Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Ji Hoon Park Named a Towsley Research Scholar

Professor Ji Hoon Park of the Department of Communication has been named Hope College's most recent Towsley Research Scholar. As part of his Towsley-funded sabbatical Professor Park intends to author a book tentatively titled Racial Representations on Reality TV: Genre and Audiences. Professor Park received his Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. at Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea) and M.A. at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada). His doctoral dissertation research explored the representation of race in reality television programming and its audience reception. The reality genre has possibilities of counter-hegemonic cultural politics, and his dissertation addresses whether reality television can serve as a cultural forum that allows consideration and discussion of important issues regarding race. The Towsley Research Scholars Program is made possible by a grant of $500,000 from the Towsley Foundation of Midland, Michigan. Income from this endowment allows us to appoint a Towsley Research Scholar each year. Each Towsley Research Scholar holds the fellowship for four years. The first Towsley Research Scholar was named in 1996. Current Towsley Scholars are: Matthew DeJongh, Isolde Anderson, Aaron Best and the 2007 Towsley Scholar, Nathan Tintle.

Todd Steen Appointed to Endowed Professorship

Todd P. Steen of the Department of Economics, Management, and Accounting has been appointed as the first Granger Professor of Economics for a seven-year term effective July 1, 2009. The endowed professorship is made possible by a genrous gift from Ron and Donna Granger. Professor Steen's academic interests include labor economics and Christian perspectives on economics. He has undergraduate degrees in both geography and economics, and a doctorate in economics from Harvard University, where his dissertation was on the economics of child care. He has had several publications in a variety of journals, including Population Research and Policy Review, International Journal of Social Economics, Perspectives and The Christian Century. Professor Steen won the H.O.P.E. award as the Hope College outstanding professor-educator in 1993. He has served as the managing editor of Christian Scholar's Review since 1994.

Becky Schmidt Named to AVCA Board

Hope College volleyball coach Becky Schmidt has been elected to the board of directors of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as the NCAA Women's Division III representative. Professor Schmidt, who teaches sports psychology and Health Dynamics in the Department of Kinesiology, just completed her fifth season as head coach of her alma mater. The 2008 Flying Dutch posted a 26-7 record en route to winning the championship of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and earning a berth in the NCAA Division III championships. Schmidt's record at Hope is 121-58 (.678). Her collegiate coaching record through the 2008 season, which includes three seasons at the University of Redlands, Calif., is 159-90 (.639). A 1999 Hope graduate, Schmidt was an All-American middle blocker as a senior. "I am very excited to serve the AVCA and its membership in this capacity," said Schmidt. "The coaches and student-athletes in Division III are committed, talented and creative, and care deeply about the future of this game. I look forward to working with them, as well as coaches at all levels, to provide the most profound athletic experience possible to our student-athletes, while also enhancing our own professional growth and development. This is an exciting time of growth in the AVCA, and I am eager to continue the work that Kalamazoo College's Jeanne Hess has done to move Division III volleyball forward."

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

DEMA Reaches out to the Community

Professors Stacy Jackson and Bob Eames of the Department of Economics, Management, and Accounting were recently involved in a project designed to partner with physicians to improve operations at Holland Hospital. As part of a physician conference on November 15 Professor Jackson facilitated a two-hour workshop entitled "Strategic Positioning." Professor Eames followed with a two-hour workshop entitled "Building Strong Brands." Professor Steve VanderVeen of the Center for Faithful Leadership and Mark de Roo, part-time professor of human resources, will conduct two additional workshops in February.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Brian Porter Wins Faith Integration Award

Dr. Brian Porter of the Hope College management faculty has received national recognition for blending faith and learning. He received the "Sharon G. Johnson Award" from the Christian Business Faculty Association (CBFA) during the group's annual meeting, which ran Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 6-8, in Indianapolis, IN. As described by the association, the award "recognizes God-honoring intellectual contributions by individuals who incorporate learning, business and faith into a dynamic process to promote Christian faith integration in business." Porter's research interests are in ethics and faith integration with business and international business. He has several publications and regularly presents his research at academic conferences. A member of the Hope faculty since 1999, he has taught a variety of courses at the College, including Finance, Management Theory, his department's Management Seminar, and a First-Year Seminar titled "Vocation and Calling: The Music of U2." Porter is both a CPA and CMA, and has worked as a public accountant for an international accounting firm and as a managerial accountant for the automotive industry. He graduated from Alma College in 1984, completed his MBA at the University of Michigan in 1990, and completed his doctorate from the Graduate School of Business at Indiana University in 1994.

Victor Claar Honored by Alma Mater

Professor Victor Claar of the Department of Economics, Management, and Accounting was invited to serve as a panelist during a special convocation as part of Houghton College's 125th anniversary homecoming celebration. A 1987 Houghton College graduate, Dr. Claar's presentation was the capstone for the homecoming celebration. Panels of which Victor was a part included "Pursuing our Calling" which explored God's calling in a variety of professional contexts, and "On Being Globally Connected" which featured ways in which Houghton alumni are living out their calling in global environments.

Kirk Brumels Elected to State Office

Dr. Kirk Brumels of the Department of Kinesiology has been elected to a two- year term as president-elect of the Michigan Athletic Trainers Society. He will serve in this role from 2009-2010 and will succeed Christina Eyers of Central Michigan University as president for 2011-2012. The mission of the Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society is to enhance the quality of health care provided by certified athletic trainers and to advance the profession of athletic training in the state of Michigan. A 1988 Hope College graduate, Dr. Brumels has served as head athletic trainer and clinical instructor in the athletic training program since 2001. He will assume the role of athletic training program director when he
returns from a sabbatical leave in January 2009.

Vicki TenHaken Spreads "Hope" Abroad

Following up on a relationship begun while on sabbatical last year, Vicki TenHaken, Associate Professor of Management in Hope's Department of Economics, Management & Accounting, returned to Krakow, Poland over Hope's Fall Break to teach an Executive MBA course at the Krakow University of Economics. This year's class consisted of 27 experienced and motivated professionals including several engineers working for firms in the steel, transportation and other heavy manufacturing industries, six general managers/presidents for international firms' Polish operations, two chief financial officers, three people from an international CPA firm's Polish offices (including a managing partner), purchasing directors, HR managers, computer software engineers and sales vice presidents. Given current feelings in the US regarding Wall Street and our financial institutions, Vicki reports that working with high-level practicing managers in a transition economy provided a good reminder of how business can positively affect people's lives in a free market economy. Having seen the adverse effects of an "unfree" economy, these managers take very seriously their responsibility for making the capitalistic system work and are eager to learn about effective management methods for helping their organizations and their country succeed in the world economy.

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