Dr. Ender speaks at an open forum before he is chosen to be GRCC'c president. (Photo Courtesy of GRCC Communications Dept.)

GRCC Board unanimously decides on Ender
January 30, 2009
By Lonnie Allen
Editor-in-Chief

During an open deliberation in the GRCC Board Chambers with an audience of approximately 50 in attendance, the GRCC Trustees voted unanimously to nominate Dr. Steven Ender as the new President of the College.

A college news release said the trustees, as they were individual polled, remarked repeatedly that we are entering a new time and that GRCC needs the benefit of “fresh eyes” to take the college “to the next level.”

Dr. Steven Ender is currently the President of Westmoreland County Community College in Pennsylvania. Ender said he accepted the offer after consulting with his wife first.

He had just returned to his hotel room after spending most of the morning and early afternoon at GRCC, Ender said.

“I was in a little bit of shock and awe to get the call from Gary so soon,” Ender said.

Ender was interested in GRCC because of its achievements in education and also because the institution has been around for 90 years. He went on to comment on the fact that GRCC has been a leader in job training.

It is the scope of what GRCC is doing in workforce development credit and non-credit, along with the fine academic programs, Ender said. “It gets my adrenaline pumping.”

Ender said the official contract still has to be worked out, but he said he may been seen around campus before he actually starts his duties.

Visit The Collegiate Live Video page for Dr. Ender's presentation.

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Final three picked
By Lonnie Allen
Editor-in-Chief

IThe college is now another step closer to possibly naming a person to fill the vacancy left by the former President Juan Olivarez.

Olivarez left last year at the end of his contract for a job with the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. He served as President of GRCC for nine years.

Shortly after Olivarez’s announcement the GRCC Board of Trustees (BOT) assembled a search committee to fill this vacancy. The first search ended with the BOT being unsatisfied with the final candidates and deciding to try again in early September.

GRCC BOT Chairperson Gary Schenk said that they had sixty applicants during this second round, he also said that out of those applicants, eight semi-finalists were chosen. From those eight semi-finalists the search committee submitted three names to be the finalist. That ended the search in December 2008.

The College announced earlier this month that the presidential finalists would be visiting GRCC on Wednesday Jan. 28 and Thursday Jan. 29.

The three finalists are: President of Westmoreland County Community College in Greensburg, Pa.; Dr. Steven Ender, Superintendent of Adams 12 Five Star Schools Colorado in Thornton, Colo.; Dr. Michael Paskewicz, and President of Jackson Community College in Jackson, Mich., Dr. Daniel Phelan.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I extend our gratitude to the members of the Presidential Search Committee for their diligence and commitment to this very important work. They are to be commended for a job well done,” Schenk said.

GRCC Student Congress President Sarah Wiltenburg said she thinks it was very easy to see why these three were chosen. Wiltenburg and Schenk are only two out of the twenty that made up this search committee. Both Schenk and Wiltenburg believe that the BOT will be satisfied with the three finalists that were chosen.

Attempts were made to speak to other search committee members but responses were limited or none at all.

“My personal belief is that the board will be happy with the caliber, credentials, and persona of each of the finalist,” Schenk said.

Schenk commented that the goal of this committee was to send forth-sufficient candidates with excellent qualifications to the board. Normally the goal is to find three to five qualified candidates. Each candidate will follow the following schedule while at GRCC for the public interviews.

First will be an open forum presentation by the candidate and a question and answer session. These will be held in the auditorium of the Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center (ATC). Second the candidates will be part of a public interview with GRCC’s BOT, this will also take place in the banquet rooms of the ATC.

After the interviews are completed the BOT will then meet to make a determination as to whom, if anyone will be offered the position said Schenk, “We have scheduled a post-interview board meeting on the Jan. 29, but it may not be decided at that meeting.”

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Students face suspension
By Yirssi Bergman
Managing Editor

A thousand eight hundred and thirty students have been sent a letter informing them that they have one semester to raise their GPA, or they will be placed in Academic Suspension. Academic Probation and Suspension are part of the Academic Standing Policy, which was adopted by GRCC in the fall of 2008.

Of the 1830 students on Academic Probation, only 1081 have returned. For the returning students different tools are available and even mandatory to help them succeed. Registrar Howard Shanken explained that GRCC has “developed a model of what would work best. How could we assist as many students as possible with the resources we have available?”

One of the mandatory resources is to attend a 60-minute Academic Success Workshop. According to John Cowles, Associate Dean for Counseling and Advising, all students in Academic Probation are required to attend one workshop.

If the student hasn’t attended one by the fourth week of the semester a registration hold will be placed in their account. This prevents the students to register for future semesters. The workshops go on for longer than the first four weeks of the semester, and if the student attends one, then they have to speak with a counselor in order to have the hold lifted.

“We are very serious and committed to help students be successful, but students must be accountable for their learning,” Shanken said. He advised students to “take steps necessary to get assistance at the very first sign of trouble. We want to be compassionate, but we are going to be strong on this.” If suspended the student will have to sit out for a year, and then will have to appeal to the college if they want to come back. Shanken said there will be a process in place to assist them after they sit out for a year.

First year student Ayana George is one of the students placed on Academic Probation. She said Academic Probation “is OK, I agree with it to a certain extent.”

George said she has a “legitimate reason why I messed up last semester.” She explained she was sick during her first semester, and that she can verify that she was sick, but she was still put on probation. George is working on raising her GPA, and has to appeal to the college next semester.

First year student Brenden Murphy is not in Academic Probation, but he thinks it is a good idea.

“I definitely agree with it. If you are in college and fail, either a) you don’t care, or b) you are having trouble. Academic probation is a way to step up to the plate in either aspect.”.

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Remembering a mentor and icon
By Lonnie Allen
Editor-in-Chief

“We'd all be sitting in the old Collegiate office where he and Walt Lockwood had a little sectioned space partitioned off for their offices,” said Vicki Hudson, GRCC’s Associate Director of Communications. “We could talk over the wall to them anytime; we could overhear them talking about events, authors or some off-the-wall topic. Some of those conversations were probably intended for us to hear a ‘stealth’ teaching tool,” Hudson said.

“Every now and then, all of us would be busy putting the next paper together and some old song for example, Spike Jonze would come blaring out of Doc's little cubbyhole where he kept an old-fashioned record player. It kept things lively.”

Dr. Marinus Swets was a professor and Dean at GRCC for over 30 years. He retired from GRCC in 1991 and his influence was evident in the stories and remembrances after his death on December 17, 2008.

GRCC English Professor Fredrick van Hartesveldt said, “That tells you the influence Swets had on GRCC. A whole issue of the Quarterly to him.”

Interim President Anne Mulder said, Swets fostered an inquisitive atmosphere at GRCC while he was here.

“I knew him all the years he was at the college,” Mulder said. “We were colleagues in the English Department, we were Deans together.”

Mulder said that some people would call it quirky in the way he challenged students.

“He was the Collegiate,” Mulder said, referring to the student newspaper. “He would say make it solid reporting, make sure it is correct grammatically. If not, he would eat you alive for that.”

Hudson and van Hartesveldt were some of his former students whose thoughts and memories were published in the January issue of the Retirees Quarterly, which was done as a special tribute to Swets. Hudson found him fascinating and fun.

“He was interested in so many different things and kind of outside the mainstream,” Hudson said. “He would walk in, toss out a statement or a question about something that was on his mind and stir up a conversation. Then when all of us in the room were engaged in conversation or asking him more questions, he would sit back and sort of smile. I can still see that smile! Looking back, I see he was a stealth teacher.”

Hudson believed those weren't really random topics he tossed out, that smile came from getting them to actively learn. Hudson also went on to say sometimes it came from “yanking somebody's chain.”

van Hartesveldt first met Swets in 1974-75 when he was a staff writer for the Collegiate. The following year he was the Editor-in-Chief in 1975-76.

“I was the last editor to have him as an advisor before he became dean,” said van Hartesveldt. “As an adviser his teaching styles more as examples not a lot of lectures.”

van Hartesveldt said one of his memories was from his time as an editor on the Collegiate. He was in his second year when Swets was introducing him to the class. At the time I had long hair and I was wearing a T-shirt said van Hartesveldt.

“Marinus said something to the class and then pointed towards me and said, ‘He is your editor,’ and he then said to me, ‘You are going to be bald.’ I found it to be amusing,” van Hartesveldt said.

Several years later van Hartesveldt came back to visit Swets at GRCC and Swets asked him to teach a class. At the time Hartesveldt was practicing law. “It was almost laughable,” van Hartesveldt said.

van Hartesveldt said that he still likes law but, “Teaching is more fun than law.” van Hartesveldt spoke about Swets and his teaching style of pushing students by asking them questions.

“I try to teach like him,” van Hartesveldt said. “Anyone who didn’t know Swets missed out. He was one of kind.”

Hudson said, “He walked several miles to and from work every day, usually with Walt Lockwood. He questioned everything. He was always a bit of a thorn to administrators even after he became one. Because he didn't accept rules or the status quo, of course.”

Mulder said, “There were days I didn’t always get along with him and he knew that. Marinus challenged you. He liked to keep everyone slightly off balance.”     

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Students remember, celebrate the dream
By Yirssi Bergman
Managing Editor

GRCC united the past with the present during the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. march.

On Jan. 19 students and community members marched the streets around GRCC, and later congregated at the Ford Fieldhouse to celebrate the life and works of the civil rights leader.

GRCC Board of Trustees and Chairperson Gary Schenk began the ceremony to honor King by pointing out the fact that the next day Barack Obama, the nations first black president, would be inaugurated.

“Dr. King, your dream is still alive,” Schenk said. Still, he expressed the belief that there was still much to be done in order to bring equality.

State Senator and GRCC alumnus Bill Hardiman also addressed the crowd.

“Times call for character,” Hardiman said. “Let us all follow Dr. King’s example and do the right thing.”

According to David Selmon, Assistant Director of Student Life and the march’s coordinator, the crowd amounted to over 1,700 people.

Of those 1,700 many were students from a total of 25 schools in the Kent Intermediate School District, ranging from the third grade to the twelfth.

One of those students, Alexis Green, was presented with an award from the law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP for her essay about Martin Luther King. This is the fourth year that the law firm holds the contest, and Green’s essay was chosen from 325 entries.

Interim President Anne Mulder was present during the march and celebration.

“It’s so emotional for me to know we are here together,” Mulder said. “Sharing this moment in time is a gift from God.”

Throughout the celebration different choirs from the KISD and from GRCC sang songs such as the “Negro National Anthem” and “The Star Spangled Banner.”

At the end of the ceremony Duane Davis, Director of the GRCC Choir, was paid homage to. Davis is leaving at the end of the school year, after 27 years of being a part of GRCC.

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Key advocate for student financial aid passes away
By Chyrice Phillips
Collegiate Staff Writer

Former Senator Claiborne Pell, the driving force behind what is known as the
Pell Grant died on Jan. 1 in his Newport home.

He had suffered a long time from Parkinson's disease. Colleguages who best knew Pell, knew him as respectful, noble, concerned, and dedicated as well as a dignified enforcer.

Pell, who was the United States senator from Rhode Island who served six terms from 1961 to 1997, was best recognized for the Pell Grant, which provides financial aid funding to U.S. college students.

Born in 1918, Pell came from a political family and was a descendant of early New York landowners who lived among the old –money families in Newport.

Pell had five family members that served in the House or Senate. Pell graduated from Princeton in 1940, and served in the Coast Guard during World War II. He remained in the Coast Guard until retiring in1978.

Pell was a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and he also campaigned student aid with grants bearing his name.

Pell also known to be stubborn with strong determination originally insisted that the grant money go directly to students. The college would not have that happen they insisted the money would be used as a form of institutional aide and that they would disburse it to students as they saw fit.

The house backed that version that the college wanted according to the New York Times.

Over the past three decades, the Pell Grant program has given $250 billion and When asked his greatest achievement Pell answered quickly the Pell Grants, according to The Associated press.

There are approximately 5,765 GRCC students that received the Pell Grant during the 2007-2008 academic year, said Jill Nutt Executive Director of student Financial Aid Services. “I definitely think the Pell Grant program is good for students.”

"As I stated earlier, it is intended for students with the highest degree of financial need," Nutt said.

“Families of Pell Grant have very low income and no other means to pay educational expenses,” Nutt said. “No it is not perfect, but clearly the aid that is available for students and that is very important.”

“It is a miracle that I am able to start over and bring my whole career and life in a different direction, because of the Pell Grant." said David Berman first year student at GRCC. "It means all the difference in the world, I would not be able to afford school especially with today’s economy.”

“I feel that the Pell Grant program is a great move, and without it a lot of people would be stuck behind and would not be able to succeed in life,”said first year GRCC student Mandrail Hodges.

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News Briefs for January 28, 2009
Compiled By Collegiate Staff

GRCC signs agreement with West Ottawa Public Schools
On January 26, West Ottawa Public Schools (WOPS) Superintendent Dr. Patricia Koeze and GRCC's Interim President Dr. Anne Mulder signed a contract which guarantees day and night classes at West Ottawa High School.

Instructor elected to national board chapter
GRCC construction Trades Manager Brian Schultz has been elected to the West Michigan Chapter of the United States Green Building Council.

GRCC teams up with Lake Michigan Credit Union
GRCC is opening a West Side Learning Cornor along with Lake Michigan Credit Union.

For more on these briefs, see the January 28, 2009 print edition.

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Police Reports for January 28, 2009
Compiled By Collegiate Staff

11/17/08 Book Scam
A small group of students were found returning multiple books to the book store. The Police responded to find that many of the books were new and possibly stolen from other book stores in the area. Police confiscated the books and let the students go. The students were advised that they were no longer allowed to sell books back to the bookstore.

12/1/08 Larceny
A female student's cell phone, text books, and other belongings were stolen on the second floor of the ford field house. Police searched for the missing items but were unable to locate them. Police have no suspects at this time.

12/1/08 Larceny
A female student reported her digital camera was taken from her vehicle. Police have no suspects.

12/13/08 Fake Money
A counterfeit bill was discovered at the Student Life office. The bill was confiscated and turned over to the Secret Service. The student that used the bill stated she did not relize the bill was counterfeit. Police advised that the Secret Service may contact her.

12/10/08 Larceny
A male student reported his backpack stolen from the library. It was taken while the student was using on of the labs computers. Police have no suspects at this time.

12/17/08 Larceny
A projector was stolen from one of the class rooms in the main building. Police have no suspects.

1/5/09 Public Intoxication
A man was found passed out on the catwalk in the science building. The police arrived and could tell the man was intoxicated. Paramedics arrived and he was taken to the hospital. Police advised him that he was trespassing and to not return to campus unless he had business with the college

1/5/09 Applicant Denied
A male student attempted to apply for the nursing program. He was fingerprinted and was shown to be a sex offender. The man was denied entry into the program.

1/8/09 Trespassing
A homeless man was found sleeping in the Bostwick parking elevator. Police advised him that he was trespassing and allowed him to leave campus.

1/13/09 Larceny
Eleven laptop computers were stolen by an unknown person from various locations on campus. Police have no suspects at this time.

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