Accountability report shows continued strong performance

Grand Valley State University's annual Accountability Report shows the university is attracting a record number of students while demonstrating exemplary results in key areas including retention, graduation rates, providing access to students who otherwise could not afford a college education and keeping students moving on the path to graduation.

The 2016-17 report also shows the university continues to hold down tuition and administration costs while providing a significant economic impact to the region. 

The report, which tracks more than 40 measures of university performance and student outcomes, was released at Grand Valley's November 4 Board of Trustees meeting at the L. William Seidman Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The report includes seven core values that form the basis for Grand Valley's 2016-2021 strategic plan: excellence, integrity, inquiry, inclusiveness, community, sustainability and innovation.

Here are some highlights from the 10th annual report: 

• Grand Valley welcomed a record number of students in the fall (25,460), as well as a record number of students of color, first-time students and students living on campus. 

• Grand Valley ranks in the top three of all public universities in Michigan for graduation rates, and fourth for retention.

• 93.8% of recent graduates are employed or in graduate school, and 84.9% are working and giving back in Michigan.

• The university was rewarded by the state legislature and the governor for a fifth year in a row with a portion of appropriations based on performance.

• Tuition remains in the bottom half of all Michigan public universities, while Grand Valley receives the second-lowest funding per student.

• The economic impact of Grand Valley on Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties is $780 million.

The full 2016-17 Accountability Report can be viewed online at www.gvsu.edu/accountability.