Hope College honored faculty and staff members for service to the college and other professional activity during the annual faculty recognition event coordinated by the Provost’s Office and held at the Maas Center auditorium on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
The event included a program during which the college presented awards to six members of the faculty and honored several others for service anniversaries at Hope. In addition, the Provost’s Office is featuring online a listing of those with other notable professional activity during the past year, including book publications, leadership roles in professional associations, achievement as performing or visual artists or as coaches, and receiving awards and grants.
Named a Towsley Research Scholar was Andrew Gall (psychology). The Janet L. Andersen Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Lauren Janes (history). The Motoichiro Oghimi Global Courage Award was presented to Yolanda Vega (education, and Phelps Scholars Program). The Provost’s Award for Service to the Academic Program was presented to Catherine Mader (physics). The Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Award was presented to Jennifer Wolfe (music). The Excellence in Advising Award was presented to Marla Lunderberg (English). Descriptions of the awards follow at the end of this document.
The college honored 35 members of the faculty for five-year service anniversaries beginning at two decades and through 40 years for a total of 1,005 combined years of service:
- 40 Years (1978)
-
Al Bell, history
John Patnott, kinesiology
Kathleen Verduin, English - 35 Years (1983)
-
Barry Bandstra, religion
Peter Gonthier, physics
Linda Graham, dance
Chuck Green, psychology
Bill Moreau, English
Roger Nemeth, sociology and social work - 30 Years (1988)
-
Dawn DeWitt-Brinks, communication
Kelly Jacobsma, Van Wylen Library
Vicki Isola, biology
David James, English
Mark Northuis, kinesiology
Will Polik, chemistry
Dianne Portfleet, English
Todd Steen, economics and business
Joanne Stewart, chemistry
Linda Strouf, music
Deb Sturtevant, sociology and social work
Elizabeth Trembley, English - 25 Years (1993)
-
Brian Coyle, music
Andrew Dell’Olio, philosophy
Stu Fritz, kinesiology
Cathy Mader, physics
Phil Munoa, religion
Tom Smith, economics and business
Jill VanderStoep, mathematics - 20 Years (1998)
-
Jean Bahle, theatre
Joe LaPorte, philosophy
Brad Richmond, music
Julie Sooy, music
Steve Talaga, music
Roger Veldman, engineering
Jennifer Wolfe, music
The online listing of all of the recognition is available here.
The Towsley Research Scholars Program is funded through an endowment made possible
through a grant from the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation of Midland. Through
the program, newer Hope faculty members receive support for a project for four years.
The foundation’s awards to the college have also included grants for the construction
of the Van Wylen Library and the Schaap Science Center, faculty development in the
pre-medical sciences and support for an endowed chair in communication.
The Janet L. Andersen Excellence in Teaching Award is presented to faculty members
who have been teaching at Hope for at least seven years and who have demonstrated
recognizable excellence in specific activities or aspects of teaching. The award is
named in memory of Dr. Janet Andersen, a professor of mathematics at Hope who died
of injuries sustained in an automobile accident on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005.
The Motoichiro Oghimi Global Courage Award is presented to individuals who exhibit
the intercultural courage exemplified by Motoichiro Oghimi, a member of the college’s
Class of 1879 who came from Japan as one of Hope’s first international students.
It is given to faculty or academic staff members who exemplify deep engagement with
the part of the college’s mission that calls for preparing students for leadership
and service in a global society; bold risk-taking in creating new ways and opportunities
to help students engage with other people, places and cultures; and engagement in
global initiatives that go above and beyond their normal responsibilities.
The Provost’s Award for Service to the Academic Program is presented to individuals
who have provided special contributions to the academic program through student academic
support, general education, assessment work, implementation of programs that support/enhance
the curriculum, and any activity outside of formal teaching that contributes to the
overall excellence of the academic program.
The Ruth and John Reed Faculty Achievement Award recognizes members of the Hope faculty
who are superior teachers and have also contributed significantly in some other area
of professional life. The award was established in memory of Dr. Ruth Yzenbaard Reed,
a 1965 Hope graduate who was associate dean of Macomb Community College. Reed died
in August 1999 at age 55.
The Excellence in Advising Award celebrates the investment and dedication that advisors
devote to their advisees. Considerations include the recipient’s work helping student
self-understanding of strengths, interests, and the exploration of academic and professional
goals; academic planning including class registration, monitoring academic requirements
and encouraging well informed decision making; and seeing the big picture and providing
a context for learning through encouraging student engagement, helping students identify
the logic and relationships of the curriculum, and offering personal feedback and
advice.