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April 7, 2015

SVSU to Introduce Local Children to Foreign Cultures

Five area grade schools will participate in the annual “Passport to the World” Wednesday, April 15 at Saginaw Valley State University. Three schools from Saginaw Public Schools – Jessie Loomis, Kempton, and Zilwaukee – and two parochial schools from Reese – Trinity Lutheran and St. Elizabeth's will participate in this year’s event, put on by SVSU's English Language Program.

SVSU international students plan activities that are designed to give children a global glimpse of knowledge and culture from many different countries. Each year, the program changes to keep it fresh and interesting.  This year, elementary children will visit six stations that teach about currency, art, language, literacy through hands-on activities. Participants will receive a box lunch, a photo "passport", and their art projects.

Most activities will be held in Groening Commons at SVSU. Children also will receive a tour of the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum, along with a sculpting activity.

SVSU has hosted Passport to the World for more than ten years.  For more information about this year’s event, contact Colette Urian, ESL specialist at SVSU, at (989)430-1811 or cvurian@svsu.edu.

April 6, 2015

SVSU Theatre presents musical 'How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'

A Pulitzer Prize-winning piece is the latest musical presented by Saginaw Valley State University's theatre department.

Audiences can enjoy "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" at 7:30 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday, April 8-11, in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts. A Sunday, April 12 matinee is scheduled for 3 p.m.

The musical satire about big business - and all it holds sacred - follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch (played by Steven Wood, a theatre major from Durand), who uses a handbook to climb the corporate ladder from window washer to high-powered executive. The play features music, wit, comedy and romance.

Ric Roberts, SVSU professor of theatre, will direct the SVSU production.

The play is based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. That text has been adapted into a Broadway musical and a 1967 Hollywood movie.

Tickets are $16 for the general public, $13 for senior and $10 for students. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Box Office at (989) 964-4261 or visit www.svsu.edu/theatre/showschedule.

April 6, 2015

Author Éireann Lorsung to present at SVSU for reading series

Writer Éireann Lorsung will speak at Saginaw Valley State University as part of the school's "Voices in the Valley" reading series Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. in SVSU's Founders Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

Lorsung is a published author and poet, with her most notable works being "Music for Landing Planes By," "Her book," and "Sweetbriar," which are all poetry collections. She is currently working on a fiction novel about the effects a Japanese earthquake had on an archivist.

As for other endeavors, Lorsung is the coordinator for the Dickinson House, a bed and breakfast where writers and artists can explore their creativity in Belgium. She also runs MIEL, a micropress, and is editor for their journal 1110.

Lorsung earned her bachelor's degree in English and Japanese, and her master's degree in creative writing from the University of Minnesota before completing her Ph.D. in critical theory at the University of Nottingham.

April 6, 2015

SVSU Welcomes ‘One of the Hottest Young Trios’ in Music for Concert

Saginaw Valley State University will feature a concert by the Chicago-based Lincoln Trio as part of the Rhea Miller Concert Series Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall.

Hailed by FANFARE magazine as “one of the hottest young trios in the business,” the group includes Desirée Ruhstrat, violin, David Cunliffe, cello, and Marta Aznavoorian, piano. Each is an artist of international renown.

Ruhstrat has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, appearing at the White House and performing on a live radio broadcast heard around the world with the Berlin Radio Orchestra. Cunliffe has performed with the BBC and Royal Scottish orchestras, and as a member of the Balanescu Quartet. Aznavoorian has appeared with the Chicago Symphony and has performed at the Kennedy Center and the Sydney Opera House.

Formed in 2003, the Lincoln Trio takes its name from their home, the heartland of the United States, the land of Lincoln. The group has been praised for its polished presentations of well-known chamber works and its ability to forge new paths with contemporary repertoire. Internationally the trio has performed in Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and South America.

Winners of the 2008 Master Players International Competition in Venice, Italy, the trio also received prestigious Young Performers Career Advancement Award in 2011. Staunch proponents of music education, the Lincoln Trio has had residencies at the Music Institute of Chicago as well as San Francisco State University, University of Wisconsin Madison, and SUNY-Fredonia.

The Rhea Miller Concert Series is made possible by a generous gift from Rhea E. Miller, a longtime friend of SVSU. Her gift, administered by the Miller Trust for Music Education, has provided the university with the opportunity to offer outstanding performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed musical artists at no cost to the audience since 1993. For more information, call (989) 964-4159 or email music@svsu.edu.

April 6, 2015

SVSU Concert Band to perform

The Saginaw Valley State University Concert Band will perform in concert Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. in SVSU’s Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts. This event is free and open to the public.

The SVSU Concert Band is an ensemble consisting of 59 students under the direction of Bill Wollner, SVSU associate professor of music. Featured instruments include the clarinet, trumpet, euphonium and trombone, among others.

The band will perform various music pieces including "Adagio and Tarentella" by Ernesto Cavallini, and "Mock Morris" by Percy Aldridge Grainger.

For more information on this concert or the many other events hosted by SVSU's music department, visit svsu.edu/music.

April 6, 2015

SVSU secures DEQ grant to study Bad Axe Creek

Saginaw Valley State University has been awarded a $61,449 grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to monitor the Bad Axe Creek in Huron County for phosphorus and E. coli over the next two years.

The research also will help determine the concentration and potential sources of contamination there.

The grant was part of nearly $300,000 in DEQ grants distributed to universities, governments and nonprofit organizations planning to monitor water quality in Michigan. SVSU received the largest share of the $300,000.

The research will be conducted by David Karpovich, H.H. Dow Endowed Chair of Chemistry, Tami Sivy, associate professor of chemistry, and students involved in SVSU’s Saginaw Bay Environmental Science Institute.

Karpovich said previous research shows Bad Axe Creek carries high E. coli and phosphorus levels. He hopes the study will determine the source for those findings.

“This project will provide data to support development of corrective plans,” he said.

Bad Axe Creek is a tributary to the Pinnebog River, which flows to Saginaw Bay at Port Crescent State Park. Bad Axe Creek has been shown to be a major contributing source of phosphorus to the Pinnebog River, he said.

“This research complements our work to develop tools to develop strategic conservation strategies to help in the restoration of Saginaw Bay, which is a project funded by the University of Michigan Water Center,” Karpovich said.

Researchers with SVSU's Saginaw Bay Environmental Science Institute also are currently performing water quality studies in the Kawkawlin River, Pigeon River, Pinnebog River, Tawas River and Saginaw Bay.

For more information on the Saginaw Bay Environmental Science Institute at SVSU, visit www.svsu.edu/sbesi.

April 2, 2015

SVSU Graphic design student

SVSU graphic design student wins 2 gold ADDY awards, advances to national competition

A Saginaw Valley State University student won two out of six top awards recognizing outstanding student graphic design projects during the American Advertising Federation District 6 competition, which covers contestants from Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.

Now Kaitlyn Zumbach, a graphic design major from Millington who graduates in May, will see how well her two winning entries fare against national competition during the national American Advertising Federation conference in June in Las Vegas.

“They say that when you do something you love, you will find success,” Zumbach said. “I love graphic design and receiving all of these awards have been proof that I am going into the right career. I am incredibly grateful for the support of my family and the encouragement of some awesome advisors over the past few years. I can't wait to start my graphic design career in May.”

The regional competition, which was held in Muncie, Ind. in March, included 304 entries from student graphic design artists from cities as large as Chicago. The six entries that won gold designations - the top honors were given at the event - will be entered into the national competition.

Zumbach earned the two gold designations for a marketing campaign promoting a race in Harrison known as The Mutt as well as a series of stationery designs that include letterheads and business cards. She also earned two of the 14 silver designations given at the regional competition.

Zumbach is no stranger to recognition. Last year, she was one of five from the U.S. selected for the 16-person Stampin' Up! international Artisan Design Team. The recognition draws attention to artists working with rubber stamp art and paper crafting.

In 2014, Zumbach also won the Hank Graff 100 Year Anniversary Logo Contest for her graphic design entry celebrating the auto dealership's centennial year. She received a $1,000 scholarship as a prize, and the company adopted her logo.

Prior to graduating, Zumbach also will present her SVSU honors thesis on Friday, April 10. Her thesis is titled, “Non-Profit Branding and Social Media Marketing.”

To view some of Zumbach's work, visit her website at  http://www.createwithkaitlyn.com/‌.

April 2, 2015

SVSU's Crainer named top student adviser in the Great Lakes

Saginaw Valley State University's Bryan Crainer recently was recognized for being an outstanding adviser to student organizations. He received the Outstanding Adviser Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for District 5, which includes higher education institutions in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

 Crainer, SVSU's associate dean for Student Life and Leadership Programs, was recognized for his work as adviser of Forever Red, an SVSU student organization that coordinates activities and helps raise funds for a variety of SVSU programs.
 
SVSU student and Forever Red member Kimberly Salwey was one of the members of the campus community to write a letter of recommendation nominating Crainer.
 
“Bryan, being the founder of Forever Red, has put his heart and soul into this organization,” wrote Salwey, a management major from East Tawas.
 
“Bryan's integrity does not go without notice. Students respect and look up to him. Bryan directly affects members' paths everyday as well as the student body of SVSU.”
 
The award took Crainer by surprise.
 
 “Honestly, I was shocked when I got the notification that I was selected for this honor,” Crainer said. “I had asked the group to submit a nomination for an outstanding program that they facilitated this year called 'Stop the Clock.' I never expected that they would take the time to nominate me for Outstanding Adviser.”
 
“Stop the Clock” was an event designed to draw students’ attention to the moment in the academic year at which public funding for SVSU “stops.” One purpose of the event was to increase awareness of the importance and prevalence of donors’ contributions to SVSU and how students benefit from them.
 
CASE fosters student involvement in areas of advancement including alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing.
 
Merry Jo Brandimore, SVSU associate provost for Student Affairs and dean of students, also wrote a letter of recommendation.
 
“Because of Bryan's capacity to develop and apply student leadership, Forever Red has become a significant force at Saginaw Valley State University,” she wrote.
 
“So many students are passionate about their affinity with SVSU. Forever Red gives them the platform to channel their feelings into action that contributes to the strength of the university. Bryan's leadership is critical to continuing this legacy.”
 
Crainer said he enjoys providing leadership to Forever Red.
 
“Advising this group for the last four years has been one of my most enjoyable SVSU experiences,” he said. “As a proud and dedicated alumnus, advising a group that is dedicated to, among other things, connecting current students with alumni, makes it a natural fit for me.”
 
Crainer received his master's degree in educational leadership from SVSU, along with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. He was first hired in SVSU as a resident director in 2007.
 
A graduate of Whittemore-Prescott High School, Crainer resides in Bentley with his wife Kelly, a fellow SVSU graduate, and their two sons.

March 27, 2015

Novelist Larry Watson to speak at SVSU as Dow Visiting Artist

Author Larry Watson will hold a fiction reading Monday, April 13 at Saginaw Valley State University. His presentation, titled “Fiction and Families”, will begin at 7 p.m. in SVSU's Founders Hall. This event is part of the university's Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists series; it is free of charge and open to the public.

 Watson is author of several novels, including “Orchard,” “White Crosses,” and “American Boy,” with a new book tentatively titled “A Cowboy in the Basement” to be published next year. His novel “Let Him Go” is currently nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and “Montana 1948" was nominated during the award's first year.
 
Many of Watson's novels are also published in foreign editions, and he has received prizes and awards from numerous associations, including the Friends of American Writers, New York Public Library, and Milkweed Press. He also is a writer of poetry and short stories, with many of his works appearing in various literary journals and quarterlies.
 
A resident of Milwaukee, Watson teaches writing and literature at Marquette University. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of North Dakota and his Ph.D. in creative writing at the University of Utah.

March 26, 2015

SVSU to host program to encourage women to seek elected office

Saginaw Valley State University will host the Ready to Run Michigan conference Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18.

Ready to Run is a nonpartisan campaign program aimed toward training and encouraging women to run for political office at local, state, and national levels.

The conference will feature a panel with elected representatives from around the state, and training sessions on how to run for office. These sessions will give participants the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to promote a successful campaign and race. The workshops will focus on topics such as media training, fundraising strategies, and building political leadership.

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