Pictured:
Front Row (L-R): Justin Jacqmain (PSY), Jake Dunkerson (HS/OT), Jennica Young (HS), Maddy Searles (HS), Katalin Geeck (PSY), Tim Pionk (PSY)
Back Row (L-R): Evan Nudi (PSY), Dr. Charles Weaver (HS), David Mudd (PSY), Dr. Jeff Smith (HS), Kasey Moritz (PSY), Bob Underly (PSY)

Winning Student Research and Creativity Institute proposals were chosen through a competitive selection process.

More information about the SRCI program can be found on the SRCI website 

Saginaw Valley State University invites community members to learn more about this foundation document during a “Writing the Constitution” event on Friday, Oct. 2, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Center for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning, Gilbertson Hall North 103. The event is open to the campus community and the public. 

Participants will have the opportunity to copy the United States Constitution by hand while reflecting on the document’s significance as part of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The event is part of a statewide series organized by Michigan Writers. 

The event is sponsored by SVSU’s Cardinals Vote, English Department and the First-Year Writing Program, along with the College Republicans, College Democrats and Pi Sigma Alpha. 

Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend. Light snacks will be provided. 

After the event, attendees are encouraged to attend SVSU’s performance of “What the Constitution Means to Me,” by Heidi Schreck, at 7:30 p.m. in the Malcolm Field Theatre for the Performing Arts. Tickets can be purchased in advance and are free for SVSU students. For more information and to reserve your tickets, please visit . 

For more information, please email the Cardinals Vote team at cardsvote@svsu.edu.

The Fitness Court® is a free outdoor gym that provides a full-body workout in as little as seven minutes, featuring seven stations with simple apparatus designed for body weight exercises: core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend.

The SVSU Priority Health Fitness Court® was developed by SVSU, Priority Health and the National Fitness Campaign to expand free access to high-quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for people throughout the region. SVSU received a $50,000 grant from NFC and Priority Health as part of the 2025 Priority Health – MI Healthy Campus Campaign to bring the Fitness Court® to SVSU. It will be managed by the Center for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning.

“Saginaw Valley State University is committed to promoting health, wellness, physical activity and learning on campus and throughout the communities we serve,” said Dawn Hinton, SVSU associate provost. “The SVSU Priority Health Fitness Court® is our latest initiative to positively impact the wellbeing of our region.”

The Fitness Court is designed for adults of all abilities age 14+. Workouts are adaptable for all fitness levels, allowing participants to move at their own pace. Users also may download the free Fitness Court® App, which features trainers who lead short, ability-based workouts, enhancing the wellness experience. SVSU is one of 30+ campaign partners building a network of Fitness Courts across the state, with the help of Priority Health.

“At Priority Health, we believe all people have the right to a healthy life and that’s why we are committed to investing in the community to help reduce barriers to free, accessible fitness and improve wellness for the neighbors of Saginaw Valley State University,” said Nick Gates, president of Priority Health. “We are excited to partner with SVSU and the National Fitness Campaign to open this Priority Health Fitness Court where people can stay active, connect with others and prioritize their health.”

“We are excited to have SVSU join us in the journey to improve health and wellness as we work to make a powerful and long-lasting impact on health outcomes and happiness by building healthy communities across America,’’ said Mitch Menaged, founder of National Fitness Campaign. “The addition of the outdoor Fitness Court®, along with digital wellness programming, demonstrates a tremendous commitment to the health and wellbeing within the community.”

The public is invited to attend the launch event on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 4:30 p.m. to try the Fitness Court®. For more information, visit https://www.svsu.edu/communityengagement/. For more information on Priority Health’s support of NFC, please visit https://www.nationalfitnesscampaign.com/michigan. 

Young, an artist and visual art teacher, was selected to create the CCEEL mural following a call for artists in July. He receives an award of $1,000 to cover his time and materials.

The mural will be unveiled during the CCEEL’s grand opening on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The public is invited to the grand opening, which begins at 5 p.m. in Gilbertson Hall GN103. Registration is not required. More information can be found on the CCEEL’s website.

Young is an acrylic artist, muralist and art educator in Detroit. He blends a variety of styles — contemporary, abstract, portraiture and urban-inspired imagery — to create bold works. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts in visual arts education and a Master of Arts in Teaching from SVSU. “I am

humbled to be given the chance to represent my art and creativity for my alma mater,” Young said. “I want to represent the people that make up this community. I want to represent the Center for Community Engagement, and I want viewers to see themselves in this project.”

Candidates for the commission were asked to propose a design that represents the CCEEL’s mission to develop and nurture community partnerships that positively impact the quality of life throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region.

“We are excited to highlight the work of one of our alum,” said Dawn Hinton, associate provost at SVSU. “In this project we wanted the artwork to reflect what the Center for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning is about, bringing people together and creating meaningful connections between SVSU and the Great Lakes Bay Region that we serve.

“David’s vision captures that spirit while also giving students and community members an opportunity to see themselves represented in this space. It is especially meaningful to have an SVSU alumnus create a piece that will become part of the Center and help tell the story of our connection to the region.”

Through the Center for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning, SVSU seeks to establish and strengthen meaningful partnerships with the community. The Center’s purpose is to advance mutually beneficial community engagement, experiential learning and collaborative partnerships that transform student learning, strengthen communities and elevate SVSU’s regional leadership.

SVSU is one of only three universities in the advanced tier of the Compliance Certification Board Accreditation Program. It is also the first university in Michigan to offer an accredited health care compliance and ethics certificate and one of just two Midwest universities with no law school affiliation to do so.

Twenty-five colleges and universities across the United States offer CCB accredited compliance and ethics programs. Students who successfully complete one of these certificate programs will:

• Have fulfilled the continuing education units (CEU) requirements to take a CCB certification exam
• Have fulfilled the professional work experience requirement to take a CCB certification exam
• Be eligible to sit for a CCB exam provided the exam is taken within 12 months of successfully completing the CCB accredited university program

Marilyn Skrocki, professor of health services, designed SVSU’s program, which was introduced in the fall of 2025. As a former health care attorney and compliance officer, Skrocki is keenly aware of the need to prepare professionals in health care settings to develop and oversee compliance programs that meet regulations and standards, follow best practices, and promote ethics, accountability and organizational integrity.

SVSU’s five-course healthcare compliance and ethics certificate program is fully online and can be completed in as little as one year, making it accessible for working professionals as well as graduate students. Another benefit is that one of the program’s three-credit courses is also required in SVSU’s Master of Science in Health Administration (MHA) degree program, meaning students who pass that course can leverage the credits for either the MHA degree or the healthcare compliance and ethics certificate.

The HCCA accreditation further strengthens SVSU's commitment to preparing health care professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to promote ethical practices, regulatory compliance and organizational accountability.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” by Heidi Schreck will run from Wednesday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 4, in SVSU’s Malcolm Field Theatre for the Performing Arts.

An American Legion hall may be an unlikely place to find a 15-year-old girl, yet in 1989, high school student Heidi Schreck made the rounds of Legion posts around the country, participating in Constitutional debates to win prize money for college. Nearly 30 years later, playwright Schreck produced “What the Constitution Means to Me,” exploring themes like domestic abuse, women’s rights, immigration and the history of the United States.

SVSU associate professor of theatre Tommy Wedge directs the play. He explained that he and several students saw the production at the American College Theatre Festival in 2025.

“Our students were so keyed in,” Wedge said. “They were buzzing about it all during the festival.” Wedge recognized that this was a play that would engage college students and also attract younger students into a theater and get them talking.

“This idea of making politics and history present, I think, is really powerful,” Wedge said.

Set in an American Legion Hall, the play features just three characters: Heidi, played by Ella Koenigknecht, an English education major from  St. Johns; the Legionnaire, played by Jaiden Gardner, a theatre major from North Branch; and the Debater, played by Lexy Andres, an environmental science major from New Lothrop.

The first half of the play is an intimate portrait of Heidi Schreck’s life, Wedge explained. “She talks about how she paid for her college tuition by going to American Legions and talking about what the Constitution meant to her. And she won all these competitions.”

The second half of the play introduces a Lincoln-Douglas-style debate, with one of the actors proposing to abolish the Constitution and the other proposing to amend the Constitution, then someone in the audience votes to determine the outcome.

The play is fitting for this election year, and the theatre department is collaborating with Cardinals Vote, an SVSU nonpartisan initiative focused on connecting SVSU students with opportunities to engage in the democratic system through voter registration, candidate and ballot information and turning out to the polls to ensure student voices are heard in the electoral process. Cardinals Vote is collaborating on the lobby display and will have a table outside the theater.

Wedge said the department is also collaborating with St. Clair County Community College and will stage the production at the college in Port Huron following the run at SVSU.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” runs Wednesday, Sept. 30-Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 (plus fees); there is no charge for SVSU students. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office beginning one hour before showtime.

“We are pleased to have come to an agreement that works for our members and for the university,” said Jennifer Chaytor, professor of chemistry and president of the SVSU Faculty Association. “We love SVSU and our students, and we are grateful to have a deal that moves faculty forward financially, while remaining mindful of the tuition our students are charged.”

The contract calls for salary increases of 4% in year one and year two, and 3.25% in year three. Faculty will receive an additional $300 increase in year one, as well, in recognition of SVSU’s move to a block tuition structure, rather than a credit hour tuition structure, as certain provisions of the prior contract were tied to credit hours. The university also agreed to increase contributions toward faculty members’ health insurance.

“We appreciate the dedicated teaching of our faculty and their commitment to empower our students to advance their lives and careers,” said George Grant Jr, SVSU president. “Working together, we are seeing the number of students choosing SVSU continue to rebound, which is valuable for employers throughout our region and state, and for our entire community.”

The contract is effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. SVSU faculty ratified the agreement on Thursday, Sept. 24.

SVSU welcomed 1,350 freshmen this fall, compared to 1,336 last year. The university also reported gains in international students with 123 new international students and 319 total international students taking classes, compared to 103 new students and 291 total international students last fall.

In addition, SVSU enrolled 139 new graduate students, compared to 100 new graduate students a year ago.

“We are very proud of our recruiting efforts, but more importantly, we are very pleased at the feedback we receive from students and employers alike: SVSU graduates are well-prepared for their chosen careers,” said Ken Fettig, SVSU vice president for enrollment management.

“SVSU has a rich history of field-based learning, coupled with academic coursework, so students have practical experience when they graduate. In an employment market disrupted by artificial intelligence and other factors, knowing how to think critically and how to adapt to changing workplace conditions is vital.”

The total number of students enrolled at SVSU this fall is 6,849, down 57 students from a year ago. SVSU saw declines in new transfer students and in returning students.

SVSU’s award-winning residence halls — No. 2 among all public universities in the United States — continue to be filled to capacity, as some 2,625 students, including 73% of the freshman class, are living on campus this term.

Fall classes at SVSU began on Monday, Aug. 31.

The proposed research station will be the first university-operated research station on Lake Huron. The multipurpose facility will support academic activities for SVSU students, educational activities for K-12 students and research opportunities for citizen scientists.

SVSU already engages in extensive water research in the Saginaw Bay watershed. The proposed Lake Huron Environmental Research Station will expand opportunities for the university to collaborate with local, state and federal partners, including public health departments, Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others. Research and educational programs will focus on freshwater ecosystems within Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron and the surrounding watershed.

The Saginaw Community Foundation committed the first gift to the research station earlier this year. The gift was made from Carl H., Jr. and Sandra Werth Fund held by SCF. SVSU will recognize the gift by naming the Carl and Sandra Werth Mesocosm Laboratory in their honor. This lab will contain an experimental water enclosure to simulate natural ecosystems in a controlled environment.

“With the Lake Huron Environmental Science Research Station, Saginaw Valley State University will continue to advance academic rigor, community enrichment and collaborative partnerships that benefit the Great Lakes Bay Region and beyond. The Saginaw Community Foundation is proud to support this important endeavor,” said Reneé Johnston, SCF president.  

The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation awarded a grant in the amount of $750,000 to support the research station.

“The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation is proud to support the Lake Huron Environmental Science Research Station at Saginaw Valley State University. This initiative strengthens the scientific vitality of our region, expands opportunities for students, and deepens our shared understanding of the Great Lakes ecosystem that sustains our communities,” said Ruth Doan, Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation board president. “We value SVSU’s commitment to rigorous research and public service, and we are confident that this station will advance knowledge for the benefit of Michigan today and for generations to come.”

The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation has made a gift of $75,000 to support the initiative, and the Bay Area Community Foundation has granted SVSU $20,000 from the Community Initiative Fund to support the project.

SVSU will commit University resources of $2.5 million from capital project reserves and has received federal funding for the project. Fundraising efforts are ongoing to support construction and programming for the Lake Huron Environmental Science Research Station.

SVSU plans to proceed with groundbreaking following construction approval by the Michigan legislature.