Saginaw Valley State University

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Saginaw Valley State University, commonly known as SVSU, is a state university in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the middle of Michigan's lower peninsula in the Saginaw Valley region and serves the cities of Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw. The university itself is located in Saginaw County, but its "official" address places it in University Center, Michigan, which it shares with Delta College, which is several miles to the northwest and is in Bay County.

The university was chartered in 1963 as a private four-year liberal arts college known as Saginaw Valley College (SVC). SVC became part of the state-supported system of colleges in 1965. It was renamed Saginaw Valley State College in 1975 and became Saginaw Valley State University in 1987. It is the newest of Michigan's 15 state universities.

However, its roots go back earlier in the area. In the early 1950s, leaders of Bay County, Midland County, and Saginaw County began pushing the state legislature to establish a college in the area. The legislature suggested first created a two-year community college, which lead to establishing nearby Delta College in 1957. Community leaders continued to push for a four-year school, leading to the founding of SVC, which held its first classes in fall 1964 at Delta College (where they had attended for the first two years and were then enrolled as juniors and seniors at SVC).

A fundraiser was held in 1965 to help lay the groundwork for a four-year university in the Tri-City area (Saginaw, Midland, Bay City). Corporations, private citizens, and other donors contributed millions of dollars to purchase the vast stretch of land that SVSU sits on today. SVSU flourished in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. SVSU currently employs hundreds of academic professionals and has an enrollment nearing 10,000 students. Its teaching program is popular and considered one of the best in the state.

SVSU's mascot is the cardinal. The school colors are royal blue and cardinal. It is a Division II school, whose sports teams play in the NCAA Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Contents

[edit] Academics

SVSU offers numerous undergraduate programs. Its most popular school is the College of Education, which graduates thousands of professional teachers yearly.

Complete departmental listing:

Arts & Behavioral Sciences Programs

Undergraduate Programs

   * Applied Studies
   * Art
   * Communication
   * Creative Writing
   * Criminal Justice
   * English
   * Gender Studies*
   * Gerontology*
   * Graphic Design
   * History
   * International Studies
   * Music
   * Philosophy*
   * Political Science
   * Pre-Social Work
   * Professional and Technical Writing
   * Psychology
   * Public Administration
   * Social Work
   * Sociology
   * Theatre
   * Youth Services*

Graduate Programs

   * Communication and Multimedia
   * Administrative Science

Language Programs

   * Modern Foreign Languages  
   * French
   * German*
   * Polish*
   * Spanish

Business & Management

Undergraduate Majors

   * Accounting
   * Economics
   * Finance 
   * General Business Major 
   * International Business
   * Marketing 
   * Management
   * Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
   * Bachelor of Professional Accountancy (B.P.A.)
   * Business Administration (B.B.A.)


Graduate Programs

   * Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.

Education

Undergraduate Programs

   * Teacher Education
         o Elementary Education
         o Secondary Education
         o Special Education
   * Kinesiology

Graduate Programs

   * Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)
         o Adapted Physical Activity   
         o Elementary Classroom Teaching 
         o Middle School Classroom Teaching   
         o Secondary Classroom Teaching
         o Early Childhood Education   
         o Instructional Technology
         o Natural Science
         o Reading Education      
         o Special Education

   * Master of Education (M.Ed.)Leadership Group
         o Chief Business Official
         o Educational Leadership
         o Principalship
         o Superintendency

   * Education Specialist Degree (Ed.S)
     (for individuals who already have a M.Ed.)
         o Director/Coordinator of Technology
         o Directorship of Athletics
         o Directorship of Curriculum
         o Directorship of Early Childhood Programs
         o Principalship
         o Superintendency and Centeral Office Personnel

Nursing & Health Sciences

Programs

   * Nursing
   * OT
   * Medical Technology

Science, Engineering & Technology

Departments

   * Biology 
   * Chemistry 
   * Computer Science & Information Systems 
   * Electrical & Computer Engineering 
   * Mathematics 
   * Mechanical Engineering 
   * Physics

[edit] Financials

2004 data puts the General Fund at $67 million. The sources include: state appropriations (42%, or $28.1 million), tuition & fees (55.2%, or $36.8 million) and "other sources" (2.8%, or $1.9 million).

SVSU's 2004 'self study' provides detail concerning the university's financials and other miscellaneous information.

The 2004 budget includes a cut of $1.3 million from the 2003 budget. Attempts have been made to avoid future budget cuts by means of raising tuition costs. This has sparked controversy, as SVSU has always prided itself on being a university with a very high cost/quality ratio; i.e. the quality of education has ostensibly and historically been more than commensurate with the price of attending the university. The university's mission statement reflects this belief.

[edit] Athletics

National Championships:

  • 1982 - Men's Indoor Track and Field - NAIA
  • 1983 - Men's Indoor Track and Field - NAIA
  • 1989 - Softball - NAIA

National Runners-up:

  • 1977 - Men's Cross Country - NAIA
  • 1978 - Men's Cross Country - NAIA
  • 1982 - Men's Cross Country - NAIA
  • 1983 - Men's Outdoor Track and Field - NAIA
  • 1984 - Men's Outdoor Track and Field - NAIA
  • 1984 - Men's Golf - NAIA
  • 1985 - Women's Basketball - NAIA Division I

Basketball Final Four:

  • 1982 - Women's Basketball - NAIA Division I
  • 1985 - Women's Basketball - NAIA Division I (Runner-up)

[edit] Notable alumni

Famous graduates of SVSU include the following:

[edit] External links


Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Ashland • Ferris State • Findlay • Gannon • Grand Valley State • Hillsdale • Lake Superior State • Mercyhurst • Michigan Tech • Northern Michigan • Northwood • Saginaw Valley State • Wayne State
Associate Member: Indianapolis
Public universities in Michigan
Central Michigan • Eastern Michigan • Ferris State • Grand Valley State • Lake Superior State • Michigan State • Michigan Tech • Northern Michigan • Oakland • Saginaw Valley State • U-M Ann Arbor • U-M Dearborn • U-M Flint • Wayne State • Western Michigan
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