KV FocusPlus

June 1, 2022

Greetings,

Summer semester is here and I hope that you are finding time to enjoy all that the season has to offer. 

Kalamazoo Valley Community College continues to strengthen relationships with the people and organizations we serve. Examples include the June 3 opening of the 11th Alumni+ Art Show featuring 29 alumni artists and 53 pieces of art. Also on June 3, Kalamazoo Valley Community College alumnae, NoViolet Bulawayo, the author of "We Need New Names," and a second novel, "Glory," is returning to Kalamazoo for special programs. You can meet her at the Center for New Media at 6:15 p.m.

The "Wonder Media" exhibit continues at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. This important exhibit challenges visitors to engage in critical thinking about news and media literacy topics by interacting with 14 hands-on activity stations housed on the museum's first and second floors.

On June 18, the college is collaborating with others on special Juneteenth activities. Be watching for additional details. Throughout August, the college will celebrate Hispanic heritage in partnership with El Concilio/Kalamazoo Hispanic Council during special activities, including a fine art show by local Hispanic artists at the Center for New Media opening on Aug. 5.

The college's enrollment management team and others continue to pay tribute to graduating high school seniors as they visit summer community events and activities in the "Cougar Cruiser." In addition, members of the college community will be participating in a number of summer festivals sponsored by local organizations, including Kalamazoo PRIDE festival, Black Arts Festival and a new event called "Beyond Backpacks" in August.

These efforts and many more are designed to demonstrate our commitment to our students, their families and the communities we serve. We believe that lives can be changed through communities that are uplifted. Kalamazoo Valley will continue to seek out and collaborate with others who share our dedication to providing accessible platforms for engagement and learning, because we believe that teaching and learning hold the power to change lives. 

I hope that, as we continue to focus on students in the classroom and online during summer semester, we will remember our place in the broader community. Get out and enjoy all that Michigan has to offer!

Thank you.

L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D.
President

Celebrated Author and Kalamazoo Valley Alumnae NoViolet Bulawayo to Read from Her New Book During June 3 Art Hop
Kalamazoo Valley Community College alumnae NoViolet Bulawayo, the author of two books, "We Need New Names" and "Glory," is returning to Kalamazoo for special programs on June 3. Her first book, "We Need New Names," was a finalist for the Booker Prize and won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and numerous other literary awards.

"Glory," her second novel, was published earlier this year to rave reviews. Bulawayo moved to the United States from Zimbabwe and graduated from Kalamazoo Valley in 2003. She completed her education with a master of fine arts in creative writing at Cornell University. There, she was a recipient of the Truman Capote Fellowship. She also was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. A luncheon honoring her accomplishments will be held at the college's Anna Whitten Hall on June 3 at noon. Following the luncheon, Bulawayo will read from her new book and take questions from the audience.

At 5:30 p.m. during Art Hop at Anna Whitten Hall, Bulawayo will present another reading from "Glory." At 6:30 p.m., she will be available to sign books at the Center for New Media after the presentation of winners of the college's 11th Juried Alumni+ Art Show. A total of 29 alumni artists have submitted 53 pieces of work that are included in the Alumni+ Art Show. The juried show includes many different types of art and is an opportunity for former students to showcase their talent while competing for cash prizes.

Copies of "Glory" are available in advance at the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Bookstore and at other local retailers. Copies of the book will also be available for sale on June 3 during both programs.

Debt Forgiveness Program
In Fall 2020, the college launched the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Debt Forgiveness program. The program is designed to relieve the collections debt barrier that inhibits degree completion for hundreds of Kalamazoo Valley students. Since launching, the program has re-enrolled over 60 students pursuing a degree or certificate program. Eligibility for the program includes:

• Left Kalamazoo Valley with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Has not attended Kalamazoo Valley for six semesters and collections debt has been written off as a loss by the college
• Has an outstanding balance of $1,000 or less
• Has the ability to pay in full, sign up for the payment plan or have financial aid cover the balance for the semester they will be re-enrolling at the time of registration (i.e. student can cover charges for upcoming tuition and fees)
• Has not already been awarded a degree or certificate from Kalamazoo Valley

To start the process, students should submit a program application that can be found at kvcc.edu/debtforgiveness. If you have questions about the Debt Forgiveness Program, please contact Evan Pauken at epauken@kvcc.edu or 488.4215.

Artwork detailing the college's rich history has been installed in the hallway outside of the President's office. Come by and walk down memory lane.

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Register Your Middle School Child for Summer Camps!
If you are looking for something fun and educational for your middle school child to do this summer, check out the variety of summer camp options for students entering sixth, seventh or eighth grade this fall! Explore careers on all our campuses, build and fly a drone, paint a cityscape, learn how to be an urban farmer and more! Space is limited.

Contact Deb Coates at ext. 4509 for more details or click here to register.

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A new self-service site is now available for our full-time employee benefits. Please follow the instructions below to access the site and view your benefits. Moving forward you can use this system to make changes if you have a life event (birth, marriage, etc.) and during open enrollment. 

Your username is your Kalamazoo Valley Community College email address. For example, John Smith's username would be jsmith@kvcc.edu. Your password is your birth date in YYYYMMDD format. Someone with a birth date of January 7, 1968 would have 19680107 for their password.

If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Craft at or call 269.488.4448.
 

Employee Google Drive
All employees at the college have an Employee Google Drive. Google Drive is a cloud-based storage solution that allows you to save files online and access them anywhere from any smartphone, tablet or computer. You can use Drive on your computer or mobile device to securely upload files and edit them online. Drive also makes it easy for others to edit and collaborate on files.
 
You can access your college Google account by visiting www.gmail.com and entering your college credentials or through MyValley. A link to employee Google accounts is on the left-hand side of MyValley.
 
These videos from the faculty Success Center can walk you through navigating Google Drive.
Video 1
Video 2

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Volunteers Needed
Valley Food Share, an initiative designed to meet the immediate food needs of Kalamazoo Valley students, returned for the winter semester last week. Through the program, currently enrolled students can pick up a bag, or a "share," which includes food grown locally and sourced through our own Food Innovation Center as well as nonperishable items from Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, to take home. Valley Food Share distribution is currently a drive-thru service alternating between the Food Innovation Center and the Texas Township Campus. Volunteers are needed to help distribute shares to students.

With supervisor approval, please sign up to help unload and distribute shares!

If you have any questions, please email foodshare@kvcc.edu.

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A New Look For the Bookstore!
The Bookstore has a new look at the Texas Township Campus! Now greeting customers as they enter are window graphics featuring the smiling faces of current students, faculty and staff. Be sure to stop by and check them out! Much thanks to all who worked on this project in any way, from models, designers and more.

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New Exhibit Focuses on Zany Contraptions
Rube Goldberg's cartoons and zany contraptions come to life through 3D, life-size machines and more in a humorous investigation of classic engineering principles. The "Rube Goldberg^TM The World of Hilarious Invention Exhibit!" was created by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in partnership with the Heirs of Rube Goldberg. It will be on display through Sept. 21. The exhibit opened May 21.
 
Admission is free to the museum and to the exhibit. The museum is open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday - Friday; 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday; and noon - 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit kalamazoomuseum.org. 

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Need Something to Eat?
Take advantage of the opportunity to dine at the Texas Township Campus! Access the following options on the dates and during the hours of operation listed below.
 
Through June 30 | 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Subway and Cougar Cafe: grab-and-go items, beverages
 
July 5 - July 7 | 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Coffee Den ONLY: baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, soup, grab-and-go items
 
July 11 - Sept. 1 | 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Subway and Cougar Cafe: grab-and-go items, beverages

 

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