GRCC Professors Recognized for Blackboard Use

The Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Department would like to recognize the professors referenced in this post for their nomination. These professors were submitted by their students in a Blackboard survey that was administered in the Fall 2011 semester. The students were asked to nominate an instructor whose use of Blackboard enhanced their learning.

Congratulations to the following faculty for receiving a student nomination for effective Blackboard use in the Fall 2011 semester!
Thank you for going the extra mile to reach your students and help them succeed!

Link to DLIT web for more info and a list of instructor recipients: http://cms.grcc.edu/goldstarawards

Learn What’s New About Windows 7

Starting this week, Staff Development is offering weekly one-hour sessions on “What’s New in Windows 7.” Take advantage of this opportunity to learn about new features that are part of the Windows 7 upgrade. Visit grcc.edu/currentlearning to see dates and times and to register for upcoming classes.

Best Wishes to Mary Barnum for a Speedy Recovery

Mary Barnum, Business Department full-time faculty, has completed a drug trial for cancer treatment and is about to start another experimental treatment.  She has been under chemo and/or radiation almost continually since August, 2010, and she remains strong in body and spirit.  Please keep Mary in your thoughts and prayers.  She welcomes encouraging cards at 2332 Foster, NE, Grand Rapids, MI  49505.

Condolences to the Family and Colleagues of Geneva Hosler

Long-time GRCC employee Geneva Hosler passed away recently, from her obituary in the Grand Rapids Press:

HOSLER – Geneva Hosler, age 97, of Caledonia, went to be with her Lord Thursday, January 5, 2012. She was preceded in death by her husband, Theodore; brothers, Forrest and Gerald Laug; sister, Ruth TerKeurst; and great granddaughter, Brooklynn Johnson. […] Geneva worked for over 50 years in the Grand Rapids Public School system as school secretary at Fountain School, Henry School, Riverside Jr. High., and during retirement at Grand Rapids Community College. […] Funeral services will be held Tuesday, 2:00 p.m. at the Zaagman Memorial Chapel with Rev. Brian Harrison officiating. The family will be at the funeral chapel to greet friends and relatives one hour prior to the service from 1 to 2 p.m. Interment Woodlawn Cemetery.  (More)

GRCC Players Present T Bone N Weasel

 

GRCC Players present T BONE -N- WEASEL by Jon Klein and directed by Erin Cullum, January 12-14, 2012.

General Admission: $3 for GRCC Students, $5 for GRCC staff, $10 for the general public.  To purchase tickets, call (616) 234-3946 or visit grcc.edu/theater

Cast includes Micah Hazel, Curtis Sims, and Kyle VanDyke.

Caution: the play contains graphic language.

“Rust” Debut at GRCC’s Spectrum Theater Gets Attention in New York Times

The production of “Rust” by Grand Rapids’ Actor’s Theatre is attracting national attention from this feature in the New York Times:

End of the Line
By AUSTIN BUNN | New York Times | Published: January 6, 2012

In 2008, General Motors announced the closing of its metal-stamping plant in Wyoming, Mich., and 1,500 workers lost their jobs. Austin Bunn, a playwright and professor, chronicled the experience and what came after in a nonfiction play. Bunn, in collaboration with the Working Group Theater, spent two years trying to understand exactly what happened to the people and the town that relied on the factory. He recorded hundreds of hours of conversations with dozens of workers, managers, historians, bartenders, city consultants and others. Their words (edited and condensed for dramatic purposes) became the documentary play “Rust,” adapted here. (Some characters have had their names changed; one is a composite.) “Rust” had its premiere in Grand Rapids, Mich., in September. (More)

GRCC in the News – 1/9/12

New alcohol law won’t allow drinking everywhere on Michigan campuses
Published: Sunday, January 08, 2012 | By Sam Inglot | Capital News Service

LANSING -– Michigan community college and university students can now have alcohol in class. That doesn’t mean students can crack open a beer in the middle of math. […] “It’s necessary for culinary or hospitality students to learn the service of alcohol, the management of alcohol and the huge part that beer and wine pairings have become in the culinary experience,” said Dan Gendler, program director for the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College.  (More)

Weekend helps startups establish a ‘biz beachhead’
By Matthew Gryczan | Crain’s Detroit Business | January 08, 2012 3:01 AM

Holding a weekend gathering of entrepreneurs to hatch several businesses in less than three days may sound like a gimmick, but John Rumery says Startup Weekend West Michigan is the real deal. […] This year, Rumery will be mentor and facilitator for Startup Weekend West Michigan, slated to run Friday through Sunday in Grand Rapids. “At the start of the event last year, I knew only one person in the team that we put together,” said Rumery, 51, an adjunct professor in the business department of Grand Rapids Community College.  (More)

Grand Rapids Community College earns federal grant to offer evening GED classes
Published: Saturday, January 07, 2012, 9:00 AM | Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS – Adults looking to complete their high school education with a GED diploma might be eligible for an evening program through Grand Rapids Community College. GRCC has been awarded a $100,000 federal grant that will allow 100 people age 18 or older to enroll in the classes, if they are able to read at at least an ninth-grade, said Dave Selmon, GRCC’s adult education director.  (More)

Holland ice carving competition provides creative winter fun during mild season (photos)
Published: Saturday, January 07, 2012, 3:22 PM | Grand Rapids Press

HOLLAND — There was no snow on the ground and the temperature was 40 degrees, but Holland’s Eighth Street was frozen Saturday afternoon. […] Her advisor, Luba Petrash, a full-time chef at Grand Rapids Community College’s catering wing, has carved ice for 10 years, and said its practical value comes from the culinary side of things.  (More)

Depleted GRCC women fall to undefeated KVCC
Published: Saturday, January 07, 2012, 12:30 AM | Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS – Eric Taylor, coach of the Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball team, grimaced while watching his depleted team fall behind by 17 points on its home court just five minutes into the second half Friday night against fourth-ranked Kalamazoo Valley Community College.  (More)

GRCC men’s basketball team hitting rhythm with new coach
Published: Friday, January 06, 2012, 11:33 PM | Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS – The adjustment period to new Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball coach T.J. Carnegie is complete. Ten games into his debut season on the bench, the Raiders are beginning to come together as the outset of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association gets under way.  (More)