On this latest episode of WKTV Journal Sports Connection, we talk with new Grand Rapids Community College head mens basketball coach Joe Fox — a coach with experience assisting on local college teams, a family where coaching basketball runs deep, and a passion for helping student athletes succeed on and off the court.
This summer, Fox was appointed GRCC head coach after serving as an assistant coach — twice — at the downtown Grand Rapids school, as well as at Calvin University and Lansing Community College. He also has been involved with the popular Gus Macker basketball tournament.
And, while it might be cliche, but coaching runs in Fox’s family as his father, Gary Fox, and grandfather, George Fox, both coached high school basketball in Michigan for 25 years. George Fox, in fact, won a state championship with Magic Johnson at Lansing’s Everett high in 1977.
It is Joe Fox’s goals for student-athlete success — in the classroom, on the court, and in life — where Fox says will be a focus of his Raiders program.
Success “on and off the field is a huge thing, not just at the community college level but all colleges,” Fox said to WKTV. “Student athletes, in general, tend to think of themselves through an athletic lens, first and foremost. It’s a big part of their identity, as students. It’s big part of their time. So we are really intentional about making sure they have the academic support they need as well.”
In the WKTV Sports Connection interview, Coach Fox also talked in detail about his experience, his coaching family, and not only what his 2021-22 team will look like but where his program recruiting focus will be.
WKTV Journal Sports Connection is a WKTV produced program dedicated to bringing you interviews and stories focused on local Wyoming and Kentwood area high schools sports. You can catch up on all our local sports coverage by visiting WKTVJournal.org/sports. But we also have a volunteer sports crew, both in studio and with our coverage truck. For more information email ken@WKTV.org.
This WKTV Journal sports coverage of high school athletic events and other sports is available at WKTVlive.org. It also airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule). Individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal Sports Connection are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Nursing student Mustafa Ajanovic assisted his best friend, Bayle Delalic, through a prenatal visit, weighing in, checking vital signs, and listening for the baby’s heart tones.
He and other students in the Licensed Practical Nursing program went through the steps of a doctor’s appointment with Delalic, who is due May 21, and several other pregnant women who volunteered.
While the session was informative for expectant moms, Ajanovic said it was extremely valuable for his own experience. It’s one of many simulation activities he’s taking part in while training to be a nurse.
“I like the sim labs they provide here because they throw you into a situation and make you critically think and try to organize your time and priorities,” said Ajanovic.
Shelly Richter, nursing programs director at GRCC, credits interactive experiences — part of a new curriculum — as one reason for a jump in scores on license exams in both the Practical Nursing and Associate Degree programs. In 2019, all nursing students passed those exams — 104 associate degree nurses and 42 LPN students. It was also the largest number of students taking the exams ever in one year.
“Simulation, active learning and more engaged activities have seemed to really have an impact,” she said.
While the practice prenatal clinic involved real people, many simulation sessions use manikins that respond and talk. “We have six bed labs and an amazing simulation lab with high-fidelity manikins, so they blink and talk. We can start IVs on them, we have a (manikin) mother that can deliver a baby and an actual baby we can do Apgar scores on,” Richter said, referring to the initial assessment of a newborn’s health.
LPN student Elyssa Systema takes a pulse oximeter reading from expectant mother Kelly Hunter, due Feb. 24. (School Network)
Milestones in Nursing
It’s an apropos time to reach that level of success. GRCC is celebrating seven decades of training nurses this year, with its Practical Nursing certificate program turning 70 and it associate degree program turning 50. The anniversaries coincide with the World Health Organization’s designation of 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, in honor of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
According to the WHO, the world needs 9 million more nurses and midwives if it is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.
With classrooms located on the fourth floor of Cook Hall, GRCC’s nursing program is situated perfectly amid downtown Grand Rapids’ hub of hospitals and medical institutions, where new nurses are working in many settings and with all ages and populations.
“We continue to see a big demand for nurses. Our grads get hired 100 percent,” Richter said. “There are definitely jobs available.”
Professor of Nursing Sherry Knoppers said much of the demand for nurses is due to the aging baby boomer generation. “With a huge segment of the population reaching the age range when they need more health care, we need more nurses across the spectrum,” she said.
GRCC’s associate’s program trains three cohorts of 36 to 40 students a year, for a total of about 110 per year who are fully licensed registered nurses.
“They can apply for any RN position. Our students work in the major hospitals around here, long-term care, sub acute, community health, with inmates, with refugee populations. They work in positions including staff nurses, directors of nursing,” Richter said.
Bayle Delalic gets her eyes examined by nursing student Deanna Darrell. (School News Network)
LPNs Still in Demand
While there is a waiting list for the associate’s program, Richter said students shouldn’t feel deterred. They can take prerequisite classes while waiting, and high school students upon completion of their junior year can even apply for the program to get on the waiting list, which is approximately 2 ½ years.
Practical nursing offers two cohorts of 30 to 32 students in a yearlong program, graduating 56 to 60 each year. Licensed practical nurses typically work in long-term care, physician’s offices, clinics and community centers. There is no waiting list for the LPN program.
“There is a misconception in the community that LPNs are not used anymore,” Richter said. “That is also wrong. We have so many facilities constantly calling. There’s a huge demand for practical nursing.”
The cost for the Associate Degree program is significantly less at GRCC than at four-year universities: $19,300 for residents and $38,600 for residents. The cost of the LPN program is $11,000 for residents and $22,000 for non-residents.
Nursing pays about $28 an hour for RNs and around $20 for LPNs. Many hospitals and institutions offer tuition reimbursement for students who go on to pursue their bachelor’s degree.
Expectant mother Bayle Delalic, due May 21, stands on the scale while GRCC nursing student Turkesha Hankins takes her weight. (School News Network)
Hands-on and in the Moment
One of the biggest changes in nursing training in recent years has been simulation experiences, she said.
“One of our goals was to put 25 percent simulation in each course, as a minimum. That way students have the opportunity to practice hands-on in a safe setting. Students love it. They are intimidated at first, but then they realize this is a great opportunity to learn.”
During the prenatal lab, nursing student Turkesha Hankins worked with patients by taking blood pressure and adjusting beds. She’s pursuing her LPN because she already works in health care and will make $5.50 more per hour with her license.
“It’s just knowledge,” she said. “We learn a lot. Pediatrics is something very new to me because I’ve never worked in this field before, so I’m soaking in everything I can.”
LPN student Kaley Tosic takes the blood pressure of expectant mother Kelly Hunter (School News Network)
Diversity of Nurses Needed
Another big change in the profession, Richter said, is the diversity of students. “This used to be a women’s profession. We are always trying to recruit males. It’s really fun. All people bring something different to the table.”
Also, the age of nursing students spans just out of high school to retirees from other careers.
“One of the best things about working here at GRCC is having a diverse group of people that we work with, diverse in race, age, socioeconomic status, background,” Richter said. “It doesn’t matter if you haven’t worked in health care.”
The programs do not use selective admissions in enrollment. That makes the 100 percent pass rate even more impressive, Richter said. Requirements are explained here.
“As a philosophy, this is an open door college,” Richter said. “As long as they have the foundation, we want to carry them through the program.”
For more information about area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
In Act II of “The Nutcracker Ballet,” the Prince whisks the slumbering Clara away to the Land of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy holds court in a magical land of make believe.
Guests at the Grand Rapids Symphony and Grand Rapids Ballet holiday programs in December will discover a Land of Sweets as soon as the walk through the doors of DeVos Performance hall.
To celebrate the season, culinary students at Grand Rapids Community College’sSecchia Institute for Culinary Education are creating a sugary wonderland filled with ballerinas in stained-glass sugar and bells made from blown sugar in DeVos Performance Hall in December.
The Land of Sweets created by baking and pastry students at GRCC will be on unveiled on Thursday, Dec. 5 for the opening of the Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops. It will remain on view through the final performance of “The Nutcracker” on Sunday, Dec. 22.
Led by their professor Chef Gilles Renusson, a certified master pastry chef and renowned sugar artist, students already are at work building the elaborate display that will be installed in the outer lobby.
A student builds her design. The Land of Sweets will be on display Dec. 5 – 22. (Supplied)
Passersby will be able to see portions of it through the window, but only concert goers will be able to see the entire display up close from every angle.
Such elements as sugar ribbons, royal icing and marzipan will be used to create figures including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Nutcracker and a symphony orchestra conductor as well as musical motifs and depictions of dancers in the display that will include a 6-foot-tall croquembouche.
Some 14 students enrolled in the Pastry Centerpiece and Wedding Cake class, a capstone course in the Secchia Institute, are working on the project. The class teaches the major aspects of artistic decorations in pastry arts such as creating wedding cakes and centerpieces for tables and buffet presentations.
The class has been working on this project since the start of the semester, brainstorming, designing and then creating all the components. Soon they’ll begin the painstaking process of transporting the delicate confectionary artwork from the GRCC bakeshop to DeVos Performance Hall.
The project is a practical application of the skills the students are learning in class, with the added bonus of having their work on display for thousands of people to see and add to the excitement of the holiday.
A GRCC student puts the final touches on her piece for the Land of Sweets. (Supplied)
Chef Gilles Renusson, who recently was awarded the Chevalier du Merite Agricole – The Order of Agricultural Merit – from the French Minister of Agriculture for his decades of outstanding service in the culinary arts, is directing the project.
“For the students, this is a wonderful opportunity for them to gain practical skills and really master them and also to have their work be seen and appreciated,” Renusson said. “And we get to work with our partners in the city and tell people about the programs we have and work we do at the college.”
For tickets for the Fox Motors Pops and the Old National Bank Cirque de Noel, contact the Grand Rapids Symphony office, (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 or go online toGRSymphony.org. For tickets for “The Nutcracker” call the Grand Rapids Ballet at (616) 454-4771 or go online toGRBallet.com
It wasn’t long ago that Gybran Vazquez decided he needed a change. He was applying stripes to parking lots for an asphalt company, but dreamed of what else he could be doing with his career.
“I thought this ain’t the life I want,” said Vazquez.
He’s closer to the life he wants, now that he has graduated from Grand Rapids Community College Job Training after devoting 34 hours a week for 18 weeks to learning about residential construction.
The Wyoming resident is now ready to continue working toward his goal of getting his associate degree from GRCC and eventually start his own property management company.
“I always had the vision where I want to be my own boss someday,” he said. “I am taking the steps to get there.”
After more than 600 hours spent learning to build houses, fix cars, take blood pressure and complete other skills needed for jobs available in West Michigan, 52 students graduated in December from the GRCC Job Training programs.
Nick Paddock graduates from the GRCC Job Training automotive technician program
A Path Toward Success
They will land jobs as automotive technicians, computer support technicians, machinists, medical assistants, electricians and in other occupations that require certifications and specialized training. Each year, more than 300 people graduate from the fast-paced, full-time programs, which aim to produce highly skilled new employees with appropriate credentials for jobs.
“We often get students in the program that haven’t had great success in traditional education,” said Julie Parks, GRCC executive director of workforce training. “Eighty percent of classes are hands-on; they earn national certifications and they see what they can do.”
That’s true for Vazquez, who dropped out of Lee High School as a freshman in 2010. Several years later he returned to adult education courses in Grand Rapids to earn his GED. From there, he was connected to GRCC’s Job Training Residential Construction Program.
He helped build houses, learning about blueprint reading, site layout, concrete, carpentry, door and window installation, roofing, siding, and interior finishing. He is now working full-time in carpentry, earning more than $20 an hour, compared to the $14.50 per hour he earned before.
Vazquez said he feels more confident about pursuing opportunities. “I feel way better now. I can actually speak up and say something now that I have my education.”
While working is most students’ goal, they earn 12 to 16 articulated credits through Job Training programs toward an associate degree, which many come back for after working a while. Many students are motivated to continue with skills training in some way to improve their income potential. They also build a network of people in their industries.
Nick Paddock shares the moment with his children
Hands-On Experience
Nick Paddock graduated from the automotive technician program, which focuses on diagnosing and repairing vehicles, from brakes to steering. He enrolled in GRCC Job Training after losing his job in January from a car dealership.
“I decided, ‘I’m off. I need to do this to better myself,’” said Paddock, who has two children, ages 8 and 10, with his wife, Lynne.
He is now working for DeNooyer Ford, in Kalamazoo, as an auto technician, a job he was hired to before even graduating from the GRCC program. He is making $17 per hour, compared to the $10 per hour he made at his former job.
‘I CAN ACTUALLY SPEAK UP AND SAY SOMETHING NOW THAT I HAVE MY EDUCATION.’ — GYBRAN VAZQUEZ, GRADUATE OF GRCC JOB TRAINING PROGRAM
His family is more financially comfortable, he said. His wife works as a patient care assistant at Bronson Hospital.
“I have been recommending the program quite a bit to people,” he said. “You get the hands-on experience. … I personally learn better by getting my hands on things.”
Programs cost between $5,000 and $7,000, but most students receive scholarships, financial aid or support through the U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Many are able to complete the program without going into debt.
Going to GRCC was a great choice, Vazquez said.
“I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to pursue their goals. Once you’re in the groove it goes by quick. … It’s fun to learn different stuff you don’t know.”
Outside Grand Rapids Community College’s Sneden Hall before her morning “Principles of Economics” class, Lauren Kramer reflected on ways she’s benefiting from being both a Wyoming High School and GRCC student through the Wyoming Middle College.
They include a transcript already stacked with 30 GRCC credits; free tuition, books and materials; experience with college courses and expectations; and the discovery of a program she’s highly interested in: culinary arts.
The accomplished student, who started the Middle College as a Wyoming High School sophomore, said she’s making a smooth transition from high school classroom to college lecture hall. Though she’s now attending classes full-time at GRCC, Lauren is considered a fifth-year high school student. Still, she’s halfway through requirements for an associate degree.
She’s enjoying the bustle of city life as she spends her days on campus.
“It’s really great being downtown and the classes are fantastic,” she said.
Exploring downtown and the GRCC campus is part of the fun for Lauren Kramer
‘The Best Thing Going’
Wyoming Middle College, which started in 2012, was the first partnership for GRCC of its kind. It works like this: Students start in 10th grade taking college courses taught by GRCC faculty members at Wyoming High School. They take on a fifth year (also referred to as a 13th year in K-12) as a Wyoming student, but it’s spent entirely at GRCC. The cost is paid for through the per-pupil foundation allowance from the state.
Upon completion, students graduate with a high school diploma and a GRCC associate degree.
“It’s the best thing going,” said high school Principal Nate Robrahn, who this year expanded the cohort of sophomores starting Middle College from 50 to 65. About 150 students have graduated the program since it started.
“Students continue to be successful at the next level too,” Robrahn said. “A lot of those kids are going on to four-year universities, doing well and even graduating early from them.”
Students take one college class along with high school classes each semester sophomore year; two classes per semester junior year; and three per semester senior year. It’s a full schedule of college classes for the fifth year at GRCC.
Because of that experience, Lauren’s already used to the expectations, rigor and freedom of college. She knows what a syllabus is and how to follow it.
“(Wyoming Middle College) really helped with knowing the setup,” she said. “Here in college, most professors are very focused on the syllabus and they really stick to it, so if you need to know what’s due, when it’s due, the expectations, you just go through the syllabus.”
She plans to tackle 15 credits each semester, which means she will be a junior at the end of the school year, a full year ahead of many of her peers. Many of her general education classes are finished, and she has mostly electives left that align with her interests.
Lauren Kramer, who is a fifth-year Wyoming High School student, will have 60 college credits at the end of this school year
Programs Continue to Grow
GRCC has also established middle colleges at Cedar Springs and Ottawa Hills, and East Kentwood High School launched one this fall. Also through GRCC, Ottawa Area ISD offers a certification program at Careerline Tech Center and Kent ISD offers Launch U, where students earn an associate degree in mechanical design.
Dan Clark, GRCC dean of Academic Outreach, said about 500 students are involved in the middle college opportunities and interest is growing statewide.
“When we first started with Wyoming we were the 25th middle college in the state,” Clark said. “Now, in fall of 2018, there are over 150 middle college programs in the state.”
“We have more and more families that continue to say, ‘We want to do it,’” added Robrahn. Along with getting associate degrees before moving on to four-year institutions, he sees his students are earning certifications and discovering what’s possible on the GRCC campus.
“They have all kinds of options for kids, connections to culinary arts and to tech programs,” Robrahn said. “It’s not just an associate’s degree. You can get all those trainings and certifications. There are big jobs right now, $50,000-a-year jobs, and kids can walk out of (GRCC) and get them.”
Clark said GRCC offers extensive student support all the way through programs. Students regularly meet with college advisers and success coaches.
“The important thing we are hearing from these students is they have been able to learn and navigate the college process while they were in high school,” he said. “Now they have tools and maturity in understanding what college is all about.”
According to a study by National Center for Restructuring Education, School and Teaching, of 20 pilot schools with middle college programs followed over six years in Michigan, 997 students in 2016-2017 finished their 13th year with an average GPA of 2.94 and earned an average of 52 college credits. More than 11,000 Michigan students are in middle college programs.
Saving on Costs, Big Time
The most obvious benefit is cost savings, Clark said. At a minimum, students are saving the $114 per credit hour in 2018-2019 basic tuition rates at GRCC, plus the cost of books, fees and other materials.
Lauren said it would have cost at least $40,000, including room and board, had she enrolled directly into a four-year university and paid full tuition to tally up the number of credits she has earned from GRCC. All she has to pay for through the end of this school year is parking and food.
“We don’t have to pay for tuition, or books. I got a kit for my cake decorating class that would be $60, but with Middle College it’s completely taken care of. I get my own chef’s coat for my class and don’t have to pay for it.”
Icing on the Cake
Lauren excitedly talks about her “fantastic” Culinary Art and Design class, where she’s learning from renowned chefs and instructors to decorate and design pastries. She said enrolling in GRCC’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education might be her next step.
She said wouldn’t have pursued that idea had she enrolled directly into a four-year university, adding, “It is definitely helping me figure out what I want to do.”
Lauren was unsure if she wanted to join Wyoming Middle College when she was a 10th-grader. It meant giving up her freshman year living in a dorm, marching in a university band and having “the basic college experience.” She also didn’t have many classes in high school with friends who aren’t in the program and missed out on some great high school teachers.
But she’s found other ways to branch out and enjoy her passions, like traveling and performing all summer as a color guard member with the Legends Drum and Bugle Corps.
Now, when she thinks about savings, the path she’s on and what she’s learned, she puts it succinctly:
“This is the greatest program.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
(Courtesy photo) Women in Project Accelerate, pictured with an engineer, visit a worksite
Camille Reed is a business owner who wants to learn more about the construction industry. Brenna Mosley is a 2018 East Kentwood High School graduate with a dream to run an architecture and construction firm. Serena Small is a stay-at-home mother pursuing a degree in construction management. Elma Balic is an architectural drafter who wants to get away from from her desk and into the field.
The women, all with different backgrounds and goals, are exploring careers in construction, engineering, design and skilled trades by visiting businesses, seeing fieldwork up close and getting into the driver’s seats of big machines. They are completing Project Accelerate, a seven-week, once-weekly course offered through The Build Initiative, a Pontiac-based program that works to build knowledge for women interested in construction and related fields.
“My goal is to get as much information about the industry as possible,” Mosley said. Grand Rapids Community College is hosting the 10-woman cohort, the first for Grand Rapids, in space at the GRCC Leslie E.Tassell M-TEC. GRCC instructors lead sessions on carpentry and safety. Another cohort is planned for next fall.
“Our participants are entry level to CEO,” said Program Director Rita Brown, as participants attended a Friday session on construction law in a GRCC classroom. “What they have in common is they’re women and they want more knowledge. You can lead better with more knowledge, (and) you can learn better when you know where to get that knowledge.”
Women are networking, aligning talents and learning the scope of jobs available in the traditionally male-dominated fields, she said. They drove Caterpillar construction machines with help from Michigan CATand Operating Engineers 324 representatives, read blueprints with an engineer from Soils and Structures and listened to speakers in the industry.
“This program is about gearing up; it’s about exposing strengths we didn’t even know we had, reinforcing areas that need to be reinforced,” said Brown, who relies on volunteers to run the program. “Not a single bit of this is about lack at all. This as about the fact that we can do it for ourselves. It’s about accelerating our careers.”
Julie Parks, GRCC executive director of workplace training, said GRCC is excited about the partnership and to bring women into the building who are involved in construction and related fields. “We have women in our skilled trade programs and this is a way to connect them with people in the industry,” she said.
GRCC is exploring ways to provide articulated credits for Project Accelerate experiences in the future. “What we are really trying to do is help find pathways,” Parks said.
Brenna Mosley, a 2018 East Kentwood High School graduate, is exploring careers in construction
Showing the Way for Women
Brown knows how to navigate the industry. She owns a steel detailing company and is the north central regional director for National Association of Women in Construction. She started Project Accelerate about six years ago after realizing the need. It also has cohorts in Detroit and Flint.
During the economic downturn, Brown had to downsize her staff. Her female employees were unsure of their next move.“The men seemed to be at least a little bit more sure of what they could possibly do, but the women were not as sure,” she said.
Project Accelerate can help launch women into those jobs. “We are not trying to populate one single area of the industry. We are trying to make sure that women have the knowledge and opportunity to decide what their next best steps are,” Brown said. “From this program they will move to actual training programs, certification programs, degrees, jobs or will become better at the work they are already doing,” she said.
Participant Camille Reed, who co-owns a multi-service company that specializes in painting, carpentry and facilities management, said she wants to meet other professional women through Project Accelerate.
“For me, it’s the empowerment they are giving ladies to enter the construction field,” she said. She also was part of a Detroit cohort of Project Accelerate in June and July, and has learned everything from bricklaying, engineering, work-site development and road construction. “This is just giving me another insight of the construction field, and it gives me the change to network,” she said.
Serena Small, of Lansing, never considered a career in construction until she met Brown at a program called Women In Skilled Trades. She is currently enrolled at Lansing Community College majoring in construction management, which she knows will connect her to many different opportunities. She said Project Accelerate is another way to build her construction savvy.
“It’s opening my eyes to the construction industry as far as it’s not just manual labor. There are a lot of different careers in the construction industry,” Small said.
“This is definitely what I needed. I needed more information on the possibilities and the different careers that there are.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
West Michigan is home to high-caliber chefs, bakers and other culinary experts and the level of skill is evident in the cuisine and flavors served at ethnic restaurants, fine dining establishments, casual diners, pastry shops and bistros.
Kent Career Tech Center senior Joslynn Skutt, who wants to operate her own bakery someday, described the area as a place for many palates. “It’s very diverse and you can get so much culture from every bakery you go to.”
Now there’s an easy way for Joslynn to transition smoothly from high school student to pastry aficionado with the goal of adding her own style and flavor to the scene. Thanks to a new partnership between the Tech Center and Grand Rapids Community College’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education, she is among 40 students earning 20-25 free GRCC credits, about a third of the 67-credit associates degree.
Culinary students attend GRCC classes taught at the Tech Center their junior and senior years and during a fifth high school year. They then graduate with a high school diploma, industry certifications and earn their certified fundamental cook designation from the American Culinary Federation.
Werner Absenger, Secchia Institute for Culinary Education program director, said the partnership is a way to fast-track students through school and save them a third of the cost.
“We are shortening the period of time to start the program and finish it,” he said. When students finish KCTC, they will usually only have a year left full time at GRCC. “We are able to take a two-and-a-half year program and compress into one year.”
Senior Joslynn Skutt said the Grand Rapids culinary scene is diverse and filled with culture
Connecting the Dots
“It’s such a clear pathway,” said Sara Waller, Tech Center culinary instructor. “Students are going into college a step ahead of the other kids because they see so much here…We are sending so many students to GRCC already, a partnership was a no-brainer. It’s what the kids were asking for.”
The Tech Center often gives culinary students another boost as well, Waller said. “If they do three years with us and they do a good job, we also like to send them out the door with a nice scholarship to get them going.”
Senior Anthony Hall plans to become a baker, making all sorts of pastries in the Grand Rapids area. He said he likes the idea of earning his culinary degree and working in the area. He nibbled on a cookie during the GRCC “Principles of Food Science” class with Adjunct Professor Bill Gayle, held at the Tech Center.
“I think it’s an amazing opportunity because it can really help us in the future,” said Hall about the GRCC program.
Senior Arianna Kruizenga said the partnership supports her goal to become a dietitian and nutritionist, or owner of a catering company. “I can spring right into it with a head start.”
Tech Center senior Arianna Kruizenga is planning on continuing her education at GRCC
Jobs are in Demand
Jobs are waiting and demand for workers in the industry is expected to continue.
“Everyone is hurting for manpower, employees and talent. A year quicker (to their degree) puts them in the workforce a year sooner,” Absenger said.
In the U.S., based on 2018 data U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics demand for cooks in schools, hospitals and cafeterias, will grow by 6 percent from 2016 to 2026. The restaurant industry will need to employ 1.377 million cooks in 2026 compared to 1.22 million in 2016.
Because of the need for workers, Absenger said young people often get jobs instead of pursuing a degree. However, a culinary degree can help in the long run.
“What we see happening is students not in program or never enrolled, will come to us and say, ‘How long does it take to finish an associates?’ because they have been passed over for promotions,” he said.
Total savings for someone who would otherwise attend GRCC as a full-tuition college student is about $5,500, bringing the cost of a culinary arts degree for a resident student from about $16,500 to about $11,000. Staying in Grand Rapids also eliminates the room and board costs of attending a four-year university.
It’s also a great industry to work in, said Absenger, a chef from Austria. “I was literally able to get a job anywhere on the planet and I think that’s the coolest part of the industry. You can make money everywhere you go.”
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus is Keith St. Clair, who has been teaching national and international political science at Grand Rapids Community College since 2002 and is frequently asked to discuss Middle East issues.
He has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East including a recent trip to Qatar — a small county strategically located between feuding regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran. He talks with In Focus host Ken Norris about Qatar’s importance to U.S. foreign policy and current military presence in that often-troubled region.
Also on the episode, is Steve Prince, the director of Warriors Set Free, which is a veterans support program of Set Free Ministries, a Christian-based ministry run by veterans for veterans.
The entire episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.
The episode debuted on WKTV cable channels on Tuesday, April 10, and will again air on Thursday, April 12, also at 6:30 p.m., and will continue on the same days and times the week of April 16. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Ganders Grand Rapids will be offering Michigan-themed courses for this year’s Restaurant Week GR.
Restaurant Week Grand Rapids (RWGR) kicks off today with 12 days of delicious dining in Greater Grand Rapids. The event takes place today, Wednesday, August 9 through Sunday, August 20. New this year, over 25 participating locations will be offering a lunch option. Lunch will include 2 courses for $14.
“This is our 8th year organizing Restaurant Week Grand Rapids, and we wanted to spice things up,” said Doug Small, President and CEO of Experience Grand Rapids. “By offering lunch we are inviting more restaurants to participate in the culinary event that might not have had the chance, and it allows our local chefs another opportunity to create a unique dish.”
Most of the 76 restaurants participating in Restaurant Week GR are featuring 3-course menus for $28 per person – or – 3 courses for 2 people for $28. Some of the participating restaurants have vegetarian and vegan selections, as well as other dietary foods (such as gluten free) on their menus. Menus for the restaurants are featured on RestaurantWeekGR.com.
RWGR not only promotes the Greater Grand Rapids culinary scene, but also helps The Secchia Institute for Culinary Education Student Scholarship Fund with educational support. Since 2010, Restaurant Week participating restaurants and sponsors have contributed over $127,000 to the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education’s Student Scholarship Fund at GRCC. Participating restaurants donate $1 for every Restaurant Week meal sold to the scholarship fund that is granted to selected students within the Institute’s culinary program. Twenty-five students have received scholarships over the past 8 years.
The public can share their RWGR experiences on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using #RWGR.
