Category: Community

SC4 Foundation awards $186,233 in scholarships

The SC4 Foundation has a long history of helping area students from all walks of life succeed. This spring the Foundation continues that tradition by awarding $186,233 in scholarships for the upcoming academic year. Recipients are pursuing a variety of majors, from health sciences to business to communications.

“Education changes lives, and providing access is even more crucial in these uncertain economic times,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah Snyder. “Our donors contribute to the future of individual students and to our community through their generosity.”

Two of this year’s recipients were awarded scholarships from newly established funds – the Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship Fund and the Janet S. Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Established by Dick Hillaker in memory of his late wife, Janet, the Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial provides scholarships to full-time SC4 students who are graduates of Port Huron High School or Port Huron Northern High School. Janet taught kindergarten for more than 30 years, so this scholarship has a preference for supporting education majors.

The first student to receive the Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial is Port Huron High School graduate Jenna Holzberger. She plans on attending SC4 for two years before transferring to a 4-year university to pursue her bachelor’s in elementary education.

“My desire is to return to St. Clair County and start my career as a kindergarten teacher and coach,” Holzberger said. “I had the incredible opportunity of having a kindergarten teacher at Michigamme Elementary who inspired me to become a teacher.”

The Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship Fund was created by Officer Dan LeVey of the Marysville Police Department for criminal justice majors at SC4 who are current or former participants of an Explorers or Cadet Program in St. Clair County.

Natalie Stroh is a recent graduate of the Marysville Explorers program who has had a life-long passion for law enforcement. She will continue her criminal justice studies this fall at SC4 and is the first student to receive the Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship.

Natalie Stroh
Natalie Stroh

“One of the noteworthy improvements to the scholarship process for the SC4 Foundation is application cycles that are open year-round. Any remaining scholarship dollars at the end of a cycle are made available to eligible applicants,” said William Oldford, President of SC4 Foundation. Check the SC4 website for more information.

Scholarships are a big part of what the SC4 Foundation does, but it’s not the only way it helps students pursue their educational goals. The Foundation also supports other projects and programs that provide students with better learning experiences.

Unrestricted giving to the SC4 Foundation allows greater flexibility to how dollars are used to better meet current college priorities. In recent years, the Foundation has helped expand the SC4 Experience Center programming, provided funding for local students to visit the Experience Center, as well as grants towards the Tarbosauras skeleton cast added to the Nasr Natural Science Museum.

“The greatest gift a donor can leave is an unrestricted gift the SC4 Foundation can use for greater impact on campus,” Oldford said. “SC4 Foundation is proud to offer donors the opportunity to support the college’s priority areas, including their long-term vision for student success and enhancements on campus.”

The St. Clair County Community College Foundation started in 1963 to raise friends and funds to benefit SC4 and the students it serves.

SC4 Creates Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

PORT HURON – A new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been created at St. Clair County Community College to advance the college’s efforts in providing educational access and support for all. As part of the enhanced focus, a national speaker series will be launched on campus to support diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness and action this fall.

The series will kick-off October 9 with Jen Fry, a nationally recognized social justice educator speaking on campus. Another initiative is a campus book discussion. The college has ordered several books suggested by Ms. Fry on topics of equity, white privilege, and racism which will be available for faculty and staff to read this summer and fall. Informal book discussion sessions will be coordinated on campus this fall through the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to foster understanding.

SC4 also will officially recognize Juneteenth, the commemoration of the emancipation of slaves after the Civil War, as a college holiday on June 19 each year.

“The trustees are very supportive of these efforts to ensure that the college is a place where all are welcomed to learn and grow,” said SC4 Board of Trustees chair Dr. Nicholas DeGrazia. “The new Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be instrumental as we continue toward our goals of growth, sustainability, and creating a stronger community that reflects the world we live in.”

Jessica Brown will lead the office as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and will work to develop a comprehensive and cross-functional emphasis on these critical issues at SC4. Brown has more than a decade of higher education experience, having worked previously at Davenport University, Rochester College, and Macomb Community College before joining the SC4 team in 2014. She has served as the director of the college’s TRIO Student Support Services program since September 2015. The program works with first-generation and other high-risk college students to support them throughout their college career and has been very successful in increasing student retention and graduation. She also is a member of SC4’s Global Diversity Advisory Council. Brown has Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Strategic Management degrees from Davenport University.

$1 Million fund created to help SC4 Students

PORT HURON – SC4 is providing $1,000,000 in emergency aid funding to support SC4 students impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The money is available to currently enrolled SC4 students who are experiencing additional financial need caused by the public health emergency. Awards are available to help students who are working toward the completion of a certificate or degree.

This one million dollars in funding to support SC4 students includes $954,739 received as part of the Federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act recently approved by Congress, as well as additional college emergency scholarship funds dedicated to supporting students. Awards are in addition to any other financial aid support the student may have received.

Students experiencing challenges are asked to complete a brief form online at sc4.edu/CARES. Additional details about the program are also available on that webpage.

Emergency aid is intended to help students with expenses that may affect their ability to attend SC4, including things such as housing, transportation, basic living needs and other college-related costs. Students experiencing hardships due to unemployment or reduced financial support from their families are encouraged to apply.

Comments about SC4 during the COVID-19 situation

SC4 is an amazing place to learn and work. Even in the face of an event unlike anything we’ve ever experienced, there’s been so much positivity and support from students, faculty and staff. Here’s just a sample of positive comments that might bring a smile to your face today:

  • “Thank you for being so dedicated to your students. During this time of uncharted waters for all of us, I wanted you to know that you are appreciated for all the work you are doing behind the scenes to create progressive and positive changes for the success of each of us on our academic journey.” – SC4 Student
  • “Thanks for sending that email to all students. Great info!!” – SC4 Faculty
  • “I just did my first student appointment using Microsoft Teams and it worked great! The student was super nice and understanding of the technical difficulties at first; once we got that figured out, it worked great.” – SC4 Staff
  • “I wanted to take a second to tell you how much I appreciate the updates, the constant flow of information, the smooth and cooperative work we are accomplishing. This is why I love SC4 so much. We are a family. When times are tough, we come together and work it out. We have done some truly amazing things in a week.” – SC4 Faculty
  • “I really want to learn, it this been my favorite class so far in my degree. Thank you to the IT Team for making it possible to keep going!” – SC4 Student
  • “Thanks for sending this out… so important! I requested each of my students contact me and let me know how they were preparing and tell me how they were doing. Surprisingly 86 out of 90 responded within 12 hours and I reached out to the other four and they all answered quickly. By and large they are thanking us for the work we are doing to help them finish the semester. Thanks for all your encouraging e-mails – I feel SC4 has our back!” – SC4 Faculty
  • “The student expressed her appreciation for all of us still working hard to help our students be ready for the next semester. I thought that was nice to hear; through this “rough” transition of working from home students are understanding that it isn’t easy and are appreciative of our help!” – SC4 Staff
  • “Change is necessary right now. The additional workload that you have encountered through this shows your dedication to the success of our college and its student body. I for one trust your guidance and feel less worried knowing you have my back. Thank you! See you all on the flip side of this craziness.” – SC4 Student
  • “Many thanks to our academic leads and secretaries, IT and Help desks, for all you’re doing to make this situation as ‘easy’ as it can be given the circumstances!” – SC4 Faculty
  • “Got it! Had to configure my drivers. Thanks for the heads up. Good class today!” – SC4 Student
  • “Nothing is too big for SC4! We’ve got this!” – SC4 Faculty

It’s inspiring to see how the entire SC4 community is working together and making progress. Thanks again for your efforts.