Category: Academics

Registration open for SC4 late-start fall classes

Registration is open for late-start fall semester classes at St. Clair County Community College. Seats are available in 12-week classes starting the week of Sept. 20 and eight-week classes starting the week of Oct. 18.

Late-start classes allow students to earn credits at a faster pace. More than 85 sections are available for classes in topics which include biology, business, English, history, math, political science, psychology, sociology and more.

Examples of some specific courses offered this fall include:

  • BUS 155-60 — Business Management
  • BUS 186-60 — Internet Marketing
  • BIO 101-65 — Essentials of Biology
  • BIO 271-65 — Human Anatomy & Physiology
  • ECON 222-61 — Principles of Microeconomics
  • ETW 170-04 — Print Reading/Fab Design
  • MTH 104-63 — Foundations of Math
  • HE 101-69 — Math Related to Drug Admin
  • HE 102-65 — Medical Terminology
  • HIS 101-65 — History of Western Civilization to 1715
  • PS 101-66 — Introduction to Political Science
  • PSY 260-02 — Abnormal Psychology

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

New students can get started at sc4.edu/starthere.

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

College celebrates new edition of ‘Patterns’ magazine

St. Clair County Community College recently released the 63rd edition of Patterns magazine, Michigan’s oldest literary and arts publication aimed at showcasing student writing talent and works of art.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020-21 academic year, traditional activities surrounding the creation and publication of the magazine were delayed.

“Patterns is an opportunity to celebrate being creative and to recognize the unique talents of our next generation of artists,” said Sarah Flatter, professor of fine arts at the college. “We’re excited to honor students and their success while at SC4.”

A digital version of Patterns is available on our website at sc4.edu/patterns.

The following students received awards:

Special honors

  • Eleanor Mathews Award, literature — Makenna Joppich
  • Patrick Bourke Award, visual art — Brandi Schmitz

Essays

  • Kathleen Nickerson Award — Thomas Short for “A Father’s Love: Rejection from the Beloved”
  • Second-place — Samantha Kicinski for “Another Day at the Office”
  • Third-place — Rebekah Delmedico for “Advertisements and Persuasion: Manipulating our Wants into Needs”

Poetry

  • Blanche Redman Award, — Lindsey Sobkowski for “Rainy Day Villanelle”
  • Second-place — Makenna Joppich for “Living Room Windows”
  • Third-place — Patricia Jo Bowman for “Eli”

Short stories

  • Richard Colwell Award, — Emily Kean for “Pareidolia”
  • Second-place — Natalya Reid for “She Strings the Beads to Make a Brighter Day”
  • Third-place — Makenna Joppich for “Brother”

Visual Art

  • First-place — Skylar Aleman for “New View”
  • Second-place — Doug Penrod for “Strange Medicine”
  • Third-place — Heather Brassfield for “Snowy Dirt Road”

Merit awards also were provided to students for having their work chosen for inclusion in Patterns.

Literary Selections of Merit

  • Makenna Joppich for “Marred Sky”
  • Zachary Kerhoulas for “Autumn Leaves”
  • Stacy Nichols for “Dinner Bell”
  • William Patterson for “Morning Coffee”
  • Jacqueline Wahl for “The Ruby-Eyed Man”
  • Avery Westbrook for “Espresso Express”

Visual Art Selections of Merit

  • Heather Brassfield for “Cades Cove Barn”
  • Miranda Benner for “Wagon Wheel”
  • Hannah Buckley for “Morning at 40th Street Pond”
  • Alicia Fortuna for “Face off”
  • Vera Klimovich for “Daydreamer”
  • Doug Penrod for “Marine City Throw Back”
  • Brandi Schmitz for “Lucy in the Sky”

Production of Patterns was made possible by the financial support from St. Clair County Community College and SC4 Friends of the Arts.

NASA learning experience inspires Robert Hilgendorf’s educational journey

St. Clair County Community College (SC4) alumnus Robert Hilgendorf had his sights set on graduation in his last semester at SC4 when a unique opportunity presented itself. In October 2020, he saw a campus announcement to students about the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program.

“Every time I logged in I saw the posting, I finally decided to research it,” said Hilgendorf. “Once I realized it not only was an opportunity to learn more about NASA but also work on developing my talents, I applied.”

Hilgendorf’s application was accepted and he participated in a five-week online NCAS course where he learned about the history of NASA and gained insight into future NASA initiatives. As part of the experience he attended meetings with NASA engineers and experts on topics ranging from mission launches to rover landings. “It was an eye-opening experience into how NASA’s work has impacted our life here on Earth,” continued Hilgendorf.

His favorite part of the course included details about the Artemis mission, which will return a United States crew to the Moon and eventually Mars. Hilgendorf stated, “It was amazing to see all the STEM-related disciplines required to develop and plan the mission.”

In March 2021, Hilgendorf was excited to learn that based upon his participation in the course and the final paper he submitted, he was selected to participate in a nine-day NASA virtual experience.

According to Hilgendorf, the virtual experience continued on from where the course left off. His daily calendar included speakers, intern panels, hangouts with engineers and mission meetings. Participants were divided into teams that were tasked with developing a successful mission to the Moon or Mars. Teams were responsible for defining missing goals and objectives; maintaining a balanced budget, projecting launch schedules; and specifying all systems, instruments and scientific payloads required.

Hilgendorf put his engineering degree to use as a systems engineer — in charge of rocket, surface mobility and entry/descent/landing selections. His team presented a successful mission to a panel of NASA judges.

”This experience is an invaluable resource for anyone unsure about how to reach their goals, wondering which STEM field to choose, or just not sure they can do it,” Hilgendorf said. “The program not only provides an incredible sense of accomplishment but helps develop the skills employers are looking for. I would definitely recommend it to others.”

The NCAS program provides experience, knowledge and networking opportunities that can become a foundation for a student’s future and career. NASA has an internship program that places a high value on applicants who’ve completed the NCAS program.

“When opportunities come your way, you must jump on them, and this is one you shouldn’t let pass by,” said Hilgendorf, who earned an Associate of Arts and Science in engineering technology-electronics in May 2021. “The NASA experience helped me solidify my education plans moving forward. Education is so important and truly opens doorways that would never become available without it.”

He is now planning to work on a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, thanks to his NCAS experience and the instructors at SC4.

”I cannot think of one single course or instructor at SC4 that didn’t help prepare me in one way for this program.” he said, noting that the skills gained in engineering technology, research, paper writing, public speaking, English, math, group projects and science labs all played a role in preparing him for the NASA experience and for his future career. “A special thanks to Instructor Dan Bishop and Professor Don Reuba, who took the time to write recommendation letters to apply to the NCAS program.”

If you are interested in learning more about STEM programs at SC4, visit sc4.edu/programs.

For more information on the aerospace scholars program, visit go.nasa.gov/ncas.

Gain valuable Microsoft Office skills this fall

If you’ve taken a basic microcomputer applications course, you understand the value the training provides in your daily academic, personal or professional life.

You can take your computer skills to an advanced level this fall by enrolling in SC4’s Spreadsheets CIS-200 course with Professor Colleen Forsgren. Through a combination of lecture and hands-on experiences, students will learn the skills needed to make effective use of spreadsheets, including worksheet design, problem organization, use of advanced functions, data analysis, advanced charts and graphs, spreadsheet automation and presentation of results.

“Intermediate and advanced Microsoft Excel skills are incredibly valuable,” said Forsgren. “This technology proficiency is required in a vast range of industries and occupations, and it is the most common software competency listed in job postings.”

In Professor Forsgren’s class students start with a quick overview of basic spreadsheet skills, then embark on a deep dive into skills which are most valuable in the workplace, including:

  • Accurately utilizing advanced functions, such as lookup and financial functions
  • Analyzing data, including the use of pivot tables and pivot charts
  • Creating meaningful charts and graphs to explain data
  • Grouping, sorting, and filtering data
  • Validating data
  • Automating work with macros by creating computer code to execute a series of instructions and actions

At the end of every semester, students are asked “What was your best learning activity in this class?” Professor Forsgren stated, “The most common answer every semester is the Professional Project.”

The multi-week project takes students into a real-world work scenario where the accuracy, efficiency and professional presentation must be perfect. “The project uses skills taught in class and aligns with workplace expectations,” continued Forsgren. “While the need for a final product without error is required, this is more like a work assignment with review, feedback, and revision to get to the end goal.”

SC4 faculty love hearing from former students about the impact they had in their educational journey of success. These stories are often shared with current and future students as encouragement to keep going after their goals.

“I love teaching this class because students write me after the course telling me how they used the skills in their current position or how their advanced proficiency with Excel helped them get a job,” Forsgren said with pride.

Registration for fall semester is now open for on-campus and online classes starting the week of Aug. 23. Check out a full list of classes being offered at sc4.edu/schedule.

New to campus, visit sc4.edu/starthere. Professor Forsgren and the SC4 campus community look forward to welcoming you to campus.