What’s happening: Grand Valley State University has updated its Campus Master Plan, a guiding document that broadcasts the school’s plans and goals for improving campus life over the next ten years. The Master Plan includes significant changes to its main campus in the rural community of Allendale, which is located halfway between Lake Michigan and Grand Rapids, as well as several upgrades to the school’s two smaller urban campuses in downtown Grand Rapids.
What it is: The updated Master Plan was created following months of community outreach and engagement efforts at GVSU, and shines a light on what the school could look like ten years from now. While not all of the plans are guaranteed to happen, it does reveal GVSU’s priorities in developing their campuses, campus life, academics, and more. The university’s Board of Trustees will review the updates at their Friday, Feb. 24, meeting.
What it includes: The majority of projects are planned on the GVSU main campus in Allendale. These include replacing Kistler, Copeland, and Robinson residence halls with more modern campus housing; new and expanded athletics facilities; a new or improved student center; converting Campus Drive to become more bike- and pedestrian-friendly by limiting automobile access; a new childcare center with improved amenities; and more.
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The Master Plan update outlines several possible changes at the Allendale campus, including changes to Campus Drive, housing and athletics facilities.
What they’re saying: “This plan update is more than just a vision for construction and renovation, it is a wholesale appraisal of how our campus can evolve to embrace the principles and commitments of Reach Higher 2025,” says President Philomena V. Mantella.
What that is: Reach Higher 2025 is a strategic plan for the university itself, identifying key areas of improvement and growth to achieve by 2025. The updated Master Plan now dovetails with Reach Higher, including efforts to create more equitable campus experiences between the three campuses; creating spaces that appeal to a diverse range of learners, and emphasizing digital learning and modernized learning spaces.
Click HERE to view the updated GVSU Master Plan and click HERE to learn more about Reach Higher 2025.
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