Ontario Premier Doug Ford to Speak at Commencement
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Ontario Premier Douglas Ford will address graduates during SVSU commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 2.
SVSU President George Grant Jr will confer upon Ford an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the morning ceremony.
Ford, the 26th premier of the province, was first elected to the position in 2018 and re-elected in 2025. In this role he oversees a broad provincial mandate encompassing health care, education, infrastructure, economic development and social services for a population of more than 16 million residents. He also represents Ontario within the Great Lakes‑St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers organization, working with U.S. governors and Canadian premiers to strengthen cross‑border cooperation on economic development, environmental stewardship and regional trade impacting Michigan and the broader Great Lakes region.
Graduates of the colleges of the College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences, the Carmona College of Business, and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Graduates from the College of Education and the College of Health and Human Services will be honored at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony.
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SVSU Names New Dean of HHS
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Saginaw Valley State University has selected Susan Smalling, a higher education and social work professional, as dean of the Crystal M. Lange College of Health and Human Services July 8. She succeeds Marcia Ditmyer, who will remain on SVSU’s faculty.
Smalling currently serves as the associate dean for social sciences, director of faculty community and belonging, and a professor of social work and family studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
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Robotics Competition A Success
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Another exciting FIRST® in Michigan State Championship is in the books. Thanks to all who turned out to assist, cheer on the competitors or simply check out the action.
Michigan has more FIRST® Robotics high school teams than any other state — more than 500 — and 160 of them attended this year’s state championship.
The Conference Center at SVSU was on site, dispatching updates from the competition, including a check-in with Consumers Energy's Jeanne Lasky, whose son, PJ Lasky, a mechanical engineering major from Jackson, is part of the Cardinal Formula Racing Team. See the video here.
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High School Students Complete Leadership Program
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For 21 years, high school students from across the region have gained valuable leadership training and learned new skills that will benefit their own professional development and the community through the Great Lakes Bay Regional Youth Leadership Institute. Community engagement is a core pillar of the Great Lakes Bay Regional Youth Leadership Institute. Through service, collaboration, and leadership, students work to make a meaningful impact in their communities.
The latest cohort of youth — 60 students from 21 high schools — recently completed the program, which focused on the theme “Leadership Is: Stories That Shape Us, Voices That Lead Us.”
Mamie Thorns, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, was instrumental in the formation of the GLBRYLI and continues to lead the coordination of each year’s program.
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Three SVSU tennis players were honored by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Nicoletta Diamantopoulos and Amelia Dickson were individually named on the first team singles and together were named second team doubles. Anastasia Diamantopoulos earned honorable mention.
Baseball's Jack Decker was named both the GLIAC Pitcher of the Week and the NCBWA Midwest Region Pitcher of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
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SVSU does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical impairment, disability or veteran status in the provision of education, employment and other services.
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