Imagine it’s check-in day at Grace Christian University. You’re packing your student’s items up in the van to take them to college for their first year of study. It can be daunting to think about dropping a son or daughter off for the first time, helping them move their clothes, bedding, and computer into the dormitory. After some family events and seminars, you say goodbye to your freshman and drive off campus with an empty van. That can feel heavy! There are so many unknowns going into a new academic year, with part of your family starting off on their own. However, no one is “on their own” at Grace. In fact, we do everything possible to ensure that students are not facing anything on their own while they are a student at Grace! Here are just a few of the student services Grace provides to support and care for your student.
Grace Staff and Faculty Are Here to Serve
Our wonderful team assembled within our Student Affairs department is built so that students are empowered to find their voice and purpose within our Bible-centered community. We desire to see our students thrive in whatever endeavors they may have within the classroom, in a residence hall, around a dining table, in the gym, or at a small group Bible study. In fact, every policy and procedure that we serve students with is created for the benefit of the student so that every student is empowered to grow and thrive.
One of our core values, transformational relationships, drives our staff every day to ensure that our service is offered in a way where iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Our whole focus is to be in an intimate community with one another so that we all are able to grow with one another. We often talk about our “Grace Family” because we truly believe that we are an extension of your family! Our size offers us many opportunities for connection that we take full advantage of daily.
Need Extra Support? We’ve got you covered.
Through our Campus Counseling Center, our students can get the one-on-one mental and emotional support that is sometimes needed to break through a barrier or jump over a hurdle in order to thrive in community and the classroom. Similarly, our campus pastor works diligently to create a spiritual emphasis woven throughout campus that assists students in developing their relationship with Jesus Christ through chapel events, extracurricular activities, and opportunities for service. Our campus pastor is always open to grabbing coffee or playing chess as students work through the big questions of life as well as the promise of eternal life!
All of our campus housing and dining services have been curated in a way to build and develop lifelong friendships through community. The Bible tells us that being in community is a fantastic way of building encouragement when times are tough and in times of celebration. Accountability is important as we are faced with the decisions of life. No one should do life alone (Hebrews 10:24-25)! Through our various resident hall living spaces (classic dormitories, apartments, single-family homes, and townhomes), students attend small group Bible studies and other extracurricular events to stay connected and on their growth trajectory up and forward.
As students are attending classes, studying, cheering on their Grace Tigers at home intercollegiate athletic events, attending events hosted by the Student Government, or finding a local church to be involved with, students will feel like the year will fly by as they immerse themselves into their field of study within our gospel-centered community.
Academic Support around every Corner at Grace
When a student’s academic career takes off, they may find that they could use a little assistance within an area of study. Grace offers many opportunities for assistance through academic mentors (staff who meet one-on-one with students), peer academic coaches (upper-class students who serve students academically), and a myriad of other opportunities, all sponsored by the Grace Academic Center for Excellence. Students can get assistance with revising an essay they have created before turning it in, be part of a study group, or receive one-on-one assistance for a longer period of time.
Students are challenged to be in service to others within their classes as well as many offerings outside of the classroom. Students have the opportunity to serve our Wyoming community and greater West Michigan community through academic adventures and Christian ministry credits that each student accumulates over their time at Grace.
As a past Grace employee once stated, “We often overestimate how much a freshman should grow; we often also underestimate how much a student will grow in their four years at Grace.” Time will fly by for our students while they are at Grace, as it will for the families of our students. Embrace the growth and find joy in the hard work, deadlines, and learning outcomes offered, as our alumni are a testament that Grace graduates are courageous ambassadors for Christ who make an eternal impact wherever they go.
