Chapter 1
Overiew and History

 

University History Part 1

Founded because there were no 4-year institutions of higher education in this region, the university came into being because of the commitment of community leaders, who saw a need for a university in an area with a population base of 500,000 people in three communities–Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland–and their environs. This grassroots investment has remained consistent throughout SVSU’s history, as the university and the region remain intertwined in both goals and leadership.

As Saginaw Valley College, the institution admitted its first class of 119 students in 1964, and held the first commencement in 1966. The name was changed from "Saginaw Valley College" to "Saginaw Valley State College" in 1975 and became "Saginaw Valley State University" in 1987. The students were primarily non-traditional commuter students. From its beginnings, the University has had a consistent history of growth; for all but two of the past 40 fall semesters, enrollment has exceeded that of the previous year. Fall 2003 enrollment of 9,168 was slightly lower than the 2002 enrollment; total credit hours increased by 3.6%, however. Today SVSU is a comprehensive, co-educational, baccalaureate and masters granting state university with over 24,000 alumni and a current enrollment of 9,168.

The chart below contrasts several key indicators which demonstrate that the past decade at SVSU has been a decade of transformational change:

A Decade of Changes: 1993-2003
1993
2003
Total Enrollment
6,975
9,168
Faculty & Staff Full-time
431
650
Faculty & Staff Part-time
213
313
Student Presidential Scholars
19
102
Total Sq. Footage
944,665
1,858,696
Total General Fund Budget
$38 million
$51 million
Figure 1-1

Particularly significant has been the increase in the student body:

Growth of SVSU Student Body 1993-2003
Student Enrollment Graph
Figure 1-2
(Enlarged graphic)

The increase in enrollment has generated corresponding growth in the number of full-time faculty and staff:

Full-time Faculty / Staff: 1993, 2003
Faculty/Staff Numbers
Figure 1-3
(Enlarged graphic)

The chart below indicates the current number of employees in each unit:

Saginaw Valley State University Employees
Faculty & Staff
Full-Time
Part-Time

Total
Faculty
244
282
526
Administrative/Professional
240
19
259
Support Staff-Secretarial/Clerical
88
9
97
Support Staff-Service
72
0
72
Public Safety
6
3
9
Total
650
313
963
Figure 1-4

The growing campus population has access to facilities and technology that are among the most modern in the state. Construction of state-of-the-art buildings has created a high quality campus environment. SVSU remains on course to bring total enrollment to about 10,000 students by 2005-2006, a size deemed “optimal” and sustainable for the university’s mission and region.