Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2015 - (Page 4)

CA M P US NE WS New vice president settles into role The new vice president for Inclusion and Equity said his first priorities are to listen and learn from community members on campus and in the area. Jesse M. Bernal began his tenure at Grand Valley in late February. He said his time since then has been spent meeting faculty and staff members, and students. "It is important that I get to know more about the opportunities and challenges in our community, and better understand the experiences and perceptions of all members of our diverse university," he said. "I also want to recognize and learn from the long-standing diversity champions at Grand Valley and in West Michigan who have led equity and inclusion work for decades." He said the mission of the Division of Inclusion and Equity is to provide a rich, inclusive learning and working environment that attracts, retains and supports a diverse campus community. "The next phase of these efforts includes working to ensure equity is embedded across the campus and ingrained in all of our functions and decision-making," he said. One goal this year, Bernal said, is to continue to support Grand Valley in further developing its strategic priority to advance equity and inclusion work on campus. "This will require many robust conversations to better understand opportunities on campus," he said. Bernal had served as director of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at Santa Clara University in California, and previously was the diversity coordinator for the University of California system. "A" "B" "A" STUDY: Race impacts how residents rate Grand Rapids Eighty percent of Grand Rapids residents say they would give the city a grade of "A" or "B" as a place to live, according to the results of a survey and study by Grand Valley's Johnson Center for Philanthropy. However, the new research shows that differences in race, geography and socioeconomic status account for wide disparities in how respondents rank the city on many factors. "A" ratings vary from 20 percent from residents of the city's southwest side to 36 percent on the northeast side, and from 14 percent for Hispanic/Latino residents, to 17 percent of black residents, and 36 percent of white (non-Hispanic) residents. These insights and many more are drawn from the 2014 VoiceGR survey that researchers at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy's Community Research Institute conducted last fall, seeking input from residents about the city, safety, work, health care, economy, ability to meet basic needs and more. The Johnson Center research indicates that while the city thrives as a whole, there is a critical need to address disparities between subgroups of the population. Results show that different demographic, geographic and socioeconomic groups have very different experiences within the same city. Full results from the report are available online at VoiceGR.com. CAMPUS CHATTER With no hesitation I typed "GVSU" in my GPS when thinking of going home. That says a lot about my love for my university. Posted by @MichaelynScott on December 15, 2014. I'm still learning! #gvsu #lakerforalifetime #gradschool 4 Spring '15 Jesse Bernal, center, is the new vice president for Inclusion and Equity. photo by Bri Luginbill Posted by Trisha Stevens (@stevenszps) on March 6, 2015. http://www.VoiceGR.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2015

Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Behind the gallery
Beer boom
Reenactment takes center stage in classroom
Global GV
Focal Point
Arts
Sustainability
Q&A Harmon, DesArmo
Off the Path
Research
Alumni News

Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2015