Tweet

Most students who attend Grand View University today would not have recognized it 20 years ago. Since then, GV has seen great growth and many changes to campus buildings, degree programs and athletics. The expectation is that the institution will continue to grow to meet the needs of students in the best possible way. Professors from the university, new and old, as well as the president, talked about the institution, including how the college was when they arrived here, what has changed over the years, and what is the expectation for the future.

GV has changed a lot over the years, especially since current President Kent Henning assumed his position nearly 20 years ago. Henning saw great potential in the university.

“I felt that one of our advantages was being located here in Des Moines and that we could grow stronger by making the right kind of connections with the Des Moines community,” Henning said.

 Humanities Professor Steve Snyder, who has been at GV since 1991, said the campus is much more beautiful today with more buildings and tremendous changes in the curriculum.

 “We have all kinds of new academic programs; we have a great graduate program, which we didn’t have when I came,” Snyder said.

 Dr. Paul Rider, dean of GV social and natural sciences, who has been at the university for 25 years, also cited several changes that have occurred since he first arrived. He said that the number of faculty and students has grown significantly compared to when he arrived at GV. 

Snyder also spoke of other changes made by Henning, such as the creation of a football program, starting a graduate program and the great amount of hiring that occurred in the last few years.

 “I think that a lot of that is happening under the presidency of President Henning,” Snyder said. “His presidency has seen a lot of growth and a lot of changes.” 

But it is still important that they are continuously looking to the future so that they can always meet not only the needs of the students who are here today but also those who are to come. Henning said that, for this reason, they 

need to be aware of changes in the workforce, technology and the type of life that students will lead after GV.

 “We need to be even wiser when we look into the future, designing an education today for what is going to serve you well in the years ahead,” Henning said.

KC McGinnis is a newly hired communication professor at GV. He spoke about his beliefs of how students should be prepared to develop their skills. 

“No matter how well-rounded the student is, it’s still really important that they have the right skills that are going to make them competitive on the job marketing,” McGinnis said.

As for the needs for the future, Rider said that students should be prepared for different functions.

 “We have to be focused on preparing our students for what they are going to need in the future, and that is not only having a strong basis in whatever discipline they go into, but having just general skills,” Rider said.

Henning said he is aware of the difficulties that students go through and said that he would like to make things less difficult for them to graduate. 

“I know that a lot of our students are facing financial challenges, they are facing challenges in their personal life, they are facing a lot of those kinds of challenges, and we are working on that,” Henning said. “But there is no single answer to all of that.”

 Henning hopes that GV will continue to provide rich experiences, good education, innovation and opportunity for everyone in the region. Snyder believes that GV has never been in a better position to achieve its mission, due to the quality and commitment of the faculty, the confidence of the administration team and university location. He is uncertain about the future but believes that an institution must constantly move forward; if it does not, it dies.

 “One thing I do know (is that), students stay the same,” Snyder said. “They come every year with the same hopes, the same fears, the same interests and curiosities; that has not changed.”