Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) is The International Geographical Honor Society, which was established in 1928 to advance Geography with special reference to student education and research in colleges and universities. More than 300 chapters have been chartered since its founding. The Lambda Upsilon chapter was chartered at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) in 2007, and since that time, its membership, although small in number, has been highly active. Students have taken part regularly in field trips, academic conferences, and the raising of funds for the education of girls in Africa. In 2010, students produced Geography in 8 Minutes or Less, a short film available on YouTube, which offers a brief introduction to the discipline of Geography and the role played by GTU.
In 2013, Lambda Upsilon received distinction as one of only eight chapters to be awarded GTU Honors. It received Honors a second time in 2016. Annually, the GRCC chapter hosts a distinguished geographer, sponsored by the Visiting Geographical Scientist Program, a collaborative effort of the Association of American Geographers and GTU.
Visiting Geographical Scientist Lectures
- 2009 Leon Yacher. African Americans in New Haven, Connecticut: A Historical Geography.
- 2010 Marie Price. Immigration in a Global Age: Cities, Ethnicity, and the Politics of Place.
- 2011 Leon Yacher. Ethnicity, Settlement, Conflict and Reconciliation in Central Asia: A Geographical Perspective.
- 2012 Kate Swanson. Exploring Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Childhood in the Andes: A Geographical Perspective.
- 2013 Rebecca Sheehan. Identity, Tourism, and Racialization in New Orlean’s Jackson Square.
- 2014 Caroline Faria. Styling a Nation: Fear and Desire in the Southeast Sudanese Beauty Trade.
- 2015 Marie Price. Diffusion, Deflection and Diversity: A Geographic Perspective on Contemporary Migration.
- 2016 Maria Fadiman. People and Plants: Conservation of Forests and Cultures.
- 2017 Karen Culcasi. The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Syrian Women Refugees in Jordan.
- 2018 Jonnell Robinson. Points, Lines and People: Connecting People and Place through Community Geography.
- 2019 Lindsay Naylor. Fair Rebels? Fair Trade in Movement and the Possibilities of Being in Common.
- 2022 Jennifer Devine. Conservation on Drugs: Challenges and Solutions.
- 2023 Brittany Cook. The Geopolitics of Hunger and Global Food Production.
Stellar GRCC students interested in majoring in Geography or a related field are invited to take part in Lambda Upsilon activities; however, full lifetime membership to GTU is awarded only to those in the upper 35% of their class holding a minimum of a 3.5 GPA in all Geography courses after having completed at least three semesters of full-time college work. Lambda Upsilon members actively engage in geographical research and show a strong record of receiving grants for fieldwork and conference participation, as well as academic scholarships. Among them is the Geography Lives! Field Studies Award, which is awarded periodically to exemplary students for their field research. Conducting research and presenting their findings at academic conferences is expected. Lambda Upsilon members have regularly participated in the annual meeting of the California Geographical Society, as well as regional and national meetings of the Association of American Geographers.
Geography Lives! Field Studies Award
- 2011 Kara Apodaca, Lindsey Harris, Sarah Nusbaum
- 2012 Kara Apodaca, Lindsey Harris, Sarah Nusbaum, Adrienne Ozinga, Brian Woodin
- 2013 Nicole Arce, Alyson Mabie
- 2016 Stacey Murphy, April Shirey
- 2020 MaryAnne Flier
Lambda Upsilon Members’ Academic Conference Presentations
- 2023. Sandra Johnson. A Shameful Legacy: The Relentless Impact of Redlining on the Education of American Children, East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Maumee Bay State Park, OH, 16-17 November.
- 2023. Sandra Johnson. Redlining and the Racialization of American Education. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Monterey Park, CA, 21-23 April.
- 2023. Anika Ojeda-Cea. Civilian Life-Worlds in Wartime Germany: Stuttgart, 1943-1944, California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Monterey Park, CA, 21-23 April.
- 2023. Shari Slager. Far-right Voting and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Comparison and Contrast of the US and Germany. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Monterey Park, CA, 21-23 April.
- 2020. Rebecca Lubbers. Tackling Food Insecurity at a Michigan Community College, East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers Regional Meeting (virtual), Bowling Green, OH.
- 2019. MaryAnne Flier, Assessing the Political Impact of Evangelical Christians in a Midwestern Battleground-State Community, East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers Regional Meeting, Saginaw, MI.
- 2019. Nicholas Conkle, The Inequality of Voter Representation: A Geographical Perspective on the Electoral College and US Senate, California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Big Bear Lake, CA.
- 2018. Ryan Mulder, Corporate Colonialism: Higher Education and the Foreign Student Trade, California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Sacramento, CA.
- 2017. Kara Jueckstock, Tourism in the Caribbean: Utopian Ideal or Dystopian Disaster? East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Ypsilanti, MI.
- 2017. Kara Jueckstock, Cruise Tourism in the Caribbean: A Blessing or a Curse? California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, El Cajon, CA.
- 2017. April Shirey & Stacey Murphy, Food and Housing Insecurities in Michigan Community Colleges: What can Geography Students do? American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.
- 2016. Stacey Murphy & April Shirey. Apathy is Not Acceptable: Taking on Poverty in American Community Colleges. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, San Jose, CA.
- 2015. Stacey Murphy. Michigan Science Standards and Global Climate Change Education: Politics, Problems, and Prospects. Michigan Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Grand Rapids, MI.
- 2015. Stacey Murphy. Global Climate Change Perceptions, the Media, and Higher Education. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Arcata, CA.
- 2014. Gary Farris. Learning Geography Online: A Student’s Perspective. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA.
- 2013. Alyson Mabie & Nicole Arce. Examining Hispanic Education in Local Communities by Organizing Roundtable Discussions. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, San Luis Obispo, CA.
- 2013. Alyson Mabie & Heather Pribble. Hispanic Education in Western Michigan. GRCC Race, Ethnicity, and Identity Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.
- 2012. Kara Apodaca, Lindsey Harris, & Sarah Nusbaum. Sustainability in the Face of Globalization: A Community College Study Abroad in South Africa. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Davis, CA.
- 2012. Adrienne Ozinga and Brian Woodin. Integrating Field Studies of Local Grocery Stores in the World Regional Geography Curriculum. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Davis, CA.
- 2012. Kara Apodaca, Lindsey Harris, Sarah Nusbaum, Adrienne Ozinga, & Brian Woodin. Field Studies in Geography at GRCC: Ethnicity and Food in Western Michigan and Searching for Understanding in South Africa. GRCC Race, Ethnicity, and Identity Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.
- 2011. Megan Hornyak & April Kibby. Putting Learning into Action: Making a Difference for Girls and Women in LDCs on an American College Campus. California Geographical Society Annual Meeting, Bishop, CA.
- 2011. Megan Hornyak & April Kibby. Women’s Lives in Rural Africa, GRCC Race, Ethnicity, and Identity Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.
- 2011. Megan Hornyak & April Kibby. Where the Water Meets the Sky. GRCC Race, Ethnicity, and Identity Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.
- 2010. Amanda Colegrove, Megan Hornyak, Brandi Glaske, & Nathan Krings. The Career and Educational Benefits of Joining Gamma Theta Upsilon and the AAG, East Lakes Division of the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Grand Rapids, MI.
- 2010. Amanda Colegrove. Current Legislation and Methods of Fighting Human Trafficking in Central America, Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
- 2009. Amanda Colegrove. Human Trafficking Patterns in Central America, West Lakes Division of the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, St. Paul, MN.
Lambda Upsilon Presidents have played a special role in guiding the chapter’s achievements each year. That being said, the dedication of Lambda Upsilon members overall has been notable, and awards are presented to those members that have demonstrated leadership, service, and global citizenship. The Leadership Award is presented to a Lambda Upsilon officer in recognition of exemplary transformational leadership. The Academic Service Award is presented to a Lambda Upsilon member in recognition of valuable contributions to the discipline of Geography, evidenced by service to the academic community. The Global Citizenship Award is presented to Lambda Upsilon members in recognition of valuable contributions to global citizenship, evidenced by scholarship and service.
Lambda Upsilon Presidents
- 2007 Ben Gerlofs
- 2008 Cadey Segard
- 2009 Amanda Colegrove
- 2010 Amanda Colegrove
- 2011 Megan Hornyak
- 2012 Brian Woodin
- 2013 Alyson Mabie
- 2014 Gary Farris
- 2015 Stacey Murphy
- 2016 Stacey Murphy
- 2017 April Shirey
- 2018 Sydney Doornbos/Ryan Mulder
- 2019 MaryAnne Flier
- 2020 MaryAnne Flier
- 2021 Rebecca Lubbers
- 2022 Joy Steed
- 2023 Sandra Johnson
- 2024 Sandra Johnson
Lambda Upsilon Leadership Award
- 2010 Amanda Colegrove
- 2011 Megan Hornyak
- 2012 Kara Apodaca
- 2013 Alyson Mabie
- 2016 Stacey Murphy
- 2017 April Shirey
- 2020 MaryAnne Flier
Lambda Upsilon Academic Service Award
- 2010 Amanda Colegrove, Megan Hornyak
- 2011 Brandi Glaske, Megan Hornyak, Nathan Krings
- 2012 Kara Apodaca, Lindsey Harris, Sarah Nusbaum, Adrienne Ozinga, Brian Woodin
- 2013 Nicole Arce, Alyson Mabie
- 2015 Hannah Cluley
- 2016 Stacey Murphy, April Shirey
- 2017 Kara Jueckstock, April Shirey
- 2019 MaryAnne Flier
- 2020 MaryAnne Flier
- 2021 Rebecca Lubbers, Joy Steed
- 2022 Shari Slager
Lambda Upsilon Global Citizenship Award
- 2010 Amanda Colegrove
- 2011 Megan Hornyak
- 2012 Kara Apodaca, Lindsey Harris, Sarah Nusbaum, Adrienne Ozinga, Brian Woodin
- 2013 Nicole Arce, Alyson Mabie
- 2016 Stacey Murphy, April Shirey
- 2017 Kara Jueckstock, April Shirey
- 2019 MaryAnne Flier
- 2020 MaryAnne Flier
Lambda Upsilon Academic Distinction
- 2019 Nicholas Conkle, MaryAnne Flier, Grace Hendrian
- 2020 MaryAnne Flier
- 2021 Rebecca Lubbers
Further information on GTU can be found at: https://www.gammathetaupsilon.org
Students interested in Lambda Upsilon are invited to contact Dr. DeVivo, the chapter sponsor, at: mdevivo@grcc.edu