Dec. 16, 2020 GRAND RAPIDS  -- It’s a pretty sweet way to say “thank you” to partners working on the frontlines. Professors in Grand Rapids Community College's Secchia Institute for Culinary Education transitioned classes online late this semester as local COVID-19 cases spiked, prompting them to come up with innovative ways to help students finish strong. Chefs Audrey Heckwolf, Sasha Ahmed, Gilles Renusson, and Wilfredo Barajas work with about 35 students in bakery and retail bakery classes, where they learn to prepare cookies, bars, brownies, muffins and other treats. Professors conducted lessons by preparing pastries in campus labs while students followed along via Zoom. The Secchia team accumulated about 400 items by the time they were done, and wanted to find a way to share the snacks and their expertise with people in our community. The program has longstanding partnerships with Spectrum Health's nearby Butterworth Hospital, and the chefs wanted frontline workers to now how much they appreciated their hard work, especially as the number of COVID cases increased in recent weeks.  The team loaded bags of treats and brought them up the hill to say "thank you," and recognize the sacrifices frontline workers and others in essential jobs are making to keep West Michiganders safe and recovering. Spectrum Health is a neighbor, and partners with the college on a variety of programs. The Secchia Institute is a partner in Spectrum’s Culinary Medicine program, and the hospital works closely with other parts of the campus, including supporting scholarships for students interested in health sciences and health careers. GRCC in the spring and summer assisted Spectrum by donating personal protection equipment and parking spaces to help workers be closer to the hospital. Grand Rapids Community College offers learners of all ages opportunities to gain credits for degrees or transfer and in-demand career skills leading to rewarding careers. GRCC was established in 1914 – Michigan’s first community college -- and offers affordable classes on weekdays, evenings, Saturdays and online at locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties.

Dec. 14, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  -- Start at Grand Rapids Community College and go anywhere! Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC – or Grand Rapids Junior College – gave them the education and opportunity to be successful. We’re sharing some of those stories, and want to hear yours! “Always a Raider!” Kent County District Court Judge Sara Smolenski says this frequently, and, in her case, it’s even truer than it is for most GRCC alumni. Smolenski’s parents met as students at Grand Rapids Junior College in 1936: “If it wasn’t for Grand Rapids Community College, I literally wouldn’t be in this world!” she says. During her two years at GRJC, Smolenski played for both the basketball and softball teams. She was a member of the basketball team that placed fourth in the national junior college tournament in 1975. While many of her fondest memories are from her athletic career at GRJC, she also appreciated what she learned in the classrooms, especially when she transferred to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor to pursue the law career she’d dreamed of since fourth grade.  “I had a great academic experience that prepared me for the University of Michigan -- I had every credit transfer in good standing,” Smolenski said, noting that that wasn’t the case for her roommate, who transferred from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Smolenski earned her GRJC associate degree in 1977 and a bachelor’s degree from U of M in 1979. She received a Juris Doctorate from Cooley Law School in 1982. Recently re-elected, she is serving her 30th year as a judge.  Smolenski, GRCC’s 2003 Distinguished Alumna, looks to help, if possible, the people she encounters in the courtroom. She is also well-known for her willingness to help good causes in the community. Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kent County, Kids’ Food Basket, the Dominican Sisters, the Grand Rapids Bar Association are among the many organizations she has supported. And GRCC, of course: “Always a Raider!” “I do think my experience at CC definitely helped shape the journey for me being a leader,” said Smolenski, who received GRCC’s Salute to Women and Distinguished Alumna awards in 2003.

Dec. 14, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –  Grand Rapids Community College is waiving online class fees for the upcoming winter 2021 semester, part of an effort to keep college as affordable as possible as the region continues to recover from the pandemic. The move will save students $16 per contact hour, or about $50 for a three-credit class offered online. Students would still be responsible for tuition and other universal fees. GRCC will ensure students have the technology for the semester, providing loaner laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots. The college also will continue to help students with its food pantry and other support services. Winter classes start on Jan. 11, and there is still time to register. Classes will be offered in four formats -- including some delivered on campus -- allowing students to learn in a flexible environment. “GRCC continues focusing on delivering a robust schedule of classes delivered in a responsible manner while providing students with the support they need to be successful,” GRCC President Bill Pink said. “Our students and employees have demonstrated they are resilient and are moving forward. We’ve been innovative in finding ways to remove obstacles, because we are in this together.” Class formats are: Online classes are entirely online with no set meeting times, and are ideal for people who work well independently or who need a flexible schedule. Hybrid classes have students working mostly online, with limited meetings on campus. Virtual classes meet online at specific times using programs such as Zoom, allowing students to interact with faculty and classmates in real time. On-campus classes meet on campus at specific times, with proper social distancing and safety protocols. “These class formats allow for a safe environment, and also flexibility for students,” Provost Brian Knetl said. “Many students are working around home and job responsibilities, and others are attending as guest students to stay close to home and are planning to transfer credits back to their four-year college or university.” GRCC’s enrollment team is ready to assist students with the admission process and getting signed up for classes. Questions for the Enrollment Center can be sent to  admissions@grcc.edu , or students can call (616) 234-3300. GRCC has financial aid staff members available through a hotline – (616) 234-4030 – or via email at  financialaid@grcc.edu  to assist with questions about financial aid, payment plans, and whether students might be eligible for tuition-free programs such as Futures for Frontliners and the Grand Rapids Promise Zone. Campus services, including tutoring and support at the GRCC Library and Learning Commons, will continue to be offered remotely. The college continues to work with state and local health authorities to determine when some services can be offered in-person by appointment. GRCC’s Information Technology Department is helping students access technology needed for online learning. Students can reserve a laptop or Wi-Fi hotspot through an online form available here. Students also can continue to connect to college Wi-Fi in the parking lot behind the Administration Building on the DeVos Campus, and in the parking lots of Kent District Library branches. Grand Rapids Community College offers learners of all ages opportunities to gain credits for degrees or transfer and in-demand career skills leading to rewarding careers. GRCC was established in 1914 – Michigan’s first community college -- and offers affordable classes on weekdays, evenings, Saturdays and online at locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties.

Dec. 11, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. --  Anna Abernethy had serious doubts about this whole college thing.  She really wanted a career in law enforcement, so she knew she needed higher education. But because she had struggled in school before, she wasn’t sure she would make it through college. “I decided to pursue the Police Academy program at GRCC in order to achieve my goals with the fewest college classes possible,” she said. She started with 18 credits and joined the cross country team. Was this going to be too much? Nope. “I learned quickly that I had a team of wonderful people who were there to help me succeed,” Abernethy said. “From my teammates to my teachers, everyone was willing to assist me whenever I asked for help.” When her first semester grades came in, she was stunned to see that she had straight A’s and a 4.0 GPA. Academic Support and Tutoring Services reached out with a job offer. Abernethy realized she was good at college. She began researching bachelor’s degree programs in the area. When she met with a Ferris State University advisor, she learned that she could complete an entire criminal justice program without leaving the Grand Rapids campus. She learned a lot in her GRCC classes, but her work in the tutoring center taught her a lot, too. “I learned how to interact with people and accept them,” she said. “I learned what some of my strengths and weaknesses are. I learned what it feels like to have a great cohort of staff and student employees who care about each other and their success. “This job enabled me to help people who are struggling with school -- just like I was when I started.” Abernethy received the 2019 Student Impact Award and was named MCCAA Academic All-Conference and NJCAA All-Academic Third Team in 2018.  Last spring, she earned her bachelor’s in criminal justice from FSU. She plans to pursue a master’s degree and hopes to eventually work in a human services field, possibly helping victims of crime. “I went from a person who wanted to do the minimum and had little confidence in her ability to succeed to a woman with confidence, accomplishments and a college education,” Abernethy said. “GRCC was not only a stepping stone in my college career, but the foundation of my education.”

Dec. 9, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  — Yamiche Alcindor, award-winning journalist and White House correspondent for PBS Newshour, will give the keynote address during West Michigan's commemoration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The virtual program on Monday, January 18, will run from 6:30-8 p.m. It is free and open to the public; register online to receive a link to the Zoom webinar. More information about Alcindor is below. The event will also introduce area high school scholarship recipients and include short welcomes from college presidents and community leaders. Alcindor's address, "The Legacy of MLK: Purpose, Truth and Justice," is sponsored by Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Davenport University, with key support from Spectrum Health, Consumers Energy, and Warner Norcross and Judd LLP. “Each year we come together as a community to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King. We recognize his achievements, his life and his message," GRCC President Bill Pink said. "But it is also a time for us to take a hard look at ourselves and our community. We can appreciate how far we have come while still focusing on the long road ahead. The events of 2020 show we have much to do. Our annual celebration can inspire us to do that work together.”   On the 35th anniversary of this community event, GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella said she is pleased the higher education partners teamed to bring Alcindor to the community. "Dr. King’s legacy invites all of us to commit ourselves to fighting systemic racism by supporting the Black community and elevating their voices and experiences of yesterday, today and tomorrow," Mantella said. "Together, we as a nation have work to do." Richard J. Pappas, president of Davenport University, said he is grateful the campus partners honor the legacy of King and are "renewed in our commitment to provide equitable and inclusive experiences across our campuses."  "Together, we are teaching and shaping tomorrow’s leaders to build each other up, show others compassion, speak out against racism and violence and rally together for what is right," Pappas said.  Alcindor joined PBS NewsHour in 2018. She began her journalism career at Newsday in New York and several years later was named a political correspondent for NBC and MSNBC. During the 2020 presidential election, Alcindor became a go-to voice in analyzing the nation's most critical issues. Alcindor has received the White House Correspondents’ Association Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage and the 2020 National Association of Black Journalists' Journalist of the Year Award. More information about Alcindor, the January 18 event and other events to commemorate King's life are online at  gvsu.edu/mlk .

Dec. 7, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. --  Start at Grand Rapids Community College and go anywhere! Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC – or Grand Rapids Junior College – gave them the education and opportunity to be successful. We’re sharing some of those stories, and want to hear yours! David Cope left high school with less-than-stellar grades and a lot of anger.  “I wasted my years in high school, enraged at parents, authorities, caring only for my English, Latin and French classes, a passion for poetry, as well as a variety of antisocial behaviors,” he said. “My grades were not good enough to attend my chosen school -- U of M -- and I didn’t have enough money anyways.” Grand Rapids Junior College was a “convenient” second choice. While working 10 to 20 hours per week as a dishwasher at the airport, Cope attended classes and found himself as poetry editor for Display magazine, a compilation of art and creative writing from GRJC (now GRCC) students. “This was my first experience of editing a magazine, and I made lifelong friends among the students I encountered there and on The Collegiate,” he said. “Poetry has been in my life blood ever since I first memorized psalms in first grade and began writing it with a passion in eighth grade. Everything in the experience of work on Display began the continuous preparation and execution of writing that has given me a most fulfilling life, from book publications and acclaim to national awards for my work and in my retirement.” After receiving his Associate of Arts in 1968, Cope earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s from Western Michigan University.  “GRJC gave me the platform to succeed at Michigan, and eventually I was able to use the skills I perfected in grad school to teach my most beloved subjects at GRCC,” he said. In addition to teaching poetry and writing, Cope developed courses in Shakespeare, multicultural literature and women’s studies during his 22 years at GRCC. “Both teaching and writing are callings and require enormous commitment to be successful,” he said. Cope is committed to both fields: He has written seven books and two chapbooks of poetry, has edited three anthologies, and was Grand Rapids’ poet laureate from 2011-2014.. He won first place in the Kent County Dyer Ives Poetry Competition, received the Pushcart Prize and won an award in literature from the American Academy/Institute of Arts and Letters.  Cope, GRCC’s 1984 Distinguished Alumnus, has retired from teaching but continues to write while editing and publishing Big Scream magazine. In 2019, Cope was the only American poet to attend an international poetics conference in Sichuan, China, and he has since published his multidisciplinary journal,  A Bridge Across the Pacific,  on the experiences, lessons, and poetry he wrote while there. “Since retirement, I have given myself over to my poetry career with all the energy I gave to my teaching and the poetry I wrote during those years as well,” he said. “I have been rewarded by the continuing friendship of former students and colleagues, publishing them in my magazine and encouraging their own work.”

Dec. 4, 2020 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. --  Cholonni Madison had just returned to West Michigan after living for a while in California. “I was feeling like I’m getting older and I need a career with real opportunity,” he said. “My coach at West Michigan Works! told me about the Public Works Academy.” GRCC launched the seven-week Public Works Academy in 2018 with grant funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Its curriculum was developed with help from public works departments for Grand Rapids and Grand Haven, in addition to the road commissions from Kent, Muskegon and Van Buren counties, the Michigan Department of Transportation, Prein&Newhof and Rowe Professional Services. “The training was awesome,” Madison said. “I never really thought about working for the city, but it’s amazing all the different services they provide.” He stepped right into his “career with real opportunity” after graduating from the academy. “I was hired right away at the city of Grand Rapids,” he said. “They have a program where employees rotate through different positions every month. I like it. Every day is different, and I am building so many relationships. “I have a real pride in what I do: serving the people in my city.” Madison shared his story with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer when she visited GRCC after delivering her first State of the State address in 2019. The next Public Works Academy sessions are planned for Jan. 19 - Mar. 18, 2021, with classes running Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Additional information is available in  the GRCC catalog here . Grand Rapids Community College offers learners of all ages opportunities to gain credits for degrees or transfer and in-demand career skills leading to rewarding careers. GRCC was established in 1914 – Michigan’s first community college -- and offers affordable classes on weekdays, evenings, Saturdays and online at locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties.

Dec. 1, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  – The deadline to apply for free tuition through the state’s Futures for Frontliners program is at the end of this month, and Grand Rapids Community College is ready to assist applicants struggling to complete required federal financial aid forms. More than 1,700 people have been accepted so far by the state to attend GRCC through the Futures for Frontliners program, which provides a tuition-free pathway to an associate degree or a technical certificate to those who worked in essential industries during the COVID-19 shutdown this spring. More than 6,000 additional applications are under review by the state. Many of these applicants need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA. Others may need to submit additional information to the state, such as employment verification. GRCC has direct and easy connections with staff experts to answer questions about FAFSA and help frontliners start at GRCC. Contact GRCC through the Financial Aid hotline at (616) 234-4030. The Futures for Frontliners hotline is (616) 234-3344; email is  futures4frontliners@grcc.edu ; and text is (616) 404-4519. “We don’t want anyone to miss this opportunity because they need assistance with the final steps to submit the FAFSA,” said Tina Hoxie, GRCC’s associate provost and dean of Student Affairs. “Financial aid specialists can help finish the form, and answer any other questions about enrolling and how a GRCC education can help someone gain new skills and advance in their careers. Futures for Frontliners is perfect for students of all ages, helping them start working toward a degree or certificate or picking up where they might have left off.” More than 85,000 people statewide have applied for the program, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Futures for Frontliners is part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal of having 60% of working-age Michiganders earning a college degree or certificate by 2030. The state application is available at  Michigan.gov/frontliners,  and the deadline to apply is Dec. 31. Once accepted by the state, new students must apply to GRCC at grcc.edu/apply and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. Students would be eligible to begin attending during the winter semester, starting in January 2021. The Futures for Frontliners program is for people who worked at least half-time in frontline jobs for 11 of the 13 weeks between April 1 and June 30 and who do not have a college degree. Eligible frontline industry examples include – but are not limited to -- food and agriculture; healthcare and public health; critical manufacturing; communications and information technology, including news media; law enforcement, public safety, and first responders; public works; and transportation and logistics. Grand Rapids Community College offers learners of all ages opportunities to gain credits for degrees or transfer and in-demand career skills leading to rewarding careers. GRCC was established in 1914 – Michigan’s first community college -- and offers affordable classes on weekdays, evenings, Saturdays and online at locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties.

Nov. 30, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. --  Start at Grand Rapids Community College and go anywhere! Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC – or Grand Rapids Junior College – gave them the education and opportunity to be successful. We’re sharing some of those stories, and want to hear yours! Dr. Nkechy Ezeh said GRCC “opened the door” for her to embark on a career of advocating for children and training educators around the world, especially those working to help families overcome the effects of poverty. “GRCC started it for me, opened the door for me, and made my life now possible,” Ezeh said in a 2017 interview. Ezeh came to Grand Rapids in 1986 and liked to take long walks to explore the city. When she found herself in the GRCC library, a brochure for the Child Development program caught her eye. "I wanted to learn about babies," she said. "I was pregnant at the time and without my family here, I knew that I needed help." She decided to study child development at GRCC and found an extended "family" of support. "I remember all too well the day I finally went into labor for the birth of my first daughter," she said. "I was taking an exam in my psychology class and it soon became apparent that something very different was happening with my body. I quietly spoke with my professor, who was more than willing to excuse me from class. I wouldn't leave until he also promised that I could finish the exam at a later date! The whole class was so supportive and that meant so much to me!" After earning her child development degree at GRCC, Ezeh was hired by Messiah Baptist Church to work with a program that served vulnerable children in Grand Rapids and saw how poverty can have an impact on the early development of children. Parents all want to do their best for their children, but sometimes the reality of life circumstances get in the way, she said. Ezeh completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Grand Valley State University and then earned her doctorate in child and youth studies, with a specialization in curriculum development and systemic change, from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. She became an associate professor of education and director of the early childhood education program at Aquinas College. She was also named a Fellow with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and then became the founder and CEO of the award-winning Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative. Ezeh believes it is important to provide support to both children and their families. She developed Empowering Parents Impacting Children, a unique two generational approach to early childhood education in which family coaches support parents to fully assume their roles as change agents for their children. Ezeh has assisted several schools and nonprofit agencies as an education consultant, providing curriculum and evaluation expertise. She conducts professional development and parent education workshops all over the world. Her work and support for children and families led to Ezeh being named a Distinguished Alumna earlier this year.