SVSU President Honored with Named Hall
Saginaw Valley State University will honor its outgoing president by renaming a hall after him.
On Monday, June 20, the SVSU Board of Control approved renaming the Health and Human Services as “Bachand Hall” for President Don Bachand. A former Detroit police officer, Bachand began working at the university in 1978 as a founding criminal justice professor, eventually becoming president of the institution in 2014. As a long-serving faculty member and administrator, Bachand emphasized a healthy and effective workplace, leading to SVSU receiving national recognition as a “Great College to Work For” for six consecutive years. He also increased private giving to support key initiatives. The number of private scholarships awarded to students more than doubled from 729 to more than 1,700 by 2021.
The Board also approved a resolution of appreciation for Don’s wife, Liana, for demonstrating “an extraordinary commitment to promoting student success and spreading the SVSU story throughout the region and across the globe.”
SVSU is actively conducting a presidential search, and the Board is expected to select SVSU’s fifth president this summer. Bachand is expected to complete his service as president by year’s end. A formal building-naming ceremony will be announced at a later date.
