School Psychology Program approved by Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees approved a School Psychology Program at its November 1 meeting, held at Grand Valley’s Detroit Center.

The School Psychology Program will provide academic preparation leading to a Master of Science in school psychology. The full-time program will include coursework, field-based practicum, a final master’s project and a full-time, year-long internship experience. With only five school psychologist training programs in Michigan, Grand Valley can fill an important training gap and cultivate professionals who are well prepared for new roles in education.

In other board action:

Board members approved Grand Valley’s updated five-year Capital Outlay plan that will be sent to the Office of the State Budget. The required report states that the university’s top priority project is a new classroom/office building on the Allendale Campus. This project proposes the construction of a 150,000-square-foot addition to the existing Performing Arts Center to meet classroom and office demand for the communication arts program.

The Board of Trustees approved a $7.5 million expansion for the Kleiner Commons dining facility. The project calls for an additional 18,000 square feet for food preparation areas, dining seating areas, food storage areas and a multi-purpose space for faculty and administrative support offices. The project will be funded by University General Funds and proceeds from Aramark. Construction is scheduled to begin in January and be completed in August.

The board authorized the purchase of real estate from the Grand Rapids District Board of Missions and Church Extension of the United Methodist Church for $136,000. The land is located at 10121 42nd Ave., on the northwest corner of 42nd and Luce, near other Grand Valley properties.

The board approved three new charter schools for authorization by Grand Valley. The schools will include Eagle’s Nest Academy in Flint, Early Career Academy in Troy, and Grand River Academy in Livonia. The board also approved several appointments to Grand Valley-authorized charter school boards.