Open Registration Day creates opportunity for students to lock in GRCC classes for the next three semesters

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Grand Rapids Community College students can reserve spots in classes for the upcoming summer, fall, and winter semesters starting on Open Registration Day, Monday, March 21.

“Open Registration Day is the best chance for students to ensure they get the best selection of courses and plan ahead through next year,” said Kristi Welling, GRCC’s associate director of Enrollment Services. “GRCC is proud to offer courses in a variety of times and formats, aimed at helping students schedule around home and work responsibilities. This registration period allows people to do long-term planning, and have the peace of mind knowing they have a seat in the classes they want, in the formats they want.”

Starting today, classes will be open for enrollment for the Summer 2022 semester, the Fall 2022 semester, and the Winter 2023 semester.

The summer semester is an opportunity for many students to keep on track to graduate, taking one or two courses and building momentum.

Summer also is popular with students attending four-year colleges and universities. They can attend as a guest student, taking easily transferable classes at GRCC’s affordable tuition.

The long-term planning is helpful for students using tuition-free programs, such as the Grand Rapids Promise, Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners.

GRCC admissions and enrollment specialists are available to assist with registration questions. Students can contact the Student Services team by phone at (616) 234-3300; email at admissions@grcc.edu; or in-person on the first floor of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall, 143 Bostwick Ave. NE.

GRCC specialists also can help with questions about financial aid, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA. Students can connect with financial aid specialists by phone at (616) 234-4030; email at financialaid@grcc.edu; or virtually or in-person by appointment on the first floor at Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall.

Adjunct Appreciation Week

The CTE is Celebrating the Adjuncts this week!! We Appreciate your Commitment and Dedication to the students of Grand Rapids Community College.

To show our appreciation we have snacks for you this week in the following buildings around campus:

• ATC – Room 221
• Calkins – Rooms 320 & 520
• College Park Plaza – English Department – Room 400 – Math Department – Room 233
• Cook Hall – Rooms 209 & 400
• Lakeshore – 105
• MTEC 101
• RJF Hall – Rooms 303 & 511
• Sneden – Rooms 202 & 316

My Story Started at GRCC: Chef Darrin Mayweather says GRCC gave him discipline, tools to be successful

Darrin Mayweather has a favorite among his many memories of his time as a GRCC student.

“My favorite GRCC memory is graduation,” he said. “Both my great-grandmothers and my son were able to see me walk across the stage.”

Start at GRCC and go anywhere. Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC gave them the education and opportunity to be successful.

After graduating from GRCC’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education with an associate degree and a personal chef certification, Mayweather earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Ferris State University.

He has taken his culinary skills to kitchens in casual and fine dining establishments and health care facilities. In 2019, he and fellow GRCC alumnus Chris Sampson founded Social Arts LLC, a full-service catering and private chef business.

“GRCC’s culinary program gave me the discipline and tools I needed to be successful and to find my niche in the culinary world,” Mayweather said. “GRCC gave me the structure and knowledge necessary to successfully start and run a business. In addition, the diverse population was an accurate depiction of what I’m around in my day-to-day life – which I love.”

Mayweather returned to GRCC in January, as an adjunct instructor in the culinary program where he prepares his students to experience the thrill he felt walking across the graduation stage.

“GRCC is a staple in the community that truly supports diversity and higher education while supplying all the tools necessary to successfully complete one of the many programs offered,” he said.

Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply.

GRCC’s Collegiate earns Division III College Newspaper of the Year honors from Michigan Press Association

The Collegiate, Grand Rapids Community College’s student newspaper, earned College Newspaper of the Year honors from the Michigan Press Association on Thursday.

The paper earned the top award in Division III in the College Better Newspaper Contest, and placed second in the Open Class – Online Newspaper category, finishing behind the University of Michigan’s Michigan Daily.

The GRCC students in April earned the Best News Website award in the 2021 Michigan Community College Press Association Competition for the third year in a row.

“It’s great to see multiple reporters bring home awards for their work,” former Collegiate Editor-in-Chief Sean Chase said in a story posted by the paper. “Winning back-to-back awards says a lot about the program as a whole and Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood’s leadership.”

The Collegiate won 13 other MPA awards during the virtual ceremony, including Chase receiving second place in the Best Writer category.

Awards include:

• Collegiate writers earned the top two places in the Column – Review or Blog – News category, with Angelina Jahn earning first place and Sam Tucker earning second place.
• Anthony Clark Jr. earned first place and Matthew Denhartigh earned second place in the Sports News/Features category.
• Breegan Petruska earned first place and Chase earned third place in the Editorial category.
• Abby Haywood earned first place in the Front Page Design category, and first place in the Open Class Original Cartoon – Editorial or Entertainment category.
• Editor-in-Chief Kaia Zimmerman earned second place and an honorable mention in the Column – Review or Blog – Sports category.
• Chase earned second place in the News Story category.
• Aspen Strauss earned third place in the Open Class Multimedia Reporting category.

Entries were reviewed by the Arkansas Press Association.

“It is more important than ever to recognize and encourage good, impactful journalism. That is what our college newspapers are doing, and with support and recognition from contests and professionals in the field, that will continue. Our experienced faculty and advisors will see to it as well,” Joanne Williams, associate professor of journalism and mass communication at Olivet College and MCPA president, said in a release.

The Collegiate’s winning entries are available here. 

GRCC baseball team explodes for 25 runs, allows just one in doubleheader sweep

The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team exploded for 25 runs on Sunday, sweeping a doubleheader against the University of Northwestern Ohio Junior Varsity to extend its win streak to three games.

The GRCC offense put up at least one run in each of the six innings played in the first game in a 13-0, two-pitcher shutout.

Seven different GRCC players had at least one hit. Designated hitter Dylan Chargo was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and one run scored.

Second-year player Caleb Engelsman started the game for GRCC, picking up his first win of the season after four innings of work.  Brad Dunn pitched the final two innings.  They combined for six strikeouts while giving up just three hits and one walk.

In the second game, GRCC jumped out to an 11-runs lead in the first inning, cruising to a 12-1, five-inning victory. GRCC totaled 15 hits to just four for Northwestern Ohio.

Six players had at least two hits, led by Ryan Dykstra, who was 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Dykstra is committed to playing at Oakland University next season.

Jerad Berkenpas picked up his second victory of the season, pitching four innings and giving up just three hits while striking out four.

After losing their first 10 games to start the season, GRRCC has now won three in a row to improve to 3-10.

The team is scheduled to play next on Mar. 23 at 3 p.m. at Aquinas College in a nine-inning game.

Call for proposals

The Center for Teaching Excellence is seeking submissions for the Summer Teaching and Learning Institute, which will be held August 10-12. It is anticipated that the format will be a mix of in-person, virtual, and hyflex offerings.

This event is a great opportunity to provide professional development applicable to preparing for the fall semester, but also to inform attendees about new initiatives or changes to process around the College.

The proposal form is open and accepting submission through April 29.

https://forms.gle/zKei8fSU8XhdGi5U7

GRCC In the News 03/21/2022

Greenville’s Brock Kohler, Joe Fox reflect on first year as starting guard, head coach combo with GRCC basketball

3/19/22 The Daily News (Greenville)

GRAND RAPIDS — Brock Kohler’s journey to college basketball has been far from conventional.

Upon graduating from Greenville High School in 2018, the former runner-up for the Daily News All-Area Player of the Year took his basketball talents to Grand Rapids Community College, where he trained with the Raiders for the summer of 2018.

Waugh draws women to the construction industry

3/18/22 Grand Rapids Business Journal

What once was just a marketing job opportunity for Jenny Waugh now has turned into a career-long fascination with the construction industry.

… Waugh said there is a concentrated effort in Grand Rapids to get more women involved in construction. That, she said, is evident in the new West Michigan Construction Institute that opened earlier this year, and Grand Rapids Community College President Bill Pink’s effort to create a space where people can pursue a career in the trades or AEC positions. Waugh said she wants to help and be a mentor to other women who are just entering the industry so they can be successful.

Amazon partners with Eastern Michigan University to pay for employees’ tuition

3/21/22 The Eastern Echo (Eastern Michigan University’s student newspaper)

Eastern Michigan University recently announced their acceptance in Career Choice, a part of Amazon’s pledge which includesa $1.2 billion commitment to upskill more than 300,000 Amazon employees by 2025.

… “Eastern Michigan University is proud to have been selected by Amazon to be one of two universities in Michigan and two community colleges to participate in the program. The others are Grand Valley, Henry Ford College, and Grand Rapids Community College,” (Melissa) Thrasher said.

Save the date for the Campus Blood Drive on March 30, 2022

The Office of Student Life and Conduct will be hosting a Versiti Blood Drive on March 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It will be located in the Applied Technology Center (ATC) room 124. 

Please register for an appointment at https://donate.michigan.versiti.org/…/drive…/141250

Walk-ins are also welcomed. Donors will receive a $10 gift card and free lunch.

Complimentary registration for Cultural Competence Institute [CCI]: Register by March 31

The Provost and Office of Instructional Support have partnered to offer full-time faculty and staff free registration to the 2022 Cultural Competence Institute.

Please contact LaKenya Gissendanner at [ lgissend@grcc.edu ] to sign up for this opportunity by March 31.

This year’s CCI will focus on interweaving principles of equity into the strategic planning process. 

We will convene in virtual format on Friday, April 8, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am (EST).

Listed below is an outline of the three-hour session:

8:30 am to 9:15 am  
-Organizational triumphs when equity is critical to the strategic plan
-The ‘business case’ for embedding equity into the strategic plan
-How equity drives the institutional mission, values, purpose)
 

9:15 am to 10:00 am
-Fostering faculty engagement and leadership
-Action-centered practices faculty can adopt to embed equity
-Best practices in faculty and administration partnerships  
 
10:10 am to 11:15 am
-Key steps: How do we get there?

Red Table Talk on Marijuana

The GRCC Office of Student Life & Conduct and the Office of Counseling & Career Development will be doing a Red Table Talk on Marijuana. It will be a discussion on the most controversial Marijuana questions. 

It will be facilitated by Rosario Parada MPA, Student Resources Coordinator and Melissa Ware LMSW, CPS-GRCC Program Director/Professor/Counselor on Wednesday March 23, 2022 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

This presentation will be located in the Office of Student Life & Conduct. Students can RSVP at rosarioparad@grcc.edu for a zoom link, but walk-ins are welcomed. There will be a raffle of airpods and a to go lunch provided for students. Staff are welcome to attend also.

Commencement volunteers still needed

Commencement is a not far away! Please show your support for our graduates by volunteering to help make this time memorable for our students.

Commencement will take place on Friday, April 29 beginning at 7 PM (School of Arts and Sciences) and Saturday, April 30 beginning at 1 PM (School of Workforce Development).

Most volunteer positions will require you to arrive approximately 1.5 – 2 hours prior to the start of commencement.

Complete this quick form to let us know your interest in volunteering. We will respond with additional information and your specific volunteer assignment at a later date.