GVSU ready to expand access to working adults

February 6, 2024 (Volume 47, Number 12)
Article by Michele Coffill

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Kara Van Dam, vice provost for Graduate and Lifetime Learning

Photo Credit: Amanda Pitts

Kara Van Dam, vice provost for Graduate and Lifetime Learning, knows that GVSU is well-positioned to meet the needs of adult learners with innovative approaches to education.

Van Dam, an expert in adult education with more than 20 years of experience, has been sharing the Grand Valley vision with key groups across campus including the Provost’s Cabinet and University Academic Senate (UAS).

With slightly less than half of Michigan's adults (49.5 percent) lacking a postsecondary credential and the method of how adults want to learn significantly changing, the landscape is primed for Grand Valley to deepen its engagement with adult learners. “Adults want frequent stops and starts to their progress, flexible modalities and programs that align with industry and profession standards,” said Van Dam.

Van Dam said growing Grand Valley's regional network can help bring education to working adults. Most Michiganders (97 percent of the state's Lower Peninsula) live within 100 miles of accessing GVSU, she said, noting university locations in Detroit, Traverse City, Jackson, Battle Creek, Holland and Muskegon.

"At GVSU, we are uniquely positioned to leverage our regional campus network to make a meaningful impact for Michigan adults wanting to upskill, reskill and complete their degree," said President Philomena V. Mantella. "Doing so is aligned with our Reach Higher commitments and strategies, as well as the right thing to do for the communities we serve across the state and beyond."

Steps to support expanding access to a GVSU education include activating regional campuses and building faculty and curricular capacity to meet market needs. 

“Dr. Van Dam’s history of success in this space will allow Grand Valley to amplify our academic portfolio for learners we aren’t currently serving,” said Provost Fatma Mili.

Before working at Grand Valley, Van Dam served the University of Maryland Global Campus as vice president for overseas academics, including a Department of Defense contract that delivered academic programs at 120+ military bases in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She was also UMGC's vice provost and dean of the Undergraduate School, where she led large-scale curriculum development, including a commitment to stackable credentials and high-quality open educational resources (OERs) to reduce students’ materials costs, and championed new approaches using adaptive learning, prior learning assessment and competency-based education.

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