Preparing graduate students to be change agents, leading cross-sector innovation throughout their organizations, businesses, and communities

Social innovation (SI) is an emerging professional field focused on impact-driven, cross-sector careers (e.g. governmental and nonprofit work, socially-focused entrepreneurship, B Corps). Social innovation is engaged in addressing complex social problems such as: childhood hunger, illiteracy, domestic violence, air pollution, food deserts, contaminated drinking water, racism, poverty, and homelessness.

The SI Program is housed in SCLD: The School of Community Leadership and Development. It is a signature GVSU program and the only social innovation program in Michigan. 

STUDENT RESOURCES

Resources available to prospective and current students in the Social Innovation Graduate Program:

The Graduate School

New Student Orientation

Grad Student Resources

Advising Guide

Course Offerings & Registration

Course Descriptions

Student Handbook

Internships

Master's Projects

Events

Meet the Graduate Program Director

Dr. Mohammad (Didar) Hossain is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) since August 2024. He currently also serves as the Graduate Program Director of the Professional Master of Arts in Social Innovation (PMASI). Dr. Didar Hossain earned his PhD from the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He previously earned his BSW, MSW and MA in Gerontology from the University of Dhaka. Before joining GVSU, Dr. Didar Hossain accumulated extensive teaching, research, and professional experience in Bangladesh and the United States. His academic experience includes teaching at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET) and Asian University of Bangladesh (AUB). Beyond academia, he gained professional and community development experience through his work with Habitat for Humanity International and the World Bank, further strengthening his interdisciplinary perspectives on social development, policy, and community-based practice.

Dr. Didar Hossain’s teaching and scholarship interests center on policy practice, social innovation, social justice, gerontology, international social work, and multi-method research. Across his academic work, he is especially interested in bridging research, policy, and practice and engaging students in understanding and responding to complex social problems. His scholarship particularly emphasizes the well-being of older adults and underserved communities and examines how policies, communities, and social institutions can contribute to greater equity and social well-being.

Read more about Dr. Didar Hossain  

Contact: [email protected] 

Office: 401 W Fulton, 353C, DeVos Center

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504