Dear Faculty and Staff:

I want to bring to your attention that the National Science Foundation recently awarded St. Charles Community College a standard grant for “Creating Technician Pathways in Mechatronics for the Industry 4.0 Workforce.” Industry 4.0 is a term that describes the use of technology to develop modern manufacturing processes. (Getac) This is a tremendous grant opportunity for the college, and I appreciate the good work from Rex McKanry - Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigators, Amanda Sizemore, Tammie De Los Santos, and Garret Foster, for making this a reality.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you for the All College Day/Celebration and Recognition Program scheduled for April 29. In the morning we will provide a college update followed by the longevity awards ceremony. I wanted to share some exciting news about the longevity awards. Our Executive Cabinet has approved two new awards. Employees with 25 years of full-time service will have a personalized plaque installed at their chosen tree on campus. Employees who have 30 years of full-time service will have a designated park bench on campus with a personalized plate honoring their service.

Following the ceremony we will enjoy lunch together (hopefully outside) with games and a live band. In the afternoon, we will offer tours of the new Student Services space and Science Labs. Although the renovations are not complete, I think you will be very pleased with the progress that has been made.

This past week, we made the decision to take classes and services remote due to predicted severe weather. I want to remind you that these unique emergency notices will always be communicated via the emergency text message system and email. Click on this link to sign up or renew your yearly registration: https://www.stchas.edu/emergency-alert.

Our President’s Award recipients for April are Kate Foster, Instructor of Developmental Math, and Monica Swindle, Instructional Designer, Technology. The April award was our last for this term. The nomination period and awards will resume in the fall. Congratulations, Kate and Monica!

At the last President’s Council meeting, Vice President Galbierz presented a proposal for adjusted summer work hours. A recommendation is being considered by the Council to allow qualified staff to work from home on Fridays. This would allow the college to close some of our buildings for savings on utilities. Please send me any feedback you may have regarding this proposal. The Council will take action at their next meeting on April 26.

Last week I spoke at the St. Peters Alderman’s meeting. My area of focus was community and how SCC plays a vital role in reimagining the value of education. It was the perfect opportunity to share how our strategic plan and goals help develop the local workforce and ready students for the next steps in their educational and career path. Some highlights I touched on were our Nursing and Allied Health Programs and areas of innovation, diversity, and of course, accountability. In addition, I shared information regarding grant opportunities and how the college is maximizing those opportunities. The Aldermen were genuinely impressed with our programs and were please to learn about all the innovations at SCC.

Please join me in congratulating our SCC Baseball team on their recent victories. They went 2-2 the week of April 4, beating Three Rivers Community College 12-7 and defeating the Webster University JV team 12-1. The Cougars are back at home on April 23 against St. Louis CC.

As a reminder, please join me for a Listening Tour this Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in SSB 1102.

Have a great week!

Barbara