GRCC In the News, 11-7-22

GRCC student 1 of 10 in nation to attend weekend retreat for blind musicians

11/4/22 FOX 17

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) student has been selected to attend a special event featuring an American Idol finalist.

Apply now for Michigan Achievement Scholarship

11/4/22 WOOD TV

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A new state scholarship will provide thousands of dollars for tuition, and many high school students are expected to qualify.

… Grand Rapids Community College spokesperson Dave Murray said the funding will cover the majority of tuition each year for up to three years.

New Michigan Achievement Scholarship could help make college more accessible

11/4/22 secondwavemedia.com

The new Michigan Achievement Scholarship could provide future college students with $2,750 to $5,500 a year to help cover the cost of tuition, helping to remove financial barriers to getting a life-changing college education.

… The $2,750 scholarship geared for community college students will cover much of Grand Rapids Community College’s tuition and fees. Students can potentially receive more support through federal Pell Grants, which could help students cover additional expenses, such as transportation and childcare.

News at 6:30 p.m.

11/6/22 WZZM

(Volleyball team headed to national tournament.)

Grand Rapids community mourns prominent pastor’s death

11/4/22 MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Beloved Grand Rapids Bishop Dennis McMurray has died at the age of 63.

… In October, McMurray was named the 2022 GIANT Among Giants for his contributions in shaping the history, culture and quality of life in the Grand Rapids community at the annual event hosted by Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC).

Doing what he loves by teaching tech, inspiring students

11/4/22 School News Network (Kent Intermediate School District)

Kent City — It’s a Monday morning in Jeremy Smith’s multimedia class, which he starts by sounding out his high school students on their weekends — volleyball and football team wins, first place in marching band competition, a 15th birthday. Then he gives them their rundown for the coming week: turn in forms to start selling yearbook ads; create sports graphics for that week’s varsity games; finish making videos for athletics and Homecoming. 

… Smith found his passion for teaching after graduating from Maple Valley Junior/Senior High School in Vermontville, then enrolling at Grand Rapids Community College. Calculus convinced him an engineering major wasn’t for him, but he enjoyed tutoring other students in history. 

Stimulus funding requests underscore staffing ‘crisis’ for disability service providers

11/6/22 mibiz.com

A trio of West Michigan nonprofits are requesting millions of dollars in federal stimulus funding to help combat a longstanding and worsening workforce shortage among service providers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

… However, the pursuit of funding continues elsewhere, including for a share of Ottawa County’s ARPA funding that MOKA requested as part of a partnership with Grand Rapids Community College, (Tracey) Hamlet said.

TRIO students to share summer research at Nov. 9 open house

Students in Grand Rapids Community College’s TRIO program will share their summer research experiences during a Nov. 9 open house.

The federally funded TRIO program provides academic advising, tutoring, mentoring, financial guidance, counseling and other supports to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

As part of TRIO, students have opportunities to participate in summer research through these programs:

• Michigan Technological University’s Michigan College and University Partnership.
• Community College Summer Institute.
• Great Lakes Arts, Cultures and Environments program.

Stacie Aguirre-Jaimes was in Michigan Tech’s MiCUP program this summer.

“It really opened my eyes to what type of opportunities are out there for me and other students like me,” she said. “It’s a great experience to have, especially as a first-generation student, who may or may not know what their path is.”

Professor Anna Maria Clark, TRIO advisor, said summer research opportunities are transformative experiences for students.

“Participating in summer research has impacted their academic journeys in immeasurable ways,” she said, “from goal and career clarification, academic confidence, personal confidence, understanding the transition to four-year schools, hands-on lab experiences, understanding of research and lab experiences, developing relationships with faculty and grad assistants, creating a broader network of friends from other schools also participating in summer research, and more.”

The open house runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 9 on the Student Center’s third floor. Snacks will be provided.

Danyel Bibbs drives the GRCC men’s basketball team to a 102-94 win over Cornerstone University’s junior varsity team

Danyel Bibbs led the Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team to a 102-94 win over Cornerstone University’s junior varsity team to stay unbeaten.

Bibbs’ 27 points led all scorers, with the starting point guard from Saginaw going eight-for-16 from the field and 10-of-14 from the free throw line.  He also had four of the team’s 23 steals.

Despite the close score, second-year head coach Joe Fox was pleased with his team’s effort.

“Fun, fast paced game against a very tough opponent,” Fox said. “I was really impressed with how much effort and energy we brought defensively.  I also loved the enthusiasm for the bench.  Two fun tests are coming next week, and I look forward to seeing how the guys respond.”

Freshman Bashir Neely shined in his first game of the year, scoring 17 points on an efficient seven-of-15 from the 15 while totaling a 8 steals in 26 minutes.

Jujuan Walker added 13 points on six-of-seven shooting and Rico Wade’s 14 points.

The team has won its first two games, defeating Olivet College’s junior varsity team 113-55 earlier in the week.

GRCC’s next game is Nov. 8 at Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing.  

GRCC volleyball team headed to NJCAA national tournament after winning Region XII title

The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team is headed to the national championship tournament for the 11th time in program history after a four-set win over St. Clair County Community College.

“Each player comes to our program with the goal of winning a conference, state, regional and national title,” head coach Chip Will said.

“This group has worked every day on and off the court to give themselves a chance at achieving this goal.  We as a staff couldn’t be prouder of how the girls competed together this weekend as teammates, always making sure they were making the person next to them better.  The Raider Nation crowd helped create an unbelievable atmosphere on St. Clair’s home floor.  This was a total program championship!” 

After two wins on opening night, including one against St. Clair, the MCCAA and Northern Conference champions only had to play one on Friday night and swept Kalamazoo Valley Community College to advance to the championship match.

St. Clair County battled back through the consolation bracket, winning three in a row to land a rematch against the Raiders. GRCC prevailed, 25-18, 25-13, 19-25, and 25-13.

GRCC played its best defense of the tournament, with 82 digs and having just two reception errors. Sophomore libero Audrey Gower was a digging machine finishing with a match-high 18 while Kara Hecht added 15.

Offensively, tournament MVP Audrey Torres led the way with a match-high 19 kills, giving her a tournament total of 55.

Eliza Thelen and Kara Hecht each had 11 kills and Shannon Russell dished out 35 assists.

Because of their outstanding tournament play, Hecht, Russell and Karrisa Ferry joined Torres on the All-Tournament team.

GRCC, ranked No. 13 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, improved to 24-3 overall, and now awaits its opponent for the NJCAA Division II National Championship that takes place Nov. 17 to 19 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

My Story Started at GRCC: Microsoft’s Justin Ruehs says GRCC allowed him to grow as a person, learn at his own pace

Justin Ruehs had goals, and GRCC worked with him at his own pace to reach them.

Justin Ruehs

“GRCC allowed me to grow as a person and as a student at a pace and at a scale that was not overwhelming coming from a smaller town that didn’t have as many opportunities for students as some of the bigger or wealthier West Michigan public school districts,” he said. “GRCC gave me the opportunity to achieve higher education goals on my own by allowing classes that fit around my work schedule.”

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.

During his time at the college, Ruehs worked at the Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center, which counts among his favorite GRCC memories.

“I paid my tuition as I went – not to say it was easy taking a full class load, working on campus part time as a student worker in a work-study program and holding down a full-time job, but it was my path to bettering myself through education.”

Ruehs also appreciated the ease with which his two associate degrees transferred to Grand Valley State University, where he earned a bachelor’s health communications with a minor in public relations in 2000.

He later received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and recently completed an MBA with a concentration in insurance from Olivet College. He also has earned professional designations through The Institutes and the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.

He’s put his classroom knowledge, as well as his time management and teamwork skills, to use as a risk manager for Microsoft.

“I oversee six of their insurance programs as well as working with our three ‘captives’ (wholly owned subsidiaries),” he said. “Prior to Microsoft, I worked as a large property underwriter for Liberty Mutual, AIG (American International Group) and AFM, part of FM Global.”

He also works on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Microsoft and with outside organizations, such as the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation and the Chicago chapter of the CPCU Society. The father of triplets, he’s also a mentor with Foster Progress, which helps Illinois youths in foster care attain a college degree and successfully transition to adulthood.

Ruehs is passionate about helping others because he’s grateful for the support he’s received in his life.

“I am so fortunate for a few key people in my professional and educational journeys that took a chance on me and gave me a shot to learn new skills or roles,” he said. “Showing up, doing the work and exceeding expectations always opened the next door.”

Teaching, Learning, and Distance Education (TLDE) News

GRCC Grants Department

Do you have an innovative idea to enhance student learning and success?  Would you like to learn more about pursuing grant resources to support your idea?  GRCC’s Grants Department is ready to assist you!  If you would like to pursue a grant opportunity, your first step is to contact the Grants Department.  

GRCC’s Grants Department is the college-wide point of contact that manages all aspects of grant-seeking and grant administration to ensure that projects are developed and managed in compliance with the sponsor’s terms and College policies.  As a full-service department, they are here to assist you and your colleagues with all things grant-related.  As such, please be reminded that no work should begin on a grant until the Grants Department has been contacted. 

To learn more about the process, please check out the new Grant Development Guide.

Reminder: TLDE Faculty Support Hours

As you prepare for the end of the semester, don’t forget that there is in-person support available in the TLDE office space in 373 RJF.  Ian Matthews, the GRCC online instructional designer, is available by email or in-person 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Friday to assist you in all things related to online teaching.  Faculty liaisons, Deb Vilmont and Rachel Lutwick-Deaner, hold drop-in hours on Wednesdays, 9:00 am – 11:00 am, and Thursdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Featured Upcoming Workshops/Events and Reminders:

1. Managing the Grading Load – Thursday, 11/10 – 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. – Hyflex
2. Instructional Design Charrette – Wednesday, 11/16 – 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. – Hyflex

Please visit http://grcc.edu/ctelearningopportunities for the current listing of all Fall 2022 Professional Development opportunities being offered by TLDE!

Dell Black Friday events start soon

Here’s a quick reminder about Dell’s Black Friday events, with Early Access coming soon!

• Happening Now: Black Friday Sneak Peek through 11/13.
• Next up: Our member exclusive EARLY ACCESS to Black Friday deals starting 11/10, through 11/13.

          Get exclusive Early Access to Black Friday Deals such as:

          – Inspiron 16 Laptop – Save $270

          – XPS 15 Laptop – Save $500

          – Dell 24 Monitor – Save $70

          – Inspiron Desktop – Save $150

     Shop online through your Member Purchase Program store: www.Dell.com/DellU/GRCC

     Full list of upcoming events:

• (Going on now: Black Friday Sneak Peek through 11/13)
• 11/10 – 11/13: Black Friday Member Exclusive Early Access (available ONLY through your dedicated MPP store)
• Black Friday continues through 11/26 
• Additional Limited Quantity Deals will go live 11/24-26. These will be limited in quantity and first come first serve. Shop early as these deals will sell out quickly!  

www.Dell.com/DellU/GRCC