In May 2010, the College of Interdisciplinary Studies was named the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies in honor of the family of Jim and Donna Brooks of Holland.  The Brooks family have been strong supporters of Grand Valley State University for many years.  Donna served on the Board of Trustees for 16 years and twice as the Board Chair.  Since 2008, both Donna and Jim have served as co-chairs of the Grand Valley Foundation and have been leaders in several successful development campaigns.

The vision and programs of the Brooks College share with the Brooks Family a belief in the importance of international education and cross-cultural understanding, innovation and relevancy in the curriculum, regional collaboration, community development, and application of sustainability best practices.

The college has set as it goals developing an innovative, integrative interdisciplinary curriculum, providing high-quality international education for our students,supporting the university in becoming a model of sustainable practice, and developing strong connections with our surrounding communities throughout our courses and programming.