GVSU/Godwin Heights partner in college advising program

Grand Valley, Godwin Heights Public Schools and Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) are working together to establish a school-based college advising program. The initiative is part of MCAN's goal to increase the proportion of Michigan residents with college degrees or credentials by 60 percent by the year 2025.

Jeff Potteiger, dean of Graduate Studies at Grand Valley, and William Fetterhoff, superintendent of Godwin Heights Public Schools, signed a Memorandum of Understanding August 3, that includes placing a Grand Valley graduate student in Godwin Heights High School to serve as a counselor.

"This is what Grand Valley does well; we get involved with the community and create partnerships to provide great educational opportunities," Potteiger said. "This will be a great opportunity for our graduate student to gain real-world experience and for the students at Godwin Heights to get first-hand information on what it's like to go to college and how to go to college."

The selected graduate student will complete an assistantship consisting of 20 hours per week between September and April 2016, and will work directly with Godwin Heights High School students. The graduate student will work alongside school counselors, teachers and administrators to help students navigate the post secondary matriculation process, improve post secondary enrollment rates and build a college-going culture in the school building.

"We know children can perform at any level when given the opportunity and support," said Fetterhoff. "When we can get resources, like individuals who are professionals to come along side us, it's a phenomenal component. Schools have gotten away from what counseling should be and what it should mean to students, and this is a large step toward helping students be prepared and understand the opportunities that exist for them in the future and for their careers."

MCAN currently supports college advising programs in partnership with 14 Michigan universities to place recent college graduates to serve as college advisers in high-need high schools. 

"To have a professional in our building reaching out to students and working with staff on a daily basis will help push the needle," said Chad Conklin, principal of Godwin Heights High School. "Our students believe they can go to college, they just need help getting on the right path."  

Shawn Bultsma, director of the School Counseling Program in Grand Valley's College of Education, said, "This partnership represents the best that service learning has to offer a school counselor-in-training through this innovative approach to reach all students in support of their college and career readiness."

Others attending the signing ceremony included Jamie Jacobs, director of Professional Development at Michigan College Access Network and Sulari White, associate director of the Student Academic Success Center at Grand Valley.