Category: Academics

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.

SC4 is offering an exciting new online history course this fall. Professor Patricia Frank completed her master’s thesis on African-American history and is looking forward to sharing her expertise with students enrolled in HIS 233 —African American History.

The course focuses on the time period from 1619 up until Reconstruction and includes materials through the lens of the African-American experience. The class begins with a review of major African kingdoms and their early interactions with Europeans and Muslims. The Atlantic Slave trade is then covered, with the capture of Africans, the horrific Middle Passage and sale in the Americas. The course also includes material regarding life and work among enslaved people and free blacks, rebellions and revolts, abolitionists, the Civil War, and the era of Reconstruction.

According to Frank, “The text is heavily biography based, so not only will students learn the broad outline of American history and the African American experience, but this format allows them to ‘meet’ specific individuals which should help them feel a more intimate connection to the material.”

Understanding African American history is crucial to understanding American history and will benefit students in the world today. “I hope students understand that there would be no America as we know it without the toil, suffering, and contributions of African-Americans,” said Frank.

To quote Martin Luther King, Jr, “When the history books are written in future generations, the historians will say, “There lived a great people – a black people – who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.” 

“I also hope students will reflect on the constitutional promises the United States made to all of its citizens, be aware of the struggles that have been fought to try to realize those promises, and join the work yet to be done to fulfill the claim that ‘all people are created equal’ with rights to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’,” continued Frank.

Professor Frank is eager to teach this course as it allows her to revisit an important topic in history. “I especially like seeing how this field has changed and evolved,” expressed Frank. “I’ve spent the past several months preparing course materials.”

Registration is now open for fall semester, which begins Aug. 23. There is still time to enroll in HIS 233 as well as other diversity, equity and inclusion relation courses.  Check out a full list of classes being offered at sc4.edu/schedule.

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

Are you ready to start or continue your educational journey but not quite sure what path to pursue?

SC4’s business and accounting courses are a great place to start. “Minimum exposure to the topics we teach can prepare a person for a lot of the challenges and opportunities they will face the remainder of their life as either informed consumers or via employment in the business environment,” said Professor Terry Langan. He recommends that, “Undecided students should sample some classes to grow their view of the world and possible career choices.”

Professor Langan has been teaching a variety of accounting and business classes at SC4 for 30 years. The SC4 courses provide a solid base of knowledge in key business subjects such as accounting, business law, management, selling, marketing and economics.

“I’ve come to the realization that sometimes my impact isn’t immediate,” continued Langan. “I have former students approach me years later to let me know something I said or assisted with had a big impact on where they eventually found success. That is extremely rewarding.”

Professor Langan encourages new students to develop as many relationships with fellow students and instructors as possible. In the real world, it’s not always what you know, but who you know. He also advises students to take their education seriously. “Show up, be prepared, and do more than what is expected.”

Attending SC4 is a wise choice for students, especially considering its cost compared to the traditional four-year university is a real deal. “I truly believe SC4 is able to send students to university well prepared to be successful in their academic endeavors,” said Langan.

For example, our business transfer degree allows students to complete more than 60 credits toward a bachelor’s degree — with some agreements with institutions such as Northwood University, Siena Heights University and Walsh College permitting a full three years at SC4 before transferring.

Langan shared, “I’m looking forward to meeting students in person once again, getting to know them, and assisting with all aspects of their education.”

Registration for fall semester is open and classes begin the week of Aug. 23. A list of available on-campus and online can be viewed by visiting sc4.edu/schedule.

Not a student yet? That’s ok. There’s still time. Visit sc4.edu/starthere and fill out your free application today.

Professor Langan and the campus community are looking forward to welcoming you this fall!

If you are from the Blue Water Area there’s a chance you are familiar with Jim Jones. Jones got his start as a graduate of SC4 and has been teaching criminal justice classes for the college since 1997. In addition to teaching, he brings real life experiences to the classroom — as he’s currently a part-time police officer with the Marine City Police Department and previously served 28 years as a full-time officer for the Port Huron Police Department.

“My role at SC4 is overseeing and teaching in our Criminal Justice Generalist program,” said Jones. “The excitement about being back on campus is about the students, no matter what future visions or career aspirations they may have.”

There are critical shortages of police, corrections, and federal law enforcement officers. People with a desire to help others and who want to lead are great candidates for a career in criminal justice. At SC4, our students practice crime scene investigation (CSI) techniques, attend trials and other court processes, participate in field trips, and gain exposure to the field through presentations by active police officers and other criminal justice professionals.

Jones’ advice to new students is, “Don’t count yourself out. Know you can make a difference and find successes. What you say, what you do, and what you contribute to society matters.” As a professional in the criminal justice field, “Your future, and our future, is found in your hands,” continues Jones. Let SC4 help you be successful in this chosen career path.

“As a former student and graduate of SC4, I know how important this institution can be in one’s life,” shared Jones. Often, students will begin their studies, not really knowing where the future will take them or uncertain of what career they want to pursue. “Within a few short years, the same students are found working in their field of choice and making a positive contribution to the communities in which they live and thrive.”

SC4 offers an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences degree in Criminal Justice and four skill sets related to criminal justice in corrections, generalist, law enforcement and homeland security.

For those wishing to further their education, SC4 has a partnership with Ferris State University to complete a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice that can be completed without leaving our campus.

Lastly from Jones, “Having new students arrive every year, and getting to know them, is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of my job.”

Registration for fall semester is open at SC4 and classes begin the week of Aug. 23. A list of available on-campus and online can be viewed by visiting sc4.edu/schedule.

Not a student yet? That’s ok. There’s still time. Visit sc4.edu/starthere and fill out your free application today.

Professor Jones and the campus community are looking forward to welcoming you this fall!