The St. Clair County Community College Board of Trustees has selected Brad Gudme of Emmett to fill a vacant trustee seat.
Gudme will serve for approximately 15 months, in a term expiring Dec. 31, 2020.
The decision was made at the board’s special meeting on Oct. 8. The vacancy occurred as a result of the recent resignation of former Trustee John Adair.
Gudme is superintendent of Memphis Community Schools.
Chris Dimick has spent the past 12 years working along Lake Michigan’s beautiful shoreline in downtown Chicago. An accomplished writer and editor, his professional journey to the Windy City started nearly 350 miles away at St. Clair County Community College.
Dimick graduated from Marysville High School in 1997. Like many high school graduates, he wasn’t exactly sure of his next steps.
“I enrolled at SC4 because I felt it would provide an easily accessible, affordable way to start my college career while I figured out just what I wanted to do with my life,” Dimick said.
While at SC4, Dimick enrolled in a number of general education courses to explore his career options. He also got involved with student clubs such as the Erie Square Gazette.
“By taking a variety of classes through the general education track and being exposed to different areas of study, my future started to click into place,” he said. “SC4 helped me realize what career I wanted to pursue with the help of some amazing teachers and clubs.
“Professor John Lusk in particular had a profound impact on me through his Journalism 101 class. It was in his class that I realized just how I could make a living being a writer, and discovered my inherit passion for newswriting and reporting. That, combined with working on the Erie Square Gazette newspaper, inspired me to pursue journalism as a major and career.”
Dimick transferred his SC4 credits to Western Michigan University in 2000, where he pursued his four-year degree and took on writing and editing roles at the university’s student newspaper, the Western Herald. He graduated cum laude from WMU in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.
“I don’t feel I would have had as much success at Western without first attending SC4,” he said. “SC4 gave me a buffer to grow up and realize just why college is important. By the time I went to Western I knew what college was like and how to succeed in class. SC4 also allowed me time to decide on a major, journalism, one I knew for sure I wanted to pursue. The education at SC4 was just as good as a four-year university.”
According to Dimick, his work on the Erie Square Gazette prepared him to work on the Western Herald, which in turn led to his first professional reporter job at the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Since then, Dimick has served as an editor for the Arvada Press newspaper in Arvada, Colo., and as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Health Information Management Association in Chicago. He currently works as senior associate director of strategic communications at the Alzheimer’s Association, where he serves as executive editor of ALZ magazine.
“I enjoy my career immensely and aspire to continue making a living as a writer and editor,” Dimick said. “I feel very lucky that SC4 was just a 10-minute drive from my house and provided me the opportunity to figure out what I wanted to do with my life professionally. Colleges like SC4 are extremely valuable and provide high quality education to a wide array of students.”
As a non-traditional student, Michelle Ward wanted additional support when she enrolled in St. Clair County Community College’s Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program. She found it in SC4’s TRIO program.
“I heard SC4 had a great nursing program, but enrolling in college at my age combined with years of feeling inadequate only increased my lack of confidence,” Ward said. “I applied to the TRIO program for the additional support.”
Thanks to TRIO resources such as tutoring and printing, combined with TRIO’s helpful staff, Ward found the support she was looking for – and then some.
“Little did I realize how valuable this program would be to me,” Ward said. “The TRIO staff has been encouraging and supportive beyond my expectations. They have helped me overcome obstacles in a variety of ways. Every test I have taken and passed, assures me that I can do this and keeps driving me to face the next challenge. The support I have received is immeasurable.
“Specifically, I would thank Shawne Jowett for her commitment to her students, great listening skills and helpfulness. Jessica Brown’s professionalism, willingness to help and positive energy make a huge difference. Without Amy Hengehold’s help, I would have been lost. Kristy Jevens is a breath of fresh air. Always positive, encouraging and helpful.”
With the positive support and sense of belonging Ward received from TRIO and SC4, she remains focused on accomplishing her goal of graduating from the LPN program in December. She also looks forward to working in hospice home care and serving future patients with the utmost care and respect.
The St. Clair County Community College Skippers men’s golf team recently won the Thomas Howard, Jr. Memorial Tournament and placed fourth in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Eastern Conference Championship.
Additionally, team members Jack DeMara and Evan DeBruyne were named to the MCCAA all-conference team, with DeBryune also being designated Freshman of the Year.
For more on these recent accomplishments, please read this Times Herald article.
Photo credit: April DeBruyne
