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 ...
in
University Center, Michigan, United States, in
Saginaw County. 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 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) 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 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
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 ...
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 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.
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. ...
'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
Jack McBride Ryder.
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 (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
*
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
*
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 ...
*
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) ...
*
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), ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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.
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, South Indian film actress
*
John DiGiorgio, professional football player
*
Nicole Franzel, reality television star
*
David R. Gilmour,
United States Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea
*
Gail Goestenkors, college basketball coach
*
Sue Guevara, college basketball coach
*
Jeff Heath, 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, 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, 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
*
Jennifer Schomaker, chemist
*
Paul Spicer, professional football player
*
Bart Stupak, 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