GRCC Will Begin Paying All Employees Electronically in July

Grand Rapids Community College will implement a policy of 100% electronic payment for paychecks issued on or after July 6, 2012. This will be achieved through traditional direct deposit and with the use of pay cards.

Human Resources has decided to partner with Lake Michigan Credit Union to provide pay cards to employees. This new initiative will save College resources while still allowing an option for those who do not want to move to direct deposit.

Employees who are currently receiving a paper check have the option of signing up for direct deposit to any two financial institutions of their choice, or to sign up for the new pay card option. Forms will be available in the payroll department starting with the May 25, 2012 pay date.

Reminder – Dual Enrollment Policy Updated

Dual Enrollment Policy Changes:

• Changed policy title from “Early College” to” Dual Enrollment” to accomplish alignment with the state legislative terminology.
• The list of courses available for Dual Enrolled students were removed from the policy and replaced with a link. This provides easier access and ability to keep the course listing current.
• The application fee references were removed from the procedure section to reflect the current no fee application practice.
• Application deadlines were corrected to reflect current practice

To view the full policy, go here.

Student Workers Needed to Pose for Graphics Photography

If you have student workers in your office that would be interested in being photographed for GRCC marketing campaigns, the Graphic Design department would love to hear from you.

They’re looking for students to model for shots of them interacting with each other on campus and studying.  Contact Andrew Schmidt for more information.

Save the Date for Wendy Berry’s Retirement Celebration – 6/6/12

Be sure to congratulate Wendy Berry on her retirement after 27 years of working for GRCC and GRPS. Wendy has been working at the Michigan Works! Offices for the past 10 years. Previous to that she worked at the ATC for Business & Technical Training. We will miss her smile and dedication to students and customers.

Mark your calendar for June 6th for her retirement celebration. Details will be sent out soon.

Food Pantry Donations Needed

The food pantry is up and running for the Spring/Summer semester! This semester there are 33 participants and the pantry is currently feeding 99 students and their families. 54 bags of food have been filled already and we’re only 3 weeks in. With such a high participating rate, our food pantry is getting low and we are looking for your help! We are in great need of some items to help restock the food pantry.

Please see the Food Pantry High Need List for our current needs. All donations can be dropped off in Student Life. Please note that we will only accept non-perishable food items and prefer items to be individually packaged and portioned to better fit in food pantry bags.

GRCC in the News – 5/23/12

Letter writer says it should be three strikes and out for Grand Rapids Community College
Published: Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 11:10 PM | Grand Rapids Press

Quit wasting tax dollars with all these votes | What part of “NO” doesn’t Grand Rapids Community College understand? Three denials for additional taxes in five years? Three strikes and you’re out! Please quit wasting our tax dollars by having all these votes. Higher education is not a right, it is an opportunity.  (More)

GRCC students react to new $100 facilities fee
Published: Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 1:47 PM | Grand Rapids Press | By Brian McVicar

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Jake Balke wasn’t too upset by a $2.50 per-contact-hour tuition increase passed by the Grand Rapids Community College Board of Trustees on Monday night. After all, tuition has gone up every year, usually by a few dollars, since Balke, 21, started at GRCC three years ago.  (More)

GRCC approves fee increase – To cover repair costs at the college
Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 12:47 PM EDT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – Just weeks after voters rejected a $98.8 million bond issue , the Grand Rapids Community College board has voted to raise fees to cover repair costs at the college.  (More)

Dual Enrollment Policy Updated

Dual Enrollment Policy Changes:

• Changed policy title from “Early College” to” Dual Enrollment” to accomplish alignment with the state legislative terminology.
• The list of courses available for Dual Enrolled students were removed from the policy and replaced with a link. This provides easier access and ability to keep the course listing current.
• The application fee references were removed from the procedure section to reflect the current no fee application practice.
• Application deadlines were corrected to reflect current practice

To view the full policy, go here.

Team Leadership Training Today 5/22/12

All formal and informal leaders of teams at GRCC are invited to attend the ‘Team Leadership’ session being presented this afternoon by Zoe Carmichael. It’s not too late to take advantage of this opportunity! No need to register online. Simply call Tatiana or Jennifer at ext. 4285 to reserve one of the seven available seats.

Team Leadership
Tues May 22, 2012 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM | 214 Sneden Hall

Team roles, processes, and effectiveness are explored. Best practices for team leadership are presented. Diagnostic tools for teamwork and team effectiveness are completed.

Learning Objectives:

• —  Understand your role as a team leader
• —  Manage essential teamwork processes and roles
• —  Utilize best practices for leading teams
• —  Examine the effectiveness of your team

Dual Enrollment Policy Updated

Dual Enrollment Policy Changes:

• Changed policy title from “Early College” to” Dual Enrollment” to accomplish alignment with the state legislative terminology.
• The list of courses available for Dual Enrolled students were removed from the policy and replaced with a link. This provides easier access and ability to keep the course listing current.
• The application fee references were removed from the procedure section to reflect the current no fee application practice.
• Application deadlines were corrected to reflect current practice

To view the full policy, go here.

Patatas Hours for Friday 5/25/12

Patatas hours on Friday will be from 7 a.m.-10 a.m.

GRCC in the News – 5/22/12

See how GRCC rated President Steven Ender’s performance
Published: Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 8:30 AM | Grand Rapids Press | By Brian McVicar

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Grand Rapids Community College has thrived under President Steven Ender’s leadership and is meeting goals ranging from academic performance to community outreach. That was the opinion of the college’s board of trustees, which on Monday released its annual evaluation of Ender.  (More)

GRCC increases student fees, considers future bond proposal to help fund campus repairs
Published: Monday, May 21, 2012, 7:58 PM | Grand Rapids Press | By Brian McVicar

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — In an attempt to help fund repairs for its aging campus, Grand Rapids Community College will now begin charging full-time students a $100 per-semester facilities fee.  (More)

GRCC $98.6 million millage loss, campaigners could have done more
by Emberly Vick (emberlyvick) on Monday May 21st, 2012 03:56pm | The Rapidian

Neither luck nor charm responded to GRCC’s third attempt to attract favorable voters to the polls. The college experienced its third consecutive campaign loss since 2007, a $98.6 million-bond proposal, in a defeat on May 8th. Potential funding, which would have been committed to campus renovations and repairs, was expected to cost the average taxpayer an annual $26 for the next twenty years. The proposal was desisted by more than a 6,500 difference in the voting polls, by far the most disparaging contrast for a GRCC millage campaign to date.  (More)

Juco World Series field set
May 22, 2012 | Enid News and Eagle

Heartland Community College, Ill., defeated Parkland Community College, Ill. 3-0 Monday in the rain-delayed Midwest region finals to grab the final spot in the 10-team 2012 National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division 2 World Series. […] Western Oklahoma (44-15) will open defense of its World Series title against North region representative Grand Rapids Community College, Mich. (39-22) at 7 p.m. Saturday.  (More)

Zeeland parents, community react to plagiarism by superintendent Dave Barry
By LISA ERMAK | The Holland Sentinel | Posted May 21, 2012 @ 10:20 PM

Zeeland — Zeeland superintendent Dave Barry came under fire by parents and community members at a board meeting Monday evening following a plagiarism incident last week in which he took the work of education blogger Mike Rutherford and claimed it as his own in a district employee newsletter. […] Laura Courtright also spoke out and talked about her job teaching freshman English composition at Grand Rapids Community College. (More)

How the Campus Crumbles: Colleges Face Challenges From Deferred Maintenance
By Scott Carlson | Chronicle of Higher Education | May 20, 2012

If there is one thing Steven C. Ender wants you to understand about the money he needs to fix up Grand Rapids Community College, it’s this: “This is not about new carpet.” Mr. Ender, the college’s president, can tick off the $2-million in repairs needed in the applied-technology center alone: Fire alarms, $21,000. Emergency lighting, $17,000. Roof exhaust fans, $130,000. Air-volume boxes, used for cooling, $931,000. And so on—with the most pressing needs totaling about $36-million across the campus, which was built mostly in the 1960s and 70s.  (More)

Learning Opportunities from Staff Development May 21-25

If you still need continuing education credits to meet the 2011-12 requirements, please consider attending either, or both of the two sessions detailed below. Register at http://cms.grcc.edu/currentlearning

Team Leadership
Tues May 22, 2012 | 1:00 -3:00 PM | 214 Sneden

Team roles, processes, and effectiveness are explored. Best practices for team leadership are presented. Diagnostic tools for teamwork and team effectiveness are completed. Facilitator: Zoe Carmichael

Get the Most Out of PowerPoint 2010 (Webinar)
Wed May 23, 2012 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM | 351 Main

This is a New Horizons Webinar that MaryBeth Beighley from Staff Development will “show” for employees to participate in and get professional development credit: Discover the synergy of working with Microsoft PowerPoint to present and deliver information to your audience. You will learn about new features and timesavers to help in your day-to-day work. This session is good for beginner, intermediate, or advanced users- everyone will learn something!

Older Learner Center Sponsors Senior Odyssey of the Mind Competition – Photos and Video

The GRCC Older Learner Center in partnership with RSVP of Kent County sponsored a team in the inaugural year competition of Senior Odyssey of Michigan held this last Saturday at Genesis United Methodist Church. What is Senior Odyssey? Senior Odyssey is the same as Odyssey of the Mind, the international program for students in grades kindergarten through college.

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Participants are encouraged to think creatively outside the box. In Senior Odyssey, participants are given opportunities to use their knowledge and life experiences in a way that gives them a sense of purpose and pride. They stimulate their mind promoting cognitive vitality and healthy aging. Participants are asked to compete in two events. One is spontaneous problem solving, which an audience does not see. This is where a team is given a problem and asked to come up with creative solutions spontaneously. Teams are also asked to solve a long term problem. They are given parameters and a time frame, but the creativity of their solution is a key component.

This year’s problem was called “Odyssey Angels.” You can view our team’s solution here:

Musical Moods 2012 – Video

In case you missed it, the 64th Annual Performance of Musical Moods is now available on Youtube courtesy of GRCC’s Media Technologies department:

Actors Theatre Production of August: Osage County at GRCC’s Spectrum Theater Gets Rave Review

Review: ‘August: Osage County’ thoughtfully mixes wrenching story of family with doses of hilarity
Published: Friday, May 18, 2012, 7:10 AM | Grand Rapids Press | By Lorilee Craker

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — It’s hard to imagine a family more messed up than the Westons of Osage County, Oklahoma. For over three hours, a full house at Spectrum Theatre Thursday night absorbed the blow by blow of a loony mother, a quiet father, and their three unhappy, angry daughters as the family gathers one more time.  (More)