Three hot young comedians from Comedy Central – Nikki Glaser, Nick Vatterott and Sheng Wang – performed at JCCC in April. The Student Environmental Alliance again celebrated Earth Day. The students promoted awareness of environmental issues, ideas and actions by working on the campus farm; offering tours of sustainability projects on campus; conducting a recycling and waste audit; enjoying a meal prepared with products from the campus farm; and looking at energy and climate. Hollywood director, producer, editor and former JCCC student Jonathan Dillon was the featured speaker at the Cavalier Film Festival, which screened films created by students from JCCC and area high schools.
Making a difference: Barry R. Grissom JCCC produces many successful students, including the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas. Forty years ago, Barry R. Grissom was among the first students to benefit from JCCC faculty and curriculum when the college opened its current location at College Boulevard and Quivira Road in Overland Park. Today, this JCCC alumnus and Leawood resident is the chief federal law enforcement official in the District, which has three offices – in Kansas City, Wichita and Topeka – for about 50 attorneys and 56 support staff. President Barack Obama nominated Grissom to his current position in April 2010, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination in August that same year. Grissom said his law enforcement priorities include national security, violent crime, drug trafficking, financial fraud and crimes against children. Prior to his current position, Grissom practiced law as a solo practitioner in Overland Park. So why did this lawmaker and community leader choose JCCC when he was looking for colleges years ago? Not surprisingly, it was for the same reasons students select JCCC as a first-choice destination today. “My parents moved to the Johnson County area after I graduated from high school in Chicago in 1972,” Grissom said. “It was my intention to attend a college or university that would allow me to work while being a full-time student. After moving to the area and during initial investigation as to the course offerings at JCCC, I decided to attend at least one semester to see how I would adjust to college life while working at least 20 hours a week outside of my studies.” Grissom enrolled at JCCC and two years later received his associate’s degree. He went on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1977 and the Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1981. Grissom noted that because of the outstanding education he received during his two years at JCCC, he was able to continue his education in a seamless fashion at the University of Kansas. He even mentioned his education roots at a community college in his speech when he took office. “The faculty at JCCC was outstanding,” he recalled. “My successes today are predicated in no small part because of the incredible student-teacher relationship I was lucky enough to have with outstanding educators.”
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Former KMBC-TV anchor Maria Antonia and photojournalist Tim Twyman received the Headline Award from JCCC’s journalism and media communications department. The Headline Award recognizes people who have made significant contributions to journalism in the area. The seventh annual American Indian Health Research and Educational Alliance Pow Wow was held at JCCC in May, focusing on improving the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of American Indians. Renewed interest in landscaping with native plants was the catalyst for a first-ever Native Plants Symposium in June. Barry Glick of Sunshine Farm and Gardens, Renick, W.Va., offered a lecture, Woodland Wonders from the Wild, and a hands-on workshop, The Joy of Propagation, or Everything You Wanted to Know About Plant Production But Were Afraid to Ask. Again over the summer, JCCC offered sports camps and learning, arts, and career options classes for youth on campus; Light Up the Lawn concerts on the lawn in front of the Nerman Museum, sponsored by the museum, the Performing Arts Series and Student Activities; and free vintage movie musicals in Yardley Hall. Throughout the year, JCCC hosted campus visit events for high school juniors and seniors and home-school students as well as presentations for prospective adult students and home-schooled students and their parents. In addition, the college also offered college planning events for parents.