University Address: Mantella outlines dimensions of the university GVSU chooses to become

President Philomena V. Mantella opened the annual University Address with a quote from former GVSU President Arend "Don" Lubbers saying, “Grand Valley is always becoming.”

As she discussed GVSU's future in a dynamic landscape, Mantella said it was crucial that, together, the university chooses what it is to become.

Delivering her address in the Louis Armstrong Theatre on GVSU's Valley Campus, Mantella spoke about the choices made to determine what must endure at GVSU and what must continue to evolve.

Mantella highlighted the Reach Higher Together strategic plan as a framework for what must endure at Grand Valley, citing GVSU's commitments to empowered educational experience, lifelong learning, impact-driven discovery, educational equity and well-being as well as service to Michigan.

“Reach Higher Together is not a blueprint that says step-by-step what everyone should do. It is a unification around commitments, what acts we take and what endures,” she said.

Embracing stewardship, harnessing tech and scientific innovations while maintaining a human-centered approach and expanding the continuity of Grand Valley's relationship with students were among the key concepts Mantella said must continue to evolve.

Mantella discussed the importance of preserving GVSU's purpose, while challenging and evolving its practices and meeting the needs of a new social contract.

“Education has never been about filling someone's head with knowledge. It’s been about lighting a fire, so they're pursuing it their whole lifetime and giving them the skills and the practice to be able to embrace it,” Mantella said.

Enrollment competition, the public perception of higher education, funding and federal regulations were all challenges Mantella discussed during the address. In facing these challenges, she emphasized the importance of meeting a new reality together by making the choice to celebrate contributions, continue shared governance and model the university GVSU chooses to become.

“The measure of a university, to me, is whether, together, we have the wisdom to know what must endure, whether we have the courage to change what must evolve and, most importantly, whether we have the generosity to carry each other through the journey,” Mantella said.