Grand Rapids school becomes Michigan’s first work faculty, announces business partnerships

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Kuyper College works with local businesses to help students get a job and a college degree at the same time.

Grand Rapids College was recently recognized as Michigan’s first “work college,” an official US Department of Education designation for four-year graduate institutions that require all students in the dorm to participate in a comprehensive work-service-learning program.

Butterball Farms, Inc. and Lumbermen’s Inc. will participate in the college’s new WorkPlace partnership initiative starting this fall, according to a July 26th press release from the college. Kuyper is also currently entering into partnership agreements with other Grand Rapids companies.

“This initiative is the only one in Michigan where students can graduate and fill a part-time entry position to pay for tuition while gaining years of valuable work experience,” said Patricia Harris, president of Kuyper College, in a prepared statement .

“In addition, a portion of the student’s tax-free allowance is used to pay tuition fees, which, along with additional state and federal grants, can help students graduate from debt.”

The WorkPlace Partnership initiative is part of the university’s KuyperWorks program, which was developed as a two-year educational work program so that the university can become a federally recognized work university.

While traditional programs may require students to do a brief internship as part of their studies, Kuyper’s program integrates work-based learning as a core component of study for a student’s overall educational experience, according to the communication.

Students work 10 hours per week on campus or in off-campus organizations during their first year in the program. As they progress, college officials say they can earn more hours and leadership roles.

“As a work college, Kuyper offers our students an enhanced educational experience as KuyperWorks and our academic programs are designed to be complementary, resulting in a more holistic experience than anywhere else,” said Curt Essenburg, dean for students and work at Kuyper College .

“It will also benefit the students financially as they can focus on their studies while opening up avenues for those who think Kuyper is financially unreachable.”

The naming of a Werkkolleg enables all Kuyper students to receive a tax-free severance payment as a special form of study grant.

“Depending on the hours worked, tuition fees could be reduced from $ 4,050 to $ 8,100 a year,” said Essenburg. “It also means students will be able to keep $ 500 to $ 1,500 a year tax free.

Kuyper is one of only 10 colleges across the country to be awarded a work college title by the U.S. Department of Education, college officials said.

The small, private Christian school at 3333 East Beltline Ave. NE had 135 students for its final academic year, officials say.

The WorkPlace partnership configures the students’ timetables so that they can work 20 hours per week at their off-campus workstations.

Classes are led by the Kuyper Faculty and held at the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, 1530 Madison Ave.

The initiative starts with Kuyper’s Business Leadership program but will later expand to other academic programs, the press release said.

Some other federally accredited work colleges in the Midwest include Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois; Bethany Global University, a Christian mission school in Bloomington, MN; and College of the Ozarks, a Christian private school in Point Lookout, MO.

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