Category: Advisory

SC4 Experience Center enhances interactive learning opportunities, welcomes traveling fossils exhibit

PORT HURON – St. Clair County Community College’s 16,000-square-foot Experience Center continues to evolve, recently enhancing interactive learning opportunities in its Innovation Center and welcoming “Fossils of the Michigan Basin,” a traveling exhibit by paleontologist, author and storyteller Joseph “PaleoJoe” Kchodl.

The Innovation Center — located within the Experience Center — is now home to a growing number of STEAM-based interactive displays, 3-D pens and technology, a circuit center, a coding station and a virtual reality simulation that make learning fun for students of all ages.

Two images of the Experience Center, one of the Innovation Center and the other of a green screen.

“Guests to the Innovation Center now have the ability to shift energy flow through batteries and light bulbs, create video games and programs through coding and JavaScript, design three-dimensional objects with a 3-D pen and much more,” says Becky Gentner, SC4 executive director of budget and project management, who mentioned the Innovation Center is available via scheduled appointments and field trips. “We are thrilled to expand our offerings and welcome more exciting exhibits for our community.”

“Fossils of the Michigan Basin” is a Michigan-based traveling exhibit featuring fossils of creatures that lived in the Devonian Period of Michigan, long before the age of dinosaurs. It includes Brachiopods, Gastropods, Cephalopods, Prehistoric armor-plated fish and corals, and even a piece of limestone from the thumb region that was touched by a glacier in the last ice age. The exhibit is located in the Experience Center’s Dr. Bassam H. Nasr Natural Science Museum, which is home to the largest collection of fossil artifacts in the Michigan thumb region.

“Michigan at one time was the bottom of an ancient salt water sea,” says PaleoJoe. “Visitors to this exhibit can go back in time when Michigan abounded with creatures of the sea — a time when certain fish species grew to more than 30 feet long, and a time when coral reefs broke the surface of the water creating lagoons filled with life. It is a wonderful way to introduce the public to fossils that can be found right here in our state.”

Three images of the Experience Center, 3D station, exhibit, and Virtual Reality station.

Opened in the fall of 2018, the Experience Center is a hands-on STEAM center that features unique and evolving exhibits, an augmented reality sandbox, a live sturgeon exhibit and more. Recently, SC4 and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County announced a Tarbosauras skeleton cast gift from the SC4 Foundation and two Community Foundation donor advised funds. The Tarbosauras skeleton cast will join a collection that includes a woolly rhinoceros skeleton replica, and T-Rex and Mastodon skull replicas.

The Experience Center is open to the public and is a growing regional field trip destination thanks to a collaborative partnership with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and its Unity in Learning initiative. For more information on scheduling a visit, please send an email to experiencecenter@sc4.edu.

SC4 to host Degrees and Donuts Open House April 27

St. Clair County Community College will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, in the SC4 Welcome Center, Room 150.

Degrees and Donuts will provide an opportunity for prospective students to take a campus tour and learn about in-demand careers, SC4 programs, transfer opportunities and support services. The event also will feature donuts from Chef Shell’s Restaurant and Catering and coffee from the Exquisite Corpse Coffee House

“We are excited to offer this unique open house opportunity,” said Admissions Director Tom Kephart. “With our commitment to maximizing student success combined with top programs in high-demand fields, expert faculty, small class sizes and affordability, an SC4 education just makes sense.”

He added, “We look forward to assisting anyone with questions on April 27, and we are grateful to Chef Shell’s and the Exquisite Corpse Coffee House for their support.”

Faculty members from various program areas, as well as representatives from Admissions, Advising, SC4 TRIO, the Achievement Center, Walsh College, Ferris State University and UM-Flint, will be in attendance at the event.

SC4 offers students a wide array of degree and certificate programs taught by faculty members that have spent time in both the classroom and the workforce. Students also have the option of completing the 30-credit Michigan Transfer Agreement, which allows them to easily transfer a block of general education courses to any participating four-year college or university in Michigan.

Degrees and Donuts is free and open to all prospective students and their families. Learn more about SC4 programs and how to apply at sc4.edu/programs.

Exquisite Corpse coffee house logo
Chef Shell logo

Summer registration now open at SC4

Registration for summer classes at St. Clair County Community College is now open, providing a great opportunity for students of all backgrounds to earn valuable credits at a fraction of the cost of a four-year institution.

SC4 students continuing their education, guest students from other institutions and community members looking to take courses for personal enrichment are encouraged to browse the full list of available summer courses online at sc4.edu/schedule.

Many courses that qualify for the Michigan Transfer Agreement are available, covering a range of subjects. Introductory business classes, including accounting, management and marketing, also are being offered, as is an introduction to criminal justice and microcomputer applications, a gateway class to most any computer information systems degree at the college.

Additionally, students looking to complete health science prerequisites such as human anatomy and physiology can benefit from summer courses.

Many summer classes are offered online.

Summer semesters begin Monday, May 13. Students not currently enrolled can start the application process at sc4.edu/starthere. To speak with an admissions representative about options, or for details on how to get started, call 810-989-5571.

SC4 to hold free group advising sessions for nursing, HIT programs Feb. 14

On Thursday, Feb. 14, St. Clair County Community College will hold free group advising sessions on main campus for those interested in its nursing and Health Information Technology (HIT) programs.

Attending a group advising session is the first step for anyone interested in earning a health sciences degree from SC4. For those interested in the Practical Nursing (LPN), Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) or ADN Transition programs, attending a group advising session is mandatory.

Feb. 14 group advising session schedule:

  • Practical Nursing – 9 to 10 a.m., North Building, Room 102
  • Associate Degree Nursing – 10 to 11 a.m., North Building, Room 102
  • Nursing Transition – 1 to 2 p.m., North Building, Room 102
  • Health Information Technology – Noon to 1 p.m., Applied Technology Center, Room 117

“Our nursing program continues to be ranked one of the best in Michigan among two- and four-year institutions, and the health information technology field is expected to increase 22 percent by 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,” said SC4 Dean of Health Sciences Jenny Giles-Voss. “It’s a great time for students to enroll in these rewarding programs.”

Program information:

The Practical Nursing program prepares graduates to take the state exam to become a licensed practical nurse. This program prepares students to work within the interdisciplinary team under the direct supervision of an RN in a variety of settings such as long-term care facilities, rehabilitation facilities, doctor’s offices and home health care.

The Associate Degree Nursing program prepares students for work with an interdisciplinary team in health care with multiple areas of entry such as surgery, mental health, obstetrical nursing and other adult and child areas of care. Graduates are eligible to take the national licensure examination to become a registered nurse.

The ADN transition program is designed for licensed health care professionals who want to become registered nurses. The program is an accelerated course of study designed to expand upon previous education and experience.

The Health Information Technology program prepares students for a variety of careers in the health care field. Students learn the process of acquiring, analyzing, and protecting digital and traditional medical information, which is vital to providing quality patient care, supporting medical education and research, and more. Graduates are eligible to take the nationally recognized Registered Health Information Technician Exam.