The Power of Higher Ed (May 29, 2018)

Announcements

Raffle tickets for our summer fundraiser were distributed to members. They cost $10 each and every Lowell Rotary member is expected to sell at least 10 tickets to friends, family and other people. Our club will also be selling raffle tickets during the Sizzlin' Summer Concert Series. We need volunteers to sign up to sell tickets on Thursday nights. The volunteer sign-up will be distributed at Rotary meetings.

Mark Your Calendars

May 30, 2018--General Assembly

We hope to see you all tomorrow for General Assembly. If you signed up to bring a potluck item, please don't forget to bring it. Remember, all funds we would have used for a catered lunch will instead be donated toward Rotary International Foundation's Polio Plus campaign. Making a difference never tasted better!

June 23-27, 2018--Rotary International Convention, Toronto

If you ever wanted to attend a Rotary International Convention, 2018 is the year to do it. Several members of the Lowell Rotary Club are already registered. It should be an exciting time to celebrate being people of action.

June 27, 2018--Annual Picnic

Don't miss out on the fun at Fallasburg Park as we remember another great year of service to the community, recognize the achievements of others and welcome a new club president. Stay tuned for more information on event registration.

Celebrating a Year of Making a Difference

Rotarian Wendell Christoff presented the District Governor's Citation to Lowell Rotary Club President, Dave Abel at the May 23 meeting. It was originally awarded during the District 6290 Conference held earlier in the month. The Lowell Rotary Club was also recognized for having the highest per capita giving of any other Rotary Club in the district.

Rotary Leadership Institute

Embrace the opportunity to be a life-long learner by participating in the Rotary Leadership Institute. The purpose of the institute is to help future and current leaders of Rotary in acquiring knowledge about the organization and important leadership skills that are transferable in every aspect of life. The Rotary district to which we belong (6290) believes in the importance of the institute so much that for every member a club sends to training, the District will cover the cost of a second member to participate. There are 3 levels to the training and various dates provided each year for members to take advantage of the wonderful learning opportunities available. For more information on the institute and how to register, please visit http://www.ridistrict6290.org/page/rotary-leadership-institute .

Upcoming dates and locations for Rotary Leadership Institute:

July 21--Ann Arbor, MI

October 20--Detroit, MI/Windsor, ON

Presentation Highlights: The Power of Higher Ed

Matt McLogan, Vice President for University Relations at Grand Valley State University, visited the group to share the power of higher education and the GVSU's metamorphosis from a small state college to a regional powerhouse. Here are some highlights from his presentation:

Matt McLogan has been with GVSU for 30 years. When he joined the organization there was 1 campus and 9,000 students. Now there are over 25,000 students on 5 campuses.
GVSU has the highest number of students in the allied health fields and is the only university in Michigan that grew from the community.
The university is a major employer in the area with over 11,000 jobs attributed to GVSU and it's the largest customer of the RAPID bus system. The growth experienced by GVSU helps fuel economic growth of the entire region. New construction and renovations brought more than $109 million into the local economy and creating 2,295 construction related jobs.
We are facing a challenge today. Many students and families are having a difficult time affording the cost of college. 85% of costs associated with attending college are now born by them. The state now only pays 15% of costs of higher education and threatens to decrease even more as the years pass.