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March 16, 2015

SVSU honors 'Best in Business' at award ceremony

Saginaw Valley State University's College of Business and Management honored regional businesses, students, alumni, and faculty during its second annual Academia Awards: Best in Business ceremony Friday, March 13 at SVSU.

The Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth received the Outstanding Family Business award. This lodge and restaurant offers visitors the chance to explore over 40 shops, yearly festivals and events, and a taste of classic German architecture. They employ more than 400 people and serve over a half million meals each year, and are annually ranked among the top independent U.S. restaurants. Ten members of the Zehnder family work side-by-side to keep the Bavarian Inn business going and maintain strong ties to the community.

The Outstanding Business award was given to Frankenmuth Insurance. This insurance company employs 127 previous attendees of SVSU, including 100 SVSU graduates. They were named National Company of the Year in 2013 by the Professional Insurance Agents Association. Frankenmuth Insurance promotes core values of caring, commitment and teamwork in addition to providing industry-leading technology and automation from their independent agent partners. With more than 600 employees, they focus daily to exceed policyholder expectations.

The Outstanding Business Leader award was presented to Paul Rowley. A Bay City native, he has played important roles in reviving downtown Bay City through growing his company, Rowley Brothers Inc., and in helping projects such as the river walk, the skate park, the rail trail, and the first downtown condo project. Rowley also has served on the Bay City Downtown Development Authority, the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Bay County, the Historical Society of Bay County, and numerous other community organizations.

Shaya Jewani received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student award. As an undergraduate, she was selected to the prestigious Roberts Fellowship program at SVSU during the 2013-2014 school year where she studied abroad in China, Japan, and Taiwan. A native of Fort Gratiot, Jewani also completed an honors thesis, “Does Bilinguality Significantly Impact a Student's Intellectual Capabilities and Academic Achievements Compared to Monolinguality.” She currently is enrolled at SVSU as an MBA student.

Lindsey Zion received the Outstanding Graduate Student award. A Fenton native and recent MBA graduate, she finished her graduate studies with a 4.0 GPA and, like Jewani, was a member of the Roberts Fellowship Program, which allowed her to study abroad in China, Taiwan, and Japan. She also has studied abroad in Mexico, Greece, Spain, India, and the Czech Republic. Zion recently began working for Consumers Energy as an account manager.

The Outstanding Alumnus award was presented to David Abbs. A 1983 graduate of the SVSU with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management, he is the owner of Abbs Retirement Planning Advisors in Saginaw; he is also a certified financial planner. Active in the community Abbs has served as chair of SVSU's Board of Control and the Saginaw Community Foundation Board.

Kylie Jaber, assistant professor of economics, received the Excellence in Teaching: Faculty award. Students in Jaber's economics courses recognize her passion, energy, and enthusiasm for teaching. In her own words, "teaching is like an orchestra or a play, where each performance is different - the experience will be new every time the musicians or the actors take the stage… And those attending the productions will hopefully be entertained, challenged, and impacted in some way." Jaber is passionate about teaching because it allows her to explore the things she loves the most: people, challenges, and creativity.

The Excellence in Teaching: Adjunct award was presented to Merle Davis, who has taught marketing and management courses at SVSU since 2010. He was recognized for his commitment to teaching and student learning; more specifically, his passion is in developing critical-thinking skills that allows students to identify opportunities and take advantage of them. Davis is also the president of Davis Performance Consulting, where he provides consulting services to manufacturing, health care, and service organizations.

Hong Park, professor of economics, received the Excellence in Research award. He has conducted pioneering research on the application of transaction cost economics to supply chain management and job turnover.  Among an impressive list of publications, Park has published a paper titled, "Foreign direct investment and global sourcing choices of firms in the U.S." which was included in a two volume book, "Global Supply Chain Management" edited by leading scholars in the field. He is currently working on a research project on knowledge, entrepreneurship and innovation, and has recently completed a study of the economic impact of SVSU on the Great Lakes Bay region commissioned by President Bachand.

Amy Hendrickson, SVSU assistant professor of law, received the Excellence in Service award. Before joining SVSU in 2013, Hendrickson worked at the California Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section, and spent some time providing volunteer legal services. During her time at SVSU thus far, she has engaged in volunteer activities such as coordinating an international Global Business Sustainability Conference at SVSU last year, and serving as judge and assistant for SVSU’s moot court competition.

March 12, 2015

SVSU named top 20 business school by military-focused organization

Saginaw Valley State University was ranked No. 20 nationally on a list rating the best educational institutions for military-affiliated students seeking an education in business.

Rama Yelkur, dean of SVSU's College of Business and Management, said SVSU takes pride in providing a top-notch education and experience for students affiliated with the military.

“The College of Business and Management at SVSU focuses on both classroom and experiential learning,” Yelkur said. “We also provide flexible day and evening classes that allow veterans to schedule around their full-time jobs and families, as they are often different from the traditional 18- to 22-year-old student.”

The Military Times is an independent media organization dedicated to news and information about the military. In November, the organization ranked SVSU No. 40 in its Best for Vets: Colleges 2015 list.

To determine its business school rankings, Military Times focused on culture and curriculum that cater to military-affiliated students.

The rankings will be published in the issues of Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times - on newsstands now - as well as online at ArmyTimes.com, NavyTimes.com, AirForceTimes.com, MarineCorpsTimes.com and MilitaryTimes.com.

The full rankings are available online here: http://bestforvets.militarytimes.com/business-schools/2015/

SVSU’s College of Business and Management is accredited by the leading accrediting agency for business colleges, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB. Less than 5 percent of the 13,000 collegiate business programs worldwide are so accredited.

March 11, 2015

Anti-slavery advocate, historian to visit SVSU

An expert on the history of slavery will visit Saginaw Valley State University Tuesday, March 17, as part of the institution's Barstow Humanities Seminar series. Stacey Robertson will deliver her presentation, “Using History to Make Slavery History: Historical and Contemporary Human Trafficking,” at 7:30 p.m. in SVSU's Curtiss Hall banquet rooms.

Robertson, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Central Washington University, also serves as co-director of Historians Against Slavery, a nonprofit organization that advocates against modern-day slavery and human trafficking. She also recently appeared as a historical expert on the TLC television series, "Who Do You Think You Are?," hosted by actress Zooey Deschanel.

Robertson - who completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of California, Santa Barbara - is an author of four books including “Betsy Mix Cowles: Champion of Equality” and “Hearts Beating For Liberty: Women Abolitionists in the Old Northwest.” She is the recipient of several teaching awards and research fellowships and has lectured at more than 100 venues internationally.

To watch Robertson speak about the history of slavery and abolitionism in an online video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaGjiMQ1hOI&t=27. Her SVSU talk is free and open to the public.

March 11, 2015

Islamic studies expert to give lecture at SVSU

Saginaw Valley State University will welcome a world-recognized leader in Islamic studies for SVSU's annual Raana Akbar Memorial Lecture Series on Thursday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall.

Imam Achmat Salie, director of the Islamic Studies Program at the University of Detroit Mercy, will deliver a presentation titled, “Muslim Americans as Cultural, Spiritual and Political Citizens.”

Speaking on philanthropy, global ethics, architecture, democracy, spiritual values, non-violence and green housing, Salie has been invited to share his story at venues across five continents. He completed a bachelor’s degree at Darul Uloom Newcastle in South Africa, and an M.B.A. and Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

This will be Salie’s second public appearance at SVSU; he delivered the invocation during President Donald Bachand's investiture ceremony last June. His upcoming talk is free of charge and open to the public.

The annual Dr. Raana Akbar Memorial Lecture Series on Islam and Culture at SVSU was established by Dr. Waheed Akbar, a Saginaw-based orthopedic surgeon, and the couple’s children, Akbar, Zainab, and Ahmed, in memory of their wife and mother, who passed away in 2009.  Raana served on the SVSU Board of Control; Waheed currently serves on SVSU’s Board of Fellows, a community advisory board.

March 10, 2015

Professional Profile for February 2015

• Martin Arford, associate professor of geography, was presented the Osprey Award for Outstanding Conservation Volunteers by the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy for the work at the Frankenlust Township Park and the invasive species removal that he coordinated with the help of SVSU student volunteers.

• James Bowers, assistant professor of criminal justice, and Poonam Kumar, director of online/hybrid learning, co-authored an article titled “Students’ Perceptions of Teaching and Social Presence: A Comparative Analysis of Face-to-Face and Online Learning Environments” that was accepted for publication in the International Journal of Web-based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 10(1), 2845.

• Ann CoburnCollins, director of academic programs support, recently attended the Innovations for Adjunct Faculty Support conference in Phoenix, Ariz., where she gave three presentations: “Creating an Inclusive Orientation Process”; “Developing Adjunct Faculty for Improved Student Success”; and “Developing and Resourcing an Adjunct Faculty Support Center. 

• Danilo Sirias, professor of management, provided training for 112 math teachers on his Problem Solving Maps methodology in Manila, Philippines. He was sponsored by Theory of Constraints for Education and hosted by the Rotary Club of Makati Central. More than 1,000 Philippine teachers have been trained on this methodology.

• Marilyn Skrocki, associate professor of health sciences, and Poonam Kumar, director of online/hybrid learning, gave an invited session titled “Strategies to Support Student Retention in Online Courses” at the Transforming the Teaching & Learning Environment: the 2014 PASSHE virtual conference, organized by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

• Stephen Taber, professor of biology, had a manuscript titled “The Previously Unknown Female of the Fungus Gnat genus Paratinia Mik (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) with Notes on Nearctic Males” accepted for publication in Southwestern Entomologist magazine.

• Bob Tuttle, professor of mechanical engineering, was selected by the American Foundry Society to receive its 2015 Applied Research Award for his “Ultrasonic Testing Gage R & R Study.” Tuttle’s research involves the ultrasonic testing of steel castings and has helped make advancements in testing standards. The project’s goal was to measure the repeatability and reproducibility of X-ray and ultrasonic testing readings for castings and to compare the results. This information is now being used in participating foundries as a way to work on permitting ultrasonic testing, as opposed to X-ray standards.

• Gardner Umbarger, associate professor of teacher education, presented at the 16th International Conference for the Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities-CEC in Clearwater Beach, Fla., in January. The topic of his presentation was “The Ethics of School Immunization Exemption Laws.”

• Scott Youngstedt, professor of anthropology, presented a paper titled “Water Vendors, Gender, and Islam in Niamey, Niger” at the 113th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association

March 10, 2015

Professional Profile for January 2015

• James Bowers, assistant professor of criminal justice; Kim Lacey, assistant professor of English; and Poonam Kumar, director of online/hybrid learning, presented “Teaching Presence on the Rise: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Online Course” Nov. 15, 2014, at the Bucknell Digital Scholarship Conference.

• Brandon Haskett, assistant professor of music, recently published two articles: “A Case Study of Early Professional Development Opportunities for Steel Band Directors in the United States: The Haystack Steelpan Program,” in Visions of Research in Music Education (December 2014); and “A Survey Study of U.S. Collegiate and K12 Steel Band Directors’ Attitudes Relating to Steel Band Curriculum and Pedagogy” in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education (November 2014). Also, Haskett presented “The Development of K- 12 and Collegiate Steel Bands in the U.S.” at the Percussive Arts Society International Conference in November 2014.

• Robert Tuttle, professor of mechanical engineering, and Yousef Jabbari, associate professor of mechanical engineering, have received a $21,359 grant from the American Foundry Society for their Thermal Property Trends in Green Sand. This project focuses on determining how the thermophysical properties of foundry molding sands vary with temperature and sand composition. Results from this project will improve the performance of the solidification simulation software by creating new thermophysical property data sets and developing a better understanding of the effect of molding sands on removing heat from a casting. 

• Sara Beth Keough, associate professor of geography, and Scott Youngstedt, professor of anthropology, have co-authored an article that was published in Vol. 57, no. 4 (2014) of the peer-reviewed journal, FOCUS on Geography. The article is titled “The Material Culture of Water: Transportation, Storage, and Consumption in Niamey, Niger.” Funding for fieldwork in Niger was provided by the American Geographical Society’s McColl Fellowship and an SVSU Faculty Research Grant.

• Jeffrey Koperski, professor of philosophy, has published his first book with Wiley-Blackwell: The Physics of Theism: God, Physics, and the Philosophy of Science.

• Helen Raica Klotz, Christina Montgomery, and Christopher Giroux, with Crystal Brinson, Zach Gibson, Taeler Singleton, Kramer Stoneman and Ka Vang, published “‘Developing Writers:’ The Multiple Identities of an Embedded Tutor in the Developmental Writing Classroom” in Praxis: A Writing Center Journal (12:1), December 2014.

• Anne Tapp, professor of education, and Joe Jaksa, associate professor of criminal justice, presented “The Role of Technology in Virtual Mentorships and Internships” at the 13th Annual International Conference on Education, Jan. 8 in Honolulu.

March 10, 2015

Professional Profile for November 2014

• Emily J. Beard, assistant professor of English, presented a paper titled “‘Reacting’ to the needs of the Composition Student: Employing Reacting Pedagogy in the Writing Classroom” at the Writing Across the Peninsula conference, Oct. 10 in Marquette. Also, Beard presented a webinar titled “Tapping into Student Success: Using MindTap to Promote Richer Learning Outcomes” as part of the Cengage Learning Fall Webinar Series, Oct. 24.

• Elson Boles, professor of sociology, presented a seminar titled “The Flipped Classroom and Team-Based Learning” at the annual Professional Issues in Higher Education Conference at Michigan Education Association headquarters, Oct. 24 in Lansing. Also, Boles began his tenure this fall as vice president, four-year colleges of the Michigan Association of Higher Education.

• Marlena Bravender, assistant professor of education technology, presented “What would you do? Student experiences with online simulations” at the annual Lilly Conference, Oct. 18 in Traverse City.

• Geoffrey V. Carter, assistant professor of English, presented a talk and film titled “Crime, Culture and Chicane Lanes: A Hidden History of Michigan Pinball” at the Cultural Rhetorics Conference, Nov. 1 at Michigan State University.

• Garry Johns, professor of mathematical sciences, presented two papers that he co-authored with Jan Hlavacek, assistant professor of mathematical sciences. First, he presented “Rainbow-colored paths” at the 45th Southeastern International Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Computing, March 3-7. The paper will be included in the conference proceedings. Also, Johns presented “The strong rainbow connection number and maximal cliques” at the 28th Midwest Conference on Combinatorics & Combinatorial Computing, Oct. 22-24.

• Sara Beth Keough, associate professor of geography, gave a research presentation at the University of Western Ontario as part of the Fall 2014 Colloquium Series for the Migration and Ethnic Relations Graduate Program. Her presentation was titled, “Migration to Fort McMurray, Alberta: Implications for Urban Planning and Social Capital in a Resource-Dependent Community.”

• Rhett Mohler, assistant professor of geography, presented a paper titled “Determining the timing and potential cause of a swampy, chronically hypoxic reach of the North Branch of the Kawkawlin River” at the 37th Applied Geography Conference, Oct. 15-17 in Atlanta, Ga. This work was co-authored by Nick Ross, a student who has since gone on to graduate school in the field of geographic information systems at Chicago State University.

• Paul Munn, professor of English, published the article “Puissance, Jouissance, and Communication: Mediating John Ashbery’s ‘The Salve Merchant’ in the Context of His Planisphere” in the journal Imaginaires 18 (2014).

• Stephen Taber, professor of biology, has a manuscript titled “A New Nearctic Species of the Fungus Gnat Genus Dziedzickia Johannsen (Diptera: Mycetophilidae)” accepted for publication in Southwestern Entomologist magazine.

February 27, 2015

SVSU Students Teach Kids to Draw Comics

A group of Saginaw Valley State University students, the SVSU Comic Strippers, will conduct two free workshops on drawing comics for youth ages 8-16.

The first workshop will take place Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. at Zauel Library, 3100 N. Center Road in Saginaw Township.  The second workshop is Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m. at Butman Fish Library, 1716 Hancock Street in Saginaw.  

The SVSU Comic Strippers has been a registered student organization since 2009, dedicated to advancement and appreciation of their comic artwork, sharing resources and development of their skills. This year's club officers are James Hansen, Jolyn Ohlendorf and Neil Richardson.

The Comic Strippers club has taught successful workshops in 2012 and 2013 at Zauel Library. In the past they have taught skills in layout and design, Japanese-style manga characters, realistic human faces, and tentacle-faced monsters.

For more information on the Zauel Library workshop, please contact Jennifer Harden at (989) 799-2771 or jharden@saginawlibrary.org.

For more information on the the Butman Fish Library workshop, please contact Kristine Swanson at (989) 799-9160 or kswanson@saginawlibrary.org.

February 27, 2015

SVSU to host annual college night; first time in spring

Saginaw Valley State University will host Great Lakes Bay Region College Night Monday, March 16 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in SVSU’s Groening Commons and Curtiss Hall. Previously, this event has been held in the fall; it is being moved to spring to give regional high school students more time to research and explore different college options.

“This is a prime opportunity for local high school students, especially juniors and sophomores in the Great Lakes Bay Region, to explore a wide variety of college options in one setting,” said Jennifer Pahl, SVSU director of admissions. “Whether you are just starting your college selection process or are close to making your decision, this event can provide valuable information to help you make the best choice for you.”

The college night will give high school sophomores and juniors from the Great Lakes Bay Region a head start in learning about college and the opportunities it has to offer.

Admission representatives from more than 40 colleges and universities will be present to provide students and parents with information about financial aid, scholarships, academic programs, career opportunities, housing, clubs, athletics, and other college-related topics. Recruitment officers from the U.S. Armed Forces will also be present to supply information to interested students.

A financial aid presentation will begin at 7 p.m.

There is no charge to attend. For more information, contact SVSU’s admission office at (989) 964-4200 or visit svsu.edu/glbrcollegenight.

February 26, 2015

SVSU theatre alum influences arts scenes in U.S., abroad

Brett Elliott has been decided on his career path for some time: theater.

“If you can imagine doing anything else, then do it,” he said. “If you can't, then start running and never stop.”

Since graduating from Saginaw Valley State University in 2009 with a degree in theatre, Elliott has turned his pursuit into national and international success through his work with well-known theater companies in New England and Chicago. Currently, the Reese native is serving as executive director of the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center — also known as “The Kate” — in Old Saybrook, Conn.

Ric Roberts, SVSU professor of theatre, is proud of Elliott's accomplishments.

“We have had many outstanding graduates from our program, but Brett is seriously taking things to a new level, working with some of the top people in our industry,” Roberts said.

Elliott’s responsibilities at The Kate include overseeing the center’s various productions, which range from musical acts to viewings of both modern and classic movies. The Kate recently entered into a contract with Connecticut Public Television for a 6-part television series focusing on cabaret-style acts.  Elliott hopes PBS picks up the series.

“It’s been a great experience,” Elliott said of the new job. “I did a little work here before, and I’m glad to be back.”

He accepted the position in November after returning from Melbourne, Australia, where he spent one month helping adapt a tech-reliant take on Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” The updated version was known as “Since I Suppose.”

Previously, he was involved in staging an earlier production of “Since I Suppose” in Chicago, where he moved in 2012 to join the DePaul University/Chicago Shakespeare Theater Master of Fine Arts program. Only two people per year are accepted into this highly competitive program. He graduated in August.

“Since I Suppose” was a pedestrian-based live art event. The experience used screen-based digital technologies to guide participants through downtown Chicago, and later, Melbourne.

Elliott worked as project manager during his two years at DePaul and oversaw each part of the production and execution of the show.

“Essentially, anything that needed to be done to help create the artists' vision, I was tasked with finding a way to make that happen,” Elliott said.

Elliott discussed the technological aspects of “Since I Suppose” at the Theater Communications Group conference in San Diego last year.

The program director for the American Theater Wing, one of the most prestigious theater organizations in the United States, was at the conference. He was impressed and sent a film crew to capture the show’s production in Chicago. This became a part of a video series the American Theater Wing produces about new types of theater. That video is available online here: http://americantheatrewing.org/videos/since-i-suppose-site-specific-theatre/

International travel was a large part of Elliott's time at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. He traveled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, the largest theater festival in the world, as the company manager for a Chicago Shakespeare Theater World’s Stage Series production of “Cadre.”

At SVSU, Elliott did primary technical theater work and served as stage manager for many productions. He was named a Distinguished Theatre Scholar recipient.

SVSU hosted the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival while Elliott was a student and on two occasions since. Both times, Elliott returned to serve as production manager.

Roberts said his former student “deserves every single accolade” received in his professional life.

“He was and continues to be one of the hardest working individuals that I have ever known,” Roberts said. “He has raised the reputation of our theatre program in many ways.”