PRESIDENT’S REPORT | August 2013
SCC receives $100,000 from SunEdison for Pre-Engineering Program
Officials from St. Charles Community College, joined by alumni from SCC’s Pre-Engineering Program, gather on Friday, July 19, as SunEdison officials present $100,000 to be used for student scholarships and academic enhancements to SCC’s Pre-Engineering Program.
The SCC Foundation will receive $100,000, payable over four years, from SunEdison, Inc. (formerly MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.). The funds will be used for student scholarships and academic enhancements for SCC’s Pre-Engineering Program, and is the largest gift the college has received for an academic program. “We are thankful for SunEdison’s generous gift, especially now, as SCC’s PreEngineering Program has expanded in recent years,” said Kasey McKee, SCC vice president for college advancement. A plaque in SunEdison’s honor will be added outside the physics and engineering lab located in SCC’s Administration Building. “SunEdison is keen to encourage education in science, engineering and technology and we are proud to support St. Charles Community College’s efforts in this area,” said Graham R. Fisher, Ph.D., chief scientist at SunEdison. “The dedication
and passion that Professor Dave Niermann brings in guiding students to an engineering career is commendable. His knowledge and experience in the industry provides invaluable additional insight, which he is able to pass on to his students, and in turn makes them more marketable for jobs.” Niermann, associate professor of preengineering and computer-aided drafting, coordinates SCC’s Pre-Engineering Program, which provides up to two years of transfer credit toward a Bachelor of Science degree. SCC students have opportunities to visit universities and companies and to benefit from guest lectures and interaction with local professional engineering societies. “More than 100 SCC alumni currently are enrolled at various accredited universities, regionally and nationally, including Ivy League universities, and we continually hear from those institutions about how well SCC students perform,” said Niermann.
SCC listed among 2013 “Top Workplaces” St. Charles Community College has been selected as one of the St. Louis PostDispatch Top Workplaces, college officials announced. “This is a very positive acknowledgement of the type of work environment we have at SCC,” said Ron Chesbrough, Ph.D., SCC president. “We are a group of dedicated and caring individuals committed to providing a quality education for our students and to meeting the needs of all those we serve.” The Top Workplaces are determined based solely on employee feedback. The employee survey is conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement. WorkplaceDynamics conducts regional Top Workplaces programs with 37 major publishing partners and recognizes a list of 150 National Top Workplaces. Over the past year, more than 5,000 organizations and one in every 88 employees in the U.S. have turned to WorkplaceDynamics to better understand what’s on the minds of their employees. SCC’s highest rated factor was in the direction category, with results from a survey showing employees believe the college is going in the right direction, have confidence in the leadership of SCC and believe SCC operates by strong values and ethics. SCC was one of only 90 companies of all types and sizes selected as a Top Workplace in the St. Louis metropolitan region. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published the complete list of Top Workplaces on June 23. For more information about the Top Workplaces lists and WorkplaceDynamics, visit www.topworkplaces. com and www.workplacedynamics.com.