Daily Archives: August 12, 2013

GRCC In the News, 8-12-13

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Change Ups: West Michigan residents destined for U.S. sled hockey team

Aug. 9, 2013; Grand Rapids Business Journal

… EDUCATION

… Grand Rapids Community College was named a Great College to Work For by The Chronicle of Higher Education in the compensation and benefits category for its employee health and wellness program.

Grand Rapids Community College computer information systems professor Cheryl Kautz is the recipient of two 2013 Blackboard Catalyst awards for Exemplary Course Program.

GRCC student Alexi Bettig, who earned her associate degree in arts last spring, is the recipient of the Presidents Scholarship from Davenport University. Bettig qualified by receiving first place, along with teammate Corwin Tobias, in video production at the Business Professionals of America national Leadership Conference in May.

Bath Farmers’ Market flourishing

Aug. 9, 2013; The Lansing State Journal

BATH — Bath Farmers Market customers have had some pleasant surprises this season, including more vendors and more varied products.

… On Aug. 1 Grand Rapids professional cooks Bryan Newton from the J.W. Marriott and Hannah Stockwell from the Amway Grand Plaza were busy preparing a dessert that included fresh doughnut pieces covered in a blueberry-cherry compote and topped with melted goat cheese and honey. The free samples were delicious and made entirely from items on sale that day.

Newton says he hasn’t been in a McDonald’s in six or seven years and Stockwell says she was influenced by a vegan chef at the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College.

Grandwich 2013: The Top 10 finalists revealed

Aug. 12, 2013; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Top 10 finalists in the 2013 Grandwich competition were announced Monday, Aug. 12.

(Article doesn’t mention it, but GRCC alumnus Adam Watts is a chef at Grand Rapids Brewing Co. and GRCC alumna Heather Roscoe is the sandwich artist at Express Cafe.)

Grand Rapids’ free Jazz Festival’s second outing hopes to double your pleasure

Aug. 12, 2013; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Grand Rapids Jazz Festival last year drew 4,000 people downtown for the inaugural free festival.

(Article doesn’t mention it, but GRCC is a sponsor.)

Kelvin Grady, area stars play in first annual basketball tourney on Calder Plaza

Aug. 10, 2013; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Kelvin Grady has put away the footballs and basketballs in his life in favor of a clipboard and a whistle.

… Aside from Grady, some of the players taking part was former Notre Dame star Tory Jackson, Grand Rapids Community College player Rachman Dillard, Grace Bible and U.S. Army player Paul Nelson and Davenport standout Dauntrell Hill.

Dave Morris becomes ESP-financial aid adviser

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Dave Morris

Dave Morris

Please welcome Dave (or David) Morris, an ESP-financial aid adviser in the Financial Aid Office as of July 1, 2013.

He earned an associate of arts degree at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and a bachelor of fine arts at Western Michigan University. He has been working in financial aid for over 30 years, for the past five as a contingency employee in the GRCC Financial Aid Office. He enjoys helping students and parents successfully navigate the financial aid process, and he is proud to be a part of an excellent team of financial aid professionals.

In his spare time, he enjoys reading, traveling, swimming and growing heirloom tomatoes in the summer.

Purchasing department hosts BIM training session

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GRCC’s purchasing department is offering a free training session provided by Kal-Blue to familiarize subcontractors and suppliers with BIM (Building Informational Modeling). Lisa Drago, Autodesk BIM specialist, application engineer and Autodesk Expert Elite, will teach you the latest concepts of BIM to enable you to better compete for upcoming GRCC and other local projects.

The session is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. September 18, 2013. A free lunch will be provided. To learn more about BIM, click here and then follow the link at the right to “BIM Briefing Session.” To register, click here.

“GRCC values our contractors and suppliers and realizes that they are a priority,” said Mansfield Matthewson, GRCC’s director of purchasing. “With their collaboration, we provide the infrastructure and services necessary to be a college of excellence and distinction in West Michigan.”

GRCC Garbage Tour set for October 2013

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Find out where your garbage goes! GRCC’s popular Garbage Tour takes you on a 5 1/2-hour educational journey of the main facilities in Kent County that deal with post-consumer waste, i.e., garbage.

Whether you are looking for ways to reduce waste for your business or home, this expedition will take you where most are forbidden to go!

We will start with a visit to the incinerator. Experts will describe the inputs (garbage) and outputs (electricity) for this facility and what it provides for the Grand Rapids area. Our second stop is the materials recovery facility. Here we will be guided on a walking tour and educational discussion of Kent County’s state of the art recycling efforts. There will also be an opportunity to eat your sack lunch here. We’ll see the mountains of yard waste diverted for composting, and learn how and where this is done.

Our final stop is an up-close and personal bus tour of the local landfill. Enjoy the view while professional landfill personnel describe the engineering features and local statistics for use of the South Kent Landfill.

The bus boards at 10:30 a.m. October 22, 2013, at Tassell M-TEC. It returns to Tassell M-TEC by 4 p.m. Casual dress, with closed-toe shoes, is recommended. Please bring your own sack lunch. The tour costs $33 for GRCC students and $43 for the public.

To register, click here.

Changes made to college policies

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A summary of recent changes to several college policies:

FMLA Policy (revised)

  • Updated to provide more detailed information around the federal guidelines, procedures, and the process.
  • Newly added provisions related to military service
  • Measurement period changed from rolling calendar year to fiscal year effective July 1, 2013.

Open Flame policy (revised)

  • Added Sneden and White Halls

Energy Conservation (revised)

  • Revised policy statement for greater clarity
  • Changes are noted in Section XIII

Tuition Refund Policy (revised – last revised in 1995)

  • Policy re-written to:

—  Ensure consistency in administering refunds.

—  Inform students of the circumstances under which refunds may be granted.

—  Inform students of the process to seek refunds.

  • Requests for refunds outside of the withdrawal periods must be made using the refund appeal process.
  • Refund appeals will be granted for fewer extenuating circumstances (e.g. job change, relocation, loss of transportation). Extenuating circumstances for which refunds will be considered are listed on the appeal form for a student to review when considering making an appeal.
  • (process change) Data coding for refunds was changed to improve future tracking of number of students, extenuating circumstances and refund amounts.
  • (process change) Letters will be sent to each student documenting appeal outcome for tracking and improved communication
  • (process change) There is now a single point of contact for students to initiate an appeal.
  • (process change) New standardized form and access on web
  • Timelines for appeals have been added

 

Medical Withdrawal Policy:

  • Changes were made to ensure consistency between Tuition Refund Policy and Medical Withdrawal policy.

Criminal Background Check Policy (revised):

  • Policy Statement modified to expand the scope of the policy to address all circumstances when background checks will be used for both students and staff.
  • Included information regarding background checks for study away programs throughout the policy.