Lon and Tammy Christoffersen felt it was important for their son Casey to learn as much as he could about the college process before starting at GVSU this fall. But, having never attended college themselves, they set out to learn as much as they could in order to help out.
Mr. and Mrs. Christoffersen signed up for one of Grand Valley's 55 parent orientation sessions offered this spring and summer.
Preparing parents for their kids' college experience is something GVSU has been doing for the last 15 years. More than 2,500 parents will take part this year.
College is new to us, and we wanted to understand what Casey will be going through, Lon Christoffersen explains. Learning about college with him will help us all.
Casey will be pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering this fall at GVSU with a minor in Business.
When parents send their students to school at Grand Valley State University, they are entering into a partnership with us, says Bart Merkle, dean of students at GVSU. We aim to share what GVSU has to offer and how it operates, he added
Parent Orientation sessions include information on financial aid, academic programs and services, campus security, campus life, housing, commuter students, and a campus tour.
Merkle tells students to become actively engaged in the university, take risks, respect others, ask for help, and don't lose their senses of humor.
