Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

University Center, Michigan University Center is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community encompasses two separate areas using the 48710 ZIP Code, including Delta College (Michigan), Delta College in Bay County, Michigan, ...

, United States, in

Saginaw County Saginaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 190,124. The county seat is Saginaw. The county was created by September 10, 1822, and was fully organized on February 9, 1835. The ...

. It was founded in 1963 as Saginaw Valley College. It is located on in Saginaw County's Kochville Township, approximately north of downtown

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

. Saginaw Valley State is the newest of Michigan's 15 public colleges and universities. SVSU offers over 100 academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels with approximately 8,500 students at its main campus in University Center. SVSU offers programs of study in its five colleges.

History

Higher education in the Saginaw Valley region dates back to the founding of Bay City Junior College in 1922. Though the junior college was replaced by Delta College in 1961, the area still lacked a four-year baccalaureate institution. Saginaw Valley College was founded as a private institution in November 1963, and became a state-supported institution in 1965. The name changed to Saginaw Valley State College in 1974 and again to Saginaw Valley State University in 1987. In 1955, civic leaders in the Saginaw Valley region met to discuss prospects for a local institution of higher education. The next year, a committee of 300 recommended a two-year community college which would expand to a four-year college. The two-year college, Delta, was approved by voters in 1958 and opened in 1961.

Saginaw Valley College

Articles of incorporation for what would become Saginaw Valley College (originally called Delta Senior University) were drawn up in 1963, and the state granted a charter to SVC as a private, four-year liberal arts institution. Dr. Samuel D. Marble, the president of Delta College, was appointed president of SVC in 1964. After holding both presidencies for four months, he resigned from Delta. The first class of 119 students completed two years at Delta and transferred to SVC. The first commencement ceremony was held in 1966 at a Midland church for a graduating class of ten. A site for a permanent SVC campus (the college was operating out of Delta's basement) was chosen in Kochville Township in 1966 and classes were moved to a building on that site the next year. Ground was broken for what would become Wickes Hall in the late summer. Saginaw Valley College received full accreditation by the

North Central Association The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It ...

in April 1970. The college's athletic teams were named the Redbirds, shortly thereafter changed to Cardinals after two coaches spotted a kitchen decoration with a cardinal on it at a golf tournament in Kentucky. In 1972, the Cardinals became a charter member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and in 1974 Frank "Muddy" Waters was hired as the college's first football coach.

Saginaw Valley State College

The name changed to Saginaw Valley State College in 1974. That same year, Samuel D. Marble, the college's president who had also served in that role at Delta College, submitted his resignation. Marble had also served as president of

Wilmington College (Ohio) Wilmington College is a private college in Wilmington, Ohio, United States. It was established by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1870 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college is still Quaker-affiliated a ...

in Ohio. He would be named president emeritus and is honored with a lecture hall named in his honor in Wickes Hall. In November 1974, Jack M. Ryder became president of the college. A report by the Michigan Efficiency Task Force in 1977 recommended to then-Governor William G. Milliken that SVSC and Delta could be run more efficiently if they were combined, an idea which gained no traction. In 1980 the Higher Learning Commission/North Central Association continued this accreditation and granted accreditation at the master's degree level. Both accreditations have been retained continuously since the original accreditation. Also in 1980, two Japanese students attended SVSC for two weeks, beginning what is now a flourishing international student enrollment. A fire in 1985 destroyed financial records, registration files, and other important records. The college became home to the works of the noted sculptor Marshall M. Fredericks in June 1987.

Saginaw Valley State University

On November 5, 1987, SVSC became Saginaw Valley State University. Dr. Jack Ryder resigned as president in 1989 and Eric R. Gilbertson succeeded him. An off-campus location was opened in Cass City in 1991. In 2000,

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

visited the Ryder Center days before the election where he would be elected

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. The annual Battle of the Valleys, a fundraising competition against rival

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...

, was established in 2003. In 2009, SVSU alumnus Tony Ceccacci was the lead flight director for

STS-125 STS-125, or HST-SM4 (Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4), was the fifth and final Space Shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The launch of the Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' occurred on May 11, 2009, at 2:01 pm EDT. Land ...

, a mission to repair the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...

, and an SVSU pennant was sent to space on board the

Space Shuttle Atlantis Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' (Orbiter Vehicle designation: OV‑104) is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. ''Atlantis'' was manufactured by the Rockw ...

. The pennant is currently on display in Pioneer Hall. On June 18, 2013, President Gilbertson announced his intention to retire when the university's board of control finds his replacement.

Ming Chuan University Ming Chuan University (MCU; ) is a private university with four campuses in Taipei, Taoyuan and Kinmen in Taiwan, as well as one in Michigan, United States. MCU also has international education centers in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand. ...

, the first Asian university to be accredited in the United States, opened their Michigan Campus in Gilbertson Hall in 2014. In 2015, SVSU applied to the

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most not ...

to receive a Community Engagement Classification. To be selected, institutions provide descriptions and examples of institutionalized practices of community engagement that showed alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices. The designation is in effect for 10 years.

Presidents

Samuel Davey Marble served as president of SVC from March 23, 1964, to January 14, 1974. He had been the first president of Delta College, from 1958 to 1964. The lecture hall in Wickes Hall was named in his honor, the Gladys and Samuel Marble Graduate Business Scholarship Fund was established in 1997, and the Samuel Marble Memorial Scholarship was established in 1990 to be awarded to a transfer student from Delta.

Jack McBride Ryder Jack McBride Ryder (1928 – April 2019) was the second president of Saginaw Valley State College. Ryder was born December 2, 1928, in Newport, Kentucky. He graduated in 1947 from Bellevue High School (Bellevue, Kentucky). He served 24 months ...

served as president of SVSC/SVSU from November 1, 1974, to June 30, 1989. He initiated the successful construction of Brown Hall, the Zahnow Library, the science building, and the Ryder Center. He was also instrumental in raising private gifts for the construction of Pioneer Hall, the Arbury Fine Arts Center, the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, and Wickes Stadium. Due to his leadership, SVSC, Grand Valley State College, Ferris State College, and Lake Superior State College were all elevated to universities by legislation signed on November 4, 1987. Dr. Ryder was named a president emeritus of the University on December 13, 1991. Eric R. Gilbertson was inaugurated as president of SVSU on August 29, 1989, and served as the longest-tenured in SVSU's history. During his tenure, the university's endowment has increased twenty-fold and the campus physical plant has tripled in size. Enrollment nearly doubled during his tenure. Gilbertson is a former president of Johnson State College in Vermont and was the executive assistant to the president of Ohio State University as well as legal counsel to the Ohio Board of Regents. Dr. Gilbertson announced his intention to retire in 2013 upon the appointment of his successor. On February 10, 2014, Donald Bachand, the university's provost and academic vice president, was named SVSU's fourth president. He officially took office February 17 and was formally installed June 22. Dr. George Grant Jr. began serving as the fifth president of Saginaw Valley State University on January 1, 2023. He joined SVSU after previously serving as chancellor of

Penn State Berks Penn State Berks is a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University located in Spring Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. History The school traces its origins to 1927 and the establishment of a training school for workers for th ...

. Prior to that, Grant spent 24 years at

in Michigan, including 12 years as dean of the College of Community and Public Service.

Academics

Undergraduate admissions

Saginaw Valley State University is considered "selective" by ''U.S. News & World Report''. For the Class of 2025 (enrolling Fall 2021), SVSU received 5,878 applications and accepted 4,577 (77.9%), with 1,336 enrolling. The middle 50% range of

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

scores for enrolling freshmen was 970-1160. The middle 50% ACT composite score range was 18.5-25.

Academic colleges

The College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences is the oldest of the university's five colleges. Scott L. Carmona College of Business is accredited by the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to busines ...

(AACSB). Named after Scott L. Carmona, a 1981 alumnus, and owner of Sunrise National Distributors Inc., a distributor of automotive afterparts in Bay City, the college is undergoing a 38,500 sq. ft. expansion that is expected to open in 2020. SVSU offers teacher education programs, advanced educator learning programs as well as certification renewal and endorsements. The Crystal M. Lange College of Health and Human Services is named for the founder of the College of Nursing who served as its dean for 20 years. The College of Science, Engineering and Technology offers academic programs in the science, engineering, and technology disciplines. Saginaw Valley's most popular undergraduate majors, by 2021 graduates, were: ::Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (165) ::Social Work (88) ::Business Administration and Management (81) ::Elementary Education and Teaching (69) ::Criminal Justice/Safety Studies (65) ::Rehabilitation Science (57)

Accreditations

Saginaw Valley State University was accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

of the North Central Association as a baccalaureate degree granting institution in 1970. In 1980 the HLC/NCA continued this accreditation and granted accreditation at the master's degree level. Both accreditations have been retained continuously since the original accreditation. SVSU also has ten programs that have been awarded specialized accreditations.

Campus

Academic buildings

Wickes Hall is named for Harvey Randall Wickes, and is the main administrative center on campus. Brown Hall is named for Maurice E. Brown. It houses faculty offices and classrooms. The Melvin J. Zahnow Library houses over 200,000 print volumes and over 400,000 non-print items. The Arbury Fine Arts Center is named for Ned and Dorothy Arbury. It houses classrooms and other facilities for the fine arts, including the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum. The Herbert Dow Doan Science Building is named for Herbert Dow Doan, and houses classrooms, faculty offices, teaching labs, research labs, and a

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

. Curtiss Hall is named for Charles B. Curtiss, a long-time member of the Board of Control. Groening Commons, the large atrium inside Curtiss Hall, is named for William A. Groening. Curtiss Hall houses the ater for Performing Arts and Rhea Miller Recital Hall as well as the Scott L. Carmona College of Business.Malcolm Field The Pioneer Hall, the home of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, was completed in 1978 and recently underwent a large renovation. It is "certified green" by the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of t ...

, the first building in mid-Michigan to be so recognized. Eric R. Gilbertson Hall is home to the College of Education and other classes and departments, including the James A. Barcia Center for Public Policy and Service. Originally named the Regional Education Center, the building was named for the university's third president in 2014.

's Michigan Campus is located in this building. Bachand Hall (formerly known as Health & Human Services building) is home to the Crystal M. Lange College of Health and Human Services. The building incorporates the largest aqua-thermal heating/cooling system in the state of Michigan to reduce energy costs by over 35%. The Doan Center houses the Marketplace at Doan, the main dining hall, and the Student Center, which houses several student-related activities. It is named for Leland I. Doan. The Ryder Center for Health & Physical Education is the main athletic building on campus and also houses classrooms. It is named for

Other buildings

The Covenant MedExpress is a $2.6 million clinic open to SVSU students and the public. It is part of a partnership with Covenant Healthcare and has X-ray and lab facilities.

Residence halls

(In order of construction) * First year suites A-E * First year suites F and G * MJ Brandimore House (formerly known as Living Center North) * Living Center South * University Village * Pine Grove * Living Center Southwest

Administration

The governing authority of the university is the Board of Control, established by the Michigan Constitution and by statute consisting of eight members appointed by the

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of government of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...

for eight-year terms. The university is considered a political subdivision of the state government and, thus, is exempt from federal income tax.

Athletics

The Saginaw Valley State University fields 18 varsity teams at the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

level as members of the

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member ...

(GLIAC). The Cardinals compete in the following sports: Men's *

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

* Cross country *

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

Track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and

Diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

Women's *

* Cross country *

Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

and

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

The Junior Varsity football program dates to 1974; Varsity football started in 1975, as did the marching band. The school song is "Cardinal Fight", written by Thomas Root. The Men's Ice Hockey team won consecutive national championships in 2009 and 2010. Svj

Student newspaper

''The Saginaw Valley Journal'' is the unofficial campus newspaper of Saginaw Valley State University. It is one of the few for-profit campus newspapers in the United States. ''The Journal'' was first published on March 18, 2009.. In 2013, it was purchased by Blackhurst Campbell LLC shortly before the company changed its name to The Saginaw Valley Journal Limited Liability Company. ''The Valley Vanguard'' is the official campus newspaper. It has been running since 1967

Cultural exchange

The university has a sister-college exchange relationship with Shikoku University in Tokushima,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Notable alumni

* James A. Barcia, congressman, state representative, and state senator * Matt Black, professional football player * Rob Callaway, professional football player *

Meera Chopra Meera Chopra is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil language, Tamil, Telugu language, Telugu, and Hindi-language films. In Tamil films, she is credited as Nila. She went to SGTB Khalsa College, Delhi University, but later dropped ou ...

, South Indian film actress * John DiGiorgio, professional football player *

Nicole Franzel Nicole Ann Franzel-Arroyo (born June 30, 1992) is an American television personality who was born in Ubly, Michigan. She graduated from college as an ER nurse in 2014. She is best known for her appearance on '' Big Brother 16'' in 2014, winning '' ...

, reality television star * David R. Gilmour, United States Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea *

Gail Goestenkors Gail Ann Goestenkors (born February 26, 1963) is an American basketball coach who was most recently an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team. She is perhaps best known as the women's college basketball head coach of ...

, college basketball coach * Sue Guevara, college basketball coach *

Jeff Heath John Geoffrey Heath (April 1, 1915 – December 9, 1975) was a Canadian-born American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played most of his career for the Cleveland Indians. He was one of the American League's most promising power ...

, professional football player * Todd Herremans, professional football player * Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan, Saudi General Intelligence Directorate Director * Jeff Janis, professional football player * Jonathon Jennings, professional football player *

Lamar King Lamar King (born August 10, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft The 1999 NFL draft was the procedu ...

, professional football player * Matt Koleszar, state representative *

Matt LaFleur Matthew Robert LaFleur ( ; born November 3, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has served as the quarterback coach of the W ...

, professional football coach *

Dej Loaf Deja Monét Trimble (born April 8, 1991), known professionally as Dej Loaf (stylized as DeJ Loaf), is an American rapper and singer from Detroit, Michigan. She is best known for her 2014 single " Try Me" and its 2015 follow-up, "Back Up" (featur ...

, rapper, singer, took nursing classes * Ruvell Martin, professional football player * Glenn Martinez, professional football player * Eugene Marve, professional football player * Suzy Merchant, college basketball coach * Bill O'Neill, professional

ten-pin bowler Tenpin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The goal is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ...

* Jennifer Schomaker, chemist *

Paul Spicer Paul Spicer (born August 18, 1975) is an American football coach and former defensive end who was most recently the defensive line coach for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State. He then play ...

, professional football player *

Bart Stupak Bartholomew Thomas Stupak (; born February 29, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Democratic Party, Stupak served as the U.S. representative from from 1993 to 2011. Stupak chose not to seek re-election in 2010. He de ...

, congressman * Cale Wassermann, college soccer coach

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{Authority control Public universities and colleges in Michigan Saginaw Intermediate School District Buildings and structures in Saginaw County, Michigan Education in Bay County, Michigan Education in Midland County, Michigan Education in Saginaw County, Michigan Educational institutions established in 1963 1963 establishments in Michigan