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History of SVSU: 1989-2013
Robert S.P. Yien (left), who retired in 2006, served as the university’s chief academic officer for an unprecedented 27 years. His contributions and leadership as vice president for academic affairs provided the basis for SVSU’s comprehensive curriculum and international program development. Following retirement, Yien remained active in fostering sister-college relationships with SVSU. Donald J. Bachand succeeded Yien and added the responsibilities of provost in 2010. Bachand led the institution to receive new accreditations in music and clinical laboratory sciences; seven other accreditations were renewed under his leadership. Prior to his appointment as vice president, Bachand served as dean of the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences for nearly 10 years.
National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The Department of Social Work also achieved national accreditation.9 To ensure that the colleges maximized their resources to benefit student learning, Gilbertson created the Academic Program Advisory Board and charged it with assisting departments with their assessment goals, evaluating or creating programs and fostering diversity. The chair, by tradition the associate vice president for academic planning and assessment, reported directly to the vice president for academic affairs, at the time Robert S. P. Yien. When Yien retired in 2006, Donald J. Bachand assumed the vice president’s position and instituted an evaluation procedure through which department chairs or representatives submitted detailed reports documenting goals and successes. That proved instrumental in steering university resources to the improvement and development of its programs.10
Transfer Agreements
During the 25 years since Gilbertson’s arrival, SVSU has signed numerous articulation agreements with other colleges and universities that allow students to transfer to SVSU and receive full credit for previous coursework. These agreements have made SVSU an attractive
