Grand Valley unveils GVSU Military Promise program during Veterans Day Luncheon

Grand Valley State University President Philomena V. Mantella announced the expansion of university programming to assist current and former military service members during GVSU's Veterans Day Luncheon.

The program guarantees admission to the university to all service members who have committed to serve, are serving or have honorably served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The GVSU Military Promise also provides a $500 per-semester grant toward tuition for service members on active duty, in the Reserves or in the National Guard.

“To anyone who has been involved in military service – whether they are making a commitment to go out, or they are serving and they are coming back to school, or they have completed their service – those students will have an admission slot at Grand Valley,” Mantella said.

The GVSU Military Promise joins Veterans Advance, Michigan Veteran Entrepreneurship-Lab, Peter Secchia Military and Veterans Program and the LEADS for Vets accelerated bachelor's program, as assistance and resources GVSU offers to its veteran students.

Shane Scherer, director of the Peter Secchia Military and Veterans Resource Center, said military veterans make up a large portion of adult learners in collegiate education. Scherer said he believes the initiative fulfills the university's commitment to educational access to those adult learners.

“I think it is a tremendous way for us to expand our ability to bring those student veterans onto campus and get them into the system,” he said.

GVSU celebrates veterans with 'Why I served' theme

The luncheon featured a keynote speech from Ingrid Tighe, former U.S. Army Signal Corps officer and current president of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center. Tighe spoke in front of the crowd of attendees at the Eberhard Center on Grand Valley's City Campus.

Tighe discussed her military career and the lessons learned in military service that veterans can use in their future careers.

“Many of you here are leaders or are people who aspire to be leaders, whether it's in your business, in your community or on the school campus as faculty,” Tighe said, addressing the veterans in the room. “I think what we really need to focus on is back to the basics.”

Tighe also joined Scherer and other veterans on a panel, where they discussed adjusting to life outside the military, what they learned while serving, and other topics connecting their lives from their service to where they are today.