Brooks College celebrates 20 years of interdisciplinary teaching, learning

October 1, 2024 (Volume 48, Number 3)
Article by Thomas Garrett

people seated at tables some standing in back of Kirkhof Center room

array of stickers promoting feminism and Brooks College are spread on a table

The Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies celebrated its 20th anniversary as a unique entity in higher education devoted to elevating interdisciplinary learning and research.

The Brooks College community and partners came together September 25 to recognize the first two decades of its interdisciplinary curriculum. Dean Mark Schaub said that work is demonstrated through the Frederik Meijer Honors College, the interdisciplinary elements of the general education program, six bachelor's degree programs and 12 academic minors.

“We certainly don’t have a corner on the interdisciplinarity market here in Brooks,” Schaub said during the event held at the Kirkhof Center. “But we are organized around the notion of how starting from the big issues, or big problems, facing students and humanity, and then marshaling and synthesizing disciplinary knowledge to confront and interrogate those big issues, serves students and programs well.”

Brooks College has become the leading college in serving adult learners, especially through the integrative studies major and two bachelor's of applied science majors. It is also the fastest-growing in credit hours of any GVSU college.

The featured speaker at the event was Gayle Davis, executive vice president emerita for Academic and Student Affairs, who was a key figure in the creation of Brooks College during the major reorganization of Grand Valley's Academic Affairs Division in 2004.

“This was a structure that had not been seen at other schools and was not without its bumps. We wanted to create a place with the permanence and goals of a full-fledged college, to add a new dimension to students' academic experience,” said Davis.

When the school was first created in 2004, it was originally named the College of University-Wide Interdisciplinary Initiatives, after a few name changes it was named in honor of the family of Jim and Donna Brooks in May 2010.

Brooks family members have been strong supporters of Grand Valley for many years. Donna served on the Board of Trustees for 16 years and twice as board chair; she is now an honorary life member. 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.

“We thank Jim and Donna for their years of support to this great university, as well as to Gayle and President Thomas Haas for their dedication to this college during its inception,” said President Philomena V. Mantella. “You pushed the boundaries of higher education and created a place where students can address the complex issues of the future through innovative curriculums.”

Mantella emphasized the importance of Brooks College through its adult learner initiatives and its ability to support the entire Grand Valley community through efforts like the Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors, and the Sustainable Agriculture Project.

— Thomas Garrett earned a bachelor's degree in writing from GVSU in April.