CAS Staff Spotlight: Gale Glover

Name: Gale Glover
Title: Administrative Assistant
Department(s): Communication and Visual Arts

Degree(s), Education, or Certification(s):
• Bachelors of Arts in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Africana Studies
• Masters in Public Administration
• Current student in the Post-Masters Education Specialist Program

Professional or Personal Volunteer Activities:
• Metro Community Development – Project Homeless
• Art 4 Haiti (Haiti Relief Fund)
• Food Drive
• Big Sisters Club, mentored to young girls
• Girl Scout of America, mentored to young girls
• Food Bank of Eastern Michigan
• Girls court project – mentored to young girls in the juvenile detention center

Professional or Community Memberships:
National Multicultural Diversity Institute

Awards or Recognitions Received (UM-Flint or Community):
• Odell Broadway Scholarship
• Edgar B. Holt Scholarship
• Freeman Sociology, Anthropology, & Criminal Justice Scholarship
• Lillian B. & Bruce E. Wright Memorial Scholarship
• 2 Sterling Staff Awards

Ways in which I support or interact with UM-Flint students:
I have volunteered with them and collaborated with them on projects. Sarah Clark, who is a current UM-Flint student, [worked on my] second book which is a activity and coloring book. Jason Jerke, who is an alum, is working on my third book.

Gale is passionate about higher ed and its benefits for students. She’s written two books for children that center on learning about college.

I have [written] two Reach Higher Ed books which are very similar. Both books were designed to try and help the literacy rate in Michigan and both books are meant to be interactive so that young children retain what they have learned.

• Reach Higher Ed – Story book, full color, has a glossary, and 10 tips for a successful college experience
  Reach Higher Ed encourages young children to reach for their goals and open their minds to higher education. Reach Higher Ed! Reach Higher Ed! Reach Higher Ed! Parents can share the story-line with their small children and the glossary and 10 tips for a successful college experience with their high school children. This book is for the whole family.

• Reach Higher Ed Activity and Coloring Book – a 3 in 1, story book, coloring, and activity book, has key terms relating to higher education which can be colored or written. Words that kids would not typically hear such as “scholarship” and “deferment.”
  This book encourages young children to reach for their goals and open their minds to higher education. It gives kids the opportunity to showcase what they have learned from either book. Such as writing the terms, or their numbers.

Gale is also the marketing editor for Qua, the UM-Flint student-run literary publication. 

This is my first semester as the marketing editor for Qua and I absolutely love it. I use a lot of marketing strategies that I have learned from marketing my book and from previous positions that I have held. My goal is to recruit people both inside and outside the university in order to get them to submit their work for review. I also do routine classroom visits, use social media and use word of mouth as a way to get the word out. I think this year they may have received more artwork than in previous years and I already have students inquiring about the fall submission. I think Qua is an amazing magazine and my hope is to try and grow the magazine and make sure that everyone knows our name and that it is the university student run magazine. Being a writer myself, it is the perfect job for me to make my mark as a student while helping others to release their artistic expressions.

Ways in which I support or interact with UM-Flint faculty:
I have participated in events with them. I co-facilitated a writing workshop with Dr. Traci Currie. I’ve spoken to promise scholar students about my experience as a graduate and undergraduate student. I’ve observed faculty classes and gave them feedback about their teaching styles. I’m assisting in the strategic planning process for the new Communication Studies Department. And I’ve volunteered and mentored to young girls in the girls court project with Shelly Spievak.

Ways in which I support or interact with UM-Flint staff:
Collaborate on projects, volunteered with them and Rebecca Zeiss who is an Art instructor, created the illustrations for my 1st book.

Ways in which I am involved with my department or program’s community engagement:
I’ve co-facilitated workshops and assisted with community events.

What I feel my department or program does best for students:
The Communication side does excellent at getting their students involved in community outreach and they also have an open door policy where students can stop in any time to see them and they are constantly advising them to make sure they stay on track. The Visual Arts side promotes creativity and artistic expressions and encourages their students to think outside the box.

What I hope for my time at UM-Flint:
To assist in promoting student success, to encourage students to pursue higher education in a more cost-effective way with as little obstacles as possible.
To receive my doctorate in education.

What I hope for students from my department or program:
That they will reach their academic goals with as [little] stress and financial strain as possible and that they will all complete their degrees.

Three things you should know about me:
• Local Author of two books
• Marketing Editor for Qua
• Everything I do is to promote student success including my books, my educational background, and my profession