Category: Alumni

Former television news director prefers ‘paying it forward’

Simple beginnings don’t always make headline news, but one former television news director thinks it’s newsworthy that he got his start at St. Clair County Community College.

A 1966 graduate of SC4, Jim Collins interviewed people like former vice president Hubert Humphrey, reported on the great gasoline shortage of the 1970s and investigated deadly PCB’s in cattle feed.

“I was fulfilling a dream, exploring new areas, cultures and certainly opportunities,” he said. “It all started with a couple of years at SC4.”

Collins grew up in Emmett, the oldest of three children. He graduated from St. Stephen High School in 1964 and then decided to attend Port Huron Junior College, which a few years later became St. Clair County Community College.

“When it came time to attend college, (SC4) was the readily available and affordable option,” he said. “I was working to pay the bills on the night shift at a shop in Capac. My parents helped with some tuition, housing and meals and plenty of encouragement. Starting at a four-year school would have been wasted on me, not to mention totally out of reach financially. I wasn’t ready for it.”

Collins received his associate degree in spring of 1966 with plans to attend Michigan State University. He graduated from MSU with a Bachelor of Arts in television and radio in 1968. He was in East Lansing during “the height of the Vietnam War and a career path seemed difficult at best, but I was not drafted.”

He got his first job at a radio station in western Michigan and continued on to Wisconsin and Minnesota to pursue his career in radio news. Collins was working in Duluth, Minn., when he made the switch to television, which expanded the type of people he was able to interview.

“I considered myself fortunate to meet and talk one-on-one with people like Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and others of note,” he said. “But it was often more interesting telling the stories of ordinary folks who were doing extraordinary things.”

They moved back to Michigan, with Collins working at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, first as a reporter and then as the station’s assignment manager. He became a news director in Chattanooga, Tenn., and later Greensboro, N.C., for their CBS affiliate before finishing his career as the city of Greensboro’s communications manager.

“I feel very strongly that our society needs reporters asking hard questions, shining light into the dark spaces of lies, deceit and deception,” he said. “Finding people to ask those questions should not be limited to only those wealthy enough to attend a four-year institution. There are other means to achieve organized thought, writing and presentation skills.”

Collins supports giving today’s young people the opportunity to attend college.

“I recognize that people offering scholarships are often characterized as ‘paying it back’” he said. “I prefer ‘paying it forward’; leaving something for the future, and SC4 can certainly be a great place to start. I chose to support student scholarships at SC4, because I know it can mean something for a student to be able to open the door to an education.”

 

Three teams and 12 individuals are inducted in the Skippers Athletics Hall of Fame

Three teams and 12 individuals were inducted into the Skippers Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday, Feb. 22, at the SC4 Fieldhouse. It is the fourth class bringing the total of membership to forty-two individuals and 14 teams.

The three teams entering the Hall of Fame are the 1994 men’s golf team, coached by Ross Green; the 1994 baseball team, coached by Rick Smith; and the 1996-1997 women’s basketball team, coached by Chris Huss.

The individual inductees were women’s basketball player Taleesha Hardy; baseball players Dana Duskocy; Darby Parsons and Tyler Shantz; golfer Brian Bowman; softball player Marisa (Jensen) Pierce; men’s basketball players Mike Branaugh and Jeremy Denha; and volleyball player Morgan (Iloncaie) Fagerstrom. One athlete was inducted for two sports; Troy Dean played baseball and golf.

In addition to the players, two coaches were inducted, Ross Green coached golf and was the athletic director; and Rick Smith played baseball and returned to the college as a baseball coach.

The Skippers Athletics Hall of Fame is located in the SC4 Fieldhouse. To learn more about it and read their profiles, visit sc4.edu/halloffame.

SC4 alumnus living dreams thanks to good education

If there’s one thing St. Clair County Community College alumnus Jim Earley has learned as a lifelong educator and administrator, it’s the importance of a good education if you want to make dreams come true.

“My educational and career path provided the opportunity to live my dream—a dream of service and making a difference to help ensure the communities in which I lived were in a much better place,” he said.

Earley was the first in his family to go to college and found his start at SC4 after graduating from Port Huron High School in 1971.

“By the end of my high school sophomore year, I knew St. Clair County Community College was for me,” he said. “SC4 offered an exceptional opportunity to learn and grow while still being able to live at home and work. I was the first member of my family to attend college. I needed to work in order to pay for my educational expenses. Otherwise, college was not an option.”

While attending SC4, Earley worked at St. Joseph Catholic School in Port Huron teaching grade K-8 gym classes, supervising the lunch periods and coaching basketball. He earned his Associate of Science in 1973.

“My goal was achieved after two years of classes—an associate degree and no student debt,” he said. “My educational experience at SC4 was a springboard to five college degrees, including a Ph. D. I could not have achieved my goals without SC4 and the opportunity it provided.”

After SC4, Earley went on to Ferris State University to earn his Bachelor of Science in education with a major in chemistry.

Earley began officially teaching science and coaching basketball at Port Huron High School from 1975-80. He then relocated to Kofa High School, Yuma, Ariz., where he taught chemistry/physics and coached basketball and tennis from 1980-85.

He returned to Port Huron High School in 1985, teaching chemistry and science along with coaching basketball and tennis until 1996. At that time, Earley took on administrative roles as principal of Memphis High School (1996-97) and Imlay City High School (1998-2000) as well as Imlay City assistant superintendent of schools (2000-10).

He earned his master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Arizona University in 1985, an educational specialist degree from Oakland University in 1997 and a doctorate in philosophy from Oakland in 2009.

Earley has participated in basketball, baseball, softball, tennis and golf in the Port Huron area for 60 years. He officially retired on June 30, 2010, and now spends the winters in Florida. He is currently a member of the Port Huron Golf Club and Moorings Country Club in Naples, Fla.

“St. Clair County Community College provided an opportunity to pull myself out of a middle-class working household to the point where anything was possible,” he said. “My American dream was fully alive. The first steps were the hardest and toughest, and SC4 helped me to grow and prosper while opening my eyes to what was possible. The journey was not without failure as obstacles were navigated and circumvented. SC4 is the best value on the market!”

 

 

Creative director credits SC4 for helping develop his creative passion

Like many high school graduates, Jeffrey DeLange was not quite sure of his career path when he graduated from Algonac High School and enrolled at St. Clair County Community College in 1989.

“I was interested in being creative but did not really have a career path,” he said.

At SC4, DeLange took classes from a number of professors who helped him understand his interests and prepare for his next steps.

“My graphic design and fine arts professors helped in the development of my creative passion,” he said. “They also helped me with two years of portfolio preparation.”

DeLange earned an associate degree from SC4 and transferred to the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit in 1991. He graduated from CCS in 1995 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in industrial design.

Since graduating from CCS, DeLange has served in a wide array of creative roles, including senior industrial designer, creative director and an adjunct faculty design instructor. He currently serves as creative director for the George P. Johnson Co. where he helps power brand experiences.

“I have helped steer the ship on many creative challenges throughout my career that include tradeshow, event and auto show experiences,” DeLange said. “I have led several creative projects that have taken me to international locations to understand the brand, strategy, product and marketing objectives for large electronics and automotive companies. I am extremely passionate about design and innovation, and foster working in team environments.”

Having achieved great success in the creative space, DeLange clearly has found his calling—something he credits in large part to SC4.

“For any student interested in pursuing the next level of education but are truly not sure what or where that education will lead them, I would highly recommend community college to help build a better understanding of education and professional goals,” he said.