Design Thinking Student Grant
What: Money is available each year through the John and Claudia Berry Design Thinking Endowment Fund to support students interested in learning more about design thinking
How: Apply for up to $500 per student per school year towards a design thinking learning experience (groups may apply and pool their money for things like travel)
Why: Increase the number of creative, collaborative problem-solvers among GVSU students
Who: Any GVSU student, undergraduate or graduate, with an interest in design thinking can apply
When: Applications open at the beginning of each semester for two weeks or for as long as funds are available – up to $1,700 per year
Ready to apply?
To apply, students must submit:
- an essay (under 500 words) explaining their interest in design thinking;
- a description of the learning experience they are planning to engage in and how it would increase their understanding of design thinking;
- a detailed budget associated with the design thinking learning experience specifying the amount of financial support being requested; and
- a reference from a GVSU faculty member.
Submit these items via an online application form.
Process
As long as funds are available, a committee, selected by the Dean of Brooks College, will review each application and make a recommendation whether or not to support the request within two weeks of submission. The committee may be made up of GVSU faculty, staff, and students, and community members outside of GVSU with knowledge of design thinking. The Dean will review each recommendation and have the final decision.
Upon completion of the learning experience, students are expected to submit a brief report (under 200 words) to the office of the Dean of Brooks College describing what they gained from the experience and how they will apply what they have learned. Portions of these reports may be placed on the GVSU Design Thinking website or shared in promotional materials.
Possible design thinking learning experiences that will be considered include:
- Purchasing books on design thinking
- Registration for design thinking seminars
- Travel to design thinking events
- Membership fees for professional design thinking organizations
- Registration or travel to design thinking conferences
- Fees for virtual design thinking courses and certifications (not available for GVSU courses)
- Organizing an on-campus design thinking event
- Travel for study abroad courses focusing on design thinking