College Curriculum Expands

Saginaw Valley College received approval from the State Board to begin offering three new technology fields and new programs in nurse training after a six year battle between SVC and the State Board of Education.

Engineering was first proposed by SVC's President Dr. Samuel Marble in 1966. But even in its approval, the State Board refused to term the technical courses "engineering," maintaining it was approving no new engineering programs for any school in the state. The new technical programs at SVC were to be industrial chemistry, mechanical technology, and construction technology.

The nursing program would primarily offer the third and fourth years of nursing education , attracting practicing registered nurses and community college graduates.

Approval of the new programs affected SVC by:

• Expanding the school's career studies offerings at a time when one of its primary programs, a teacher education, had been meeting hard times in the job market.
• Ending SVC's status as a strictly liberal arts institution.
• Moving the college into the health education field, which was growing rapidly in terms of attracting students and promising good jobs after graduation.
• Enabling the school to meet more local industry employment needs.
• Helping to insure continued growth for the college.

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Last modified April 24, 2001