George and Barbara Gordon Gallery

Painting over 2,500 works of art throughout his life, Mathias J. Alten is a celebrated American artist in which Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection of in the world.

The collection consists of more than 70 paintings along with a family archive collection of photos and letters. Alten began as a naturalistic painter, but he later transitioned into impressionism.

George Gordon and Barbara Gordon decided to donate the entire collection to GVSU in 1999, but the works are added annually to keep up-to-date.

Located in the George and Barbara Gordon Gallery of the DeVos Center, which is on the Pew Campus, the event occurs throughout the month on weekends of May 13 until May 21.

From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the gallery is free and open to the public.

GVSU Farmers Market Grill Challenge

Starting on June 1, the opening day Grill Challenge with President Thomas Haas and his wife, Marcia Haas, will host the Grand Valley State University Farmers Market summer Grill Challenge. Those competing will fire up the grill for their best summer recipe.

Andy Beachnau, associate vice provost and director of Housing and Health Services, along with Facilities Services staff are involved. The challenge begins at 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Attendees will be able to purchase a lunch of each recipe, and vote for a favorite. In addition, a free celebration dessert will be provided to all market customers to celebrate the 10th GVSU Farmers Market season.
All proceeds benefit the Children’s Enrichment Center and GVSU Student Food Pantry. The event is first come, first served.

Those interested can register to attend at www.gvsu.edu/sprout.

Summer Article Discussions about global learning at GV

Starting in May, the Association of American Colleges and Universities will host discussions about global learning at Grand Valley State University.

On May 10, the “Faculty Leadership for Integrative Liberal Learning” details principles and practices to prepare students for applied learning into complex challenges in life and future careers. Each event is from noon until 1 p.m.

On May 17, the “Seminal Articles About Global Learning” report includes case studies and lessons learned from faculty across the country.

Then on May 25, the “Everyone Starts with an A” discussion about how to apply behavioral insight to narrow the socioeconomic attainment gap of education, details evidence-based ways to improve student learning through cognitive biases and environmental factors.

The discussions for June and July will be posted under “Upcoming Events” on the AACU website.

All sessions will be held in 3068 Zumberge Hall on the Allendale Campus. Those attending should bring a lunch, but the advisers will provide tea and cookies.

Planning for Successful Fundraising workshop

Located at the Grand Valley State University Johnson Center for Philanthropy, the “Planning for Successful Fundraising” workshop encompasses proper organization for creating a fundraising program.

In addition, the program offers an overview of why planning is important to successful fundraising, including the basic steps to create a fund development plan.

For the public, the cost is $55 and free for GVSU students and staff. The event is from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Visit www.johnsoncenter.org for more information.

Any questions about the workshop should be sent to [email protected]. Registration on the Johnson Center website is required.