GRCC campus building schedules changing for summer

GRCC enhanced campus safety and security with a full electronic door security system this year. The door access system electronically controls the “unlock” and “lock” functions for all exterior doors.

With fewer classes and activities during the summer, the campus will be one a new schedule starting April 29. The change will largely affect weekend hours, and employee access with Raider Cards remains unchanged.

Faculty and staff wishing to schedule Saturday activities during June, July, and August need permission from the vice president of finance and administration.

Building schedules have been developed based on the following:

• Early morning and late evening safety and security for students and faculty is first priority.
• Classroom buildings open at 7 a.m., or 30 minutes prior to the first scheduled class.
• Weekend hours are scheduled as needed.
• Exceptions for special events and activities can be scheduled.
• Summer term schedules can be adjusted and are subject to change.

BUILDINGS	FALL/WINTER SEMESTER	SUMMER
Office Buildings Administration Building Bostwick Office Suite College Park Plaza White Hall	7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.* Monday – Friday * Exceptions – Admin Building open until 5:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday.  College Park Plaza open until 7 p.m. Monday – Thursday to allow for faculty office hours.	No Change
Applied Technology Center	6:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 6:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Friday 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Saturday	7 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday Closed Saturday
Calkins Science Center	7 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday 7 a.m.– 4 p.m. Saturday	No change Monday – Friday Closed Saturday
Cook Academic Hall	7 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday	No change
Ford Field House/Natatorium	6 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday	6 a.m. – 7 p.m.* Monday – Thursday 6 a.m.– 5 p.m. Friday * *Beginning May 28 Closed Saturday
LRC/Library	6:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Monday – Thursday 6:30 a.m. – 4:45 a.m. Friday 10 a.m.– 1:45 p.m. Saturday	7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday Closed Saturday
Main Building/RJF Hall	7 a.m.– 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday	No change
Music Building	7 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Friday	8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday
BUILDINGS	FALL/WINTER SEMESTER	SUMMER
Sneden Hall	7 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday	No change
Spectrum Theater	6:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Friday Saturdays by schedule Theater lobby doors by schedule	8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday Theater lobby doors by   schedule
Student Community Center	7 a.m. –  7:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday	No change Monday – Friday Closed Saturday
Tassell M-TEC	6:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday 6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Saturday	6:30 a.m.– 10 p.m. Monday – Friday Closed Saturday

The Phyllis Fratzke Early Childhood Learning Laboratory is secure at all times.

 

 

Upcoming professional development sessions

LOTS of Google going on right now – get ready!

The GMail/Google Calendar transition is only three weeks away. Visit the Professional Development page to sign up for GMail/Google Calendar training.

More information about these interesting sessions can be found online, including links to register. Questions? Contact Angela (angelasalinas@grcc.edu).

There are still seats available in the following sessions; you could be there learning, growing, and enjoying!

• Friday, April 19 – Game Play: Staying Active as a Family
  • Noon-1 p.m.
  • 309 Sneden
• Thursday, April 25 – Drupal Basics
  • 10:30-11:30 a.m.
  • 351 Main
• Tuesday, April 30 – Customer Experience and Your Career
  • 9 a.m.-noon
  • 307 Sneden
• Tuesday, May 7 – Performance Evaluation Feedback
  • 1-2:30 p.m.
  • 207 Sneden
• Tuesday, May 14 – Active Shooter Response Training
  • 10-11:30 a.m.
  • 234 Student Center
• Wednesday, May 15 – Non-Verbal Communication
  • 1-3 p.m.
  • 304 Sneden
• Friday, May 17 – Living a Healthy Lifestyle
  • Noon-1 p.m.
  • 309 Sneden
• Wednesday, May 29 – Business Writing Workshop
  • 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Final month of nominations for the 2019 Excellence in Education Awards

Here at GRCC, we are truly fortunate to work with staff and faculty who go above and beyond their role at the college, in the community, or in higher education. These individuals make learning at GRCC a meaningful and impactful experience for our students and working at GRCC an honor and inspiration for fellow employees.

To recognize them, please consider nominating them for the Excellence in Education Award! The Excellence in Education Award was established in 1989 to honor an individual Grand Rapids Community College employee. In 2000, the award was expanded to provide recognition in the form of a staff award, and a separate full-time faculty award. In 2010, an additional award was added for an exemplary adjunct faculty member.

There is a cash award of $1,000 for full-time faculty who have taught at GRCC for at least 5 years, a $750 cash award for adjunct faculty who have taught at least 2 years, and staff members may also be nominated to receive a cash award of $1,000.

Anyone can nominate! Deadline for nominations is May 10, 2019:

• Staff nomination form
• Faculty nomination form
• Adjunct nomination form

Questions?

• Faculty & Adjunct: Call or email the Provost Office at (234-3920); provost@grcc.edu
• Staff: Call or email Angela Salinas in HR/Staff Development at (234-2567); angelasalinas@grcc.edu

Thank you for taking the time to nominate a deserving member of the GRCC family for these awards.

CTE Annual Faculty Showcase and Faculty Appreciation event today in Main

Join us April 9 for the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Annual Faculty Showcase and Faculty Appreciation. This is a “poster/exhibit type” event and is designed as an informal opportunity to see how your peers are using innovative teaching practices in the classroom. There will also be refreshments, free chair massages, and chances to win GRCC swag!

• LOCATION: Main 308, 310 (SAS Conference Room), 347, and  351
• DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 2019
• TIME: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Please mark your calendars and join us for this awesome event!

A special thank you to all of our presenters…

• Steven Putt – GRCC Library OneSearch
• Vicki Meyers – Bringing Live Simulation to the Classroom with Streaming Video
• Tari Mattox – Fire and Ice: Bringing the Real World into the Classroom
• Kelly Webber – G Suite Transition information
• Tracy Payne – Student Records Quick Reference
• Garry Brand – A New and Improved Techsmith Relay
• Lora Blumenstein – Mind Mapping-Opening up the Possibilities
• Dustin Altschul – Virtual Reality in Interior Design Exploration
• Holly Christopher – Graduate Student…Again. But Online.
• Melissa Boman – Early Childhood Technology
• Melanie Schiele Gady – Honors Project – How Exercise Improves Body Function
• Anna Maria Clark – Retention through Research! A Successful Partnership Between a 4-Year Institution and a Community College that inspired First Generation/Low Income Students to Consider Research a Viable Academic Avenue

Open leadership positions for students in CAB

Student Life and Conduct is looking for student leaders to apply for Campus Activities Board! Please pass on the message to students that would be great at it! This is a paid position and students get great “real-world” experience! CAB plans Homecoming, Finals Relaxers, the Leadership Banquet, and Welcome Weeks. We have 4 spots open: CAB President and 3 VP positions.

Interested students need to submit a one-page letter of intent as to “why you are interested in becoming a CAB E-board team member and for what role you’re interested in applying.” All letters should be sent to Thalia Guerra-Flores at thaliaguerraflores@grcc.edu by Tuesday, April 15.

Elections will take place April 19 from 1:15-2:15 p.m. If students are interested but unable to attend on the 19th, they should email Thalia Guerra-Flores (thaliaguerraflores@grcc.edu) to reschedule.

 

Registration open now for summer OHCC

The summer Online and Hybrid Certification Course (OHCC) starts May 10, 2019.

The OHCC is designed to provide instructors with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a high-quality online/hybrid course. Successful participants will also be able to teach effectively online through active facilitation and a variety of student engagement techniques and technologies. Training in Blackboard Basics (on the latest version of the LMS) is a prerequisite. Blackboard Basics may be taken online in a self-paced format or in-person on Friday, May 10, from 10:30 a.m. – noon.

The OHCC is a six (6) week, rigorous course that includes weekly participation and assignment requirements. This training is much more than “Blackboard training,” as it includes elements of instructional design and strategies for building, developing, sequencing, and delivering online content. When you are done, you will have a template for your online and/or hybrid course. You must complete the course, including the assignments for all six weeks, for certification. This includes the completion of your final presentation.

The campus sessions are on Fridays from 1-2:30 p.m. in 351 Main and virtually using Zoom. This is a hybrid course (online course with some classroom instruction).

Only one session is offered during the summer, so sign-up today!

For more information, visit the Online and Hybrid Certification Course website – http://www.grcc.edu/ohcc.

To sign up, visit the Faculty Professional Development Registration website – http://www.grcc.edu/ctereg.

G Suite Tip – how to create a list for your tasks

Keep track of your to-do list digitally through Google Tasks, a simple application located within the right-hand panel of all G Suite Applications for easy viewing and editing. This means the same tasks will appear in both Gmail and Calendar.

Tasks can be used to remind you of emails to send, appointments that need to be made, or documents that need to be written. (I have created a Google Task to complete this GRCC Today article within Google Docs!) Tasks can be used as a simple way to track how you are meeting your daily goals, and are there for your individual use.

If your objective is to create reminders that are shared with others, you can learn more about the other application found in the right-hand panel through the Google Keep instructions online.

You can create lists to keep track of your different tasks.

Create a list:

1. On your computer, go to Gmail and login to your pilot account.
2. On the right, click Tasks.
3. At the top, click the Down arrow.
4. Click Create a new list.
5. Enter a name.
6. Click OK.

Switch between lists:

1. On the right, click Tasks.
2. At the top, click the Down arrow.
3. Click the list you want.

Move a task to a different list:

1. On the right, click Tasks.
2. Click the task you want to move. Then, click Edit.
3. Click the list name.
4. Choose a list.

When you complete a task, it will only appear at the bottom of the list it was on under Completed. This means that creating a list for your tasks is a great way to view and track progress for different projects within your work day.

CTE Annual Faculty Showcase and Faculty Appreciation event one week from today

Join us April 9 for the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Annual Faculty Showcase and Faculty Appreciation. This is a “poster/exhibit type” event and is designed as an informal opportunity to see how your peers are using innovative teaching practices in the classroom. There will also be refreshments, free chair massages, and chances to win GRCC swag!

• LOCATION: Main 308, 310 (SAS Conference Room), 347, and  351
• DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 2019
• TIME: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Please mark your calendars and join us for this awesome event!

A special thank you to all of our presenters…

• Steven Putt – GRCC Library OneSearch
• Vicki Meyers – Bringing Live Simulation to the Classroom with Streaming Video
• Tari Mattox – Fire and Ice: Bringing the Real World into the Classroom
• Kelly Webber – G Suite Transition information
• Tracy Payne – Student Records Quick Reference
• Garry Brand – A New and Improved Techsmith Relay
• Lora Blumenstein – Mind Mapping-Opening up the Possibilities
• Dustin Altschul – Virtual Reality in Interior Design Exploration
• Holly Christopher – Graduate Student…Again. But Online.
• Melissa Boman – Early Childhood Technology
• Melanie Schiele Gady – Honors Project – How Exercise Improves Body Function
• Anna Maria Clark – Retention through Research! A Successful Partnership Between a 4-Year Institution and a Community College that inspired First Generation/Low Income Students to Consider Research a Viable Academic Avenue

Apply now for the Van & Marinus Swets Travel Award Opportunity for GRCC Employees (non student employees)

DEADLINE: Thursday, April 18, 2019

This travel award is for fun, enjoyment, and relaxation. It is not intended to supplement any faculty, staff, or administrator’s professional development travel funds. A cash award of up to $400 will be given to any full or part-time GRCC employee who completes the following requirements and has his or her essay judged the best to fulfill the employee’s intention to relax, enjoy and have fun.

Requirements:

• Submit an essay (500 words or less) telling how you intend to use the cash award for fun, enjoyment, relaxation. The more unusual, the better!
• Essays will not be judged on spelling, writing style, organization, usage, or grammar. They will be judged on creativity.

Steps for turning in your application for the Van Marinus Swets Travel Award:

1. Do not put your name on the essay.
2. Write your GRCC employee ID number in the upper right corner of the first page of your essay.
3. Attach an envelope to your essay containing the following:
4. On the outside of the envelope, write your GRCC employee ID number.
5. Inside the sealed envelope, place your business card or contact information.
6. Send you application to Mary Reed in the GRCC Foundation Office.
7. Submit your application by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18.

All award winners will be notified by Wednesday, April 24.

For more information, contact Mary Reed at (616) 234-3930 or mreed@grcc.edu.

Congratulations on award to adjunct faculty Laura Byers

Laura Byers received an Employee Service Award for her long-standing commitment to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services on March 7, 2019. Laura is a psychologist working at the Pine Rest Patient Consultation Center in neuropsychology and an adjunct faculty member at GRCC.

Upgrade to Windows 10

Microsoft will be ending support for Windows 7 beginning in January 2020. In order to avoid compromising the security of our Windows 7 computers, we ask that all users currently running Windows 7 migrate to Windows 10 before support ends.

To request your computer to be upgraded, please submit a Service Request or call the IT Support Desk. An IT technician will follow-up and schedule a time to begin the migration process. During the migration process, an IT technician will ensure your data, including web browser bookmarks, is backed up and put back in place. The migration process takes approximately 3-4 hours, and you do not need to be present during the migration unless you have special requests for the technician when they arrive.

If you have questions, contact the IT Support Desk at 234-4357.

G Suite Tip – Accessing your archived emails after the transition to G Suite

Wouldn’t it be great if you had access to all of your emails, all of the time? How about if they didn’t automatically delete after 6 months? If you’re thinking “YES!” then you’re going to love Gmail.

After the switch to Gmail, you will no longer need to navigate away from your inbox to find old mail. Unless deleted, your mail will remain in Gmail indefinitely. As a best practice, we recommend labeling the mail you want to hang on to, and using the “archive” button. Once archived, your mail will always be available from the “All Mail” folder, or by simply using the search box at the top of your Gmail inbox.

To test this feature out, try logging in to the “pilot” environment to familiarize yourself with the features and layout of Gmail.

“What’s going to happen to our old email in Retain?”

Retain will be available after we migrate to G Suite. This means that up to the day Gmail officially goes live, emails and calendar items will be backed up in Retain and held in the archival system for you to access, if necessary.

For more tips on managing your inbox, see the G Suite Learning Center’s guide on Organizing your inbox.

The IT Support Desk has also compiled a handful of tips regarding the transition to Gmail. If you ever feel stuck, take a look in our knowledge base over at supportdesk.grcc.edu; we have a section dedicated to G Suite related topics.

If you have difficulties logging into your pilot account, please contact the GRCC IT Support Desk at (616) 234-4357.

Disclaimer:

The G Suite Pilot accounts are only for testing and training purposes. Any content migrated from GroupWise to pilot for testing and training purposes will not be moved to the production G Suite environment.

Upcoming professional development opportunities

Sign up online for the following staff development learning opportunities! There’s a spot with your name on it for these upcoming sessions! There are several interesting topics, with multiple opportunities to expand your understanding and grow personally and professionally!

Tuesday, March 12: Signs of Marijuana Use

• Scott Nuismer, a certified addictions specialist, will teach both how to recognize the markers of marijuana use and what you can safely do about it. Participants will learn how to recognize biological and physiological sign of marijuana use, as well as interventions to use.

Friday, March 22: Label Reading

• Knowing what you’re putting in your body starts with being able to decipher the labels. We’ll look at which categories are of the most importance. We will also examine the front labels on foods and what they mean – Organic? Non-GMO? Natural?

Tuesday, March 26: Strengths Finder

• This session will use the StrengthsFinder assessment to determine your top five strengths. We will use this tool to discuss how to understand your strengths and how they interact with others’ strengths. Using this information, you can improve your connections with your co-workers, peers, and on teams.NOTE: You will receive instructions and will need to take the assessment prior to the session.

Friday, March 29: Fitness can be NEAT

• Studies show that families who find ways to be active together are healthier and more engaged. Learn ways to keep your kids and family members involved and active. Be ready to play and have fun as a group. You will leave with a handout of ideas and games that will be engaging for all ages.

Friday, April 5: Eating for Energy

• Do you feel sluggish or tired throughout the day? So you want to feel more energetic without having to rely on caffeine or sugar? Learn how to eat to maximize your energy and keep yourself awake and fresh throughout the day. This class will teach your which foods to eat, and which to avoid.

Wednesday, April 10: Coaching Skills for Managers

• It would be a wonderful workplace if everyone did a perfect job all of the time. But sometimes, people need coaching to help them improve. This program explains the process of effective coaching that you can use to help improve performance and behavioral issues.

Wednesday, April 17: GRCC Purchasing Policy

• The Purchasing Department at GRCC serves the needs of the college for all purchases in excess of $1,000. Responsibility and authority to make commitments for these purchases are assigned to the Purchasing Department. Mansfield Matthewson, Director of Purchasing, and Melissa Davis, Procurement Specialist, will present the college’s Purchasing Policy, and provide a forum for open discussion and Q & A with participants.

Friday, April 19: Game Play as a Family

• Studies show that families who find ways to be active together are healthier and more engaged. Learn ways to keep your kids and family members involved and active. Be ready to play and have fun as a group. You will leave with a handout of ideas and games that will be engaging for all ages.

Wednesday, May 15: Non-Verbal Communication

• In our daily communication, we are constantly sending and receiving messages. Experts at UCLE report that 93% of our communication is non-verbal. Some would argue that this is extremely high, but when you consider how much meaning we transmit just with our physical appearance and actions, it is probably pretty accurate. People communicate with more than words. Other means of communication include movement, posture, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice, and use of space and time.

Thursday & Friday, May 30 & 31: Basic Life Support & CPR certification

• THIS IS A TWO PART COURSE. PARTICIPANTS MUST COMMIT TO ATTENDING BOTH PARTS! This hands-on skills training prepares you to respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies. It also teaches the skills and knowledge needed to provide care for victims of sudden cardiac arrest through the safe use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). The class can teach Adult CPR/AED, Child CPR/AED, and/or Infant CPR/AED.

 

Webinar today: recording lectures with Lightboards

A professor demonstrating the use of a Lightboard in an electronics design lecture. Photo credit: https://lightboard.info/.

Lightboards: Home-Grown to Smart Studio

• Today, February 26, 2019, 2-3 p.m.
• Presenters: Klaas Kwant and Garry Brand, Grand Rapids Community College
• Link to register: Webinar Registration

A ‘lightboard’ (a.k.a. learning glass) is a glass chalkboard pumped full of light.  It is used to record video lecture topics.  You face toward your viewers, and your writing glows in front of you.

Lightboards tend to be home-grown devices at different higher education institutions. GRCC’s is no different. The baton of basic information was passed to us by GVSU, and various staff have helped to make ours functional and unique. In addition to its basic construction by Bill Faber, Chemistry Professor, we have built a smart, dedicated space that is accessible to all faculty, adding features like sound-deadening in the room, the ability to work along with pre-prepared slides, and even chroma-key options. We have maintained a philosophy of empowering faculty to independently record themselves once they are shown how the room works, knowing that technology staff are close by if they have any questions.

If you would like to be a presenter for an upcoming webinar, please contact flokken@tmcc.edu.

An example of how professor and Lightboard will appear in the final recording. Photo credit: https://lightboard.info/.

 

 

Excellence in Education Award nominations available now

Here at GRCC, we are truly fortunate to work with staff and faculty who go above and beyond their role at the college, in the community, or in higher education. These individuals make learning at GRCC a meaningful and impactful experience for our students and working at GRCC an honor and inspiration for fellow employees.

To recognize them, please consider nominating them for the Excellence in Education Award! The Excellence in Education Award was established in 1989 to honor an individual Grand Rapids Community College employee. In 2000, the award was expanded to provide recognition in the form of a staff award, and a separate full-time faculty award. In 2010, an additional award was added for an exemplary adjunct faculty member.

There is a cash award of $1,000 for full-time faculty who have taught at GRCC for at least 5 years, and for adjunct faculty who have taught at least 2 years, with a $750 cash award. Staff members also receive a cash award of $1,000.

Anyone can nominate! Deadline for nominations is May 10, 2019.

• Staff nomination form
  Faculty nomination form
  Adjunct nomination form

Questions?

• Faculty & Adjunct: Call or email the Provost Office at (234-3920); provost@grcc.edu
• Staff: Call or email Angela Salinas in HR/Staff Development at (234-2567); angelasalinas@grcc.edu

Thank you for taking the time to nominate a deserving member of the GRCC family for these awards.