Grand Valley State University (commonly referred to as GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on 1,322 acres (5.35 km2) approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Grand Rapids.Classes are also offered at the university's growing Robert C. Pew Campus in Downtown Grand Rapids, Meijer Campus in Holland, and through centers at Muskegon and Traverse City established in cooperation with local community colleges.
GVSU is a comprehensive coeducational university serving more than 25,094 students as of fall 2014,from all 83 Michigan counties and dozens of other states and foreign countries.It is one of America's 100 largest universities as well as the fifth largest in Michigan in terms of enrollment, and employs more than 3,000 people with about 1,657 academic faculty and 1,623 support staff.The university currently has alumni residing in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and 25 countries around the world.For the 2010–2011 academic year, GVSU was recognized as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars for master's institutions by The Chronicle of Higher Education.GVSU has also been noted for its sustainability efforts, ranking as high as 16th in the world for environment-friendly university management by GreenMetric World University Ranking in 2011.
In 1958 the Michigan Legislature commissioned a study that demonstrated a need for a four-year college in the Grand Rapids area, Michigan's second largest metropolitan region. Local businessman Bill Seidman created a committee to study the report and spearhead the planning and promotion to create such an institution. In the following year the Michigan Legislature established the college. A naming contest was held, and out of 2500 submissions, "Grand Valley State College" was chosen. Private donations, including $350,000 to purchase land and $1,000,000 for construction, were secured from 5,000 individuals, organizations, and business throughout West Michigan. In 1961, the Grand Valley State College Board of Control chose a 876-acre (3.55 km2) site in Ottawa County near the Grand River for the new campus, and construction of academic buildings began the following year.
GVSU is a comprehensive coeducational university serving more than 25,094 students as of fall 2014,from all 83 Michigan counties and dozens of other states and foreign countries.It is one of America's 100 largest universities as well as the fifth largest in Michigan in terms of enrollment, and employs more than 3,000 people with about 1,657 academic faculty and 1,623 support staff.The university currently has alumni residing in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and 25 countries around the world.For the 2010–2011 academic year, GVSU was recognized as a top producer of Fulbright Scholars for master's institutions by The Chronicle of Higher Education.GVSU has also been noted for its sustainability efforts, ranking as high as 16th in the world for environment-friendly university management by GreenMetric World University Ranking in 2011.
In 1958 the Michigan Legislature commissioned a study that demonstrated a need for a four-year college in the Grand Rapids area, Michigan's second largest metropolitan region. Local businessman Bill Seidman created a committee to study the report and spearhead the planning and promotion to create such an institution. In the following year the Michigan Legislature established the college. A naming contest was held, and out of 2500 submissions, "Grand Valley State College" was chosen. Private donations, including $350,000 to purchase land and $1,000,000 for construction, were secured from 5,000 individuals, organizations, and business throughout West Michigan. In 1961, the Grand Valley State College Board of Control chose a 876-acre (3.55 km2) site in Ottawa County near the Grand River for the new campus, and construction of academic buildings began the following year.
Academics -
Grand Valley State University is a large, primarily residential comprehensive university that has a large undergraduate enrollment and emphasis.GVSU offers over 200 areas of study, including 82 undergraduate majors and 36 graduate programs that include 74 graduate emphases and certificate programs at the certificate, bachelor's, post-bachelor's, master's, post-master's, and doctoral levels.GVSU conferred 4,448 undergraduate degrees and 1,033 graduate degrees in 2012-2013.
Grand Valley's student body consists of 21,636 undergraduates and 3,458 graduate students across all campuses and centers with the majority being on the Allendale campus.The fall 2014 incoming freshman undergraduate class of 4,199 students, represented 80 Michigan counties, 23 states, and 20 countries. 86% of first year students live on campus: 3,591 freshman chose to live on-campus in fall 2014, while 608 chose to live off-campus.As of fall 2014, more than 400 international students were enrolled at the university representing 82 different countries.
GVSU's undergraduate admissions are classified as "more selective" by US News & World Report as Grand Valley admitted 69% of applicants for the 2008–2009 school year.The fall 2014 freshman class entered Grand Valley with an average high school GPA of a 3.54 and an average ACT composite score of a 24.
US News and World Report noted in its "Best Colleges 2011" that 98 percent of Grand Valley graduates either find employment or pursue advanced degrees after graduation.
Rankings -
U.S. News and World Report ranked Grand Valley 3rd in the "Top Public Regional Universities in the Midwest" category and 26th in the "Regional Universities (Midwest) tier 1" category for 2014.Grand Valley is also ranked a Best Midwestern College by The Princeton Review.GVSU is also ranked as one of "America's Best Colleges" by Forbes magazine and the fourth in the state of Michigan, only behind the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Michigan Technological University, in terms of quality of education and student achievement and experience.Grand Valley is ranked 10th among U.S. master's degree-granting institutions for total number of study abroad students, according to the Institute of International Education in New York.According to U.S. News and World Report, Grand Valley is also the number one most up-and-coming masters university in the Midwest, ahead of Xavier University, Butler University, Truman State University and Alverno College.As of fall 2009, GVSU had the third highest freshman to sophomore retention rate among Michigan's 15 public universities at 84 percent.For 14 consecutive years, Grand Valley has been named one of America's 100 Best College Buys by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc.The university has also been ranked as one of the top 25 "cutting edge" green colleges in the United States for 2009 by the Kaplan College Guide, the only Michigan university to receive this ranking.Upwards of 5,000 students are enrolled in health science related courses and majors, making GVSU the number one largest provider of health care professionals in Michigan.Grand Valley's Seidman College of Business is named one of "The Best 301 Business Schools" by The Princeton Review.US News and World Report has also ranked several of GVSU's graduate programs as being some of the best in the country. These "top" programs include: Physical Therapy, Nursing, Social Work, Physicians Assistant, Occupational Therapy, Public Affairs, and Business.
Athletics -
The Grand Valley State Lakers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Grand Valley State University.The GVSU Lakers compete at the NCAA Division II level and offer 20 varsity sports including 11 for women and 9 for men.The university currently participates in and is a founding member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).Grand Valley's varsity athletic teams have won 15 national championships in seven sports and have been national runners-up thirteen times in eight sports. GVSU has also won the prestigious National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors' Cup for NCAA Division II schools in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015 after finishing second in 2002, 2003, 2012 and 2013.The cup is awarded to the top athletic programs based on overall team national finishes. Grand Valley is the first college east of the Mississippi River to win the Director's Cup for NCAA Division II.
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