GV PS

New Housing Options for Political Science and International Relations Majors

Learning and Living Communities in Mark Murray Living Center:
International House
Pre-Law Education Residential Living (PERL)

Starting in fall 2010, the Mark Murray Living Center will be the home for learning and living communities designed for a total of 50 students, first-year through senior year.

PERL: The mission of PERL is to provide advising and support to students of any major who are interested in attending law school and pursuing a career in law (also known as pre-law students) after completing their undergraduate degree.

International House: The mission of International House is to provide advising and support for students interested in international issues, cultures and languages. It is open to majors and minors in international business, international relations, modern languages, and political science, as well as international students.

Honors: Honors students who are interested in PERL or International House are invited to live in Murray and take part in both communities, as Murray is just next door to Niemeyer (Honors).

We have excellent facilities in the living center so you’ll feel comfortable and at home. The Mark Murray Living Center is located on the south end of campus, next to Honors and the new south campus dining area. Murray Living Center is a very recently constructed building that features apartments with one, two or four bedrooms, and kitchens. The building includes classrooms, and other common spaces for socializing, studying, or holding meetings.

Being a part of PERL and/or International House means you will have the opportunity to participate in international and pre-law programming, as well as academic support and social events. In addition, the faculty directors and other faculty will have office hours on-site to provide advising.

To apply: http://gvsu.edu/housing/

Students who are not in their first year at GVSU must have at least a 2.7 GPA for PERL and International House. Honors has separate GPA requirements. Honors students should select PERL or International House when they apply for housing.

For more information on apartment options, meal plans and costs, navigate to http://gvsu.edu/housing/ and select Housing Options=>On Campus Apartments=> VanSteeland & Murray Apartments.

Dr. Polly Diven
International House Faculty Director
International Relations Director
Professor, Department of Political Science
divenp@gvsu.edu

Dr. Mark Richards
PERL Faculty Director
Associate Professor and Chair,
Department of Political Science

richardm@gvsu.edu

APSA Minority Fellowship Program

From APSA:

Dear Colleague,

The American Political Science Association (APSA) invites you to encourage your
college seniors, who are members of an underrepresented group, to apply to the 2010-2011 APSA Minority Fellowship Program (MFP).  In 2009, the MFP celebrated its 40th Anniversary. This Program was established in 1969 to increase the number of underrepresented groups in discipline of political science. Over the years, the MFP has designated more than 300 fellows and contributed to the successful completion of doctoral political science programs for over 100 individuals.  

APSA will fund twelve fellowships. Funded APSA Fellows will receive a $4,000 fellowship disbursed in two $2,000 payments at the end of each academic year provided that the student remains in good academic standing. APSA will also send letters of support, to designated graduate programs, on behalf of those students who are awarded fellowships. Awards are based on students' undergraduate course work, GPA, personal statement, extracurricular activities, GRE scores, and recommendations from faculty. 

The MFP is designed primarily for minority students applying to enter a doctoral program in Political Science for the first time. Applicants must be US citizens who are members of one of the following racial/ethnic minority groups: African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Latinos/as, and Native Americans (federal and state recognized tribes). Applications and additional eligibility criteria can be accessed online at: http://www.apsanet.org/mfp/.

All application materials for the Minority Fellows Program must be postmarked and mailed to APSA by October 2, 2009.   

Please find enclosed a flyer on the APSA Minority Fellows Program. If you have any questions regarding the APSA MFP or other APSA Diversity Initiatives, please contact Ms. Shaunda Ragland, Program Assistant, at sragland@apsanet.org.

Sincerely yours,

Kimberly A. Mealy, PhD.
Program Director
APSA Educational, Professional and Minority Initiatives

Batchelder Scholarship Winners

The GVSU Political Science department is pleased to announce that Josh Aldrich and Kaitlyn Kirouac have each been awarded a $1,000 John T. Batchelder Scholarship for 2009-10. Congratulations!

The John T. Batchelder Political Science Scholarship honors John Thayer Batchelder who served as a Grand Valley State University professor until his retirement in 1997.

 

Kaitlyn Kirouac

 

Josh Aldrich

Logie Fellowship

The Logie Fellows deadline has been extended to June 5, 2009.

The fellowship is designed for any current undergraduate student of junior or senior year status or any graduate student from any discipline who would benefit from an in-depth understanding of the specific aspects of city governance. The Fellow receives tuition free course credit related to the experience for up to six hours, as appropriate to the student's academic program. The Fellow will also be awarded a stipend of $1,500. Past recipients have been majors in economics, accounting, finance, public administration, natural resources management, and political science.

Click on this link at the GVSU Provost's Office website for more information and an application.

Batchelder Scholarship for GVSU Political Science Majors

The political science department is very pleased to announce the Dr. John T. Batchelder scholarship, funded by a generous grant from the Batchelder family. The 2009-2010 recipient will be awarded $1,000 and the scholarship is eligible for renewal for a second year. The main requirements are:
-political science major
-3.3. overall and major GPA
-entering junior year carrying at least 55 credits
-submit a transcript and one page essay
-deadline is June 1, 2009

Please consult this application form for complete details:
Download BatchelderScholarshipForm0910

About Dr. Batchelder:

The John T. Batchelder Political Science Scholarship honors John Thayer Batchelder who served as a Grand Valley State University professor until his retirement in 1997.

Dr. Batchelder’s tenure with GVSU spanned nearly three decades, from 1969 to 1997. During this time he brought his student-focused teaching methods to courses in American Government, American Foreign Policy, Politics of Western Europe, Politics of the Soviet Union and Politics of Eastern Europe. He also occasionally taught freshman English classes. A course of his design, Great Decisions, combined a lecture series of the same name presented in Grand Rapids with lively classroom discussion and preparation of thoughtful student journals.

Dr. Batchelder’s interest in international cultures and political affairs, delight in adventure and belief that direct experience adds greatly to student learning led him to organize and lead several overseas study programs within the Political Science Department. He developed curriculum and facilitated the travel of more than 80 students to Russia and Poland from 1976-1990. The programs were coordinated with universities in the host countries and provided GVSU students an opportunity to interact with overseas peers and political and business leaders. Dr. Batchelder especially enjoyed these programs and the lasting friendships he developed with the students who participated.

In fact, Dr. Batchelder often pointed to his interactions with students within and outside of the classroom as the most satisfying part of his career. He served on the Newspaper Advisory Board to The Lanthorn, GVSU’s student-run newspaper from 1984-1994. Good writing, a life-long interest of Dr. Batchelder’s, spilled over into his classroom expectations of student term papers and extracurricular endeavors such as The Lanthorn. He also encouraged and assisted exceptional students in applying for prestigious awards, such as the Rhodes Scholar Awards and other post-graduate distinctions.

Until his death in April 2006, Dr. Batchelder continued to sing the praises of a GVSU education and regularly corresponded with former students who, through meaningful shared experiences, became his friends.

Dr. Batchelder’s family is proud of his accomplishments at GVSU and the devotion to political science education that they represent, and is pleased to have instituted this political science scholarship in his name. We believe Dr. Batchelder would be happy, as well, to help pave the way for more students’ adventures in learning.

Michigan Townships Association Scholarship

The Michigan Townships Association is proud to offer the Robert R. Robinson Memorial Scholarship for students pursuing a career in public administration.

This $1,000 scholarship is available to a junior, senior or graduate student in a Michigan college or university pursuing a career in public administration, public affairs management or some other field closely related to local government administration.

Click here to download the 2009 Application.

Volunteer Opportunity for We Vote

Our Community Matters.
We Vote.

We Vote is a nonpartisan community effort to increase awareness and participation in Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education elections.

Our next election is May 5th and WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

We Vote will be distributing Voter Guides to Grand Rapids residents; upcoming dates include:

Saturday, April 4 from 10am-4pm (two hour shifts)
Tuesday, April 7 from 5:30pm-8pm
Thursday, April 9 from 5:30pm-8pm
Saturday, April 11 from 10am-4pm (two hour shifts)

If you are able to volunteer to go door-to-door to distribute our Voter Guide and encourage voting in the May 5 election, please contact Janelle Hill at burdejanie@yahoo.com or sign up through the website - www.WeVoteGR.org

We Vote emerged from the belief that public education is critical to the success of our community. Voting is one of the most simple but powerful ways community members can share their voice to support this asset.               

New Political Science Career Guide

The political science has produced a new career guide, available by clicking the careers link on the political science website (gvsu.edu/polisci).

GV in DC website

For those considering an internship in Washington, DC, the Department of Political Science is pleased to announce a new site just for you: www.gvsu.edu/gvdc. Some basic information is available now. We will add an FAQ, additional student reflections, and financial information in the coming weeks.

Student Association of Michigan Looking for New Participants

As of February 2^nd the Student Association of Michigan (SAM) subcommittee was formed at Grand Valley State University. SAM exists to serve the students of its member institutions without taking on excessively partisan behavior. It’s only bias is towards the needs and desires of its constituents. The mission statement of SAM is: to advance higher education by empowering current and future students to advocate on their own behalf for the accessibility, affordability, and quality of the public institutions of higher education in the state of Michigan.

 

Any student from Grand Valley is welcome to get involved in the SAM subcommittee. Contact the Student Senate Office in the Student Organization Center in room 0008 or by calling (616) 331-2333.