Battle Creek, Mich., August 16 — Kellogg Community College’s Men’s Baseball and Woman’s Basketball teams were recently named Spring 2010 Academic Teams of the Year by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). 

The distinction of Academic Team of the Year is given to NJCAA college teams who have a team GPA of 3.0 or more.  The KCC Men’s Baseball team had a team GPA of 3.18. The KCC team had the 9th highest GPA out of the 400 teams in the nation.  The KCC Women’s Basketball team had a team GPA of 3.13, which tied them with five other colleges for the 26th highest GPA in the nation.

In addition to the team recognitions, seven KCC players were recognized for their academic achievements. The NCJAA Distinguished Academic All-Americans recognition went to KCC Baseball players Ryan Longstreth (3.98 GPA) and Ryan Buter (3.93 GPA), and KCC Softball player Melissa Newman (3.84 GPA). The award is for student athletes who have a 3.8 GPA or higher with 45 semester hours or more. The NJCAA Academic All-Americans recognition went to KCC Basketball players Cassandra Halder (3.68 GPA) and Lindsey Gibbs (3.65 GPA) and KCC Baseball players Austin Rinard (3.65 GPA) and Chad Jasman (3.60 GPA). The award honors student athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher and at least 45 semester hours.

“First and foremost, our athletes are students.  It’s absolutely critical that they perform well in the classroom, so we’re proud to have our teams honored for not only their athletic performance, but also their academic achievements,” said Tom Shaw, KCC’s director of athletics. 

Kellogg Community College has six athletic teams including Men’s Soccer, Women’s Volleyball, Men and Women’s Basketball, Men’s Baseball, and Women’s Softball. For more information, please contact the KCC Athletics Department at (269) 965-4161 or visit www.kellogg.edu/athletics.

Battle Creek, Mich., August 16 — Kellogg Community College will be holding auditions for the fall 2010 Opera Workshop on Friday, August 27 from 6 to 8 pm.  The auditions will be held in the Davidson Visual and Performing Arts Building, Choir Room D215, at KCC’s main campus, located at 450 North Avenue in Battle Creek.  The auditions are open to community members and any KCC students wishing to audition. Positions are open for solo and chorus parts.

In order to audition, individuals that are interested should 1) contact the director, Gerald Blanchard at blanchardg@kellogg.edu or (269) 965-3931 to schedule and audition time. 2) Prepare two contrasting musical selections. One must be a classical art song or aria and the second may be a folk-song in English, a musical theater solo, or a pop tune.  3) Prepare a brief, memorized monologue or poem. 

All selections must be memorized. Those auditioning must have sheet music to accompany the audition and CD’s are not allowed. A pianist will be provided with advanced notification. 

All accepted individuals will enroll in either the credit or non-credit course MUSI 297, must be available to attend rehearsals scheduled for Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, and must be available for the Opera Workshop performance, which will be held on Saturday, November 20 at 7:30 pm.

For more information, please call (269) 965-3931 extension 2566 or email to blanchardg@kellogg.edu.

The Kellogg Community College vocal arts area has four choral opportunities including the Kellogg Singers, the Branch County Community Chorus, Concentus Vocal Ensemble, and the Choral Union Touring Choir.  The area also offers a yearly opera workshop, individualized voice lessons, master classes and student recitals.  For more information, visit www.kellogg.edu/performart.

Battle Creek, Mich., August 16 — Kellogg Community College was named in the 2011 list of Military Friendly Schools by G.I. Jobs Magazine.  The list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools which are doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students.

Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations. “This list is especially important now because the Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school,” said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. “Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they’re academically qualified. So schools are clamoring for them like never before. Veterans need a trusted friend to help them decide where to get educated. The Military Friendly Schools list is that trusted friend.”

The list was compiled through exhaustive research starting last April during which G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of educators from Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Colorado State University, Dallas County Community College, Old Dominion University, Cleveland State University, Lincoln Technical Institute and Embry Riddle; as well as Keith Wilson, VA’s director of education services; Michele Spires, American Council on Education’s assistant director of military programs; Janet Swandol, associate director for CLEP and Derek Blumke, president of Student Veterans of America.

A full story and detailed list of Military Friendly Schools will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools and on a poster, both of which will be distributed to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in late September. The newly redesigned website, found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, features interactive tools and search functionality to assist military veterans in choosing schools that best meet their personal educational needs. The site currently shows 2010 Military Friendly Schools but will switch to the 2011 list in late September.

Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations.

Battle Creek, Mich., August 16 — The Labor Management Committee of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 445 recently donated $5,000 towards student scholarships with their sponsorship of the KCC Foundation Bruin Scholarship Open. IBEW representatives Jim Lawrence, Stan Schultz, Steve Claywell, and John Banks made the donation on August 10 on behalf of the entire IBEW Local 445, including Current Electric, Motor Shop Electric, and Union Electric.

The Bruin Scholarship Open is the principal fundraising event for the Kellogg Community College Foundation, which provides scholarships to students, and grants to KCC departments to enhance educational initiatives at KCC. Last year’s Bruin Open provided 22 scholarships for deserving students through golf foursomes and sponsorship donations from businesses and organizations.

“Scholarships open doors for students and provide access to opportunities that they might not otherwise have. We value our relationship with Kellogg Community College and the KCC Foundation. This is a great way to give back, help students succeed, and advance the interests of our local community,” said Lawrence. He also noted the IBEW’s connections to the college, “Our apprenticeship program is housed out at KCC’s RMTC and we partner with them to award college credits for apprenticeship training. It’s been a great relationship for both of us.”

“What a fine example for our students! We are extremely appreciative of the ongoing, strong support of scholarships from the IBEW Local 445. Increasing their sponsorship by $2000 in these difficult economic times really demonstrates an exceptional commitment to our students and our community as a whole,” said Ginger Cutsinger, executive director of the KCC Foundation.

To sponsor the Bruin Scholarship Open or to make a donation o the KCC Foundation, please call (269) 965-4161.

Lansing, Mich., August 16 — Ben Nyhoff, of Zeeland, will embark on a year of service August 2 as a Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) AmeriCorps*VISTA member within the Kalamazoo community where he will work to fight poverty.  Ben is one of 19 MCC VISTAs serving communities across the state of Michigan.

As a MCC AmeriCorps*VISTA member, Ben will work with service-learning while building mutually beneficial partnerships between community-based organizations and Kellogg Community College. He will create service opportunities and engage students in the community, in order to gain a richer and more valuable experience outside the classroom. His work will help sustain partnerships between the campus and the community that address the needs of those in poverty, with a special emphasis on those impacting children and youth.

Michigan Campus Compact will oversee the work of the 19 VISTAs across the state of Michigan. VISTA members commit to a full-time year of service at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create business, strengthen community groups and much more. They receive a small living allowance during their time of service and an Education Award upon completion of their service.

About AmeriCorps*VISTA
AmeriCorps*VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty.  Founded as Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) in 1965 and incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs within the Corporation for National and Community Service in 1993, VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 40 years.

About Michigan Campus Compact