In This Issue

I listen to your heart. Divided by

beats and rests, it says yes, then no, then yes.

 

Above us the Milky Way seams the sky and is

stirred by a hand that is too big to see.

We watch the stars.

 

Tonight so many of them fall.

--from “The Orchard,” by Gretel Ehrlich

 

Solstices are the time I’m most glad that I live east of campus. Not having to squint into the rising or setting sun as I head west in the morning or back home again in the evening, I feel like I can see more clearly. It’s great having the autumn light at one’s back.

Now that we’ve got a few weeks of the academic year behind us, our momentum is strong: full sections. Students who’ve chosen our courses and programs. Great new colleagues and a college faculty that’s larger than it’s ever been. All these are a testament to your work. We’ve not gotten here by coasting, and we’re not coasting now.

Hoping you have the light, and a light breeze, at your back. Let us in the Dean’s office know how we can support you. And don’t forget to watch the sky.

Daniel Williams, EdD, is the fifth Meijer Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the GVSU Frederik Meijer Honors College and has over 20 years of leadership experience working to advance justice through education, philanthropy, community engagement, and equity-centered design thinking. Through his work as President + CEO of the Steelcase Foundation, Daniel has led efforts to drive and support large-scale social change. Prior to this, Daniel worked towards equity and innovation in his roles as President + CEO of the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology and co-founder + principal of Grand Rapids University Prep Academy. He earned his Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University, MEd in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University, and BA from the University of Iowa.

This year, as a part of the many Festivities happening for welcome week, each college hosted an informal welcome event for new students. Brooks College decided on a Tassel-to-Tassel theme. The idea was to start the students' adventure to their commencement tassel with corn tassels and a corn theme.

Students participated in a number of exciting activities to introduce them to Brooks including video games in the gaming lab, cornhole, and hikes to the ravines led by Dean Mark Schaub.

Starting in 2016, Brooks College began a partnership with the University of Michigan to offer the Semester in Detroit Program. Students participating in this program are involved in high impact experiences as they live, study, and intern in Detroit. In addition to their coursework, students experience all Detroit has to offer.  This past summer students went to a Tigers baseball game, a concert at Third Man Records,  a weekly jazz open mic event, shopping at Eastern Market, and they explored the city on bike and on foot.

The photo on the left is from Semester in Detroit 2021, featuring Liam McCarthy and Malia kah. Liam interned with Soulardarity and helped write grants that funded publicly owned streetlights, offering community wi-fi in the Avalon Village neighborhood in Highland Park.  Malia interned with Hope Village Revitalization doing community outreach and data analysis to support their farmers market and sustainable affordable housing initiatives.

The photo on the right is from summer 2025 of the Semester in Detroit 30th cohort, featuring GVSU students Hayden Welindt, second from left, and Marissa Feil, standing at right. Hear more about Marissa’s experiences here: High-impact experience: Live, learn and work in Detroit - September 2, 2025 (Volume 49, Number 1) - Forum - Grand Valley State University

 

GVSU is proud to have a number of LEED buildings across its campuses. The Mary Idema Pew Library (MIPL) is a platinum-certified LEED building. Brooks ENS professors Dr. Becky Williams and Dr. Kelly Parker  have put together a scavenger hunt that focuses on the key attributes of the library that make it a platinum LEED building. 

There 14 QR codes located around the library that when scanned, will show a video that explains the green building attribute. The scavenger hunt is designed to be an independent or small group on-campus field trip. Students can guide themselves through the library to find the QR codes. 

Make the Scavenger hunt a part of your courses!

Check out this website for instructors that includes lesson plans for all GVSU formats including 50-minute, 75-minute, and 150-minute class periods. The website includes lesson plans for 100-200 level courses as well as 300-400 level courses. There is also a virtual scavenger hunt available for online courses. 

The Mary Idema Pew Library LEED Scavenger Hunt was funded by the GVSU Faculty Teaching and Learning Center’s Teaching Innovation Grant, with additional funds provided by the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Mary Idema Pew Library. The videos were produced by the GVSU Promotions office. For questions or comments about the Scavenger Hunt please contact Dr. Becky Williams at williarj@gvsu.edu

The Brooks College team gathered over the summer to celebrate the retirement of two PSS members working in the Brooks Deans office. 

Lynnette Keen, who retired on July 18th chose a "Pink Pony Club" theme for her celebration complete with glittery decor and a dance floor.

Noreen Savage retired just weeks later at the end of July and her party was complete with a touching farewell from Mark and Polkas performed by Noreen and her brother. 

The Dean's office is grateful to both Lynnette and Noreen for their years of work supporting the staff, faculty and students of Brooks College!

The Dean's office appreciates your patience and understanding as we continue adjust to the many staffing changes. 

We are thankful to everyone who shared their summer adventures with us! We love to keep up with all the fun things everyone is doing across campus and beyond. As fall semester unfolds please don't forget to email updates and photos to brookscollege@gvsu.edu! 

Below photos (left to right) 

Lynnette Keen and Brooks Summer staff smile for a photo at Lynnette's farewell lunch in July.

Dr. Lei Wang's pup Stella poses for a photo during a summer camping trip to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park! 

Brooks faculty and staff share about academic programs at the 2025 Rainbow Social! 

Registration is quickly filling for the first-ever GV Technology Summit on October 2, 2025. The deadline to register is September 19, 2025! This event is free and open to all GVSU faculty, staff and students.

Thursday, October 2nd  

12pm - 5pm

Location - Downtown Health Campus:
DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health (DCIH) Rooms 102-104

333 Michigan Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 

REGISTER HERE! 

Conversations about Muskegon’s lakes, rivers, and community:

Shared Waters is a three-part series exploring Muskegon’s lakes, rivers, and waterways through dialogue on development, restoration, and safe water for the future.

For more information and to register visit wgvu.org/community-conversation/

Currents of Change September 17 | 5:30pm – 7:00pm | White Lake Community Library

Pedal for Progress September 27 | 12:00pm – 1:30pm | Lakeshore Museum Center

Lead the Way to Safe Water October 21 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm | Hackley Public Library

Wednesday, October 8th

1pm-4pm

Library Multipurpose Room (LIB 030)

Join us to learn strategies and skills for handling family political differences in constructive ways. Though serious in topic, the workshop also aims to be fun!

Hosted by the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse and facilitated by the national bridge-building organization, Braver Angels, this workshop is open to students, staff, faculty, and community members. 

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

October 8th

11am-1pm

Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center

Valley Campus

The Celebrating Women Awards has been an ongoing tradition for GVSU for many years, and a longtime collaboration between the Women’s Commission, Positive Black Women, the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, and the Center for Women and Gender Equity.

RSVP by September 26th!

Wednesdays

10am- 1pm

GVSU Allendale Clock Tower

 

Only a few weeks left! Produce grown by students at the Sustainable Agriculture Project will be for sale near the clock tower on Wednesdays, June through September, from 10am-1pm. 

As you plan for the upcoming semester, please consider inviting a speaker from the GVSU Padnos International Center to give a Study Abroad presentation in your class. Presentations can be any length (as brief as 5 minutes) and will highlight programs relevant to your students. 

Please submit a Study Abroad Presentation Request, or email studyabroadoutreach@gvsu.edu with the date/time/location of the classes/event you'd like PIC to attend.

 

Join an interactive campus forum! 
The Office of the Provost will host seven open forums across our Valley and City campuses and via Zoom. Please complete the RSVP form to join as many sessions as you are able. Participants are encouraged to pre-read the Strategic Framework.

Wednesday, September 10, 3:00 – 4:30pm
Health Campus – 210 DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health (DCIH)

Tuesday, September 16, 2:30 – 4:00pm
Allendale Campus – 2266 Kirkhof Center (KC)

Wednesday, September 17, 10:00 – 11:30am
Allendale Campus – 2266 Kirkhof Center (KC)

Thursday, September 18, 1:00 – 2:30pm
Via Zoom 

Monday, September 22, 5:00 – 6:30pm
Via Zoom

Tuesday, September 23, 1:00 – 2:30pm
Pew Grand Rapids Campus – 102 E Devos Center (DEV)

Wednesday, October 1, 9:00 – 10:30am
Pew Grand Rapids Campus – 1008 Seidman Center (SCB)

Dr. Joel Wendland-Liu's book, Simply to Be Americans? Literary Radicals Confront Monopoly Capitalism, 1885-1938 was published this summer by Vernon Press.

 

You can find more information about the book HERE!

Danielle M. DeMuth and Ayana K. Weekley published a collaborative essay, “Unpack Here: Challenging Privilege, Increasing Empathy, and Building Solidarity through Collaborative Feminist Pedagogy”, in  Pedagogies of Interconnectedness: Feminist-Queer Collaborative Transformation ed. By Barbara Shaw and Isis Nusair. 

You can find more information about the book HERE! 

Dr. Lei Wang's article entitled "Revolution on Stage: Communist Dramas in China, 1927-1949" has now been accepted for publication in Journal of Chinese Military History. This study focuses on how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used stage drama as propaganda during the revolutionary period. It argues that the CCP utilized different types of stage dramas to connect rural populations to its ideological goals. This work also analyzes how the CCP influenced public opinion through popular culture from 1927 to 1949. By examining different drama performances and their changes, this paper emphasizes the central role of stage drama in creating a revolutionary identity among the Chinese people.

The article is set to be published in December. 

Ari Mokdad recently performed and presented two new pieces of choreography for the Dance City Festival at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Ari was selected as one of two artists among hundreds of participants across Detroit, New York and Chicago to receive a scholarship and invitation the artists' exchange program in Korea to present pieces at the Arts in Tank Festival in July 2026. 

 

September 19th-75% Tuition Refund Deadline ( by 5pm*)

October 6th-10th- Mid Term evaluations

October 19th-21st-Fall Break

November 26th - 30th-Thanksgiving Day recess

December 6th- Classes end

December 6th- Commencement

December 6th - 13th- Examinations

December 13th- Semester ends

December 16th- Grades due

Note: partial term courses have different tuition and refund deadlines. View additional deadlines in the course index. 

We have created this LinkedIn page as a place for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members to connect. We hope to promote happenings and successes across Brooks College and the community as well as connect Brooks students and alumni to jobs, internships & research opportunities! 

Please follow our page and encourage colleagues, students, and community partners to follow as well!  

Have an event or opportunity you want featured on our page? email brookscollege@gvsu.edu! 

If you manage a social media account for a department or office that is housed in Brooks College please email us so we can add you to this list! brookscollege@gvsu.edu 

We also encourage you to follow these accounts and share them with your students! 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Fill out the form below to submit an event or announcement (with photos!) for the Brooks College Newsletter or email brookscollege@gvsu.edu

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