Category: Community

SC4 Foundation supports students with more than $100,000 in new scholarships

The St. Clair County Community College Foundation (SC4F) recently approved $100,500 in new scholarships for the upcoming 2019-20 academic year. Students pursuing programs in all fields of study at the college may benefit from the scholarships, especially those in health sciences.

“We are grateful to the SC4 Foundation and its continued assistance in helping to maximize student success at SC4,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah A. Snyder. “With an aging population and health-related job projections showing immense growth in the coming years, health care professionals are more in demand than ever. We have a long history of preparing tomorrow’s health care leaders, and support for our students and college helps us tremendously.”

SC4 wins national Innovation of the Year Award for its Experience Center

St. Clair County Community College has received an Innovation of the Year Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College for its work in establishing its interactive, STEAM-based Experience Center. The college won the award in the category of Community Engagement Education and Forward-thinking Partnerships.

This year, the League nationally awarded 57 winners, including just four from Michigan. SC4 team members recognized for their work on the Experience Center include President Dr. Deborah A. Snyder, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kirk Kramer, Executive Director of Budget and Project Management Becky Gentner, Institutional Technology Manager Spencer Hazlewood, Project and Purchasing Manager Jessica Smith, Professor of Physical Science Suzanne Doherty, and Professor of Biology Carrie Dollar. Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Director Mel Drumm also was recognized.

“We are honored to receive this award,” says Dr. Snyder. “The Experience Center is a place where students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members of all ages can feel engaged and inspired. We are grateful for the continued support, collaboration and leadership of our community, here on campus and far beyond.”

SC4 is one of more than 1,100 community colleges in the United States, which in total enroll nearly half of all undergraduates in the nation — just over 13 million students, according to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

SC4 announced an official partnership with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and its Unity in Learning initiative on the 16,000-square-foot center in fall 2018. The center — the only one of its kind in the region — provides interactive teaching and learning opportunities for students and guests of all ages through exhibits, field trips and educational programming opportunities.

Located in the college’s Clara E. Mackenzie Building, the center strengthens the college’s ability to engage and serve current students, attract future students to campus, and serve as a regional center of experiential learning for the community. It features interactive displays, traveling exhibits, 3-D pens and technology, a circuit center, a coding station, a virtual reality simulation, an augmented reality sandbox, a fossil dig area and larger-than-life exhibits in its Dr. Bassam H. Nasr Science Museum — including a woolly rhinoceros skeleton replica, T-Rex and Mastodon skull replicas.

“The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and SC4 share a vision to bring the excitement of learning to as many individuals as possible,” said Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Director Mel Drumm in a release launching the Experience Center partnership. “We are pleased to collaborate with such a well-respected and forward-thinking community college partner, and we look forward to expanding interactive learning opportunities for Michigan students and residents.”

Future Experience Center enhancements include a Jacob’s Ladder display that highlights the power of electricity and a gifted Tarbosauras skeleton cast thanks to the SC4 Foundation and two Community Foundation of St. Clair County donor advised funds.

Additionally, the Experience Center is a growing regional field trip destination, partnering with the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) to ensure field trips seamlessly align with K-12 science-based curricula in the region. For more information on scheduling a visit, please send an email to experiencecenter@sc4.edu.

SC4 brings local athletes to campus for high school all-star competitions

St. Clair County Community College will host some of the area’s best high school athletes in the coming weeks as part of its annual SC4 Blue Water Area Senior All-Star Games.

Graduating high school seniors from St. Clair County and the surrounding region will compete in cross country, golf, baseball, softball, volleyball and basketball. The festivities will kick off with a cross country invitational on Wednesday, June 12, at the Goodells County Park, where girls will run at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.

All-Star Boys Basketball18An 18-hole, coed golf invitational keeps the all-star excitement going at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at Port Huron Golf Club. The action then moves to the diamond as area baseball standouts take part in a nine-inning game at 7 p.m. Monday, June 17, at Sanborn Park, followed by the all-star softball game at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, at Pine Grove Park.

All-star festivities conclude in the SC4 Fieldhouse with volleyball and basketball games on back-to-back days. The volleyball match begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, followed by basketball contests Thursday, June 20, when the girls tip off at 6 p.m. and the boys at 7:30 p.m.

Cost to attend volleyball and basketball games is $5. All other all-star events are free.

For more information on the all-star events, contact the SC4 Athletic Department at 810-989-5670.

SC4 grad succeeds with help from Community Foundation’s Complete Your Degree Program

The Complete Your Degree program is celebrating the graduation of its first class of students.

“My time at SC4 in the CYD program has helped me tremendously financially, academically and emotionally to transfer to a university,” said CYD recipient Brittany Simpson. “Being at SC4 and in the program helped me save money because I got to live at home and work while the program covered my tuition.”

Simpson and six of her Marine City High School classmates were accepted into the CYD program when it first launched in the fall of 2017. This is thanks to the generous support of the Alexander & Celestine Lamere Fund.