SVSU students empowered to grow as leaders through Roberts Fellowship

Ten Saginaw Valley State University students are engaged in a year-long leadership development initiative following their selection for the highly competitive Roberts Fellowship.

The program annually challenges SVSU students in both academic course work and extracurricular activities designed to enhance their potential as future political, economic and civic leaders. The program culminates in a trip to Asia to provide the Fellows with an international perspective on leadership. The class recently selected for the program will travel to Asia in May 2019.

This year's class was selected in part for demonstrating outstanding scholarship and leadership potential during their time at SVSU.

The complete lineup of Roberts Fellows for 2018-19 includes:

• Emily Beardsley, a biochemistry major from Bay City
• Aranya Biswas, an economics major from Bangladesh
• Matthew Chappel, a secondary education major from Marlette
• Jessica Hurley, a psychology and theatre double major from Bay City
• Emma Kirsch, an early childhood and elementary education double major from Saginaw
• Lindsey Mead, an English major from Saginaw
• Kellie Rankey, a creative writing major from Saginaw
• Miles Shane, a health science major from Southgate
• Taylor Stockton, a business management major from Hale
• Andrew Vivian, an electrical engineering major from Richmond

To qualify, students must have completed between 48 and 100 credit hours with a minimum grade point average of 3.40 and pass a rigorous selection process. Students are chosen based upon their academic accomplishment, a record of university and community service and other evidence of leadership potential.

Students selected to be Roberts Fellows are required to complete a three-credit leadership seminar in the fall and winter semesters, within one or more academic departments. During the year, the Fellows will also meet for informal seminars and discussions with various political, business and civic leaders from throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region. Julie Foss, associate professor of modern foreign languages, and Brian Thomas, director of global engagement and presidential liaison to Ming Chuan University, serve as the group's faculty advisers.

Established in 1999, the program is named in honor of Donna Roberts of Midland, who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to SVSU through her personal generosity and prior service on the Board of Control and the Board of Fellows. A respected attorney, business leader and philanthropist, Roberts retired from the Dow Chemical Company, where she was Secretary and Assistant General Counsel. She is an honorary director of the SVSU Foundation Board.