May 24, 2024 Grand Rapids Community College was recently the site of the May Institute for partners of the  University of Michigan’s Transfer Bridges to the Humanities (TB2H) program , part of U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. The Institute, which took place on May 10 in GRCC’s Secchia Piazza, welcomed more than 75 representatives from U-M and the community college TB2H grant partners – GRCC, Schoolcraft College, and Henry Ford College. This was the first time GRCC hosted the event, which takes place twice a year and promotes collaboration around transfer practices, co-curricular learning opportunities for students, advising, program development, and more. It included updates on the program’s progress from each of the member schools, a panel discussion led by current and former students, shared meals, and breakout sessions designed to spark discussion on various aspects of the program. Participants also heard from Adrianne Washington,  an assistant professor from the Community College of Baltimore County, about their journey with a similar grant. “It helped attendees see the possibilities for the program at their individual schools,” said  Leanne Challa , GRCC’s program manager for Transfer Bridges. “We left with new ideas and feeling inspired for the future.” Challa added that a $3.4 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, awarded to Transfer Bridges in 2022, makes U-M’s partnership with GRCC, Schoolcraft College, and Henry Ford College possible. The grant was a renewal of $1.6 million in funding received in 2018 to establish Transfer Bridges, one way U-M and its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is working to promote a more diverse and inclusive student community that reflects the state’s population. In doing so, U-M is also creating pathways for more nontraditional students and those from underrepresented communities and low-income households to attend. Nick Turinsky, U-M’s program manager for Transfer Bridges, described the student-led panel discussion, saying that student stories show just how well the program is meeting its goals. “We have our challenges, but the students in the panel were evidence that Transfer Bridges is working,” he said. “We got to see how the work we do is positively impacting their lives, as well as the culture at our institutions.” Turinsky said that Transfer Bridges is tailored to community college students who want to transition to a four-year college to complete their bachelor’s degree. It supports them through dedicated mentorship, academic advising, learning and social experiences, faculty connections, and financial assistance, with the goal of helping them thrive socially and academically. Another important piece of Transfer Bridges is the paid, high-impact learning experiences that take place during the summer. At GRCC, these include undergraduate research, internships, and  service-based learning projects through programs such as U-M’s optiMize moMentum and GLACE (Great Lakes Arts, Cultures, and Environments) fellowships, The Rapidian Community Reporting Fellowship, and Culture Corps. “Giving students these supports while they are still at the community college level helps them discover academic and career interests and see themselves at a four-year institution,” Challa said. “They get to go beyond the classroom to learn and build the skills and confidence to succeed as four-year scholars.” Turinsky echoed her sentiments. “Transfer Bridges helps our community college students get comfortable with the idea that, yes they can succeed at a four-year school, and that school might just be the University of Michigan,” he said. “The May Institute really showed that in such an inspiring way.”  This story was reported by Alissa Griffin.

May 24, 2024 After conducting a national search, GRCC is pleased to announce that effective June 10, Nygil Likely will serve as our new Vice President for People, Culture and Equity. He comes to GRCC from Calvin University where he served as the Chief Diversity Officer. Likely has also served as Vice President of Student Affairs at Lake Michigan College. A native of Grand Rapids, Likely is a proud graduate of Grand Rapids Public Schools. He is a seasoned higher education administrator with experience building and overseeing diversity programs. A people-focused leader, Likely works to ensure access for all and to create a strong sense of belonging within an institution. He has an unwavering belief in the transformative power of people and education. Likely is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Leadership from Andersonville Theological Seminary and will be defending his dissertation this summer. He holds an MBA in Human Resources and Management and a Master’s in Adult and Continuing Education Administration, both from the University of Phoenix. Thank you to the screening committee which was led by Julie Parks and Kelley Phillips with Ronald Luyk, Martin Ruiz, Meghan VanderMale, Jonathan Wheeler, Jamillya Hardly, and Michael Schavey.

May 23, 2024 It’s easy to think that learning begins when children enter school. But as any parent will tell you, kids figure things out much earlier than that.  Two-year-olds, for example, know what adults do with cell phones. They know how to put toys away, even if they don’t always do it willingly. They certainly know where the snacks are stored! And they’ve figured out how to get what they want before they even have the right words. The truth is that children start learning from the moment they are born. In fact, 90% of a child’s brain development occurs before age five. Early childhood education is vitally important to help little brains reach their full potential. Children benefit when they can experience age-appropriate learning prior to attending school. That’s one reason why Grand Rapids Community College offers an education and child development program, including a hands-on space called the Early Childhood Learning Laboratory (ECLL). “Early childhood education is highly personalized,“ said Melissa Boman, director of the ECLL. "Our faculty and students are down on the floor, working one-on-one with each child individually. They’re also working with families. We don’t have one lesson plan…we have one plan per child!” The ECLL is both a community service and an educational asset. Families can enroll their children from infant up to age six. Children receive age-appropriate care and development support from professional, licensed educators.  “We ensure that children have experiences in various areas of development every day, including language arts, motor development and STEM for little ones,” Melissa notes. “The learning is tailored to their developmental needs, but they are absolutely learning.” This experience supplements parental caregiving and instruction, and provides a way for parents to learn as well. However, the ECLL is also a proving ground for future early childhood educators. GRCC students enrolled in the education program complete various lab rotations as they learn to work with different age groups and study human growth and development. Students work side-by-side with instructors as they write lesson plans, create age-appropriate play experiences, perform learning assessments, handle conflict resolution and much more.  “Students gain knowledge but also the experience of putting it into practice,” Boman said. “They can take that information into the programs they serve after graduation and be leaders in this field.” Graduates agree that the experience is priceless. Kristen Spoelman, a GRCC graduate, knows this firsthand. “I enrolled at GRCC, seeking my bachelor’s degree in elementary education,” Spoelmen said. “I was required to take several early childhood courses, which had lab components at the ECLL. While completing my first lab, I was captivated with the learning environment, staff, and children at the ECLL. That inspired me to change my degree to early childhood education rather than elementary education.” Spoelman said the hands-on experience provided her with a strong foundation.  “The staff at the lab was nurturing, engaging and supportive of both children and college students. They served as a model of high-quality early childhood education, while also supporting me as a student learner,” she said. “I have the educational background that allows me to understand how children grow and develop, and how they can be best supported in a classroom setting.” Spoelmen is now the director at an early childhood education center and she carries her ECLL experience with her into that role. Each year, GRCC has approximately 200 students enrolled in education career pathways. All of those students engage with young children through hands-on learning at the ECLL.  “We’re sending highly trained educators into the field every year, “ Boman said. “This isn’t an easy job, but our students are passionate about it.”  Spoelman agreed. “I know what a high quality early childhood environment looks like,” she said. “I strive to replicate many of the practices and strategies that I observed and engaged in at GRCC.” Learn more about the ECLL and the educational opportunities it offers. This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.

At the end of April, Grand Rapids Community College along with the City of Grand Rapids Emergency Management Office and nearly a dozen state, federal and local law enforcement and emergency responders participated in a full-scale active shooter training exercise at GRCC’s Leslie E. Tassell MTEC Campus. The purpose of the exercise was to simulate and prepare for a potential real-life situation. It provided all involved an opportunity to assess and evaluate existing emergency response plans, including preventative measures, lockdown procedures, and communication protocols. It helped ensure that every member of our community is well-informed and aware of the steps to take in an event of an emergency. “We don’t normally blend our training with other departments," stated GRPD Deputy Chief Joe Trigg. “But with something like this, we know there’s going to be a lot of departments and a lot of resources involved so it’s great to do a practice run because we know we want to be prepared and we know how likely this could happen in our city or in neighboring cities.” Planning a critical preparedness activity like this takes more than a year of hard work and collaboration from multiple partners, but they are crucial to ensuring a safe campus community. And, the safety and well-being of GRCC’s campus community is top priority. It is paramount to a conducive learning environment. When people feel safe and supported in an environment, they can thrive academically, socially and emotionally, and will be more relaxed, less anxious and feel like they belong.  Thank you to all GRCC staff and students who helped plan, prepare and participate in this exercise. We couldn’t have done it without you! Enhanced security resources around GRCC campuses   GRCC has updated and added extra security resources at all campus locations — Main, DeVos, MTEC and the Lakeshore. These include additional campus surveillance cameras and updated emergency call boxes. Likewise, all campuses continue to offer automated external defibrillators (AEDs), safe walk, card access to buildings, and more. These resources and many more can be found on the GRCC website under  Police and Safety Resources . Additionally, GRCC uses an  emergency notification system called Rave to inform students and employees of emergency situations and other important notifications. The system allows for emergency messages to be sent via text, email and phone. It is only used in the event of a campus closing or emergency. Students and employees are enrolled in Rave automatically every semester, but you can opt out at any time. The only communication option you can't opt out of is the registration email, which will be your GRCC email (email.grcc.edu for students and grcc.edu for employees). You will not be spammed, and you will only receive information pertaining to crisis, campus closings, or other critical service announcements. The service is  free , though charges from your mobile phone service carrier may apply where applicable. Community members, parents and other stakeholders are also able to subscribe to the  Rave Alert service at  https://www.getrave.com/login/grcc .

On Tuesday, April 29, 2024, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II stopped by GRCC’s Calkins Science Center to explore our new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Incubator, participate in an AI demo and learn more about our new AI Certificate Program.  The purpose of the AI Incubator is to bring artificial intelligence to the staff and students at GRCC as well as the surrounding community. The intent is not only to provide a career pathway into AI for students, but to also provide a chance for high schoolers and community members to experience the technology and to gain a baseline understanding of its use.  A techie at heart and an engineer by training, the Lt. Governor was joined by GRCC President Charles Lepper, Provost Sheila Jones and Dean of Workforce Development Julie Parks to participate in an AI demo. The demo, led by Dean of the School of STEM Kristi Haik and Assistant Professor Jonnathan Resendiz, had the group answer queries about AI that informed the creation of a bot and demonstrated the scope of the economic impact the technology can bring to Michigan. If used effectively, AI will contribute to the development of new industries, personalize education, enhance workforce skills, improve efficiency and transform teaching and learning methods. In short, AI is going to rock the job scene. GRCC’s program is one of the first AI Certificate offerings in Michigan. Launching fall of 2024, the program will be made up of 7-week courses and focus on project-based learning. It will create a stackable certificate in AI similar to GRCC’s Data Science and CyberSecurity Certificates. The intention is that this certificate could stack into a pathway degree or other flexible two-year degrees based on the students’ needs and potential transfer. The curriculum is based on Intel’s AI for Work Force program. GRCC is hosting an AI Incubator Open House for businesses to explore the lab, participate in a demonstration of its capabilities and learn how GRCC can help them become AI-ready. The open house is scheduled for June 18, 2024, 7:30 - 9 a.m. in the GRCC Calkins Science Center. More information about the open house and registration is available on GRCC’s Get AI-ready with GRCC webpage.

May 13, 2024 Who inspired you when you were young?  Many adults can think of pop culture icons or superstar athletes who captured their childhood imaginations with their glamour and fame. Today’s young people are no different. However, the curated and unrealistic lens of social media often distorts their view of these legendary stars. So where do they go to find out about real life topics? With whom do they have meaningful conversations, experience mentorship, and discover empowerment?  “Girls are often silenced, stereotyped or seen as being without influence,” stated Jamillya Hardley, director of the Woodrick Center of Inclusion and Multicultural Affairs at Grand Rapids Community College. “That’s why I was so honored and pleased to be on the planning committee for the 2024 GRPS Girls Youth Conference. This work provides a way to pour into our youth and uplift them in order to change the narrative.”  More than 250 middle school girls from 10 Grand Rapids Public Schools chose to participate in this year-long conference. It began in October with a kickoff event at which the girls from each school met their facilitator. That individual was an advisor, a teacher, or an advocate who they could connect to from the school.  Then they met each month for workshops, conversations or activities around the theme “Faith, Focus, Future.” The planning committee chose these words for a reason.  “They are all positive and progressive words that are also subject to personal interpretation,” Hardley said.  “We wanted words that would be familiar to the girls, but that they could also interpret and explore in their own individual ways.”  GRCC hosted a finale event on May 1 at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse with all the girls and their facilitators.  “It was an incredible event,” Hardley said. “We held panel discussions with local professionals from a number of fields. We conducted breakout sessions on topics such as mental health and relationships. We shared lunch, and then wrapped up with presentations in which speakers from each school shared perspectives on the theme and what it had meant to them.”  It’s understandable the girls would be excited about coming to GRCC together and experiencing a college campus. But for Hardley, the most astounding thing was their engagement.  “These girls were so in tune with themselves,” she said. “I wasn’t as progressive at their age! They were asking about credit and taxes and how to sustain a home and family. They asked so many great questions. This was a truly remarkable way to give them a voice and a space to share their thoughts.”   Hardley said that partnering with GRPS and hosting this conference is a natural fit for GRCC.  “We are trying to become more student-centered and more community-centered,” she said. “What better way to do this than to invite these girls to our campus so they can meet people who are invested in them? I believe the girls left with both a physical and emotional sense of how they can challenge themselves and grow into leaders.” Having a sense of belonging and purpose will transform the young ladies who participated in this year-long program.  “The bonds they created are so important,” Hardley said. “I know that this work helps build connection and community for girls who otherwise might be marginalized, silenced, or historically under-represented. I hope they left feeling inspired about a future that is bright and unlimited.”  This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.