GRCC In the News, 6-30-16

Skilled Trades 101: Middle schoolers take on construction camp

June 29, 2016; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Eighth-grader Alexander Kempston was hard at work Wednesday, June 29, on his latest project at Grand Rapids Community College’s Construction Camp at the Leslie Tassell M-TEC Center.

$7 million scholarship fund to help healthcare students

June 29, 2016; WZZM

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – Grand Rapids Community College has established a $7 million scholarship fund with Spectrum Health to help students pursuing careers in healthcare or the health sciences.

(The AP story also appeared in The Detroit Free Press, Crain’s Detroit Business, WGVU, the Alpena News and other state media outlets Wednesday.)

Student refund process changing July 1

Changes to the student refund process:

• HigherOne will be changed to BankMobile
• There will be a new website but the HigherOne.com will be directed to BankMobile for a long time.
• New students will no longer receive a GRCC Refund Access Card (inactive debit card) in the mail from HigherOne in order to activate their refund preference
• Current students will not be re-carded – HigherOne card will still work
• Student will receive a Refund Selection kit from BankMobile with a Personal Code to validate identity and promote the electronic deposit to another account. (Same bright green envelope) Only the students that want to open an account with BankMobile will receive a debit card.
• Since May 4^th, students have been using the Cardtronics/Allpoint ATMs to access funds. We have one Allpoint ATM located in Student Center, 1^st  Allpoint ATMs are nationwide and can be found from the link on our web page.

What we can do to help with this change?:

• Please discard any HigherOne materials (handouts, posters, ect.) in your departments. Contact the Cashiers Office for new BankMobile materials.

Remove all reference to HigherOne, Higher One, GRCCRefundAccessCard.com, HigherOne.com, and any hyperlinks, from your department web pages.  Please reference and/or link to the Cashier’s Office

15 colleges, universities honored for commitment to student veterans

Fifteen colleges and universities were honored June 22 for their commitment to helping student veterans transition from the military to college life through the Michigan Veteran Education Initiative.

MVEI places veteran resource representatives on college campuses throughout the state to help student veterans succeed as they pursue an education through a partnership between the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and Michigan College Access Network.

Schools honored included Baker College-Flint, Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Jackson College, Kirtland Community College, Lansing Community College, MIAT College of Technology, Michigan State University, Mid-Michigan Community College, North Central Michigan College, Northern Michigan University, Oakland Community College and Spring Arbor University.

VRRs provide support and answer questions from veterans, faculty and staff about admissions, financial aid and other topics. During the past 18 months, VRRs have connected with more than 2,000 student veterans and assisted them in claiming more than $5 million in benefits.

West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum features Kenyatta Brame

GRCC is one of the sponsors of this West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum discussion on the importance of worker opportunity and equity to organizations.

View this document on Scribd

Snyder visits construction camp

Kids in GRCC’s construction camp had a visitor Wednesday — Gov. Rick Snyder stopped by to check out the projects! He also talked with automotive, CNC and residential construction students. The next session of the construction camp, which runs August 15 to 18, has a few seats left.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

GRCC In the News, 6-29-16

Spectrum Health, GRCC, broker $12M deal for students

June 28, 2016; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids Community College on Tuesday announced the establishment of a $7 million scholarship fund with Spectrum Health to aid needy students pursuing careers in healthcare or the health sciences.

$7 million scholarship fund to help healthcare students

June 28, 2016; FOX 28

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – Grand Rapids Community College has established a $7 million scholarship fund with Spectrum Health to help students pursuing careers in healthcare or the health sciences.

The surprising truth about American manufacturing

June 29, 2016; The Christian Science Monitor

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — The decline in American manufacturing is a common refrain, and not just from Donald Trump. “We don’t make anything anymore,” he told Fox News last October, while defending his own made-in-Mexico clothing line.

… “We’ve never had so much attention from manufacturers. They’re calling and saying: ‘Can we meet your students?’ They’re asking, ‘Why aren’t they looking at my job postings?'” says Julie Parks, executive director of workforce training at Grand Rapids Community College in western Michigan.

Event honors Oumedian family legacy

On Monday, June 27th, friends and family of our dear friend, Armen Oumedian, gathered to celebrate the Oumedian family legacy here at GRCC.  We are so thankful for Armen’s generosity to this college and our students.

The GRCC Foundation was also excited to surprise Armen that night with the creation of the Armen Oumedian Consecutive Giving Club. This newly established club is in honor of the philanthropic legacy that Armen and the entire Oumedian family has created at Grand Rapids Community College. The goal of the Armen Oumedian Consecutive Giving Club is to encourage consecutive years of participation in giving back to GRCC. In true Armen fashion, this club is meant to build on past giving successes, always looking to increase future giving to benefit GRCC – moving the college and our students toward the next big thing!

Stay tuned for more information from the Foundation on the Armen Oumedian Consecutive Giving Club.

Thank you, Armen, for all that you do!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Faculty members receive online/hybrid certification

Please join the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Department in congratulating our faculty members who have just completed GRCC’s Online/Hybrid Certification Course. Completion of this intense six-week course enables each of these faculty members to teach online and hybrid courses, providing our students with more options than ever to achieve their educational goals.

Congratulations to:

• Emily Ballard
• Wilfredo Barajas
• Jennifer Bourbina
• Richard Garn
• Jenna Hess
• Michael Mitchell
• Michael Mulvihill
• Martha Owocki
• Theresa Powers
• Steven Rierson
• Stacy Slomski
• Danielle Terpstra
• Anwar Thomas

The next OHCC cohort will be in the Fall 2016 Semester. Please visit the Center for Teaching Excellence’s registration page at http://www.grcc.edu/ctereg to register.

GRCC In the News, 6-28-16

Museum names executive director

June 24, 2016; Grand Rapids Business Journal

A long-time volunteer and board member is the new executive director of a museum downtown.

… Previously, (Maggie) Lancaster was the women’s basketball coach at Grand Rapids Community College and a teacher at Jenison High School.

New closure of Felch on U.S. 31 complicates traffic in Holland Township

June 27, 2016; The Holland Sentinel

Holland, Mich. — Holland drivers looking to cross U.S. 31 should avoid Felch Street this week.

… (Cassidy) Butz, currently a student at Grand Rapids Community College, has two jobs both of which are on U.S. 31 within the project’s construction area. Getting to either one can get complicated, she said.

Different coaches come in to help Tri County volleyball players at camp

June 27, 2016; The Greenville Daily News

HOWARD CITY — Tri County varsity volleyball coach Kathy Thompson decided to try something different with her camp this week.

… Monday’s camp featured Elmer Schulz, who Thompson called a “setting god,” who formerly coached Saginaw Arts And Sciences Academy’s volleyball team. Tuesday was Ludington volleyball coach Theresa Shoop, Wednesday was former Tri County coach Morgan Kehoe and Thursday was Grand Rapids Community College assistant coach Dave Rawles.

Former TC volleyball player Thompson making move to setter in college

June 27, 2016; The Greenville Daily News

HOWARD CITY — Lena Thompson has been a hitter throughout her high school career in volleyball.

That all will change when she gets to Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) this fall.
Thompson got a surprise when she was offered a scholarship to the college after the 2015 season.

Congratulations to the Reed family

Congratulations to Mary Reed, of the Foundation Office!  Mary, Jeremy and big brothers Mason and Bryson welcomed a baby girl, Vivian Grace, on Saturday, June 25th.  Vivian weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces and was 19 inches long.  Baby and mom are doing great!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Reopening of locker rooms delayed; fieldhouse to close early July 1

Due to some unanticipated construction delays, we will NOT be able to open the Ford Fieldhouse’s four lower-level locker rooms on July 1st, as originally planned.  The new target open date is Tuesday, July 5.

Also, the entire Ford Fieldhouse will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 1, in advance of the approaching holiday weekend.  Those who would normally make use of the facility on Friday evening will need to adjust their schedules accordingly.  We apologize in advance for any inconvenience either of these may cause.

United Way stories of impact: Lead and carbon monoxide poisoning

GRCC employees do a great job of supporting our community through their annual commitment to the West Michigan Heart of United Way. Each month we are sharing a story that demonstrates the outcomes of your commitment.

Read how a young mother, checking for high levels of lead in her home, found evidence of a different poison with help from Healthy Homes Coalition.

 

GRCC In the News, 6-27-16

‘A Better Life, a Safe Life, a Good Future’

June 24, 2016; schoolnewsnetwork.org (KISD newsletter)

Grand Rapids Public Schools – GRPS, MI — In a swirling sea of students in red and white caps and gowns who were hugging family members and being photographed, Abdulhadi Aljazaeri stood tall with a beaming smile. In his hand he clutched something precious: a high school diploma.

… Enrolling first at Union High, he took English as a second language classes and studied vocabulary at night. He finished his program at two alternative schools for older students: the Grand Rapids Learning Center, a partnership with Grand Rapids Community College offering online learning; and Southeast Career Pathways, an individualized program with a community-based emphasis.

… Three years later, he can see his future more clearly. He has been accepted at GRCC, where he plans to study nursing while keeping his options open. He sounds up to the challenge.

Police records reveal ‘parting gift’ connected to death outside Spectrum

June 24, 2016; FOX 17

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It was a scary day for police, hospital employees and bystanders in downtown Grand Rapids when a man began shooting outside of the Spectrum ER, killing himself.

Grand Rapids Community College even canceled classes for the rest of the day on June 1. That’s when a man took his own life outside Spectrum Butterworth Hospital’s emergency room. Police said Corbin Armock, 26, died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

GRCC Bookstore clearance event

From Monday, June 27, through July 22, the GRCC Bookstore will hold a Clearance Event.  The specific items on clearance include things such as a wide variety of electronic devices and headphones, Elf makeup, some children’s books and also clothing.  We also have three former demonstration model laptops at deep clearance prices (please see below – we have just one of each) and set back to factory settings.  All clearance items are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Clearance Laptops (one of each in stock):

• Asus Ultra 11.8″ 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard-drive Windows 8 — formerly $399 — now $299
• Asus T300L I3 4GB RAM, 64GB Solid State Drive — formerly $649 — now $162.25
• Dell Inspiron 15 5000 I3 8GB RAM 500GB Hard-drive — formerly $359 — now $209.99

Wellness classes canceled for July 4th holiday week

Staff Development wellness classes will be canceled the week of the Fourth of July due to the short week and vacation schedules:

• No wellness classes from July 5-8.
• Regular schedule resumes July 11.