United Way Auction (11/6)

GRCC is holding an auction to benefit the United Way on  November 5, 2009.  Employees and other organizations on campus have donated a variety of items for GRCC employees to bid on.  Visit www.grcc.edu/uwauction or click here to download a printable version (.pdf)

All bids must be submitted to uwauction@grcc.edu Send separate messages for each item and each bid. Include the item name in the subject line of your message. Bid on as many items as you want. Bids can be monitored on the GRCC Post-it Board. All bids must be received electronically by 8 p.m. November 5, 2009.

• Winners will be announced on the Post-It Board on November 6.
• Winners must pay for their item by 5 p.m. Friday, November 6.
• Checks made payable to Heart of West Michigan United Way.

Questions should be directed to Todd Hurley.

Condolences to Josephine Prince

Condolences to GRCC administrative staff Josephine Prince on the loss of her brother John David Prince, who was recently the subject of news reports as a result of his tragic death from the H1N1 influenza.  The funeral will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Arsulowicz Brothers Brothers Remembrance Mortuary, 3525 Remembrance Road NW.

November Student Employee of the Month: Benjamin Wright

November’s Student Employee of the Month is Benjamin Wright. Ben has worked in Media Technologies since 2007 and has been an extremely valuable asset to the department and GRCC as a whole. Ben received a certificate, personalized prize basket and a free, reserved parking spot for the month of November. Congratulations Ben!

If you are interested in nominating a student employee, please contact Chris Allen in Student Employment Services at callen@grcc.edu.

Condolences to the Family of June Smith

Retired Employee June Smith from GRCC’s Special Populations lost her battle to cancer Sunday, November 1, 2009.

Admissions Halloween Open House a Success

The Admissions Office hosted its First Annual Fall Open House on Saturday, October 31, 2009. 150 students plus parents attended this event targeted to prospective high school students. The program included campus tours, admissions and financial aid presentations, opportunities to speak with academic counselors about GRCC programs and classes, and ACCUPLACER testing. The Admissions Office would like to thank all the staff and departments who pitched in to make this event a great success.

Raider Salute to Bayard Brooks

Dr. Mindy Firlan and the Academic Service Learning Center would like to give Bayard Brooks a Raider Salute for being the person he is:

“Bayard exemplifies the Raider values in his daily work. At every event he has coordinated for our department, Bayard has been responsive, respectful and holds himself accountable to impossible standards of service.  Bayard is a critical thinker and an innovative problem solver—he always finds a solution! Bayard believes strongly in doing the right thing to make a positive difference in the lives of our students. Thank you Bayard!”

IT Help Desk Topic #10: How to Set up a Blackboard Account

As part of the IT Help Desk Labs series “Help Desk Tips, Tricks and How To,” learn how to set up your Blackboard account:

• Watch the Video
• Knowledge Base Article: How do I get my Blackboard/Novell username and initial password?
• Knowledge Base Article: When will I be able to use my Blackboard account?

If you would like to see other topics discussed by IT Help Desk Labs – please email them @ ITLabs@grcc.edu

GRCC in the News: 10/30/09 – 11/01/09

Reinventing the worker: Despite many unemployed in Michigan, some companies struggle to find qualified applicants
By Ted Roelofs | The Grand Rapids Press | November 01, 2009, 7:00AM

At $32 an hour, the position at Saint Mary’s Health Care pays well enough. And, in a brutal economy, one might expect the job posting to last about as long as a Detroit Lions winning streak. […] [Lori] Davis has two years at Central Michigan University in her resume, plus courses at Grand Rapids Community College. At the GM plant, she developed leadership and training skills as she conducted classes in safety, hazard management and forklift driving.  (More)

Individuals honored for assisting victims of domestic violence
By MEGAN SCHMIDT | The Holland Sentinel | Posted Nov 01, 2009

Holland, MI — For Kent County District Court Judge Sara Smolenski, the murder of a colleague 20 years ago highlighted the injustice domestic violence victims face in the court system. When Judge Carol Irons was killed by her husband in 1989, the jury convicted her husband, a former police officer, of manslaughter, punishable by a maximum 15-year prison term. […] Deputy Christine VanDam, Allegan County Sheriff’s Office] is a graduate of Grand Rapids Community College and started her career with the Saugatuck-Douglas Police Department. After living for two years in China, she returned to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office where she also worked road patrol.  (More)

A United Way Appeal From Dr. Ender

Our annual United Way campaign is underway. I understand we have been ranked among the top 50 supporters in past years, and that does not surprise me. If I have learned one thing about GRCC employees, past and present, it is that we care passionately about the well-being of this community.

Our local United Way has a solid record of reaching out to find solutions to broad systemic problems rather than short-term fixes. That makes sense to me. It is likely that most of you, like me, personally know of someone who needed and received assistance from our United Way. That in itself is a tribute to the agency’s reach and scope.