In This Issue

I like your anger…. Don't you let anyone talk you out of it

--Susan Faludi, Backlash

The East African refugee who, when showing up for a scheduled asylum hearing with a federal judge, is detained—despite following all the rules. The trans teen whose parents start a GoFundMe site for travel funds to get to a state where they can get health care for their child. The children of Gaza who still—somehow—are alive.

The rages and outrages of this world are a given. Our actions and reactions are not. Most Brooks folks automatically stand with those most vulnerable or oppressed. What it means, though, to “stand” with someone varies across all of us. Visible action or quiet works away from public view? Similarly, how we engage with inequities, imbalances, and injustices in our teaching ranges by pedagogical preferences and personality. How it should be.

One of the learning outcomes for WGS 101 is that “students will be able to. . . examine social inequalities in the U.S. related to gender, race, class, and sexuality" [Syllabus of Record]. That skill is essential for that course, but it’s also an essential skill for all responsible citizens in a functional democracy.

Our work as staff and faculty in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies—and at GVSU more generally—is as essential as the skills we enhance in our students. Alongside that work, that’s actually our job, I hope and trust we are teaching humanity. And modeling that humanity. And that’s even more important than the jobs for which we’re paid.

We are excited to welcome Julia Mason as the Interim Associate Dean in the Brooks College Dean's office.

Julia M. Mason began teaching at GVSU in 2003 and has been a faculty member with Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies since the inception of the college. She has served Brooks in a variety of ways including most recently as Director of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. Julia has worked in collaboration with numerous faculty colleagues to grow and strengthen Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies through increasing student credit hours, expanding the variety of course offerings, the development of a WGS major, and the LGBTQ minor. Her primary research focus is the representation of motherhood in popular media. Julia started in the Dean's office in June. 

After 20 years of service at GVSU, we announce Noreen Savage's retirement from GVSU.  Noreen's last day will be July 31st. We are so grateful for all that she has done for Grand Valley and for Brooks College. As one of the first to join the Dean's office in Brooks College, her contributions can't be overstated, and she will be missed!

To honor her many contributions, we invite you to join us for a celebration in her honor on July 30th from 3:00-4:30 in the Multipurpose Room in Niemeyer. Remarks will be at 3:30. 

Noreen has shared a thank you to the college:

It’s hard to believe, but after 20 years at Grand Valley, I’m retiring!

I truly hit the jackpot when I was hired in as a temp in the Dean’s office of a brand new college: CUII—the College of University-wide Interdisciplinary Initiatives—later to be renamed Brooks College. Little did I know then in that small office on the second floor in Au Sable Hall, that the temp job would lead to full-time employment and I’d begin a journey filled with remarkable colleagues and experiences across Grand Valley’s campuses.

It’s been a joy to watch Brooks College grow, from those early days in Au Sable to our move into Lake Ontario Hall shortly after it was built in 2005. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of working with three inspiring deans—Wendy Wenner, Anne Hiskes, and Mark Schaub. Each of them brought their own vision, structure and courage to this interdisciplinary college and the work we do.

To my colleagues with whom I worked in the Dean’s office — you’re simply the best! I’m deeply grateful to you and all the faculty, staff, and students who have filled my days with meaningful work, hearty laughter, and lasting friendships.

As I said - I hit the jackpot. Lucky, lucky me.

Thank you, ALL!

Noreen

In academic year 2025-2026, regular faculty personnel meetings will be held in person. As you are aware from the university’s policy regarding unit personnel actions (BOT 4.2.10.7), the default modality for these meetings is in person. The specific passage reads:

Unit meetings will be conducted in person unless the Dean, after consultation with their faculty governance body, decides to approve the use of technology for synchronous, remote meetings. Unit meetings with some faculty in person and some remote are not allowed. The Dean’s decision will be announced by June 1 prior to the start of the academic year and binds all units in the college/libraries for the next academic year. If a college/libraries unit meeting is scheduled to be in person for personnel actions, the Dean, after consultation with the Provost, can approve individual exceptions to this. The Provost may establish and publish protocols for synchronous remote meetings.

The past few years in Brooks the Dean has, in consultation with the Brooks Faculty Council, requested an exception. This year, however, after consultation with the Faculty Council, the Unit Heads, the Chair of the CPC, and the Shared Equity Leadership Task Force, Dean Schaub decided to not pursue an exception. Therefore, the unit- and college-level personnel actions for regular faculty in the coming academic year will be in the default policy modality of in person meetings.

Students in the INT 322 field course - Wicked Problems in Sustainability - recently spent a week in Traverse City exploring wicked water issues. The week was action packed including a sail on Inland Seas’ education/research schooner, a wastewater treatment tour, investigation of the Ottaway/Boardman River with its dam removals, fish pass and stormwater infrastructure, a kayak along conservation easement preserved shorelines and more.  Stakeholders' presentations exposed students to several water issues, such as the need for groundwater protection, water runoff mitigation, microplastics, PFAs, CAFOs, and algae blooms, to name a few.

Stakeholders represented various interdisciplinary backgrounds such as legal/advocacy work, city planning, drinking water compliance work, science investigation on microplastics, and Stuart Jones from GVSU’s Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute was able to share the water research and remediation on Muskegon Lake. The institute is an integral part of GVSU’s support for the Great Lakes and clean water in Michigan. Students finished the course linking their experience and the theory of wicked problems.

The immersive Beaver Island Field School: Place Matters course allows students to gain an understanding of sustainability as it relates to the environment, culture, and economy in one of Michigan’s most ecologically diverse places - Beaver Island. Led by Dr. Kelly Parker and Dr. Rebecca Williams, students have a week of online learning, followed by a week on Beaver Island where they learn about the rich history of the island, engage with community partners, attend Beaver Island's Annual Sustainability Fair and complete a collaborative group project.

Brooks College Start up will be held on Monday, August 18th from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center. Save the date and more information will be sent in advance of the event. 

The Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP) is a 4-acre student-run farm is a hub for hands-on environmental education in the GV community and beyond. Each spring, summer, and fall, the SAP produces and distributes pounds of fresh nutrient-dense produce to our CSA shareholders, the farm stand, the Laker Food Co., Replenish, the food resource on campus, and the fuel hub, a lounge space for student athletes. We grow a large diversity of fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, teas, and more, which you can purchase each Wednesday from 10 AM - 2 PM at the SAP farm stand next to the carillon tower near Kirkhof Center.

This season, we have been busy engaging with the local community by providing environmental educational experiences for area students and community members. These rewarding visits allow GV students to develop and execute an age-appropriate environmental curriculum using the sustainable food cycle as the central spoke. Workshops range from composting demonstrations to harvesting and sampling fresh produce. In addition, the SAP is in the initial stages of a Groundswell stewardship initiative partnership with Allendale High School to design and build an educational community garden. This partnership arose from a recent class visit where a student was inspired to bring what they learned back to their high school.

The SAP also hosts TRIO upward bound students at the SAP for creative workshops and lessons on restoring a healthy relationship with the Earth and reducing our collective impact on our straining agricultural system. So far this June, we have hosted over 100 students during June, and they have enjoyed sampling some SAP honey, teas, and doing yoga as a group. Hosting the TRIO students allows us to tackle large tasks that would otherwise be challenging for our small team, and the students wholeheartedly enjoy learning in a non-traditional classroom setting.

Another exciting development at the SAP is unfolding in the Native American Student Association (NASA) area. At this space, NASA has a teaching lodge that had fallen into disrepair after some transitional years. Now, NASA is partnering with local Native Elders to rejuvenate the lodge and prepare traditional growing beds of three sisters’ plantings alongside the four sacred medicines. This partnership fulfills needs on both ends of the generational spectrum, as the elders are looking to pass on their wisdom and language to the next generation and gain access to fresh produce, while the NASA students want to share excess produce and learn from elders about traditional plantings and medicines. As we grapple with the legacy of white supremacy, it's these initiatives that plant seeds of hope for the unknown future of our world.

This summer, over 10 interns are working at SAP, each focusing on a large research project to improve the local environment. One notable project involves the implementation of a new rain garden in a previously stagnant drainage ditch. This ditch was a source of nutrient leaching resulting in constant collecting algae blooms from the excess phosphorus. Now, with help from a team of devoted interns, we are planting native species and shaping the ditch to collect and soak up the agricultural runoff.

This is only a glimpse into the scope of the SAP. Here, GV interns actualize projects, by applying lessons and concepts learned in the classroom to a real-world setting. If anyone is looking to host a class at the SAP, undergo a research project or merely yearning for fresh tomatoes, don’t hesitate to contact the SAP farm manager to begin a collaboration.

The Student Success Network (SSN) is a long-standing program which pairs new students (FTIAC and transfer) with a faculty partner who plays an integral mentoring role in educating them about university culture, expectations, services on campus and otherwise providing guidance and support in intentional ways through the first year.  Student surveys show that the information provided by Faculty Partners is very much appreciated and an important part of our support of students as they transition to college.

“My faculty partner and their messages have helped me by meeting with me and continuously checking on me to help me in any way that they can.”

“They have helped my transition to college life and education. Providing me with lots of information and answering any questions I have.”

Program Outcomes: 

Faculty partners are asked to commit to sending regular messages which are provided to their group of approximately 60 first-year or transfer students, while also being an active resource to students when they reach out.  Faculty Partners also have opportunities to contribute/attend professional development opportunities that are aimed at assisting faculty in better understanding and working with first-year students through the SSN students as well as in their classes.  The SSN team provides extensive support, and previous faculty mentors report the time commitment to be light. 

If you are interested in becoming a Faculty Partner in the SSN apply here to share your interest by July 14. 

Provost Jennifer Drake and the Provost's Cabinet invite all Academic Affairs staff to appreciation events in their honor. This event will take a moment to pause and thank staff for all your dedication, your talent, and the countless ways you contribute throughout the year. Come enjoy sweet summer treats, good conversations, plenty of laughs, and a little swag as a token of appreciation. All events will be outdoors, with indoor options if the weather doesn’t cooperate. RSVP your attendance. 

Allendale Campus: Tuesday, July 15, 3:00-4:30 pm, Atrium,
Haas Center for Performing Arts

Health Campus: Wednesday, July 23, 3:00-4:30 pm, The Schowalter Family Terrace, 5th floor, DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health

Pew Grand Rapids Campus: Monday, July 28, 3:00-4:30 pm,
Regency Room, Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus  

The first annual Technology Summit will be held on October 2, 2025, in DCIH. Information Technology will showcase their partnerships, contributions, and impact on the community. There will also be collaborations with major partners such as Apple, Dell, Zoom, and others. The day which will include breakout sessions and expert panels, a women in technology panel, time for networking, and more.

If you have been part of an exciting project or technology initiative that you think would make a great presentation, submit a proposal to become a presenter. 

You can see more information on the website as well as register now to secure your spot

Wednesday June 18 - August 13: SAP Farm Stand. 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. near the Clocktower

*New events are posted regularly. Stay up to date on Brooks College events by checking the events calendar on our website.

June 23 - Final Grades Due for 1st 6-week classes

June 23 - Classes begin 2nd 6-weeks

July 4 - 75% Tuition Refund Deadline

July 11 - Withdraw with a W Grade Deadline 12 weeks

July 25 - Withdraw with a W Grade Deadline - 2nd 6 weeks

August 1 - Classes End 2nd 6 and 12 weeks

August 4-5 - Exams

August 11 - Grades Due From Faculty

August 14 - Pew FTLC Fall Teaching Conference

August 18 - Brooks Kick off Meeting

Fill out the form below to submit an event or announcement for the Brooks College Newsletter or email Kate VanDerKolk - vandkat@gvsu.edu

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