President's corner

October 31, 2023 (Volume 47, Number 5)

Students Chloe Duncan, left, and Emily Par pose for a photo after speaking at the Listen. Learn. Lead. State of the Student event held at Eberhard Center.

Photo Credit: Kendra Stanley-Mills

President Philomena V. Mantella spoke to the group of Kent County students and educators, highlighting several ways Grand Valley is working to provide more equity, access and opportunity in higher education.

The second Listen. Learn. Lead. State of the Student summit was held at the Eberhard Center October 30.

“Grand Valley is working toward that shared commitment to meeting student needs,” Mantella said. “The ‘how’ of that in my mind is to enable the student voice. You’ve all been talking about that today: listening carefully; really understanding our students. But the ‘why’ behind that is the higher level of individual success students will have when their voice is empowered; when they have agency for their own learning.”

Mantella discussed how REP4 accomplishes that goal through regional summits. She also mentioned how Project Grand Path offers students the opportunity to work with emerging technologies like extended reality (XR) and incorporate them into their education.

Two GVSU students were invited to read letters they’d written at a past REP4 summit, reflecting on their experiences with the program and how it helped them bridge the gap between high school and college.