College’s Expansion Driving Regional Tech Growth 

By Brian Vernellis, GVSU’s University Communications senior writer 

After 40 years, GVSU’s College of Computing is undertaking its most ambitious endeavor since its founding in 1983 — preparing a skilled workforce to shape the technological future of the university, the West Michigan region and the state. 

Originally part of the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing, the School of Computing was elevated and expanded into its own college, following a vote by Grand Valley’s Board of Trustees in November 2023. Since then, the College of Computing has seen tremendous growth in two years. 

That same month, GVSU also unveiled the Blue Dot initiative and ecosystem, which will not only revolutionize how its students connect with technology and computing by enhancing their digital skills, but it will also establish a footprint for GVSU in downtown 

The Blue Dot Lab, which lies at the heart of this initiative, will transform the university’s Eberhard Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus into a cutting-edge computing and data science center. The space will develop multidisciplinary educational opportunities and digital literacy for all GVSU students, while supporting research, entrepreneurship and industry partnerships. 

“Blue Dot will be to the region’s tech economy what the Medical Mile in Grand Rapids is to the area’s health sciences,” said Randy Thelen, CEO of The Right Place, the economic development firm working alongside the college. “This will be the hub and the spokes will extend throughout the region, bringing tech opportunities to students, adult learners and to the business community, helping to elevate our economy.” 

State officials have rallied behind the project, too. A few weeks after the Board of Trustees’ vote, GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella, state legislators and tech and community leaders welcomed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to campus for the signing of a supplemental funding bill supporting Blue Dot. 

“Every GVSU graduate in a growing and diverse campus community will have digital literacy, real-world experiences and the capacity to immediately contribute,” Mantella said. “The delivery of education through radical co-collaboration possible in this Blue Dot facility will contribute to our businesses, our communities and our state. 

“The track record is strong, with GVSU’s graduates growing in number and growing in demand. With 80% of our alumni staying in Michigan, GVSU creates Michiganders who are ready and rising.” 

To lead and guide the College of Computing, GVSU appointed Marouane Kessentini as the dean of the College of Computing in May 2024, making him one of the youngest deans in the nation. 

A distinguished researcher and educator, Kessentini brings years of experience as the director of two National Science Foundation initiatives focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital accessibility and the Winegarden Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Innovation and Technology at the University of Michigan-Flint. 

Already nationally recognized for its data security and cybersecurity programs, the college’s cybersecurity program recently received validation from the National Security Agency. Given the evolving demands of the industry, Kessentini recognized the need for a more adaptive curriculum, branching into AI, software engineering and human-centered computing disciplines.

To meet those demands, the College of Computing and GVSU have responded by adding new degrees. The Board of Trustees approved four new computing programs — bachelor’s and master’s degrees in AI and Software Engineering — at its February meeting.

“When you develop these new programs, they’ll feed existing programs,” Kessentini said. “If you develop these new programs in AI, software engineering and human-centered disciplines, they’ll make your program in computer science stronger because you’ll have more concentration in those skills.”

The artificial intelligence program also received a generous boost from Jim Hackett, the former CEO of Ford and Steelcase. During the college’s Innovation Day in December, Hackett, Mantella and Kessentini announced the launch of an Chief Executive AI training program.

Local and national firms are taking notice of Kessentini’s vision. No sooner had Kessentini been named as the college’s new dean than he was meeting with an international contingent of business leaders, extolling the college’s position within the region’s growing tech sector.

Leading up to the 2024-2025 academic year, the college hosted several workshops, inviting faculty members, students, researchers, and local industry leaders to brainstorm and discuss ideas on building curriculum, employment partnerships and internships and growing connections with alumni.

“There’s this awesome sense of community at these sessions that we get to be a part of and say we’re doing this for the good of the community as a whole,” said Josh Hulst, a 2009 GVSU graduate and co-founder and owner of Michigan Software Labs. 

“It’s not for any one specific company. As the community gets better and better, we get to grow through that as a company. We’re doing this for the area for growing West Michigan and Grand Rapids. It’s fantastic.”