Our baby, Iris Moon Douglas, was born April 21. Brandy and I are very excited about her arrival and looking forward to her future!
The first picture is of Iris as a newborn (a few weeks premature); the second picture is of Iris wide awake at about 7 weeks.
Matt Douglas – Professor in Biological Sciences
Kaye has been a police officer for 35 years and worked for GRCC PD for 26 years. Before GRCC, she worked with Kent County Airport Police for 8 years and Western Michigan University Police for 1 year.
Kaye shares:
“It is bittersweet leaving GRCC. I have met so many great people and students over the years and especially my co-workers who have become family. We have been together for many life milestones. There have been so many stories over the years it seems hard to pick just one. The tragedies always seem to stick out in your mind and I was happy to be there for both the victim and the families in their time of need.”
Kaye’s retirement plans include more work!
“I am going to be working at the 59th District Court in Grandville after I retire. I still wanted to be active and have some fun money on top of that!! It will be great to stay in the criminal justice field, just serving at a different level.”
Kaye concludes:
“I will miss everyone here but especially the laughs I share daily with my co-workers. GRCC has some great people and does fantastic things for our students. Thanks for the memories!!”
Congratulations and best wishes Kaye!
The area’s best high school players will square off in the annual John Bos Baseball and Softball All-Star Games today to benefit Grand Rapids Community College scholarships after a two-year hiatus.
Grand Rapids Community College and Davenport University are hosting the games on June 21 at Davenport University’s Farmers Insurance Complex. Baseball games are scheduled for 3, 5, and 7 :30 p.m., and softball games are 5 and 7 p.m.
Admission for spectators age 8 and over is $5, with proceeds going to GRCC’s John Bos Scholarship Fund.
“The John Bos games are a tradition that goes back to 1959, and we’re thrilled to bring them back after missing the last two years due to the pandemic,” GRCC Athletic Director Lauren Ferullo said. “Generations of baseball and softball players have competed in the games, and many others have benefitted from scholarships supported by the event.”
GRCC softball coach Molly McKinney participated in the John Bos game as a senior at Byron Center High School.
“It was a fun opportunity to play with all the players in your class you spent your high school career playing against,” McKinney said. “It was a wonderful experience to build connections. I am happy to hear the John Bos games have returned. It’s wonderful to think the proceeds of this event help out future GRCC student-athletes.”
Davenport head baseball coach Kevin Tidey participated in the event in 1989.
“The history of the Jon Bos game is amazing,” he said. “There have been a lot of great players that have played in this game. I know every senior looks forward to the opportunity. We are very honored to be hosting the Jon Bos game at Davenport University.”
Bos started as a physical education teacher at what was then Grand Rapids Junior College. By the 1920s, he coached all the men’s sports teams: football, basketball, baseball, track, tennis and swimming. His teams were known as the “Bosmen” and won state championships in football (1923, 1924, 1926 and 1928), basketball (1925, 1927 and 1928), tennis (1927) and swimming (1928). He left GRJC in 1938 to head the Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department.
GRCC now competes in baseball, softball, basketball, cross country, golf and volleyball. Student-athletes receive academic counseling and advising, along with tutoring and peer academic coaching.
The proceeds from admissions benefit the Bos Scholarship, awarded to GRCC student-athletes who compete for at least one of the college’s teams and maintain Michigan Community College Athletic Association eligibility.
Donations to the Bos Scholarship can be made at grcc.edu/donate. Click “other” in the pull-down menu and write in Bos Scholarship.
School may be out for summer but career exploration continues for GEAR UP Wyoming students.
Last week several students started learning about careers working with children at GRCC’s Early Childhood Development Lab.
Kathleen Neumann designed a program to show high school students what it is like to lead infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in movement and music activities, science and math games, and creative arts productions. The rising juniors will reflect on classroom observations and interactions with staff members in a daily journal.
GEAR UP cohort students also traveled to Grand Valley State University to tour both Allendale and downtown Pew campuses.
At the Kennedy School of Engineering, students observed collegians working to solve mobility design challenges and others assembling a racecar.
At the Seidman School of Business, student checked out stock prices, classrooms resembling boardrooms, and touched white boards used in entrepreneurship competition presentations.
At the Innovation Design Center, formerly Ferris Nut, students learned about how GVSU students and instructors are engaged in special engineering projects sponsored by local industry and government programs.
Students concluded the field trip with a walk through Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel exhibit at the Gerald R Ford Museum.
This week GEAR UP students will be jamming at the Aquinas College Jazz Camp and will travel to Ann Arbor to tour the University of Michigan.
Jerad Berkenpas, the Grand Rapids Community College’s pitching ace, was named a Third Team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association on Monday.
Berkenpas played a vital role on the team, which finished the 2022 campaign second in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Western Conference and in third place in the region.
The Byron Center resident and South Christian High School graduate also was named All-Region, All-MCCAA, First Team All-Conference, and to the All-Tournament team at regionals after tallying two wins.
The 6-foot, 5-inch righty was GRCC’s top pitcher in their rotation and led the team with a 9-2 record, 1.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 71 strikeouts, .223 opponents’ batting average, and had four complete games, including one shutout. In 12 games, he gave up one or no earned runs in eight times and posted a season-high nine strikeouts three times.
“Jerad had a chance to win every start and I think he gained confidence in his first game down south against NJCAA Division 1 powerhouse, Chipola College, where he gave up just one run and struck out nine,” head coach Mike Eddington said. “Jerad is confident, passionate about baseball, wants to be good and works extremely hard. It’s great to see his hard work pay off.”
GRCC’s season included a 17-win streak that was snapped in the late rounds of the NJCAA Region 12 tournament.
The Barnes and Noble College/GRCC Bookstore will officially open on Wednesday, June 15.
Employees are invited to stop by between 10:00 and 11:30 for coffee and cookies to meet the Barnes and Noble team and welcome them to campus!
The Finance and Administration Division is hosting a retirement reception to honor Cathy Kubiak and Mansfield Matthewson, who will both be retiring at the end of the month.
The gathering is planned for Thursday, June 16 from 2 – 4 PM in Sneden 108.
Please join us in celebrating our colleagues!
Nominations are open for the 39th Annual GIANT Awards, scheduled to be presented Oct. 1, 2022.
The GRCC Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is accepting nominations for several awards and scholarships, including the distinguished GIANT among GIANTs honor. The deadline is Wednesday, June 22.
Grand Rapids Community College since 1983 has hosted the annual awards recognizing African-American people and organizations for their exceptional contributions in shaping the history and quality of life in Grand Rapids.
Each award is named after a community pillar that has demonstrated excellence and is a perpetual memorial to those notable contributions.
Honorees are scheduled to be announced in July. Ticket sales and sponsorships open on Aug. 12.
Please visit tinyurl.com/GIANTawards to nominate members of the community. For additional questions, contact Erin Mieskowski at ODEI@grcc.edu.
The Dean of Health Sciences screening committee invites the campus community to attend the candidate presentations.
The presentations are available in-person and virtually. We would encourage anyone who can attend in person to join us in ATC 168 (Auditorium).
Candidate 1: Tuesday, June 14 from 1:30 – 2:40 pm in ATC 168 or live streamed.
Candidate 2: Monday, June 20 from 12:30 – 1:30 pm in ATC 168 or live streamed.
Candidate 3: Wednesday, June 22 from 10:30 – 11:30 pm in ATC 168 or live streamed.
The Dean of Liberal Arts screening committee invites the campus community to attend the candidate presentations.
The presentations are available in-person and virtually. We would encourage anyone who can attend in person to join us in ATC 168 (Auditorium).
Candidate 1: Wednesday, June 15 from 10:00 – 11:00 am in ATC 168 or live streamed.
Candidate 2: Thursday, June 16 from 10:00 – 11:00 am in ATC 168 or live streamed.
Candidate 3: Friday, June 17 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm in ATC 168 or live streamed.
Candidate 4: Thursday, June 23 from 10:00 – 11:00 am in ATC 168 or live streamed.
Candidate 5: Friday, June 24 from 10:00 – 11:00 am in ATC 168 or live streamed.
The Dean of Business & Industry screening committee invites the campus community to attend the candidate presentations.
The presentations are available in-person and virtually. We would encourage anyone who can attend in person to join us in ATC 168 (Auditorium).
Candidate 2: Monday, June 20 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm in ATC 168 or live streamed.
Candidate 3: Wednesday, June 22 from 3:30 – 4:30 pm in ATC 168 or live streamed.
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