Grand Valley State University Named Top in Nation For Minority Student Retention

By Sean Copeland, Contributing Writer Grand Valley State University has recently received a new round of accolades as the university was named in the Best Colleges in America list by Money magazine. Joining a list of 745 ranked public and private schools, GVSU was one of six Michigan universities to gain a spot in the ranking. GVSU was also named a top school in the nation for student retention, particularly among minorities. The university, located in Allendale, Michigan, has a total student population of 22,269 with 19,243 undergraduate students and 3,026 graduate students. Of those students, 90 percent received aid. Some of the attractive aspects of the university include a vast amount of study abroad programs, an average class size of 26, over 146 degree programs offered, and a 68 percent graduation rate. Creating Diversity Initiatives for Student Retention President Philomena Mantella is Grand Valley’s first female president, a position she has held since 2019. On her belief in why GVSU was named a top school for student retention, Mantella offered some insight. “I think it’s the wide range of programs, but I also think it’s theway in which we position our programs to be fully accessible to the students...