Author: Mark Rummel

SC4 names women’s soccer and Esports coaches

St. Clair County Community College is pleased to announce the addition of two coaches to lead Skippers Athletics teams in women’s soccer and Esports. Todd Stank will serve as the women’s soccer coach and James Jordan will be the Esports coach.

Todd Stank Soccer Coach
Todd Stank
Jim Jordan E-Sports
James Jordan

Both women’s soccer and Esports were added to the college’s growing list of athletic offerings this fall. In doing so, SC4 became just the sixth community college in Michigan to offer women’s soccer and was among the first 50 of 520 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) member institutions nationwide to field an Esports team.

The women’s soccer team will begin its play in 2020-21 and will be recruiting players over the coming year. The Esports team will begin NJCAA Esports competition this semester, potentially competing in Rocket League (PC), FIFA 20 (PS4), Overwatch (PC) and Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo Switch).

“We’re thrilled to welcome Todd and James to our Athletics program,” SC4 Athletic Director Dale Vos said. “They both bring tremendous experience and expertise to the college, along with the energy level needed to get these programs off the ground and help them reach their potential.”

A graduate of Siena Heights University, Stank has extensive experience coaching soccer. He has served as head coach at Rochester University (women’s), Waterford Kettering High School (women’s) and Capac High School (men’s and women’s). He has also served as head trainer at Romeo High School and as a staff coach and president with an array of metro Detroit soccer clubs, including the Blue Water Soccer Club.

A former Michigan Olympic Development Program evaluator, Stank holds licenses from both the United States Soccer Coaches Association and the United States Soccer Federation. He was named NAIA WHAC Conference Champions of Character Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and his teams continuously experience both athletic and academic success.

“I am grateful to be chosen to start the soccer program at SC4,” Stank said. “I have had the privilege of helping to build teams, clubs and programs at many competitive levels throughout my coaching career. It is a rare honor, and I look forward to the challenge and opportunity of creating and establishing a high standard and competitive culture for the SC4 women’s soccer program. Our program should always represent the college, our athletes and our community in a positive manner.”

Jordan brings six years of Esports coaching and managing experience to the college. He has coached and competed at various skill levels from minor events to premier competitions against top talent from around the world. In 2018 he led Splyce’s Rocket League team to a first-place finish in RLRS, earning a berth into RLCS, Rocket League’s World Championship Circuit. In 2019 Jordan coached and competed in various international competitions against top teams from Europe, South America and Oceania.

An SC4 alumnus, Capac, Mich., native and current St. Clair resident, Jordan also works as a unit operator for DTE Energy at St. Clair Power Plant.

“I’m excited to be here,” Jordan said. “The opportunity to foster a culture of hard work, critical thinking and excellence at SC4 is something that I don’t take lightly. I have been fortunate enough to compete with and against some of the world’s best, and I am thrilled to share that knowledge and experience with those right here in my hometown community.”

SC4 a great place to start according to alumnus Dan Damman

Attorney Daniel A. Damman says there’s no debate about it: St. Clair County Community College is the best place for area students to start their higher education.

A 1994 St. Clair High School graduate, Damman (pictured above with wife Therese) attended SC4 for two years, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Michigan State University in 1999 and earned his Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University Law School in 2002.

After law school, Damman took over a New Baltimore law firm, changed the name to Damman Law Firm, PLC, and eventually moved it to Marysville and then St. Clair. He helped form Lord, Damman and VanDrew, PLC, in 2006 with partner Ken Lord and Dana VanDrew and later Damman VanDrew, PLC.

In June 2015 Damman and Nicole Winston founded the litigation firm Winston and Damman, PLLC, where they continue to practice law, including criminal defense, divorce and family law, personal injury, wrongful death and social security disability.

Damman, 44, formerly of Marysville and now St. Clair Township, was elected to the Marysville City Council in 2011 and mayor in 2013. He served three terms before stepping down to enter the candidacy for judge of the 31st Circuit Court. He and his wife, Therese, have two children, Emily, 20, and Mason, 18.

He said he decided his senior year of high school to attend SC4 after graduation and began in the fall of 1994.

“Being the youngest of four children – and the youngest by nearly nine years, I was not ready to leave my parents’ home,” Damman said. “I also wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted to go to obtain my bachelor’s degree.

“SC4 gave me some time to transition from high school into adulthood, obtain a great education at a fraction of the cost of a four-year university, get some college credits under my belt, and time to figure out where I wanted to go next.”

Damman said SC4 allowed him to obtain an excellent education from some extraordinary instructors close to home.

“I went to SC4 for two years; my wife attended SC4; my daughter attended SC4, first through dual enrollment and then for a year after high school; and my son attends SC4 right now through dual enrollment. SC4 was crucial in starting me on the path to where I am today, and I am proud to be a SC4 alumnus.”

In addition to proximity and quality instruction, Damman said SC4 is a smart financial decision for anyone considering higher education.

“What is crystal clear at this point in my life is that SC4 is one of the crown jewels of our area and people are wise to take advantage of what it has to offer. With the soaring cost of higher education, the ability for a high school student to earn college credits at no cost to the student, or his/her family, through dual enrollment or the Blue Water Middle College should be a no-brainer.

“Attending SC4 after graduation to earn credits at a fraction of the cost of a four-year university should also be given careful consideration for those students who want to start his or her education without back-breaking student debt. I believe that viewed through just about any lens, SC4 presents opportunity for everyone.”

SC4 joins statewide basic needs initiative to support students

PORT HURON – St. Clair County Community College announced today that it will join a statewide initiative to help students connect with resources to support basic needs. The Michigan Community College Association was awarded a $442,000 grant to launch the initiative focused on improving student completion and success by addressing economic instability among students including access to food, housing, transportation, childcare and other basic needs.

The Michigan – Building Economic Stability Today (MI-BEST) effort is funded by a grant from the ECMC Foundation as part of its Basic Needs Initiative, designed to address and alleviate basic needs insecurity among students.

The initiative kicks off this month and continues through June 2022. SC4 will begin by forming a team of college personnel and community leaders in January.

National survey findings reported that 45 percent of respondents had been food insecure in the past 30 days, 56 percent had been housing insecure in the previous year and 17 percent had been homeless during that year.

“We know that the lack of access to basic needs is frequently the reason that students leave college,” said Erica Lee Orians, executive director of the Michigan Center for Student Success at the Michigan Community College Association, “SC4’s participation in this initiative is a critical component of our student success efforts.”

The Michigan Center for Student Success is leading the initiative for the MCCA and will partner with nationally-recognized organizations including the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement and Trellis Research along with Michigan-based organizations including the Michigan Association of United Ways, MiBridges, and Public Policy Associates to support Michigan’s participating community colleges.

“We have focused on a number of initiatives to improve student completion at SC4 and MI-BEST is another opportunity for the college to eliminate barriers to student success,” said SC4 Vice President of Student Services Pete Lacey. “We are grateful for the partnership from the ECMC Foundation and the Michigan Community College Association and their visionary leadership to address economic instability to improve student success.”

Other student needs and completion initiatives at SC4 include the Complete Your Degree Program as well as working collaboratively with Literacy and Beyond, which assists single moms with GED completion and helps provide support to enroll in college. The college also provides students with nutritional food options via free Skippers Snacks bins located around campus. 

The MCCA basic needs initiative was created in response to research from the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice (Hope Center), California State University, MDRC and the National Bureau of Economic Research, showing that basic needs insecurity is prevalent among students at two- and four-year campuses and impacts students’ persistence and graduation outcomes.

The Michigan Center for Student Success, founded in 2011, serves as a hub connecting leadership, administrators, faculty, and staff in their emerging and ongoing efforts to improve student outcomes, emphasizing linkages between practice, research, and policy. The Center has led statewide initiatives focused on re-engaging adults, developmental education, transfer, veterans, and advising. The Center is part of the 16-state Student Success Center Network working with over half of the community colleges across the nation.

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE ASSOCIATION
The Michigan Community College Association fosters collaboration, connection, and partnerships among the 28 Michigan public community colleges and their stakeholders.  The MCCA provides strong legislative and public advocacy in Lansing and throughout Michigan, works to improve the image and credibility of community colleges, and advances numerous shared initiatives through the Michigan Center for Student Success, Michigan Colleges Online, and the Michigan New Jobs Training Program.

ABOUT ECMC FOUNDATION
ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation whose mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.

SC4 to host winter 2020 volleyball camp

St. Clair County Community College will host a volleyball camp in the SC4 Fieldhouse this winter for girls and boys in grades 5-12. Camp dates are on Fridays, including Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 21 and Feb. 28 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The camp is designed for all skill levels – from those just being introduced to volleyball to those who have played on a club team and/or a high school varsity team. SC4 volleyball coaches and team members lead camp instruction.

To find more information and register for the camp, visit sc4.edu/camps, email athletics@sc4.edu or call 810-989-5670. If paying with cash or check, please go to the SC4 Business Office in Room 220, Main Building at 323 Erie St. in Port Huron (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday).

“These camps provide a wonderful opportunity to learn from collegiate coaches, athletes and experts,” said SC4 Athletic Director Dale Vos. “We are thrilled to offer this experience and look forward to welcoming youths to camp this winter.”