Payroll Thanksgiving reminder

As we prepare to enjoy some time away from work next week for the Thanksgiving campus closure starting on Wednesday, 11/24/21, the Payroll Team has a reminder about your timesheets for the 12/10/21 pay date (for the pay period of 11/15-11/28/21). We don’t want the due dates to sneak up on you post-break!

While timesheets are still due by Monday, 11/29/21, many employees (students, especially!) are in the habit of submitting them at the end of the pay period. Since we will all be out on Friday, 11/26/21, you might want to submit your timesheet by Tuesday, 11/23/21 (or today if you’re out all of next week). Please take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that the most accurate version of your timesheet is submitted by Monday, 11/29/21.

And, supervisors, if you’re out for any additional time around this shutdown, please ensure you have a backup approver in place to review and approve timesheets by the deadline of Tuesday, 11/30/21. More information on setting up a backup approver can be found here.

Humanities Grant opportunity

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is accepting applications for Institutes for Higher Education Faculty. NEH Institutes are professional development programs that convene higher education faculty from across the nation to deepen and enrich their understanding of a variety of topics in the humanities and enrich their capacity for effective scholarship and teaching.

Institutes allow immersive study of humanities topics, foster new fields of study, revitalize existing areas of inquiry, reinvigorate teaching in the classroom, and encourage intellectual and professional collaboration.

Applicants are required to introduce the subject to be studied, explain its intellectual significance, outline the questions and themes around the topic, and explain how they support scholarship and teaching.

The period of performance is 15 to 24 months with funding up to $235,000. The deadline to submit proposals is February 22, 2022.

Email Kim Squiers at kimsquiers@grcc.edu in the GRCC Grants Department for more information.

Here to Help: GRCC Police Chief Rebecca Whitman helps keep students safe

Always remember, at GRCC, you are surrounded by people who want you to be successful and are ready to walk with you on your educational pathway. We are here to help!

Meet GRCC Police Chief Rebecca Whitman. Chief Whitman is here to help students and employees be safe on campus.

“If you ever feel unsafe, have a concern, or see a dangerous situation call GRCC PD right away at 234-4911, or 4911 from an on-campus phone,” she said.  “It is the GRCC Police Department’s primary job to keep people and things safe while on our campus.”

Chief Whitman’s 17-person police department also focuses on emergency preparation and service. Programs such as GRCC Safe Walk, where an officer assists people walking between buildings and parking garages after dark, as well as assisting with medical emergencies and helping motorists, are aimed at providing security and peace of mind.

As a police department for a community college, GRCC PD has full law enforcement authority — with the ability to arrest and carry firearms. Officers enforce college policies as well as all city, state and federal laws.

Chief Whitman has more than 35 years of law enforcement experience, and the members of her department have more than 250 years of combined law enforcement experience. Every day Chief Whitman and her team leverage that experience to be a resource for members of our campus community.

“I’m satisfied knowing that our students can come and go freely without worrying,” she said.

See Full Article

YOU can be an informal ambassador for GRCC!

Have you ever been out in the community and wanted to share information about becoming a student at GRCC — what does the admissions process entail, what programs are available, etc? Do you cross paths with individuals who might benefit from attending GRCC and have questions you might be able to answer?

Join us for “Recruit Your Barista” as a way to learn about how to promote GRCC to prospective students and families you encounter out & about. Facilitated by our outstanding staff in the GRCC Admissions & Enrollment Department, you’ll leave this session feeling confident to be an informal ambassador for GRCC. If you’ve got Raider pride, this is a great way to show it!

Sign up for the GRCC employee learning opportunity – Recruit your Barista on Thursday, December 2 from 11-12 p.m. in Room 109 RJF, to get tips on how to inform anyone about the opportunities that GRCC can provide. Register via the Professional Development tile in your Online Center account.

College Channel programming through Nov. 18

The College Channel Guide schedule, through November 18, includes the 11/10/21 Psychology Department Speakers Series- Dr. Lauren Harris and November 2021 GRCC Board of Trustees videos.

GRCC Psychology Lecture Series – Lauren Harris 11/10/21

GRCC Board of Trustees November 2021

Want more? Check out videos from your local Colleges and Universities.

Updated phone hours for IT Customer Support

Greetings to our valued GRCC Community!

Helping our students, faculty and staff with their technology needs is our top priority. 

Unfortunately, our department has not been exempt from staffing challenges, because of this, we are temporarily unable to offer Sunday Support Desk hours. We don’t make this decision lightly but our data shows that Sunday is the best spot to make such an adjustment.

This change will be in effect starting Sunday, November 21. 

We know that technology doesn’t respect anyone’s schedule (the stories we could tell) and we understand that it can be frustrating when things just aren’t working. We encourage those experiencing issues on Sundays to submit a ticket to us through our Customer Support portal at supportdesk.grcc.edu. We’ll continue to respond to high priority tickets and publish outage and disruption information to keep everyone in the know. 

This isn’t permanent, we promise. We’re working hard to recruit and train more employees in a timely manner. We want to thank you for your grace, patience and understanding during this time. 

Our phone hours are:

Monday through Friday 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Walk-in Support is available in room 004, Floor G2 of RJF 

8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Thanksgiving Week Phone Hours

Monday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Tuesday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Wednesday through Sunday ~ Closed 

GRCC and LMCU – a Max Advantage for employees

Join LMCU experts for the Home Buying Guidance (virtual) session on December 1. Get your questions answered for first time home buyers, refinance, and more.

Earn more and pay less with Lake Michigan Credit Union – rated One of the Best Return of Member among credit unions in the nation.*

Lake Michigan Credit Union is proud to partner with GRCC, to bring exclusive benefits to you through our MaxAdvantage program. In addition to earning 3% on your Max Checking account and paying less with our low mortgage rates, you will receive $150 off your mortgage closing costs.

You’ll also have exclusive access to our VIP Services program.

See why over 500,000 members already love Lake Michigan Credit Union!

Learn More

*Callahan and Associates–March 2021 

Language Arts Online Tutorial Lab: Thanksgiving Week Hours

Monday 11/22: Open as usual

Tuesday 11/23: VIRTUAL ONLY

Wednesday 11/24 through Sunday 11/28: CLOSED

Monday 11/29: Reopen as usual

GRCC In the News 11/19/2021

Announcing Mastercam’s 2021 Wildest Parts Competition Winners

11/18/21; Mastercam press release

TOLLAND, Conn., Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Mastercam has announced the 2021 Wildest Parts Competition winners. The Wildest Parts Competition is held each year to encourage student interest and participation in manufacturing. The competition is open to students at the secondary and postsecondary levels to create parts demonstrating creativity and technical skill using Mastercam and also has a division for professional Mastercam users to enter parts they created.

… In the Teams Division, Wrindy Hauser’s team from Grand Rapids Community College, Michigan submitted Thor’s hammer. The team members belong to a machinist apprenticeship program at GRCC. In making Thor’s hammer, they said they wanted to make something that gets people excited about machining. When anyone looks at their project, they are going to think it’s awesome and want to learn how to make it! Jiao-Hao Wun’s teammates from Vanung University, Taiwan, placed 2nd with their modern museum. Ming-Yang Chen’s team from Vanung University placed 3rd with their robot.

In the Professional Division, Andy Beach from Grand Rapids Community College submitted Ironman, which was created to test out a brand new UMC 500 Haas Mill where Andy works. The machine was the first 5- axis machine installed at Grand Rapids Community College. Andy wanted to give the machine a thorough test by machining a multiaxis part that would push the size constraints of the machine. David Berry from Southwestern Illinois College placed 2nd with a dodecahedron of Mastercam toolpaths, and PUTEN PLUS came in 3rd with a wireless charging disc.

Morning News

11/19/21; FOX 17

(Restaurant Week.)

Trans Day of Remembrance outdoor vigil on Saturday evening to remember those lost to violence

GRCC’s LGBTQ+ Inclusive Fundamentals Team, CAP 3.4, is partnering with the Grand Rapids Pride Center and the Grand Rapids Trans Foundation to host a simple memorial and reading of names in observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual acknowledgement and mourning for the lives lost to transphobic violence around the world.

The vigil is planned for 5-6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20 on the Dr. Juan Olivarez Student Plaza by the lion fountain.

The team encourages participants to follow wellness protocols by practicing social distancing, and asking people stay home if exhibiting any cold or allergy-like symptoms, including congestion, headache, sore throat, chill, or fever.