News from Grand Valley State University

GVSU joins communitywide effort to mark nation's 250th anniversary

As the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary, Grand Valley is helping celebrate the semiquincentennial across Grand Rapids through educational programs, community engagement and public media.

America250 is the bipartisan initiative leading the nation's official observance. In Grand Rapids, local celebrations are being coordinated through GRA250, a community-led effort organizing events and activities across the city .

Grand Valley is partnering with GRA250 and contributing to the celebration in several ways.

Students participating in the Hauenstein Center's Future Presidents of America camp work on an exercise.
Students participating in the Hauenstein Center's Future Presidents of America camp work on an exercise.
Image credit - Emily Zoladz

“Grand Valley is excited to be a partner in GRA250, and the movement as a whole,” said Megan Rydecki, executive director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. “The Hauenstein Center is thrilled to play its own part in making the festivities and the celebration of our 250th birthday come alive.”

On the City Campus, the Hauenstein Center welcomed 20 middle and high school students to its weeklong Future Presidents of America camp.

Supported by an Impact 30 grant from GVSU's Charter Schools Office, the camp introduced students to local business and community leaders while exploring leadership, civics and public service. Participants also visited the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and took part in discussions and workshops focused on civic engagement.

Megan Rydecki, executive director of the Hauenstein Center, poses for a portrait.
Megan Rydecki
Image credit - Amanda Pitts

“We think it's more important than ever to move beyond the traditional adult and college student audiences and into our K-12 system to build the ethical and effective leaders of the future that we know we will need,” Rydecki said. 

“We are so fortunate to be partners in this work with the Charter Schools Office through the Impact 30 grant. Without them, we would not have been able to get this effort off the ground.”

Grand Valley students are also gaining firsthand experience with the semiquincentennial celebration through internships with GRA250. At events throughout Grand Rapids, students are engaging residents in conversations about civic participation and distributing pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution.

Community members can connect with GVSU students at several upcoming GRA250 events, including the Grand Rapids Symphony performance at Acrisure Amphitheater (July 4); A Glimpse of Africa Festival at Calder Plaza (Aug. 15-16); Fiesta Mexicana at Calder Plaza (Sept. 11-13) and The Global Gathering at Garfield Park (Sept. 12).

WGVU is also commemorating the nation's history through special programming. The documentary "Frontier to Freedom," explores Michigan's history from 1600 through 1837 , the year the state joined the Union.

The two-hour documentary will make its broadcast premiere on WGVU at 9 p.m. on July 2.

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