2012 GRCC Student Leadership Awards Program

Courtesy of the Media Technologies Department, the entire 2012 GRCC Student Leadership Awards program is available for viewing:

Condolences to the Family and Colleagues of Gordon Langereis

Gordon Langereis died yesterday at his home in Spring Lake. Gordon retired from the college but had continued teaching as an adjunct in the Psychology Department. Visitation will be held at Zaagman Memorial Chapel 2800 Burton Street Southeast Grand Rapids, MI 49546 on Friday 5:00PM – 8:00PM and on Saturday from 3:00PM – 7:00PM. On Sunday a viewing will be held at Standale Reformed Church 202 Cummings Ave NW – Grand Rapids, MI 49544 from 2:00PM – 3:00PM with the funeral service at 3:00PM.

The full obituary is available here.

GRCC Students Featured in Opera Grand Rapids Vocal Competition 4/22/12

On Sunday, April 22, nine West Michigan students will face off in the final round of Opera Grand Rapids’ annual Vocal Competition which is free and open to the public.  Four of the students represented are from GRCC:

• Alison Bieber
• Zack Lutes
• William Perry Reed
• Madison Roester

The event takes place at 7 p.m., Sunday, April 22, at Kretschmer Recital Hall, on the campus of Aquinas College, 1607 Robinson Rd, Grand Rapids, MI.  A light reception with the students will follow the concert.  For more information, visit operagr.com

Each one of the finalists passed an initial round of the competition held earlier this year. During the competition, each student will perform operatic arias of their choice with piano accompaniment. A panel of professional judges will vote on the performances, and offer feedback to the contestants.

Golden Raiders Retiree Reception 2012

It’s once again time for the Golden Raiders Retiree Reception. As you know, this is an annual event designed to bring GRCC retirees together and honor those who are retiring this year. The event will be held on Wednesday, April 25 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. with the program starting at 2:00 p.m. The event is once again in the Banquet Rooms of the Applied Technology Center (ATC), which is at the corner of Fountain Street and Ransom Avenue.

President Ender will give an update of the college, along with the presentation of the 2012 Emeritus Faculty/Administrator Award and the recognition of new retirees.

Please stop by and reconnect with friends and colleagues. All are welcome to attend.

Thank You to Catering Services

This message of gratitude came from Robert Hendershot & Susan Williams:

Dear Dan, Nancy and all the catering crew,

We wanted to send a formal thank you note for the wonderful dinner event that you planned for our seminar class this past Monday. It couldn’t have been more ideally suited to the course themes, it was a wonderful presentation and much appreciated. Thank you again for all the time and effort that you put into the class. The students (as well as the faculty and staff) greatly appreciated the learning opportunity as well as the delicious food.

Raider Salute to John Dersch and Sang Lee

William Faber in the Physical Science Department sent in this salute:

John Dersch and Sang Lee organize the monthly Math Seminar for the Mathematics Department. Presenters have included current and former students, adjunct and full time faculty from the mathematics department, and faculty from other departments at the college. A raider salute goes out to both John and Sang for their promotion of excellence in academics. This seminar provides students an opportunity to be involved in academic thought and it is wonderful to see the collegiality of the other mathematics faculty that attend each month. Thanks again for the fabulous coordination.

GRCC in the News – 4/19/12

Stewart Edward White Hall named GRCC’s first LEED certified building
Published: Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 5:57 PM | Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — It was built in 1908 as a home for Grand Rapids lumber baron Thomas Stewart White. Now, more than a century later, it has become the first building on Grand Rapids Community College’s campus with a certified environmentally friendly design.  (More)

GRCC Celebrates First LEED-Certified Building
Nadira Kharmai | FOX 17 Associate Producer | 4:24 p.m. EDT, April 18, 2012

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.— Grand Rapids Community College celebrated a notable “green” accomplishment for a recent renovation earlier this evening. The GRCC Foundation held a reception to recognize the college’s newly remodeled Steward Edward White Hall for being its first LEED certified building on its downtown campus.  (More)

OrgSync Surpasses One Million Registered Users
Digital Journal | PRWEB.COM Newswire

OrgSync, a web-based Campus Engagement Network that connects students to organizations, programs, and departments at colleges and universities, has surpassed one million registered users and now supports more than 30,000 campus organizations. […] “OrgSync is really driving student involvement on campus and making organization management easier. The result is a lot of students are more active and engaged,” said Eric Mullen, Director of Student Life and Leadership at Grand Rapids Community College.  (More)

Another former GRCC football player heads to Ferris State
Published: Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 10:09 AM | Grand Rapids Press

BIG RAPIDS, MI. – Jamar Wimberly, a former defensive back at Grand Rapids Community College, has transferred to Ferris State. Wimberly, who played two seasons with the now-defunct Raiders, is the fourth official GRCC transfer to follow former Raiders coach Tony Annese to Ferris State.  (More)

New Policies – Course Credit Hour Definition and Seminar Courses

Below are the highlights for two new Academic Governing Council policies – please take a moment to review them (links to the full policies are provided below):

Course Credit Hour Definition: Policy defines a credit hour and gives value to the amount of work represented in learning outcomes and is verified by evidence of student achievement of those outcomes.  (Full Policy Available Here).

• A credit hour requires a minimum of one hour of direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work each week for the equivalent of fourteen weeks.
• Clinicals require a minimum of 1.75 hours of student participation each week for the equivalent of fourteen weeks for each credit hour.
• Laboratories, Music Ensembles, Studios, Practica, Internships, and Fieldwork require a minimum of 2 hours of student participation each week for the equivalent of fourteen weeks for each credit hour.
• Co-ops require a minimum of 5 hours of student participation each week for the equivalent of fourteen weeks for each credit hour.
• Lecture/Labs are a way to implement an instructional strategy particular to a discipline. The department/program defines the credit hour/contact hour ratio according to the type of work required of students to meet the outcomes of those courses.

Seminar Courses: Policy is intended ensure the quality of the College curricula and the means to offer courses in special topics.  (Full Policy Available Here).

• Curriculum: A seminar course focuses on a topic that is not included and/or studied in depth in the discipline’s regular course offerings.
• Student: Students may not use more than twelve (12) credits of a combination of Seminar and Independent Study courses toward the fulfillment of the requirements for any associate’s degree.

Intro to Formation Retreat from Staff Development – 5/9/12-5/11/12

Learning Opportunities from Staff Development

For the eleventh year we are pleased to offer a unique form of professional development for GRCC employees. There are still 4 spots available for this introduction session. Make your reservation today at http://cms.grcc.edu/currentlearning

Intro to Formation Retreat

Begins at 5:00 PM Wed, May 9, 2012 and ends with lunch on Fri, May 11, 2012

Location: The Gilchrist Retreat Center near Three Rivers, MI  http://www.fetzer.org/gilchrist/

THIS RETREAT IS FOR ANY FACULTY OR STAFF MEMBER WHO HAS NOT PARTICIPATED IN A PREVIOUS FORMATION RETREAT.

This work has grown out of the Formation work of Dr. Parker J. Palmer, noted educational leader and author, and builds upon a decade of Formation work at GRCC for leaders, faculty, and staff. In addition, Grand Rapids Community College is part of a network of colleges, health care organizations, K-12 districts, philanthropic organizations, law firms, government agencies, and community leaders engaged in this form of deep professional development. More info on the national work can be found at the Center for Courage and Renewal and Richland Colleges Center for Renewal and Wholeness in Higher Education.

For three days, GRCC faculty and staff are invited to step away from their daily work activities to consider the personal and professional questions of working at the college. The themes and questions to consider Include:

• Why were you called to this work?
• What is the intention of your work?
• How do you stay renewed in your role?

These retreats offer a safe space to pose questions, seek answers, examine motives, and explore new ideas about the most important work we do at the college. The goal is to help those who work at GRCC sustain and renew their passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to the students, their colleagues, the college, and the communities they serve.

In this retreat, skilled facilitators help create a quiet, focused, and disciplined space in which participants can pause and reflect on their own beliefs about working at the college. In large group, small group, and solitary settings, we will explore the intersection of our personal and professional lives, making use of stories from our own journeys, and insights from poets, storytellers, and various wisdom traditions. These retreats strive to develop a deeper understanding of how your role at the college intersects with who you are as a person.

Grounded in reflective practice, these retreats have sufficient research based evidence supporting a positive impact on the development of employees and their organization(s).

You can register at http://cms.grcc.edu/currentlearning  or call Staff Development at 616.234.4285. If you have questions about the retreat, feel free to email Frank Conner at fconner@grcc.edu, call him at 616.234.3612, or contact Judy Jankowski at jjankows@grcc.edu or 616.234.4409.

Participation is open to all GRCC employees and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. We can only accommodate 10 participants, so make certain to enroll early if you are interested. Participants must commit to all three days of the series. The cost of this event is covered by Staff Development.

Last Day to Register for Rethinking Body Image Session

Today is the last day to register for the Rethinking Body Image session on Monday. We need 4 more participants to meet the minimum. The subject matter is timely and relevant to all, whether you are male or female. Please consider attending this session. Register at http://cms.grcc.edu/currentlearning

Rethinking Body Image
Monday April 23, 2012 | 12:30-2:00 PM | 122 LRC

Tamber Bustance will explore the power of “body image” and women, and how ones’ self-concept and self-esteem are affected by today’s media and society’s definition of beauty.