GVSU leaders pledge commitment to inclusive community, acknowledge pain

Grand Valley leaders addressed during the April 29 Board of Trustees meeting the pain the community is experiencing over the shooting death in Grand Rapids of Patrick Lyoya by a police officer.

As she opened the meeting at the L. William Seidman Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, Board Chair Megan S. Rydecki said that everyone in the community is dealing with the loss of Lyoya, a Black man and African refugee.

"It affects us all differently, and we are mindful that as we move into a weekend like this one, where we celebrate the accomplishments of our students, at the same time, we hold much grief and sadness as we figure out how best to show up in the world and make a community that's welcoming and inclusive for all," Rydecki said.

President Philomena V. Mantella also addressed the loss of Lyoya, saying that while the full facts of this particular incident are not known, systemic racism remains a persistent problem.

"We need improvements to our institutions, and leadership demands we start at home," Mantella said. "At GVSU we welcome the opportunity to elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and appreciate the beauty of our diversity, not just in moments of tragedy, but persistently and pervasively across our institution. We will lead in inclusion and equity."

In additional remarks, Mantella also highlighted a Grand Valley tutoring program introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to support K-12 students through learning loss that has since expanded to a robust statewide network.

The program, K-12 Connect, is contracting with public and charter schools to assist families across 56 Michigan counties, Mantella said. K-12 Connect has provided more than 36,000 tutoring sessions with 245 GVSU students from a variety of majors. In addition to these student employees, more than 300 Grand Valley students, faculty and staff members and alumni serve as volunteers.

"I am proud this initiative has been scaled by our GV NextEd Co-Lab to accelerate K-12 to college educational pathways," Mantella said.

Three people involved with the program also talked about its impact. Wendy Miller, the GV NextEd Co-Lab director of targeted learning, said representatives are taking a holistic approach to addressing stagnating reading scores. One advantage of this program is that GVSU students of all majors, not just those related to education, are tutoring students and becoming literacy advocates.

Aanab Ibrahim, a legal studies major, told Board members that connecting with the students has also helped support them in ways beyond reading assistance.

"So many students don't have friends or are not brave enough to make mistakes," Ibrahim said. "I think this is a privilege to help kids and get to know them more."

Josh Theeke, who is majoring in international business and economics, said it has been gratifying to watch the students come to love reading. Theeke also mentioned the personal benefits of tutoring and learning transferable skills.

"This work helps me in my classes and has solidified numerous communication, organizational and leadership skills," Theeke said.

Mantella offered as another example of Grand Valley responding to the challenges of the pandemic the recently announced BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar initiative. The program includes a $19 million commitment from BHSH to educate nearly 500 more nurses in the next six years.

She said these efforts show how committed Grand Valley is to partnering with community and statewide enterprises. She also called for greater federal and state investment in higher education to meet the needs of Michiganders.

"If we want a vibrant local economy and an inclusive and prosperous state, we need to support higher education institutions ready to fulfill their public mission, approach work to fit today’s context, excited to flex in the future, and determined to act now," Mantella said.

In other board action/discussion:

• Trustees approved rates for room and board. The overall adjustment for housing and dining is 5.4 percent, an average increase of $176 per semester for housing and $100 per semester for a primary dining plan. GVSU's rate still remains one of the lowest among public universities. In addition, to improve dining operations, the university has adjusted staffing to a greater emphasis on full-time staff positions in response to declining student employee participation rates. And based on student feedback, the university is also offering enhanced dining options, including the opening of an allergen-free venue.
• Trustees approved the reauthorization of five public charter school academies, and the appointment or reappointment of charter school board members. The board also voted to approve a site addition for Flint Cultural Center Academy to serve high school students.