Cheryl Cole's retirement party is October 17, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Leslie E. Tassell MTEC building.  Cheryl  has been at GRCC since 1994, when she began as a student in the nursing program and worked as a student employee. She then changed her major to business (although she completed her degree at another school) and took a permanent job here.   This officially puts her at 30 years working at GRCC.  I believe her retirement date is the same as her original hire date as a student employee. Cheryl has held many roles at GRCC, starting in the business office (accounting) and then moving to the Occupational training department - the old CCOT location on Leonard and Ball - and then to the MTEC when it opened in 2002. She is currently the MTEC building manager/operations support where she does everything from accounting, to facilities management, to managing the assessment center, scheduling and much more.  She is a quiet behind the scenes worker but extremely reliable and consistent. Her hobbies are knitting, shopping, spending time with her dog Ella and enjoying tacos with her work bestie.  Family is very important to her, she spends a lot of time with her sister, and loves spending time with her grandkids.  She is a fantastic friend and will go the extra mile for those she cares deeply about.   She has even held the informal "knitting" and "crocheting" lunch and learns at the MTEC for those of us that were brave enough to try the hobby. Come help us say goodbye to a wonderful co-worker and friend!  

This Thursday, the Center for Student Life & Leadership will be hosting a panel discussion with the YWCA West Central Michigan to bring awareness to domestic violence and provide the community with valuable information and resources.  Thursday, Oct. 17 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Student Center, Room 234 (behind the Quiet Café) The lunch & learn panel is available for students and staff with boxed lunches for the first 40 guests who arrive. 

Dear Colleagues, I hope that all of you are having a great week so far.  If you’re like me, you might be finding it hard to believe that we are at the midpoint of the fall semester.  This is always a busy time on campus and now is no different.  Please read below for a few updates and opportunities. From Information Technology: Summary of the Blackboard Course Content Issue As a follow-up to the Blackboard Course Content Issue we experienced at the start of the fall semester, I requested a summary from the Information Technology (IT) department.  You can read the summary on the  Summary of the Blackboard Course Content Issue document.  If you have questions or need additional information, please let me know and I will work with our colleagues in IT accordingly.  Please know that I remain grateful to all faculty and staff as well as everyone in IT and Teaching, Learning, and Distance Education (TLDE) who worked to address course content issues given this unanticipated circumstance.  Additionally, please know that I will continue to work with the President and IT leadership to ensure we continue to examine and improve communication practices and support for faculty, staff, and students when issues arise. Faculty Special Assignment Roles At this time, there are a few faculty special assignment roles that are available.  Please see the  Fall 2024 Available Special Assignments document  for the title and duties for each assignment.  If you are interested in being considered to serve in any of these roles, please complete the  Fall 2024 Faculty Special Assignment Interest Form  by the end of the day on Tuesday, October 22nd.  Reminder: GRCC Cares Network and Basic Needs Referrals In case you missed it, I wanted to share the  September GRCC Cares newsletter with you again . Specifically, please see the section about basic needs referrals.  Additionally, visit the  GRCC Cares website  for details about making a referral.  We know our students greatly benefit from the resources we have available and that helping to meet their basic needs contributes to their success in their classes and in accomplishing their academic goals.  GRCC has also been awarded additional funding from a state grant to provide more basic needs resources to students at this time.  The grant, Barrier Removal - Direct to Student, included $250,000 in funding to our existing emergency grants program.  David Lovell, our Interim Dean of Students, is available if you have any questions about these efforts.  David can be reached via email at  davidlovell@grcc.edu  or by phone at 616-234-3090. Real College Survey This is our final week with the Real College Survey.  Students have through this weekend to complete the survey.   Please share the QR code below with students in your classes.  This information will be used to inform how GRCC can best support student basic needs programming and resources.  Students have received two emails in their GRCC inboxes inviting them to complete the survey and flyers are posted around campus buildings. A third promotion of the survey is going out this week through Navigate.  If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Valerie Butterfield, Director of Student Life and Leadership,  valeriebutterfield@grcc.edu .  Party at the Polls GRCC is one of five community colleges to win the opportunity to host a  Party at the Polls  event sponsored by When We All Vote, MTV, and Showtime.  The event will be held in the Ford Fieldhouse, Gordon Hunsberger Arena, on October 29th from 5pm to 8pm and will be a partner event to the Student Government's Trick or Vote earlier that day.  Both events are focused on promoting early voting–October 29th is Early Voting Day!  To make these events a success, the Center for Student Life and Leadership is looking for volunteers.  If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up  on the Voter Early Day Volunteers form.  If you have any questions about these events, please contact Ashley Fox, Assistant Director of Student Life and Leadership,  ashleyfox1@grcc.edu .  In closing, there are a lot of events happening on campus this month.  The  GRCC Events page  has details about even more activities.  I hope you’ll join me at a performance, game, or lecture soon.  I’m grateful for colleagues such as all of you who continue to provide learning spaces for our students–inside and outside of the classroom–to create such a vibrant community here at GRCC.  Now and always, I hope you find our campus to be a space for learning, reflection, and care for each other. Have a great week and talk to you soon, Sheila    

The new/revised policies have been added to the College Policies  webpage. 14.17 Emergency Communication  Update the reason of the policy Updated related documents Updated Policy owner due to role change Grammatical changes Added Clery Act crimes Added additional language to procedures for Emergency Notifications Updated Rave info Added additional language to when Timely Warnings should be issued Updated Methods of dissemination for Timely Warnings Updated Public Safety Advisory dissemination. Emergency Guiding Document Replaced with a user-friendly document Guide to use for reference when key stakeholders are absent       Equity Lens Presentation (NEW) Applying an equity lens to policy review 6.2 EEO & Non-Discrimination Interim policy - no substantive changes 6.5 Title IX Interim policy - no substantive changes  

We are excited to announce the launch of our official AI Incubator website! Visit us at  AI Incubator at GRCC  to explore how we’re transforming the future of learning, research, and innovation in artificial intelligence. Join us at one of our upcoming events to dive deeper into the exciting world of AI. Whether you’re a student, faculty, or community member, we have something for you! Events: Top 3 Custom GPTs for College Students + Build Your Own Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 Noon-1 p.m. AI Incubator (CSC 133) All GRCC students RSVP on our GRCC Incubator - Open to all Students Google form Top 3 Custom GPTs for Faculty + Build Your Own Friday, Nov. 8, 2024 10-11 a.m. AI Incubator (CSC 133) All GRCC faculty RSVP on our GRCC Incubator - All Faculty Google form Top 3 Custom GPTs for Everyday Life + Build Your Own Friday, Nov. 8, 2024 Noon-1 p.m. AI Incubator (CSC 133) Open to the public RSVP on our GRCC Incubator - Open to the Public Google form    

We are reaching out to rally some volunteers to assist with GRCC Votes and their ongoing voter registration drive! We need volunteers to help with tabling efforts at both the Downtown (Main) and Lakeshore (LK) campuses from now through Election Day on November 5. Being a GRCC Votes volunteer is an excellent opportunity to engage with the campus community and encourage civic participation. Here’s how you can get involved: Tabling shifts are available on both campuses until Election Day. We are especially looking to fill all stations on November 4th and 5th. If you’re interested, please be ready to request space through R25 Live or coordinate with Bayard Brooks for Downtown or Kerry Hayward for Lakeshore. Your participation would make a big difference in supporting voter engagement on campus!  Fill any empty spots on the  GRCC Votes Voter Education & Registration Opportunities  or reach out to Ashley Fox ( ashleyfox1@grcc.edu ) for more information.

GRCC’s SLT met on Friday, October 4. Here is a recap of the meeting. Welcome and Update From President Lepper President Lepper welcomed everyone to the Lakeshore Campus and talked about the impressive growth at this location. He shared his interactions with students at the recent  Lunch with Lepper  event. He described the positive feelings and appreciation that students shared about the support provided by GRCC. SLT Bylaws SLT Exec proposed revisions to the SLT Bylaws regarding membership on and leadership of the SLT Funding Committee. This change was endorsed by the SLT membership and later approved by the President. Annual Strategic Plan Review SLT Exec provided a very broad overview of the feedback that was received on the proposed updates to the Strategic Plan.  Generally, the changes were supported. SLT Exec will provide a more indepth review at the November meeting. Get to Know a GRCC Department or Office - Lakeshore Campus Cameron Buck and Jackie Araiza gave a presentation on the history, staff and faculty, course offerings, and growth at the Lakeshore Campus. SI Update - Goal 4/ Priority 2: Lakeshore Academic and Student Services Optimization Cameron Buck and Jeff VanderVeen provided an update on the team's work including information about an upcoming Labor Market Study and the team's next steps. SI Update Goal 3/Priority 2: Student Basic Needs  &  Wraparound Funding and Services David DeBoer and Valerie Butterfield provided an update on the current state of available resources that support GRCC students and their future work that includes seeking grants and using data from the Real College Survey. Announcements The Finance and Administration Office has a new newsletter that provides information on everything from new construction updates to process improvements that are rolling out soon.  Check your email. The recent migration carried out by IT was recapped and was reported to have happened successfully.  This is great work by our IT Department. A number of recent  Athletic and  Homecoming  events were highlighted. An update was shared on recent Student Government activities including their work on sharing information on voting and how to find information on candidates.  Next Steps Please share the following  information with your department colleagues: Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) October 2024 Meeting Google slides   Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) October 2024 Meeting recording I am looking forward to learning more about the work and progress of the Strategic Initiative Teams. We have 3 presentations planned for our November meeting.  And, again, thank you for your continued support of our strategic planning work.   Jennifer Batten