Daily Archives: October 17, 2016

GRCC In the News, 10-17-16

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Grand Rapids Community College names 4 finalists for president

Oct. 14, 2016; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A Grand Rapids Community College search committee has named four finalists, including an internal candidate, who will vie to become the college’s 10th president.

IT firm will get $180K from state to add 25 jobs

Oct. 15, 2016; MLive

KENTWOOD, MI — The state is rewarding a Kentwood IT firm with a $180,000 grant for expanding in Michigan instead of Virginia.

… The firm is also tapping into Grand Rapids Community College, which approved a $200,000 revenue bond in June to provide free training for newly hired workers. The bond is supposed to be paid back with the state income tax paid by those employees who will be earning more after they gain the new skills. The state-funded training is part of the Michigan New Jobs Training Program that aims to provide a pathway for people to earn a living wage.

Vectorform named top tech company of year

Oct. 14, 2016; Crain’s Detroit Business

Royal Oak-based Vectorform LLC was named the top technology company of the year at the 16th annual Automation Alley awards gala Friday night at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle.

… Other awards announced Friday night:

… The Outstanding Educational Initiative Award went to Michigan Apprenticeship Program Plus, a joint venture of Grand Rapids Community College and Macomb Community College to train up to 600 over five years in manufacturing and technology through a federal grant of $3.9 million.

College’s diversity series continues with globalization discussion

Oct. 15, 2016; MLive

The diversity lecture series sponsored by Grand Rapids Community College’s Bob and Aleicia Woodrick Center for Equity and Inclusion, is intended to provide insight and understanding of multicultural issues.

Gov. Rick Snyder makes appointments to the Building the 21st Century Economy Commission

Oct. 14, 2016; michigan.gov

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the initial appointments to the Building the 21st Century Economy Commission, created by Executive Order 2016-14.

… Jessica Ann Tyson of Kentwood is the president and owner of JA PR Group, LLC. In 2016, she was issued the Community Leadership Award by the Michigan Republican Party and the Seeds of Growth Leadership Award by Grand Rapids Opportunity for Women. Tyson attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Grand Rapids Community College.

Dozens of HBCUs to recruit students during college fair in Grand Rapids

Oct. 14, 2016; WZZM

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – West Michigan students thinking about college are invited to attend a special college fair this weekend.

… The HBCU College Readiness Fair is Saturday, Oct. 15 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. It’s taking place at the GRCC Ford Field Gymnasium which is located at 111 Lyon NE in Grand Rapids.

FSU program prepares minorities for college

Oct. 14, 2016; Grand Rapids Business Journal

Approximately five years ago, Tony Baker noticed a troubling trend on the campus of Ferris State University.

… The benefit for Ferris comes from establishing strong partnerships with schools and the community. In addition to its partner school systems, Ferris works with the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, the Hispanic Center of West Michigan, AT&T, Destination Education, Latin Americans United for Progress, the Hispanic Center of Oceana County and Oceana County College Access Network to run the program. The school also works with local institutions Kendall College for Art and Design in Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Community College in Holland which provide classroom space.

Transfer Fair to be held October 19

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GRCC Transfer Fair

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

12:30-4:30 p.m.

Student Center, Room 301 (Student Lounge)

 

Over 35 schools attending!  Start Here/Transfer There

  • Learn about transfer requirements
  • Obtain catalogs and other transfer resources
  • Meet with College/University representatives

Sponsored by:  Counseling, Advising & Retention Services

GRCC alumnus, now research scientist, returns to talk to biology students

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We are pleased to pass on some great news about Matt Aardema, a former biodiversity student of Dr. Matthew Douglas and Dr. Pamela Laureto in the Biology Department of GRCC, where he began working with Monarch butterflies and their annual migration.

About eight years ago, Matt enrolled as a non-traditional “older” student in Biology 153 (botany) and 154 (zoology), and passed with very high grades. After taking the majority of his science classes at GRCC, Matt transferred to MSU and worked under his research advisor, Dr. Mark Scriber, in the entomology department.  His research was related to speciation events with tiger swallowtail butterflies (the large yellow ones we see in the summer).

After receiving his BS from MSU, Matt was accepted to the MSU Master’s Program, and continued to work under Dr. Scriber.  When his advisor retired, Matt took over the entire swallowtail laboratory and its program.

After graduating from MSU, Matt was accepted as a PhD student with a full-ride scholarship (worth about $300,000) to Princeton University.  He graduated with his PhD this past spring, and is currently a sponsored research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, receiving a full-research stipend from his benefactor, the previous CEO of Verizon.

Now, Matt is involved in a great deal of advanced genetic research involving Monarch butterflies, seals, and other animals and plants. He has published papers in Evolution, and coauthored several papers with other researchers in Science and molecular biology journals (all very high level research journals).  He travels extensively around the world, engaging in research projects in Europe, and other locations, where he works with other research teams in the molecular sciences.

Several weeks ago, Matt delivered a great “mini-seminar” to Biology 154 (zoology) students and was met with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Matt is clearly a great success story for GRCC’s biodiversity program at GRCC.

GRCC geography graduate receives award

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A young woman stands in front of a lake and mountains.

Stacey Murphy

Each year at the American Association of Geographers regional meeting in the Midwest, three awards are presented to undergraduates and an additional three awards are presented to graduate students for their paper presentations. Stacey Murphy, an August 2016 graduate of GRCC — and now a student at Aquinas College — received the second place undergraduate award at the recent event hosted by Northern Michigan University.  She acknowledged funding from the GRCC Foundation for supporting her research on a pressing issue facing many college students: food insecurity. Throughout the years, students from GRCC have consistently shown themselves to be on par with some of the region’s best Geography students, including those from nationally ranked universities in Michigan and Ohio. Since 2010, six GRCC Geography alumni have received awards for their presentations at this annual conference.