May 12, 2022

SVSU to celebrate opening of Riverfront Saginaw Center with ribbon cutting

Saginaw Valley State University leaders, public officials and others will cut the ribbon on SVSU’s Riverfront Saginaw Center site on Friday, May 13, marking the culmination of years of university planning to expand community outreach.

“‘Saginaw’ is not only in the name of our university, it is also part of our DNA,” said Donald Bachand, president of Saginaw Valley State University.

“The opening of our SVSU Riverfront Saginaw Center is the latest example of our commitment to community engagement. We are quite proud that SVSU has earned national distinction from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a community-engaged university. Less than 7 percent of colleges and universities nationwide have achieved this designation.”

Bachand will deliver remarks at the ribbon cutting. He will be joined by Brenda Moore, mayor of the City of Saginaw, and Veronica Horn, president and CEO of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce.

In 2019, The SVSU Board of Control approved spending up to $275,000 to renovate the building at 200 S. Washington Avenue in downtown Saginaw. The SVSU Riverfront Saginaw Center houses office space, a classroom and two breakout rooms.   

Since 2020, SVSU’s Office of Professional Development has used the site for various programs, and a representative from SVSU’s Office of Admissions holds regular office hours at the site. However, a public opening had been postponed multiple times due to the pandemic.

Beginning in the fall 2022 semester, SVSU’s social work department will hold classes, meetings and events at the facility.  

The ribbon cutting will take place Friday, following a short program that begins at 10:30 a.m. Tours and an open house will begin at 11 a.m. 

SVSU intends for community organizations to host meetings, events, trainings, classes and other activities at the Riverfront Center. Several organizations already have taken advantage of the meeting space, including the NAACP, the Henry Marsh Institute for Public Policy, the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, SVSU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Small Business Development Center. 

For more information, contact the SVSU Office of Professional Development at 989-964-4048.