The 2024 Treatment of People Report for Grand Rapids Community College was presented during the most recent Board of Trustees meeting and showcased a high level of employee turnover at the college. Executive Director of Human Resources, Christine Coon, gave the report during the Sept. 16 meeting and separated from the college herself the next day.
The report detailed the overall employee demographics in addition to employee promotions, retirements and separations.
“Our promotion data shows that we’re promoting underrepresented ethnic groups at a rate of just over 29%, which is above the overall population at the college,” said Coon. “We continue to work to promote internal talent and provide opportunities for advancement and enlargement of responsibilities.”
Between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 a total of 41 GRCC employees received promotions, alongside 65 new hires and 67 separations from the college.
“Unfortunately, we’re also separating employees within underrepresented groups at just over 31%, which creates a challenge to move the needle on our employee population to better reflect the student population,” said Coon.
All numbers reported were lower than that of the previous year, with 85 new hires during the 2022-2023 school year in addition to 64 promotions and 87 separations.
Employee demographics were also provided detailing the generational, racial and gender breakdown of the staff and as of June 30, 2024, a total of 666 individuals are employed by GRCC.
Of the 666 current staff members, 511 identified as White, 86 Black, 56 Hispanic, 11 Asians and two American Indians. Generationally, the college employs no individuals from the Silent Generation, 96 Baby Boomers, 306 members of Generation X, 216 Millennials and 48 members of Generation Z.
Women slightly outnumber men on the staff, with 353 women compared to 313 men. Coon noted that their current metrics do not include those who identify as anything other than male or female, saying “This year, we’re working to update demographic reporting to improve gender identity beyond the federally mandated definition, so you should expect to see more information on that next year.”
Though her last day with GRCC is Sept. 17, Coon outlined what the college will be focusing on moving forward. Increased employee mobility will be prioritized, as Coon relayed that a recent survey highlighted that 70% of Gen Z employees value well-being and fulfillment over compensation.
“Generational differences involving workplace expectations remain key factors,” said Coon. “Millennials and Generation Z employees continue to exhibit higher career mobility compared to previous generations.”
Additionally, the labor market, inflation and remote work flexibility were all identified as challenges to employee recruitment and retention, and the college plans to implement LinkedIn recruiting, community agencies and partnerships and a new applicant tracking platform in an effort to attract and retain talent on campus.
In other news, GRCC President Charles Lepper gave his report and shared that the dental students had a 100% pass rate for the first time since 2017. GRCC was also recently accepted into the Racial Equity Leadership Academy hosted by Achieving a Dream.
“The purpose of this institute is developing a long-range vision that will guide and identify racial equity changes in college that need to happen,” said Lepper.
Lepper also relayed information from the financial aid office during Monday’s meeting. The department found that there was a 16% increase in the number of students eligible for the Pell Grant and a 4% increase in ISERs received by students. Students receiving zero familial aid also saw an increased enrollment rate of 21% and enrollment for those in the next category receiving up to $999 in aid increased by 18%.
“So what that is saying is, our students who have the greatest need are getting connected to our financial aid processes, getting the best that we need, and are getting the highest maximum awards,” he said. “And also that has driven and changed some of the enrollment patterns for some of those same students.”
Overall, enrollment fell short of the previously established goal of 13,000 with a total of 12,410 students, or 95.4% of that goal, enrolled as of count day on Thursday, Sept. 12. Lepper remains optimistic that the college will see 13,000 enrolled once the second session for seven-week classes begins.
Currently, there are 65 international students enrolled at GRCC, which is one of the largest international classes the college has seen. According to Lepper, the Lakeshore campus also saw a 28.5% increase in enrollment from the previous year, with 906 students enrolled at that campus.
Student government President Alex Miranda also gave his quarterly report during the general meeting, introducing his new executive board with Vice President Jennifer Alvarez, Treasurer Maria Choi and Troy Inkornwong as the Communications Director. Miranda said the board is getting along well and will be focusing on voter registration and advocacy this semester.
“This academic year, we want to highlight the diverse student population we have around GRCC and call attention to important initiatives that students can take advantage of,” said Miranda.
In October Students Government plans to partner with the Woodrick Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Affairs to host a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and plans to continue those initiatives as the year progresses, following with a Native American Heritage Month celebration in November.
Additionally, all purchases over $100,00 were approved and read as follows:
- Permission to issue purchase order to provide payment for maintenance for the UPS and AC units that protect the enterprise level equipment ($166,444.68)
- Request permission to issue purchase order to increase total amount to $15,000,000.00 for A/E and CM services for the Ford Rec Center Project. ($2,500,000 expenditure)
- permission to issue purchase order to provide payment for 3-year agreement for Everett Evaluation for consultant services. ($100,000)
An executive session immediately followed the general board meeting, during which the trustees met to discuss future listening sessions.
“We’re holding space for us to talk about something that we committed to a long time ago,” said Chairperson Brandy Locelady Mitchell on the reasoning behind the executive session. ”Listening sessions, returning to that for the intent of fulfilling our promise, being with people who make up GRCC, and listening so we continue the beautiful fidelity of GRCC related to culture.”
During the 40-minute meeting, the trustees brainstormed ideas of who they would like to talk to during these listening sessions and what the overall question would be. Ideas such as understanding how others view the college and taking a deeper look at employee retention were presented during the meeting.
It was determined that these listening sessions will take place before the year’s end and trustee Kathleen Bruinsma will spearhead these efforts, however, the exact question and demographic was not yet determined.
More information is expected during the next Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, Oct. 21.
