GV community celebrates Founders Day

On Oct. 25, 1959, Grand Valley State University was officially chartered by the state of Michigan. Sixty years later, GVSU is celebrating the nearly 300 residents of West Michigan who together were able to meet the $1 million requirement set by the state to establish the university we know and love today. Flags representing each individual founder will be set up on the Allendale and Pew Campuses as a tribute to the university’s founders.

In addition, a luncheon will be held in the Kirkhof Center Pere Marquette room from 1-2 p.m. celebrating “GVSU Through the Years.” Current students, graduated alumni and the family of founders will gather to break bread and discuss GVSU memories. The event is LIB 100 approved and lunch is made free for those currently attending GVSU by using the code “STUDENT” when you RSVP. Those interested can register now at www.gvsu.edu/homecoming.

Enhance problem solving skills with the Design Thinking Academy

The Design Thinking Academy (DTA) at Grand Valley State University is dedicated to expanding student understanding and design thinking through collaborative interdisciplinary problem solving. The DTA is offering students outside of its program a chance to join in on its activity-based learning through “Sprints,” a free introduction to its structured approach to creative and collaborative problem solving.

The latest “Sprint” is Friday, Oct. 25 from 4-6 p.m. in Au Sable Hall, room 1112. The event is free to attend, and though anyone who registers at gvsu.edu/designthinking will have a seat reserved for them, those who don’t RSVP can still join in on a first come, first served basis. Those with questions can contact Design Thinking Academy Director David Coffey, at [email protected].

GV joins worldwide celebration of women entrepreneurs 

Grand Valley State University is joining more than 160 universities worldwide in the annual celebration of Women Entrepreneurship Week. The commemoration of female innovators has come a long way from its small scale origins at Montclair State University in New Jersey in 2014. In only five years, hundreds of communities have joined Montclair in encouraging economic expansion through supporting and advocating for women in the workforce.

The Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is hosting a Women Entrepreneurship Week Celebration Luncheon in honor of this event on Thursday, Oct. 24. The afternoon will include lunch for all who attend, as well as a panel of community leaders who will share their experiences, victories and struggles as women entrepreneurs. The event, which lasts from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and takes place at the L. William Seidman Center in the Charles W. Loosemore Forum, is free to attend for all who RSVP. Those interested can register ahead of time at www.gvsu.edu/cei.