Grand Valley State University and Henry Ford College sign 17 articulation agreements

Grand Valley State University and Henry Ford College have signed their first transfer agreement, which includes 17 articulation agreements that allow Henry Ford College students to complete bachelor degrees within Grand Valley State University’s College of Computing. The agreement will ensure that students will lose no credits when they achieve their associate degree and move into GVSU’s bachelor degree program.

According to an article on Grand Valley State University’s website, Henry Ford College President David M. Knezek Jr. was quoted as saying of the new partnership, “These new transfer pathways will allow Henry Ford College to provide new opportunities for students to continue their education, while supporting employers in Southeast Michigan who are in need of talent. I’m grateful for this new partnership with Grand Valley State University and excited about the potential to expand on it as we seek to support our local economy.”

The agreements will set up Henry Ford College students who have earned associate degrees in computer science, software engineering, or cybersecurity to transfer to Grand Valley State University’s artificial intelligence, computer science, cybersecurity, human-centered computing, information systems, information technology, and software engineering programs. 

College of Computing Dean Marouane Kessentini explained the benefit of these articulation agreements: “For a student, the promise is simple: start at Henry Ford College, finish at Grand Valley and lose nothing along the way — no lost credit, no repeated courses. These 17 pathways were built course by course with Henry Ford College faculty, so a student in Dearborn can choose artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software engineering or any of our computing degrees and know exactly how to get there. And when they arrive, they step into the Shipyard, where every student builds real projects with real partners.”

The agreements will help students transfer seamlessly, while saving them money. Students will not lose any credits earned, and can choose to attend their bachelor degree program courses through the university’s West Michigan campuses or through GVSU Online.

GVSU Provost Jennifer Drake said, “We believe students should have clear and affordable pathways for a bachelor's degree, regardless of where they begin their college experience. We want students who begin at Henry Ford College and continue at Grand Valley to see themselves as Lakers from the beginning. This agreement provides a clear pathway, credit by credit, so students know how their coursework will move them towards a degree.”

Grand Valley State University is home to the Blue Dot Ecosystem, which serves as a hub for students, educators, businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders to gain skills in digital areas and work toward solving problems collaboratively.

Speaking of the College of Computing programs that were addressed with these articulation agreements, GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella said, “The data is staggering in terms of the need for these programs. These are the programs in which 89% of Michigan jobs will require these kinds of digital skills. So, we're excited that we're doing the right thing for Michigan, the right thing for our students.”

For more information about Grand Valley State University, visit the school’s website.

For more information about Henry Ford College, visit the school’s website.