GV listed as ‘Best College Buy’

Grand Valley State University was named one of the 100 “Best College Buy” colleges for the 24th year in a row. The study was done by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. (IR&E), out of Georgia.

The colleges chosen for the list are selected based on the quality of education and tuition costs. IR&E found that incoming freshman at GVSU have higher GPAs and ACT scores than the national average, which is one of the criteria for colleges on the list.

Other criteria include being a four-year university with residence and dining halls and offering lower out-of-state tuition costs than the national average.

GVSU is the only Michigan university to remain on the “Best College Buy” list every year since 1995.

Scholarship established for longtime dean

Rodney Mulder, professor and dean of the School of Social Work and College of Community and Public Service, had a scholarship established in his name announced Oct. 2. Mulder’s family has begun the Rodney and Lucarol Mulder Social Work Endowed Scholarship to support students in social work at GVSU.

Mulder began his time at the university as a French professor in 1966, also teaching social work and sociology courses before serving as dean. After 44 years at GVSU, Mulder died in 2010 and his wife, Lucarol, died in 2019.

Mulder’s family established the scholarship to commemorate their parents’ work and help students.

“My dad was a lifelong advocate for inclusion, diversity and social justice,” said Cray Mulder, professor of social work and graduate program director. “He valued a professional school that reflected the diversity of populations social workers serve in west Michigan and nationally.”

The scholarship will be awarded annually and given to students in the School of Social Work with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

World-renowned chemist to speak at GV

On Thursday, Oct. 10, chemist Karen Trentelman will speak at GVSU to discuss how science contributes to the understanding of art. The lecture, titled “Beyond Beauty: Using Scientific Analysis to Uncover Hidden Beauty in Works of Art,” will cover how art is created, changed and preserved through science, including discovering hidden paintings under classic pieces as well as medieval manuscripts.

Trentelman is a senior scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute and has worked at the Detroit Institute of Arts. She will also hold a chemistry seminar at 1 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Pere Marquette Room in Kirkhof Center, which will discuss techniques for art conservation.