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Praise for the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies
Grand Valley State University
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"I am pleased with the extremely successful partnership between the Ford Presidential Library and Museum, the Ford Foundation, and the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. The Hauenstein Center is making its mark with creative programs that help Americans see beyond the headlines. I'm delighted with the work Gleaves Whitney and his dedicated staff are doing to increase our understanding of courageous, effective leadership. It is especially rewarding to work with a presidential studies center so closely associated with my good friend, Ralph Hauenstein, who is an inspiring example of a life well lived."
~Gerald R. Ford
38th President of the United States
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"The Hauenstein Center is a jewel in the crown of Michigan.
"Gleaves Whitney and his energetic team at the Hauenstein Center have become, in a remarkably short time, a force to reckon with -- and learn from -- in the presidential studies field. With imagination to match their scholarship, they are making the nation's highest office accessible to countless web users, and to a large and lucky audience exposed in person to the premier historians, biographers, and -- on occasion -- controversialists of our time. Their programs are lively, intensely topical, and, in the best sense, intellectually provocative. What a thoughtful way to wed history and headlines. What a marvelous legacy for Ralph Hauenstein, who has spent a lifetime leading by example."
~Richard Norton Smith
Author of Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation;
An Uncommon Man: The Triumph of Herbert Hoover; and Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?
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"I value every opportunity to speak in connection with the Ford Museum and especially with the Hauenstein Center. Gleaves Whitney is a real treasure for those of us who do presidential studies and that work in the field of presidential history. He’s also one of the most effective entrepreneurs in the business of higher education. You can tell this by the growth in the Hauenstein Center over the five years that he’s been the director.
"In a remarkably brief time, the Hauenstein Center has become one of the leading institutions for research and education on the American presidency. Its facilities, speaker series, and website are absolutely first-rate. It has something for every student of the presidency, from the dedicated scholar to the concerned citizen.
"The Hauenstein Center has really put Grand Valley on the map beyond Michigan."
~H. W. Brands
Author of TR: The Last Romantic; Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times;
and The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
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"I'm delighted to be associated with Grand Valley State. It is a superb university. I'm very honored to be part of the Hauenstein Center. It is the most remarkable intellectual and scholarly center I've seen in operation in many years. It simply does a superb job intellectually as well as in the organization of its conferences."
~J. Rufus Fears
David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma\
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"One cannot but be impressed with how the Hauenstein Center has hit the ground running. The place vibrates with high-quality activity."
~Roger Porter
Professor of Business and Government
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
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"Do let Gleaves and the whole formidable crew at the Hauenstein Center know that I had a grand -- a Grand Rapids -- time over the two days. They really were sterling events."
~Brian Domitrovic
author, Econoclasts
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"The Hauenstein Center is developing into a significant venue for discussion of the country's many domestic and foreign concerns."
~Robert Dallek
Author of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy; Lyndon B. Johnson:
Portrait of a President; and Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy
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"My internship at the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies provided me with a great opportunity to mature professionally and personally. Professionally, I was introduced to a series of great speakers, books and ideas, many of which I had limited exposure to in the classroom. Between the leadership academy, annual lecture series, and Bergers Collection library, I had a wealth of knowledge and experience at my fingertips. On a personal note, the staff at the Center makes mentoring their students an integral part of the internship. To Gleaves and his staff, interns are more than cheap labor sources. They are an investment in the future of the Center, Grand Valley, and the world. Interning at the Hauenstein Center equipped me not only for the professional world, but also gave me a taste of graduate school and the Academy for a fraction of the price."
~Austin Knuppe
Hauenstein Center Intern and Leadership Fellow
Calvin College, Class of 2008
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"Dear Gleaves: I very much enjoyed working with you and your talented students on the Living Homesteaders Project. What an impressive group. They made an outstanding impression for themselves, Grand Valley State University, and the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. The National Park Service certainly would benefit from having such bright people work for the agency. Their enthusiasm, professionalism, and good cheer were so essential to the wonderful success of our oral histories. I hope to work with the center on future projects."
~Tom Richter
Chief, Interpretation & Education, National Park Service
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"Having the opportunity to work at the Hauenstein Center and to be a Leadership Academy fellow was one of the best experiences of my life. From interacting with highly regarded scholars to working on the many events and projects, I learned lessons during my time at the Hauenstein Center that I find myself applying on a daily basis. My career involves both public speaking and leading a group of over thirty volunteers, and I have found the passion that the Center exudes for its work has been a valuable model that I use every day.
"I implore anyone who wishes to be a better leader, a better scholar, a better citizen to spend some time with Gleaves and the entire staff -- it is truly a life-changing experience."
~Patrick Reagan
Director of the Downtown Development Authority, City of Portland, MI
Graduate Assistant & Leadership Fellow, 2006-08
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“No other association has provided me with more opportunities to grow and learn than the Hauenstein Center's Leadership Academy.”
~Dan Reed
Grand Valley Social Studies and Education Major
Peter Cook Leadership Fellow, 2007-2009
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"The Hauenstein Center has been an invaluable resource to me. I didn't know at the beginning of the year how much the Hauenstein Center has to offer, but in Mr. Whitney and his staff I have discovered a treasure trove of knowledge. The staff are always willing to help students find solid, scholarly resources in the Hauenstein library. I have also taken part in several events they organized. The center has provided us students with a chance to work together on common interests outside of class, but still in an academic setting. Overall the Hauenstein Center has added a lot to my experience as a student at Grand Valley State University.
"I've learned more at the Hauenstein Center this year than I have in the rest of my career at Grand Valley. It took me out of the textbook and put me in real professional situations."
~Sarah Gosline
Student, Grand Valley State University
President, Phi Beta Kappa
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"Dear Dr. Whitney: Thank you for organizing the colloquium in Philadelphia and leading the discussion sessions. The experience really made me think about the issues of the Constitutional Convention and how they affect us today. I learned so much that I will use in my classroom, and I appreciate your direction and insights."
~Chad Krier
High School Teacher, La Vista, Nebraska
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"AWESOME! Yep, I am screaming that! I can not thank you enough for the opportunity to host the presidents of Mount Rushmore. The staff here was blown away. I have gotten nonstop e-mails since the performance ended. You guys rock over there. I can not thank you enough, and I can not wait to speak to the students tomorrow. Thank you again, and thank you to the presidents!"
~Jennifer Hodges
High School teacher, Allendale, Michigan
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"Tonight's debate between Amity Schales and Jonathon Alter was another huge success for you and the Hauenstein Center. You and your staff do a great job with these events and are to be commended. You provide a great service to the community."
~Brent Slay
Grand Rapids, Michigan
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“Thank you for brining this small town Wisconsinite some of the great lectures you have posted on YouTube, especially Professor J. Rufus Fears and historian H.W. Brands. I can’t thank you enough!”
~Jamie Beckwith
Portage, Wisconsin
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"The program was magnificent! Thanks to all who had a hand in making it so. The large turnout indicates how appreciated this type of programming is. My birthday happens to be on Constitution Day & so I basked in such a grand celebration! I look forward to more outstanding events. Thank you!"
~Charlotte Veenstra
Grand Rapids, Michigan
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"Dear Mr. Whitney: Thank you for your visit to my Government classes at Ottawa Hills High School. It was great to see my students so excited about the discussion. They all commented afterward how much they enjoyed the activity. I sure hope you will consider joining another class in the future."
~Ann Kozak
Teacher at Ottowa Hills Hight School
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"The Hauenstein Center is an invaluable tool for all students, particularly history majors. The website is a wonderful starting point for any assignment dealing with the history of the presidency -- or with American history in general. I would encourage all of my peers to tap into this wonderful resource!"
~Justin Noordhoek
Student, Grand Valley State University
Secondary Education-History Major
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"Our new partnership with the Hauenstein Center has proved invaluable in allowing the park to complete work that is vitally needed and provide special programs for the public."
~Mark Engler
Superintendent, Homestead National Monument of America
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"The Hauenstein Center provides the necessary resources and repository for an invigorating, imaginative, and thought provoking study of our American presidency. We can view each U.S. president not only within the context of their times, but also throughout the evolving of our American identity."
~Bill Barker
Thomas Jefferson interpreter
Colonial Williamsburg
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"The Hauenstein Center has become an historical resource of the first order for students of the American Presidency."
~Robert A. Caro
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the four volume The Years of Lyndon Johnson and The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
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