2010-2011 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Community Resources
Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute
The Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) is a multidisciplinary research organization committed to the study of freshwater resources. The mission of the Institute is to integrate research, education, and outreach to enhance and preserve freshwater resources.
AWRI seeks to accomplish this mission through:
- Research into major questions about our water resources, including ecosystem structure and function; contaminants and toxicology; hydrology; land use; watershed, stream, and wetland ecology; water quality; and basic and applied limnology.
- Public education for a variety of groups ranging from school children to adults.
- Outreach to ensure that decision makers are equipped with the best available knowledge on environmental and water resource-related issues, to reduce the uncertainty associated with their resource management decisions.
The Institute occupies the Lake Michigan Center and Annex on Muskegon Lake in Muskegon, MI. Facilities include classrooms, conference areas, analytical labs, research labs, mesocosms, dockage, and ship support and storage. AWRI also promotes collaborative research and educational programming and offers research space and equipment, as well as ship support facilities to advance such collaborative efforts. AWRI operates its own research vessels, the D. J. Angus and the W. G. Jackson, and offers the Water Resources Outreach Education Program for K-12 schools and community groups.
The Institute consists of three main programmatic areas:
(1) The Ecological Research Program, which consists of environmental biology and environmental chemistry groups, addresses questions about water resources, hydrology, watershed ecology and management, environmental chemistry and toxicology, aquatic ecosystem structure and function, aquatic conservation, land use change, pollution prevention, and aquatic food webs;
(2) The Information Services Center, which uses state-of-the-art Geospatial technology to collect and analyze data, and condense it into useful information for those who make critical decisions about natural resource management; and
(3) The Education and Outreach Program, which includes the use of AWRI's two research vessels, and provides scientific information to K-12 students, policymakers, educators, college students, and community groups.
Grand Valley students and faculty have the opportunity to participate in AWRI activities as volunteers, paid assistants, interns, research associates, or graduate students. The AWRI Office is located at the Lake Michigan Center, 740 West Shoreline Drive, Muskegon, Michigan, 49441. Telephone (231) 728-3601. More information can be obtained at their website: www.gvsu.edu/wri/.
Autism Education Center
The mission of the Autism Education Center (AEC) is to give professionals and parents the knowledge and skills to support individuals with autism spectrum disorder in reaching their greatest potential. The center is committed to developing and supporting the use of effective practices such as early, individualized, and systemic interventions that are empirically supported and evaluated, and that partner the family, health care, and educational professionals to ensure appropriate support and services in a range of settings.
The center offers resources and training through its Statewide Autism Resources and Training Project (START). START includes a Resource Center, Intensive Training, and Model Demonstration sites. The START Resource Center is comprised of a reference and lending library with books, videotapes, and curriculum materials, in addition to a website that provides project information and links to information on autism. START also sponsors conferences for professionals and family members. Intensive Training is offered to school based teams and tailored for each school program based on the individual needs of that site. Training is provided using an autism curriculum framework that addresses key competency areas, along with partnering of parents and community. The Model Demonstration sites offers intervention, assessments, and curriculum that are deemed most effective for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and serve as models for replication, regional resource centers, and local experts. Regional collaborative networks are supported to coordinate linkages among schools systems, agencies, organizations, and universities in each region of the state.
The Autism Center website is www.gvsu.edu/autismcenter/.
The Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence (CSCE)
The Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence (CSCE) promotes a culture of active scholarship, encourages innovation and enterprise, facilitates collaborations, and serves as an advocate for University scholarship and creative practice. The CSCE sponsors workshops, colloquia, lectures, and discussions. It provides help with developing a scholarly agenda, mentoring by senior faculty, assistance in finding collaborations, and publishing as a scholar.
In addition, the CSCE provides funding to help support faculty and faculty-mentored scholarship. Guidelines and forms for all grants are available on the CSCE homepage (www.gvsu.edu/csce). The CSCE has locations on both the Grand Rapids and Allendale Campuses. They can be contacted at (616) 331-2281.
Continuing Education
Where traditional learning ends, Continuing Education begins. Through an ever-changing ever-evolving array of programs, the Office of Continuing Education helps the university expand beyond the classroom to build communities of lifelong learners that are more informed, better prepared, and uniquely engaged in their work, leisure and the world in which they live.
Grand Forum
Grand Forum is an educational outreach program for adults 55 and older and is a division of Continuing Education at Grand Valley. Grand Forum provides the opportunity for individuals of diverse backgrounds to meet in an academic setting for the purpose of intellectual stimulation and social exchange.
Led by university faculty and administrators, community leaders, Grand Forum members, independent scholars and local professionals, topics are offered in such fields as the arts, business, current events, history and science.
Through presentations and discussions, held both on and off campus, Grand Forum provides a broad spectrum of stimulating programs in a setting that encourages lively discussion. An interest in learning is an essential part of membership.
Another feature of Grand Forum membership includes the monthly Grand Forum Book Discussion Group, which meets the first Wednesday of the month. Information on Grand Forum is available by calling (616) 331-6615 or visiting www.gvsu.edu/grandforum/.
Professional Development
The Office of Continuing Education sponsors select training and professional development activities to serve business and professional communities in West Michigan. Contract and custom training opportunities are available and can be offered on the site of the organization while public programs are offered at our regional campus or site locations. Seminars and workshops are also available online. These programs are not for academic credit and are offered to meet professional and personal development needs of individuals, corporations, and organizations. For more information, please call (616)-331-7180 or visit www.gvsu.edu/learn/professional/.
The Professional Development Partnership Program (PDP)
Coordinated through the Office of Continuing Education, the PDP creates and maintains partnerships with schools, agencies, and businesses throughout the state of Michigan. PDP offers the opportunity to receive graduate academic credit and State Board CEU's for educators and is a provider of continuing education for social workers through the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative. For more information, please contact (616)-331-6522 or visit www.gvsu.edu/learn/pdp/.
Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence
The Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence (CSCE) promotes a culture of active scholarship, encourages innovation and enterprise, facilitates collaborations, and serves as an advocate for University scholarship and creative practice. The CSCE sponsors workshops, colloquia, lectures, and discussions. It provides help with developing a scholarly agenda, mentoring by senior faculty, assistance in finding collaborations, and publishing as a scholar.
In addition, the CSCE provides funding to help support faculty and faculty-mentored scholarship. Guidelines and forms for all grants are available on the CSCE homepage (www.gvsu.edu/csce). The CSCE has locations on both the Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids and Allendale campuses. They can be contacted at (616) 331-2281.
Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies
The mission of the Hauenstein Center at Grand Valley is to advance discussion of the U.S. presidency among scholars, government leaders, student leaders, and the public.
Inspired by Ralph Hauenstein's vision, the center runs a leadership academy for students and young professionals committed to public service.
Through lectures, debates, and conferences, the center brings some of the nation's greatest scholars and writers to Grand Rapids to discuss U.S. presidents and their impact on domestic and world affairs. C-SPAN has covered two of its conferences, and the 2005 War and Empire debate was Web cast live to more than 3,500 viewers in 18 countries.
As a public service, the center features allpresidents.org - one of the fastest-growing websites in the nation devoted to the study of U.S. presidents. The Hauenstein Center works in partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Foundation and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership
The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy was established in 1992 with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Johnson Center serves nonprofits, foundations, and others that seek to transform their communities for the common good, and is adapting constantly to changing conditions.
The Johnson Center accomplishes this in three ways:
- Academically, by encouraging the civic engagement of students and faculty. As a public service and as a resource for classroom studies, the Johnson Center (www.johnsoncenter.org) provides resources for improving nonprofit leadership and management and assisting with acquisition of new community and regional information and technical skills. The Johnson Center supports university efforts to promote the study of philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. The Dorothy A. Johnson Library Archives and Special Collections serve as a resource for scholarly research by students, staff, faculty, and community members.
- Locally, by improving the quality of nonprofit leadership and management and community decision making in West Michigan. The Johnson Center's seminars and workshops support the development and networking of nonprofit leaders. The Community Research Institute provides innovative applied research and data for decision-making to assist communities in assessing their needs, forecasting trends for effective problem solving, and measuring the social impact of programs and services.
- Nationally, by enhancing the impact of foundations and nonprofit organizations. The Grantmaking School (johnsoncenter.org/services/foundations/thegrantmakingschool) is the first university-based continuing education program to teach principles of advanced grantmaking to foundation program officers; The Frey Chair for Family Philanthropy (johnsoncenter.org/chairs-fellowships/frey) is the nation's first endowed chair focusing on family philanthropy. The chair supports the Johnson Center's work in increasing the effectiveness of grantmakers and the nonprofit sector in Michigan and through national leadership. The Foundation Review (www.foundationreview.org) is the first peer-reviewed journal of philanthropy, written by and for foundation staff and boards. The journal strives to share evaluation results, tools, and knowledge about the philanthropic sector in order to improve the practice of grantmaking.
The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC)
The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) is the first fully integrated Gold Certified LEED demonstration facility for distributed generation of electricity. Its power generation utilizes a 30 kW combine heat power micro turbine, a 30 kW photovoltaic solar roof, and a 1.8 kW skystream wind generator.
The MAREC center is also an energy technology and business incubator that promotes the development of business ventures in Muskegon and the lakeshore region. MAREC has 4,000-square-feet of space devoted to incubating businesses that focus on innovative development of advanced energy technologies. Incubator tenants are chosen based on their capacity to be a catalyst for economic development and job growth in the area. Currently there are three privately funded start-up companies located at MAREC.
In 2006, MAREC received a one-million dollar grant from the Michigan Public Services Commission to build a bio digester plant that converts animal manure to methane gas and subsequently to electricity. The plant is located in Ravenna, MI and has been operational since 2007. Bio digester plants are a key initiative in aiding the dairy farm businesses in meeting the stringent environmental requirements by converting the green house gas methane to electricity, eliminating hydrogen sulfide emissions, and producing near pathogen free fertilizer.
More recently, MAREC has received federal and state grants to develop an offshore wind energy research project in Lake Michigan. Working in partnership with the University of Michigan, private stakeholders and the Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council, MAREC will lead the effort to develop a greater understanding of offshore wind technology.
In addition, MAREC contributes to Grand Valley's efforts to develop interdisciplinary alternative energy education within its campus and in collaboration with Muskegon Community College.
Regional Math and Science Center
The Regional Math and Science Center serves the science and mathematics education needs of elementary and secondary schools in West Michigan. The center focuses on providing professional development opportunities for practicing teachers and enrichment activities for pre-college students. Pre-service teachers are also encouraged to participate in center activities. The Regional Math and Science Center supports the Michigan K-12 Curriculum and Standards in science and mathematics. The Center's staff is available for consultation, professional development resources, and collaboration on grants and science and mathematics programs.
The Center administers such popular programs as Science Olympiad, Elementary Science Olympiad kits, and STEM summer camps for students as well as the Fall Science Update and professional development opportunities for teachers. These offerings are content-rich and utilize best practice in science and mathematics teaching and learning.
SCI 580 Special Topics in Science and Mathematics. Lecture and/or laboratory courses or workshops in interdisciplinary studies relating to more than one science and/or mathematics discipline. One to three credits.
The Kutsche Office of Local History
The Kutsche Office of Local History is a humanities-based learning initiative that blends academics with service. The office offers students studying in all disciplines an opportunity to blend classroom knowledge with hands-on experience in the field of public, local history. Our mission is to use history to foster an earnest appreciation of our common challenges, common destiny and common humanity.
Our strategy for achieving our mission is three-dimensional. First, the office will assist groups that have been understudied and under-recognized to document, preserve and disseminate their knowledge of history. Second, the office will reinforce Grand Valley students' understanding of public, local history by engaging students in hands-on history-driven community service projects and internships.
Finally, the office will support the work of local history institutions and organizations in West Michigan by providing faculty and student research assistance, opportunities for networking and collaboration, and providing information to help local history organizations improve their delivery of public history to the citizens in West Michigan and beyond.
For more information, call (616) 331-3692.
The Robert and Mary Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center
The Robert and Mary Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center supports faculty efforts to achieve teaching excellence. The Center presents programs throughout the calendar year, including workshops, mentoring programs, conferences, and consultations. Its directors offer leadership on teaching and learning issues across the university with a particular emphasis on teaching within a liberal education context. The Pew FTLC also provides tangible support and recognition of teaching excellence through a grants program and the campus-wide Pew Teaching Awards. The Pew FTLC is located in 324 Lake Ontario Hall.
Seidman Business Services
Center For Entrepreneurship
The Center for Entrepreneurship at the Seidman College of Business serves to promote, preserve, influence, and impact students, faculty, and the community through quality academic research, curriculum, and information services in the field of entrepreneurship. The Center plays an integral role in the development and oversight of the Entrepreneurship Minor, Certificate, and other curricular programs. It also supports the student Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization, the idea Pitch Competition, the Teen ENT Summer Academy, and the SCB Business Plan Competition. The center is a catalyst in the cross-disciplinary development of research and curriculum throughout the university serving to bring business and nonbusiness faculty and students together to foster the transfer of ideas into commercialized ventures. Further, it fosters the interaction and coordination of programs with local business organizations. The ENT website, www.gvsu.edu/ent, provides a full description of the entrepreneurial activities of the Center.
Center for Business Ethics
The center provides a forum for members of the local business community and Grand Valley faculty to exchange ideas on ethical questions for the benefit of the university, business community, and the West Michigan community in general. Entrepreneurs, corporate managers, and faculty interested in participating in the dialog groups should contact Robert Frey.
Family Owned Business Institute
Grand Valley's Family Owned Business Institute's mission is to promote, preserve, influence, and impact family businesses through quality academic research, curriculum development, and the delivery of information services. The creation of the institute was born out of the collective belief that family businesses are the cornerstone of a community's prosperity and a vital ingredient in its quality of life. Our national and regional history has demonstrated that it is in the best interest of communities to foster the creation, growth, and continuation of family-owned businesses because they are the leaders in job creation, innovation, and in providing stable employment opportunities with superior wages and benefits for their employees.
Despite their tremendous contributions, family businesses face a unique set of challenges that can limit their impact and threaten their very survival. By providing support through research, curriculum, and knowledge management, the Family Owned Business Institute serves to develop, retain, and expand the influence of family businesses within our communities. The institute fosters research through its Research Scholars programs, its professional relationships and data sources, and its affiliation with local organizations such as the Grand Rapids Family Business Alliance, as well as national and international organizations. FOBI's website, http://fobi.gvsu.edu is designed to facilitate the quick and complete search for information within the family-owned business field. A family business Hall of Fame, permanently displayed in the Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall, honors those prominent West Michigan family businesses that have been instrumental in the leadership of their industry and community.
MI-Small Business Technology Development Center-Region 7
The Michigan Small Business Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) provides no-cost counsel, training, market research, and advocacy for small businesses in Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties. It is a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration and Grand Valley. Companies receive business consultation services from an experienced team. Examples of assistance provided include: business plan development for funding, developing growth strategies, understanding cash flow/finance issues, marketing their products/services, and many other areas of business.
MI-Small Business Technology Development Center State Headquarters
In 2001, Grand Valley was awarded the State Headquarters for the Michigan Small Business Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC). As host of the MI-SBTDC State Headquarters, the Seidman College of Business oversees the twelve-region MI-SBTDC network. Entrepreneurs and small business owners may access the services of their nearest MI-SBTDC by calling (616) 331-7480. The state website is: http://www.misbtdc.org/.
Seidman Information Services
Often organizations need information and market research and are not quite sure where to find it. Seidman Information Services, for a small fee, will find the data. They also annually produce a publication called Demographic Profile for the Grand Rapids and Lakeshore Areas. Portions of the publication can be viewed at www.gvbizinfo.com. It is available for purchase or can be found at most public libraries.
U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center
The U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center (USEAC) provides practical international trade information and export counseling for the entire Lake Michigan shoreline area. The USEAC is housed at the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley.
Van Andel Global Trade Center
The Van Andel Global Trade Center is housed under the Seidman College of Business.
Mission, Objectives, and Activity Summary
The mission of the Van Andel Global Trade Center (VAGTC) is to strengthen the community through increased global business by providing international consulting, training, and resources. Founded in 1999 and located in the Richard M. DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, the center accomplishes its mission by creating, developing, and offering programs and services that meet the needs of the Michigan community.
The objective of the Van Andel Global Trade Center is to be recognized worldwide as the most effective source of international information, training, and assistance services for the business and academic communities in Michigan. The VAGTC enters into strategic partnerships with members of the University and the business community to accomplish its objectives.
VAGTC services include a series of seminars, workshops, certificate programs, and conferences encompassing many different international business topics. In addition, the center provides vital customized import/export and foreign investment consulting services for small and medium sized companies. The center has global reference materials for international trade resources. The VAGTC has a corporate membership program that offers high value, high quality services to companies within Michigan and beyond.
The VAGTC has offered training programs in eight different states, and has provided training to over five-thousand employees. Since its inception in 1999, the VAGTC has offered consulting services to over 350 companies in the Michigan area. With a fast growing membership base, the VAGTC is poised to continue expanding its service area.
For students, the center is a training ground for working in the international arena. The center uses students to accomplish many of its objectives, and also provides a conduit for international careers through internships with its client companies.
Benefits to the Community and University
- Increase competency within organizations to be globally successful
- Develop strategic partnership both inside and outside the university to enhance constituents and stakeholders
- Increase economic development of region through international business
Services to the Community include:
- Consulting services, training services, resource development, and facilities
- Cultural education, language center and matchmaking/trade missions/business development
- Foreign visits and speaker series, information collector and broker, and intermediary of businesses
- Advocacy, service provider broker, statewide resource center and research provider
The Van Andel Legacy
As the founder and pioneer of international trade for Amway, Jay Van Andel was an inspiration for those in Michigan seeking to prosper in expanding overseas markets. It is in this spirit that the Van Andel Global Trade Center was named after Jay Van Andel and is quickly becoming the core facility dedicated to advancing international trade and supporting Michigan businesses as they prepare to enter and prosper in an era of international business competition.
While leading Amway to record growth through international expansion, Jay Van Andel became convinced that the global marketplace would be pivotal in enhancing the prosperity of the region where he began his business. Recognizing that the Richard M. DeVos Center would be a focal point for international business education and activity, Mr. Van Andel became a major benefactor of the building where the VAGTC resides. Named in his honor and dedicated to international business assistance for local companies, the Van Andel Global Trade Center is the university's commitment to fulfilling the global vision of one of Michigan's most outstanding global entrepreneurs.
Kent-Ottawa-Muskegon Foreign Trade Zone
The Van Andel Global Trade Center is home to the Kent-Ottawa-Muskegon Foreign Trade Zone (KOM-FTZ, #189). The center serves as the grantee administrator for the zone; related activities include marketing, strategic planning, administration, and zone support. The KOM-FTZ maintains a board of twelve individuals, three each from Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties and three from Grand Valley State University. A Foreign Trade Zone is a secure and enclosed area, considered to be outside of the United States for purposes of Customs duty payments.