GRAND RAPIDS, MI – New modernized residence halls, “flexible” learning spaces, and a Center for Talent, Technology & Transformation are among the list of projects planned for Grand Valley State University’s campus over the next 10 years.
On Friday, Feb. 24, the GVSU Board of Trustees approved new additions to the university’s campus Master Plan, which outlines Grand Valley’s long-term construction and renovation plans across its Allendale and Grand Rapids campuses.
While all specific projects will still need to be approved by the board later down the road, the master plan serves as a “roadmap” as the university looks for funding opportunities for the proposed campus improvements, Trustee Elizabeth Emmitt said during the board’s meeting on the Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
At this point, there was no discussion regarding the anticipated costs of the projects outlined.
“The approval of the campus Master Plan does not represent a commitment of capital, but does help focus the vision and anticipated capital projects for Grand Valley campuses and aligns them to support Reach Higher 2025,” Emmitt said. “It is exciting to imagine how the campuses will evolve and think about the impact on our community.”
Enhancing student life is a key component of the master plan. GVSU is proposing to demolish and replace the three oldest residence halls on the Allendale campus: Kistler, Copeland, and Robinson.
Greg Sanial, GVSU vice president for finance and administration, said the three dorm halls are old and still have the traditional-style layout where students sleep in shared bedrooms. Most students today prefer the newer suite-style dorms with private bedrooms, he said.
“We’ve done as much as we can to keep them up-to-date, but we’re at the point where it’s time because we can’t change the physical layout of the rooms,” Sanial told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press on Friday.
According to the master plan, Copeland and Robinson halls would be replaced in “phase one” of the plan, which would occur in the next five years. Kistler would be replaced in “phase two” of construction, which would occur in the next 10 years.
The plan is also largely centered around modernizing the university’s academic spaces to recognize the shift toward more online and hybrid learning, Sanial said.
“As we look to enhance our ability to deliver online and hybrid education, our students want more of the active learning – they don’t want to just sit in a desk and listen to the lecture, they want to be engaged,” he said.
The keystone project is the addition of a new Center for Talent, Technology & Transformation – which will be called the Blue Dot Lab – at the Eberhard Center on the downtown Grand Rapids Pew Campus.
The lab will create “a hub with spaces and programs that embrace technology as a vehicle for human, societal and enterprise empowerment,” according to the master plan.
“To be empowered citizens and impactful professionals, current and future graduates need to be intellectually agile, technologically fluent, and emotionally compassionate,” the plan reads.
“This space will create opportunities to equip more learners with the human, digital and computing skills to harness data, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and technology to enhance their life, work and the trajectory of our businesses and non profits.”
GVSU also plans to renovate Pew Campus classrooms to create more “flexible” spaces with immersive technology, as the university prepares for an expected influx of students in the coming years, Sanial said.
The university is projecting to see its largest student growth on the Pew Campus out of all three of GVSU’s campuses over the next several years, according to the university’s estimates.
Grand Valley has previously projected a 41% increase in students at the Pew Campus, from 5,754 students in 2021 to 8,100 in 2025, according to the university’s projections.
“What we’re really looking to do is position the Pew Campus for innovation in digital learning,” Sanial said. “As we look to our strategic enrollment management plan over the coming years and the growth, we see most of that growth happening for our students at the Pew Campus.”
Overall, GVSU has estimated a 21% enrollment increase from 2021 to 2025. The university expects to enroll 4,540 additional students, resulting in a fall 2025 headcount of 27,000.
Related: Grand Valley State University sees increase in students living on campus this year
During the board’s public comment period Friday, four students from GVSU’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) group spoke to GVSU President Philomena Mantella and trustees about increasing student wages on campus.
Foster Thorburn, president of the YDSA group, said the university’s student wages are below the living wage in Ottawa County (where the main campus is in Allendale) and disproportionately impacts GVSU’s international students, who make up a large share of student workers within the dining services. He said the living wage for Ottawa County is $17.16 an hour, whereas the highest wage available for students is $17.70.
Student wages range from $10.10 to $17.70, according to the university’s website.
“This is an issue we care deeply about because we care about our students,” Mantella said in a statement to MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.
“We have people from our financial aid, business and student affairs offices actively engaged in improving student employment, opportunities and their direct connection to career and learning. We are grateful for the students’ input, and we are reviewing all matters of student employment.”
In other board business:
- The GVSU Board of Trustees reauthorized four Michigan charter schools, including Chandler Woods Charter Academy in Belmont. The other three schools are on the east side of the state: Achieve Charter Academy Academy in Canton, East Arbor Charter Academy in Ypsilanti, and Michigan Mathematics and Science Academy in Warren. The board also appointed charter school board members to 23 GVSU authorized public school academy boards.
- Newly appointed Trustees Ron Hall and Shelley Padnos attended their first meeting on the board since being appointed to the GVSU Board of Trustees by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Feb. 2. Hall is the president and CEO of the automotive manufacturing firm Bridgewater Interiors LLC. Padnos is the executive vice president of the Holland-based PADNOS, and previously served on the board from 2007-2014.
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