May 19, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 17)
Article by
Thomas Chavez
At third from left is Shane Scherer, director of the GVSU Military and Veteran Resource Center, accepting an award from the Michigan Veteran Affairs Association. Kara Van Dam, vice president and chief executive of GVSU Omni, is third from right.
The GVSU Peter Secchia Military and Veteran Resource Center was recognized for innovating the onboarding process for veteran students at the Michigan Veteran Affairs Association Leadership Summit on May 12.
The MVAA presented Grand Valley with an Impact Award for its new virtual orientation model, which increases access to materials and information for incoming military and veteran students.
Shane Scherer, director of the GVSU Military and Veteran Resource Center, said that under the old model of a single specific date and time for orientation, student attendance was below 20 percent.
“We developed an on-demand learning module with e-Learning, so [students] could do it in the comfort of their own home when it makes sense to them,” Scherer said.
Scherer added that the center added a series of open houses early in the academic year to continue the community-building aspect provided by the old in-person model.
Grand Valley’s Bridge Team developed the center’s orientation module.
“By transforming orientation into a scalable and accessible onboarding experience, the resource center has expanded access, strengthened engagement and improved long-term success for military-connected students,” said Terry Sabo, director of the MVAA.
The new virtual orientation model will launch for GVSU military and veteran students at the beginning of the fall semester.
This article was last edited on May 18, 2026 at 10:10 a.m.
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May 19, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 17)
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In a Bridge Michigan article, Mantella wrote that stewardship requires honoring the foundation built by predecessors while having the courage to adapt for what comes next.
May 19, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 17)
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May 19, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 17)
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