Dear Faculty and Staff:

At last week’s President’s Council meeting two important action items were taken. Membership for each committee was approved with the caveat that final tweaks will be made as needed. New committees and councils will begin meeting this fall. As a reminder, in determining committee members, we considered the following:

• All instructional committees must include 50% faculty

• Each committee should have representatives from different areas of the college

• All committees should rotate membership to ensure that new faculty and staff have an opportunity to serve

Betsy Schneider will be sending out a copy of the official committee list this week.

Also approved by the Council were proposed return to campus dates. Staff providing direct service to students will return to a full, unrestricted on-campus work schedule beginning July 6. All other staff will return fully on Aug. 2.

On April 1, SCC agriculture students Lucy Boschert, Madelyn Guss and Hannah Haley planted persimmon trees on the Dardenne Creek Campus close to the Culinary and Agricultural Center in support of the Agriculture Program and the Tree Campus USA Program. Thank you to these students who were led by Dr. Micah Humphries, faculty and department chair of the Agriculture Program.

It is my pleasure to share that the SCC’s English Language and Culture Institute has been granted five-year initial accreditation by the Standards Compliance Committee of the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation. Our ELCI program has now met all 44 of the commission’s standards. The ELCI offers Academic English as a Second Language (ESL) and Intensive English (INE) courses as well as academic, professional and cultural preparation. Congratulations to Dr. Dawn Huffman and her team in Academic ESL and INE.

May 1 marked the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It is impressive to consider the many cultural groups identified in this racial category. As the largest and most populous continent, Asia is comprised of 50 countries – more if all islands and territories are included. When we stop to consider that each country represents several cultural groups within its borders, it must be noted that the term “Asian” is one of the broadest racial/ethnic groups on the planet. And yet, at times we tend to place everyone with an Asian heritage into one category. I encourage us all to take time to gain greater understanding and sensitivity to the various rich and ancient cultural groups represented under the Asian umbrella, here in the U.S., each with its own unique story and heritage. Learn more here.

Have a wonderful week,

Barbara