GVSU Accountability Report shows continued strong performance

Grand Valley State University's annual Accountability Report shows the university is again a top performer in the state in several key areas, including providing access to students who might not otherwise be able to afford a college degree and keeping students on a path to a timely graduation.

The 12th annual report was released at Grand Valley's Board of Trustees meeting November 2 at the Eberhard Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. 

The full report can be viewed online at www.gvsu.edu/accountability. 

The report tracks more than 40 separate measures of university performance and student outcomes, and ranks Grand Valley's performance with other public universities in Michigan and nationwide.

The report also outlines seven core values that form the basis for Grand Valley's 2016-2021 strategic plan: excellence, integrity, inquiry, inclusiveness, community, sustainability and innovation.

Here are some highlights from the 2018-19 report:  

• Grand Valley welcomed nearly 25,000 students (24,677 in fall 2018); first-year enrollment was one of the largest in history (up 4.4%). More than 4,000 first-year students have enrolled for seven years in a row.

• Grand Valley ranks in the top four of all public universities in Michigan for graduation and retention rates. The retention rate for first-year students was one of the highest in history at 84.5%.

• 95% of recent graduates are employed or in graduate school, and 86% are working and giving back in Michigan.

• The university was rewarded by the state legislature and the governor for the seventh year in a row with a portion of appropriations based on performance.

• Tuition remains in the bottom half of all Michigan public universities, while Grand Valley receives the second-lowest funding per student.

• The economic impact of Grand Valley on Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties is $849 million.

In other board action:

• For the annual capital outlay request to the State of Michigan, the board is requesting state funds to construct a $50 million computer information systems building on the Allendale Campus. The building is needed as growth in computer information training fields has increased dramatically; it will allow Grand Valley to continue to meet the demands of the local employment market. 

• The Board of Trustees approved the naming of The Connection on the Allendale Campus as The Lynn M. Blue Connection in honor of Lynn "Chick" Blue, vice president for Enrollment Development. The building includes classrooms, dining and study areas. Blue is the longest-serving employee at Grand Valley, achieving the 50-year mark in September.

• The board approved the selection of Integrated Architecture as project architect and Rockford Construction as construction manager for renovations to the former Ferris Coffee and Nut facility, which will become the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing's Innovation and Design Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

• Keri Becker, director of athletics, presented the department's 2017-2018 annual report. Fifteen of the university's 20 teams advanced to NCAA Division II postseason play, 123 student-athletes earned All American honors, and 306 student-athletes were named to GLIAC All-Academic teams.

• The board also approved the authorization of two new charter schools and the reauthorization of two schools. The new schools are The Greenspire School (Traverse City), and Westfield Charter Academy (Redford Charter Township). The reauthorized schools are Excel Charter Academy (7-year reauthorization, Grand Rapids) and Detroit Premier Academy (5-year reauthorization, Detroit). 

The board also approved a resolution to do a site addition and a grade addition at Washington-Parks Academy in Detroit, a resolution for a name change for Flint Cultural Center STEAM Academy to Flint Cultural Center Academy, and a resolution for the appointment or reappointment of charter school board members to GVSU-authorized public school academy boards.