April is Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month and that means it is time for Nancy Forrest Math Awareness Contest! This year’s contest is about The Eccentric Queen . The contest is open to any GRCC student or staff member. One student and one staff member will be randomly drawn from all the correct entries to receive a prize. Return the form along with your solution to Meghan VanderMale at meghanvandermale@grcc.edu via your GRCC email address or in person to the Mathematics Tutorial Center (Cook 100) by Monday, April 21. Google Drive link: 2025 Nancy Forrest Math Awareness Contest   

  We have added some new training days to the calendar for volunteer training. If you're interested in helping out, and want to earn some professional development hours for volunteering, please check out our  Food Pantry Volunteer Training  form to select a date. All training sessions are in-person. Training includes a tour of the pantry as well as a review of general guidelines and food safety practices. Once trained, you can sign up help unload or help clean and restock! If you have any questions, please email Ocrea Collier at  ocreacollier@grcc.edu .  

Juan Cisneros Fonseca, office manager for High School Partnerships, was nominated by Cheryl Garner for April’s Academic and Student Affairs Council’s Above & Beyond Award. Cheryl wrote, “Juan is an exceptional coworker and asset to GRCC, embodying true team spirit and a student-centered perspective. He has consistently and diligently worked to identify and improve processes within the Department of High School Partnerships. Most recently, during the three-month period when the department did not have a full-time director, he took on substantial additional daily work to ensure the staffing transition did not adversely impact students. From initial application to matriculation to orientation to registration to enrollment to grade reporting to taking walk-ins and calls, Juan has proven he is not afraid to go outside of his comfort zone to do what is necessary to maintain program integrity. He represents all of the best things we do at GRCC with kindness, professionalism and patience.” David Lovell described Juan as “a great example of what makes GRCC such a special place to work. He is dedicated and constantly strives to improve systems for our students and his colleagues. He makes things “go” that most people don’t know about, and he’s been doing it for years. GRCC is lucky to have him, and I consider myself lucky to have worked by his side. I’m especially grateful for his help and guidance leading up to the winter semester as we worked together to hire our new Director. I leaned heavily on his expertise, and he stepped up in a big way. We simply couldn’t have done it without him.” Congratulations Juan!

There will be an open forum in the ATC Auditorium (168) from 9:05 - 9:55 a.m. with time for Q & A. Those joining virtually will also have the ability to ask questions as well.  Join at Candidate Forum: VP of Finance & Administration 4-16-25 . For those who can’t attend in-person or virtually, a recording will be made available at the same link after the event.  Feedback can be provided on the Vice President of Finance & Administration  Forum Feedback  form that will be shared with the screening committee. Find out more about Globoker in his bio: John Globoker.

Budget 101  Instructor: Nat Lloyd  Date: May 12, 2025  Time: 1-2 p.m.  Location: Virtual  This introductory course is designed to help college staff develop a fundamental understanding of budgeting principles and financial management within the institution. Participants will learn about key budgeting concepts, including revenue sources, expense planning and financial decision-making processes. The session will cover essential topics such as departmental budget planning, basic PeopleSoft queries, tracking expenditures and understanding financial reports. By the end of the course, attendees will have a clearer understanding of how budgeting impacts their roles and how they can contribute to the college’s financial sustainability. Sign up today in your Online Center ! 

I hope everyone is enjoying a great week as we prepare for the end of the semester.  I’m writing to share several updates for this month.  Please see below. Resource: Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) Federal Updates website With so much information about federal-level decisions affecting higher education, one resource that I have found helpful is  MCCA’s Federal Updates page .  MCCA regularly updates the page, which is intended to provide information and resources.  I encourage you to bookmark the link and visit it frequently. Campus safety protocols: Classroom doors and ICE Please remember that College practice–for campus safety–has been to close and lock classroom doors while classes are in session.  I know many faculty and staff members have questions about expectations should ICE agents be on campus.  The protocols announced earlier in the semester are still in place.  They include the following three points: FERPA Compliance : GRCC will not release education records or protected information to ICE or other agencies unless required by law or with a student’s consent. If a search warrant is presented, the General Counsel’s Office and the GRCC Police Department will review the document to ensure its validity before any information is provided. Interactions with ICE : ICE and other law enforcement agencies have the right to be present in public areas on campus. If ICE agents are encountered on campus, staff and students should remain respectful, but are not obligated to respond to questions, provide immigration status information, or provide information that might be incriminating. What to do : If you see ICE or other external law enforcement agents on campus, please contact GRCC Police immediately at 616-234-4910 or from a campus phone x4910. Additionally, please note the following, per Chief Whitman: If ICE or any other law enforcement agency comes to a class, please contact the GRCC Police Department to allow the police to work with the agency. This would serve to ensure that the agency is not given access to areas of campus they are prohibited from. This also serves to avoid placing faculty members in a position where they may feel responsible for interacting with officers or agents from other law enforcement entities.   For further questions, please remember that Chief Whitman is always available to join your department meetings and/or classes to answer questions about campus safety. She can be reached via email at  rwhitman@grcc.edu .   For your students  Student support group - Reflect + Connect Sponsored by our Center for Counseling and Well-Being, Reflect + Connect is an opportunity for students to gather together and gain support from their peers, express concerns, and connect while developing a sense of community in uncertain times.  The support group meets weekly, with drop-in times on Wednesdays from 4-5 p.m. and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Room 368 of the Student Center.  The next and final scheduled session is tomorrow, April 9.  Melissa Ware and her team are exploring adding additional sessions.  Please remember we offer many options to support students’ mental health and well-being, as outlined  here . About phishing and personal information I want to thank our Information Technology (IT) department for their recent communications and reminders about phishing. When talking with students, please reiterate that GRCC will never contact students to provide their password or one-time passcode (OTP) used for multi-factor authentication (MFA), including via email communication or Google forms. This  IT Knowledge Base article  includes reminders and links to additional information about recognizing phishing and reporting a threat. Update from Information Technology (IT): Request for Proposal (RFP) - Plagiarism and AI detection software Per Jeff VanderVeen, the RFP scoring team, comprised of the following team members: Andrew Rozema, Garry Brand, Laura Kennett, Moss Ingram, Geoff Peck, Paula Gleason-Zeeff, and Nathan Hamilton, have finalized scoring of RFP – Plagiarism and AI Detection Tool. The RFP was awarded to CopyLeaks. This tool will be integrated with Canvas and it is the IT staff’s expectation that this tool will be available to faculty by the end of May (possibly sooner).  I want to thank the scoring team for their time and input into this process, IT for their support, and all who contributed feedback. Nominate a colleague for the Excellence in Education Award! Nominations for the 2025 Excellence in Education awards are now open.  The Excellence in Education Award honors three employees (one full-time faculty, one adjunct faculty, and one staff member) every year for their contributions to the college, higher education, and the community. Committees representing various employee groups select the Excellence in Education award recipients.  Each award recipient receives $1,000.  The Excellence in Education Awards are presented at the August Opening Day by the President.  More information can be found on the Excellence in Education Awards webpage. The deadline for nominations is Friday, May 9. Reminders: Upcoming events  Continued Conversation with ELT There is another opportunity to engage with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) on Thursday, April 10, from 2-3 p.m. in ATC 168.This informal session will build upon the previous conversation and will include: answering questions that were not answered in the last session, a discussion around the climate survey, including an executive summary of the divisional meetings, and actionable steps moving forward. This session will be live-streamed, recorded, and available afterward for anyone unable to attend. Everyone is encouraged to attend, but please know there is no expectation to participate unless you wish to. This is a valuable opportunity to continue the conversation and engage with the ELT.  Access the  live-stream link at: Employee Town Hall . Honors Program Showcase and Recognition Join the GRCC Honors Program in celebrating their outstanding Honors students and their achievements this academic year!  Guests attending the Honors Program Showcase and Recognition Event will be able to interact with Honors students as they share their personal experiences in completing program requirements. As guests enjoy food, they will hear examples of Honors Projects, community engagement, leadership experiences, Capstone projects, and more.  This year’s Honors Program award winners will also be announced.  The event takes place on Tuesday, April 15 from 5-8 p.m. in the Applied Technology Center (ATC), Secchia Piazza and Banquet Rooms. Employee Appreciation & Recognition Luncheon Please join the campus community to take time to celebrate and express gratitude for work well done!  This year’s event will be on Thursday, April 24 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Raider Grille & Terrace of the Student Center. The event begins with lunch and networking and the program will start at 12:30 p.m. Please RSVP by accepting the calendar invite sent previously so that the event hosts can accurately plan for food and beverage quantities. Please reach out to Arika Davis @ arikadavis1@grcc.edu with questions. Commencement This year’s commencement ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 24, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Van Andel Arena.  Announcements and reminders continue to be sent to inform everyone about faculty line-up, volunteer opportunities, directions, and parking information.  Stay tuned for all the details and please send an email to provost@grcc.edu if you have any questions.  I look forward to joining everyone to celebrate our graduates later this month! Events on Campus and GRCC Athletics: Don’t forget to visit the Events Calendar to learn more about all of the great events happening this month. The GRCC Raiders Athletics Calendar has all of the information about our spring baseball, golf, and softball schedules. In closing, while there are many things that are uncertain across our campus and nation at this moment, I know you join me in remaining steadfast in our commitment to supporting our students and each other. I remain grateful for all of you and for our strong GRCC community. I look forward to seeing you in the coming days as we close out the academic year by celebrating many milestones and achievements.  Best wishes and see you soon, Sheila