2010-2011 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
The Campuses
The Allendale Campus
Grand Valley State University's main campus is located almost midway between downtown Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan, in the town of Allendale. The natural land structure of Grand Valley's 1,280-acre campus is formed by deep, wooded ravines penetrating a high bluff that overlooks the Grand River to the east and gently rolling open fields to the west. The campus is designed to take advantage of the area's scenic wooded ravines as well as its open meadowlands.
Automobile traffic is routed along a main campus drive to parking lots at the edge of the academic areas. Winding walkways between buildings connect with a series of natural trails along the riverbank. A 230-foot pedestrian bridge called "Little Mac'' spans a spectacular 70-foot-deep ravine to connect the north and south sections of the campus.
Great Lakes Group: Lake Michigan Hall, Lake Superior Hall, Lake Huron Hall, and Seidman House. The first four buildings constructed on Grand Valley's campus were completed in 1963-64. They are characterized by tall, slender, concrete arches, and native Michigan fieldstone. The group's fifth member was completed in fall 2005. The Silver Leed certified Lake Ontario Hall is situated between Lake Michigan Hall and the Calder Art Center. This building of approximately 50,000 square feet contains faculty offices, student study areas and specialized classrooms including a creative computing lab. It houses the Barbara H. Padnos International Center, the Robert and Mary Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center, the office of Dean of the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Writing Center, the Writing Department, Women and Gender Studies, Center for Excellence in Science and Math Education, and Intercultural Area Studies.
Lake Michigan Hall houses the Business Services Offices, the Human Resources Office, News and Information Services, and the Anthropology laboratory.
Lake Superior Hall houses the School of Communications.
Lake Huron Hall houses the Departments of English Language and Literature, and Classics as well as Allendale offices for the Seidman College of Business.
Located in Seidman House are the Archives, the Rare Book Collection, and the Lemmen Collection on Lincoln and the Civil War. In addition, the building contains a quiet study area seating 65, with a scenic view of the nearby ravine. The building is named for the Thomas Erler Seidman Foundation of Grand Rapids, which donated the funds for its construction.
James H. Zumberge Library, named for Grand Valley's first president, received several awards for its architectural design. The building has five levels, the top four used by the library and the lower level by the university's executive offices. The main floor of the library, entered from the campus walk, contains the circulation desk, reference collection and library offices. Reference librarians are available at the reference/information desk near the main entrance. The book collection is located on the second and third floors. Periodicals, periodical abstracts and indexes, newspapers, microforms, and microreaders are on the fourth floor. Throughout the building are reading areas furnished with lounge chairs, individual study carrels, and group worktables.
The library has more than 664,000 volumes, more than 8,000 periodical subscriptions in print and electronic formats, 853,000 microforms, and other materials necessary to effectively support instructional programs at Grand Valley. As a United States Government and State of Michigan Depository Library, it receives catalogs and large numbers of federal and state documents. For those with special needs, access is provided to the collections of other libraries.
Performing Arts Center houses the Department of Music, the Art Gallery, faculty offices, classrooms, practice rooms, teaching studios for the performing arts, and two dance studios. Located in this building is the 490-seat Louis Armstrong Theatre for presentations of plays, operas, concerts, and other programs. Also located in this building is the Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall, which seats 65 and is designed for individual and small group presentations.
Kirkhof Center is a multi-purpose building containing student service facilities. The University Bookstore, the Lobby Shop, postal services, commuter lockers, the box office operations for campus events, and automated teller machine (ATM) are located in Kirkhof Center. Food service is available from River Landing dining. In addition to meeting rooms and lounge areas, the offices of the Student Senate; the Student Life Office; Women's Center; the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender Resources Center (LGBT); the Office of the Dean of Multicultural Affairs; the Multicultural Center; and the Special Event Services Office are located here. The Grand Valley Lanthorn (the student newspaper), WCKS - 1610 AM (the student radio station), and GVBN - channel 10 (the student television station) are also located in Kirkhof Center. The 2008 addition is LEED certified.
AuSable Hall houses the departments of Anthropology and Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, the office of the assistant dean of the social sciences cluster, women and gender studies, criminal justice, and the Institutional Analysis office. In keeping with the tradition of selecting names associated with Michigan's famed waterways for the academic buildings, AuSable Hall is named for one of the state's most scenic rivers.
Cook Carillon Tower, a 10-story brick and stone structure, is named in honor of its major donors, Peter C. and Pat Cook of Grand Rapids. The 48 bronze bells were cast by the renowned Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry, tower-clock makers of the Netherlands. The bells range from 7.5 inches to 51.7 inches in diameter and are connected by cables to a keyboard in the chamber below. The keys, or levers, are configured like a piano keyboard and are played by striking the keys with the side of the hand. The carillon chimes on every quarter hour on a computerized automatic play system.
Cook-DeWitt Center overlooks a scenic, wooded ravine in the heart of the campus. The building houses the offices of the campus ministry and a 230-seat auditorium with a 26-rank Reuter pipe organ. The building is named for Peter C. and Pat Cook and Marvin and Jerene DeWitt, who donated funds for its construction.
The Islands Group: Mackinac Hall and Manitou Hall. These two buildings, constructed with ribbed concrete walls, bronze glass, and porcelain panels, form a natural outdoor court with the adjacent Commons building.
- Mackinac Hall contains classrooms, faculty offices, and computer labs. It contains the Office of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as the Departments of History, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Mathematics, Modern Languages and Literature, Movement Science, Statistics, Philosophy, Computer Science and Information Systems, Academic and Administrative Computing, the Regional Math and Science Center, and Information Technology. The building has an English composition computer lab, two general-purpose computer labs, an information technology lab, and a computer lab dedicated to the learning of foreign language. In August 2008, an 83,000 square foot addition to Mackinac opened with twenty general purpose classrooms, two case-rooms, a special purpose GIS Lab, student study areas, food service, and faculty offices. This 2008 addition is LEED Silver certified.
- Manitou Hall contains lecture halls and a computer lab for use by students. The campus administrative systems reside on servers housed in Manitou Hall along with the service and communications equipment for the university's fiber-optic-based wide-area network and its connection to the Internet. Grand Valley's wide-area high-speed network provides a full complement of computer services including wireless access to all academic buildings and most non-academic locations. Thousands of computers located throughout the campus serve both the instructional and administrative needs of the university. Most classrooms and lecture halls are equipped with computers and projection equipment for instruction and all are connected to the university's network and the Internet. Nearly all academic disciplines use computer services on the Grand Valley campus.
Calder Art Center, named for the artist whose stabile, La Grand Vitesse, is a Grand Rapids landmark. The Calder Art Center houses the Art and Design department with facilities for graphic design, painting, print-making, art education, drawing, ceramics, and two computer graphics labs along with multi-functional Macintosh labs for Art and Communication disciplines.
Science Complex: This complex consists of three separate buildings, the Student Services Building, Henry Hall, and the Seymour and Esther Padnos Hall of Science, and totals nearly 300,000 square feet.
- Student Services Building combines a variety of student services under one roof. The offices of Admissions, the Career Planning and Counseling Center, Career Services, Financial Aid, Housing, Student Employment, Advising Resources and Special Programs, and the Dean of Students are located here. Also housed in the three-story building is the Student Assistance Center, which combines the services of Academic Records, Registration, Cashier, Graduation Audit, and the Registrar.
- Henry Hall, named after former U.S. Representative Paul Henry of Grand Rapids, contains three lecture halls, the biology department, and seven microcomputer labs. Much of the artwork in the building is the work of Grand Valley alumni, faculty, and staff.
- Seymour and Esther Padnos Hall of Science, with its modern equipment, sophisticated instruments, and extensive map and specimen collections, is a well-equipped laboratory facility for study, research, and experimentation in the natural sciences. The departments of Chemistry, Geology, Biomedical Sciences, and Physics, as well as the Learning Center are located in this building. Financed originally in part by funds from the Loutit Foundation of Grand Haven, the facility was enlarged and remodeled as part of the Life Sciences Complex. It was named in honor of Seymour and Esther Padnos for their many years of commitment to the university, particularly to its science programs.
The Commons houses dining facilities and offices. The main dining area, operated by the Fresh Food Company, serves students and the public and is located on the upper level with an entrance from the campus walkway on the east. On the lower level, a food court featuring Bleecker Street, Freshens Energy Zone, Jump Asian Cuisine, and Papa John's Pizza adjoins an outdoor patio overlooking a wooded ravine and the "Little Mac" pedestrian bridge.
Kleiner Commons is a dining facility that includes a coffeehouse, sports cafe, Subway Sandwich Shop, and convenience store.
The Connection is a two-story, 24,000 square foot learning/dining facility occupied in August 2010. The first floor houses a food service operation which consists of seating, multi-venue food offerings, a convenience store, and a pizza delivery service. The upper floor provides spaces for two classrooms and two computer labs.
Living on Campus - Drug and Alcohol Policy. Grand Valley has a clear policy governing drugs and alcohol: we are drug and alcohol free in all of our living centers, and offer two drug and alcohol free lifestyle buildings in which residents are required to sign a contract that they will not consume alcohol or other drugs at any time. Students who violate the policy are referred to mandatory drug and alcohol education programming through our Counseling Center. We also have a recovery apartment building where students in recovery can live together and where program support is available.
Grand Valley Apartments, an existing apartment complex located south of the Grand Valley campus, was purchased in July 2000 by Grand Valley. Six buildings provide 72 apartments and parking for Grand Valley students. Four new buildings opened in Fall 2002, accommodating 568 students. Each unit houses two students, each with a private bedroom. A bathroom and a kitchenette are also provided in each unit.
Student Residences. Curving in an "S" shape along the winding rim of a ravine are three traditional living centers named after founding members of the University's governing body James M. Copeland House, Kenneth W. Robinson House, and Grace Olsen Kistler House. Accommodating 900 students, the traditional living centers are coeducational units with separate wings for men and women connected to central lounges. Each student is furnished with a computer network connection.
The Ravine Apartments, a townhouse style complex built along another scenic ravine nearby, accommodates 346 upperclass students in efficiency and one- or two-bedroom units. All units are computer network-equipped.
Laker Village Apartments, another townhouse-style complex on the south end of campus, accommodates 888 upper class students in two-bedroom units. All units are computer network-equipped.
Eleven living centers named for Grand Valley Board of Trustees members Richard M. DeVos, Icie Macy Hoobler, Paul A. Johnson, William A. Kirkpatrick, Arnold C. Ott, Robert C. Pew, William F. Pickard, L. William Seidman, Dale Stafford, Maxine M. Swanson, and Ella Koeze Weed house 987 students. All the buildings are divided into suites consisting of two double- bedrooms and a bath. The living centers that opened in the Fall of 2001, accommodating 494 students, are doubles but provide individual bathrooms and a kitchenette in each unit.
The Edward J. Frey Living Center is named for a past Grand Valley Board of Trustees member; and the Arthur C. Hills Living Center is named for a past Board of Trustees secretary.
The Mark A. Murray Living Center and Ronald F. Vansteeland Living Center are named after the university's third President, Mark A. Murray, and after the long term Vice President who served the university for more than 30 years, Ronald F. Vansteeland. These two living centers, completed in 2004, provide apartment style living and offer state of the art living quarters.
Calder Residence, located adjacent to the Calder Art Center, accommodates 48 students in single rooms appointed with private bath and kitchenette. This living center provides a convenient housing location for art majors involved in programs at the Calder Art Center.
The Glenn A. Niemeyer Living Center and Honors College building was occupied in August 2008. This structure, named for the Provost who retired in 2001 after more than 30 years of service to Grand Valley State University, houses 449 students in a combination of four bedroom, two bedroom and studio apartments. The housing facility includes accommodations for visiting faculty, meeting rooms, five lounges, and offices for Housing staff. The Honors College academic space includes two case rooms, multi-purpose room, a computer equipped classroom, a science classroom with prep area, two Learn Lab classrooms, student library/reading room, student collaboration areas and faculty offices. The combined housing and academic building is fully ADA accessible and is LEED Silver Certified.
In August 2010, three new living centers opened on the south campus. These three buildings total 265,600 square feet and provide space for 604 beds. The buildings offer a combination of four bedroom, two bedroom, and studio apartments. Each building provides student study rooms, laundry facilities, and group recreation spaces.
The Fieldhouse/Recreation Complex is located in the north central portion of campus. It is home to the movement science department and includes playing fields, baseball and softball diamonds, tennis courts, and the Arend D. Lubbers Stadium for football and track. The 210,000-square-foot fieldhouse includes a multi-purpose arena for a variety of events, including basketball, volleyball, track, and cultural events. In addition, it includes two tennis courts and four badminton courts. The arena has a seating capacity for up to 5,900 for concerts and 4,200 for center court athletic events. The complex includes a 26.5-foot-high rock-climbing center within the gymnastics room. This state-of-the-art facility has over 2,100 square feet of climbing surface. Other facilities include a 25 yard x 25 meter swimming pool with 10 lanes, seating for 300 spectators, and one- and three-meter diving boards; lockers and showers; racquetball, squash, and walleyball courts; a weight training room with more than 20 pieces of free weight equipment; a multi-purpose room; and a studio for dance and aerobics.
The Recreation Center, a 62,000-square-foot addition, can serve approximately 5,000 persons per day. The wing features a two-level fitness center, elevated track, and wood playing courts. The court area includes five basketball courts, overlays for five volleyball courts, and eight badminton courts. The fitness center has more than 35 weight machines, a Gravitron 2000, free weights, and a Life Force handicapped-accessible exercise system. The second-floor balcony houses approximately 60 pieces of cardiovascular equipment, (including StairMaster, LifeFitness, Trotter, Nordic Track, and Precor). The elevated four-lane 1/9-mile fitness/walking track separates runners from the active sports on the main floor. The facility was enlarged in 2002 and now provides a free weight room, a spinning room, and additional individual workout areas.
The Laker Turf Building opened for Fall semester 2008. The new building provides much needed space for the Movement Science Program and allows for the expansion of field use for competitive, intramural, and club sports activities with a 300 meter indoor track, long jump, triple jump and pole vault lanes along with a 100 yard sport turf field. A concession area and public bleacher seating for 800 enhances spectator participation which has been limited during winter months. The building is fully ADA accessible and is LEED Gold Certified.
The Alumni House and Visitor Center stands at the north entrance to the Allendale campus. It houses the office of Alumni Relations, which connects with alumni through special events, benefit programs, maintenance of alumni records, administration of the Grand Valley Alumni Association, and interface with other Grand Valley staff and activities. The center includes accommodations for overnight guests. The Perry Dining Room and other facilities are available for rental or use by members of the Grand Valley community. For more information, call (800) 558-0541 or visit www.gvsu.edu/alumni/.
The Meadows Golf Course is a championship 18-hole public golf course on the western edge of the campus. Located on the course are a clubhouse and a Learning Center. The clubhouse includes a restaurant and pro shop. The Learning Center is staffed by PGA and LPGA golf professionals and includes a short game area and two practice holes. The entire operation is user financed and open to the public. No university funds, student tuition, or taxpayer dollars are used for the operation or maintenance of the course. For an interactive virtual tour map, visit www.gvsu.edu/ma/.
Richard C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
The 33-acre Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus is comprised of two separate sites with a total of 11 buildings and three leased spaces in downtown Grand Rapids. The principal buildings are the Richard M. DeVos Center, the L.V. Eberhard Center, and the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences.
Richard M. DeVos Center has 22 classrooms, one distance education classroom, five Windows computer labs, one Macintosh lab, a student project area, and the Steelcase Library with a computer-operated robotic retrieval system and reading room. DeVos Center houses the Seidman College of Business, the College of Community and Public Service (including the School of Social Work, the School of Public and Nonprofit Administration, and the School of Criminal Justice), the Dean of Graduate Studies and Grants Administration, and the Executive Director of Continuing Education, as well as the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, and the Autism Education Center. The center contains a 234-seat auditorium and two 112-seat lecture halls, an exhibition hall, and numerous conference rooms. The center also provides a full food service operation, a bookstore, an ATM machine, the Student Assistance Center, and a full range of services available through Pew Student Services.
Steelcase Library is located on the first floor of the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. An automated retrieval system holds the library's circulating collection and can accommodate 250,000 volumes. The 10,400-square-foot library also includes a circulation desk, a traditional reference desk, microfilm/fiche reader/printers, computers, a reading room, a photocopy room, a library instruction center with computers for database access, staff offices, and workspaces. Librarians staff the reference desk. A large reading room with a stained glass window provides a quiet study area with comfortable seating. The tables and carrels are wired for laptop computer use. The reading room holds the expanded reference collection and the current issues of 700 journal titles. This library also houses the Grand Rapids Bar Association's law collection. Print resources available at the Steelcase Library support the disciplines of business, criminal justice, social work, public and nonprofit administration, and law. The Steelcase Library is accessible from the Fulton Street entrance to the DeVos Center or by following corridor A from inside the center. The Library is attached to the Beckering Family Carillon Tower.
L.V. Eberhard Center is the primary site of university teleconference and conference facilities. The College of Education, Conference and Event Planning Services, and Pew Campus Security are housed in the Eberhard Center. Classes are offered in graduate and upper-level undergraduate programs. The Meijer Public Broadcast Center is also located in the Eberhard Center. It houses Grand Valley's public television stations, WGVU-TV 35/WGVUDT 11 and WGVK-TV 52/WGVK-DT 5, and radio stations WGVU-AM 1480, WGVU-FM 88.5, WGVS-AM 850, and WGVS-FM 95.3. These operations provide both local and national programs of interest to West Michigan audiences and many outreach events for the community.
The Fred M. Keller Engineering Laboratories Building, located adjacent to the Eberhard Center, is a three-story, 34,800 square-foot facility built with its structural, mechanical and electrical systems exposed to provide students with a living laboratory. Two double-height design bays facilitate student project work and a rooftop deck allows students to conduct experiments outside. The building houses laboratories for instruction and research in electronics, instrumentation and controls, manufacturing processes and control, materials, vibrations, and fluid and thermal systems. The building includes extensive shops for students to implement their designs.
The John C. Kennedy Hall of Engineering, located in the complex along the Grand River, interconnects the Keller Engineering Laboratories and the Eberhard Center. This 53,000 square-foot facility opened in Fall 2007 and is home to the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing and the School of Engineering. This facility contains state of the art laboratories, classrooms, and faculty offices to support teaching and research in many areas of electrical and computer engineering, advanced product and machine design, clean-room based activities such as silicon wafer production, and rapid prototyping of circuit board assemblies. Kennedy Hall provides facilities for extensive community interaction and support, ranging from K-12 outreach programs to professional development for practicing professionals. This is a LEED certified building.
Secchia Hall Apartments on the downtown Grand Rapids Campus across from the DeVos Center include 81 one- to four-bedroom apartments. Each apartment includes Internet access, cable television, telephone, air conditioning, on-site parking, and laundry.
Winter Hall, the four-story residence hall at the Pew Grand Rapids Campus that opened in the fall of 2003, accommodating 226 students, is a combination of singles and doubles. The doubles provide individual bedrooms. A bathroom and kitchenette are also provided in each unit. The hall has meeting rooms, a great room on each floor, and a fitness room located on the first floor. The hall is computer network-equipped and air-conditioned.
Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, located on the Pew Campus, is a state-of-the-art facility that includes a model patient suite, a simulation center with several METI simulators, the Mr. and Mrs. Peter P. Renucci Program Laboratory for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, a motion analysis biomechanics laboratory, and other well-equipped science laboratories. In the Cook-DeVos Center, future healthcare professionals and researchers from different disciplines work together creatively and productively. Grand Valley is among a handful of institutions nationally who are recognizing and integrating the interdisciplinary approach. The center is designed to provide an environment that promotes interdisciplinary problem solving and mutual respect between and among students, faculty, researchers, special-needs populations, and other health services in the community. The center houses the Kirkhof College of Nursing, the College of Health Professions (whose programs include Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Medical Imaging), the graduate program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Frey Learning Center, West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative, the Development Office, and the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute.
Additional leased space houses the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, the Charter Schools Office and the Institutional Marketing department.
Meijer Campus in Holland
The Meijer Campus in Holland, located at 515 Waverly Road, has 16 classrooms and labs, including a science lab, two computer labs, and an interactive television room. The facility offers full services, including registration, advising, and library access, and is completely integrated into the university's computer network. In 2008 Grand Valley partnered with Grand Rapids Community College to expand program offerings in Holland. Classes offered in Holland include those necessary to fulfill the basic skills and general education requirements, courses in business administration, education, and public administration. The Meijer Campus now offers an innovative, flexible degree completion program offered through the Department of Liberal Studies. The flexible degree program lets students build on what they have already completed, whether at Grand Valley or another accredited college or university. Interested persons may obtain more information at (616) 394-4848 or [email protected]/.
The Lake Michigan Center in Muskegon is located at 740 West Shoreline Drive, on the south shore of Muskegon Lake. This site consists of three buildings and boat piers and is the home for the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute. The Annis Water Resources Institute is a leading Great Lakes water research organization. This facility provides faculty and staff offices, research labs, and berthing space for the W. G. Jackson research vessel.
Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC), located at 200 Viridian Drive on the south shore of Muskegon Lake, is the home of the university's reusable and distributed generation energy center. This LEED Gold certified facility was built in partnership with the City of Muskegon and designed to be electrical energy self-sufficient. It is equipped with a PV solar roof, a 30 kW micro turbine and a 1.8 kW wind turbine.
Regional Centers
Through facilities at the Stevenson Center for Higher Education on the campus of Muskegon Community College and the Regional Center in Traverse City, Grand Valley offers graduate and undergraduate programs and provides on-site student services. Admission and registration information, academic advising, bookstore services, tuition payment, library resources, and computer technology are all available in each of the Grand Valley centers.
For further information, please contact our Muskegon office at 221 S. Quarterline Road; telephone (616) 895-7750. The Traverse City office is located at 2200 Dendrinos Drive; telephone (231) 995-1785
Visiting the Campuses
Prospective students are always welcome to visit the campus and talk with staff in Admissions or Financial Aid. The Admissions Office is happy to make arrangements for you to tour the campus and meet with an admissions counselor.
The Admissions Office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from September through April. Appointments are available on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during Grand Valley's academic year. Summer hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Prospective students should make an appointment with the Admissions Office, especially for Saturday visits, by contacting:
Admissions
300 Student Services Building
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan 49401-9403
Telephone: (616) 331-2025 or
Toll free: (800) 748-0246 (for Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing, and Records) or
Email: [email protected]