Author

The nation observed President's Day Monday, February 18th. We talk with presidential historian and author H.W. Brands who recently visited Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies presenting Comedian-in-Chief: What Presidents' Humor Says About Them, and About Us.

Brands explores the importance of humor and likeability among American leaders beginning with the seriousness of President George Washington to President Donald Trump.

Presidential historian and author H.W. Brands was guest of Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies.

His presentation Comedian-in-Chief: What Presidents' Humor Says About Them, and About Us begins with the seriousness of President George Washington to President Donald Trump.

Presidential historian John Meacham, author of the recently released book “The Soul of America” visited Grand Valley State University in partnership with the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Meacham explains the political rancor permeating American society is nothing new offering a way forward. 

The midterm elections are in less than three weeks. As the political divide widens, one author and political historian visited Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies explaining American Conservatism and Populism in the Age of Trump.

“What’s going on with conservatism today? There’s a sense of great turbulence and dispute and so forth.”

George Nash is a historian of American conservatism and author of The Conservative Intellectual Movement in American since 1945. 

Grand Rapid’s Richard M. DeVos, co-founder of Amway, NBA team owner and father-in-law of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has died at the age of 92.

Richard M. DeVos was an entrepreneur who, with boyhood friend Jay Van Andel, pioneered direct selling in 1949 when they invested $49 distributing Nutrilite vitamins. That would lead to the creation of Amway in 1959 selling an all-purpose cleaner. Nearly six decades later it is a multi-billion dollar international corporation.

What were the factors leading up to the Flint Water crisis? In part one of a two part interview I talk with Anna Clark, she’s the author of the new book The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy. I asked what drew her to tell this story?

Grand Rapidian Author Scott Devon writes a book about life after death, The Second Death, filled with classic rock and roll references, wit and charm. We talk to Scott.

Finding the Lost Region is the theme of the Fourth Annual Midwestern History Conference hosted this week by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. 

“From this conference has grown a number of scholarly projects and books and new emphasis on the region.”

Four years worth of lectures producing a new book, Finding a New Midwestern History, co-edited by Jon Lauck, examines Midwestern life; its history, religion, geography, art, race, culture, and politics.

The author of the book Deep Change takes a deep dive into learning what it takes to become a more effective leader.

Robert E. Quinn, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business recently visited with Grand Valley State University's Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies as keynote speaker for its "Wheelhouse Talk."

WGVU spoke with Quinn.

Corporate and organization leaders face challenges every day. Learning to become a more effective leader was the focus of Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center’s Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy hosting the best-selling author of the book “Deep Change.” 

WGVU spoke with one of the nation’s leadership experts before Thursday evening’s Wheelhouse Talk.

“How do we exhibit the highest levels of leadership?”