Welcome to KCC: Why this is a great year to be a Bruin

Posted on by Kellogg Community College

Welcome to Kellogg Community College! Whether you’re a returning student or one brand-new to campus, whether you’re 17 or 70, you’re arriving at a unique time in the college’s history. This year’s graduating class will be the first, for example, to have their commencement ceremony held at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.

Here are just a few of the other reasons that make now a great time to be a Bruin.

Academics

You’re entering an institution with a tradition of excellence in producing graduates who make positive, high-value impacts on their communities. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Dental Hygiene Program at Kellogg Community College, and the 50th class of students are entering the RN Program this fall. This summer the college was reaccredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which recognized the college for its “clear commitment as a student-centered and caring institution.” This fall marks the beginning of a required service learning endorsement for every student pursuing an associate degree outside of the applied sciences, which offers a number of benefits for individual students and their communities. This fall also marks the initiation of a new Student Code of Conduct, which you’ll hear a lot more about in the coming weeks. The college commissioned spoken-word poetry duo Kinetic Affect to write a poem highlighting the Student Code of Conduct, which you can view in the video above and read here.

Campus improvements

You may have noticed all the construction underway on the college’s North Avenue campus. That area is the Student Center, which when construction is complete next spring will include a new cafeteria, offices and shared bathrooms with the Binda Theatre. The expanded Mini Cafe will serve as the main cafeteria until then, and will offer sushi, a first this semester. This is also the first fall semester to see students at the new Bruin Bookstore, which used to be located in the Student Center area but is now located on the first floor of the Lane-Thomas Building. Other campus notes of interest that make this year unique include the installation of the new sculptural fountain in the reflecting pool outside the Morris Learning Resource Center; the college’s new Downtown Office location at 15 Capital Ave. NE in Battle Creek, which houses the Nonprofit Alliance, Center for Entrepreneurship, Generation E Institute and the Calhoun Race Impact Alliance; and the offering of several courses at the former Crowell School in Albion.

Community programs

Kellogg Community College prides itself on being involved in the greater communities in which it serves. This summer the college became the first school in the state to offer a Horizons National summer learning program serving low-income public school students, and one of the first schools in the nation to offer the program without a private school anchor. This fall the college is partnering with Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Western Michigan University to be among the first colleges in the state to host the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VetSuccess on Campus program, which is designed to assist veterans as they transition from the military to civilian life. Kellogg Community College has partnered with CareerFocus to put out issues of the magazine focusing on college programs and community partnerships, with one issue on news stands around campus now and another due out in October. Read the current issue online at kellogg.mycareerfocus.org.

Millage renewal

On Nov. 6, 2012, we at Kellogg Community College will ask voters to renew our capital millage for another 15 years.  The current 15-year millage, with a rate of .85 mill, expires soon. We’re asking voters to renew the millage, but at a lesser rate of .75 mill, so we can continue the work of renovating buildings and equipping classrooms with modern technology. For updates and information about the millage, visit www.kellogg.edu/renewal.

Social media

Kellogg Community College is always seeking to better engage with students, employees and the community at large and is doing so more and more through the use of an evolving network of social media tools. Here is a list of the college’s current social media offerings maintained by the Public Information and Marketing Department:

But wait! There’s more!

In case you think that’s all we have to offer at KCC, think again. This fall will see daily baseball, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball practices, with games and scrimmages scheduled through October. Click here for fall athletic schedules. The fall and spring semesters will see major plays and concerts, beginning with a production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” in October and performances of Handel’s “Messiah” in December. We’ll have a number of events leading up to the election in November, including a visit from the Secretary of State’s mobile office on Sept. 17 to assist with voter registration, and a viewing party for the first presidential debate on Oct. 3. There are a number of additional student and community events scheduled throughout the year, but it all kicks off with Bruin Blast on Sept. 12, which will officially welcome students back for the fall semester.

Have a great semester! Go Bruins!