Grand Rapids Community Board of Trustees discuss institutional and campus updates.
A sense of belonging and community among Grand Rapids Community College students shined through in the meeting as President of the Campus Activities Board, Lacey Hendrie, shared the success of past events with the GRCC Board of Trustees while also emphasizing the importance of continued support for CAB to bring events and resources that advocate for student engagement.
“At CAB, we believe that community is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Hendrie said. “We work every day to create spaces where students feel a part of something bigger. Whether it’s an event with laughter between strangers, or a celebration that honors our diverse identities, our goal is to always be the same: to strengthen the GRCC community.”
Hendrie was met with applause after her speech, and she believed sharing the student perspective with the board can foster even more student engagement on campus.
“I just think it’s important for the campus community to be aware of some of the struggles students face with connection, and help improve those struggles,” Hendrie said.
Creating that sense of community and belonging starts with students being more open to getting involved within campus activities, something Hendrie hopes to see moving forward. “I would just encourage students to get involved in some way,” Hendrie said. “Go to club meetings, go to events, maybe join the board of a club. Just getting involved as much as you can is the best way to find belonging at GRCC.”
Earlier in the meeting, Executive Director of Operational Planning, Victoria Janowiak, presented the updated Capital Outlay Plan for approval. Every year, Michigan universities and community colleges are required to participate in the capital budget process in preparation for an executive budget recommendation. Janowiak studies current campus needs, and guides efforts for planning to ensure GRCC is always prepared for education and community service. She went on to share the completion of the new Ford Fieldhouse renovation project and acknowledged the ongoing renovations taking place on the Library Learning and Commons building.
Vice Chairperson, Kathleen Bruinsma took time out to acknowledge the progress that Janowiak and the rest of the Operational Planning team have made in contributing to the continued growth of GRCC.
“This annual report for me is similar to the Local Strategic Value report, the annual summary of everything, a lot of things are going on on this campus,” Bruinsma said. “It’s a document of beauty and I’m very proud of it and thank you everybody for putting in the work and putting this together.”
The board motioned to approve the Capital Outlay Plan as presented.
President Triezenberg delivered his President’s Report, where he spoke about being at the midway point of the semester, and reflected on the events such as ArtPrize and Tech Week that GRCC hosted and expressed appreciation for the leadership of GRCC to be host of such community events.
Triezenberg went on to provide a small update on the new GRCC mascot that is soon to be revealed. The final three options were a fox, a lion, and a river otter. Polls are closed, and the reveal of the new mascot is expected to be announced sometime in January.
To continue, Triezenberg acknowledged some recognitions that GRCC programs have received at the state and national level. The Water to Work program recently received an award as the exemplary credit program from the National Council of Workforce Education. Along with GRCC joining forces with Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, and Grand Rapids Promise Zone to celebrate the extension of the Promised Zone Promise to not only GRCC but to both four-year institutions as well.
The Promise Zone now offers students who graduate with an associate’s degree from GRCC to extend their studies with Promise support during their bachelor’s degree work at GVSU or Ferris, with those institutions also providing some additional financial support for students.
“That’s a great way for our students to walk in knowing not only that their time here at GRCC is supported by the Promise Zone, but they can see beyond their GRCC associate’s degree to the future at one of these partnered institutions,” Triezenberg said.
The 2024-2025 Audit Report conducted by Plante Moran was presented to the board by Brian Greko, who specializes in audits in higher education. Greko told the board that GRCC was completely compliant during the entire audit process and appreciates the college for collaborating with the firm. Greko said they issued a clean, unmodified opinion over the college’s financial statements, which is the highest level of assurance that they can issue.
The board unanimously accepted the audit report as it was presented.
Director of Grants, Lisa Dopke, approached the board to present the annual grant report. The Grant Department at GRCC works with the College Advancement Department to assist faculty and staff in obtaining grant funding to advance the mission, and goals of the college.
According to Dopke, the college was awarded 19 grants totaling over just $3.8 million. “This is a much lower number in both categories that we have had in previous years,” Depoke said. “This is largely due to the changes that have taken place at the federal level, such as fewer opportunities to apply for and delays in receiving awards.”
For further context, over the last six years, the college’s average awards per year was 29 awards per year, in comparison to the 19 awards that were reported to the board.
“So we’re transitioning our efforts to state and philanthropic sources, working closer with GRCC Foundation to approach new sponsors, and strengthen relationships with current ones,” Dopke said. “We just think in the current political climate, there’s going to be fewer opportunities to apply.”
The board accepted all reports as presented. They will reconvene on Monday, Nov. 17 at 4:15 p.m. on the 5th floor of the RJF building.
