Monthly Archives: September 2017

GRCC In the News, 9-29-17

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Michigan’s student loan default rate on the rise

Sept. 28, 2017; MLive

The number of borrowers defaulting on federal student debt has climbed in Michigan, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education, reversing two straight years of declines.

… At Grand Rapids Community College, for instance, the default rate was 21.5 percent. The default rate was 18.7 percent at Wayne County Community College District in Detroit, while Oakland Community College in Bloomfield Hills had a 20.9 percent default rate.

New faculty join campus

Sept. 26, 2017; Communique (University of Colorado-Colorado Springs publication)

More than 50 new faculty members joined UCCS this fall.  Today, meet 22 instructors from the College of Business, College of Engineering and Applied Science, College Letters, Arts and Sciences and Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

… Edgar Diaz Herrera, instructor, Mathematics Department, College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Herrera was previously a part time instructor at Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a researcher for National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico. He earned a bachelor’s degree from National University of Mexico, and master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Arizona State University.

Business Cafe session focuses on My Degree Path

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Business Department faculty discuss various topics throughout the semester in the Business Cafe series. All the sessions are drop-in — and open to all students, not just those in business majors — so stay for 10 minutes or the entire time. Snacks are provided!

Assistant Professor Erin Busscher will discuss My Degree Path at 4:30 p.m. October 2 in room 201 of Cook.

IIPD Grant Applications are due on October 11, 2017 at 4:30 pm.

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The deadline for the submission of grant applications for the Instructional Improvement & Professional Development (IIPD) Grants program is 4:30 p.m., October 11, 2017. Information about how to apply for an IIPD grant can be found at this website: IIPD Application and Guidelines. Please note that applications must include Dean’s and Department Head Approval forms, a budget form and budget documentation. If you have any questions about IIPD grants, please contact Judith Larsen, Director, Grants and Resource Development Department, at 234-3910 or jmlarsen@grcc.edu. Good luck!

GRCC In the News, 9-28-17

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GRCC will host conversation on opioid addiction

Sept. 27, 2017; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids Community College is encouraging people to take part in a conversation on the “Opioid Addiction: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities to Create a Safer, Healthier Community” Thursday, Oct. 5.

Disability Awareness Month Schedule Features Poetry Slam Champion, Highlights Accommodation and Action

Sept. 27, 2017; ferris.edu

A schedule of six events will be offered on the Ferris State University campus, this October, during Disability Awareness Month, with the goal of fostering acceptance and understanding.

… Final events on the Disability Awareness Month schedule include a presentation and discussion on the Paws With a Cause program, to be held in Room 217B of the University Center Building at 11 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 26. At halftime of the Ferris men’s basketball game against Grand Rapids Community College, Saturday, Oct. 28, the Grand Rapids Pacers wheelchair basketball team will exhibit its skills. The Pacers compete, nationally, with a high-energy, entertaining style that challenges the notions of what disabled really is. On Tuesday, Oct. 31, a Forum for Inclusion and Understanding, disABILITY, DEBUNKED! will begin at 11 a.m. in the University Center Ballroom. Ferris faculty, staff and students will offer presentations on their experiences with disabilities, with the goal of ending those assumptions that limit movement toward a more inclusive future, and society.

Seeking Volunteers for United Way Campaign

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We are looking for employees to serve as captains for the 2017 United Way Campaign at GRCC. The captains help keep their team informed about events and send reminders to return pledge forms to Human Resources. Captains attend one training lunch where they learn about the campaign and some of the great work that happens though the United Way.

If you would like to volunteer, please email Christine Coon (christinecoon@grcc.edu).

Thanks!
United Way Campaign Coordinators

Disability Support Services offers Video Relay Service

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Disability Support Services has installed a Video Relay Service phone so students or employees who are deaf or hard of hearing and use American Sign Language can place phone calls during office hours.  This tool allows an individual who uses Sign Language to quickly have access to an interpreter for outgoing on- or off-campus calls. The interpreter can both voice for the individual and interpret information back to the individual during the phone call.

If your office receives a call from someone using this type of service, the interpreter will tell you that they are assisting another person with communication through a Video Relay Service; they will then begin to speak the caller’s exact words. In this case, you would talk directly to the individual calling — just as you would with any phone call. (In other words: Don’t say to the interpreter, “they would need to do this”; instead say, “you will need to do this.”)

The interpreters have to follow a strict ethical code that requires all information that they interpret to remain confidential. In other words: The interpreter is simply the conduit through which phone communication can occur. This method of communication is approved and funded by the Federal Communications Commission.  We have been excited to see how the Video Relay Service has already improved communication for our students since it was installed in August!

A huge thanks to Donovan Wallace in IT as well as Jilian Rakow, a GRCC Sign Language interpreter, for helping to implement this!

Spread the word to students and employees that it is available in the DSS lobby, Student Center room 368, during our hours — no appointments needed!

IIPD Grant Applications are due on October 11, 2017 at 4:30 pm.

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The deadline for the submission of grant applications for the Instructional Improvement & Professional Development (IIPD) Grants program is 4:30 p.m., October 11, 2017. Information about how to apply for an IIPD grant can be found at this website: IIPD Application and Guidelines. Please note that applications must include Dean’s and Department Head Approval forms, a budget form and budget documentation. If you have any questions about IIPD grants, please contact Judith Larsen, Director, Grants and Resource Development Department, at 234-3910 or jmlarsen@grcc.edu. Good luck!

GRCC In the News, 9-27-17

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News Briefs

Sept. 27, 2017; The Torch (Ferris State University student newspaper)

… Literature in person

Katie Kalisz, a professor of English at Grand Rapids Community College and a recognized poet, will be presenting in IRC 120* Monday, Oct. 2, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, please contact Dr. Deirdre Fagan at DeirdeFagan@ferris.edu.

*IRC 120 refers to the Interdisciplinary Resource Center on the Ferris State University Big Rapids Campus

Judging the ArtPrize Jurors Shortlist

Sept. 26, 2017; WGRD

ArtPrize Nine hit another big landmark Monday night as the jurors revealed their favorite entries. Take a look at their favorites which include a few surprises and some snubs too.

… The biggest surprise here, and it’s a welcome one, has got to be the diversity of the venues represented in the category. You can expect The Ruse Escape Rooms and Veterans Memorial Park to see an influx of visitors after being named to the Jurors Shortlist. GRCC Collins Art Gallery and Cultural Collective @ Rumsey Street might see the bigger crowds they deserve too. DeVos Place is a regular in the second round each year.

Student scholarships available for Institute for Healing Racism

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Three $100 scholarships are available for students who complete the 2-day Institute for Healing Racism session offered through the Woodrick Center.

Requirements: Students will write a short reflection based on their experience and must be studying or planning to enter one of the following fields:

  • GRCC Police Academy
  • Criminal Justice
  • Education
  • Healthcare

Session Dates:

  • October 5-6, 2017
  • December 7-8, 2017
  • April 12-13, 2018

Schedule:

  • Day one: 8:45 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Day two: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  • Continental breakfast and lunch provided both days.

Students can complete the application online.

Contact Tamber Bustance, (616) 234-3390.