More food, more books, more student gathering space in the works for GVSU's Allendale campus

Grand Valley State University's Kirkhof Center is crazy busy any time of day, especially at lunchtime when the cafeteria, coffee shop kiosk, gathering spaces, and bookstore are jam-packed with high-energy students all trying to get a bite or a beverage, sit down with friends, and get online.

GVSU plans to free up a bunch of space for more food services and enough additional seating in the gathering spaces to accommodate150 more students. To accomplish this, the bookstore will relocate in the summer of 2015 to Laker Marketplace, a new 43,000-square-foot building that will be constructed nearby.

"The Kirkhof Center is too small and has resulted in the university operating an offsite staging facility with a shuttle to replenish bookstore merchandise," says James Moyer, associate VP for facilities planning. "The (new) larger bookstore will also address the crowding issues associated with book purchasing and other merchandise."

The $9 million project begins this fall.

Another project, the 22,000-square-foot, $6.7 million addition to Au Sable Hall, will wrap up in summer 2014 after adding several office spaces and nine state-of-the-art classrooms with seating for 190 students. The new classrooms replace some existing small classrooms in the building. Other existing classrooms will receive significant upgrades to technology and the learning environment.

An article posted on Feb. 8, 2013 in GVnow states that the international program ELS Language Center, currently off campus on 48th St., will occupy part of the new addition. The center enables foreign-born students to learn English while attending college. The on-campus relocation supports GVSU's strategic plan for inclusion and internationalization by enhancing the cultural diversity of the student body.

Source: James Moyer and GVnow, Grand Valley State University
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor