When Barbara Ziemann talks about Grand Valley, she starts with people. For her, the heart of the university is connection, especially across generations, which inspired her to start Grand Connections. 

A former communications instructor at Grand Valley, Ziemann spent years helping students find their voices in the classroom. Today, she continues that connection through a program that brings students and older adults together in meaningful ways. 

“Grand Connections is a collaborative program between GVSU and AARP,” she said, “It brings students and older adults together to form understanding and share and find friends in an intergenerational setting.”  

That simple idea, creating space for generations to get to know one another, has shaped the past several years of Ziemann’s life and is leaving a lasting mark on GVSU students.  

An Idea That Took Root 

The seeds of Grand Connections were planted in 2020 at the Art and Science of Aging Conference. Ziemann and her late husband, John, were volunteering with AARP when John stopped at a student poster about intergenerational connections. He was “just blown away and very excited.” 

John met with faculty members to imagine a formal partnership between AARP and Grand Valley. The goal was to recruit older adults to serve as co-mentors for students in Dr. Jing Chen’s Perspectives on Aging class. 

Dr. Chen describes the program as an intergenerational co-mentoring program. Each semester, students are paired with older adults and meet with them one-on-one. 

What makes it unique, she said, is that it is not hierarchical mentorship. “The students have to teach the older adult something, and then the older adults have to teach each student something.” 

As a mentor herself, Ziemann has experienced that firsthand. One student once handed her a list of terms and asked what they meant to her, then translated them as used by Gen Z. Another tried to teach her how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. “Boy, she is good,” Ziemann laughed. “I’m not so much, but it was fun.”  

Beyond the Classroom 

Grand Connections has expanded beyond a single class project into an accompanying student group. Under Dr. Chen’s leadership, SAGE – Students for Aging and Gerontology Enrichment – was also formed. 

Now, students and older adults meet monthly for story circles, service projects, and outings. They paint pumpkins, make fleece blankets, and prepare hundreds of Valentine’s cards for AARP’s Cupid Crew, which are delivered along with roses to older adults who might not otherwise receive something special on Valentine’s Day. 

For students like Jermira McCall, Class of 2027, SAGE has become more than an extracurricular. A junior and the organization’s vice president, McCall shared that the group feels “like a little family.” What surprised her most was “just how willing" the older adults were to learn from students. "They really value their time that they spend with us,” she said. 

Sarah Milam, Class of 2027, echoed that sense of reciprocity. “Both sides of the connection are just so happy to be in these activities together,” she said. Hearing older adults’ stories, she added, has been powerful. “Just hearing about how they’ve experienced life” has broadened her perspective. 

Dr. Chen sees that shift every semester. Students often begin nervous, unsure about meeting someone new. But in their reflections they write after the experience, they describe overcoming that anxiety and learning more than they expected.  

The program breaks down stereotypes on both sides. “Lots of the students reflected they look at older adults differently because they’re individual, instead of just ‘old people’,” Dr. Chen said. 

A Gift With Purpose 

For Ziemann, Grand Connections is deeply personal. “First and foremost, this is a legacy for my husband who started this program,” she said.  

As the program grew, so did its needs. There were no dedicated dollars to sustain Grand Connections. So, when Ziemann began receiving required minimum distributions from her retirement account, she made a decision. On the advice of her financial advisor, she directed that distribution to support Grand Connections.  

“It is kind of a win-win,” she said. “The program gets money, and I get a little break on my taxes.” 

Her gift ensures that Dr. Chen no longer has to rely solely on smaller grants. It provides stability for a program that helps students build confidence, leadership skills, and community. 

Ziemann has seen shy students “really bloom.” She has watched them grow into leaders, speaking on television and stepping confidently into professional roles. 

For Ziemann, supporting Grand Valley was an easy choice. She loved teaching here. She loves connecting with students still. And she is proud to be part of something that brings generations together. 

“I am very proud to be part of Grand Connections,” she said. “And I am very grateful for how it has helped bring purpose and continues to bring purpose and pleasure into my life.” 

In a world that often feels divided by age and experience, Ziemann’s legacy is simple and meaningful: sit down, share a story, and teach each other something new. Connection, after all, is something we never outgrow. 

 

To learn more about Grand Connections, visit gvsu.edu/grandconnections

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