News briefs

Civic Assembly Week

Grand Valley State University will host speaker Leighton Watson Monday, Sept. 26 as part of Civic Assembly Week. The event will be held in the Cook-DeWitt Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Watson will discuss social justice and issues of policing in the U.S. The West Michigan native served as student body president at Howard University and plans to attend law school in 2017. Watson has also been featured CNN, CSPAN, NPR and BET and served on President Barack Obama’s taskforce during Ferguson, Missouri racial tension events.

Breakfast Lecture Series

As part of the Peter F. Secchia breakfast lecture series, the Seidman College of Business will host Birgit Klohs, president and CEO of The Right Place. The event will take place Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Grand Valley State University’s L. William Seidman Center. Klohs will discuss what makes West Michigan work and the unique aspects the region holds for business. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. with the lecture following immediately after. A brief question and answer session will be held from 8:50 a.m. to 9 a.m. To RSVP for the event, visit www.gvsu.edu/seidman.

Geography and Sustainable Planning Open House

The Geography and Sustainable Planning department at Grand Valley State University will hold an open house Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is open for all students interested in learning about the program, course offerings ad career opportunities. Guest speakers include Ronald B. Jimmerson, director of Seeds of Promise Grand Rapids and Norman Christopher, director of GVSU Office of Sustainability Practices. Topics such as sustainable science, global development and environmental planning will be discussed. The event will be held in Kirkhof Center Room 2263.

Alternative Breaks Info Night

Alternative Breaks is a student organization at Grand Valley State University which coordinates week long winter, spring, and summer break service-learning trips throughout the U.S. focusing on social and environmental issues. The organization will hold an informational night Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Henry Hall Atrium. All applications will open at the beginning of the event and will close on Nov. 11. Attendance to the event is not mandatory in order to apply for a program.