LBC eNewsletter: Summer 2023

Hello Michele,

Summer in East Lansing is stunning, green with flowers and sunny skies, despite a marked lack of rain in June. We have been gearing up for a new class of incoming students in Holmes, including adding new outdoor gathering spaces and freshening up the old Grill/Sparty's gathering space. We are also implementing a promising and ambitious set of goals set out in our LBC 2032 Strategic Plan.

I am proud of the strong community we have fostered since 1967. It was such a pleasure to connect with so many of you this year, through engaging events and meals. I also cannot thank you enough for reaching out when the tragic events in February unfolded. We are a Spartan community of Briggsies. We are stronger together.

Remembering our past, we journey on into a new semester. Join us this year as we continue to transform what it means to be a scientist, in community.

Kendra Spence Cheruvelil

Dean, Lyman Briggs College

Join us for a Holmescoming Tailgate at Holmes Hall the weekend of Homecoming! We will have complimentary apple cider & donuts, with lunch options available for purchase from a local food truck. There will be MSU performances, and plenty of yard games - come one, come all: The whole family is invited!

The tailgate will take place 3 hours prior to kickoff beginning at 12:30pm ET. Football game tickets will NOT be provided.

This event is free, however please register for everyone attending in your family so we know how many to expect!

Dean Cheruvelil speaks on Women in Philanthropy Panel

In April, Dean Cheruvelil joined a panel of other MSU deans and Vice President of University Advancement, Kim Tobin, for one of the Women & Philanthropy events. Speakers discussed their respective colleges, women in leadership and women in philanthropy.

Lyman Briggs presents at National CASE conference in Seattle

Krysta Foster, the Associate Director of Career Services for LBC, and Sarah Dickinson, the LBC Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, were selected to speak at the national CASE conference in Seattle this past June. They discussed the effective student-alumni programming they have built bringing our Briggs community together.

Volunteer for Med School Prep Program

Lyman Briggs College has many students headed to medical school and we are looking to our alumni to help guide them as they begin the application process. We invite all medical school students or graduates to participate in this program aimed to help students prepare for the medical school interviews. Your first-hand knowledge is so valuable. Please consider taking the time to pass your expertise onto the next generation of Briggsies!

Volunteer as a Mock Interviewer

Help provide all students with practical interviewing experience by volunteering as a general mock interviewer. This event is open to students and alumni in all industries. Help provide real, honest feedback to our Briggsies to help improve their interviewing skills as they prepare to take on the real world!

Volunteer as a Career Coach

Are you interested in connecting 1:1 with Briggs students virtually? This upcoming fall, we are hosting Briggs Career Chats where students chat with several alumni for 15-minute sessions, discussing career aspirations and goals. We are looking for alumni from many different industries but there is limited capacity for each session. Sign up below before it fills up!

Volunteer as a Virtual Mentor

Lyman Briggs is proud to provide a platform for students, alumni, faculty, and staff to connect through mentorship and career discussions. This platform, similar to LinkedIn, offers the opportunity for Briggs alumni to meet and mentor students organically at their own pace. Students are able to reach out to alumni based on the interest areas selected.

Join Briggs Connect! https://msuconnect.msu.edu/hub/BriggsConnect/

A look back on Spring events

Med School Prep Program

Career services teamed up with the engagement office in March to host LBC’s first ever Med School Prep Program. This program was aimed at helping students dedicate an entire day to ideating, developing, and reviewing their personal statements in preparation for medical school. Students were able to brainstorm themes with classmates, chat with career professionals and meet one on one with alumni who have been in their shoes.

Residential College Luncheon

In April we celebrated the generosity of those who have established scholarships in the Residential Colleges at MSU. Student scholarship recipients were invited to meet with the donors who funded their scholarships at our first annual scholarship luncheon at the Wharton Center.

LBC Research Symposium

In May, LBC welcomed alumni back to campus to help judge the annual LBC Research Symposium. Congratulations to Harsna Chahal and Nupur Huria for being the MSUFCU Grand Prize winners ($1,000) for their presentation "Factors Impacting Perceptions and Stigma Surrounding Menstruation."

Commencement

In May we celebrated the 289 graduates in the Spring/Summer 2023 classes. Congratulations to the 27 Briggsies who received the MSU Board of Trustees’ award for achieving a 4.0 GPA throughout their college careers. We are so proud of our graduating Briggsies and cannot wait to see what the future brings! And thank you to our wonderful alumni volunteers shown here who helped direct graduates at the Breslin.

Spring 2023 Commencement Speakers

Watch Recording

Briggs Kindness Cards to Graduates

Briggsie on 2023 Homecoming Court

Nikita Nel

Nikita is a double major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Bioethics. Her hometown is Toledo, Ohio.

Briggs Student Receive Prestigious National Goldwater Scholarship

Victoria Fex

Victoria (Toria) Fex has been named a recipient of the nationally competitive Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. MSU has produced 53 Goldwater Scholars.

LETS CELEBRATE | LBC Employees

Congratulations to Melissa Charenko, Assistant Professor in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of History who has received a 2023 MSU Teacher-Scholar Award. This award is presented by the MSU Provost to faculty who have earned the respect of students and colleagues early in their careers, for their devotion to and skill in teaching and whose instruction is linked to and informed by their research and creative activities.

Congratulations to Abraham Edwards, a mathematics faculty member who was one of three recipients of the Alder Award in 2023. This award is given by the Mathematical Association of America to beginning faculty whose teaching has been extraordinarily successful and whose effectiveness in teaching undergraduate mathematics is shown to have influence beyond their classrooms.

Congratulations to Krysta Foster for receiving the Outstanding New Career Services Professional Award by the HireBig10+ Consortium.This award recognizes new career professionals who have delivered outstanding service and leadership for their career education work on their campuses; they are promising future leaders within career services and demonstrate significant interest in the field.

Congratulations to associate professor stef shuster who has received a CAREER grant from the US National Science Foundation, the most prestigious award offered for early-career researchers.

Congratulations to LBC faculty members, Vashti Sawtelle, Kathleen Hinko, and Kirtimaan Mohan who were among five faculty members selected as recipients of the 2023 AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology award by MSU Information Technology.

LETS CELEBRATE | LBC Alumni

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) has named Mary M. Austin '74 (Scomazzon), MA, RDN, CDCES, FADCES a recipient of the 2022 Medallion Award. Since 1976, the Academy has presented the Medallion award to members who have shown dedication to the high standards of the nutrition and dietetics profession through active participation, leadership and devotion to serving others in nutrition and dietetics, as well as allied health fields.

Congratulations to Sarah Bennett '05 who recently became Director of Education and Community Programs at Asbury Woods in Erie, PA.

Congratulations to John David Purakal '07 who was recently recognized in the Triangle Business Journal's 2023 Top 40 Under 40 awards, representing the rising leaders who display significant leadership in their organization, have achieved career milestones, and are substantially involved in community service.

Congratulations to Abbigail Tumpey '98 who has been selected as Georgia Institute of Technology new vice president for Institute Communications. As vice president, Tumpey will provide leadership, oversight, and strategic direction for marketing and communications at Georgia Tech.

Congratulations to Eric Walchak '91, Steven Dupuis '72, Russell Lampen '97, Tiffany Kent '99, Ali Mahajerin '00 and Moises Googe '00 who have been recognized as a Top Doctor in the 2023 Grand Rapids magazine. These recipients are extremely talented and esteemed physicians practicing in the Grand Rapids area.

Have a Note to Share? Send your life changes, job updates and accomplishments to the Engagement Team so we can celebrate with you.

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LBC REMEMBERS | Ron Hamelink

1932 - 2023

LBC is saddened by the passing of Dr. Ronald Hamelink. Dr. Hamelink is one of the founding faculty members of Lyman Briggs College. As MSU's first student to graduate with a 4.0 GPA, Dr. Hamelink set an example for success that carried over into his career as an educator. Dr. Hamelink has touched the lives of countless Lyman Briggs students since its inception in 1967.

1956 - 2023

LBC is saddened by the passing of Richard Merrill Douglass, esteemed Business Value Consultant and beloved husband, father, grandfather, son. Richard graduated from Lyman Briggs in 1978 with a degree in Computer Science and Northwestern University with a master’s in business and finance. Richard’s decades-long passion was teaching adult Bible study classes, and he served on several nonprofit boards. His most recent passion was riding his motorcycle, planning day trips to the mountains and week-long trips to scenic places rich in history.