Author: Mark Rummel

Lifelong learner and alumna Barbara Beck-Donovan (1928-2019) gifts $1.6 million to SC4, People’s Clinic

Upon her passing on May 6, 2019, SC4 and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County learned of a $1.6 million gift from Barbara Beck-Donovan, which will provide approximately $800,000 to SC4 for the creation of two scholarships and $800,000 to an endowment fund for the benefit of the People’s Clinic for Better Health at Lake Huron Medical Center.

Beck-Donavan attended SC4 – then Port Huron Junior College – from 1946 through 1947. She then transferred from SC4 to Michigan State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in 1949. Beck-Donovan taught English at Port Huron High School until her retirement. Upon retirement, the avid reader returned to SC4 and took a class every fall and winter semester between 1990 and 2019.

Beck-Donovan was well known among the faculty and staff at SC4. One professor who got to know Barbara, Professor Suzanne O’Brien said, “like many of my colleagues, I was greatly saddened by the loss of Barbara Donovan. A former English teacher and literacy teacher for the County Jail, she never failed to inspire me throughout the twenty-plus years she took classes at SC4. She radiated strength, independence, and had a passion for arts and travel. Barbara was a woman of substance, and I will miss her.”

According to her longtime friend and retired CPA Thomas F. McTaggart, Beck-Donovan was most passionate about art and literature. “Barbara loved books and learning about art and literature from different perspectives. She took several classes over because she liked getting viewpoints from different instructors. She also was fortunate to be able to take many trips overseas to places such as France, Italy, Spain and Egypt to see in person what she learned about in classes and books. And, of course, she never stopped teaching others. She had a wonderful ability to help people understand things using creative methods.”

“Barbara was a beloved member of our community and her presence on our campus will be missed,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah A. Snyder. “SC4 students will benefit greatly from her generosity and love of learning for generations to come. We are incredibly grateful.”

Longtime SC4 Professor James Jones honored with national AACC award

St. Clair County Community College Professor of Criminal Justice James Jones has been awarded the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) 2020 Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction Recognition for his work in making a difference in the classroom.

As a Faculty Distinction recipient, Jones will be recognized on the AACC Faculty Wall of Distinction, on the AACC website and at AACC’s 100th Annual Convention in March, where he will be honored with a private reception.

“Jim has devoted his life to giving back to others, and we are thrilled to congratulate him on this prestigious award,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah A. Snyder. “His dedication to the success of SC4’s criminal justice program is admirable as is his devotion to ensuring that his students gain hands-on knowledge and experience with criminal situations and scenarios.”

Jones has been teaching at SC4 since 1997 both as an adjunct instructor and a full-time professor. In addition to his full-time teaching, he also serves as a part-time police officer with the Marine City Police Department. Jones previously served as a full-time officer for the Port Huron Police Department for 28 years.

At SC4, he organizes off-campus learning experiences for students, including visits to the city of Detroit to shadow the Detroit Police Department on ride-alongs. He also is actively engaged in other college activities as well, including leading and serving on event, recruitment and curriculum committees.

According to Snyder, Jones is known for going out of his way to ensure that his students succeed and complete their goals.

SC4 alumnus making mark on communities and youth in Arizona, Washington

St. Clair County Community College alumnus Sean Barton is committed to providing stability and growth for communities and youth through sports and education.

Barton currently serves as director of curriculum and strategic initiatives at STEM Sports in Phoenix where he leads strategic planning efforts and manages and develops a curriculum that fuses STEM and sports for students in grades K through 8. Prior to that in Phoenix, he worked as chief operating officer at the NABI Foundation, which provides educational programs for Native youth.

“I feel fortunate and blessed to be compensated financially for my work – helping others through servant leadership in the education and athletic sphere. Yet the greatest compensation comes from doing something every day that is intrinsically valuable/that I love.”

Barton also left a sizeable footprint in the state of Washington via his roles at the Archdiocese of Seattle and the French American School of Puget Sound. He worked as the assistant director of athletics at the Archdiocese of Seattle and served as athletics director, extended day director, middle school physical education teacher and summer camp program director at the French American School of Puget Sound.

“The opportunity to work in settings that provide stability and growth for communities and youth brings me immense joy,” Barton said. “I aspire to continuously embrace and capitalize on opportunities that support educators, students, and parents and families throughout my career. This includes both professional and personal/volunteer work.”

A Port Huron Northern High School graduate, Barton attended SC4 on a basketball scholarship from 1996 to 1998. He attended SC4 again in 2005.

“SC4 provides a valuable, financially responsible academic experience for an array of ambitious minds, young and mature,” he said. “I had several quality courses and instructors during my tenure at SC4, which provided a solid foundation to succeed in both my academic and professional endeavors.”

Barton transferred his earned credits in 2006 to the University of Phoenix in Bellevue, Wash., graduating in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship from Northcentral University in 2014.

Registration open for SC4 late-start winter classes

Registration is open for late-start winter semester classes at St. Clair County Community College. Seats are still available in 12-week classes starting the week of Feb. 10 and eight-week classes starting the week of March 16. Classes are available in Port Huron and online.

Late-start classes allow students to earn credits at a faster pace. Class topics include biology, business, English, math, political science, psychology, sociology and more. Examples of some specific courses offered this winter include:

  • ART120 – Art Appreciation
  • BIO110 – Cell Biology Basics
  • BUS150 – Principles of Business
  • BUS153 – Business Law
  • BUS252 – Consumer Behavior
  • CIS297 – The CIS Professional
  • CJ101– Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • ENG101 – English Composition I
  • ENG102 – English Composition II
  • HE101 – Math Related to Drug Administration
  • HE102 – Medical Terminology
  • HE112 – Medical Law and Ethics for the Allied Health Professional
  • HIS101 – History of Western Civilization to 1715
  • HIS150 – History of U.S. 1877 to Present
  • MTH111 – Plane Trigonometry
  • PS101 – Introduction to Political Science
  • PSY180 – Introduction to Psychology
  • SOC101 – Principles of Sociology

Current students can search for all courses and sections
at sc4.edu/schedule. They can register and pay for classes online in the SC4 Portal at portal.sc4.edu.

New students can start at sc4.edu/starthere.

Registration service also is available at SC4’s One-stop Student Services Center located in the Dr. James C. Acheson Welcome Center on the corner of Erie Street and Glenwood Avenue on the Port Huron campus. Hours of service are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday.

For more information, contact SC4 Enrollment Services at enrollment@sc4.edu or 810-989-5500.