Grand Valley Magazine Summer 2015 - (Page 12)
DON O R I M PAC T
DONORS HELP TAKE
SCIENCE TO A NEW LEVEL
A dedication ceremony for the new
science lab building on the Allendale
Campus will take place August 28.
In April, the building was named in
honor of former Grand Valley dean
and longtime faculty member Doug
Kindschi.
The 151,000-square-foot P. Douglas
Kindschi Hall of Science will help
meet the demand for the STEM
(science, technology, engineering
and mathematics) and health
professions fields. Grand Valley offers
86 undergraduate programs and 35
graduate programs, and more than 40
of them touch the STEM and health
professions in some way.
"Science isn't just
for science majors.
Knowledge of
science is important
for many other
fields ... "
- DOUG KINDSCHI
"Doug's generous gift will help
provide support for materials,
technology and research opportunities
for students," said President Thomas J.
Haas. "We are tremendously grateful for
Doug's support and wanted to recognize
that by naming this new building for the
sciences in his honor."
Kindschi is currently the director
of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute at
Grand Valley. He came to Grand Valley
in 1976 and has served the university for
40 years in many capacities, including
as a professor of mathematics and
12
Summer '15
philosophy, and dean of the former
Science and Mathematics Division.
"Grand Valley has been very good to
me," said Kindschi. "When I came here
there were about 5,000 students. Now,
there are more than 25,000. It's been
exciting to see the growth and I've had
the privilege of being a contributing
member of a vibrant university."
The Kindschi Hall of Science was
funded in part by the state of Michigan,
but additional funds were needed to
provide continued academic support
for the teaching and learning taking
place inside the building. The building
features nine classrooms, 15 teaching
laboratories, 14 faculty and student
research laboratories, study spaces
and offices.
The building also features the
Barbara Kindschi Greenhouse,
a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse
with tropical, arid, temperate and
quarantine bays for research
and teaching.
"My wife, Barbara, and I had the
opportunity to tour the building and
it is very impressive," said Kindschi.
"When we came to the greenhouse,
Barbara said she wanted to contribute
to a fund on behalf of it. She likes
to garden and always wanted a
greenhouse. Now, she will enjoy
seeing how students are learning
to nurture plants."
Kindschi has been actively engaged
with elementary and secondary
students in science education through
his establishment of the Coalition
for Excellence in Science and Math
Education, Regional Math and
Science Center and Science Olympiad
tournaments, which give hundreds of
area middle and high school students
the opportunity to develop their talents
in the STEM fields.
"Science isn't just for science majors.
Knowledge of science is important for
many other fields like health, law and
technology," said Kindschi. "We need
science knowledge to be informed
citizens and to be able to understand
certain issues when we vote. Science
and mathematics are basic to so many
other fields."
Kindschi said he has been passionate
about growing science education at
Grand Valley and in the community since
reading a report in the 1980s that said
America was a nation at risk because
education was lacking in the STEM areas.
"The importance of the sciences is
a national need. What is our part in it?
I can't solve the whole thing but I can
impact my community," said Kindschi.
"I am so pleased that our contribution
will help students and faculty and
the development of research and the
education that is taking place inside the
building - that is where my heart is,"
he said.
DONOR WALL
SUPPORTS STUDENT
RESEARCH
The Kindschi Hall of Science will also
feature a donor wall inside the building;
anyone who makes a gift to the College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences Margin of
Excellence for Science Endowment Fund
will be recognized on the donor wall.
Gifts can be made in memory or in honor
of individuals and those names will also
be recognized on the donor wall.
The fund provides support
for advanced scientific research
opportunities for students majoring
in the sciences, including working
with faculty members, publishing and
attending conferences. Approximately
2,300 students are currently pursuing
degrees in the sciences, in programs
such as biology, biomedical sciences,
chemistry, geology and physics.
Grand Valley is working to expand
support for undergraduate scientific
research. The initiation of a "margin
of excellence" program offers that
possibility to a greater number of
students who will work directly with
faculty members to design and execute
professional-level scientific research,
which at most universities is offered
only to graduate students.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Summer 2015
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Fall Arts Celebration
Evolving as a professional
Finding fellowships
Mastering a subject
Research
Focal Point
Q&A John Berry
Off the Path
Museum School
Alumni
Grand Valley Magazine Summer 2015
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