95.3 / 88.5 FM Grand Rapids and 95.3 FM Muskegon
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GVSU-Rockford Public: Partner On Early College Program

Grand Valley State University logo
gvsu.edu

High school students in Rockford will soon be able to get a head start on their college careers.  Through a new partnership with Grand Valley State University, Rockford High School students can take college courses in a health professions program right in their high school.  It’s the first dual-enrollment program between GVSU and Rockford Public. 

The early college program, partnering GVSU and Rockford High school will begin in the fall.  Here’s GVSU’s Vice Provost for Health, Dr. Jean Negelkerk.

“The partnership will provide the Rockford High school students in their junior year an opportunity to participate in an introductory health professions program, where students can attain a total of six credit hours in our allied health service program.”

Dr. Negelkerk says this dual enrollment opportunity is a great benefit for students; giving them the ability to figure what they like and what they don’t like before they commit to a definitive major.

“On average they may change two to three times before they find what they want to do and that can extend time towards graduation. So in this program, students get to explore a health professions program and decide if they want to do it, while at the same time, while they’re in high school, they’re earning college credits.”

Classes will the taught at Rockford by a Grand Valley faculty member and will include discussion sessions led by a Rockford High School teacher.

Dr. Negelkerk says the college credits earned are transferable and again, a big benefit to the student.

“The college credits can go to any university or college, so a community college or a university in Michigan or the nation, and they’re transferable totally, so not only do they take and earn them all while in high school, but they themselves don’t have to pay for these college credits, nor their families. The school system pays for it for them.”

Leaders from Grand Valley and Rockford Public are expected to “officially” sign the agreement tomorrow.

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.