Grand Valley alumni reside across the state, nation and beyond. As Lakers, they are always a part of a community — whether that’s in-person or online.
To help keep alumni connected during the COVID-19 crisis, Alumni Relations created a “Virtual Community” webpage and compiled videos, webinars, podcasts and other at-home activities.
Stay connected with other alumni by visiting gvsu.edu/alumni/virtual .
Alumni videos
Videos of alumni recording themselves sharing areas of expertise, fun activities, tips or tricks are the highlights of the virtual community website.
They include a yoga session recorded by Danny Poole ’71, from Denver; a song performed and recorded by Kari Lynch ’10, of the Kari Lynch Band from Nashville; and professional tips on making the most of virtual meetings by Jennifer Maxson ’94, of Jennifer Maxson & Associates Inc. from Grand Rapids.
Laker Lifetime Learning (L3)
“Our new virtual events and programming around professional networking is just the beginning of what GVSU offers alumni. We want to make sure they know that they still have access to the GVSU Career Center, and the Laker Lifetime Learning account, which offers $1,000 for them to use on future classes,” said Courtney Geurink ’09, assistant director. Visit gvsu.edu/L3 to learn more.
Professional networking
A “Professional Networking” webpage, gvsu.edu/alumni/professional, was created to support Lakers for a Lifetime as they launch, advance or pivot their careers.
Video interviews
Chris Barbee ’88, Alumni Relations director, started an interview series, “10 Minutes or 10 Questions.” In this series, Barbee catches up with faculty and staff, including Kim Roberts, chair of the Department of Visual and Media Arts; Julianne Vanden Wyngaard, university carillonneur and retired professor of music; and Bob Stoll, associate dean of Student Life.
Just for fun
Other fun content includes GVSU Zoom backgrounds, printable coloring pages and Spotify playlists like “Dome Era Concerts,” “Lake(rs),” and more. Visit the Virtual Lakers site and scroll down to 'At Home Activities.'
Virtual events
A new monthly webinar series is keeping Lakers learning with a range of topics for their professional and personal lives. And a new “Digital Dialogue” series features faculty, staff and alumni leading informal discussions on a variety of topics. These virtual events begin with a brief presentation followed by group dialogue. Groups are intentionally kept small to allow for robust discussion. Visit the events page here.
