ALPENA — Three candidates, including two incumbents, are vying for two seats on the Alpena Community College Board of Trustees for six-year terms to start on Jan. 1.

Incumbents John Briggs and Joe Gentry are joined in the race by Mark Grunder, who is currently the director of Information Technology at ACC. He plans to retire in December.

It’s a friendly race, as all three men had good things to say about each other.

“The reason I want to serve on the board is I’ve worked IT for the college for the last 27 years,” Grunder said. “So I’ve done a lot of innovative things for the college, and we’re trying to keep things rolling forward.”

He implemented videoconferencing technology that has allowed ACC to expand to 30 different rural high schools.

“Being able to expand, that has been a big bonus for the college, and it’s kept the enrollment going up, compared to the rest of the colleges out there,” Grunder said.

He said he wants to make sure as a college trustee that the board keeps innovation at the forefront.

“I do know that the next thing we’ve got to tackle is artificial intelligence,” he said. “To make people aware that it’s not the end-all. It’s just another tool. When the internet first came out, everybody was kind of freaking out at that one, too. After a while, you realize it’s a tool … It’s there. It’s not going to go away. So our best bet is to teach these kids how to use it as a tool to improve their lives.”

He added that interdepartmental communication could be improved, as well, from his experience working with all the departments at ACC.

He added that security, both in-person and cybersecurity, should be a major focus, as well.

“We’ve got to protect the students and the staff,” Grunder said.

Currently, a deputy from the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office is assigned to ACC.

“That’s been a real plus,” Grunder said.

Briggs has served on the ACC board for 37 years, first elected in 1987.

“I won by 13 votes, so every vote counts,” Briggs said.

Briggs talked about some of the issues that need to be addressed going forward.

“We’re going to continue to have to look at infrastructure, for one thing, because the Charles Donnelly Natural Resources Building really is in need of major renovation,” Briggs said. “And that’s probably going to be an $8 million or $9 million project, just to renovate it.”

He said housing is also a major concern.

“We’re getting more students coming from outside the area, and there’s not rental space available in the community,” Briggs said. “Housing is pretty tight.”

He said the college is starting a project to build another unit to go with the housing units they already have, including some handicap-accessible housing, which is currently not available on campus.

“We’re seeing a lot of students, but we’re reaching them further away, and we’re reaching them younger,” Briggs said. “Half our student body are dual-enrolled and early college students, which creates some different challenges and opportunities. But it’s working well, using the remote learning process.”

He said the current board has been working well together and ACC is in good hands.

“We’re pretty conservative on the budget,” Briggs said. “We have a good working relationship among faculty and staff.”

He added that the college’s property tax will be up for renewal in a few years, which will be a priority.

“That money will really allow us to do something, because we are a pretty small community college,” Briggs said. “But we do some really good things, for both students and the community.”

Both Briggs and Grunder noted that enrollment at the Oscoda campus should be addressed, as well.

Gentry has served on the ACC board for 20 years.

“If it weren’t for ACC, I wouldn’t have a college education,” Gentry said. “My parents couldn’t afford to send me away, and so I got the old Huron Portland scholarship when I was in high school. It provided a summer job, two years at ACC paid for, and two years away, as long as I maintained a 3.0 (grade-point) average … College was not an option, unless I had that scholarship and I went to ACC.”

He transferred to Michigan State University to continue his education.

“Frankly, I got a better education at ACC than I did at Michigan State,” Gentry said. “At ACC, the classes were small. You got personal attention. It was all focused on student success.”

He said that still rings true today.

“I have a sweet spot in my heart for ACC,” he said. “It provided me all my career opportunities in life.”

He has been the executive director of the United Way of Northeast Michigan since November 2019.

Gentry talked about the recent grant the college received.

“We just got a $4.2 million grant,” Gentry said. “We’re the only educational facility, through this green energy program through the state, to build the six-acre solar field, which will provide 150% of the power needs for ACC.”

He said that ties in significantly with the college’s utility tech program.

“We’re one of the few community colleges that have a bachelor’s program,” he added. “We have a (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) in partnership with Saginaw Valley (State University) … and we have the electrical grid program, which is a four-year bachelor, and it’s all done right here.”

He added, “There is a huge need for electrical grid technology in the country, and getting trained people.”

Gentry said ACC has been trying to get a grant to build another climbing field, which will be all metal, for use with the utility tech program.

“All the new, big, high lines are all metal poles,” Gentry said. “If we can put this second grid in, it’s all metal. And that’s going to be a significant investment.”

He said student housing is a concern, as well.

“We know that we’re losing students because we don’t have enough housing, particularly with utility tech, nursing, concrete technology,” Gentry said. “These are people that are coming from outside our service area — our tax-base area — and students need housing. We know that’s a problem.”

He said the biggest issue, coming up, is ACC’s accreditation.

“Every 10 years, you go through the accreditation process,” he said. “And it’s a huge deal. You need to continue to be accredited … It’s a big process, and that’s coming up within a year-and-a-half … I’ve been through two of them, so I have a feel for what’s required and what’s going to be needed through that accreditation. I think it’s important that the board members support those efforts to ensure that accreditation continues.”

Gentry said student success needs to be a focus, as well.

“If you don’t rank high in your student success data, then your state funding is going to be diminishing,” Gentry said. “So it’s critical for us to focus on making sure that, when a student enrolls, they’re successfully completing the programs.”

He said investing in technology is crucial.

“We were one of the first to take that step, prior to the (coronavirus) pandemic, of doing online enrollment,” Gentry said. “It was a gamble, when we made that investment, but it’s an investment that’s paid huge dividends to us in enrollment and being able to offer classes remotely.”

Darby Hinkley is Lifestyles editor. She can be reached at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@thealpenanews.com.