GRCC In the News, 3-18-13

Winds change; turbine plant closes

March 16, 2013; WOOD TV

BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) – A wind turbine plant has closed just months after announcing a $2.5 million expansion and plans to add 90 workers.

… As part of this expansion project, Grand Rapids Community College partnered with The Right Place, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Altronics Energy, by providing Michigan New Jobs funding to build the skill sets for the workforce needed in this industry. The new employees were to be trained under a $200,000 contract during the next six years.

Julie Parks, the director of workforce training at GRCC, told 24 Hour News 8 that never happened because on Feb. 18 she received a letter from Altronics Energy that stated, in part, the company was “in process of conducting an orderly liquidation.”

Change promised for Grand Rapids Public Schools

March 16, 2013; WZZM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) – Saturday morning’s annual Grand Rapids Public Schools State of our Schools address inspired the crowd of mostly parents and teachers.

(Transcript of the speeches follows; Deondra Henderson, representing Believe to Become, thanks GRCC in her remarks.)

Unions, boards circumventing right-to-work laws should be held accountable, but not by GOP

March 15, 2013; MLive (editorial)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Teachers unions in Grand Rapids and other areas of the state are clearly and legally trying to circumvent the newly signed right-to-work laws by trying to lock in contracts prior to the legislation going into effect on March 28.

… The law affects contracts that expire after March 27. Unions, including those in Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids Community College and Rockford, are trying to delay the impact of right-to-work laws by years getting new deals inked before then.

A highlight of local women who find the sweetness in life through the business of baking and decorating

March 15, 2013; MLive

For the love of cake, but not my love, and all things sweet, I have eaten some of the most beautiful cupcakes in the name of research. Celebrating women and showcasing their talents in baking, cake decorating, and business this month, I hope you are inspired by their unique stories. From traditional to contemporary, from weddings and birthdays to everyday indulgence, these four West Michigan women share joy and happiness through flour, sugar, butter, and love.

… On the second floor of a duplex home is where it all began for Katie Webster when she decided to fill a need in the market in her hometown of Holland four years ago. Although her mom didn’t do much cooking, Webster experimented in the kitchen growing up, making a few messes while she learned on her own. She pursued a degree in culinary management from Grand Rapids Community College, but ironically didn’t take many pastry classes.

Meridian’s Hockemeyer cherishing his last year of collegiate baseball at Evansville

March 15, 2013; Midland Daily News

Although Meridian graduate Jason Hockemeyer is having the time of his life playing Division I baseball for the University of Evansville (Ind.), he knows that each game he plays for the Purple Aces brings him closer to the end of his collegiate career.

… He had spent two seasons as an outfielder for Grand Rapids Community College while earning his associate’s degree, before heading to Evansville to suit up and continue his dream.

Badgers football: Genyk glad to be back in Big Ten

March 16, 2013; Wisconsin State Journal

Senior tight end Jacob Pedersen was driving back home to Menominee, Mich., for a wedding anniversary party when he got a text from teammate Brian Wozniak that the University of Wisconsin football team was changing coaches at their position.

… The pull Genyk feels from the Big Ten started at an early age. His dad, George Genyk, was a guard at Michigan and a captain of the 1959 team. Jeff Genyk joined Northwestern in 1992 after a year at Grand Rapids Community College and was responsible for the Wildcats’ special teams in his final seven seasons.

Enjoy the Sunday sunshine because rain and snow appear likely during the next few days

March 17, 2013; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Enjoy the sun today because it may be scarce this week.

(Story has file photo taken at GRCC.)

 

GRCC offers Career Coach

Since October, Career Coach, a tool that assists students and potential students explore careers and then connects them with program opportunities at GRCC, has been available on GRCC’s Web Site.  Access to Career Coach is available by clicking the Career Coach tab as it appears on our homepage. This tab will take you to the GRCC Career Coach Information Page which contains the icon for the tool.  The user-friendly web-based tool enables students to get regional career information from the GRCC website. Career Coach helps to market careers and GRCC programs.  Career Coach provides valuable information about potential wages, occupational trends, and real-time job postings, and then connects them to education and training opportunities at GRCC.  Users may access additional information on specific programs directly from GRCC’s web site.  Students can also create their own resumes with a feature called Resume Builder.

GRCC has launched Career Coach internally so that faculty and staff may share this valuable tool with students.  Career Coach is now being offered to our community as a free career exploration tool.  Once students have a goal, they are much more likely to be successful in college.  Career Coach provides the necessary information to solidify that goal.  Contact Mark Champion, Information Analyst, Institutional Research and Planning for more information.

This Week in the Center for Teaching Excellence

Below is a list of professional development opportunities offered through the Center for Teaching Excellence this week. We hope you will join us for some or all of these sessions, if your schedule allows! We also now have an events calendar on our website at www.grcc.edu/ctecalendar. Check it out for an easy-to-navigate overview of our events. You can register for all events at www.grcc.edu/ctereg.

The 7th Annual Teaching, Learning, and Technology Showcase: Wednesday, March 20 from 1:00 – 4:00 in 108 Sneden.

Join Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies in recognizing great teaching with technology at this annual showcase. Come out and learn about what your colleagues have been doing with technology and how you can use it to enhance your own instruction! More information can be found at http://www.grcc.edu/showcase

Universal Design Reading and Discussion Group: Thursday, March 21 from 3:00 – 4:00 in 347 Main.

Would you like to know some “low-tech” ways of increasing the accessibility of your courses? Are students with disabilities the subject of discrimination on college campuses? Discuss these questions and others at our second discussion group meeting of the semester. Information, as well links to the two articles we are discussing can be found at www.grcc.edu/udldiscussion. Some of the questions we will consider are:

• The first article discusses how on most campuses most resources devoted to disability support go toward accommodations for a small number of students, while large numbers of students with either moderate disabilities or undiagnosed disabilities receive little support. Do you think that is the case at GRCC? Is that a good model?

• In the second reading Banfild-Hardaway states that “students with disabilities are frequent targets of discrimination because they are seen as abnormal or deficient.” Do you see evidence of that at GRCC?

Enhancing Your Teaching with PowerPoint: Friday, March 22 from 9:00 – 10:00 in 351 Main

Sure, you know how to use PowerPoint, but are you really getting the most out of it? This session explores how to utilize new features in MS PowerPoint 2010 to meet the needs of various student learning styles. During the session you will learn how to do things such as embed video and use Smart Art to make your PowerPoint presentations more effective teaching tools. Facilitated by Peggy Schoenborn from the Business Department.

All sessions are open to both full-time and adjunct faculty. You can register for all sessions at www.grcc.edu/ctereg. You can also “like” us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/teachexcellence to receive the latest information on sessions, news, conferences, and other noteworthy happenings.

If you have any questions or have problems registering, contact us at teachexcellence@grcc.edu. Register now, as space in each session is limited.

Thanks, and we hope to see you in the CTE!

Information session for Healthcare Programs set for April 2013

You can learn about GRCC’s Healthcare Programs and get your questions answered at an information session at noon to 1 p.m. April 15, 2013, at Tassell M-TEC.

Health Certification Programs that will be covered in this information session are:

• Medical Assistant
• Personal Trainer
• Pharmacy Technician
• Phlebotomy

All information sessions are free, and you are under no obligation to enroll in a course when you attend these sessions. To register, click here.

Advanced Manufacturing Series offers classes in March 2013

GRCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Series offers several classes in March 2013:

Measurements provide evidence to your customer that your parts meet the specification. Accurate use and effective care of instruments and gages is essential for operators and inspectors. In GRCC’s Measuring and Gaging for Manufacturing class, you will:

• accurately read a variety of gages (mics, calipers, height, depth/thread/go-nogo gages).
• accurately interpret and record vernier scales.
• describe sources of error for gages.
• describe use and function of CMM.

The class runs 8 a.m. to noon March 21 and costs $69. To register, click here.

A standard process for solving problems and generating corrective actions allows your company to respond quickly, consistently and effectively when issues arise. Experience with the techniques, analysis and structure of problem solving models helps maximize team members’ contribution to the effort.

The Problem Solving – 8 Steps & 5 Whys Overview class runs 2-6 p.m. March 27 and costs $65. To register, click here.

GRCC’s 5S – Organizing the Workplace Overview class explores a foundational technique in lean manufacturing. The class is a simulation designed to create an awareness of the impact of a clean, organized workplace on attitudes, safety, quality and productivity.

Course outcomes include:

• organizing a workplace by applying 3 S’s: Sort, Set in Order, and Shine.
• standardizing procedures to maintain and control an organized workplace using visual controls.
• creating a plan to sustain, including a process to audit.
• describing how 5S can help to improve workplace environmental health and safety.

The class runs 8 a.m. to noon March 28 and costs $65. To enroll, click here.

Workshop focuses on ‘Overcoming the Disconnect’

Are you really connecting with your client, patient or student? Every interaction matters, and if you truly want to bridge the professional disconnect between you and those you are serving, the “Overcoming the Disconnect” workshop will explore techniques and concepts that will help remove walls and barriers between you.

This workshop is targeted to those working in the “helping professions” — teachers, professors, social workers, and health-care workers. It runs 6-8 p.m. March 20, 2013, at Tassell M-TEC, and costs $35. To register, click here.

No registration needed for Teaching, Learning and Technology Showcase

The 7th Annual Teaching, Learning, and Technology Showcase is almost here! Please join your colleagues NEXT week Wednesday, March 20th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in 108 Sneden Hall for a time of connecting, sharing, and exploring innovative ideas that integrate technology into teaching and learning.

There is no advanced registration required and the event is free. Simply drop by anytime to participate.

Also, this will be the second year where we will present an Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award to a faculty member here at GRCC! (The short award ceremony will begin promptly at 1:00.)

A few of the topics that will be presented include:

•  “Improving Accessibility in Blackboard” – Garry Brand.
• “Using Camtasia Videos to Improve Student Success” – Lisa Gloege.
• “Video Analysis Labs for the New Online Physics 115” Andrew Vanden Heuvel.
• “Wimba Voice for Quick and Easy Input” – Grace Schwanda.
• “Webquests for Critical Thinking” – Melanie Forbes.
• “Using a Tablet Computer in Teaching Mathematics” – Nancy Forrest.

For more information, please visit www.grcc.edu/showcase

In short, the TLT Showcase is a unique opportunity to talk with your colleagues about teaching, learning, and technology, and get new ideas for your own classes. We hope you’ll join us!

Mathematics Seminar set for March 19, 2013

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its next Mathematics Seminar on Tuesday, March 19, 3:00 – 4:00 PM in 107 Cook.  Our speaker will be GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Roger Berry.  The title and abstract for Roger’s talk are at the bottom.

Mathematics plays a crucial role in determining safety standards for all manner of electronics, and is an indispensable tool for analyzing causes and consequences of electrical failure.  Roger brings many years of experience as an electrical engineer and instructor to this month’s seminar.  Knowledge of algebra will be helpful, but of course everyone is welcome to attend.

Pop and cookies will be served a 2:45 PM.

Catastrophic Electrical Damage took place — let’s check the Math to see why!

All protection from damage or injury due to electrical faults begins with determining the amount of potential fault current. Mechanical and thermal energy released in less than 4 milliseconds can produce catastrophic results. Electrical equipment and protective devices must be tested and rated to withstand the potential forces involved.

Electrical designs are evaluated for worst-case conditions to insure that equipment and people are adequately protected. Fault currents on both sides of the decimal point can result in destructive forces. Short circuits can result in destructive currents over 200,000 amps producing a blast that results in equipment damage and potential injury to personnel due to flash burns and sound, while ground faults as low as five milliamps can produce fibrillation resulting in death.  In addition, lower level arcing faults can destroy electrical equipment or start a fire.

How do we do the math?

Radiologic Technology Program welcomes back alumni for celebration

View this document on Scribd

Changes made to building access policy

Building Access Policy – Revised.  Summary of changes

• Includes definitions of standard and extended access (along with the process to get extended access). The changes are directly related to Department Heads, Directors, Executive Directors, and Associate Deans being responsible for initiating and/or authorizing access.
• Standard Access: All staff and faculty will have access to GRCC buildings during standard hours of operation. Standard hours are considered 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. Monday through Thursday, and 6 A.M. to 9 P.M. on Fridays. Weekend and later weekday hours will exist for all regularly scheduled classes and approved scheduled events.
• Extended Access: Employees may request access for Saturdays and Sundays from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M. by completing the “Extended Access Request Form”.  The form MUST be approved by the employee’s Executive Director or Associate Dean and submitted to Campus Police.
• Extended access is intended for faculty and administrative staff for class preparation and other administrative duties.
• Extended access must be requested/renewed at the beginning of each academic year, but new requests can be processed throughout the year as the need arises.
• Department Heads, Program Directors and Immediate Supervisors will be responsible for initiating the access process for their employees as the “Requesting Party” on the Access Request Form.
• Campus Police must receive a signed access request form authorized by the Executive Director or Associate Dean, before a key is issued, or RaiderCard Access is granted.