KV FocusPlus

May 24, 2022

Greetings,

I extend my sincere gratitude to our Information Technologies team and others who are making progress toward the full restoration of college network services. Many college colleagues have been working nearly around the clock to protect against any further unauthorized access to our network while at the same time preparing for the resumption of additional services requiring technology. I plan to address the college community about this at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25 in room 9130 at the Texas Township Campus. After my remarks, Vice President for Information Technologies Tim Welsh and Provost and Vice President for Instruction and Student Services Dr. Paige Eagan will provide updates about the continuing restoration of services.

The college will remain open during the meeting. The meeting will be available on zoom. To access the coordinates, please log into the Employee Portal, choose Human Resources, General Resources and click on College Wide Meeting May 25, 3 p.m.

The recent passing of my mother has provided me with the opportunity to reflect upon her gift of forming and growing relationships with others. Your acts of kindness, including cards, kind words, email messages, texts and gifts have strengthen my family and me during this very difficult time. We are grateful for this outpouring of support.

Regardless of the challenges placed in our way, this college community continues to demonstrate resilience and ingenuity as we work together to serve our students.

Thank you.

L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D.
President

College Celebrates EMC Students
More than 120 Early/Middle College students were recognized for completing the program earlier this month at a ceremony held on the Texas Township Campus.

According to Dr. Deborah Coates, dean of instruction for Early/Middle College, the group had a semester average grade point average of 3.64 and exited with an overall GPA of 3.15. She added that the group was enrolled in more than 6,565 contact hours, saving families more than $937,000. Students represented 19 different high schools from Van Buren and Kalamazoo Counties.

Year-End Purchasing
As a reminder, June 30 is the end of the current fiscal year, and many of you still have purchases you'd like to make for this year. College purchasing is being affected by supply chain issues like the rest of the country. The delivery time on many items is longer than it has been in the past and service provider schedules are less flexible. 
 
It is recommended that employees finish up purchasing early this year. Goods received and services rendered by June 30 will be included in this fiscal year. Those received after June 30 will be included in the next fiscal year.
 
Contact Muriel Hice if you have questions about this process.

2022 - 2023 Student Planner Event Information Needed by June 1
Does your department have events planned for the upcoming 2022 - 2023 academic year that encourage student engagement on campus or virtually? The college's Marketing team will be working on creating Kalamazoo Valley's 2022 - 2023 Student Planner and needs information pertaining to college events and important dates that are expected to be conducted throughout the upcoming 2022 - 2023 academic year. Adding event information to the Student Planner helps encourage student engagement and informs of upcoming activities that the college has planned.
 
If your department has events or important dates that you would like included in the planner, then please submit all applicable information through the Student Planner Event Submission Form by no later than June 1, 2022. 
 
Click here to access the link to the form. If you have any questions, contact Khadijah Kabbani. 

College Partners with MCAN, AmeriCorps to Support Students
Over the course of the past year, Kalamazoo Valley has incorporated three new Retention and Completion Coaching positions aimed at helping students stay on track to degree completion. Each coach supports a designated cohort of Kalamazoo Valley students, carefully identified to maximize the outreach and support of this effort.
 
The college partners with the Michigan College Access Network and AmeriCorps to support hundreds of current students through the College Completion Corps program, which places a coach at the institution to support degree seeking students to attain a college credential. Our math coach guides students through module completion and provides targeted skill building sessions with individuals and small groups, in addition to supporting non-academic needs, goal setting and accessing helpful resources. Our industrial trades coach carries out a blend of mentoring, outreach and prospective student engagement to both support currently enrolled skilled trades students and promote trades programs to future students.

Valley on the Road
Kalamazoo Valley Community College is celebrating the class of 2022! The college's Enrollment Management team is once again hitting the road in the Cougar Cruiser to visit area high schools and attend community events where they celebrate senior success. Armed with Kalamazoo Valley swag, they're meeting with local seniors to celebrate their accomplishments. Watch for the team at other events throughout the summer. #CougarCruiser2022

Volunteers Needed
Help promote the college at the upcoming PRIDE Festival at the Arcadia Creek Festival site. Volunteers are needed to staff a college table between 2 - 8 p.m. on June 4. Email Chelsie Taylor if you can volunteer for an hour or two.

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Donor Profile: JoAnn Lynch
JoAnn Lynch is a people person who cares deeply about education. For 35 years, Lynch taught English and Journalism at Robichaud High School in Dearborn Heights. She also taught at Wayne County Community College, which ignited her passion for community colleges. After she retired from teaching, JoAnn and her husband moved to Kalamazoo to be closer to family in the area. It was then that Lynch discovered Kalamazoo Valley and the innovative training taking place within the Police Academy and the Industrial Trades programs. "Community colleges do a good job of helping students discover what they are interested in and then propping them up in that area," she said.

The biggest reward that comes with having been a teacher is the connection she has formed with former students, Lynch said. "I have former students that are teachers now who have received many accolades, so I like to think I helped shape them into the remarkable people they are today," she said. "I have never received a teaching award, but they are my reward."

Because her parents struggled financially to help her through college, Lynch likes to think of herself as a stand-in for parents of Kalamazoo Valley students who struggle to help their children with the cost of tuition. In 2017, Lynch established the Lynch Scholarship to support students in the Industrial Trades. The scholarship doesn't have a GPA requirement. "I established the scholarship for students who aren't necessarily bookworms, but for those who have a desire to work with their hands," she said. "My husband wasn't an educated man, but he could fix anything and everything, and that came in handy throughout the years."

Lynch believes in encouraging students to reach for their potential. "You never know what you're going to become," she said. "I've had students that were not college prep kids, but later in life they became leaders in their profession. Fate happens and you don't know where you'll end up."