Daily Archives: April 19, 2022

Recap of April Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) Meeting

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GRCC’s Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) met on Friday, April 15, from 9am-noon. Below is a recap of the meeting:

  • The team viewed the 2022-25 GRCC Strategic Plan and participated in a table discussion about the next GRCC Strategic Plan. Following this presentation and discussion, the SLT membership in attendance endorsed the framework presented. SLT Exec will present this framework to the President before presenting to the Board of Trustees in June.
  • Team members viewed a recorded update from the Human Resources department about the Evidence-Based Selection Process (EBSP). Following the video and a review of additional documents, the team participated in a table discussion about EBSP.
  • SLT meets during the academic year and will reconvene in September.
  • Please contact Sheila Jones, sheilajones@grcc.edu, if you have any questions about SLT meetings.

About the Strategic Leadership Team: The purpose of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) is to provide a forum that enables a wide variety of college constituency groups the opportunity to provide input into the present and future direction of the College. This team will guide the development and on-going implementation of our strategic plan, review benchmarking data, study budget realities and offer recommendations for budget priorities. SLT’s membership includes over 90 representatives of the college community. Please visit this page to learn more about SLT.

GRCC summer semester class registration now open, creating opportunities for students to earn affordable credits to transfer, or get a head start on fall

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GRCC student smiling.

Classes are now open for Grand Rapids Community College’s two summer sessions, providing opportunities for students of all ages to continue their education – or get a head start on the fall semester.

GRCC’s summer schedule has two seven-week sessions and one 14-week session, with most classes starting on May 9. A second, seven-week session starts on June 28. Students can register for summer courses at grcc.edu/enroll.

“Summer classes are ideal for incoming freshmen seeking a head start on their college journey, current students scheduling classes around other responsibilities, and older learners looking to gain new skills,” GRCC President Bill Pink said. “These sessions keep a quality education within reach. Michigan Reconnect can eliminate cost as a barrier for students age 25 and older, and the online options can be convenient for students to keep moving forward on their classes wherever they will be during the summer months.”

Seats are available in more than 500 summer sections, with more than 200 offered online, 10 offered in a virtual real-time format and nine in the hybrid format – a mix of online and in-person settings.

Of the more than 300 in-person classes, about 250 are at the main campus in Grand Rapids, 21 are at the GRCC Lakeshore Campus at Lakeshore, 45 offered in locations off campus, including several area high schools.

A growing number of West Michigan students attending classes in four-year schools are taking summer classes at GRCC as guest students, then transferring them back to their home colleges. Guest students are students who are enrolled at another college, but are taking classes at GRCC to gain quality credits at affordable rates.

Universities and colleges across the state accept GRCC credits through the Michigan Transfer Credits. Students interested in attending GRCC as a guest student should first check with their home institution’s course equivalency guide to ensure GRCC courses will transfer back.

2022 Walking & Wellness Challenge registration is open

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Lace up your shoes, it’s time to hit the pavement! The annual GRCC employee Walking & Wellness Challenge is back!

We begin on Monday May 9 and go all summer until August 21. Fifteen weeks of wellness and fun!

This year we’re bringing back team participation and meet ups!

Getting started is simple!

Get your team together, come up with a name  [teams are 4-6 people]

Each participant completes a registration form.

Join the WWC Google Currents page if you haven’t already.

This year we will have a Kick Off, monthly meet ups around downtown (with swag giveaways), weekly West Michigan trail excursion recommendations, and much more! Of course, posting to the Currents page is strongly encouraged as it creates community and enhances the fun factor!

Those who sign up will receive detailed information about this year’s challenge very soon.

For questions or more information, please email walkingchallenge@grcc.edu.

My Story Started at GRCC: Nils Michaelis says GRCC sparked drive and ambition, leading to careers at Google and LEGO

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Nils Michaelis smiling.

Nils Michaelis’ career has taken him to several countries and to well-known companies such as Google and LEGO. He credits GRCC with giving him the best start.

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.

Michaelis started at GRCC in 2003, the same year he arrived in the United States from his native Germany.

“GRCC helped me jump-start my career in various ways: Immersing myself into American culture and engaging with both U.S. and other international students widened my horizon as a human being, but also in academics and the possibilities that are out there,” he said. “Attending GRCC, I also discovered something I didn’t think I had in me before: drive and ambition. That naturally came in handy during the remainder of my academic, as well as my professional, career for the years to come.”

He was active in Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year colleges; Delta Pi Alpha and the International Students Organization. After earning his associate degree in 2005, he transferred to Grand Valley State University, where he received a bachelor’s in advertising and public relations.

Michaelis had planned to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Michigan but instead went to work for Google in Dublin.

“I believe that having a healthy ambition and drive within you should take you where you want to go,” said Michaelis, who eventually received his master’s in global consumer marketing from the University of Liverpool in 2011. “If that means getting a degree in a field that interests you, that is a good start in the right direction. But one should never be afraid to change direction along the way.”

After five years in product marketing at Google, he joined Trustpilot, a startup consumer review platform in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“Over the past 10 years, I worked both in startup and larger enterprise environments in either marketing or product roles, learning what it takes to build successful digital markets,” he said.

Last year, he joined the LEGO Group, which is expanding beyond the well-loved toy bricks to become a digital consumer brand.

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

Removing an employee’s access after a separation

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Ever wonder how an employee’s access is removed after a separation? Do you have an employee who is leaving, transferring positions or retiring and want to make sure their access is removed for the systems they used?

Here are some things to know about removing employees’ access.

Network Accounts: To have access removed from an employee’s network account, supervisors should fill out the Employee Separation service form upon transfer to another department, separation with the college or retirement.

This would include access to systems such as Peoplesoft, Web Editing Access, Document Imaging and shared Network Drives. To submit an Employee Separation, visit the IT Customer Support Portal.

Google Groups: Each Google Group has one or more managers that controls the member access. If you have someone that needs to be removed from a Group, notify one of the Group managers.

If you are not sure who the manager of a Group is, click the Member tab in a Group and the Manager(s) will be listed there. You can add or remove users from your Google Group by following the steps listed in our knowledge base.


Google Team Drive: IT has empowered managers of Google Team Drives to update access for their employees.  You can add or remove users from your team drive by following the steps listed in our knowledge base.  

Email: An employee’s email access will automatically be removed when an Employee Separation request is processed. Separations are processed on the effective date which is typically the day after the employee’s last day. Supervisors should coordinate with their employee before the date of separation to transfer important departmental emails.


Lastly, we strongly encourage managers to have their employees share the content of their Google Drive, J Drive, or Email that may be relevant to their position as it becomes difficult to recover after someone leaves GRCC.

For other great tips, visit the IT Customer Support Portal and search the Knowledge Base for other articles.

If you have a suggestion or a Technology Tip you think can be useful, you can submit them by emailing techtips@grcc.edu

Pronouns primer tomorrow

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Whether you know it or not, you very likely interact with non-binary people who use the “they, them, their” pronouns.

Come expand your awareness and understanding, share your concerns, ask questions, and get some hands-on practice with us in a brave space.

It’s not about ideology; it’s about creating a supportive and safe environment for our students and peers.

Enroll in “Using They, Them, Their Pronouns” learning opportunity session – open to all GRCC employees – on April 20. 

Visit the Professional Development tile in your Online Center account to register.