MSA News Archive

The 2005 Annual Meeting was held at Eastern Michigan University, Saturday, October 22, 2005.   There was also a reception at the Marriott Hotel Friday evening, October 21, sponsored by EMU.

More than 120 people registered for the conference which featured high-quality presentations and a keynote address by Reynolds Farley of the University of Michigan.   EMU was a great host.  Special thanks go to Vice President Juanita Reid and Vernon Polite, Dean of the EMU College of Education, who extended personal welcomes, as well as Jay Weinstein who served as on-site coordinator.   All those at EMU who contributed to the success of this meeting - including the student workers - are too numerous to list.   But we are grateful to you all.  Many thanks!  

AWARDS

Reynolds Farley of the University of Michigan received the Charles H. Cooley Award for distinguished scholarship.  

The late Ruth Hamilton of Michigan State University was given the Marvin Olsen Award for outstanding service to sociology in Michigan.   It was the first time the Olsen Award has been given posthumously.    Betsy Cullum-Swan accepted the award for Professor Hamilton noting that Ruth Hamilton lived each day as if it were her last and never tired of serving others.

OFFICERS ELECTED

David Kinney of Central Michigan University was elected president and Charles Thomas of the University of Michigan - Flint was elected vice president.   Donna Giuliani of Delta College was elected secretary.   Alan Hill, also of Delta, was re-elected treasurer and continues as executive officer.   Joseph Verschaeve of Grand Valley State University was selected as editor of the Michigan Sociological Review for a second year. 

To get a glimpse of what it was all like, click below to view photos from the conference and to look over the program. 

Conference Photos

Program

Michele Whitaker, chair of the Criminal Justice Department at Delta College, and our 2004 Marvin Olsen Award winner, has received two more awards:  The Bergstein Award for teaching excellence in the social sciences and humanities at Delta College and the TRENDS Award for outstanding educator in occupational studies in Michigan.    The TRENDS award was presented to her at a conference in October.

Only three TRENDS awards are given out each year. The awards recognize outstanding performance during the academic year preceding the annual TRENDS in Occupational Studies conference. This year’s conference, for Michigan community college educators, was held October 6-7 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids. Criteria used in evaluating nominees included: excellence within the classroom, professional achievements and service to the college. Michele Whitaker is a teacher who is “always seeking better ways of helping her students learn,” according to her nomination. She serves as Criminal Justice Chair and Corrections Program Coordinator at Delta College.   She received the Marvin Olsen Award for outstanding service to sociology in Michigan at our meeting last Fall (see below) and was given the Bergstein Award by Delta last spring.   The Bergstein Award is the highest recognition given to Delta College faculty members for teaching excellence.