The $2.2 million dollar grant was awarded to GVSU’s Center for Experiential Learning by the U.S. Department of Education. The Center itself was created as a hub to support the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Voyage program. The Voyage program provides students studying at the center with educational experiences such as career-oriented internships and intensive research projects.
Other key uses of the grant include creating online data dashboards that faculty can update in real-time to help further student success, as well as providing funding for the hiring of two new faculty members who will work on course design and revision.
Kris Pachla, director of the College’s Center for Experiential Learning says the funding will help launch programs that had already been developed but needed financial support to implement.
While the Voyage program will directly impact a large portion of the GVSU student population, CLAS dean Jennifer Drake says the benefit the grant offers will be felt by the school overall.
GVSU currently has about 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students studying a CLAS-based academic program.