Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The university also features campuses in Grand Rapids and Holland and regional centers in Battle Creek, Detroit, Muskegon, and Traverse City.
GVSU enrolled more than 22,000 students as of fall 2025 from 82 of 83 Michigan counties and dozens of other states and foreign countries. It employed nearly 4,000 people, with about 1,800 faculty and 2,000 staff. The university has alumni from 50 U.S. states, Canada, and 25 other countries.
GVSU's NCAA Division II sports teams are the Lakers and they compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in all 20 intercollegiate varsity sports. They have won 31 NCAA Division II National Championships.
History University presidentsPresidentYears James Zumberge 1962–1969 Arend Lubbers 1969–2001 Mark Murray 2001–2006 Thomas J. Haas 2006–2019 Philomena V. Mantella 2019–present
Formation, planning and construction In 1958 the Michigan Legislature commissioned a study that demonstrated a need for a four-year college in the Grand Rapids area, Michigan's second largest metropolitan region. Local businessman Bill Seidman created a committee to study the report and spearhead the planning and promotion to create such an institution. In the following year the Michigan Legislature established the college. A naming contest was held, and out of 2500 submissions, "Grand Valley State College" was chosen. Private donations, including $350,000 to purchase land and $1,000,000 for construction, were secured from 5,000 individuals, organizations, and business throughout West Michigan. In 1961, the Grand Valley State College Board of Control chose a site in Ottawa County near the Grand River for the new campus, and construction of academic buildings began the following year. University enrollmentYearEnrollment 1963 225 1965 1,144 1970 3,301 1975 7,340 1980 6,984 1985 7,667 1990 11,726 1995 13,887 2000 18,579 2005 22,565 2010 24,541 201525,325 2019 24,033202122,406202221,648202322,269202422,011202522,035
Early years Grand Valley State College accepted its first class of 226 students in 1963, Diane (Hatch) Paton was the first student, and was among the first graduation of 138 students on June 18, 1967. The middle-late 1960s saw the addition of the first dormitories and construction of new academic buildings, including the Zumberge Library, named for the university's first president, James Zumberge.
In 1969, the Grand Valley Lanthorn printed an issue containing several vulgarities and obscenities. After complaints from some at Grand Valley State College and the surrounding communities, the Ottawa County, Michigan, sheriff arrested the editor, and the prosecutor closed down the newspaper office. The university, then a co-ed college, sued the sheriff and prosecutor for closing the Lanthorn offices. Eventually, Michigan's Attorney General settled the case out of court, siding with the college because the Lanthorn's content was considered covered by Freedom of Speech.
During the 1970s Grand Valley organized its academic units into several colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, Thomas Jefferson College, William James College, Seidman College of Business, and College IV. Michigan Governor William Milliken signed the law changing the institution's name to Grand Valley State Colleges in 1973. However, the "s" was dropped and the name was reverted to Grand Valley State College in 1983 when the academic programs were reorganized into divisions.
College to comprehensive university In 1987 the Michigan Legislature passed a law renaming the college to Grand Valley State University. The 1980s and 1990s saw addition of satellite campuses or centers in downtown Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Holland, and Traverse City. In 2004, the university's board reorganized the university structure again into a college system consisting of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Interdisciplinary Studies, College of Community and Public Service, College of Education, College of Health Professions, Kirkhof College of Nursing, Seidman College of Business, and Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing. Grand Valley completed its first 50 years with a comprehensive campaign that raised almost $100 million from over 17,000 donors, making it the university's largest campaign to date. Money raised during the campaign has helped fund many construction projects on campus, including the Mary Idema Pew Library and the L. William Seidman Center.
Continued growth beyond 50th anniversary In 2012, GVSU announced several more construction projects and land purchases. Future buildings to be constructed include a new biology laboratory building and an addition and renovation to the Zumberge Library on the Valley campus. Land purchases in 2012 included property in downtown Grand Rapids adjacent to the medical mile for healthcare program expansion, which would become the Daniel and Pamella Devos Center for Interprofessional Health. In 2013, GVSU announced it would add on to Au Sable Hall and construct a building to house the GVSU Laker Store (known as University Bookstore prior to April 2015), with expanded dining facilities.
Campuses
Grand Valley has three primary campuses. The main campus is located in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, about west of Grand Rapids, Michigan; two satellite campuses are located in Grand Rapids. The university has regional academic centers in Detroit, Holland, Muskegon, and Traverse City.
The Rapid operates bus service between the three primary campuses, funded by the university. The Laker Line, named for GVSU's sports teams, connects all three campuses via Lake Michigan Drive, and additional shuttle services operate on the Valley campus. These bus services are open to the public, and rides on all The Rapid services are free for Grand Valley students, faculty and staff on all Rapid routes with a valid I.D. card.
Valley campus
The university's main and original campus in Allendale is the site of most of the university's programs. The Valley campus (formerly known as the Allendale campus) is composed of 1,322 acres perched above the Grand River next to a system of ravines and is divided into two areas, north and south campus, separated by West Campus Drive. State highway M-45 links the campus in suburban Allendale to US Highway 31/Lake Michigan to the west and Grand Rapids, Michigan to the east. Lubbers Stadium, the GVSU Fieldhouse and all other athletic facilities for the school's 20 varsity sports are also on the Valley campus. The campus is dotted with many sculptures, including works by Dale Eldred and James Clover. Academic facilities on the Valley campus includes at least 122 classrooms, 144 research laboratories, 20 lab prep rooms, 21 computer labs, and the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons. The Valley campus is also home to the Kindschi Hall of Science, a science facility that opened in the fall of 2015.
The Holton-Hooker Learning and Living Center, with space for 490 students, opened in August 2016. The building is LEED silver-certified.
In 2025, Grand Valley State University underwent a branding overhaul in which the Allendale campus was renamed to Valley campus.
City campus
The City campus (formerly known as the Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids campus) is in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids on the banks of the Grand River. It consists of 11 buildings and three leased spaces and includes the Richard DeVos Center, L.V. Eberhard Center, L. William Seidman Center, Beckering Family Carillon Tower, The Depot (houses the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development headquarters), Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, Keller Engineering Laboratories, John C. Kennedy Hall of Engineering, Peter F. Secchia Hall (housing), Winter Hall (housing), and the Van Andel Global Trade Center. Winter Hall is typically occupied by graduate students and is fully furnished along with appliances. These facilities include 57 classrooms, 78 research laboratories, 23 lab prep rooms, 11 computer labs, and the Steelcase Library. The Steelcase Library was renovated in the Summer of 2025 to include a University Testing Center and Psychology Lab.
In 2025, Grand Valley State University underwent a branding overhaul in which the Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids campus was renamed to City campus.
Health campus
The Health Campus is a part of the Grand Rapids Medical Mile area and houses many of GVSU's health programs. The Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences (CHS), which opened in 2003, reached capacity in 2011. To accommodate the growth in the health sciences, GVSU completed the $37.5 million Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall north of the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, and in 2018 broke ground on the next phase, the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health, a $70 million building that is attached to the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences and includes a parking structure shared with nearby Spectrum Health.
Regional centers GVSU has three locations in Muskegon, Michigan. The James L. Stevenson Center for Higher Education at Muskegon Community College was established in the fall of 1995 as a joint venture between GVSU, Ferris State University, and Western Michigan University. The center offers several GVSU graduate and undergraduate programs. Lake Michigan Center houses the Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI). The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC), which is the first fully integrated demonstration facility for distributed generation of electricity using alternative and renewable energy technologies in the United States.
The Traverse City Regional Center was established in the fall of 1995 in Traverse City, Michigan, and is at the NMC University Center in partnership with Northwestern Michigan College. The center offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in education, social work, and liberal studies. The GVSU Physician Assistant program enrolls 10-14 students at the TC campus.
The Meijer campus, just outside downtown Holland, Michigan, was opened in 1998 and was named for the Meijer family for their donation of land. The campus houses continuing education programs in of building space and contains 12 classrooms, 2 conference rooms, 3 labs and 11 offices.
The Detroit Center was established in 2012 when GVSU purchased the Barden Building adjacent to Comerica Park in downtown Detroit to house its charter school offices. The center also houses the Southeast Michigan Region of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, of which GVSU is the supervisor.
Organization and administration
Grand Valley State University is governed by an eight-member board of trustees, whose members are appointed by the Governor of Michigan and confirmed by the Michigan Senate for terms of eight years. This setup is provided for by the constitution of the state of Michigan of 1963. Members of the board serve without compensation. The board appoints the president of the university, formulates university policies, controls university finances, and acts as the supreme governing body of the institution. The president of the university administers the policies of the board of trustees.
Finance GVSU's general fund budget is $351 million, of which $275 million is from tuition and $72 million is from state appropriations. As of 2019, Grand Valley's amount of university-based student financial aid was $289 million, including $90 million of that in scholarships and grants. During the 2013–2014 academic year, full-time dependent students received an average award of $13,276.
Public safety