August 2, 2016

SVSU leaders heading to Atlanta hoping for national awards

Saginaw Valley State University student leaders hope a big presence translates into big awards at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Network Convention in Atlanta this week.

In March, then-senior Kimberly Salwey won the Outstanding Student Leader award and SVSU’s Forever Red student organization won the Outstanding Student Organization award from CASE District V, which encompasses Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Both Salwey and Forever Red are eligible for the same awards, respectively, at the national level for CASE, which features eight districts. The recipients will be announced at the annual convention during an awards ceremony Saturday, Aug. 6.

Salwey, who graduated from SVSU in May; 11 Forever Red students; and Bryan Crainer, Forever Red’s advisor, will attend the event.

“Everyone is very excited,” said Crainer, SVSU’s associate dean of student life and leadership program. “This is going to be a great experience.”

Crainer and as many as four members of Forever Red each year have attended previous CASE conventions. This year, 13 SVSU representatives are traveling to Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center, departing Wednesday, Aug. 3.

“We’re going big this year,” he said. “Our delegation is going to be comparable to larger universities there.”

Forever Red was created in 2011 to promote SVSU school spirit, support student scholarships through fundraising and connect students with alumni. During the previous academic year, about 130 students were members of the organization.

Salwey served as president of Forever Red before graduating in May. The East Tawas native recently began working as a travel expert with the Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau.