Feb. 9, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College President Emeritus Juan. R. Olivarez was named Newsmaker of the Year in the education category by the Grand Rapids Business Journal in recognition of new community partnerships forged was serving as interim president.
“Grand Rapids Community College consistently made GRBJ headlines this past year as it added new programs to boost local talent and improve student outcomes,” the news organization wrote in a profile prior to the event, held Thursday at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
Olivarez, who previously served as the college’s eighth president from 1999 to 2008, served as interim president from June 2022 through January 2023 during a presidential search.
“I’m proud to accept this award because it reflects the good work we do at Grand Rapids Community College, and especially the partnerships we have throughout West Michigan,” Olivarez said after being presented with the award. “We also work closely with my fellow finalists, President Richard Pappas from Davenport University and President Philomena Mantella from Grand Valley State University. We work together toward a common goal of providing a quality education for the people of West Michigan.”
GRCC this year helped bolster West Michigan’s health care talent pool through local partnerships. One such significant partnership was with University of Michigan Health-West and will see GRCC students placed at UMH-West upon completion of GRCC’s nursing program.
The college also earned a $2.9 million grant toward its health care program, partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to help students struggling with food or housing insecurities and partnered with Dell and Intel to expand its AI computing programs.