Our Classroom

All of our classes are taught in person at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan — about an hour east of GVSU's Allendale campus.

At Bellamy Creek, we are part of a broader educational campus. Just across the street at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility, students are enrolled in the Calvin Prison Initiative and the Dept. of Corrections' own Vocational Village program.

The Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility


Chair in classroom
Desk in classroom, covered with course papers and books
Students sitting at desks in a classroom with GVSU banners on the wall behind them.
Where student and faculty learning happens.

Thanks to our partnership with the Michigan Department of Corrections, the classroom is equipped with a podium (designed and built in the correctional facility's woodshop), whiteboards, and, of course, GV banners printed at the prison.

We aren't the only ones learning in the classroom.

Several students train dogs as part of Leader Dogs for the Blind. In any given class, there is at least one trainee learning to wait patiently through a lecture (or napping under a chair).

A leader-dog-in-training sleeping under a chair in the classroom

A student talking with a guest at convocation.
Thinking about visiting?

We'd love to welcome you to our classroom — and maybe sit in on a lecture! Reach out to us via the link below. Then, please review the visiting policies detailed in our FAQ.

Contact Us



Page last modified November 1, 2024