Author: Mark Rummel

SC4 Faculty Spotlight—Colleen Forsgren

Image: Professor Colleen Forsgren

Colleen Forsgren is a professor of computer information systems at SC4 and serves as the department head of the Business & Information Technologies Division, bringing a wealth of expertise and knowledge to her role. 

Colleen has always enjoyed being a student. She started her higher education journey at Kettering University and took community college courses from various institutions as she traveled across the United States. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Upper Iowa University and a master’s degree in education concentrating on Information Science from the University of Missouri.

Colleen worked for TMG, Inc. in Charlotte, North Carolina and Houston, Texas, for seven years before she transitioned to workforce development at San Jacinto College in Houston. Her career also included training and employee development for leadership positions in banking. In 2000, she began as a workforce development instructor for SC4 and added instruction in credit classes soon after. She became a full-time faculty member in 2006 and has been the department chair for the Business & Information Technologies Division since 2021.

Colleen highlighted the dedication and expertise of her team, who use their experience in the workplace to provide a high-quality education for SC4 students.  

“Working with our faculty is so much fun because they love their topic and want to share it with their students. I enjoy walking around our hallways during class times. You can’t walk past too many doors without seeing and hearing students experiencing their teacher’s excitement for their topic.”

Colleen is also passionate about getting her students workplace-ready and empowering them to take ownership of their work.

“We do a lot of project-based learning in occupational classes. Sometimes, that means a lot of back and forth until something is perfect because that is the expectation in the workplace. One of my favorite things as an instructor is seeing a student’s transformation from being frustrated at having to continue to tweak a project to being so proud of their accomplishments when the project meets the goal.”

Colleen lives with her husband, Brent, a professor of political science for SC4, and they have five adult children. Outside of their work at the college, Colleen and Brent enjoy ballroom and swing dancing and traveling, especially to Europe and South Africa.

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff / Senior Vice President, at srutallie@sc4.edu

SC4 President Kramer and Student Campbell Speak at Michigan Aerospace Conference

Image: President Kirk Kramer and Acer Campbell

President Kirk Kramer spoke as part of an education panel at the AEROOne conference on September 4 in Rochester, MI. This conference provides an opportunity for aerospace community members to gather, network and discuss innovations in the Michigan aerospace ecosystem. Kramer was on a talent panel titled “A Much Needed Discussion Between Industry & Academia.”

Additionally, SC4 student Acer Campbell spoke as part of a student panel at the conference. Campbell was part of a talent panel titled “Discussion between Industry and Students.” Campbell was the only community college student on the panel, which included high school students, a career technical school student, and a PhD student from Michigan Technological University.

Kramer was on a panel with Dr. Michelle Merusi, Vice President of Washtenaw Community College and oversees Economic & College Development, Mark Combe, MADE Academy Coach for Stevenson High School, Jennifer Paugh-Macomber, Campus President of MIAT College of Technology and Nicole Gasper, CEO of West Michigan Aviation Academy. The panel provided productive discussion and insights into academic institutions. Another panel was held afterward, featuring representatives from the University of Michigan, Oakland University, Grand Valley State University, and Michigan Technological University.

“Students are first at SC4,” said President Kramer. “SC4 advocates for our student participation on local, regional and national levels.  Giving our students a place at a conference with the University of Michigan, Michigan Technological University, Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, and Oakland University at the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan conference is evidence of our outstanding academics and our local contribution to higher education.”

The event was developed by the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan and hosted over two hundred and eighty people from one hundred and fifteen companies across nineteen states. SC4 supports efforts to keep students interested in STEM by connecting to upper elementary, middle school, and high school students to explore careers based on the sciences. Conference attendees heard the emphasis SC4 places on developing a talent pipeline in collaboration with others and an emphasis on reducing barriers to student enrollment and success.

For more information about enrolling and community involvement at SC4, please visit SC4.edu.

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff/ Senior Vice President, at srutallie@sc4.edu

Track Added to Skippers Athletics  

St. Clair County Community College is adding men’s and women’s track teams to its athletic offerings for next year. The new offering will complement the very successful cross-country program which was added in 2016. The teams will compete in the spring as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association.  

“Our cross-country teams have attracted some excellent runners from the local area and beyond,” SC4 Athletic Director Dale Vos said. “We have had some outstanding teams and individuals for nearly a decade. The addition of track will allow our cross-country team members to compete in the spring and provide a new opportunity for sprinters and middle-distance runners to continue their career at SC4 and beyond.” 

The women’s cross-country and track teams will be led by head coach Andrea Rheaume, while Max Whittredge will lead the men’s teams. The teams are seeking an assistant coach. Interested candidates may apply online by visiting www.sc4.edu/jobs. 

With the addition of track, SC4 now provides 17 teams for students to compete at the collegiate level including baseball, basketball, bowling, cross-country, E-sports, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball and wheelchair basketball. 

Athletes interested in joining the Skippers track team can contact the athletic office at (810) 989-5670. 

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff/Senior Vice President, at srutallie@sc4.edu or 810-989-5545 

SC4 Faculty Spotlight—Dr. Michael Belleman

Dr. Michael Belleman is a professor of Economics at SC4 and has taught at the college since 2010. He was recently appointed to serve as president of the SC4 faculty association and has also served as treasurer and vice president. 

Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Marygrove College, two master’s degrees in taxation and economics from Walsh College and a doctorate in accounting, which he earned while teaching full-time at SC4. He also has extensive experience in corporate finance, taxes relating to health care, and patient cost modeling. He has also worked with Medicare auditors and the IRS and actively consults for businesses. 

When talking about his experience teaching, Mike recounted that he was terrified the first time he taught a college course. He recalled shaking behind his podium and giving his first lecture as an adjunct professor at Henry Ford Community College in 2002. However, he soon became comfortable in the classroom and grew to love the in-person interactions and “feeding off of the energy of his students,” as he puts it. 

The Socratic method is foundational to Mike’s teaching style. This method uses focused questions to guide students to think through issues and go deeper than surface-level answers. Using this technique, students actively participate in classroom conversations by developing their thoughts, and the fear of presenting the “correct answer” is mitigated.

Mike explains this process further by saying, “You can be wrong in the classroom. I want [students] to be able to fail. That’s the best teacher…. Our learning is a practice that we continue to develop throughout our lives.”   

In addition to academic content, Mike’s classes are aimed to help students develop soft skills, such as conversational skills and multitasking. This approach ensures students are occupation or transfer-ready at the completion of the program. 

Mike and his wife, Melanie, have two daughters who work in special education and speech pathology, three grandchildren, and a two-month-old puppy. In his free time, Mike enjoys playing golf and reading, especially about economics, history and current affairs.

For media inquiries, please contact Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff/Senior Vice President, at srutallie@sc4.edu