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GVSU in photos, May 2026: Joy, connections and a chance to relish Valley Campus and City Campus beauty

BY University Communications
Image credit - Top image by Kendra Stanley-Mills

Jun 1, 2026
A silhouette of a couple at a fancy dinner chat together.
People mingle during Enrichment Dinner 2026 at the DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids May 11.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
Wrapped in an embrace, a recent graduate poses for a photo during the Saturday morning Commencement ceremony May 2.
Wrapped in an embrace, a recent graduate poses for a photo during the morning Commencement ceremony May 2.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
Charter school students wear VR headsets.
TRIO students from GVSU charter schools in Detroit were at Michigan Central for a day of activities centered on STEAM projects. The event was part of the Charter Schools' Impact 30 initiative which awarded grants to university partners in Detroit.
Image credit - Sarah Rice
A fern catches the morning light in the ravines on the Valley Campus May 1.
A fern catches the morning light in the ravines on the Valley Campus May 1.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A groundskeeper helps a small child in a pink dress plant pink begonias.
Groundskeeper Ian Ouellette plants begonias around the Cook Carillon Tower on May 27 with the help of Mya Walker, 3, a Children’s Enrichment Center student.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
People react with arms raised during a cornhole game on a grassy lawn.
Mike Eichberger, director of prior learning, center, reacts to the moment he and his teammate won the cornhole championship game as Troy Farley, director of the Career Center, right, reacts to coming in second place.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A college graduate is reflected in two mirrors as she adjusts her academic regalia.
Student Commencement speaker Elaina Marcum gets ready in the robing room prior to Saturday morning’s Commencement ceremony May 2. Marcum graduated with a master’s degree in recreational therapy.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
Tulips and a blue sky surround the Kirkhof Center on the Valley Campus.
Tulips and a blue sky surround the Kirkhof Center on the Valley Campus May 7.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A sea of soon-to-graduates wearing blue caps and gowns sit during a Commencement ceremony.
Soon-to-be graduates take part in the afternoon Commencement ceremony at Van Andel Arena May 2.
Image credit - Cory Morse
JJ Manion pitches during a multiple exposure sequence.
JJ Manion pitches during a multiple exposure sequence against University of Indianapolis in the NCAA Division II Super Regional on May 21.
Image credit - Emily Riddle
Two people hug after a Commencement ceremony.
From left, Jacyln Brubaker hugs Avery Howe, who graduated with a degree in allied health sciences during Commencement at Van Andel Arena May 2.
Image credit - Eliana McGlinchey
A pink flowering tree blooms outside the Haas Center for Performing Arts. The spring foliage and bright pink blossoms highlight seasonal campus beauty in Allendale.
A flowering tree blooms outside the Haas Center for Performing Arts on the Valley Campus May 7. The spring foliage and bright pink blossoms highlight seasonal campus beauty in Allendale.
Image credit - Emily Riddle
With a slow motion blur, students and their families cross the street in a downtown city scape.
Students and their families cross the street outside of Van Andel Arena before Commencement May 1.
Image credit - Simon Zwart
Two people high-five one with a happy smile on their face.
Kolby Williamson, adjunct Human Resources generalist, center, high-fives a colleague during Rooted Within, a one-day conference to celebrate community as well as honor and elevate the diverse experiences of Black women at Grand Valley on May 7.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A drone photo showing a new amphitheater, a river and a cityscape.
A crowd fills the Acrisure Amphitheater across the Grand River from the L. William Seidman Center in downtown Grand Rapids on May 15. The amphitheater's first concert featured Lionel Richie with The War and Treaty and Brian Vander Ark as special guests.
Image credit - Cory Morse
A duck walks on a ledge near a amphitheater.
A mallard duck walks along a ledge between the Grand River and the L. William Seidman Center on the City Campus May 6. The new Acrisure Amphitheater is seen in the background.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A Canada goose's head and neck is framed by branches along a river.
A Canada goose walks near the Grand River at the Ravines on May 7.
Image credit - Cory Morse
A deer wanders through the Valley Campus ravines as the early morning sunlight filters through the trees.
A deer wanders through the Valley Campus ravines as the early morning sunlight filters through the trees on May 8.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A college student prunes tree branches.
Hunter Grifhorst, first-year management and finance major, uses a pruning saw to remove branches from a tree near the Mary Idema Pew Library May 20.
Image credit - Simon Zwart
Purple ornamental alliums grow on the Valley Campus near a Laker Line bus.
Ornamental alliums grow on the Valley Campus near a Laker Line bus on May 21.
Image credit - Cory Morse
A baseball team’s bats rest in blue cubbies.
Grand Valley baseball team’s bats rest in cubbies.
Image credit - Emily Riddle
Family members try to get the attention of a graduate by holding cardboard cutouts of their loved one and holding their hands in the air.
Family members try to get the attention of a graduate as they recess from the afternoon Commencement ceremony at Van Andel Arena May 2.
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A mother and daughter hug after the daughter graduated wearing a blue cap and gown.
Lakeesha Dorkins, left, hugs her daughter, Destini Dorkins, after she received her degree in human resource management during the morning Commencement ceremony May 2. “Her faith is her strength,” her mother said about her daughter. “She inspires me and we are forever proud.”
Image credit - Kendra Stanley-Mills
A carillon tower is seen from a drone at sunset.
The Beckering Family Carillon Tower is lit up during sunset on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus on May 22.
Image credit - Cory Morse

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