GRCC In the News 12/15/2021

GRCC to add new wayfinding system to campus

12/7/21 WOOD TV

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Some new changes are coming to the Grand Rapids Community College campus.

Map highlights how GRCC brewers help Grand Rapids earn its Beer City USA title

12/7/21 secondwavemedia.com

Everyone knows about the region’s reputation as Beer City USA, but did you know about the Grand Rapids Community College connection?

Signage installation will aid campus wayfinding at Michigan community college

12/8/21 American School & University

Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) in Grand Rapids, Mich.,is installing a comprehensive wayfinding system that will help pedestrians and motorists navigate the campus. 

Good things on The Lakeshore

12/8/21 WHTC

HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Each week, Shandra Martinez, managing editor of The Lakeshore, talks with morning news host Peg McNichol about people and organizations making a positive difference along the Lakeshore.

… Map highlights how GRCC brewers help Grand Rapids earn its Beer City USA title. The Grand Rapids Community College Foundation’s alumni relations team created a map of local craft breweries owned or operated by GRCC alums. It’s a fun way to create your own brewery tour and support GRCC alumni.

GRCC, City of Grand Rapids host training for chefs to help after disasters

12/8/21 MLive

Area chefs will be ready to help the community in an emergency through special training hosted by Grand Rapids Community College’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education and the City of Grand Rapids on Nov. 22 and 23.

Newsmakers

12/8/21 Community College Daily (American Association of Community Colleges)

… Ashlee Mishler is the new director of the Grand Rapids Promise Zone, the scholarship program that covers all costs of a Grand Rapids Community College education for city students. She previously served for more than four years at Ferris State University as a marketing manager and marketing communications specialist.

News 8 at Noon

12/8/21 WOOD TV

(Vaccination clinic.)

No. 1 Mott men’s basketball team stays unbeaten with 22-point win over Grand Rapids

12/8/21 MLive

FLINT – The Mott Community College men’s basketball express continued to roll Wednesday night.

The Bears, who are ranked No. 1 in the nation, remained unbeaten in eight games by beating Grand Rapids Community College 86-64 at Ballenger Field House.

For booming Grand Rapids, a larger ambition: Midwest technology hub

12/8/21 Bridge Magazine

Business growth in the Grand Rapids region has taken deliberate paths for decades, from development of downtown attractions that fueled nightlife to creation of the “Medical Mile” area filled with medical research and care facilities.

… (Randy Thelen, CEO of The Right Place) We’re working with our companies, talking with them already about what we can do to secure that job growth here versus other markets around the country. And we just submitted a grant to the U.S. Economic Development Administration with partners at Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University. 

Nueva beca disponible para trabajadores de primera linea que no sean elegibles para recibir ayuda federal

12/10/21 El Vocero

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN- Una nueva beca creará un camino gratuito para los trabajadores esenciales que no son elegibles para recibir ayuda financiera federal.

… En Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), la beca se puede utilizar a partir del semestre de invierno de 2022, y la inscripción para las clases ya está abierta.

(GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN- A new grant will create a free pathway for essential workers who are not eligible for federal financial aid.

… At Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), the scholarship can be used starting in the winter semester of 2022, and registration for classes is now open.)

Autocam Medical recognizes apprenticeship grads

12/10/21 Grand Rapids Business Journal

The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) Lab has churned out another group of CNC machinists from its apprenticeship program.

… The event, recognizing the company’s fourth class of graduates, included a few words of motivation and inspiration by John Kennedy IV, general manager of Autocam Medical, and Bill Pink, president of Grand Rapids Community College.

Autocam Medical recognizes latest apprenticeship program graduates

12/10/21 todaysmedicaldevelopments.com

Autocam Medical, a global contract manufacturer of precision surgical and medical components and devices, presented 11 students with certificates of completion for their CNC Machinist Apprentice Program during a November 10th ceremony at the AMP Lab at Western Michigan University in Grand Rapids.

The event, recognizing the company’s fourth class of graduates, was kicked off with a few words of motivation and inspiration by John Kennedy, IV, General Manager of Autocam Medical, and Dr. Bill Pink, President of Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC).

GRCC to make navigating campus easier

12/13/21 Grand Rapids Business Journal

A $600,000 construction project is underway on the Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) downtown campus.

More housing coming to West Michigan, still more needed

12/14/21 secondwavemedia.com

Thousands of new homes are set to come on the market in Ottawa County in the next 18 months, HousingNext Executive Director Ryan Kilpatrick says.

… Hom Flats, Holland Township — This is the first family-oriented Low-income housing tax credit project approved in Ottawa County in more than 20 years and will provide 114 affordable rental units for households earning 40% to 80% of the area median income. It will be located on a primary MAX bus route and is accessible to the new Grand Rapids Community College Lakeshore Campus and a majority of the retail and manufacturing jobs in the community. 

… Lakewood Flats, Holland Township — Midwest Construction has zoning approval and is nearing completion of their financing to begin construction on 190 units of affordable housing on Lakewood Blvd east of US-31. The project would include apartments for households earning 40% to 80% area median income along with a mixed-use building with shops and restaurants, a community clubhouse, a playground to be designed by the Outdoor Discovery Center, and the preservation of a natural creek and several acres of green space. The project is located on a MAX transit line with close proximity to downtown, the new Grand Rapids Community College Lakeshore Campus, and several job centers.

Nominations being sought for 2022 Emeritus Faculty Award

You are invited to nominate a GRCC retired faculty or administrator for the Emeritus Faculty Award.

This award was established in 1985 to honor those instructors and administrators whose dedication and creativity have left an indelible mark on the lives of students and colleagues at GRCC. 

During their tenure at GRCC and since their retirement, they have continued to promote GRCC’s “Commitment to Excellence.”

Please submit online nominations by noon on Friday, February 11, 2022.  For more information, please visit the website.

Wellness Champions: New Healthy Living class helps students understand the importance of making healthy choices.

Be a champion! GRCC is helping students and employees focus on all areas of health and wellness as we emerge together from the pandemic.

Wellness is a full integration of physical, mental and spiritual health. That includes physical health, but so much more. During the next year we’re also looking at emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental and occupational health, and how we all can work to help ourselves and each other.

There are many resources at GRCC to help all of these types of wellness. Each week, we’ll introduce you to people and places here on campus ready to support you on your wellness journey.

January is approaching and that means New Year’s resolutions. Many of us have wellness-related resolutions. Many of us watch those resolutions fall by the wayside.

But GRCC’s Exercise Science team can help you keep those resolutions – at least through the end of the semester! Plus, students can earn credit along the way.

Professor Jodi Gee is the department head and an expert, earning her bachelor’s degree in Movement Science from Grand Valley State University and a master’s degree in Physical Education from Western Michigan University.

Students don’t have to be athletes or physical education majors to take Exercise Science classes. The department has a new general education class called Healthy Living 189. This class will meet the Social Science distribution area and count as general education for students starting in fall 2022.

The two-credit class is designed to teach students the concepts of how to stay healthy and prevent disease. Students learn about health topics such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, social connections and healthy relationships, heart disease, stroke, mental health and stress, sleep, substance abuse and misuse, principles of physical fitness, dimensions of wellness, weight management and body image, diseases, nutrition, cancer, exploring and analyzing health, genetic, social, ecological and behavioral change models, and more.

Healthy Living is designed to motivate students to take their health seriously. This course helps students understand why they should make healthy choices and how they can change unhealthy patterns.

“Wellness classes and exercise help us feel better, live better, and sleep better,” Gee said. “Our classes can also help to combat anxiety and depression through exercise.”

The department offers a wide range of wellness courses, including Sustainable Living, focusing on holistic health using environmentally sustainable lifestyle approaches.

That’s in addition to fitness and athletics classes. Additional information is available here: https://www.grcc.edu/schools-departments/exercise-science/wellness-courses-we.

Workforce Wednesday: James Hernandez taps One Workforce program to find a new career with job security

GRCC Workforce Training programs provide in-demand skills leading to rewarding careers. Each Wednesday we’ll meet students who are heading down an educational pathway and changing their lives by earning occupational certificates.

Life’s path isn’t always a straight line and James Hernandez’s path has taken a sharp turn.

Hernandez was prospering as a chef. But when he was furloughed for three months and watched as more than 400 of his co-workers were let go, he was pretty nervous.

“I just had a feeling like this was not going to end well for me,” he said. “During this time, a friend of mine who works at Medbio told me he had been working the whole time. He suggested I apply. With a family and a mortgage, I just needed do some kind of work that was more secure.

“I started as a temp and was then hired in directly. After being an operator for a while, I let management know that I was interested in doing more. I then enrolled in the Plastics Polymer Engineering Certificate Program at GRCC and just finished my first class.

“Once I started class, I received a text from Cody Giba, representing the One Workforce program. The text said that I may qualify for some financial help through a new grant program. I got back to him right away.”

One Workforce for West Michigan Manufacturing is a grant program assisting those interested in pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing, or for those who want to improve their current manufacturing skills.

Even GRCC students who are currently enrolled in a manufacturing class or training program may qualify for financial assistance. There are nearly 20 GRCC programs qualifying for financial support. 

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Exam Week GRCC Library hours & technology returns

GRCC’s Library & Learning Commons will be open during Exam Week as follows:
Monday Dec. 13: 7:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Tuesday Dec. 14: 7:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Wednesday Dec. 15: 7:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Thursday Dec. 16: 7:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Friday Dec. 17: 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Saturday Dec. 18: 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

All student technology* checked out from GRCC’s Library is due back at the Circulation Desk on Friday, Dec. 17, sooner if you are done with it for the semester.

Laptops are on a timer which will lock / close at the end of the Fall Semester, when IT will reimage and update them for Winter checkouts which will begin January 3, 2022.

The Library is extending hours for technology returns only on Saturday, Dec. 18, from 8-3. The Circulation Desk will be open, but all other areas of the Library will be closed.

Questions? Call Library Circulation at 616-234-3872.

A treat for you 12/16

In celebration of the holiday season, all GRCC employees are invited to stop by The Quiet Cafe (2nd floor, Student Center) or The Sneden Cafe on Thursday, December 16 between 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. to enjoy a complimentary beverage. 

*Please show your employee ID*

We are offering:

• Coffee
• Hot Cocoa
• Peppermint Mocha
• Assorted teas

Drink carriers will be available in order to take beverages back to the office.

Thank you for all you are and all you’ve done this year! 

Best wishes for a festive, joyful, and peaceful holiday season for you and yours!

Sponsored by GRCC Human Resources

Return your rented books: DUE BY Friday, December 17, 2021

Please share this with your student.

Come to the store in-person to check in your rented title using your phone number. Or ship your book(s) using the carrier of your choice at your expense. For check-in accuracy, include your Name, Phone Number and Patron ID with your rental return.

You will receive email reminders which will include return instructions before your due date. All emails list your Patron ID.

$ell Your Books at the GRCC Bookstore

Not using your book any longer? The bookstore may be able to pay you as much as 25-50% of the book’s original price, especially if the book is being used on campus next term.  Must have a student ID to sell books to store.

• Pages should not be torn or missing.  Print should not be obscured with heavy writing or highlighting.
• Textbooks with water damage, stains, and/or pages sticking together are not considered in “good condition” and may not be sold to the bookstore.
• Loose-pages and 3-hole punched course materials and physical access codes may not be sold to the bookstore.

Financial Aid will be available for bookstore purchases beginning Monday, January 3, 2022.