) Leola Wilson Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2006 Chair Jerome L. Yantz Vice Chair David R. Gamez Secretary K. P. Karunakaran Treasurer D. Brian Law David J. Abbs Ruth A. Braun Lawrence E. SEdrowski Leola Wilson Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2007 Chair David R. Gamez Vice Chair K. P. Karunakaran Secretary Lawrence E. Sedrowski Treasurer D. Brian Law David J. Abbs Ruth A. Braun (term expired) Jeffrey T. Martin (October) Leola Wilson


233

Appendix A

Jerome L. Yantz Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2008 Chair David R. Gamez Vice Chair K. P. Karunakaran Secretary Lawrence E. Sedrowski Treasurer D. Brian Law David J. Abbs Jeffrey T. Martin Lela Wilson Jerome L. Yantz Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2009 Chair K. P. Karunakaran Vice Chair David J. Abbs Secretary Lawrence E. Sedrowski Treasurer Jeffrey T. Martin David R. Gamez D. Brian Law Leola Wilson Jerome L. Yantz Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2010 Chair K. P. Karunakaran Vice Chair David J. Abbs Secretary Lawrence E. Sedrowski Treasurer Jeffrey T. Martin Cathy Ferguson David R. Gamez Leola Wilson Jerome L. Yantz Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2011 Chair

K. P. Karunakaran (term expired) Chair David J. Abbs Vice Chair Jeffry T. Martin Secretary Lawrence E. Sedrowski (term expired) Secretary Leola Wilson Treasurer Cathy Ferguson

Scott L. Carmona David R. Gamez Jenee Velasquez Jerome L. Yantz Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2012 Chair David J. Abbs Vice Chair Jeffry T. Martin Secretary Leola Wilson Treasurer Cathy Ferguson Scott L. Carmona David R. Gamez Jenee Velasquez Jerome L. Yantz Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio 2013 Chair David J. Abbs Vice Chair Jeffry T. Martin Secretary Leola Wilson Treasurer Cathy Ferguson Scott L. Carmona David R. Gamez Jenee Velasquez Jerome L. Yantz Eric R. Gilbertson, ex officio


234

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Appendix B

Board of Control Biographical Sketches The following Board of Control members served from 1989 – 2013 (some members included in the following are serving terms that extend beyond 2013).

David J. Abbs

Raana W. Akbar

Hugo E. (Ted) Braun

David J. Abbs A Saginaw resident, David Abbs graduated from Saginaw Valley State University in 1983 with a B.B.A. At the time of his appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, Abbs was a certified financial planner, a certified fund specialist, and registered principal and investment advisor representative with LPL Financial Services. An active member of the community, he was serving on the board of directors of four non-profit organizations. He is a life member of the National Eagle Scout Association. Raana W. Akbar Raana Akbar was a Saginaw Township allergist, who for many years shared a practice with her husband, Waheed Akbar, an orthopedic surgeon. She was past president of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America and at the time of her death president-elect of the Saginaw County Medical Society. She and her husband were co-recipients of the Saginaw St. Mary’s of Michigan Foundation of the Spirit of St. Vincent Award for community involvement, twice recipients of the Michigan State Medical Society Community Service Award, and recipients of this society’s National Leadership Award. Akbar passed away Dec. 3, 2009. Hugo E. (Ted) Braun A native of Saginaw, Ted Braun received his B.A. from Yale University, an LL.B. from the University of Michigan Law School, and, in 1990, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from SVSU. Braun is founder of the Saginaw law firm Braun Kendrick Finkbeiner, P.L.C., and has been president or chair of numerous professional and civic associations. In 1997, he and his wife,


Appendix B

Ruth, established the Ruth and Ted Braun Awards for Writing Excellence to recognize outstanding student writing at SVSU. In recognition of his long and dedicated service to SVSU, and that of Ruth Braun, an endowed fellowship program to support the work of distinguished faculty members has been named in honor of the couple. In 1997, the Brauns were co-recipients of the Robert H. Albert Award for Lifetime Community Service from the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce. In 2008, they received the SVSU Distinguished Service Medallion. Ruth A. Braun A native of Saginaw, Ruth Braun received an Associate of Science degree from Lasell College in Auburndale, Mass. She has long and distinguished service to the local and greater community, having been especially committed to the advancement of education; in addition to membership on the SVSU Board of Control, as long-term member of the school board for Saginaw Public Schools, including two years as chair; and as a member of the Board of Education for the State of Michigan. Regarding the Braun Award for Writing Excellence and awards and honors conferred upon Ruth Braun, see Hugo E. (Ted) Braun, above. Scott Carmona A Bay City resident, Scott Carmona earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and applied science from SVSU. He is president of Sunrise National Distributors, Inc., and owns and manages several real estate developments. Active in the community, he is president of the board for the YMCA of Bay City. Carmona was appointed to the SVSU Board of Control by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2011. Terry L. Clark A native of Saginaw, the Hon. Terry Clark received his B. A. from the University of Michigan and a J. D. from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Texas Southern University. In 1990, he became Saginaw County’s first African-American district court judge upon appointment by Gov. James Blanchard to fill a vacancy occasioned by the death of Chief District Judge Daniel R. Webber. At the time of his appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, Clark was partner in the law firm of Jensen, Smith and Clark, Saginaw. He has been active in many community service organizations, including the Saginaw Branch of the NAACP, Saginaw Black Panhellenic Association and the Saginaw Symphony Association. Sandra M. Cotter: Sandra Cotter received her B.S. degree from Michigan State University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan. A resident of East Lansing, at the time of her appointment Cotter was a partner in the Lansing office of Dykema Gossettt, a Detroit law firm. Sandra M. Cotter Attorney Sandra Cotter’s legal expertise was in campaign finance and election law, liquor licensing and regulation, insurance and environmental regulation and legislation, public policy litigation and legislation, and general corporate work for profit and nonprofit corporations. Her B.S. was from Michigan State University, and she earned her J.D. at the University of Michigan. While attending law school, Cotter taught in the Minority Affairs Program at the University of Michigan.

235

Ruth A. Braun

Scott Carmona

Terry L. Clark

Sandra M. Cotter


236

Charles B. Curtiss, Jr.

Sally Stegeman DiCarlo

Nancy G. Edmunds

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Charles B. Curtiss, Jr. A native of Bay City, Charles Curtiss holds a B.S. degree from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. Now retired, he is the longest-serving member of the SVSU Board of Control, having received his original appointment in 1965, when Saginaw Valley College became a state institution, and continuing on the Board until 1997, chairing from 1973-1981. His membership on the Board of Control was an extension of his association with the private college, when he served as charter member of the SVC Board of Directors. He initiated the SVC/SVSU Board of Control’s operating policies and was instrumental in setting up the committee structure of the Board. He served on two presidential search committees, chairing one. Curtiss participated in four capital fundraising campaigns, including the initial $4 million drive to purchase land on which the campus has been developed. Beyond the university, he was active for many years with the Michigan Association of Governing Boards, including a term as chair of the board. His record of community activity is long and varied. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the founding and development of Saginaw Valley State University, Curtiss Hall is named in his honor. In 2013, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the university. Sally Stegeman DiCarlo A resident of Ann Arbor at the time of her appointment, Sally DiCarlo holds an A.B. degree from Smith College and an A.M. from Harvard University. She is president of Campus Rentals, a third-generation, family-owned real estate development business, and has an extensive record of civic activism.

Elias J. Escobedo, Jr.

Nancy G. Edmunds A resident of Birmingham, Mich., at the time of her appointment, Nancy Edmunds holds a B.A. degree from Cornell University, an M.A.T. from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School. She is a partner in the law firm Dykema Gossett, and was appointed by President George W. Bush to the United States District Court in Detroit.

Cathy W. Ferguson

Elias J. Escobedo, Jr. At the time of his appointment, Elias Escobedo, Jr., was an attorney in private practice in Waterford, Mich. He holds a B.A. degree from Oakland University and a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School. A Marine Corps veteran with service in Vietnam, Escobedo received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal and two Purple Hearts. Cathy W. Ferguson A resident of Saginaw, Cathy Ferguson holds a B.S. degree from Ferris State University and a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, but does not actively practice law. Among other civic activities, Ferguson is a volunteer with the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra.


Appendix B

David R. Gamez A resident of Saginaw, David Gamez holds an associate’s degree in nursing from Delta College, and a bachelor’s degree in health education and master’s in public health education from Central Michigan University. He is president and chief executive officer of Health Delivery, Inc. in Saginaw. This non-profit, federally-qualified health center provides health care to migrant farm workers in 14 counties and operates five community health centers in inner-city Saginaw. Gerald (Jay) Hornsby Jay Hornsby received a B.S. degree from Ohio University and an M.B.A. from the University of Cincinnati. Following his graduation from Ohio University in 1956, he was signed by the Cincinnati Reds professional baseball team and played summer ball for them that year, then served on active duty as an officer with the United States Air Force. In 1960, he joined The Dow Chemical Company as sales representative; his career took him to Dow Chemical Pacific, Hong Kong; in 1988, he was named vice president of human resources for Dow. After a short illness, Jay passed away on September 11, 1992. An SVSU scholarship in his memory was endowed by contributions from many who knew Jay Hornsby personally. K. P. Karunakaran A native of India, K. P. Karunakaran (Dr. Karu) received his medical degree from Madras University in India and studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in the United Kingdom. He has a private practice in general surgery in Saginaw Township, and is a staff surgeon at Covenant Healthcare and St. Mary’s of Michigan. In 2013 he served as chair of the board of directors of the SVSU Foundation. Burnett S. Kelly A resident of Midland, Burnett Kelly received a B.S. degree from Michigan State University and a J.D. from the Detroit College of Law. By the end of his appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, he had received promotion to corporate vice president and chief human resources officer for the Dow Corning Corporation. Kelly served on numerous boards and community groups, including Board of Directors of the Wolverine Bank, Board of Directors of MidMichigan Regional Medical Center, the Saginaw Valley Torch Club, Midland Foundation and the Midland Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors. In 2002, he was named executive-in-residence for SVSU’s master’s degree program in leadership and public administration. Henry J. Klykylo Henry Klykylo, a lifelong resident of Michigan, built a career associated with agriculture on the family farm near Pinconning. He served with distinction in a variety of civic organizations. In 1992, he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from SVSU. Klykylo passed away Oct. 7, 1999. D. Brian Law A native of Bay City, Brian Law received B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from Michigan State University. At the time of his appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, he was chairman

237

David R. Gamez

Gerald (Jay) Hornsby

K. P. Karunakaran

Burnett S. Kelly

Jenry J. Klykylo

D. Brian Law


238

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

and C.E.O. of Magline, Inc., Pinconning. Law’s numerous professional and community associations include the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Kantzler Foundation (director), and the Northern Bay Community Foundation (director). Ernest Lofton

Jeffrey T. Martin

Carmen Munoz

G. Elva Revilla

Donna J. Roberts

Ernest Lofton A native of Detroit, Ernest Lofton was elected to the U.A.W. International Executive Board as director of Region 1A in 1983. He has held various union posts and served on the 1979 and 1982 Ford National Negotiating Committee. His community service includes membership on the Advisory Councils of Oakbrook Hospital in Dearborn, the Detroit Election Committee, and the Detroit Environmental Protection and Maintenance Department, as well membership on the Executive Board of the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP. Jeffrey T. Martin Jeffrey Martin received his B.A. degree in interpersonal communications from Western Michigan University. At the time of his appointment, he was community relations leader for The Dow Chemical Company’s Michigan Operations. Martin serves on the Executive Board of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, on the Board of Saginaw Future, Inc., the Saginaw Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, the Bay Area Community Foundation, the Temple Theatre Foundation and the Saginaw Club. Carmen Munoz A resident of Livonia, Carmen Munoz is a graduate of the Detroit College of Business. At the time of her appointment, she was president of Munoz Machine Products, a supplier of parts for General Motors Corp., Chrysler, Ford Motor Co., General Dynamics and Rockwell International. Her public service includes membership on the Michigan Commission on Spanish Speaking Affairs (including chair), and membership on the Board of Directors of the Tri-County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Business Alliance, and the Michigan Minority Business Development Council. G. Elva Revilla A resident of Williamston, Mich., Elva Revilla holds a B.A. degree from Michigan State University. At the time of her appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, she was a consultant with Michigan Consultants in Lansing, with concentration in the areas of environment, transportation and Hispanic issue analysis. In 1986, Revilla received the Spanish Speaking Democrats, Greater Lansing Chapter, Outstanding Hispanic Woman Award. Donna J. Roberts A resident of Midland at the time, Donna Roberts holds a J.D. from the University of Detroit School of Law, having gone directly from high school to law school. At the time of her appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, she was corporate secretary and assistant general counsel of the Dow Chemical Company. Her record of community service is long and distinguished: member, Judicial Selection Committee, Congress of the United States; Board of Directors, United Way of Midland County, including president of the Board; Midland Community Center, Inc., Operating Board; Midland Public Schools Board of Education;


Appendix B

239

and many more. In 1998, she was awarded the Distinguished Service Medallion by SVSU. The first SVSU Roberts Fellowship cohort was in 2000. Thomas E. Rush A resident of Midland, Thomas Rush holds a B.S. degree from Notre Dame University and an M.D. from the University of Michigan. At the time of his appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, Rush was an orthopedic surgeon in practice in Midland. He has a long and distinguished record of community and professional service, including co-chair of fundraising for the Professional Division of United Way, president of the Michigan Orthopedic Society, and president of the Midland County Medical Society. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Mid-Michigan Regional Medical Center and the Board of Trustees for the Midland Community Center. He and his wife created the Rush Endowment in support of The Thomas and Hilda Rush Distinguished Lectureship at SVSU. Gumecindo Salas A resident of East Lansing, Gumecindo (Gumie) Salas received a B.A. in social sciences/ Spanish literature from Michigan State University, an M.A. in educational sociology from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in continuing and higher education from the University of Michigan. At the time of his appointment, Salas was director of the Division of Minority Programs for Michigan State University. From 1976 to 1985, he served as a member of the State Board of Education, and became president of the Board. Reelection to this body in 1986 prompted his resignation from the SVSU Board of Control. Salas holds many professional affiliations, including membership in the American Association for Higher Education and a seat on the State Advisory Council of the American Civil Liberties Union. His numerous awards include the New Detroit, Inc. Recognition for Outstanding Achievement and the Spirit of Detroit Award. Florence (Jo) Saltzman A resident of Franklin, Mich., Jo Saltzman received a B.A. in English from Syracuse University; she received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from SVSU. She was active in journalism and the arts and with the Republican party, and a strong advocate for education: as well as her service to the SVSU Board of Control, and membership in the Michigan Association of Governing Boards, Saltzman sat on the Birmingham, Mich., Board of Education, becoming its president. She passed away April 23, 2007. Lawrence E. Sedrowski Former business representative for Iron Workers Local 25 in Saginaw and now federal mediator working with labor disputes in Michigan and beyond, Larry Sedrowski is the first SVSU alumnus to serve on the Board of Control, having received his master’s degree in educational leadership from the university following his B.A. from Oakland University. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Great Lakes Academy and adult education instructor for Bullock Creek Community Schools.

Thomas E. Rush

Gumecindo Salas

Florence (Jo) Saltzman

Lawrence E. Sedrowski


240

Linda L. Sims

Jenee Velasquez

Robert J. Vitito

Robert H. Walpole

George E. Ward

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Linda L. Sims A Saginaw resident, Linda Sims received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University. At the time of her appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, she was community services manager for the gas division of Consumers Energy. Her record of community service is extensive and distinguished: Executive Board for the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce and for Saginaw Future, Inc.; vice president of the Academy for Technology and Enterprise in Saginaw; board member of the Business Education Coordinating Council; Saginaw Township Board of Trustees, among other activities. Jenee Velasquez A resident of Midland, Jenee Velasquez earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kansas State University and an M.B.A. from Michigan State University. She is executive director of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. Active in the community, Velasquez is chairperson of the Delta College Foundation Board, the Midland Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Authority, and the Midland Entranceway Initiative Task Force. Velasquez was appointed to the SVSU Board of Control by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2011. Robert J. Vitito A resident of Freeland, Robert Vitito holds a B.B.A. from Michigan State University and a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking. Vitito retired in 2003 as chair, president and chief executive officer of Citizens Banking Corp. Community affiliations include the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce (past chair); Saginaw County Child and Development Center; Saginaw Future, Inc.; United Way of Saginaw County; Leadership Saginaw; and Saginaw Downtown Development Authority. He is a recipient of the Spirit of Saginaw Award from the Saginaw Chamber of Commerce and the Whitney M. Young Distinguished Service Award from the Boy Scouts of America. The Bob and Bobbi Vitito Student Leadership and Service Awards were established to recognize SVSU students who have demonstrated outstanding service and leadership both on and off campus. In 2004, Vitito received the SVSU Distinguished Service Medallion. Robert H. Walpole A resident of Cass City, Robert Walpole received a B.A. degree from Principia College (Elsah, Ill.) and an M.B.A. from Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.). At the time of his appointment to the SVSU Board of Control, he was president and chief operating officer of Walbro Engine Management Corporation in Cass City. In addition to numerous other service activities, he has been a trustee for the Leelanau Center for Education, a member of the Saginaw Valley Chapter of the International Torch Club, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Portable Power Equipment Manufacturers Association. Walpole, his family, and the Board of Directors of the Walbro Corporation established the Walter E. Walpole Memorial Scholarship to recognize scholastic achievement, encourage continued progress and provide tuition assistance to SVSU students. George E. Ward George Ward received a B.A. in English from the University of Detroit and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. In addition to his private law practice, Ward has served


Appendix B

241

as chief assistant prosecuting attorney for Wayne County and director of Wayne County Catholic Social Services and Wayne County Neighborhood Legal Services; he has taught various law classes for Detroit area universities. Leola Wilson A resident of Saginaw, Leola Wilson graduated from Delta College and holds a degree in social work from Central Michigan University. She is a retired state social worker and dedicated community activist. She is a long-time member of the NAACP on both the local and state levels with 10 years of service as president of the Saginaw branch. In 2008, she was named President of the Year by the NAACP Michigan State Conference. She is a member of the Saginaw Intermediate School District, Zion Missionary Baptist Church and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Saginaw Alumnae Chapter, among other organizations. Joyce K. Woods A resident of Saginaw, Joyce Woods holds a B.A. from Colorado State College of Education and an M.A. from the University of Michigan School of Education. In 1992, she was granted an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by SVSU. Woods is a retired teacher in the Saginaw School District and was active in the Saginaw Education Association, serving as president of the SEA from 1978 to 1984. She served on the Executive Committee for the Saginaw County Democratic Party and was a member of the Democratic Party State Central Committee; she was active in United Way of Saginaw County, including service on this organization’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors, among other community service. Jerome L. Yantz A resident of Bay City, Jerome Yantz is a graduate of Northeastern School of Commerce in Bay City and a Certified Public Accountant; he is former president and partner of Weinlander Fitzhugh, a Bay City CPA consulting firm. Among his many and distinguished community service activities, Yantz has served as president of the Bay City Jaycees, United Way of Bay County, United Way of Michigan, Volunteer Action Center, Bay Area Community Foundation, Junior Achievement of Bay County, Bay City Country Club, Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Alliance of Bay County Public Schools and the Saginaw Valley International Torch Club. He has also served at the 2003-2004 District Governor for Rotary International. Among his many honors, in 2004 Yantz received from the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce an award named in this honor, the Jerome L. Yantz Partner in Education Award, for his efforts to promote interest in education.

Leola Wilson

Joyce K. Woods

Jerome L. Yantz


242

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Appendix C

Board of Control Scope of Authority Separation and Delegation / Reservation of Functions Board of Control Bylaws and Policies Manual. 3.101 Article III. Adopted June 12, 2006. The Board of Control delegates the authority to conduct all university business to the president except that the Board reserves authority for the following: 1. Approve periodically and review the university’s mission and strategic goals and objectives, approve plans for attainment and measure and evaluate performance. 2. Approve establishment or discontinuation of academic schools or colleges. 3. Approve establishment or discontinuation of degree programs and academic majors. 4. Approve academic standards of admission and graduation requirements. 5. Approve or discontinue intercollegiate athletic programs. 6. Approve application for regional or program specific accreditation. 7. Grant and revoke contracts to public school academies in accordance with Act 416 of Public Acts of 1993. 8. Approve tenure for faculty members. 9. Approve the promotion of faculty members. 10. Establish the compensation for the president and the vice presidents. 11. Approve all contracts including employment contracts and collective bargaining agreements, except for those contracts that are within such contract authority of university personnel as may have been established by Board resolution. 12. Approve operating, capital outlay and Auxiliary Services – Bonded Facilities budgets. 13. Approve capital project “program statements” as defined by the State of Michigan.


Appendix C

14. Appoint the university auditing firm and the university general legal counsel. 15. Accept the annual audit of university accounts. 16. Approve investment policies. 17. Approve university real property and facilities leases for a term exceeding one year and approve easements, which could significantly impact university operations. 18. Approve the acquisition or sale of real property is such property is contiguous to the main campus of SVSU or in any instance in which the sale price is in excess of $250,000. 19. Approve capital projects estimated to cost more than $250,000. 20. Approve acceptance of private, state and federal grants and gifts, which would affect university priorities or require substantial matching funds or commitment of future university funds. 21. Approve tuition, fees and room and board rates. 22. Approve the SVSU Student Judicial Code. 23. Approve the Student Association Constitution and the amendments thereto. 24. Approve the awarding of degrees. 25. Approve the awarding of honorary degrees. 26. Approve naming of facilities and memorials. 27. Periodically evaluate the performance and functioning of the Office of the President and the Board of Control. 28. Establish and approve any changes to the Board of Control Bylaws and Policies Manual.

243


244

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Appendix D

Time-tested Leadership When an organization such as SVSU has almost 1,000 employees, it’s difficult for the editors of an historical publication to determine and properly acknowledge the most notable influencers, thought-leaders, champions and loyal team members who have helped not only to make the institution work, but to work well. There is always the chance of the unintentional oversight, especially when the book’s timeline spans almost 25 years. With that risk in mind, here is a snapshot of administrative professionals who deserve additional mention.


Appendix D

Robert T. Becker As director of athletics, Becker led the SVSU intercollegiate athletics program through some of its most productive years. He established the first intercollegiate golf team, which he coached for more than 20 years. His teams participated in 14 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournaments and were NAIA national runner-up in 1984. Additional athletic accomplishments during his tenure were 63 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference league titles in 12 different sports and five national championships. Becker was granted emeritus status upon his retirement in 1998, and died in 2008 in Naples, Fla.

245

Merry Jo Brandimore Brandimore, vice president for student affairs/dean of students, joined SVSU in 1983. During her many years of service, she has held positions that focused on serving students and promoting their success. In tandem with enrollment growth and the increase in the number of residential students, Brandimore implemented new support services and programs, among them the Living Leadership Program. She established the Military Student Scholarship and helped create a scholarship in memory of Abou Traore to benefit international students. Her efforts were largely responsible for SVSU’s consistent designation as a “Military Friendly School.”


246

James P. Dwyer Dwyer’s attachment to the institution dates to his student days; he completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at SVSU in 1976 and 1985, respectively. During the 17 years he served as director of admissions, enrollment grew from 5,377 in 1986 to 9,168, an increase of 71 percent. In 2003, Dwyer was promoted to assistant vice president for student services and enrollment management; he was also interim director of international programs for a crucial two-year period (2008-2010). In 2010, Dwyer was named vice president for enrollment management. His reorganization of the division resulted in new initiatives to improve student retention and graduation rates.

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Dr. Mary Hedberg Hedberg joined the history faculty in 1993 and moved to a role in administration in 2002. She held a variety of positions, including associate vice president for academic planning and assessment and dean of the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences. In addition to serving as the principal investigator/ administrator for two King/Chavez/Parks Select Student Support Services grants with a budget totaling more than $1 million, she served as coordinator for the Higher Learning Commission/NCA 2004 Self-Study. Her efforts were critical to the university’s successful re-accreditation.


Appendix D

Dr. Deborah Huntley Huntley joined the SVSU chemistry faculty in 1998. An active scholar, she authored or co-authored more than 35 articles published in scholarly journals and received SVSU’s prestigious Earl L. Warrick Award for Excellence in Research in 2006. She served three years as associate vice president for academic affairs prior to being appointed dean of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology in 2009. In her capacity as dean, Huntley played a leading role in securing grants from The Dow Chemical Co. and Dow Corning to improve education of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in schools and colleges in the region. At the time of printing of this book, Huntley accepted a promotion to provost/vice president for academic affairs.

247

Mary Kowaleski Kowaleski began her employment at SVSU as a staff accountant and was later promoted to grant accountant in the Office of Sponsored Programs. She completed her Master of Business Administration at SVSU in 2008 and moved to the Office of the President as administrative assistant to the president/ secretary to the Board of Control in 2010. Kowaleski consolidated recordkeeping and preparation of materials for the Board of Control, expediting many functions through electronic databases. She coordinated all board activities with the Association of Governing Boards and played a critical role during the presidential search in 2013.


248

Dr. Robert L. Maurovich Maurovich served as SVSU’s vice president for student services and enrollment management for 14 years, beginning in 1996. In this position, he oversaw those programs and services most directly in support of students, including admissions, minority student services, residential life and scholarships and financial aid. His collaborative efforts both inside and outside of his division resulted in enrollment increasing from 7,300 students when he first arrived to a record 10,656 students in 2010. In 2011, a renovated and expanded student activities facility was dedicated as the Robert Maurovich Student Life Center.

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

James G. Muladore Muladore joined the university’s professional staff after earning his bachelor’s degree at SVSU in 1972. He completed his M.B.A. at SVSU in 1982 and held a series of increasingly responsible positions. He was promoted to vice president of administration & business affairs in 2001 and to executive vice president in 2010. His many responsibilities included auxiliary services (bookstore, campus dining, housing, parking), scholarships and financial aid, athletics and campus police. As chief financial and business affairs officer, he effectively focused on energy conservation during a period of unprecedented physical expansion of the university.


Appendix D

Richard E. Payne Payne began his employment at SVSU in 1990 as executive assistant/secretary to the Board of Control. He provided a range of communication, coordination, public relations and review services and managed and coordinated all logistical activities associated with meetings of the board. He endeavored to improve communication with members of the Board of Control and represented the university through his civic engagement activities. Payne served as a member of the Saginaw Art Museum Board of Directors, the Bay County Growth Alliance and the United Way. He was granted emeritus status in 2002.

249

Dr. Carlos Ramet Ramet joined the English department faculty in 1991. His book, Ken Follett: The Transformation of a Writer (1999), led to the acquisition of the best-selling British author’s archives, which are now housed in the Zahnow Library at SVSU. Ramet moved to the administration in 2002 as executive assistant to the president and oversaw a number of initiatives and special projects, including the Student Research and Creativity Institute, the Dow Visiting Scholars & Artists Lecture Series, and the 50th anniversary commemoration. He added the responsibilities of executive director of public affairs in 2007.


250

Jo Ann Stanley Stanley, who was named an honorary alumna of the university in 1985, had the distinction of serving as administrative assistant to two of SVSU’s four presidents. She served SVSU’s second president, Dr. Jack M. Ryder, from 1986 to 1989 and continued in the position of administrative assistant to the president for much of Dr. Eric R. Gilbertson’s tenure. Stanley assumed the additional responsibilities of secretary to the Board of Control in 2002. Upon her retirement in 2010, after 31 years of service to the institution, she was bestowed the title of secretary to the Board of Control emerita.

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Dr. Mamie T. Thorns Active for many years in the local chapters of the NAACP and the United Negro College Fund, Thorns joined SVSU in 2002 as special assistant to the president for diversity programs. She managed the Saginaw County Youth Leadership Institute and expanded it into a regional initiative in 2011. She also organized cultural programming, such as the annual Great Lakes Bay Regional Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, setting attendance records on several occasions. Among her honors, she was named Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Mitten Bay in 2008 and received the Ruben Daniels Community Service Award that same year.


Appendix D

Dr. Kenneth R. Wahl As interim dean of the College of Education from 1998 to 2002, Wahl oversaw the doubling of enrollments, managed the development of new undergraduate and graduate offerings and led the planning of a major facilities expansion. He administered the largest and most significant federal grants in SVSU’s history, a $9.7 million Title II Partnership Grant for Improving Teacher Quality and a $1.5 million Preparing Teachers to Use Technology Grant. He began his nearly 30 years of service in 1974 as a professor of education and concluded his career as director of off-campus education, retiring in 2003 with emeritus status.

251


252

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Appendix D

Academic Affairs Administration Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Robert S. P. Yien (1978-2006) Dr. Donald J. Bachand (2006-present)

Associate Professor of Sociology Professor of Criminal Justice

Dean of the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences Dr. William K. Barnett (1979-1991(?) Outside appointment Dr. Judith B. Kerman (1991-1997) Outside appointment Dr. Donald J. Bachand (1997-2006) Professor of Criminal Justice Dr. Mary Hedberg, Interim (2006-2008) Professor of History Dr. Mary Hedberg, Dean (2008-2012) Dr. Joni Boye-Beaman (2012-present) Professor of Sociology Dean of the College of Business & Management Dr. James L. Mitchell (1979-1993) Professor of Accounting Dr. Wayne E. Mackie, Interim (1993-1994) Professor of Finance Dr. Seth C. Carlson (1994-1998) Outside appointment Dr. Jill L. Wetmore, Interim (1998-1999) Professor of Finance Dr. Paul J. Uselding (1999-2005) Outside appointment Dr. Marwan A. Wafa (2005-2010) Outside appointment Dr. Jill L. Wetmore (2010-2013) Professor of Finance Dr. Rama Yelkur (2013-present) Outside appointment Dean of the College of Education Dr. David Nelson (1987-1992) Dr. Ellen Curtis-Pierce (1992-1998) Dr. Kenneth R. Wahl, Interim (1998-2002) Dr. Stephen P. Barbus (2002-2010) Dr. Susie Emond, Interim (2010-2013)

Outside appointment Outside appointment Professor of Teacher Education Professor of Teacher Education Professor of Elementary/Special Education


253

Appendix D

Dr. Mary Harmon (2013-present)

Professor of English

Dean of the Crystal M. Lange College of Health & Human Services Dr. Crystal M. Lange (1976-1996) Outside appointment Vacant (Fall 1996) Dr. Cheryl E. Easley (1997-2003) Outside appointment Dr. Janalou Blecke (2003-2010) Professor of Nursing Dr. Donald J. Bachand, Acting (2010-2011) Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Judy Ruland (2011-present) Outside appointment Dean of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology Dr. Thomas E. Kullgren (1984-2003) Outside appointment Dr. Ronald R. Williams (2003-2009) Outside appointment Dr. Deborah Huntley, Interim (2009-2010) Professor of Chemistry Dr. Deborah Huntley, Dean (2010-2014) Dr. Andrew Chubb, Interim (2014-present) Professor of Chemistry


254

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Appendix E

Organizational Charts 1989


Appendix E

1990

255


256

1991

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

1992

257


258

1993

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

1994

259


260

1995

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

1996

261


262

1997

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

1998

263


264

1999

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2000

265


266

2001

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2002

267


268

2003

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2004

269


270

2005

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2006

271


272

2007

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2008

273


274

2009

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2010

275


276

2011

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2012

277


278

2013

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix E

2014

279


280

1991

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Appendix F

Aerial Photographs of the Campus


Appendix F

281


282

1997

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix F

283


284

2001

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix F

285


286

2003

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix F

287


288

2005

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix F

289


290

2007

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix F

291


292

2009

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix F

293


294

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

2010


Appendix F

295


296

2011

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Appendix F

297


298

1991

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

Appendix G

Campus Maps


Campus Maps

1997

299


300

2001

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Campus Maps

2003

301


302

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

2005 Garfield Rd.

TRI-CITY ACCESS MAP 23

10

Salzburg Rd. MBS AIRPORT

To Bay City

47

30

Freeland Rd. Pierce Rd.

FREELAND

26

Gr ov eL an e

Tittabawassee

G3 rs ive Un

College Dr. West

Pond

Collings Dr.

Dr.

J1

29

AB

Lot

22

9

J2 J4 Lot

M-84 Bay Rd.

Lot

J3

Lot

5

F

1

16 Wickes Circle 46

48

7

D

18

42 6

11 8

17 40

36

31

23

44 45 27

E

35

38 34

R

13

Lot

41

C

Lot

47

20

3

A

19

25

38

B

Pond

14

43

2

Pierce Rd.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Arbury Fine Arts Center Archery Range Auditorium Baseball Field Basketball Intramural Courts Bookstore Brown Hall Convenience Store Curtiss Hall Discus Throw Doan Center Driving Range Fitness Center Football Practice Field Founders Hall

16. Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum 17. Great Lakes Residence Halls (First Year Suites A-E) 18. Groening Commons 19. Grounds Building 20. Horseshoe Pits 21. Information Kiosk 22. Intramural Fields 23. Living Center North 24. Living Center South 25. Morley Field 26. Non-Motorized Pathway 27. Observatory 28. Owsley Grove

39

4

39

10

Lot

37 A

To Flint

Lot

24

Fox Dr.

To Saginaw

26

5

EXIT 150

SAGINAW

Lot

K

L

Collings Dr.

44

College Dr. 21 East

Lot

49

46

Pond

Lot

ity

21 Pond

Fine Arts Dr.

Lot

Pond

15

58

Davis Rd.

33

675

State St.

Gratiot

Pine

Lot

Lot

EXIT 155 EXIT 6

Ramp

G2

EXIT 160

75

84

47

SVSU

Collings Dr.

G1

BAY CITY

25

Mackinaw Ba yR d.

MIDLAND

29. Performing Arts Center A. Performing Arts Theatre B. Rhea Miller Recital Hall 30. Pine Grove Apartments 31. Pioneer Hall of Engineering & Technology 32. Putting Green 33. Regional Education Center (Regional Math/Science Center) 34. Ryder Center for Health & Physical Education 35. Dow Doan Science Building East 36. Dow Doan Science Building West 37. South Campus Complex (Buildings A, B & C)

SYMBOL KEY

38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

Soccer Fields Softball Field Student Center Tennis Courts Tranquil Residence Halls (First Year Suites F & G) University Police/ Parking Services University Village East University Village West Wickes Hall (Admissions & Financial Aid) Wickes Memorial Stadium Zahnow Amphitheatre Zahnow Library

43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49.

COLOR KEY Faculty/Staff Reserved Parking: Permit Required in Shaded Portions of F, G, L, and J4 Lots until 6:45 p.m. Roadways and Open Parking Lots

Student Housing Student Resident Parking (permit required) Educational Buildings

SVSU does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical impairment, disability or veteran status in the provision of education, employment and other services.

32

12


Campus Maps

2007

303


304

2009

History of SVSU: 1989-2013


Campus Maps

2010

305


306

History of SVSU: 1989-2013

2011

7400 Bay Road • University Center, MI 48710 • www.svsu.edu

To Bay City

P 32

32

H

Lot

28

P

P

rs ive Un

College Dr. West

Collings Dr.

J1

6

J2

Lot

J3 UR Lot

28

5

18

7

49

A B 51

UR J4 Lot

UR

F

Pond

Lot

31

Lot

23

Pond

16 Wickes Circle

1

Dr.

Pond

M-84 Bay Rd.

30

ity

22

Fine Arts Dr.

Lot

44 42

11 8

24

37

To Saginaw

48

VR

48

5

25

48

29

VR

Fox Dr.

VR

43

13

R

C A

19

A

Lot

27

40

B 46

50

21

3

39

VR 28

10

Lot

Lot

VR

41

4

41

Lot

47

VR

40

14

South Entrance Drive

26

C

36

K

L

Collings Dr.

45

E

Lot

Lot

38

33

17

42

D

Lot

52

9

College Dr. 22 East

Davis Rd.

G3

Pond

15

Ramp

35

Lot

Collings Dr.

G1

Lot

Pine G

G2

rov e

La ne

20

2

Pond

Pierce Rd. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Arbury Fine Arts Center Archery Range Art Studio Baseball Field Basketball Intramural Courts Bookstore Brown Hall Convenience Store Curtiss Hall Discus Throw Doan Center (Marketplace) Driving Range Fitness Center Football Practice Field Founders Hall

16. Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum 17. Great Lakes Residence Halls (First Year Suites A-E) 18. Groening Commons 19. Grounds Building 20. Health & Human Services 21. Horseshoe Pits 22. Information Kiosk 23. Intramural Fields 24. Living Center North 25. Living Center South 26. Living Center Southwest 27. Morley Field 28. Non-Motorized Pathway 29. Observatory

30. Owsley Grove 31. Performing Arts Center A. Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts B. Rhea Miller Recital Hall 32. Pine Grove 33. Pioneer Hall (Science, Engineering & Technology) 34. Putting Green 35. Regional Education Center (Regional Math/Science Center) 36. Ryder Center for Health & Physical Education 37. Dow Doan Science Building East 38. Dow Doan Science Building West 39. South Campus Complex (Buildings A, B & C)

SYMBOL KEY

45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52.

Soccer Fields Softball Fields Student Center Tennis Courts Tranquil Residence Halls (First Year Suites F & G) University Health Center University Police/Parking Services University Village East University Village West Wickes Hall (Admissions & Financial Aid) Wickes Memorial Stadium Zahnow Amphitheatre Zahnow Library

COLOR KEY Faculty/Staff Reserved Parking: Permit Required in Shaded Portions of F, G, L, and J4 Lots until 6:45 p.m. Free, Resident (UR permit required) & Overnight in G3 Lot

Native Plantings

July 2011

40. 41. 42. 43. 44.

VR

VR Student Resident Parking (VR permit required)

UR

UR Student Resident Parking (UR permit required)

P

P Student Resident Parking (P permit required)

Village Parking Lots

West end J2, all of J3 and South end J4 Pine Grove Lots

Smoking is permissible only in lettered and residential parking lots, at least 25 ft. from any building.

SVSU does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical impairment, disability or veteran status in the provision of education, employment and other services.

34

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History of SVSU: 1989-2013

307


308

History of SVSU: 1989-2013




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Articles inside

Dr . Kenneth R . Wahl

0
page 271

Separation and Delegation / Reservation of Functions

2min
pages 262-264

Donna J . Roberts

2min
page 258

Chapter 4

7min
pages 242-245

Chapter 5

1min
page 246

Chapter 7

1min
page 248

Chapter 8

14min
pages 249-257

Chapter 2

5min
pages 237-239

Chapter 6

1min
page 247

Chapter 3

4min
pages 240-241

Chapter 1

5min
pages 234-236

The 50th Anniversary Campaign (Endowment, 2012

5min
pages 215-218

The Promise for Tomorrow Campaign (Endowment, 2002 – 2010

1min
page 212

Intramural Sports and Club Teams

16min
pages 170-206

The Annual Fund

1min
page 207

Playing for National Championships

7min
pages 167-169

A Winning Football Program

2min
page 164

Mike Watson Era

3min
pages 165-166

Transitions at the Top

9min
pages 161-163

Information Technology Services

2min
page 146

Graphics Center

0
page 153

Public Affairs

2min
page 144

University Communications

2min
page 145

Human Resources

2min
page 143

Academic Programs and Leadership

4min
pages 141-142

University Administration

2min
page 140

More and More a Residential Campus – Functional and Beautiful

11min
pages 116-139

Continued Growth and Enhancements

0
page 112

Health & Human Services Building

3min
pages 114-115

Herbert Dow Doan Science Building

0
page 108

On-Campus Student Housing – Unexpected Demand

3min
pages 106-107

Moving Forward: The 1996 Campus Master Plan

2min
page 105

Founders Hall and the Julia Stacey Edwards Bell Tower

1min
pages 103-104

South Campus Complex

6min
pages 100-102

Gerstacker Fellows

3min
pages 84-85

Student and Faculty Exchanges

2min
pages 76-77

Office of International Programs

1min
page 75

Table 2.1: Lecture Series at SVSU

5min
pages 69-71

A Culture of Caring

3min
pages 72-74

Charter Schools

2min
page 61

Regional Healthcare

3min
pages 62-63

Collaborations

1min
page 64

Supporting Quality Teaching and Student Engagement

1min
page 60

The Office of Career Services

1min
pages 56-57

Educational Partnerships and Resources

2min
pages 58-59

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

1min
page 55

A Mission of Civic Engagement

3min
pages 42-43

Back to the Future

2min
pages 44-46

Regional Economic Development and Outreach

1min
page 47

Independent Testing Laboratory

1min
page 53

Cardinal “Green”

1min
pages 49-50

Experiential Learning

2min
pages 40-41

Expanded Accreditation, Program Assessment and Improvement

3min
pages 24-25

Table 1.4: Endowed Chair Positions at SVSU

1min
page 39

Transfer Agreements

1min
page 26

Changes in the Way We Learn — Technology and the Library

2min
page 27

A Foundation Strengthened

2min
page 33

Table 1.3: SVSU Braun Fellowship Recipients

2min
page 38

Technology and Research

3min
pages 28-29

Accreditation

2min
page 23
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