April is Community College Month

Together with the nearly 1,000 other community colleges across the country, Kalamazoo Valley will celebrate Community College Month in April. This month-long campaign is designed to improve awareness of the economic, academic and equity advantages of attending community colleges and to break the stigma associated with public two-year colleges.

A number of events are being planned to help the community celebrate. See the schedule here.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the college is hosting a luncheon for faculty, staff, students and community members. Four noteworthy women - Kalamazoo Valley alumna and Executive Director of Read and Write Kalamazoo Kandace Lavender; Director of Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement and Fire Science Programs at Kalamazoo Valley Community College Karen Rivard; the Hon. Judge Carolyn Williams ; and  community philanthropist Lynn Zhang, CEO of Zhang Financial - will be honored at the luncheon and will participate in a panel discussion.

Alumni + Art Show Call for Entries

Entries in the 12th annual juried Alumni+ Art Show will be accepted from April 3 to May 18. The show will be held at the Center for New Media on June 2 at 5:30 p.m. This exhibition is a way to showcase artwork by our talented alumni. An alumni artist can enter the show if he or she has successfully completed at least one class at Kalamazoo Valley, are not currently enrolled in any class at the time of the show (Summer 2023) is  not employed at Kalamazoo Valley. Previous Alumni+ Art Shows were a great success. Awards Program will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Center for New Media in Room 120. The event is sponsored by Bell's Brewery.

Access the gallery requirements, submission forms and more information about the show here.

Submissions will be accepted April 3 to May 18, 2023, M - Th, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call Cindy Parks at the CNM at the 269.373.7881 to arrange a time.

If you know of other graduates who might be interested in this event, please pass this information on.


Flight of Ferns by alumna Heather Briggs

Food and Media Explored at 2023 Foodways Symposium

Mark your calendars for the 2023 Kalamazoo Foodways Symposium! This annual community celebration of the history and heritage of food and food systems in Southwest Michigan, sponsored by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, will take place April 10 and April 15. This year's theme is "Food and Media." The public is encouraged to attend the free event.

Festivities open with a virtual keynote address, "Food Media: Forging Past, Present & Future Connections," on Monday, April 10, from 6 - 8 p.m., delivered by food media authority Emily Contois, Ph.D. She is the Assistant Professor of Media Studies at The University of Tulsa, where she is Faculty in Residence, as well. Contois is a scholar, writer and teacher whose research explores the links between food, the body, health and identities in contemporary U.S. media and popular culture.

The Foodways Symposium will culminate with an outdoor festival of food and media on April 15, in downtown Kalamazoo at Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Food and Innovation Center on the Bronson Healthy Living Campus. It features food vendors, community organizations, art displays, youth workshops, planting activities, live music and a special foraging session by Gabrielle Cerberville, a.k.a. @Chaoticforager. more

418 Restaurant and Havirmill Cafe Schedules

The student-run Havirmill Cafe and 418 Restaurant in the Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health Building are now open.

HAVIRMILL CAFE
Monday through Thursday
Open through April 13 (closed March 13 to 17 for Spring Break)
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Lunch service only. Reservations not needed.

418 RESTAURANT
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday by reservation only.
Through April 13 (closed March 13 to 17 for Spring Break)
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for fine dining lunch service. Call 269.548.3239 for reservations. Please follow the Havirmill Cafe Facebook page and the 418 Restaurant Facebook page for up-to-date information.