Learn from the Best: GRCC professor looks at the apocalypse through 14 years of artwork in new exhibit

A Grand Rapids Community College assistant professor is using 14 years of his artwork to illustrate the apocalypse in the newest exhibit at the Paul Collins Art Gallery.

“Tradigital,” with the works of Matthew Schenk, runs through the end of April at the gallery, located on Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall’s fourth floor at 143 Bostwick Ave. NE. The gallery is open 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; admission is free.

Schenk, who has taught in GRCC’s Visual Arts Department since 2019, said the exhibit looks at various “art is dead” declarations, which he notes first started in 1839, and media pronouncements that this is the end of days and the world is in ruins.

“These particular pieces are a selection of my work over the last 14 years,” he said. “They start out as observation of the human form and beauty, and devolve into confronting the viewer with our insecurities with views of the apocalypse bogeyman and its visual symbols – guns, technology, gas masks and grit.”

Before joining GRCC, Schenk taught illustration and medical illustration at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design for 11 years. From 1997 to 2005, he was a coordinator and production supervisor at Columbia Tristar Children’s Entertainment, now Sony Television Animation, where he worked on “Jackie Chan Adventures,” “Men in Black: The Animated Series” and “Jumanji.”

He received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Michigan State University and a master’s in figurative painting from Academy of Art University.

Schenk teaches Two-Dimensional Design, Color, Digital Foundations, and Digital Painting.

The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team exploded for 29 hits and 22 runs in a sweep over Cornerstone University’s junior varsity squad on Tuesday.

Down 2-0 in game one, GRCC’s Xander Reisbig lined a two-run triple in the fourth inning and then scored the go-ahead run one play later.

GRCC tacked on five more runs over the next four innings and won 8-4. 

Reisbig had three of the team’s 11 hits.

Blake Waibel picked up his first win of the season in three innings of relief pitching.

In the nightcap, the Raiders erupted for 12 runs in the first three innings and never looked back, winning 14-6.

Eight of the nine GRCC starters collected at least one hit, with Dylan Chargo leading the way with a four-for-five performance. 

Max Varon hit his third home run of the season and Reisbig added three more hits.  Reisbig finished the day with six hits in nine at-bats with four RBI and five runs scored.

Aiden Stam, one of five GRCC pitchers who saw action in the second game, earned the win.

The sweep brings GRCC’s season record to 8-14.

The team will resume its series with Lake Michigan College at home on April 7.   

GRCC Supply Chain Operations Management certificate prepares students for careers in growing field

Dr. Matheta Muraa-Righa has a passion.

“I have a passion for learning, and I want the best for my students and the whole community,” said Muraa-Righa, an assistant business professor at Grand Rapids Community College.

That passion is what prompted Muraa-Righa to research and create a new Supply Chain Operations Management certificate curriculum in 2019 at the college.

She designed the program in collaboration with leading employers in West Michigan to address the growing demand for people with entry-level management skills in supply chain operations, including production, inventory, transportation, warehouse operations and logistics.

Students who earn this 30-week certificate can often start in the workforce as production, planning and expediting clerks. They also may apply the credits they earn toward an associate degree in business or other programs, or pursue bachelor’s degrees in supply chain management or logistics.

Muraa-Righa began researching the potential scope of the program in 2017, consulting several universities and local companies including Meijer, Spartan Nash and GE.

Since its debut, more and more students are flocking to it – including an online cohort of two dozen Meijer employees under Muraa-Righa’s coordination.

Interest in the program is due, in part, to COVID-19 and the way it upended supply chains around the globe. Even now, hardly a day goes by without supply chain concerns in the news.

“Three years ago, the average person didn’t really know about supply chains. But once their Christmas presents got stuck on a ship in the ocean, people started realizing the way so many products come from the other side of the world every day,” Muraa-Righa said.

But the certificate’s popularity is also because Muraa-Righa believes in its importance – and conveys that to GRCC students.

Kara Nearanz was one of the first students at GRCC to earn her Supply Chain Operations Management certificate.

“This certificate gave me the skills and confidence to succeed at any position I choose,” said Nearanz, a research assistant at Spectrum Health Office of Research and Education.

Anyone interested in the Supply Chain Operations Management Certificate program should contact GRCC’s Business Department at business@grcc.edu or (616) 234-4220 or professor Matheta Muraa-Righa at mrigha@grcc.edu

GRCC baseball team explodes for 22 runs in sweep of Cornerstone University junior varsity

The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team exploded for 29 hits and 22 runs in a sweep over Cornerstone University’s junior varsity squad on Tuesday.

Down 2-0 in game one, GRCC’s Xander Reisbig lined a two-run triple in the fourth inning and then scored the go-ahead run one play later.

GRCC tacked on five more runs over the next four innings and won 8-4. 

Reisbig had three of the team’s 11 hits.

Blake Waibel picked up his first win of the season in three innings of relief pitching.

In the nightcap, the Raiders erupted for 12 runs in the first three innings and never looked back, winning 14-6.

Eight of the nine GRCC starters collected at least one hit, with Dylan Chargo leading the way with a four-for-five performance. 

Max Varon hit his third home run of the season and Reisbig added three more hits.  Reisbig finished the day with six hits in nine at-bats with four RBI and five runs scored.

Aiden Stam, one of five GRCC pitchers who saw action in the second game, earned the win.

The sweep brings GRCC’s season record to 8-14.

The team will resume its series with Lake Michigan College at home on April 7.   

Wellness Champions: Be sustainable by keep those socks out of a landfill

Sustainability is an increasingly important part of wellness. Sometimes even something as small as a pair of socks – or the one that hasn’t mysteriously vanished in the laundry – can make a difference.

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.

Socks, believe it or not, are the most thrown-away piece of apparel. GRCC can help with that!

Wellness Champions Leigh Kleinert and Monic Bliss are teaming up with Smartwool’s Second Cut Project to create a more circular economy and give every sock a second chance at life.

Smartwool has partnered with Material Return circularity platform to deconstruct socks and upcycle them into new products.

The idea is to keep materials from finding forever homes in landfills, where they take up space. Plus, creating new materials creates 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere each year, according to the organization.

The circular economy happens when you take something that’s been produced and use it for something else rather than throwing it away. That gives extra life to raw materials and creates a new sourcing stream for other products.

So go through the drawers, find those socks you are ready to throw away, and bring them to campus

The Wellness Champions will identify nine locations around campus for sock drop-off. More details to come on these locations, so please stay tuned. This initiative will go from April 8 to 22 and we hope you can participate!

Tech Tip: Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

GRCC Information Technology is pleased to offer a new security measure to protect your GRCC Google Account! Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) adds an additional layer of security in verifying your identity.

It also helps to prevent attackers from logging into your account in the unfortunate event that an attacker obtains your password.

There are few ways to verify your identity while logging into your GRCC email account such as receiving a verification code via SMS to your established phone number or selecting Yes on your phone when prompted by Google.

Once you have successfully logged in using 2FA on a trusted computer/device that you designate, you should not be prompted with 2FA again. However, if you login via VMware, you will be prompted to verify your identity each new VMware session.

Turn on 2-Step Verification

Google 2-Step Verification

Information Technology will begin requiring all GRCC Faculty/Staff to enroll in 2-Step Verification on their GRCC Google accounts.

What is 2-Step Verification?

2-Step Verification (also referred to as Multi-Factor Authentication/MFA) adds an additional layer of security to your account in case your password is stolen by sending a verification code to an alternate email address and/or phone number you provide. 

When is this change coming?

This requirement is starting to occur now in batches and users will be selected based on alphabetical order of their username. 

Will I be notified? 

Yes.  You will receive an email from our Information Security team with instructions on how to set up 2-Step Verification on your GRCC Google account.  When you see this email, please do not mark it as Spam.

Is this the same as MyGRCC Multi-Factor Authentication?

No. Even though the process for signing into your MyGRCC account is similar, setting up Multi-Factor Authentication on your MyGRCC account does not mean it will be set up on your GRCC Google account. You must do this separately. 

Please reach out to the IT Support Desk at (616) 234-4357 or email itsupport@grcc.edu with any questions you may have. 

Thank you for keeping GRCC Safe and Secure!

GRCC Phone System to be updated tomorrow, April 7

Starting at 8 am on Thursday, April 7, GRCC will be switching phone services to a new provider. 

Here is what you can expect:

During the process, the phone numbers will be transitioning from the old provider to the new provider.

As each number is moved to the new provider, any calls in progress for that number will be disconnected. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

To minimize the disruption, we are taking the following steps:

• A phone message will be added to the system on Wednesday, April 6 to alert callers to the update.
• Frequently called numbers will be transitioned during the first part of the day.
• An update will be sent when the process is complete.  

Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.

Please reach out to the Support Desk with any questions you may have.