Presidential Search and Survey Information Dear Campus Community,  The next stage of the presidential search involves listening sessions for both internal and external communities. This crucial step will help shape and inform the selection of our next leader.  These sessions will be facilitated by our search firm consultants, Academic Search. The purpose of these sessions is twofold: to ensure the consultants are well-informed about GRCC and to provide you an opportunity to share your views about future needs and priorities. This feedback will be used to finalize the Presidential Profile, a document outlining the desired characteristics and experiences sought in the next president.  To help you prepare to add your input, we have provided a draft of the Presidential Profile. The Presidential Profile has been modified slightly from the 2022 search to reflect feedback received by the Board of Trustees through their Fall 2024 listening sessions and to incorporate feedback from the recent campus climate survey. We also provide a link to the  Pre-Search Constituent Survey: Search for GRCC's Next President based on the same questions that will be raised in the listening sessions. The survey does not need to be filled out if you are attending a session. Conversely, if you are not able to attend any of the sessions, we invite you to fill out the  Pre-Search Constituent Survey: Search for GRCC's Next President  so your feedback can be heard. The survey will close on Friday, August 29 at noon to allow Academic Search to compile the feedback. A summary of the aggregate feedback and key themes from all sessions will be shared with the entire campus community to ensure transparency in the process. Individual feedback shared in the listening sessions and in the survey will be held confidentially by Academic Search.  Listening Sessions Details The listening sessions will be available in a hybrid format, both in-person and virtual. The consultants will facilitate the sessions virtually. We are offering a variety of days and times to allow for the most participation from our campus community. Please choose one session that will work best for you.  Monday, August 11  Staff Session - 9-10 a.m. Open Session (all employees) - 4-5 p.m. In-person participation - Sneden, Room 108 (all sessions) Virtual participation - a zoom link will be sent in an appointment after you RSVP Thursday, August 14  Open Session (all employees) - 9-10 a.m. Staff Session - 1-2 p.m. In-person participation - Calkins Science Center, Room 140 (all sessions) Virtual participation - a zoom link will be sent in an appointment after you RSVP Thursday, August 28  Faculty Session - 9-10 a.m. Open Session (all employees) - 2-3 p.m. Faculty Session - 4-5 p.m. In-person participation - Sneden 108 (all sessions) Virtual participation - a zoom link will be sent in an appointment after you RSVP Additional Information RSVP’s are required for each session; you can submit your RSVP through this GRCC Presidential Search Listening Sessions webform. Within the week of your response, you’ll receive a calendar appointment with the specific session details. Additional sessions will include the Executive Leadership Team, Cabinet, students and community members. These groups will not attend the sessions listed above.  Your voice matters and will be critical as we search for our next leader. Thank you in advance for participating in this critical stage of the process, either by attending a listening session or completing the  Pre-Search Constituent Survey: Search for GRCC's Next President . If you have any questions, please feel free to email  presidentialsearch@grcc.edu . Warm regards, Dr. Brandy Lovelady Mitchell - Co-Chair, Presidential Search Screening Committee Mary Lucas - Co-Chair, Presidential Search Screening Committee

The Center for Counseling and Well-Being have expanded their drop-in hours for same day urgent consultations and Let's Talk. The new hours are 9 AM-4 PM. Previously, same day urgent consultation hours were 11 AM and 3 PM. Please share this with your departments and colleagues. Please visit our website, Center for Counseling and Well-Being , for more information.    

The new/revised policies have been added to the  College Policies  webpage. 6.14 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Policy Change “Executive Director of Human Resources” to “Executive Director of Human Resources and Talent Development”. Change “Generalists” to “Business Partners”. Change “Director of Equal Opportunity Compliance” to “Director of Equal Opportunity Compliance and Title XI Coordinator”. Change “Meet & Confer” to “PMA”. In Section X, Part C, #4 - replaced “are required to pay the employee portion of the medical and prescription drug plan premiums for the period during which you go without a paycheck” with “While on unpaid leave, the employee is required to pay the employee portion of the medical and prescription drug plan premiums. The employee must continue to make this payment, either in person or by mail. It is the employee’s responsibility to submit timely monthly payments directly to the Benefits office in order to continue coverage while on unpaid leave. If the payment is more than thirty (30) days late, the employee's healthcare coverage may be dropped for the duration of the leave. GRCC will provide fifteen (15) days notification prior to the employee's loss of coverage.” In Section X, Part F, #5 – deleted “If the employee is taking leave for a serious health condition or because of the serious health condition of a family member, the employee should try to reach an agreement with GRCC before taking intermittent leave or working a reduced hourly schedule. If this is not possible, then the employee must prove that the use of the leave is medically necessary.” 6.2 Criminal Background Check Policy Added Board of Trustees to affected entities Updated Meet and Confer to PMA Updated revision date and policy history 6.24 Drug and Alcohol Policy Updated Meet and Confer to PMA Clarified language involving “Actions to be taken for suspected use or abuse by employees” Added Drug and alcohol resources under “prevention and awareness” Updated revision date and policy history  

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying a well-deserved break or productive summer season.  As we move through the summer weeks, I wanted to take a moment to provide several updates and offer my gratitude for all you do to support our students and advance the College’s mission.   Teaching, Learning, and Distance Education (TLDE) Resources: Canvas Transition As you prepare for the upcoming semester, please refer to the  Course Resource Guide  sent by TLDE for an explanation of the course blueprint and to this  Knowledge Base article  for step-by-step directions for moving content into your Fall 2025 courses.  Live support from Canvas is also now available 24/7 in your Canvas Global Navigation menu by selecting Help.   Leadership Position Updates Please see the recent leadership updates document for more information on recent leadership updates in Academic and Student Affairs, including the following transitions: Dr. D’Wayne Jenkins, Dean of Student Affairs, joined GRCC on June 9 David Lovell - Associate Director of Institutional Research, started this new role on June 9 Jonathan Marshall - Interim Associate Dean of Liberal Arts, started this interim role on June 16 Dr. Wesley Fox - Dean of Business & Industry, joining GRCC on August 4 Announcement: College Success Center Earlier this week, Associate Provost Isackson and I met with the College Success Center and Academic Advising teams to provide an update on the work of our Academic Advising Council and next steps that have been identified that will impact the work of academic advising and student support campus-wide. College leadership has participated in conversations over the last few months with various key stakeholders, including the Faculty Association, regarding how to implement necessary changes to best support students and academic advising work at the College, as well as address high advising caseload numbers. With these conversations in mind and guided by input from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and the Academic Advising Council’s work to date, we have decided to move forward with some organizational changes that we feel will: Address an area of greatest need, which is serving students through advising Advance the goal of providing holistic advising and support to students Create more manageable advisor caseloads Reduce overlap of programming and student support initiatives, and Build upon the strong holistic student support work that has been happening within the College Success Center To accomplish this, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the College Success Center. The positions currently aligned with it will be used to create new positions within Academic and Student Affairs. Compensation lines currently associated with College Success Center Coach and Associate Director roles will be used, along with funding from an open faculty line, to create six new academic advising positions within the Academic Advising & Transfer Center. Each Success Coach and the Associate Director have been offered a one-year Temporary Full-time Academic Advisor position in our Academic Advising & Transfer Center. To ensure that Temporary Full-time Academic Advisors will be successful, all will participate in New Faculty Institute and new advisor onboarding. Those interested in continuing work as Academic Advisors after one year will need to participate in a competitive external search process for consideration in keeping with our long-standing faculty search practices. These positions will be posted in Spring 2026. Amy Huntington, Associate Dean of Advising and Student Support, will be working with Lynnae Selberg, Academic Advising & Transfer Center Department Head, to assign caseloads soon and will coordinate with others in Student Affairs to help ensure a smooth transition for students. The effective start date for these positions will be August 18. Marisol Blanco, the College Success Center Director, has been offered an opportunity to serve as Interim Associate Dean of Strategic Outreach for one year. This AD role will report to David Selmon, Dean of Strategic Outreach, and will supervise adjunct faculty members in support of adult education offerings, as well as help coordinate our updated Bridges to College programming. Should she be interested in continuing in this role after one year, she, too, will need to participate in a competitive search process for consideration during Spring 2026. College Success Center Support Professional Sondra Davis’ responsibilities will be shifted to provide administrative support for Student Retention Services. This position will report to Denise Jones, Coordinator of Student Retention, and work closely with the team reporting to our new Dean of Students, D’Wayne Jenkins. Jose Mora, the New Student Orientation Coordinator, and his team will transition back to Lori Cook’s oversight in her role as Executive Director of Enrollment Services.  Final details about these opportunities and changes, including next steps for implementation and communications to students served by the College Success Center are being finalized and will be shared with those stakeholders soon. Please know that throughout this process, we have thought very carefully, not just about how to advance GRCC’s academic advising model, but also how we might best support highly skilled and dedicated GRCC employees and offer a potential pathway toward continued professional growth. We understand that there are questions about this change.  Associate Provost Isackson has communicated with Student Affairs and shared office hour times to provide support.  Additionally, we are hosting two informal Q&A sessions. One session will take place on Thursday, July 24 from 3:30 to 4 p.m. and another on Friday, July 25 from 12:30 – 1  p.m. These sessions will be held in person in the ATC auditorium (ATC 168).  Virtual attendance option will also be available for each session, as follows: July 24 Q&A session virtual option link:  https://grcc.zoom.us/j/93876512532 July 25 Q&A session virtual option link:  https://grcc.zoom.us/j/96677454925 Opportunity for Adjunct Faculty: Teaching & Learning Cohort To build upon and continue the efforts of the cohort of full-time faculty members who participated in this past year’s Achieving the Dream Teaching and Learning Cohort, I am excited to announce an opportunity for two adjunct faculty members to participate in this work via a special assignment offer of one equated hour in the fall 2025 semester and one equated hour in the winter 2026 semester.  In connection with ongoing efforts outlined in the College’s Strategic Plan, the intended outcomes for the cohort this year include developing a toolkit to support diversity in curricular and co-curricular content as well as a community of practice model for equity-related professional learning.  Please complete the  Interest Form: Adjunct Faculty Special Assignment  form by Thursday, July 31 if you are interested in this opportunity.   Opening Day: Wednesday, August 20 We look forward to welcoming our campus community to this academic year’s Opening Day on Wednesday, August 20th with the following planned: Continental breakfast available from 7:45 - 8:15 a.m., Ford Fieldhouse Program begins at 8:15am, Ford Fieldhouse School and Division meetings will immediately follow the program in the locations below: School of Liberal Arts - Secchia Piazza School of Health Sciences - ATC 120 School of STEM - FFH 212 School of Business and Industry - ATC 168 School of Workforce Training - RJF 375 Student Affairs - SCC 234 Instructional Support and Institutional Planning - ATC 122/124 Please note: if your area is not listed above, please check with your supervisor about Opening Day plans. Lunch is provided by the President’s and Provost’s Offices from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in  the Ford Fieldhouse. Please be sure to RSVP to your calendar appointment so we can plan appropriately. Tours of the new Rec Center in the Ford Fieldhouse will be available during lunch. Looking Ahead: Fall Enrollment and Upcoming Events Fall planning is well underway, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.  Following our strong summer enrollment numbers, our fall picture is looking great too.  As of this past Monday (July 14), six weeks prior to the Fall 2025 semester start, we are at 68.30% of our enrollment goal, which has been set to 12,800 students.  As a level of comparison, we were at 66.61% of our goal at this time last year for Fall 2024. Please note: we still have some enrollment initiatives that have yet to ramp up, including Middle College. See the  fall weekly enrollment scoreboard  sheet.   In addition to Opening Day, please save the date for the following fall start events:  Student Block Party - Saturday, August 23, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Ford Fieldhouse The Student Block Party is an opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the campus. Students can interact with various departments, faculty, and staff members, connect with student clubs and organizations, explore parking options, obtain their Raider Card, purchase books, take a guided tour, locate their classrooms, and even grab some GRCC swag and delicious food. Departments are encouraged to host tables, providing information and answering students' questions, and the Enrollment Services team is seeking staff to participate and assist at the event as well. Please RSVP to the block party using the 2025 Block Party Sign-Up: Departments and Event Staffing form and contact Lori Cook with questions. Information Stations - Monday-Wednesday, August 25-27, Various Campus Locations In Closing: Thank You Whether you are spending this summer teaching, working, building courses in Canvas, resting and recharging, or traveling, please know how much your work matters. Our students thrive because of your dedication, and I am continually inspired by your commitment to their success as well as your care and dedication to your colleagues. Best wishes for the remaining summer weeks and see you soon! Sheila Jones

Join us for a sweet treat as we cool down from the summer heatwave!  July 23 Main Campus: 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. (South Courtyard - Juan Olivarez Plaza)  DeVos Campus: 2 – 4 p.m. (Admin Building parking lot)  July 24 MTEC: 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (near front entrance)  Free for GRCC Employees:  Check out the flavors!  Please mark your calendars and spread the word. We can’t wait to see you there!  Sponsored by Human Resources To see other upcoming events, please be sure to subscribe to the  Employee Events Calendar  

Please join us as we celebrate Danelle Sedore's 27 years of service at GRCC! Wednesday July 23 1-3 p.m. ATC - in the Secchia Piazza She worked 2 years as supervisor of the Graphic Design team, then she was promoted to assistant to the director of Print Solutions. She is currently the director of Print Solutions. She states, "I have no immediate plans, however; as they say - 'Retire from work, but not from life.'"