Author: Mark Rummel

TRIO student keeps a focus on big goals

Nelson Thorn has big goals, but it hasn’t always been easy to keep moving toward them. Loss of close relatives and the financial burdens of being an independent student have meant that he’s had to keep focused on what he wants to accomplish in life. Fortunately, SC4’s TRIO program has been there to help, along with many other sources of support and encouragement on campus.

Initially, Thorn was attracted to the flexibility SC4’s nursing programs offered to students.

“I chose SC4 because of the programs, class sizes, resources, and student involvement,” he said. “And with the addition of the student housing, I had a place to call home for my first year. (Manager of college housing) Nathanial Shrapnell helped me tremendously.”

When personal difficulties happened, Thorn turned to SC4 campus resources for help.

“One of the hardest barriers to face was losing a few relatives. The staff and my professors helped me to stay in school and keep up my grade point average. And then I applied to the TRIO program.”

“TRIO gave me more personalized, hands-on help. I was struggling with deciding a major and planning my transfer pathway, and TRIO supported me in my academic success,” Thorn said. “I was also interested in the events TRIO holds for its students, including college tours, concerts, plays, and volunteer experiences.”

Thorn has plenty of people to thank for his success as a student at SC4, starting with TRIO staff support Amy Hengehold and director Jessica Brown and especially his TRIO advisor Shawne Jowett.

“I don’t know if I would be graduating without her help!” he said. Others who have been particularly inspirational are his first academic advisor Stacy Healy, SC4’s coordinator of student activities and services Sherry Artman, director of behavioral intervention and support services David Goetze, and Testing Center staff members Kim Heering and Kelly Lindsay.

“They have been unconditionally supportive and have been mentors to me, from just talking with me and allowing me to express myself to helping me find additional support and resources,” Thorn explained. “And special thanks to my friends who have become family and have been my rock for the past two years.”

Thorn plans to transfer to the University of Michigan to pursue bachelor’s degrees in psychology and business administration, with a concentration in entrepreneurship. He’d also like to complete a master’s degree before he turns 30.

He recommends TRIO to anyone who’s eligible for the program. “With longer advising appointments, support services, and tutoring, any college student would find TRIO beneficial.”

Three teams and 12 individuals are inducted in the Skippers Athletics Hall of Fame

Three teams and 12 individuals were inducted into the Skippers Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday, Feb. 22, at the SC4 Fieldhouse. It is the fourth class bringing the total of membership to forty-two individuals and 14 teams.

The three teams entering the Hall of Fame are the 1994 men’s golf team, coached by Ross Green; the 1994 baseball team, coached by Rick Smith; and the 1996-1997 women’s basketball team, coached by Chris Huss.

The individual inductees were women’s basketball player Taleesha Hardy; baseball players Dana Duskocy; Darby Parsons and Tyler Shantz; golfer Brian Bowman; softball player Marisa (Jensen) Pierce; men’s basketball players Mike Branaugh and Jeremy Denha; and volleyball player Morgan (Iloncaie) Fagerstrom. One athlete was inducted for two sports; Troy Dean played baseball and golf.

In addition to the players, two coaches were inducted, Ross Green coached golf and was the athletic director; and Rick Smith played baseball and returned to the college as a baseball coach.

The Skippers Athletics Hall of Fame is located in the SC4 Fieldhouse. To learn more about it and read their profiles, visit sc4.edu/halloffame.

Registration open for summer 2020 classes at SC4

Registration for summer classes at St. Clair County Community College is now open, providing a great opportunity for students of all backgrounds to earn valuable credits at a fraction of the cost of a four-year institution.

SC4 students continuing their education, guest students from other institutions and community members looking to take courses for personal enrichment are encouraged to browse the full list of available summer courses online at sc4.edu/schedule.

Many courses that qualify for the Michigan Transfer Agreement are available, covering a range of subjects.

Business classes, including business communications, accounting, management and marketing, are being offered, as is fluid power, technical math, introductory classes in criminal justice, graphic arts, CAD, mold design, and microcomputer applications — a gateway class to most any computer information systems degree at the college.

Additionally, students looking to complete health science prerequisites such as human anatomy and physiology, and medical terminology can benefit from summer courses.

Many summer classes are offered online. Courses also are offered in varied lengths of six, eight, 10 and 12 weeks for students to create flexible schedules.

Summer semester begins Monday, May 18. Students not currently enrolled can start the application process at sc4.edu/admissions/starthere. Current students can register online through their student portal or on the SC4 mobile app. To speak with an admissions representative about options, or for details on how to get started, call 810-989-5571.

SC4 alumnus living dreams thanks to good education

If there’s one thing St. Clair County Community College alumnus Jim Earley has learned as a lifelong educator and administrator, it’s the importance of a good education if you want to make dreams come true.

“My educational and career path provided the opportunity to live my dream—a dream of service and making a difference to help ensure the communities in which I lived were in a much better place,” he said.

Earley was the first in his family to go to college and found his start at SC4 after graduating from Port Huron High School in 1971.

“By the end of my high school sophomore year, I knew St. Clair County Community College was for me,” he said. “SC4 offered an exceptional opportunity to learn and grow while still being able to live at home and work. I was the first member of my family to attend college. I needed to work in order to pay for my educational expenses. Otherwise, college was not an option.”

While attending SC4, Earley worked at St. Joseph Catholic School in Port Huron teaching grade K-8 gym classes, supervising the lunch periods and coaching basketball. He earned his Associate of Science in 1973.

“My goal was achieved after two years of classes—an associate degree and no student debt,” he said. “My educational experience at SC4 was a springboard to five college degrees, including a Ph. D. I could not have achieved my goals without SC4 and the opportunity it provided.”

After SC4, Earley went on to Ferris State University to earn his Bachelor of Science in education with a major in chemistry.

Earley began officially teaching science and coaching basketball at Port Huron High School from 1975-80. He then relocated to Kofa High School, Yuma, Ariz., where he taught chemistry/physics and coached basketball and tennis from 1980-85.

He returned to Port Huron High School in 1985, teaching chemistry and science along with coaching basketball and tennis until 1996. At that time, Earley took on administrative roles as principal of Memphis High School (1996-97) and Imlay City High School (1998-2000) as well as Imlay City assistant superintendent of schools (2000-10).

He earned his master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Arizona University in 1985, an educational specialist degree from Oakland University in 1997 and a doctorate in philosophy from Oakland in 2009.

Earley has participated in basketball, baseball, softball, tennis and golf in the Port Huron area for 60 years. He officially retired on June 30, 2010, and now spends the winters in Florida. He is currently a member of the Port Huron Golf Club and Moorings Country Club in Naples, Fla.

“St. Clair County Community College provided an opportunity to pull myself out of a middle-class working household to the point where anything was possible,” he said. “My American dream was fully alive. The first steps were the hardest and toughest, and SC4 helped me to grow and prosper while opening my eyes to what was possible. The journey was not without failure as obstacles were navigated and circumvented. SC4 is the best value on the market!”