Dear Faculty and Staff:

I hope you enjoyed the MLK holiday and had an opportunity to reflect on the many contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his efforts championing equality, human rights and social justice. Today, thousands of students will step onto one of our two campuses to begin the spring semester. For some individuals, this day represents the first time on a college campus. For all our students, the first day of the semester represents a new step in their educational journey. As a community college, we create an opportunity for the communities we serve to come together, united in the idea that a college education offers hope and possibility, especially for those who are first-generation, low-income students. Your service to our students is noticed and appreciated.

Please allow me to provide the following updates:

Spring Semester All Faculty Update
Last Thursday, faculty took part in the Spring Semester Faculty Update which included a review of our many successes from the Fall Semester, a report on MCCA’s legislative agenda and how it could affect SCC’s budget, and an overview of facility projects. A panel presented updates on college wide initiatives impacting our four Strategic Goals: Student Success, Developing Our People, Accountability and Innovation. Thank you to our panelists Dave Leenhouts, Todd Galbierz, Amanda Sizemore, Nicole Pinaire and Amy Koehler, and to our moderator, John Bookstaver.

Before the update, faculty and staff enjoyed refreshments and Starbucks samples in the newly remodeled Plaza Bistro. Thank you goes out to the teams who worked hard to enhance this important engagement space.

Mental Health Services
I wanted to provide an update on all the strategies we are putting in place to ensure that our students have improved access to mental health services. Thanks to the good assistance of Vice Presidents McDorman and Leenhouts and Executive Dean Copeland, SCC will be able to offer multiple avenues to students who need assistance.

The following will serve as the permanent and on-going structure for mental health services:

• Our mental health department will be staffed with a full-time case manager and a professional counselor.
• Each semester SCC will offer a mental health and resource fair for students.
• SCC is securing a new app that will allow students to access mental health services 24/7.
• SCC will partner with local agencies to augment mental health counseling on-site.
• We will continue to maintain up-to-date resources/information for student.

I am pleased that we are able to dedicate additional resources needed to increase the level of mental health services to our students.

Best wishes for a great start to the Spring Semester.
Barbara