About the College

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) is a student-centered and diverse learning community that engages in critical inquiry, extending knowledge to enrich and enliven individual and public life. Created in July 2004, CLAS is the largest of GVSU's colleges and offers more than 50 bachelors degrees (and a growing number of advanced degrees) in the natural and mathematical sciences, humanities, the fine and performing arts, and the social sciences. GVSU undergraduates in all fields build the foundation for their major studies in general education courses offered by our College.

CLAS Vision

What is the desired future for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences?

Through our commitment to liberal education, CLAS strives to be an inclusive and equitable community of inquiry where students, staff and faculty collaborate to pursue and create knowledge, to enact global citizenship, and to engage and support our many communities. (Jan. 2022)

CLAS Commitments

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will realize our vision through five commitments.

Commitment 1: Centering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

We value and work to foster a community in which inclusion, equity, access, and respect for difference sustain, and are sustained by, a liberal education that is accessible to and beneficial for all.

Commitment 2: Supporting Student Success

We value the uniqueness and the diversity of human experiences and standpoints and support a student-ready approach to the continuous improvement of CLAS structures and processes.

Commitment 3: Creating a Workplace Where Faculty and Staff Can Thrive

We value structures and processes that provide faculty and staff opportunities to develop as professionals and leaders, that support a reasonable balance of time and energy across all areas of our lives, and that provide opportunities to connect and build relationships. We value the life of the mind, in all its forms, and recognize that the creation of knowledge and the dissemination of knowledge are closely connected activities for teacher-scholars.

Commitment 4: Teaching and Learning Through Engagement

We value a curriculum with an emphasis on pathways, experiences, collaborations, and connections that occur within and across courses, disciplines, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, and career plans. We believe that student engagement should be a top priority in all disciplines and at all levels, so that students understand the value of education as a lifelong process instead of viewing each course or degree solely as a means to an end.

Commitment 5: Engaging Our Alumni and Communities

We value reciprocal relationships with alumni and other community partners. Alumni are valuable allies as we strive to create experiential learning opportunities for our students and to enhance student understanding of the career-related skills and competencies gained through their university curriculum. We seek dialogue with current and potential community partners, and we will develop partnerships around their needs and goals.