GRCC Culinary Arts students in the college’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education were recently awarded scholarships from a long-time partner of the college – Valley City Linen. Congratulations to all and a big thanks to Value City Linen!
See the full press release below: Continue reading
The Center for Teaching Excellence is offering Blackboard Basics for Faculty this Wednesday, April 4, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM In 351 Main. While the session is offered from a teaching standpoint, non-teaching staff will certainly benefit from the basics and are invited to register at http://cms.grcc.edu/ctereg or call the Center for Teaching Excellence at (616) 234-2278.
There are plenty of great learning opportunities scheduled. We’re confident that you’ll find one that catches your eye…
Defusing Rude Behavior
Thurs April 5, 2012 | 2-4:00 PM | 129 Main
It can be difficult to know how to react when you are confronted with rude behavior. This course examines a number of cases of rude behavior and provides participants with effective tactics to responding in these situations.
Project Management 101
Thurs April 5, 2012 | 9-11:00 AM | 129 Main
Basic processes for project management are examined, including assembling a team, defining project objectives and scope, identifying and communicating with stakeholders, creating a timeline, delegating responsibilities, monitoring progress, and examining indicators of process effectiveness and accomplishment of objectives. Tools for project management are provided.
Improving Nutritional Status
Friday April 20, 2012 | 12-1:30 PM | Room 302 CSC
Many American diets contain excessive amounts of salt, sugar, cholesterol and saturated and trans fats. In this session, Dr. Sandra Andrews will focus on identifying and preparing foods with reduced quantities of these food components. Emphasis will be place on label reading and interpretation as well as suggestions for purchasing and preparing foods.
Smart Cycling – Road Rules Event
Tuesday May 15, 2012 | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | 108 Sneden (Multi-Purpose Room)
We are encouraging staff and students to participate in Active Commute Week – leave the car at home and Ride the Rapid, bike, roller blade or long board into GRCC! Officer Tony Myers will teach basic bike safety to keep you safe on the roads while commuting to work
Bridging the Communication Gap (THIS IS A 2 PART COURSE)
Part 1 of 2: Tues May 15, 2012 | 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 103 Sneden
Part 2 of 2: Tues May 29, 2012 | 12:30-4:30 PM | 103 Sneden
‘Bridge the Communication Gap’ enables people to get through to others more easily, obtain agreement with less effort, and get things moving quickly. This workshop gives individuals and teams the skills they need to recognize what’s important to other people and to translate their requests, proposals, and instructions so that they will hear, understand, and act on them. This workshop helps teams set priorities and maximize the contributions of all team members. It encourages real problem-solving and real teamwork without creating hassles, hard feelings, or harsh confrontation. It creates long-lasting results by enabling participants to see situations from multiple points of view and take advantage of diversity — rather than resisting it. Learning Objectives: In this 2-part workshop, teams and individuals learn how to: Reduce resistance and increase acceptance by using communication strategies tailored to the needs of their audience; Create a non-defensive, open atmosphere in which information flows more freely, leading to more effective planning and decision making; Resolve differences in values, priorities, and interpretations of information for identifying mutually satisfying solutions; Recognize: Identify other people’s preferred ways of communicating by what they do, say, write, and ask; Translate: Adjust their requests, proposals, and presentations to match other people’s preferred ways of communicating; Answer: Address the key questions uppermost in other people’s minds that must be answered to win their support.
Sexual Harassment Awareness Training
Monday June 4, 2012 | 9:30-11:00 AM | 203 Sneden
Tues August 7, 2012 | 1-2:00 PM | 108 Sneden Multi-purpose Room
GRCC is committed to providing an academic and work environment that respects the dignity of individuals and groups. It is GRCC policy to prohibit harassment of one employee by another employee and/or supervisor on the basis of sex. This training provides a necessary tool for preventing sexual harassment. Sexual Harassment Awareness Training will help you understand the effective ways to identify and handle sexual harassment complaints when they occur. Learning Objectives: Upon completing this training participants will be able to:
• Understand concepts associated with sexual harassment
• Recognize those actions that would be considered sexual harassment, in violation of federal, state, and local laws
• Modify behavior that could be viewed as sexual harassment
• React appropriately to observations or allegations of sexual harassment
Last week GRCC’s Social Sciences department hosted its fourth annual Race, Ethnicity and Identity Conference featuring a variety of superb presentations. Courtesy of GRCC’s Media Technologies department the rest of those presentations are now also available on Youtube:
Kate Swanson presents “Exploring Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Childhood in the Andes: A Geographical Perspective” at GRCC’s Race and Ethnicity Conference
Professor Heather Forrest presents “Race, Ethnicity, and the Hispanic Vote in American Politics” at GRCC’s RAe and Ethnicity Conference
Professor Dillon Carr presents The Historical Landscape of Grand Rapids
Professor Keith St. Clair presents Race and Politics in Modern Brazil
Woodward Inc. to host open house for Growing Education in Manufacturing program
Holland Sentinel | By Sara Glafcke | Correspondent | Posted Mar 30, 2012 @ 01:43 PM
ZEELAND – Woodward Inc. will hold an open house for its Growing Education in Manufacturing program at 6:30 p.m. April 19 at Zeeland West High School. […] Woodward will pay for classes toward a two-year degree in tooling and manufacturing technology at Grand Rapids Community College. (More)
Some GRCC retirees earned more than $20,000 in sick and vacation day payouts
Published: Sunday, April 01, 2012, 6:00 AM | Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Using his sick days sparingly turned out to be a big payoff for Grand Rapids Community College instructor Thomas Worthington. During the more than four decades he spent teaching math and physics at the college, he rarely called in sick – dedication that earned him the respect of colleagues and students alike. (More)
Hundreds pack Rosa Parks Circle for Grand Rapids walk for Trayvon Martin
Published: Saturday, March 31, 2012, 3:06 PM Updated: Saturday, March 31, 2012, 3:07 PM
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Hundreds flooded downtown’s Rosa Parks Circle Saturday afternoon calling for justice in the Trayvon Martin shooting investigation and asking the community to “stop the violence.” […] A “Silent Hoodie March” organized by Grand Rapids Community College’s black student union is planned for 3:15 p.m. Wednesday at the corner of Lyon Street and Bostwick Avenue. (More)
Perseverance leads Flushing’s Tim Simpson to success on Michigan State’s baseball team
Published: Friday, March 30, 2012, 3:00 PM | Flint Journal
FLINT, Michigan – Tim Simpson would need a calculator to tabulate how many pitches he has thrown the last three years for Michigan State University’s baseball team. […] After transferring to MSU from Grand Rapids Community College, Simpson was granted a brief walk-on tryout, consisting of only 12 pitches. (More)
Poet laureate David Cope initiates first poetry conference in city
The Rapidian | by Lorena Slager (LorenaSlager) on Monday Apr 2nd, 2012 09:11am
“Poetry as singing speech” is just one way that Grand Rapids Poet Laureate, David Cope, describes his love for the art. Beginning as a child by reciting the 23rd Psalm and reading William Blake, Cope credits his mother with encouraging his passion by introducing him to Emerson. After discovering Thoreau and Whitman on his own, Cope explains, “I began writing poems somewhere in that period, and eventually the writing became a way of hearing my own thoughts speaking back to me.” (More)
The Spring Fling is Tuesday, April 4th in the Bostwick Commons from 11:00 am to 2:00 p.m.
Top reasons to go:
Garry Brand, Professor and DLIT (Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Department) faculty facilitator, shares insights for online civility in a post for the Instructional Technology Council. This article was also featured in the ITC newsletter. GRCC became members of the ITC last year. ITC provides exceptional leadership and professional development to its network of eLearning experts by advocating, collaborating, researching, and sharing exemplary, innovative practices and potential in learning technologies.
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Online civility is a big issue! Rude e-mails are common. Students are sometimes unaware of their tone, but instructors also encounter defensiveness or a sense of entitlement-why did you take my points? Here are some suggestions for navigating questions of online civility.
1. Angry, Aggressive and Challenging Students
a. Engage the student privately and learn about them.
b. Show you are willing to listen. Be clear and rational in your response.
Resource: McKeachie’s Teaching Tips, 11th Edition, College Teaching Series
2. Responding to E-mails
a. Show appreciation for the question and be polite. You don’t have to put up with abusive language, but you can attempt to re-direct the conversation. If all else fails, I start with “thanks for your e-mail . . .”
b. Be neutral and non-judgmental. I recall publicly correcting a student for their horrible spelling and it turned out they copied the error from my previous post!
Resource: Teaching Online, Draves, LERN” | Read the entire article online here.
Cheryl Kautz, adjunct professor in the Computer Applications Department, and Grace Schwanda, an adjunct in the Music Department have recently submitted their courses to the Blackboard Exemplary Course Award Program.
The Blackboard Catalyst Awards include the exemplary course program, innovative development, community collaboration, mobile innovation, communications strategy, and staff development. (Szymon Machajewski received the 2011 Innovative Development Award last year for his work on developing an open source Building Block called “bbStats”.) The Exemplary Course Award Program award serves to recognize and promote best practices in the design, delivery, and use of Blackboard to improve student success and to enhance teaching.
The areas of focus include:
The process is beneficial in that professors receive valuable feedback that will provide better insight on how to better engage with students and elevate their teaching experiences. The winners will be announced later this Spring.
Lisa Gloege and several other faculty members are also participating as reviewers in the program this year. Lisa also served as a reviewer last year which included Mursalata Muhammad and Denise Acevedo.
The Department of Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies would like to recognize and thank Grace and Cheryl in going the extra mile, spending extra time, and for their dedication to provide quality instruction through the leveraging of Blackboard.
The daily employee newsletter of Grand Rapids Community College 