 | December 2007 |
Features: SVSU Alumni Association Honors Five Alumni
SVSU alumni and friends honored five Cardinal alumni on Saturday, November 3, 2007 with a brunch and special jazz performance at the annual Alumni Celebration. The event was held at the O'Neill Arena prior to the Saginaw Valley State football game vs. Grand Valley State .
The Distinguished Alumni Award is given in recognition of outstanding service and accomplishment in any field that enhances the prestige of the University. The award is the most prestigious honor SVSU bestows upon its graduates. Also, since 2003, the Alumni Association has presented awards to recognize outstanding alumni from each of the University's five colleges; this award is a way to recognize the remarkable professional success of an alumni that also reflects positively on the reputation of the college and the University.
 Alice Gerard |
Alice M. Gerard received the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Outstanding Alumni Award for the Crystal M. Lange College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She is President and CEO of Bay Regional Medical Center in Bay City.
Gerard earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1985 and an Master of Science in Nursing in 1991. In her current role as President and CEO, she is responsible for all operations of the 415-bed acute care hospital, which serves over 500,000 patients in east Michigan. As one of a small number of CEOs in the state who is also a registered nurse, Gerard has exceptional insight into patient care. Gerard joined Bay Regional Medical Center in 1978 as a registered nurse in the coronary care and intensive care units, assuming increasingly responsible supervisory and administrative positions before being promoted to Vice President of Patient Care Services in 1999. She was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in October 2006.
Gerard is a member of more than 20 local, state and national organizations, including the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives and East Central Michigan Organization of Nurse Executives. She has been honored as a Fellow of the Health Care Advisory Board Executive Fellowship Program, as a 2006 recipient of the Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Award and as a 2007 recipient of the YWCA Empowerment Award. Gerard is a member of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Bay County Board of Directors, and the American College of HealthCare Executives. In addition, Gerard has served as a member of the SVSU Nursing Advisory Committee since 1999, advising the college on its nursing curriculum.
Gerard and her husband Rodney live in Bangor Township and are the parents of two sons: Zachary and Calvin. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, golfing, traveling, reading, rollerblading and bicycling.
 Art O'Neal |
The 2007 Outstanding Alumnus in the College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences was awarded to Art O'Neal. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1998 and his Master of Arts in leadership and public administration in 2004. O'Neal currently serves as the Chief of Security for Saginaw Public Schools and is responsible for the safety and security of staff, students and assets. He joined the district after retiring from the Saginaw Police Department in 2002 as the Deputy Chief of Police for the Patrol Services Division. During his law enforcement career O'Neal served as a patrol officer, field training officer, homicide investigator, community police supervisor, commander of the Emergency Services Team, shift commander and deputy chief. He is a member of the International Association and the National Organization of Chiefs of Police. O'Neal also is a graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy.
In his current role as the chief of security, O'Neal continues to work closely with law enforcement authorities nationwide as he serves as the leader of one of the most recognized and successful K-12 campus security departments in Michigan. His responsibilities include managing a department of 55 employees, overseeing the district's Truancy Abatement Initiative, coordinating the Safe Routes to School Initiative, the Michigan State Police Youth Leadership Academy efforts for Saginaw County and the district's partnership with the attorney general's Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative.
O'Neal's community service involvement includes serving on the Board of Directors for the Saginaw County Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Services, the Houghton-Jones SENA, Bethel AME Church Day Care, and the Family Youth Initiative Coalition, where he is a co-chair. He has received several awards for his police and community service including recognition from the City of Saginaw, Saginaw County, and the State of Michigan. In 2004 he was awarded the Distinguished Service award by the Saginaw County Department of Public Health.
O'Neal served two terms as a member of the SVSU Alumni Association Board of Directors. He also chaired the SVSU Alumni Association Scholarship and Awards Committee and was honored to serve as SVSU's 2004 Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal. O'Neal and his wife Linda have four daughters: Octavia, Asia, Tiara and Kissa.
 Raymond Christie |
Raymond Christie received the 2007 Outstanding Alumnus in the College of Business and Management. Since 2003 he has served Central Michigan University as Vice Provost for Academic Administration. His responsibilities include direct oversight of the offices of Faculty Personnel Services, Institutional Research, and Academic Space and direct functional responsibility for planning and constructing new academic buildings, negotiating with the faculty union, and coordinating fiscal affairs within the academic division. Christie received his Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1991 before completing a Master of Business Administration from CMU in 1993, and a Ph.D. from Georgia State University in 1998. In 1999, he completed the National Center for Education Statistics Cooperative Systems Fellows program, and the following year he completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. In 2007, Christie completed the Program on Negotiations for Senior Executives at Harvard's law school.
While at SVSU, Christie worked as a research associate for Hong Y. Park, professor of economics, in the Center for Economic and Business Research. Christie credits his time and experience with Park as establishing his interest and abilities in research. From 1993 to '95 he worked as an analyst in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at the State University of West Georgia; from '95 to '98, he directed that office. In 1998, Christie accepted the position of Director of the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at CMU, a position he would hold for five years.
Christie's wife, Debi, is a physician's assistant and a 1992 SVSU alumna. They live in Mount Pleasant with their three children: Jonathan, Rachel, and Rebekah.
 Kimberly Prime |
The 2007 Outstanding Alumna in the College of Education was presented to Kimberly Prime. She has received three degrees from SVSU: a Bachelor of Science in social science education in 1976, a Master of Arts in classroom teaching in 1983, and an Education Specialist degree in 1999, before completing her doctorate in education from CMU in 2002. Prime is currently Director of State and Federal Programs/Curriculum K-8 for Bay City Public Schools.
Prime is a devoted leader to school improvement and student achievement. She taught in Bangor Township Schools for 24 years before becoming a principal with Bay City Public Schools. Her work at SVSU includes serving as project coordinator for the Partnership for Regional Induction and Mentoring Education from 2000 to '03, as well as teaching as an adjunct instructor from 1982 to 2004. Prime has given numerous professional presentations on teacher quality, classroom management, autism, and teacher evaluation. She was the Inclusion Program initiator for Bangor Township Schools and a member of the Unified Elementary Pilot Program at SVSU. In 2006, she was selected as one of 12 inaugural members of the Gerstacker Fellowship at SVSU, a program that recognizes exceptional educators, provides them with leadership training and culminates in a trip to Asia.
Prime currently serves on the Board of Directors for Rotary International and the United Way of Bay County and is a member of the Middle Cities Early Childhood Task Force.
Active in her community, Prime has performed in local theater.
 Scott James and Dean Ron Williams |
Scott James received the 2007 Outstanding Alumnus in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. He is a 1989 graduate who completed a Bachelor of Science in computer information systems and later earned his Master of Science in manufacturing management from GMI Engineering and Management Institute and his Ph.D. in systems engineering from Oakland University.
James previously taught at GMI/Kettering University and joined the computer science and information systems department at SVSU in 2000. An associate professor, he currently serves as chair of the department. James is a three-time recipient of the "Who's Who Among American Teachers" award.
James has authored or co-authored over 20 referred articles in professional journals and conference proceedings. He has written three textbooks, one of which was translated into Japanese for use at universities. In addition to teaching, James owns a software engineering consulting company, Delpheus Designs, and has performed work for numerous large corporations including Lear, General Motors and McLaren Health Care, in addition to several local legal and dental firms.
James and his wife Valina Blasdell, a 1990 SVSU alumna, have four children: Ashton, Cullen, Haleigh and Maria