Attending a Cougars baseball game this season with a camera? Tag us on Instagram: @stcharlescc
Do you have a fun campus photo to share? Post it on the SCC Facebook wall: stchas.edu/facebook
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY COLLEGE Vol. 25, No. 1 | 2013
College offers voluntary early retirement incentive plan SCC sophomores (from left) Brannon Callaway, Aaron Bedsworth and Dan Droege will lead the Cougar charge from the mound this spring on the baseball field.
Baseball season has arrived, and the Cougars are looking forward to a great 2013 campaign. With seven returning players and a team full of fresh faces, the outlook appears promising. Leading this year’s squad are three returning pitchers, Aaron Bedsworth, Dan Droege and Brannon Callaway. “Our goal is to have a winning season. It’s possible with the team we’ve got,” said Bedsworth. “We’re working together more as a team this year. We’ve got a lot of leaders, and it is helping us stay focused.” For the Cougars, teamwork will play a big role in the success of this season. “It’s not necessarily that our skill level has improved this season, but we are working together and it’s making a huge difference in our performance,” said Callaway. “We’ve already had some pretty solid practices and put in the hours at the gym. We are
“We’ve got a lot of leaders, and it is helping us stay focused.” Aaron Bedsworth, SCC Cougars pitcher
getting our work done, and I know it will pay off this season.” All three returning pitchers agree that the highlight of the season will be regionals. “We can’t wait to compete,” said Droege. “We all know how well we want to perform at the end of the season.” “Playing baseball in college is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Droege. The best part about playing baseball at SCC, the three say, is getting to do what they love. “We get to be around baseball all day. I couldn’t ask for more.” The Cougars encourage the campus community to come out and support the team as they strive for success. SCC’s first home game is March 7. Learn more: stchas.edu/athletics
In Memoriam The college was saddened by the loss of SCC student Andrea Marie Wills of Moscow Mills, Mo., who died in an auto accident on Jan. 25. Andrea had attended SCC off and on as a part-time student since 2000.
Cougar sophomore catcher/infielder Shea Dean is featured on the 2013 SCC Softball schedule and player guide.
With new cast of teammates, coach, sophomore catcher pepped for 2013 The Cougar softball players are gearing up for another season, working as a team and spending time getting to know one another. With a positive atmosphere and all the tools in place to be successful, Shea Dean, sophomore catcher and infielder, is looking forward to getting on the field. “We are excited,” said Dean. “We got together as a team before the season started to set goals, which is really helpful because now we’re all working together to achieve something as a team.” With the core group of leaders from last year’s squad leaving, the team is going through a transition. “It’s hard to say where the team is at now,” said Dean. “Last year there were some sophomore girls who really pushed us, and this year we’re working together to push each other equally. We won’t really know where we are until we hit the field.” “We’re also adapting to a new head coach this season, so we’re going through an adjustment period,” said Dean. Michelle Patrico recently became the Cougars’ new head coach. Shea says the Cougars’ determination sets them apart from the competition. “We never give up, no matter what score is on the board,” said Dean. “It’s not over until it’s over for us.” Dean and her teammates encourage students, faculty, staff and community members to support the Cougars by coming out to watch a game. “Cougar softball is really fun to watch, especially this year, because we’ve got a fun group of girls. Our fans will find themselves enjoying our games more than they expected.” SCC’s first home game is March 21. View their whole schedule: stchas.edu/athletics
Chaz is a publication of the SCC Marketing and Communications Department for SCC students, employees and friends. Heather McDorman, co-editor/writer • Ben Munson, co-editor/photographer/designer • Peggy Schreiner and Brynne Buell, writers
2/2013
Baseball Cougars aim for a winning season
The former Barat Academy building located in Dardenne Prairie will become the LU/SCC Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences later this year. (Photo courtesy of Lindenwood University.)
SCC, Lindenwood announce nursing partnership SCC and Lindenwood University have agreed in principle on a collaborative initiative that will help launch the new LU/SCC Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. The Center will be located at #1 Academy Place in Dardenne Prairie, former site of Barat Academy, a 69,000-square-foot building purchased by Lindenwood. The boards of both institutions approved terms of the agreement. SCC will move its Associate Degree Nursing program to the site, as well as its Practical Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Health Information Technology and health occupation programs. SCC will lease some 26,000 square feet of building space. LU will offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree completion program for students with a two-year nursing degree. “We are excited to add Lindenwood University to our list of four-year partners in the nursing and allied health fields in this very
unique and enterprising collaboration,” said SCC President Ron Chesbrough, Ph.D. SCC will move its state-of-the-art simulation lab to the new location and expand the space to create a “virtual hospital” that can offer concurrent simulations. “It will provide opportunities for multidisciplinary simulations and afford both programs a way to reduce some constraints related to securing clinical sites and to increase program capacity,” said Patti Williams, SCC dean of nursing and allied health. “This partnership between two indispensable institutions will not only change the lives of the students and patients, it will help to transform our local economy,” said Greg Prestemon, president and CEO of St. Charles County Economic Development Center. “I believe that 10 years from now, people will mark this partnership as a pivotal event in the growth and development of St. Charles County.”
For only the second time in college history, a voluntary retirement incentive was made available to eligible SCC employees, the college announced in December. Some 15 faculty and staff took advantage of the program by the Jan. 25 deadline. The plan was offered to employees who, as of June 30, 2013, will have completed 10 or more years of full-time continuous service at SCC. Participants were to have met the normal eligibility or early retirement eligibility requirements for retirement as defined by the Public School Retirement System (PSRS) or Public Education Employee Retirement System (PEERS) as of June 30, 2013. Under the agreement, the incentive offered $7,500 plus $750 per year of full-time continuous service (as of June 30, 2013). Eligible employees were required to complete an application packet. “Offering the voluntary retirement incentive provides the opportunity for the college to realize payroll savings in the future and offers a monetary payment to help participating employees transition to retirement,” said Donna Davis, vice president for human resources. On Jan. 28, the SCC Board of Trustees approved the early retirements of: Hal Berry, professor of history and cinema; Terri Borger, payroll and administrative services compliance director; Tana Burton, division office coordinator; Linda Cole, professor of nursing; Candace Cundiff, training specialist; Dennis Fleming, maintenance assistant; Floretha Johnson, director of administrative computing; Bernadette Moody, professor of nursing; Wanda Newmyer, division office coordinator; Kevin Patton, professor of life science; Linda SandersBalcer, GM project support specialist; Christine Scherer, website coordinator; Ann Vernon, professor of science; Karen Vossenkemper, financial aid manager; and Janice Williams, DPS office assistant/ dispatcher.