GRCC in the News – 5/28/11-5/31/11

Frey Foundation donates $750,000 to Grand Rapids Community College renovation efforts
Published: Monday, May 30, 2011, 11:50 AM | Dave Murray | The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS – The Frey Foundation is bringing Grand Rapids Community College $750,000 closer to its $15 million capital campaign goal with a donation this month.  (More)

Roger Ebert calls Rob Bliss’ Grand Rapids lip dub video ‘the greatest music video ever made’
Published: Monday, May 30, 2011, 2:40 PM | Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk | The GR Press

GRAND RAPIDS – Plenty of naysayers have called Rob Bliss’ Grand Rapids Lip Dub video of Don McLean’s “American Pie” lame, boring and hardly worth the time or effort.  Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, isn’t one of them.  (More)

Juan Olivarez, bound to lead Aquinas College, but proud of his Kalamazoo Community Foundation tenure
Published: Sunday, May 29, 2011, 10:00 AM | Chris Fusciardi | Kalamazoo Gazette

KALAMAZOO — When he took over the reins as president and chief executive officer of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation in July 2008, Juan Olivarez joined the organization in the middle of an economic downturn.  (More)

Zeeland senior overcomes rough start, finds calling
By GARY BROWER | The Holland Sentinel | Posted May 28, 2011 @ 08:51 PM

Holland, MI —  Four years ago, Sammy Meengs was drowning in a sea of bad decisions.  She was in and out of trouble, school had no significance and she was clueless as to what she wanted to do with her life. […] Now Meengs plans to make early childhood education her career. She is enrolled at Grand Rapids Community College in the fall and plans to finish her undergraduate education at Central Michigan University.  (More)

ACLU-Michigan seeks ICE records on illegal detention of U.S.citizen
Arab American News | Saturday, 05.28.2011, 02:56pm

In February, Telma Valdez, who has lived in the United States for almost 22 years, and her son, Luis Valdez, a college student at Grand Rapids Community College who was born in the U.S., drove to the home of relatives to allow their 6-year-old cousin to play with Luis’s new puppy.   (More)

‘Inside Edition’ gives Rob Bliss’ Lip Dub Video great coverage Friday on national TV
Published: Saturday, May 28, 2011, 6:30 AM | Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk | The GR Press

GRAND RAPIDS – “Inside Edition” the nightly news magazine seen Monday through Friday, aired a segment Friday evening on Rob Bliss’ Grand Rapids Lip Dub Video.  (More)

T.J. Carnegie replaces Kelly McEwen as GRCC’s men’s basketball coach
Published: Friday, May 27, 2011, 12:30 PM | Dean Holzwarth | The Grand Rapids Press

Grand Rapids Community College has found a new head men’s basketball coach.  T.J. Carnegie was named as the Raiders’ new coach on Thursday and replaces former coach Kelly McEwen, who resigned at the end of last season.  (More)

Rob Bliss’ ‘American Pie’ lip dub video sparks Newsweek’s source to explain its ‘dying city’ designation for Grand Rapids
Published: Friday, May 27, 2011, 12:30 PM | Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk | The GR Press

GRAND RAPIDS – Rob Bliss’ lip dub video inspired Newsweek magazine yesterday to back away from dubbing Grand Rapids as a dying city in January.  (More)

Newsweek responds to GR lip dub – Regarding “dying city” article
Friday, 27 May 2011, 10:03 AM EDT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – A magazine that had an article calling Grand Rapids a “top 10 dying city” is now responding to the city’s response of a lip dub.  (More)

New Scrutiny on Expense Accounts
May 27, 2011 | Inside Higher Ed

Two community college presidents have come under fire in recent weeks for their expense account spending, which some critics argue is too generous given the cutbacks their institutions are being forced to make in this rough economy.  Among the expenses – dinners at Ruth’s Chris and booze for social gatherings – wouldn’t raise many eyebrows if they were on the expense reports of many four-year college presidents, where boards and (sometimes grudgingly) politicians have come to expect donors to be entertained. […] Others were particularly critical of one of [Kenneth] Ender’s purchases: $450 worth of alcohol for a party at the president’s house after “The Twin Bowl,” a football game between Harper and Grand Rapids Community College, of which Ender’s twin brother Steven is president.  (More)

Financial Aid Office Hours 5/31/11-8/26/11

The financial aid department will be serving student phone calls and visitors from 10:00am. – 4:30 pm. Monday through Friday. These hours are from May 31st – August 26th.

Reminder: Net-Zero Energy Home Open House Today

The Job Training Residential Construction class invites you to an open house at 335 Fryling, to see one of the only “Net-zero energy” homes in the state and meet the students who have been working on it TODAY from 2-4 p.m. The home features passive solar heating and hot water, thermal mass, a wind turbine and “a tight envelope” with natural ventilation. The class worked in partnership with the FSU Energy Center, GRPS Academy of Design and Construction, and Habitat for Humanity.

There will be snacks and refreshments. Fryling Street is East of Division off of Wealthy in downtown Grand Rapids – just East of a small strip mall. Parking on the street may be scarce, look for alternate parking behind the strip mall. See you there!

Video – May 2011 Raider Spirit Award Winner

May GRCC Spirit Recipient

Angela Zainea from Admissions was surprised Wednesday with the May GRCC Spirit Award.  Watch a surprised Angela being recognized by Dr. Ender here.

Remember to nominate a colleague for the GRCC Spirit Award which is presented every month. The nomination form can be found here.

Tickets for Family Picnic Available Now

Get your tickets NOW…

…to the GRCC Family Picnic Saturday, June 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the GRCC Practice Football Field (corner of Lyon & Barclay). The WE Team is hosting a picnic for GRCC employees, retirees and their families — this includes the grandkids. There will be games like tug-o-war (women vs. men; kids 12 & under), 3 legged races (adult & kid; couples), 50 yard dash (by grade level), bean bag toss for the little kids and others with prizes.

Tickets are $2 per person. Your ticket gets you a hot dog, bag of chips, a beverage and watermelon. You can also bring food — nothing needing grilling — for your own family, if you like. Hot dogs, etc. will be served from noon to 1 p.m.

Tickets purchasing deadline is June 8 — sorry, no tickets will be sold at the picnic.

See one of the following folks for tickets:
Tracy Payne — 4th floor CPPB
Alyce Stark — ATC
Janis Qualls — Calkins Science Bldg
Debbie DeWent — Provost’s Office
Stacey Herrick — 418 Cook Hall
Carol Kramer — Facilities Office
Tammy Mosley — Tassell M-TEC
Employee Professional Development & Enrichment – Room 100A Administration Bldg – DeVos Campus

Questions? Contact Liz Timmer, Bob Lacy, Mike Faber, Bertha Chivis or Chiquital Clay