Hope College Dean for Social Sciences

Karla Wolters Announces Retirement Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Longtime Hope College physical educator and softball coach Karla Wolters has announced her plans to retire from the faculty and from coaching at the conclusion of the current school year. "It is with bittersweet feelings that I announce my retirement at the end of the 2009-10 school year," Wolters said. "I have truly enjoyed living my dream of working for my alma mater. The students, staff, colleagues and administration have blessed my life with wonderful memories and I will treasure their friendship forever. I look forward with great anticipation to this school year and to what the Lord has in store for me after my career in education is over."

Wolters has coached collegiate athletics for 36 years, the past 22 years at the helm of the Flying Dutch softball team. She holds the academic rank of Professor of Kinesiology. "Karla's service to Hope College as an outstanding teacher, coach, scholar and mentor will long be remembered," said Dr. Mark Northuis, chair of the Department of Kinesiology. "She has supported the mission of the college by investing in the lives of young people on a daily basis as they seek to become effective and caring physical educators. Her versatility as a coach is reflected not only in her numerous wins in several sports, but also in the affectionate praise of her athletes."
Wolters has coached an amazing 1,754 athletic contests over 57 seasons in softball, volleyball, basketball, field hockey and tennis. Her records by sport thru the 2008-09 school year are: softball (664-380), volleyball (375-194), field hockey (40-26-7), basketball (24-21) and tennis (14-9). She has coached teams with winning records in a season 45 times compared to nine losing campaigns and three .500 marks.

Wolters has brought a new level of success to the Hope softball program. She has led the Flying Dutch to five NCAA Division III tournament appearances (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 2006). The 1991 Flying Dutch finished third in the nation and the 1995 team tied for fifth. Wolters was named the Region softball coach of the year in 1991, 1992 and 1995. The Hope staff was honored by the MIAA in 2006. Her career collegiate coaching record over 31 seasons is 664-380. Her 22-year softball record at Hope is 495-302. She is ranked the fifth winningest NCAA Division III coach all-time.

Wolters introduced the sport of korfball to Hope and western Michigan through a class she taught. In the fall of 2005 Hope entertained a Korfball team from Europe and the next summer a team comprised of Hope students and recent alumni traveled to Europe for a series of games. Wolters served on the governing board of USA Korfball and in 2007 was an assistant coach on the USA team that competed in the World Championships in The Czech Republic. She has a passion for the history of sports and a special interest in the history of the Olympics and women in sports. She enjoys sharing this historical information and her collection of antique sports equipment with her students and community members.

Wolters taught and coached for 13 years at Calvin. She led the Calvin softball team to seven conference championships from 1979-87 and took Calvin to the NCAA Division III playoffs on four occasions(1983-84-85-87). Wolters is a 1973 Hope College graduate. She was a standout student-athlete during her undergraduate years playing in 13 varsity sports seasons and lettering in tennis, field hockey, basketball and volleyball. She received the Master of Arts degree from Michigan State University in 1978. In 1986 she was voted the NCAA Division III coach-of-the-year by the Intercollegiate Volleyball Coaches Association. She is among the most successful coaches in the history of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with 20 conference championships in softball, volleyball and women's basketball.

Wolters and her husband Tom, also a Hope College graduate, reside in Zeeland, Mich. Hope College in 2008 honored the Wolters by naming the college's new softball stadium in their honor.

Social Science Faculty Gather for Scholarship Seminar

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Approximately 40 social science faculty gathered in May to participate in a seminar called "S4-Scholarship in the Social Sciences Seminar." Attendees heard from colleagues on a wide variety of topics related to developing a scholarly career. Moderated by political science professor David Ryden, sessions included:

DISPELLING FEARS & MYTHS: Roger Nemeth - Department of Sociology and Social Work

DEVELOPING A SCHOLARSHIP PLAN: Jane Finn - Department of Education

GRANT PROPOSALS DO'S & DONT'S: Christian Spielvogel - Department of Communication

SOURCES OF SUPPORT: Tracey Nally - Office of Sponsored Research

In addition, Charlotte van Oyen Witvliet moderated a session titled "WHY ENGAGE IN SCHOLARSHIP?" Panelists included:

Patricia Roehling (Department of Psychology) - Scholarship as part of a balanced career

Vicki TenHaken (Department of Economics, Management, and Accounting) - Scholarship as teaching

Deborah Sturtevant (Department of Sociology and Social Work) - Scholarship as service

Maureen Dunn (Department of Kinesiology) Scholarship as matchmaker

Workshop materials can be viewed at:
https://sites.google.com/a/hope.edu/hope-college-division-of-social-sciences/Home/the-role-of-scholarship-in-the-social-sciences

Social Sciences and Humanities Team Together for Summer Research

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Approximately 50 students and faculty from the social sciences and humanities recently completed collaborative research experiences. The research teams worked together over the summer on a wide variety of topics ranging from balance improvement in the elderly using video games to Piers Plowman and cognitive literary theory. In an effort to create a common culture of scholarship the teams took part in weekly luncheons during which one or two of the groups would describe their work. Some of the students were also housed together for the summer and provided with office space so they could more easily share their research experiences. Professor Curtis Gruenler of the Department of English coordinated the program, which was funded through grants from the Nyenhuis Summer Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Fund, the Frost Center, the CrossRoads Program, and the Deans of both Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences.

Upward Bound Students Make a Difference in the Community

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:51:00 +0000

The Hope College TRIO Upward Bound students recently participated in the launch of the new DELTA Project of Ottawa County website. DELTA is a project of Lakeshore Alliance Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (LAADSV) in partnership with Center for Women in Transition. The DELTA Project of Ottawa County is dedicated to preventing intimate partner violence before it happens. Eighteen high school students participated in a six-week Teens Preventing Dating Violence class through the 2009 Hope College TRiO Upward Bound Summer Session. The students developed the teen dating violence and active bystander information, created a prevention pledge campaign, and enhanced the site with other special features. This website will serve to provide valuable information about preventing teen dating violence and domestic violence. This website meets one of LAADSV's major goals of reaching the community with a prevention message and helping to equip others with resources and information to prevent such abuse before it happens. More information about the DELTA Project can be found at http://delta.aplaceforwomen.org/.

Martin Hill Named Director of Frost Research Center

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Dr. Martin Hill, a researcher with two decades of experience working in academic, corporate and government settings, has been appointed to lead the Carl Frost Center for Social Science Research at Hope College. Established in 1990, the center conducts surveys and assists with other data-collection and analysis needs for community organizations as well as for researchers at the College. Hill, who is currently a senior research associate with Richard Day Research of Evanston, Ill., will begin his work with the center on Tuesday, Sept. 1, the day that fall-semester classes begin at Hope. He succeeds former director Megan Mullins, who is relocating to Muncie, Ind., where she joins her husband, a faculty member at Ball State University.

"Marty Hill is an exceptionally experienced and qualified researcher. I am confident that he will be able to build on the significant strengths of the Carl Frost Center for Social Science Research so carefully and successfully nurtured under Megan Mullins' leadership," said Dr. R. Richard Ray, who is Dean of Social Sciences and a Professor of Kinesiology at Hope. "He joins a talented staff of research associates who, with his guidance and support, will continue to provide community clients, Hope College students, and faculty with the research solutions they need to succeed."

Hill has been with Richard Day Research since 2007. He was previously a senior research manager with Opinion Research Corporation of Arlington Heights, Ill.; a senior quantitative analyst with McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company of Evanston; a research assistant with the Kercher Center for Social Research and the Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo; and a research analyst with the Federal Bureau of Prisons of the U.S. Department of Justice in Butner, N.C. In addition, he has held teaching appointments at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Southern Vermont College in Bennington and Western Michigan University. He has also served as a consultant on a variety of research projects.

Hill has received multiple awards for excellence, including the Special Act Award from the U.S. Department of Justice; selection as Criminal Justice Scholar at Western Michigan University; recognition for outstanding research contribution from Opinion Research Corporation; and certificates of appreciation from both The Evaluation Center and the Department of Sociology at Western Michigan University. He is a member of the American Sociological Association, the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Hill graduated from Western Michigan University in 1986 with honors in criminal justice. He completed a master's at Western, with concentrations in criminology and in applied research and evaluation, in 1991. He completed his doctorate at the university, with an emphasis on medical sociology and also in applied research and evaluation, in 2004.

The Frost Center supports collaborative faculty-student research throughout the social sciences at Hope. Multiple community organizations have also contracted with the center for a variety of research needs. The center's external projects and clients have included a report about Kids Hope USA for the book "Street Saints"; an evaluation of Good Samaritan Ministries' faith-based mentoring programs; a survey of West Michigan residents concerning Ozone Action! Days for the West Michigan Clean Air Coalition; a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey for the Ottawa County Health Department; a worship survey for the Reformed Church in America; and a youth-needs assessment for the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. The Carl Frost Center for Social Science Research is located on the second floor of the College's Anderson-Werkman Financial Center at 100 E. Eighth St. in downtown Holland. More information about the center may be found online at http://www.hope.edu/admin/frost or by calling (616) 395-7556.

Hope Teams and Student-Athletes Honored for Academics

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:49:00 +0000

A record 12 Hope College athletic teams, including all nine women's teams, have received the 2008-09 GPA Team Award from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). The MIAA Team GPA Award is presented to conference teams that achieve a 3.300 or better grade point average for an entire academic year. This program is administered by the Faculty-Athletic Representatives (FARs) of the MIAA member colleges. The FARs at Hope College are Lynne Hendrix, Professor of Accountancy, and Dr. Mark Pearson, Assistant Pprofessor of Mathmetics. Hope teams receiving the award were women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming & diving, women's track & field, and volleyball. The women's cross country team, coached by Dr. Mark Northuis, has the distinction of receiving the honor all 11 years since the award program was instituted in 1998-99. The 2008-09 MIAA Academic Honor Roll includes 191 student-athletes from Hope. A student needed to maintain a minimum 3.5 grade point average the entire school year to receive the honors. Hope's honorees include 14 seniors who achieved the Honor Roll distinction four consecutive years.

41st Summer Upward Bound Underway

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Upward Bound at Hope College is "Investing Up" this summer! The summer theme of Invest Up is providing students with an opportunity to learn about the environment, the economy and how they can “invest” in their own lives as well in the world around them. Through the academic and elective curriculum, community volunteer projects, and the extra curricular activities students are exploring the theme as it relates to topics and situations affecting current and future generations.

Upward Bound is a pre-college preparatory program that is designed to help develop the motivation and academic skills for students from first generation college and low income families who are interested in pursing an educational program beyond high school. Upward Bound helps youth prepare for higher education. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition, mathematics, and science on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer. Currently, 774 programs are in operation throughout the United States, including at Hope College. Evidence that Upward Bound is making a difference abounds. Students in the Upward Bound program are four times more likely to earn an undergraduate degree than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in similar federally funded TRIO programs; nearly 20 percent of all Black and Hispanic freshmen who entered college since 1981 received assistance through the TRIO Talent Search or EOC programs; students in the TRIO Student Support Services program are more than twice as likely to remain in college than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program.

Management Professor, Center for Faithful Leadership Host Entrepreneurship Event

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Professor of Management Steve VanderVeen and the Center for Faithful Leadership will host Momentum Demo Day on Tuesday, July 28, from 5:30-7:30 P.M. at the Martha Miller Center. Momentum is a venture firm that invests in web-based technology start ups. Its program helps young entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality. Behind Momentum are a team of entrepreneurial mentors, the Windquest Group, and the economic development organization Lakeshore Advantage.

The event will allow attendees to find out about new technology companies from West Michigan entrepreneurs.

- See 3 demos of new technology
- Meet the entrepreneurs behind the ideas
- Learn about business opportunities
- Give your feedback

Demos from upcoming graduates of the Momentum program:
- Revetto - Manage your true social network from a simple and integrated application. Learn more about Revetto
- Public Collections - If someone owes you money, Public Collections helps you get it. Learn more about Public Collections
- Downstream - Downstream helps you back up, gather, and share the content you keep online. Learn more about Downstream

Those wishing to attend should RSVP to Amanda Chocko (616) 212.7703 amanda@momentum-mi.com

Tennis Coach Karen Page Loses Battle With Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Karen Page, a leader in the advancement of tennis at the high school, college and community levels, died Friday, July 3, at the Hospice House in Holland following a long, courageous battle against cancer. Page, 60, most recently was serving as Director of the DeWitt Tennis Center at Hope College, was the coach of the college's women's tennis team the past 12 years, and taught tennis classes in the Department of Kinesiology. "Karen promoted the game of tennis, but also promoted an enthusiasm and high energy for living," said longtime colleague Dwayne "Tiger" Teusink. "Positive energy and spirit were the hallmarks of Karen Page's life. Every woman she coached, every person she touched was the beneficiary of her strong touchstones of enthusiasm and passion, not just for the game of tennis but for the joy of life," said Eva Dean Folkert, co-director of athletics at Hope. " I honestly can't remember a time when in the space of five minutes -- whether in competition or conversation, I did not see a smile come across KP's face. We will greatly miss such a terrific role model to students and women. We will greatly miss such a treasured coach and friend."

Page guided the Hope Flying Dutch to conference championships in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. The 1998, 2000 and 2009 Flying Dutch earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. A reoccurence of cancer this spring did not allow her to actively coach the team, but it did not deter her from being with her squad at the conference and NCAA tournaments. Page had an extensive background as a teacher and coach of tennis. She previously served as coach of the boy's and girl's varsity teams at Holland West Ottawa High School. She also coached the Holland community's adult women USTA travel teams. She served as president of the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association and was a certified tennis teaching professional. She was presented the distinguished service award by the Western Michigan Tennis Association for outstanding leadership and service and named to the Hall of Fame of the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association. She was a graduate of Iowa State University.

WGVU to Show Hope Cameroon Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:54:00 +0000

WGVU (Channel 35) will show the Hope-made documentary "When the West Brings Civilization Back to Africa" on Wednesday, July 1, and Sunday, July 5. The 1.5-hour documentary will show on Wednesday, July 1, at 10 p.m. and Sunday, July 5, at 11:30 p.m. Created by Dr. Ji Hoon Park, Assistant Professor of Communication, with recent graduate Samantha Webbert of Holland, the film focuses on the college's ongoing service and research project involving the village of Nkuv in Cameroon. It explores how the project, which has focused on improving water quality and hygiene education in the remote and rural community, has had some unintended consequences, with some of the villagers feeling discouraged even as it has literally saved lives. The documentary premiered at the college's Knickerbocker Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 18. Park emphasizes that the documentary is not a criticism of the project or its goals. Since beginning during the 2005-06 school year, it has been overwhelmingly successful, cutting the death rate of young children due to waterborne disease from four to six per year to zero. "I definitely think that they are doing such a great job," he said. However, even as he and Webbert, a communication major, accompanied the Hope team in May 2008 to document the successes, they were also interested in observing the project's effect on the village in other ways. And thus while Webbert developed a documentary about the water quality and hygiene training for other programs to use in helping similar communities, Park focused on Webbert's experiences as a first-time visitor and her conversations with the villagers themselves. They found that while the villagers appreciated the team's work and the difference it was making, some were also experiencing a sense of inferiority, becoming painfully aware of the resources and opportunities they lacked in comparison. "People from America came to this village, and children no longer die. How can you not develop a sense of Western superiority?," Park said. "The people often say, 'No, I'm not happy because we don't have the things that you people have.'" "We may accidentally teach them that they're poor," he said. "And that's the saddest part."

Park noted that the documentary doesn't offer a solution to the problem. Instead, he hopes that it helps build awareness among organizations that engage in service efforts concerning the broader effect that their visits to such communities can have. "There are no easy solutions to these questions," he said. "At least we can be more aware of these cultural dynamics in a small village like Nkuv and help the community members develop strong self-esteem and self-confidence." It's a lesson that's very much on the minds of the Hope team. Dr. Jeff Brown of the Hope engineering faculty has been a part of the project since it began, and has experience with service in Africa that includes time with the Peace Corps. "This film identifies a number of critical issues related to development work," said Brown, who is an Assistant Professor of Engineering. "Cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity have always been major priorities for our group, but the film does capture glimpses of underlying cross-cultural dynamics that have forced us to ask very difficult questions." The Hope service initiative, which is partnered with the Life and Water Development Group of Cameroon, began during the 2005-06 school year as a service project for the college's then-new student chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA), with an emphasis on providing Nkuv with purified water through the construction of free-standing bio-sand filters. During the first year the effort expanded to include the college's Department of Nursing, which surveyed the villagers' health and began working with them to improve hygiene, sanitation and nutrition. Starting in 2007, the college's Department of Education became involved in helping to develop instructional materials that the people of Nkuv can use to teach themselves and others the health and hygiene lessons needed to improve health. The engineering effort has since expanded to include developing a piping system to bring water closer to the village from a river that is up to an hour's hike away. The team is also emphasizing providing training so that the villagers can help themselves and train other remote communities as well. The villagers now build their own filters based on an initial design developed by the Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) in Canada.

Psychology Student Garners National Award

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Psychology major Alicia Hofelich '07 has been recognized as an honorable mention awardee of a prestigious graduate research fellowship by the National Science Foundation. Five other Hope College students were also recognized. The NSF awarded 1,236 fellowships this year and presented another 1,836 students with honorable mention. The awards are for students in the early stage of pursuing a research-based master’s or doctoral degree. Fields of study supported by the fellowships include chemistry, computer science, engineering, the geosciences, the life sciences, the mathematical sciences, physics and astronomy, psychology, and the social sciences. The fellowships are for up to three years, and pay a $30,000 annual stipend, a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance and a $1,000 one-time international travel allowance. Hofelich is pursuing graduate studies at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Social Science Faculty Participate in GLCA Japan Program

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:47:00 +0000

Professor of Kinesiology Steven Smith and Professor of Communication Deidre Johnston recently returned from Japan where they participated in a GLCA Japan Studies program. The GLCA received a grant from the Japan Foundation of New York to support interdisciplinary, investigative travel projects for faculty with little or no prior Japan expertise and representing a diverse set of disciplines. The goals of this travel project are to study how Japan's history and culture have impacted the modern Japanese perception of meaningful work, compensation, and leisure practice. Travel included time spent in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. Tours and visits with major company laboratories and offices, the Waseda University Campus, and some of the leading cultural and tourist sites in those parts of Japan were part of the experience. Through discussions with business, governmental and academic leaders, Smith and Johnston examined how work and leisure time are being influenced by the trend towards globalization. Professor Smith examined the physical activity trends in Japanese society with an emphasis on rising levels of obesity in youth. Professor Johnston studied a variety of issues related to global communication and women's constructions of work, motherhood, and leisure.

CASA Summer Program to Focus on Water

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:35:00 +0000

It'll look like - and even be - fun in the sun, but there'll be a serious purpose behind the summer outings planned for the Children's After School Achievement (CASA) program at Hope College. Throughout their six-week summer session, which began Monday, June 15, CASA's elementary-age students will be learning about the significance of water, with particular emphasis on local environmental water issues. Approximately 100 students will participate in the program, which recently received $3,300 in grant support from the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area. Titled "Save the Water," the session will include a mix of field trips and classroom activities and instruction. Outdoor activities will include a trip aboard Grand Valley State University's "Annis" research boat, a visit to Dunton Park to take samples from Lake Macatawa, an opportunity to study wetlands and ponds at the Outdoor Discovery Center, a visit to the water supply plant north of town, and a day at the Smallenburg Park rain gardens.

Activities back on campus will include testing the water samples the students collected at Lake Macatawa, participation in Hope science camp programming related to water, and reading and responding to books related to the water theme. Resource people will include Dr. Graham Peaslee of the Hope faculty and area high school teachers Carl Van Faasen and Jennifer Soukhome, whose research together led to the book "An Environmental History of The Lake Macatawa Watershed," written by Van Faasen and Soukhome and edited by Peaslee.

CASA, a community organization housed at Hope, provides academic and cultural enrichment for at-risk second through fifth grade students. The program, which runs year-round, is intended to improve the students' academic performance by providing the tools they need to succeed in school. The students meet after school twice per week in one-on-one sessions with volunteer tutors, most of whom are Hope students, throughout the school year, and in the mornings during the six-week summer session. The academic-year and summer programs serve Holland and West Ottawa students. A total of 150 elementary-age students participated in CASA during the 2008-09 year. CASA was established in 1987 by Marge Rivera Bermann and Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) and originally housed at First United Methodist Church. CASA moved to Hope College in 1989, and has its offices and summer classes in Van Zoeren Hall and its school-year activities in classrooms in Lubbers Hall.

Molly Smith Receives Fulbright Award

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:18:00 +0000

Athletic training major Molly Smith '09 has been awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach English in Malaysia. She is one of two Hope College students to receive these highly competitive fellowships through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Last year, four graduating seniors or recent graduates also received Fulbright fellowships to teach abroad, and Hope has had multiple other recipients through the years. During 2008-09, Hope tied for 30th nationally among Bachelor’s institutions for the number of students receiving the awards. "That we have multiple students receive Fulbrights makes it look easy, but that’s far from the case," said Dr. David Cunningham, who is a professor of religion and director of the CrossRoads Project and serves as the Fulbright Program advisor at Hope along with colleague Dr. Janis Gibbs of the college’s history faculty. "The Fulbright program is highly selective—only about 1,500 fellowships are presented nationwide each year. It is a tremendous compliment to our students to have received them, and a strong affirmation of the high quality of a Hope education that we have had multiple students receive them."

In addition to the award for Smith, Ashley Holtgrewe, a 2007 graduate and communication and psychology major, received an English teaching assistantship from the French government. The French-government awards are also made based on the recipients' applications to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Holtgrewe will teach in Martinique.

Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Grant recipients include recent college graduates and graduate students, college and university instructors, and professionals in other fields. The U.S. Student Program is designed for recent college graduates, master’s and doctoral candidates, young professionals and artists, with awards supporting an academic year of study, research or teaching assistantship experience. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Hope Hosts Midwest Brain and Learning Institute

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:01:00 +0000

A popular conference hosted by Hope College for educators has returned for a ninth year. Professor Emeritus of Education Leslie Wessman and Associate Professor of Education Linda Jordan are members of the planning team for the annual Midwest Brain and Learning Institute, which was held at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center at Hope June 22-25. Co-sponsored by Hope and the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, the institute was attended by 136 educators from area and state-wide school districts as well as Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Hawaii. The institute is intended for educators who work with students of all age levels, including pre-school teachers, K-12 educators and college professors. The event is organized particularly with educators from West Michigan in mind but regularly draws attendees from throughout the state and beyond.

This year's institute focused on "Healthy Brains, Engaged Learners." The program's format is designed in light of research and emphasizes the guiding principle that learners must be actively involved. The institute's settings have been varied to include whole-group presentations, question-and-answer panels, small-group learning clubs and opportunities for informal discussion. Enrollment is capped at approximately 135 in keeping with the organizers' goal of enabling all of the participants to be actively engaged. Speakers included Dr. John J. Ratey, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of "SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" (2008) and "The User's Guide to the Brain" (2001). Dr. Paul D. Nussbaum, a clinical neuropsychologist and consultant on brain health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and author of "Your Brain Health Lifestyle" (2007). Susan Kovalik, president of The Center for Effective Learning and creator of ITI (Highly Effective Teaching - HET), a comprehensive school improvement model designed to increase student performance and teacher satisfaction. Kimberli Boyd, the CEO and founding director of "Dancing Between the Lines," a nationally known dancer, performing artist and artist educator whose approach to movement with students addresses many items enumerated by the National Standards for Education and No Child Left Behind. Ronna Alexander, a graphic recorder who graphically recorded all the presentations for the week, continuing her involvement in the 2007 and 2008 institutes. Jack Olwell, an award-winning physical educator from Minnesota, who presented on Jump Start, a brain-health program in Otsego.More information about the institute may be obtained online at http://braininstitute.org/

Center for Faithful Leadership's ASI Lands Challenging Project

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:52:00 +0000

The Assessment, Solutions, Implementation (ASI) Student Consulting Group has been given an opportunity to make a long-term impact on the lives of thousands of people who need food in Allegan County. The Food Provider Collaborative of Allegan County, an organization convened and funded by the Allegan County Community Foundation, has seen a 30% increase in requests for food, a level of need which far exceeds the capacity of existing food pantries. They have turned to ASI for help. ASI team leaders Jake Rollenhagen and Maria Kotman are moved by the need in Allegan County. In their project proposal, Jake, Maria and project advisor Virgil Gulker observed, "These are challenging times. When the economy gets a cold, the poor catch pneumonia." Working in concert with a support team of professional advisors from the Holland and Hope communities, ASI will conduct an audit of the food distribution network with a primary focus on the six factors cited by food providers: transportation, logistics, networking, media and communications, fundraising, and technology. Students will conduct marketing surveys and interviews, explore food distribution networks in other communities, and research and identify best practices. Based on this audit, ASI will provide specific recommendations to help food providers distribute food more efficiently and effectively now and in the future to those in need in Allegan County. "We see this as a remarkable privilege--the opportunity to serve those who serve the poor," observed Jake.

ASI is fast becoming the interdisciplinary flagship program of The Center for Faithful Leadership at Hope College. For more information, see: http://www.hope.edu/academic/leadership/student_consulting_team.htm. The Center is directed by Steve Vanderveen, Professor of Management.

Hope Among Leaders in NACDA Director's Cup Standings

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Hope College finished among the nation's top NCAA Division III schools in the annual NACDA Directors' Cup standings for the 2008-09 school year. Hope ranked 37th among 310 NCAA Division III colleges in the standings compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The NACDA Directors' Cup standings are based on points earned by teams that compete in NCAA championship events. Hope College has been ranked among the nation's top 50 NCAA Division III programs in 12 of the 14 years. Hope's place in the standings year-by-year were 1995-96, 26th; 1996-97, 46th; 1997-98, 23rd; 1998-99, 47th; 1999-00, 47th; 2000-01, 38th; 2001-02, 70th; 2002-03,31st; 2003-04, 39th; 2004-05, 56th; 2005-06, 12th; 2006-07, 20th;2007-08, 39th; 2008-09, 37th.

During the 2008-09 school year Hope won the Commissioner's Cupstandings of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) for the best cumulative results in men's and women's sports. Hope qualified individuals or teams in 10 NCAA championships -- men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's track and women's tennis, and volleyball.

Nora Kuiper Receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:21:00 +0000

Recent Hope College graduate Nora Kuiper has been awarded a postgraduate scholarship by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship program was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the Association's most accomplished student-athletes. Athletics and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership, are evaluated. In maintaining the highest broad-based standards in the selection process, the program aims to reward those individuals whose dedication and effort are reflective of those characteristics necessary to succeed and thrive through postgraduate study in an accredited graduate degree program. Kuiper was a standout sprinter on the track and field team. She was the NCAA Division III champion in the 100-meter dash and has been named the CoSIDA Academic All-American in women's track and field. This spring she was presented the college's Schouten Award which is given to a woman in the graduating class who, in addition to excelling in athletics, possesses strong character traits and leadership abilities and the Sheila Wallace-Kovalchik Scholar-Athletic Award as the outstanding female senior in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Kuiper is the 17th Hope student-athlete, the sixth since 2005, to receive the scholarship. Kuiper's award is one of 58 postgraduate scholarships valued at $7,500 each to be presented to student-athletes in all NCAA Divisions who participated in tennis, golf, outdoor track & field, rowing, baseball and softball. She is the only honoree from a Michigan college or university.

Education Student Receives Student Teaching Recognition

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Brieann Bryant, a graduating Hope College senior from Farwell, has received honorable mention in the 23rd annual Intern/Student Teacher of the Year competition coordinated by the Michigan Association of Teacher Educators (MATE). A total of 59 participants from 13 institutions across the state competed on the basis of videos they submitted showing a lesson each had taught while student teaching. MATE honored individual first- and second-place finishers, four finalists and 12 honorable mention candidates. Bryant is majoring in special education with a focus in learning disabilities, and submitted a language arts lesson from her fall 2008 student-teaching placement in a fifth-grade, general-education classroom at Hamilton Elementary. During the spring 2009 semester she student taught in a ninth-12th grade resource room at West Ottawa High School-South Building. Her career hope is to obtain either a K-5 general-education placement or a K-12 special-education placement.

MATE is an organization for individuals actively involved in the professional growth and development of pre-service and in-service teachers. MATE's membership includes representatives of public and private schools, colleges and universities, professional associations and learned societies, and governmental agencies. The MATE Intern/Student of the year contest is designed to encourage individuals who are preparing to become teachers to demonstrate exemplary teaching skills. This year's honorees were celebrated on Wednesday, May 15, during MATE's Annual Recognition Reception, which was held at Oakland University.

Social Science Students and Faculty Collaborate in Research

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Social Science Division students and faculty participated in a record number of collaborative research projects in 2008-09. One indication of this engagement can be found in the large number of projects displayed at the annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance. There were 86 Social Science Division students engaged with 25 faculty on 46 projects at this year's celebration. This represents a six-fold increase in student research engagement since the inception of the celebration in 2001. Students and faculty from every department in the Social Science Division were represented. Research project examples include "Comparison of Efficacy between Traditional and Video Game Based Balance Programs," "The Impact of Global Exposure on Personal Uncertainty," "The Role and Potential Bias of Lab Experiments in Economics," "Learning to Teach in a Time of Reform: How One Teacher Candidate Found His Way," "From Notion to Nation: Complications and Implications of a New Southern Sudan," "Changing Perceptions of Racism: Do The Emotions on Pride, Guilt, and Sympathy Affect Privileged Groups’ Perceptions of Discrimination?" and "Perceptions of Independence among College Students and Their Helicopter Parents."

Hope Education Department Exemplary - Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:19:00 +0000

The Hope College Education Department has once again been designated "exemplary" by the State of Michigan. This is the third consecutive year that the Michigan Department of Education has rated college and university teacher preparation programs. Hope's program has earned an exemplary rating each year. The ratings are based on such factors as student performance on the Michigan Test for Teacher Competency, student teacher exit surveys, surveys of supervising teachers, program completion rates, program review status, diversity of the teacher education student body, and the presence of high need subject matter in the curriculum. Hope's program earned 68 out of 70 possible points on the state rating system - an increase of three points over last year.

Political Science Honorary Society Receives Grant

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:51:00 +0000

The Hope College chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha has received a $1,425 grant from the national organization to support it's ongoing efforts to recruit, involve, and educate present and future political science students. The grant, authored by students Kelli Carrier and Christopher Sikkema under the guidance of Professor Jeff Polet, will allow the chapter to establish a program to educate high school students about careers in political science, expand membership in Hope's chapter of PSA, and host a panel discussion - "Bound in a Common Life: Hope's Election Roundtable" - which will feature professors and students taking on the important issues including environmental and energy policy, healthcare policy, and national security, all from a nonpartisan viewpoint.

Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college students of political science and government in the United States. Pi Sigma Alpha is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) and is designated as a "Specialized, Upper-Division" society by ACHS. There are now over 687 chapters of Pi Sigma Alpha located on college and university campuses in every state of the United States and in Guam.

Professor Deidre Johnston Appointed Campus Facilitator for GLCA Program

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Deidre Johnston, Professor and Chair of Communication, has been appointed as Hope College's campus facilitator as part of a new Great Lakes Colleges Association initiative. Deepening Waters, New Directions: Effective Transitions and Professional Renewal in the Long Middle Career of Liberal Arts Faculty is funded through a $400,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. The program is designed to promote professional development for mid-career faculty - those who have earned tenure and seek opportunities to explore new areas of academic interest or new approaches to teaching in their fields of study. Professor Johnston will work with staff from the GLCA office, along with campus coordinators from the other GLCA colleges, in crafting new opportunities for Hope faculty.

Professor vanOyen Witvliet Receives Major Grant

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Dr. Charlotte vanOyen Witvliet of the Psychology Department is the recipient of a $72,000 grant from the Fetzer Institute for two studies related to her ongoing study of forgiveness. Her first project contributes to the emerging field of research in self-forgiveness with a focus on relational measures. The second project will be a psychophysiological investigation of relationships among trait and state forgiveness, rumination, suppression, grudge-bearing, revenge-seeking, happiness, flourishing, and cardiovascular physiology.

Charlotte vanOyen Witvliet, Ph.D., joined the faculty in 1997. She trained as a scientist-practitioner clinical psychologist at Purdue University and completed her predoctoral internship at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center affiliated with Duke University. Her teaching responsibilities have included Introductory Psychology, Positive Psychology, Behavior Disorders, Clinical Psychology, Internships, and Advanced Research Lab. In the research laboratory, she has enjoyed mentoring students, many of whom have gone on to graduate school in psychology. She publishes in the field of emotion and psychophysiology research, with a specialized focus on gratitude, unforgiveness, forgiveness, and justice. With the support of the John Templeton Foundation, the Fetzer Institute, the Towsley Research Scholar Award, the Faith and Learning Fund, and the Frost Center for Social Science Research, she has conducted programmatic research on forgiveness, published peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and given professional presentations in local, national, and international venues. Professor Witvliet has mentored 29 Hope College students in psychophysiology research, 16 of whom have co-authored journal articles or professional conference presentations with her, and 9 of whom have co-authored projects winning Psi Chi Regional Research Awards. She has conducted 100 media interviews about forgiveness, with her research featured in venues such as Time, Newsweek, O: The Oprah Magazine, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and CNN.

Brian Morehouse Contributes to Book

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Ray) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:57:00 +0000

A book series that allows real people to share real stories, "Chicken Soup for the Soul," has a new series that features basketball experiences including one contributed by Hope College women's basketball coach Brian Morehouse. The book, "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inside Basketball," was released on February 9. A book-signing was held Saturday, February 14, at DeVos Fieldhouse prior to the Hope/Adrian women's basketball game. The collection was gathered by Pat Williams, senior vice president of the NBA's Orlando Magic. More than 15,000 individuals were invited to contribute an article. The editors selected 101 submissions. The article by Brian Morehouse focuses on Hope's 2006 national championship run. It tells the story of a player, Becky Bosserd, who didn't get to play in the NCAA Division III tournament by her own choice. The NCAA limits the roster for teams in the tournament to 15 players; Hope's regular season roster had 16. Bosserd approached her coach and volunteered to be the player to sit out. Hope went on to win the national title and when it came time to accept the championship trophy it was Becky Bosserd who was chosen by the team to be the first person to accept it. A Hope basketball fan subsequently created a scholarship in recognition of unselfish service to others. Chicken Soup for the Soul is a series of books, usually featuring a collection of short, inspirational stories. The more than 100 titles have sold over 100 million copies in print and in 54 languages world-wide.