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History of SVSU: 1989-2013
Educational Partnerships and Resources
SVSU has developed numerous partnerships to assist practicing teachers, aid school districts and better prepare its College of Education graduates. The Math & Science Resource Center was among the most high-profile regional education developments. In 1989, the university initiated the Greater Saginaw Valley Regional Education Cooperative (GSVREC), a loose—nevertheless expansive—confederation of schools and organizations in a 14-county region encompassing Delta College, Mid-Michigan Community College, nine intermediate school districts, four regional education media centers and 68 school districts. Ten grants totaling nearly $500,000 supported the plan, which put into use technology to link resources and make them available for educators and students from pre-K through the college level. In 1990, Ralph Coppola, the initial project director of sponsored programs at SVSU, said: “Problems in improvement of education mirror those of economic development … The major impediment to economic development has been the lack of sharing of resources and the lack of development of regional strategies for economic growth.” The goals were to create a math and science center to augment the Valley Library Consortium, establish a cooperative (ArtWorks) to support regional arts instruction and develop the Greater Saginaw Valley Telecommunications Network.20
In 1990, Ralph Coppola, the initial project director of sponsored programs at SVSU, said: “Problems in improvement of education mirror those of economic development … The major impediment to economic development has been the lack of sharing of resources and the lack of development of regional strategies for economic growth.”
