March 22, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Community College baseball pitching staff struck out 18 batters in route to a 13-6 victory over the junior varsity of Cornerstone University on Wednesday. Sophomore Blake Waibel was unstoppable on the mound for GRCC in the first four innings, allowing just one hit while striking out 10 batters.  The Raiders offense scored 11 runs before Cornerstone finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jacob Gumieny led the offensive attack with three of the team's 10 total hits, including his first home run of the season.  Leadoff hitter Trevin Laming, who hit his second homer in as many days, and Aaron Bess each had two hits. Ethan London, Alex Schmitt, Mason Hammond and Austyn Adams all pitched at least one inning in relief of Waibel and combined for eight strikeouts while giving up just three hits. GRCC is scheduled to begin MCCAA Northern Conference play this Friday against Delta College. First pitch of game one is set for 2 p.m. This story was reported by Ben Brown.

March 22, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College basketball player Sally Merrill was named Co-Player of the Year and Grace Lodes was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Northern Conference in postseason awards announced Tuesday. Merrill and Lodes were also named All-Region, All-MCCAA, and First Team All-Conference for the second consecutive year. Merrill also earned Most Valuable Player honors of the NJCAA Great Lakes B Tournament helping GRCC to their second championship in the past three years. "I'm proud of our student-athletes and coaches for strong performances," Athletic Director Lauren Ferullo said. "We have strong programs, with some of the best players in the state, and the nation. They work hard to be successful on the court and in the classroom." GRCC's Marlene Bussler was named Second Team All-Conference, and Allison Kellogg, Emersyn Koepke and Alyssa Katerberg were named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Merrill is the team's leading scorer at 16.6 points per game while Lodes averaged a double-double this year, scoring 13.9 points and grabbing 10.6 rebounds per game. Bussler, who shares the honor with Jade Schultz of Alpena Community College, averages 11.6 points and a team-high 5.3 assists per game. Kellogg averaged a solid 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. Koepke was third on the team in assists and fourth on the team in steals and three-pointers made. Katerberg was the team's second best three pointer shooter and second best shot blocker. The women's team currently has a 19-9 record and plays its second game of the NJCAA National Championships Thursday at 9 a.m. For the men's team, Danyel Bibbs was named Second Team All-Conference, earning him back-to-back All-Conference honors. He averaged a team-high 16.7 points per game and led the MCCAA with six assists per game. Brockton Kohler, Chris Coleman and Bashir Neely all were named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Kohler, who is signed to play with Cleary University next year, averaged 12.3 points per game and was the team's leading three-point shooter. Coleman averaged 10.3 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal per game.  Neely averaged 11.4 points and was the team's leader with 46 steals. Rico Wade was named to the All-Defensive team after an outstanding individual defensive season guarding 1-4 for GRCC, and being an anchor for the team defensively. The men's team finished with a 21-8 overall record and third place in the conference. This story was written by Ben Brown.

March 22, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- It can be a long and winding road when it comes to finding your passion and turning it into a career. Sydney Sayre’s journey led her to become a Metallica Scholar. “I went to Western Michigan University and studied social work,” Sayre said. “I took a break from that to join AmeriCorps and did that for about three years. By the time I finished, I realized that the social work field was not for me.” Sayre started looking into the possibility of learning a professional trade. “I didn’t see a lot of opportunities for women. I was working for a concert venue doing production and these bands would come in with semi-trucks and set up these massive stages – it was amazing! That led me to take a Women Who Weld bootcamp in Detroit for a week – I absolutely loved it!” The GRCC Metallica Scholars Welding Bootcamp offers people the opportunity to gain skills for entry level welding positions.  It is a short-term program to get welders work in West Michigan. The goal is to help people grow into apprenticeships or other learning opportunities within the welding field.  “I’ve had my eye on this program since it started,” Sayre said. “I’ve been waiting for the timing to be right and I’m so glad it came together!” Sayre said it turned out to be even better than she thought it could be. “What really surprised me the most is how good the instruction is and how supportive Nick Pinkney and Bri Lampe are. They just want to see you succeed. It’s kind of like a mentorship almost. They really care about you and your goals.”   The hands-on training program meets for 14 weeks and includes OSHA training. “It’s a lot of information in a short time span but it’s all good information and I like the way Nick presents it. He’s very approachable and willing to answer questions.” The program goal is to build an accessible pathway into the field of welding with a focus on producing ready-to-work welders for Kent County companies. This program works to attract, retain, and graduate individuals of different genders and racial/ethnic backgrounds to welding careers. “I was impressed with how you have been able to recruit a diverse population. We have so much fun together!” she said. Now that Sayre has completed the program, she wants more! “I am transferring from where I go to school now to come here. Just seeing how the welding program is set up, I know that’s what I want to do and I want to be here at GRCC. “I know that I would like to work as a welder but I’m not 100 percent sure what exactly I want to do. Definitely something creative or maybe working with production for a band. I’m really interested in getting women into skilled trades. I’m working on creating a supportive network so that women can be successful. I loved this program. It has been phenomenal.” To qualify for the program, participants must be 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or GED, and be able to work in the United States. For more information go to grcc.edu/metallica .

March 21, 2023, PORT HURON, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team had a strong first half against the No. 2 team in the nation, but wound up losing in their opening round game of the NJCAA Division II National Basketball Championships on Tuesday. “Tough outcome against a talented group,” head coach David Glazier said. “I thought our kids played a really good first half, but CCBC’s depth got the better of us. I’m Looking forward to continuing to compete toward our goal of playing on Saturday.” GRCC's basketball team got off to a slow start, scoring just two points after one quarter of play, but bounced back by out-scoring Community College of Baltimore-Essex 18-16 in the second quarter to trail by just 14 points at the half. GRCC couldn't cut into the lead any further, and CCBC-Essex, whose only loss this year was to the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, cruised to the 87-40 victory. Point guard, Marlene Bussler led the team with 17 points on seven-of-18 from the field, and grabbed six rebounds.  Last week's district tournament Most Valuable Player, Sally Merrill, led the team with 10 rebounds.  Grace Lodes tallied eight points and six rebounds. GRCC's next game will be at 9 a.m. on Thursday against 10-seeded North Central Missouri College who lost their opener to No. 7 Pima Community College 69-66.  This story was reported by Ben Brown.  

March 21, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team split a doubleheader against Davenport University’s junior varsity team, winning 8-2 before dropping the nightcap 3-2. In the first game, sophomore Fernando Rivera-Calderon led the offense with three hits, while Dylan Chargo added two hits and center fielder Trevin Laming hit his first home run of the season. Freshman Lucas McKinney picked up the victory pitching two perfect innings with one strikeout. GRCC's pitching staff allowed just three hits in the second game, but five walks proved costly, resulting in two of Davenport’s three runs. Tommy Reid had two of the Raiders’ six hits while Jacob Gumieny and Zacarias Salinas each had a double. Mike Eddington's baseball team is scheduled to play Wednesday against the Cornerstone University junior varsity team.  

March 21, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Wade Wiltenburg, a Grand Rapids Community College student in a Workforce Training apprentice program, earned a bronze medal in a national competition featuring nearly 200 of the nation’s top-performing craft professionals. Wiltenburg, an electrical apprentice from Coopersville, placed third at the Associated Builders and Contractors’ National Craft Championships in Kissimmee, Fla.  Wiltenburg represented both his employer, Buist Electric, and the Western Michigan ABC chapter in the 34th annual competition. “I’m leaving the competition with a new motivation and respect for the trades,” Wiltenburg. “I competed with the best in the country this week, and that inspires me to keep trying to be the best I can be.” Wiltenburg faced 38 competitors from across the country during the two-day competition, which included a two-hour online exam and a six-hour practical performance test. “We are so proud of Wade representing Buist Electric and electrical apprentices in West Michigan,” said Matt DeVries, personnel director at Buist Electric. “He started with Buist at 16 years old and is the perfect example of a student who, with the right training, education, and mentorship, can have a successful career in the trades. We hope Wade's story and accomplishments inspire future students to join our industry.” Established in 1987, the National Craft Championships celebrate and recognize upskilling in construction, draw some of the country’s most talented craft professionals and highlight the important role that craft skills training plays in the construction industry. The NCC featured the nation’s top-performing craft professionals, including carpenters, electricians, pipefitters, plumbers, welders and more, all vying for top honors in 16 competitions with skills on display in 12 crafts. NCC also featured a team competition with journey-level craft professionals from different crafts working to complete a joint project. “ABC’s premier skilled trades competition showcases the best construction craft professionals in the industry,” said Milton Graugnard , 2023 national chair of the ABC Board of Directors and executive vice president, Cajun Industries LLC, Baton Rouge, La. “Western Michigan’s craft students brighten the future of the merit shop industry, build America stronger and highlight the countless career opportunities available in construction. From all across this great country, these craft professionals traveled to Florida to demonstrate their superior skills, education and safe work practices.”

March 20, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Rapids Community College trustees approved a 1.7 percent tuition increase for the 2023-2024 academic year, part of a continuing effort to keep higher education affordable and accessible for students of all ages from across West Michigan. GRCC President Charles Lepper said the new tuition rate, approved unanimously by the board of trustees on Monday, reflects the focus on keeping a college education within reach at a time when many people in the community face financial challenges. “A college education will change lives” Lepper said. “We tell our community members, ‘You belong at GRCC, and we will help you be successful.’ We want to keep our tuition as affordable as possible to help students of all ages get the education they want and need.” The in-district tuition rate of $120 per contact hour is a 1.7 percent increase -- $2 per contact hour -- from the 2022-2023 rate. The total cost for most fulltime students will be $4,059. The tuition change comes at a time when students also have several options to attend with education costs covered by state, local, and federal programs. One in five students attending during the Winter 2023 semester has tuition covered by grant or scholarship program. Michigan Reconnect is available for residents ages 25 and older who have not yet earned a degree, and covers the cost of in-district tuition. Additional information is available at grcc.edu/reconnect . The new Michigan Achievement Scholarship could provide future Grand Rapids Community College students with $2,750 a year to help cover the cost of tuition. The college is proud to partner with the Grand Rapids Promise Zone this fall to provide a GRCC education without cost to graduates from 25 public, public charter and private high schools located within the city. Additional details are at grcc.edu/promisezone . Students also may qualify for a federal Pell Grant, or for scholarships through the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation. Additional information is available at grcc.edu/financialaid . Michigan community colleges receive revenue largely from three sources: tuition and fees, local property taxes, and state aid. “We don’t take approving tuition increases lightly,” said David Koetje, chairperson of the GRCC board of trustees. “Trustees recognize any increase in tuition can create a challenge for some students. But the college crafted a responsible financial plan, considering the rising costs we all are facing and some of the structural challenges in the way colleges are funded. We think this is a plan that allows us to continue delivering a high-quality education while keeping the cost to students as low as possible.”