Sept. 1, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The GRCC Lakeshore Campus is being highlighted by Haworth, the Holland-based office furniture manufacturer, as an “inspired design” and example of a public-private partnership strengthening a community. Haworth was a partner in creating the 52,000-square-foot-campus, providing furnishings and equipment used throughout the building. The GRCC Lakeshore Campus opened a year ago as a consolidated location for Grand Rapids Community College’s Ottawa County programs, and about 1,000 students are so far enrolled to take classes there this semester. The company highlighted GRCC in its blog, “Spark – Workplace insights that ignite ideas,” looking at the how the building went from a shuttered JCPenney department store into a vibrant learning space. The post, “Transforming vacant mall space into a place for higher education. See how a strategic real estate choice creates the perfect environment for students, faculty, and the community” includes a case study and video with interviews with several GRCC leaders. “What was a blighted mall and felt like something that was a failure in the community has been transformed into something that will help students succeed, and it will raise the vitality and the economic prosperity of the whole region,” said Dr. Kathryn Mullins, GRCC’s vice president for College Advancement and executive director of the GRCC Foundation. The campus opened in August 2021 in the Shops at Westshore Mall, 12335 James St. in Holland. The facility has nine classrooms, four computer labs and five unique labs for biology, chemistry, electronics, automation, welding and machine tooling, housing programs for students working toward an associate degree or a career-focused certificate. The building also has spaces for advising and counseling and other student support services and a satellite library, as well as areas for use by community groups. The GRCC Facilities team, directed by Jim Van Dokkumburg, oversaw the transformation. GMB Architecture + Engineering designed the project, and construction was directed by The Christman Co. Haworth highlighted the collaborative culture that helped the project take flight and be successful. “The new GRCC Lakeshore Campus represents the value a community college provides in helping students fulfill their dreams,” the article reads. “A spirit of collaboration carries through the space itself, with central gathering spaces for pairs and small groups, as well as large gatherings. The vitality of the new campus has energized the surrounding area, too, bringing in new restaurants and shops. A large open area is used to host campus and community events. Plus, faculty and staff now experience the benefits of working together face-to-face and report an increase in collaboration and communication.”  The story notes opportunities for local employers to collaborate on training at the campus, noting the specialized rooms “provide spaces where students gain the skills they’ll use to drive innovation in future jobs as well as entrepreneurial ventures. Many manufacturers, including Haworth, benefit from GRCC’s state-of-the-art technical training programs, while students learn valuable skills close to home that will help them earn more and advance in their careers.” Other community donors include the Brooks family, the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area, Gentex Corporation, GMB, Herman Miller, Hudsonville Ice Cream Company, and Patrick A. Thompson and family. The project earlier in the year was highlighted in Architect, the journal of the American Institute for Architects, and named an “Outstanding Project” in the Community College Renovation/Adaptive Reuse/Restoration category by Learning by Design magazine. The Washington-based AIA is the leading professional organization for architects and design professionals. Learning by Design showcases the best in the education design and construction market, recognizing innovative pre-K to 12 schools and cutting-edge colleges and universities.

Aug. 31, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Cody Kasper worked in a variety of industries after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was working with the Ionia County Road Commission when a friend talked to him about becoming an electrical line worker. After hearing about the work, he was determined to give it a go. “I tried to get into the program at Lansing Community College and another program in Alpena,” he said. “Space is always very limited. But I kept trying. Then I saw that Grand Rapids Community College was developing a program that was nine months shorter than the others. It was perfect timing!” Kasper was one of the 12 participants in the pilot program that was offered in May 2021. “The training was great. It hit all the basics -- OSHA, and electrical industry stuff,” he said. “But it’s the fitness portion. That is what kicks everyone’s butt!” GRCC, in partnership with the Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium, began offering a Pre-Lineworker Training program in 2021. The Program includes: OSHA10 certification/safety, Linework Physical Fitness, Basic Electricity, and Energy Industry Fundamentals, followed by climbing clinics, orientation and an 11-week climb school in Marshall, Mich.. “Of the 12 who started the program, only eight went on to do the practice climbs,” he said. “The first time you have to climb up a pole to 40 feet, you find out quickly if you are afraid of heights.” The process to become a Line worker has many levels of training. GRCC’s program is the first level. Additionally, there are four climbing clinics and a written test. Kasper is now working for Consumers Energy making more than $40 per hour. As he progresses through the five steps of the apprenticeship program, he will earn even more. “This training is serious. I felt like being in the Marines really helped me. I had the mentality to stick to it. I’m so glad I did!” Additional information about the next Pre-Lineworker session is available at grcc.edu/lineworker .  

Aug. 30, 2022 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Where some people saw a blind woman, Grand Rapids Community College saw a burgeoning musician. “This is the polar opposite of how I was treated in the rest of my school life,” said Hailey Cone, a 25-year-old GRCC voice major. “GRCC is an environment where they see me past my blindness and see me for my love of music.” Along with singing, Cone has developed a keen interest in musicology, or the study of music. She recently joined the writing staff for “Inside the Score,” a YouTube channel with 272,000 subscribers that produces content to deepen the appreciation of classical, film and art music. Cone’s first script about Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto for the Left Hand”  debuted Aug. 22 on YouTube and had nearly 86,000 views in its first week. In the video, Oscar Osicki, creator of “Inside the Score,” included Cone’s personal reflection on how the Ravel composition inspires her as a person with a disability — and motivates her music studies. “As a music student with my own disabilities and hardships to navigate, I come back to the left-hand concerto when I am consumed by self-doubt or fear,” Cone said. “Hearing that triumphant ending reminds me that adversity can be overcome – and even celebrated.” But her musical path has had its challenges. Cone’s vision impairment stems from complications from her extremely premature birth in 1996 at just 5 months gestation. She has no sight in her right eye and minimal vision in her left eye, even with glasses. “I’m considered legally blind,” she said. “But I can cook, clean and I live life independently; the only real issue is I can’t drive.” Cone enrolled at GRCC in 2016 after graduating from East Kentwood High School. Uncertain about a career, she considered English or social work degrees. But while taking an elective choir class at GRCC in 2018, her professor encouraged her to pursue a music degree . “Music called to me a little louder,” Cone said. “I had this massive spark for music for so long, but it was extinguished over and over and over until I got to college, where it was finally ignited and taken seriously. “From the start, all my GRCC professors have been extremely accommodating, encouraging and really generous with their time -- I’m just sort of blown away by that,” she said. Unable to read paper sheet music, Cone relies on her tablet to enlarge the music enough so that she can read it. She’s already enjoyed several semesters performing in GRCC’s Music Department’s College Choir, Concert Choir and Madrigal Singers. Her love of singing, musicology and creative writing made her a perfect fit for “Inside the Score.” She chose “Piano Concert for the Left Hand” as her first script because Ravel is her favorite composer. He was commissioned a century ago to write the concerto for Paul Wittgenstein, a concert pianist who lost his right arm in World War I. This semester, Cone is attending school, working on her second script and debating the next step on her musical career path. “Hailey is one of our very best,” said Caleb Wenzel, GRCC’s director of choral and vocal activities. This story was reported by Beth McKenna.