SPNHA Student Consulting Center
The Student Consulting Center offers high-quality field study experiences to all SPNHA students in either the MHA or MPA program who have completed (or nearly completed) their core courses. The majority of SPNHA students continue to express their interests in remaining, working and building a better Michigan upon graduation. The SPNHA Student Consulting Center is part of GVSU’s broad strategy to develop visionary leaders who understand the dynamics of a rapidly evolving global economy as it relates to their communities. Located in Grand Rapids, the SPNHA Student Consulting Center is anchored in the heart of a burgeoning economy based on health and the nonprofit sector. The mission of the SPNHA Student Consulting Center is to twofold:
- To provide students experiential leadership and teamwork opportunities who aspire to effect change and make an impact in their communities the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills acquired as part of their masters level curriculum; and
- To provide opportunities for health and nonprofit organizations in Michigan access to a highly trained team dedicated to furnishing high impact and high value services.
Our strategic goals are to:
- Leverage the knowledge and expertise within the university to solve pressing health, social, environmental and economic challenges in our community; and
- Build GVSU and community capacity to engage contrustructive partnerships.
Approach
The SPNHA Student Consulting Center offers consultative services to qualified health and nonprofit organizations for a $250 administrative fee. This fee is only due if the organization becomes a client of the SPNHA Student Consulting Center. This program is specifically designed for health and nonprofit organizations that typically may not have the resources to either perform or pay for these consultative services.
Successful client engagement requires the client and student team work in close partnership. To this end, organizational consulting needs will be matched with the interests and qualifications of the students. Upon completing the Application for Consulting Assistance, the SPNHA Student Consulting Director will review your application. If the SPNHA Student Consulting Center Director and your organization can mutually agree upon an appropriate project, a team of 5 MHA and/or MPA candidates will be assigned to your project.
Depending on the nature of the project, the student consultants will conduct research, perform market studies, analyze census, survey and health data, and brainstorm as necessary to attack the problem successfully. The consulting project will conclude at the end of the engagement along with a written report detailing the consultants' findings, conclustions and recommendations - including suggestions for implementation.