“A lot of Michiganders live in four-year public education deserts.”
Kara Van Dam is Grand Valley State University Chief Executive. She explains only 12 of Michigan’s 83 counties are home to four-year public institutions. Fifty of those counties lack a district community college.
Van Dam is developing a program bringing higher education to them.
“That’s sort of the initial seed for GVSU Omni. And Omni is Latin for all. And so it really is GVSU for all. And so, in leveraging our regional campus network, this allows us to bring learning that students need to where they live. And sometimes that is going to be an online program, right? And sometimes that is going to be a hybrid or a face-to-face, or an online program with face-to-face services support.”
GVSU’s statewide network of regional campuses in Battle Creek, Detroit, Holland, Jackson, Muskegon, and Traverse City is the backbone for serving adults seeking career advancement with certificates and degrees.
“Even those who need an online program, 76% of them will only do so with an institution within 100 miles of their house. And with our existing network we’re within 100 miles of every Michigander in the Lower Peninsula or 97% of the population.”
Enrollment in GVSU Omni begins this spring.