Performing Arts Center construction to finish in August

The 44,000 square foot addition on the east side of the Performing Arts Center that will include a black box theater, theater support spaces, two theater classrooms, three ensemble rooms and a student study space will be completed and occupied by August, according to James Moyer, associate vice president for facilities planning at Grand Valley State University.

The $20 million construction project was approved by the Board of Trustees in April and began in May.

Women’s Center changes name to honor retiring provost

The Grand Valley State University Women’s Center has been renamed by GVSU President Thomas Haas to the Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity in remembrance of the retiring provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs.

The change was announced Thursday, April 20, but the official rebranding process is beginning now. Jessica Jennrich, the director of the newly renamed center, said the name change honors the mission of the center.

“It is a great affirmation of the work that we do, which is intersectional gender justice work,” Jennrich said. “The name really reflects the work that we do.”

West Michigan Veterans Coalition to hold conference at GV

The annual Hidden Wounds of War Conference will be held in the Loosemore Auditorium in Grand Valley State University’s DeVos Center Thursday, May 11.

The conference is an informational and educational event for the community that will highlight the needs of veterans, according to the chairperson of the West Michigan Veterans Coalition, Elena Bridges.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, moral injury, recovery, environmental exposure and sexual trauma on the battlefield will all be talked about at the conference that will go from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To register for the event, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-hidden-wounds-of-war-conference-registration-32600886128. 

Cook Carillon Tower under construction for falling bricks

The centerpiece of Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus, the Cook Carillon Tower, is walled off and under construction due to a “brick failure” that has resulted in bricks falling down from the GVSU monument.

A $500,000 budgeted project is underway to remove the bricking off the clock tower and replace it. James Moyer, the associate vice president for facilities planning at GVSU, said the project would not alter the appearance of the tower. He said the same brick, masons and contractors responsible for the original construction would be used. The only difference will be a new sealer that will be added to the inside of the tower that will prevent the transfer of moisture from the inside of the tower to its exterior.

The project is set to be completed before the start of the fall 2017 semester. Until then, a barricade surrounding the clock tower will be kept up to protect against injuries from falling bricks.

GV student donates stem cells to Denmark man in need of bone marrow transplant

A recent Grand Valley State University graduate, Nick Keizer, was selected to be a perfect match to donate stem cells for a 59-year-old man in Denmark with anemia who was in need of a bone marrow transplant in order to survive.

The accounting and finance major underwent the four-hour-long, non-surgical procedure to extract the stem cells from his body Tuesday, May 2, which also happened to be his birthday.

Keizer will return to GVSU in the fall in order to continue his college career by pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.