Author: Wesley Whetstone

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

SC4 Introduces Six New Full-Time Faculty Members

Pictured from left to right: Instructors Vinson, Johnson, Tindall, Bernard, Bullock and Platzer

As a new academic school year begins, SC4 is delighted to welcome back students and faculty. This semester, SC4 is thrilled to introduce six new full-time faculty members. SC4 proudly welcomes the following:

Belinda Bernard, instructor of English with extensive teaching experience, including instructing at Mississippi State University, Macomb Community College and twelve years as an adjunct faculty member at SC4.

Danyel Bullock, an SC4 alumni and clinical instructor for the SC4 Associate Degree Nursing program with twelve years of registered nursing experience and two years of teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member at SC4.

Ryan Johnson, instructor of history with experience assisting with political campaigns and twelve years of teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member at SC4. Ryan was a temporary full-time faculty member for the 2023–2024 academic year and recently accepted a permanent full-time position.

Joseph Platzer, instructor of criminal justice with thirty-six years of law enforcement experience, including as Chief of Police for the Port Huron Police Department and nineteen years of teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member at SC4.

Kathleen Tindall, instructor of business with twenty-seven years of advertising experience, including for companies such as Ford, Jeep, Lincoln, McDonald’s, Little Caesars, Hungry Howie’s and Henry Ford Health and has thirteen years of experience teaching at Macomb Community College.

Jacob Vinson, instructor of art with twenty years of experience working with ceramics and four years of teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member at SC4.

“We welcome our new full-time faculty as a continuation of our strong legacy of academic excellence. SC4 has outstanding faculty who provide high-quality higher education in our community,” said Kirk Kramer, President of SC4.

The Fall 2024 semester has started for SC4, but interested students can still register to take classes this semester. Any student looking to register for traditional 16-week courses may do so up until Friday, August 23. If a student is not able to register or start on this date, SC4 also offers twelve and eight-week courses with delayed starts. These classes are perfect for students who have a restrictive schedule or are looking to quickly complete a class. Those interested in taking classes at SC4 can view a complete list of offered courses at sc4.edu/schedule.

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