Ocrea Collier, student resource coordinator, was nominated by Lakisha Beck, Student Records registrar, for September’s Academic and Student Affairs Council’s Above and Beyond Award.  Lakisha shared that “Ocrea is our Student Resource Coordinator who works with students to ensure that they are receiving resources on and off campus. Ocrea has helped to transform the food pantry and offer a wide variety of food to students on campus. Sometimes you will see her walking around campus with a wagon of snacks delivering them to different areas. You may even see her lifting heavy boxes from the food being delivered from Feeding America. She has even helped to transform the clothes shop, now called From One to Another Thrift Shop. The thrift shop allows students to come in and get gently used shoes, clothes, household items, etc., for themselves or their children, if in need. She also donates her time to the garden club Staying RootED, educating students on self-sustainability and the importance of growing their own food with the hopes of one day helping the club to supply the food they grow for the pantry to feed our students in need. Ocrea has really come in and hit the ground running with a goal of growing both the food pantry and thrift shop for the betterment of our students. Both of the areas look amazing and Ocrea has done a wonderful job. Keep up the awesome work!

September 25 1-2 p.m. ATC Auditorium This is a great opportunity to hear from President Triezenberg and other college leaders as they share updates and insights on topics important to our campus community. We understand schedules can be tricky, so if you're unable to attend in person, a virtual option is available at  Employee Town Hall 9-25-25 Also,  if you work at the Lakeshore, you can gather with your colleagues and watch it in room 102!

The ramp bridge from Ramp A to RJF will be closed starting at 8 AM.   The walkway will be open for use again starting Monday morning. 

I hope that everyone is having a great start to the new fall season.  This is always a busy time on campus and now is no different.  Please read below for several updates and opportunities. World Suicide Prevention Day: September 10! In support of suicide prevention and awareness, our Center for Counseling and Well-Being is hosting tabling/drop-in events around campus for students to get information, make self-care bags, take a mental health screening, and connect with faculty counselors.  Please share this information with students – this is a great opportunity for learning and engagement, even for extra credit (if you choose).  Please see their  World Suicide Prevention Day for more information. Campus Safety September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month and the College is going to be providing emails and updates to promote awareness and understanding of safety and security protocols across campus.  Please stay tuned for these messages. Additionally, I want to draw your attention to the following: Our Campus Safety-Active Assailant Response Video has been updated. Please take a few moments to show this video in class: Active Assailant Response .  Please note that the video begins with an introduction in which GRCC alumni who transferred to Michigan State University reflect upon their time here on our campus and on the tragedy that occurred in 2023 at MSU. Please remember that College practice–for campus safety–is to close and lock classroom doors while classes are in session. For added security, all GRCC buildings lock at 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.  Students, faculty, and staff can still enter using RaiderCards. Students and faculty who come to campus for class on Saturday will also need to use RaiderCards to enter the buildings.  For additional campus building hours, please visit the  Campus Building Hours webpage. GRCC Police Chief Rebecca Whitman and Victoria Janowiak, Executive Director for Operational Planning are hosting an Emergency Framework Overview professional development opportunity for new employees or anyone wanting a refresher.  The next session will be held on September 23rd from 1:00 - 2:30 pm in Sneden 108 with a HyFlex option to attend as well. Winter Opening and Learning Day: GRCC Annual Marketplace Planning for the 2026 Winter Opening and Learning Day is underway!  This year, we're excited to launch a GRCC Annual Marketplace. The marketplace will be held during breakfast, offering a unique opportunity to learn about and connect with departments and areas you may not regularly interact with. To be a part of the marketplace, please sign up on the  1st Annual Learning Day Marketplace form by October 31, 2025. Homecoming Week is Almost Here! Throughout the week of September 29th-October 3rd we will be celebrating Homecoming.  Highlights include athletic events, annual office decorating and chili cook-off contests, and much more!  See the full event schedule on the  Homecoming 2025 webpage and note the following spirit week days: Monday, September 29: Tie Dye Spirit Day Tuesday, September 30: Jersey Spirit Day Wednesday, October 1: GRCC Spirit Day Thursday, October 2: Character Spirit Day Friday, October 3: Dress to Impress Spirit Day Reminder: TLDE Catalog of Programs and Services Please remember to review the opportunities available throughout the year from Teaching, Learning, and Distance Education (TLDE).  TLDE's  catalog of offerings for the 2025-26 academic year continues to be available.  Highlights include: Professional development sessions TLDE can bring straight to your department Scheduled Canvas training and support throughout the semester The 2025-26 Faculty Showcase And much more!  Register for sessions at  TLDE's Learning Sessions page , contact TLDE to request a  departmental session , or visit  grcc.edu/TLDE for additional information. Canvas Appreciation Event: Save the Date As I shared at Opening Day, 14 teams of over 100 faculty and staff members supported the transition from Blackboard to Canvas.  The Instructional Support and Institutional Planning (ISIP) area is planning an appreciation event on October 10 to thank everyone for their excellent work and service to the campus in completing this transition.  More details will be shared from our Associate Provost of ISIP, Dr. Jennifer Batten, as plans are finalized. In closing, there are a lot of events happening on campus this month.  The  GRCC Events page has details about even more activities open to the public and for students, in addition to the Employee Events calendar, which is available via the  Stay in the Loop: Employee Events Calendar webpage.  I hope you’ll join me at a performance, game, or lecture soon.  I’m grateful for all of you for continuing to provide vibrant learning spaces for our students–inside and outside of the classroom–that create a welcoming and engaging community here at GRCC.  There is a great energy on campus and I know it matters to our students.  Now and always, I hope you find our campus to be a space for learning, reflection, and care for each other. Have a great rest of the week and talk to you soon, Sheila

Information Technology has become aware of an increased effort to gain access to student and staff GRCC credentials by unauthorized individuals. Recently, several individuals on campus were sent a Google Form, and were asked to provide their MyGRCC Username and Password into the form, similar to the one pictured below:   Please remember Sensitive Information, including passwords, should never be entered into Google Forms.  To help users remember this, at the bottom of Google Forms it states "Never submit passwords through Google Forms." If you are ever sent a similar form, please report it to Google so others do not give their password on the form. Instructions can be found on our Reporting a Google Form as Spam/Phishing  webpage For more information and helpful tips, please visit the  IT Customer Support Portal or contact the IT Customer Support Desk at x4357. If you have a suggestion or a technology tip you think can be useful, you can submit them by emailing techtips@grcc.edu 

ArtPrize has shared an interesting volunteer opportunity with us. The message from them and details of the opportunity are below. Don’t forget, you can use up to 5 volunteer hours towards your yearly Professional Development requirements. Message I’m excited to share a one-of-a-kind volunteer opportunity with Arborialis , a featured ArtPrize Experience hosted by UK-based Architects of Air. This large-scale inflatable exhibition blends light, color and nature-inspired architecture to create an unforgettable, walkable art experience. From Sept.19 to Oct. 4,  Arborialis will transform 555 Monroe N into a world of exploration, and we’d love your help to make it possible! Volunteer Role: Arborialis Steward Arborialis volunteers, known as stewards, are essential to the daily operations of Arborialis, ensuring a safe, smooth and enjoyable visitor experience. Some duties include monitoring entrance/exit points, guiding visitor flow surrounding the structure and supporting general exhibition logistics. Shifts are scheduled Tuesday - Sunday, 11 AM - 6:30PM, with volunteers rotating through different roles every 30 minutes for a well-rounded experience. Training Requirement All volunteers  must  attend one in-person orientation session led by Architects of Air managers prior to their first volunteer shift. Training dates are as follows: ● Thurs, Sept 18 at 2:00 PM or 5:30 PM ● Tues, Sept 23 at 5:30 PM ● Sat, Sept 27 at 9:00 AM ● Wed, Oct 1 at 9:00 AM To sign up for training, please email volunteer@artprize.org with the day, time, and where applicable, the number of participants.  Reasons to Volunteer Volunteering at Arborialis provides stewards with: hands-on experience with a world-renowned, traveling exhibition, and rotating roles and comprehensive training, as well as exclusive ArtPrize perks, including swag, access to volunteer-only spaces and an appreciation party held after the conclusion of Artprize. Stewards can also anticipate tiered rewards based on the number of shifts completed, up to a chance to win VIP tickets to the ArtPrize Awards Ceremony after the completion of 4 shifts. For more information, visit  www.artprize.org/volunteer What to Wear/Bring Stewards should wear comfortable, easy-to-remove shoes (Arborialis is shoeless inside), weather-appropriate layers for outdoor shifts, and bring water, sunscreen and snacks as needed to enjoy during down time. Arborialis is a unique chance to be part of an international sensation – for free, and while making unforgettable memories, and while gaining real-world experience. Ready to join us? Find your date of interest below and sign up!* ●  Friday, Sept 19th ●  Saturday, Sept 20th ●  Sunday, Sept 21st ● Tuesday, Sept 23rd ●  Wednesday, Sept 24th ●  Thursday, Sept 25th ●  Friday, Sept 26th ●  Saturday, Sept 27th ●  Sunday, Sept 28th ●  Tuesday, Sept 30th ●  Wednesday, Oct 1st ●  Thursday, Oct 2nd ●  Friday, Oct 3rd ●  Saturday, Oct 4th *Opportunity availability is based on number of sign up slots available  

We hope you had a restful Labor Day holiday now that Fall semester is underway. This reminder is for the 9/26/25 pay date timesheet (for the pay period of 9/1-9/14/25). The first day of the pay period was Monday, 9/1/25, which was the Labor Day holiday. Employees who are eligible for holiday pay (both hourly and salary) will use the HOL column on the timesheet to report regularly-scheduled hours for that day. Generally, part time/non-benefited (contingent) and student employees are not eligible for holiday pay and should not work and not report time, either in in/out times or the HOL column. Part time/non-benefited employees can use the NP column (for No Pay) for hours that day to add up to the regular weekly hours if the timesheet gives an error message when trying to submit. Supervisors, please pay close attention to hours on 9/1/25 to ensure people who are eligible for holiday pay are using HOL and those who are not eligible don't have any HOL hours reported or are using the NP column (or PTO for limited benefit employees who'd like to use some of their leave bank towards that day). As always, you can send us an email at hrpayroll@grcc.edu with any questions.  

Career and Student Employment Services sponsors the “Go Beyond” recognition program for student employees.   This program recognizes student employees who go beyond their normal job responsibilities to provide extraordinary service while working at GRCC.   Nominated student employees receive a special GRCC T-shirt and a gift card. Congratulations to our “Go Beyond” recipients for August: Josiah Mupeso (AATC) Oleg Nshungu (AATC) Shaam Singh (Adult Education) Alyssa Collazo (Student Life & Conduct) Alexys Glover (Student Life & Conduct) Brooke Gordon (Student Life & Conduct) Rod Amani (Student Life & Conduct) Cyle Trudell (Student Life & Conduct) To nominate a student employee, please visit the  Go Beyond Recognition Program  webpage.