GRCC In the News, 1-11-18

Creator of #OscarsSoWhite speaks in Grand Rapids

Jan. 10, 2018; Grand Rapids Magazine

Three years ago, while sitting in her living room, April Reign watched as the nominees for the 87th Oscars were named. All 20 of the acting category nominees were white men or women and the behind the scenes nominees weren’t any better.

… Reign is coming to Grand Rapids on Monday as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Day Celebration being hosted by Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Davenport University and Opera Grand Rapids.

“I Dream” takes audiences on journey of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life

Jan. 10, 2018; Grand Rapids Magazine

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Opera Grand Rapids will take part in an in-concert version of Douglas Tappin’s “I Dream,” which recalls the last 36-hours of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s life through his memories and recollections.

The production is being presented at Fountain Street Church on Monday, Jan. 15, as part of the 32nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, which is being hosted by Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Davenport University and Opera Grand Rapids.

LaughFest adds John Mulaney, Rik Roberts and more

Jan. 10, 2018; WZZM

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – Gilda’s LaughFest has added several artists and shows including John Mulaney andRik Roberts to the March 818 community-wide festival of laughter in advance of individual tickets going on sale Friday, Jan. 12. Tickets will go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com (search LaughFest), the Van Andel Arena & DeVos Place Box Offices or by visiting laughfestgr.org.

… For children of all ages, Super Saturday Kids Zone is a themed carnival for kids featuring surprise guests, inflatable activities, dancing, kid friendly music and games, and will return for LaughFest 2018 on March 17 at Grand Rapids Community College from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

IT releases new password reset system

Information Technology is pleased to announce the launch of our new password reset system (to be released later today)! We’ve streamlined it to improve security and enhance the user experience and it is now more customer friendly!

If you don’t recall your current password, we’ll now send an email to your alternative (personal) email address containing a link to reset it. This means no longer having to answer a dozen security questions or getting caught in endless loops! This also makes it significantly more secure. Remember your current password? Great! Just type it in and reset it.

What happens if you don’t have a personal email on file? We recommend you add one by visiting the Personal Information Summary section of your Online Center.

Below you’ll find a screen shot of the email you can expect to receive when you request a password reset.

We can’t wait to hear your feedback or questions, give us a call at 616.234.4357  or reach out to us at ITSupport@grcc.edu.

 

 

Upcoming accreditation review visit by ACEN

The Nursing Department will host a site review for continuing accreditation of its Associate Degree and Practical Nursing Certificate programs.

You are invited to meet the site visitors and share your comments about the program in person at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, at 11 a.m. in room 124 ATC.

Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted by  Feb. 14 to mstoll@acenursing.org, or by mail to:

ACEN Attn: Marsal P. Stoll, EdD, MSN, Chief Executive Officer-ACEN

3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850

Atlanta, GA 30326

GRCC retiree biography: David Morris

David Morris

David Morris has worked as a Financial Aid Specialist at GRCC for a little over nine years. In Financial Aid, he assisted students and parents in navigating a complex, sometimes frustrating, and often stressful path to secure funding for college education. The work is challenging and requires much patience, caring and empathy as well as a working knowledge of federal regulations.

David shared that every now and then, he gets some great reminders of why he continued to do this work: “One of those reminders came to me unexpectedly during one of my lunchtime walks through downtown. Out of the blue, a student came up to me and said, ‘You work in financial aid, right? I just wanted to thank you, man. When I saw you, I had no job and was right out of prison. You helped me change my life. I’m about ready to complete my certificate, getting A’s in my classes, and I’m already working in my field.'”

David shared that he and his life partner, Frank, have been together for over forty years. When they married in 2008, David shared: “I knew I belonged at GRCC when our marriage was embraced by our colleagues. Frank has been retired for a year and a half, and it’s time I joined him in this new chapter. I am thankful to my husband, Frank; my colleagues; students, and parents of students for helping me become a kinder person in life. I’m inspired by the words of the Dalai Lama — ‘Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.’ I especially want to thank our good friend and colleague, Mary Kay Bethune, for inviting us to come out of our early retirement to join the GRCC fold. It has made all the difference in our lives.”

David is looking forward to traveling this winter to Florida and Mexico. He is looking forward to enjoying the Michigan summer, and growing, from seed, the most delicious heirloom tomatoes you have ever tasted.

“I live for the first taste of a BLT in the summer,” he said. “If you’re good, I’ll share. It’s been a great ride. Thank you, everyone.”

David, you have made a difference at GRCC and have had a large impact on the lives of our students. We appreciate your dedication to the students and your colleagues. We wish you the best in your retirement and hope you stop by throughout the year to share your adventures.

Please join David Morris at his retirement reception on Friday, January 12, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Enrollment Center, Room 129.

 

Mathematics Seminar to look at seating arrangements

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department is pleased to announce that it will host its first Mathematics Seminar of 2018 on Thursday, January 18, 3:00-4:00 PM in 103 Cook.

Our speaker, GVSU Mathematics Instructor Michael Santana, will discuss mathematics underlying the sometimes vexing problem of seating arrangements at tables.  For the title and abstract of Michael’s talk, please see below.

Very little mathematics background is needed to appreciate this talk, making it accessible to a wide range of students and faculty.  All are welcome!

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

A graph theory approach to seating people at parties

You’re hosting a party with at least three people, and you want to seat everyone around a large table so that each person is friends with the person on their left and the person on their right. How do you know when you can do this? This seemingly innocent question turns out to be quite difficult to answer! On the other hand, the question becomes (MUCH) easier when you don’t require that everyone be seated at the table (so you’re okay with some people standing around). In this talk we’ll consider both questions (focusing mainly on the second question), look at several extensions of these questions, and see how doing research in mathematics can be like playing the wooden block game, Jenga.

 

 

Retirement reception for David Morris on Jan. 12

Please join us to celebrate the retirement of David Morris, of the Financial Aid Office. There will be a reception Friday, January 12, from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Enrollment Center, Room 129. Appetizers, snacks and beverages will be provided.

Please join us in saying “thank you” and “happy retirement” to David!