Grand Valley State University has created an innovative Grand Finish program that entices students to take a full load of classes and graduate on time by offering them a $1,000 grant after completing three years of study.

Grand Valley State University trustees have authorized the opening of Michigan's first cyber school for grades kindergarten through 12 this fall for up to 400 students, offering a new and innovative alternative to parents throughout the state.

Deborah Johnson WoodDr. Brad Bengtson had a dream to build his new Bengtson Center for Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery so it would feel more like a home than a typical medical office. And with a fireplace, a reading nook and custom millwork, he might be on the right track. The Bengtson Center will move from temporary offices in the Grand Valley Surgical Center near Leffingwell and Leonard streets NE to 7,000 square feet in the Women's Health Center of West Michigan, 555 Midtowne St. NE. "You'll be met by a concierge and directed to wherever you need to be for plastic surgery, Botox fillers, skincare laser surgeries and other services," Bengtson says. "I want the experience to be very personal, very cozy, almost like being in someone's home."Besides offering walk-in services, such as skin care evaluations, laser hair removal and Botox procedures, the center will offer an array of plastic surgery services, including breast reconstruction surgery. The space will have three esthetician rooms, four exam consultation rooms, three Botox injection rooms, and a photo imaging room with 3-D technology that will simulate how patients might look after plastic surgery or skin care treatments. A board room features direct audio/visual connections to operating rooms in the building; surgeons from around the world will be able to observe surgeries from the board room and interact with the surgeons in real time. "We also have a V.I.P. entrance for post operative patients or for men who are uncomfortable coming in," says Dr. Bengtson. "They can come right in the back door where there's a lounge. They won't have to walk through the main lobby."Craig Architects created the architectural design. Insignia Homes and Pinnacle Construction handled construction. Kathryn Chaplow LLC is the interior designer.The Bengtson Center will be open by June 1. Source: Dr. Brad Bengtson, The Bengtson Center for Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery; Kathryn Chaplow, Kathryn Chaplow LLCRelated Articles Grand Rapids' Women's Health Center offers innovative surgical suites, new jobs$23M Women's Health Center will 'feel like a spa' Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].

Deborah Johnson WoodTim Emmerson has a plan for providing fresh, locally grown vegetables to soup kitchens in Greater Grand Rapids, and he's starting with Matthew's House Ministry where he volunteers as a cook and gives free meals to those in need. Emmerson says that this year he and volunteers will grow the first Hands On Hunger Garden in two leased garden plots at Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids, using donated plants from Koetsier's Greenhouse and William Bos Greenhouse & Farm. "I purchase food from Feeding America West Michigan to make meals for the homeless, but I spend more money out of pocket to buy veggies than to buy meat," says Emmerson, 26. "Fresh vegetables are the most important for meals, and I thought, let's grow the stuff ourselves."So Emmerson launched Hands On Hunger whose parent company is the 6th Street Bridge Community Coalition, a nonprofit he founded to help immigrants become naturalized citizens. "I got connected with a mobile pantry guy, John Arnold, the executive director of Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank," says Emmerson about his inspiration for feeding the hungry. "We had our first mobile food pantry at St. James Church last December and handed out about 5,000 pounds of food."The plan is to start small with the Hands On Hunger Garden by planting cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, herbs and tomatoes – the most common ingredients for soups and chili. Beyond that, Emmerson will plant sweet corn in his mother's garden in Jenison and hopes to secure additional garden space donated by area residents. Additionally, he says that if area gardeners will participate in Plant a Row For The Hungry, Hands On Hunger volunteers will get that produce to area soup kitchens where it's needed. Source: Tim Emmerson, Hands On Hunger Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].

Collaborating on a regional level appears to be much more common in West Michigan than other areas of the United States. That's why a Washington, D.C. organization touted efforts by the West Michigan Strategic Alliance as a model for regional leadership for the rest of the nation. According to excerpts from the story:While the concept of regionalism is an odd one, West Michigan is a model nationwide for regional leadership, according to the vice president of the Council on Competitiveness in Washington, D.C., who spoke at the West Michigan Strategic Alliance's State of the Region this week. At the Tuesday gathering, which drew nearly 400 to Hudsonville, Samuel Leiken, vice president of the Council on Competitiveness, applauded WMSA for its regional leadership. "There's not a lot of WMSAs in the country," Leiken said. ""You are one of the models people around the country look to. Regions need identities and a story to tell."Read the complete story here.

An internationally renowned researcher who was recruited from Chicago to West Michigan last year has now helped bring with him a reproduction and infertility research center to Grand Rapids

Deborah Johnson WoodThree graduating students of the innovative Grand Rapids Area Pre-College Engineering Program (GRAPCEP) have earned Gates Millennium Scholarships – the highest number awarded to any Michigan school in 2010. A program of Davenport University, GRAPCEP was launched in 2004 with partners Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Valley State University and Van Andel Research Institute. For the 2009-10 school year, the program added Ferris State University, Kettering University, Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University to its planning, advisory and support consortium. The program operates at Creston High School. Students attend regular high school academic classes in the high school building and college-prep classes in math, science and English in a separate building on-campus outfitted with a biochemistry laboratory and a physics lab. "Our first priority is to give students such a strong high school education that they can handle the different laboratory courses and calculus in college without any remediation," says Sandra Burmeister, GRAPCEP executive director. "Our second priority is that they go to college and succeed there," she adds. "We hope that a good percentage will continue in the science and engineering fields. Most of our students are economically disadvantaged and are ethnic minorities, so we're teaching those students who are traditionally under-represented in those fields."Graduating seniors Storee Harris, Darrartu Ali and Saul Balle achieved national recognition recently when they earned coveted Gates Millennium Scholarships. The scholarships cover 100 percent of the students' undergrad education, personal expenses and room and board, says Burmeister. Students who maintain a satisfactory academic level are eligible for renewable awards and graduate funding in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science. "Over ten years that could average out to about $300,000 per student," Burmeister says. "Our students graduating in May have already accumulated over $1 million in scholarships and with the Gates awards it approaches $2 million, which is huge."A GRPS press release reports that 99 percent of GRAPCEP students graduate high school; over 90 percent enter college. Burmeister adds that an average of 60 percent of those who attend college pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies. Source: Sandra Burmeister, Davenport University; Grand Rapids Public SchoolsDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].