AGC Meeting 11/10/09

The next Academic Governing Council (AGC) meeting will be Tuesday, November 10th at 3:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose room of the Student Community Center. During this meeting AGC representatives will learn about

• proposed changes to the sabbatical process
• Luanne Keizer’s recent sabbatical experience
• current cases and proposed projects handle by the Student Conduct office
• the status of athletics and student athletes at GRCC
• plans to required PY 100 for segments of the student population

For more information about AGC click on the AGC website link www.grcc.edu/agc

Raider Salute to Bob Hellem

Staci Dever and  Liz Timmer would like to send out a Raider Salute to Bob Hellem of ATC Banquet Services:

“We want to salute Bob Hellem of ATC Banquet Services. He was outstanding Tuesday afternoon when we got to the ATC to set up for the Girls’ Night Out event. We had to make some big adjustments in the setup of the room. This involved moving banquet tables, removing the large round table and putting up bistro tables. Add to this the fact that two of us were asking him for other things at the same time. He did this all with his “Not a problem. Whatever you need.” We can not express how grateful we were for his help at the last minute. He helped make this first time event a success.”

Employee Holiday Movie Event

The Personal Enrichment Team will once again host a GRCC Employee Holiday Movie Event. This year’s movie is Planet 51 (view trailer).

The movie will be shown at Celebration Cinema at Rivertown Crossings Mall on Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. The cost of this event is $6 per person. This will get you admission into the movie, pop and popcorn during the movie and pizza after the movie.

This event is for GRCC employees and their immediate household family members. Vouchers must be purchased in the Learning Academy (310 Main) no later than Monday, November 23. Sorry, no vouchers will be sold at the theater.

Questions: Contact Bob Lacy or Liz Timmer

Informational Materials Available for Fulbright Project

Full-time faculty interested in a Fulbright to China may now contact Aleta Anderson for materials and additional information on the Fulbright project opportunities available.  Fifteen such opportunities are available for faculty from the Midwest Consortium to travel overseas and meet with hosting colleges/universities, as well as visits/meetings at other political, economic, and cultural institutions, archeological sites and museums.

Voluntary Early Retirement Plan Info Sessions

Two Informational Meetings are scheduled for those employees interested in learning more about the Voluntary Early Retirement Plan (VERP). Dave Ferwerda from Valic will be here to discuss the “Special Pay” plan and a panel of past retirees will be on hand to answer questions. The meetings are:

• Tuesday, Nov. 10th from 3-4:30 PM-Board Room, 5th fl Main bldg
• Monday, Nov. 16th from 10-11:30 AM-Calkins Science Ctr. auditorium

If you are unable to attend one of the meetings and have questions, please contact Sharon Gates at extension 4058.

GRCC in the News: 11/5/09

Redesigned hillside park near Medical Mile memorializes cancer survivors
Rapid Growth | Deborah Johnson Wood | November 5, 2009

It’s just under an acre in size, but a tiny spot of hillside greenery near Grand Rapids’ Medical Mile is where many people find respite from the concrete, traffic and noise of the surrounding neighborhood. And now elements within the park will honor cancer survivors. […] “It will be used by the VAI scientists and visitors, and historically, it’s been heavily used by Spectrum Health staff and by visitors who have loved ones in the hospital, and by GRCC students.” (More)

Community College Survey of Student Engagement: Active and Collaborative Learning

This illustration of Active and Collaborative Learning also comes from the Institutional Research and Planning:

Felix  Pereiro worked with students over several semesters to develop and Innovations Skills curriculum. The materials for the course were integrated with social networking technology, requiring active and collaborative work by the students. The students participated in the modules and then evaluated them. Their responses helped the developers improve the modules. The students loved the highly interactive learning and particularly loved having such a direct impact on curriculum.