2002-2004 Catalog - St. Charles Community College

General College InformationWe’re building for your future. Comegrow with us! Helping to build forthe future of thousands of arearesidents is a purpose that your communitycollege has welcomed and embraced sincethe college was established in 1986. We are proudto reflect the vibrant spirit of the people and communitiesin the college district.St. Charles Community College is here to serveyour educational needs, to help you with personaland career development goals. Our mission is toprepare you for the competitive work force in thisnew century and to respond to the needs of yourcommunity, providing leadership in business, cultural,and civic environments.If you know what you want to study – what yourgoals are – St. Charles Community College is agood place to start. If you are uncertain about yourneeds, let us help you discover the options open toyou.Many students already have chosen this collegeas a place to study, to learn, and to search – aplace to get a quality education at an affordableprice ... a place to grow.At SCC, new opportunities are continually beingdeveloped for you and the community in which youlive. We look forward to building and growingtogether for the future!HISTORYFor more than two decades, St. Charles Countyhas been one of Missouri's fastest-growing areas.With that growth came the need for affordable,close-to-home, and locally governed public highereducation.An election in April 1986 established Missouri's11th community college district, formed within theboundaries of five school districts of St. CharlesCounty. Selected as the first president was Dr.Donald D. Shook, who had previously served aspresident of two other Missouri community colleges.Upon Dr. Shook's retirement in Novemberof 1996, Dr. John M. McGuire became the new collegepresident. Dr. McGuire previously had servedas president of Owensboro Community College inKentucky.The first classes were held in the summer of1987 with about 400 students. By the fall 1987semester, there were 1,547 students enrolled incredit classes, and many other non-credit, continuingeducation programs were taking shape. Thecollege operated out of several temporary locationsfor five years while continuing to plan for a permanentcampus. Enrollment grew rapidly as SCCdeveloped educational programs and services inanswer to community needs.After one unsuccessful attempt at passing a $24million campus construction bond issue, the collegedid secure voter approval in November 1988.Then, in February 1989, the Board of Trusteeschose a 135-acre tract on Mid Rivers Mall Drive.The site had easy access to major Interstate highways,and its central location would position thecollege to be close to home for thousands of arearesidents.Ground breaking for Phase 1 construction tookplace in June 1990. Excitement and fanfare surroundedthe move to the new four-building campuslate in 1991, and a public dedication ceremony washeld in January 1992. The spring semester beganwithout a hitch in the college's new campus home.Planning for future campus growth continued,preparing the college to meet the rapidly increasingenrollment. By fall of 1992, the number of studentsin credit classes had climbed to 4,631 – a19 percent increase from the previous year. At thesame time, continuing education non-credit programscontinued to grow, serving thousands ofpeople, including business and industry partnershipsand community outreach services for personsof all ages.In an April 1993 election, voters in the localcollege district approved building Phase 2 of thecampus. The college broke ground in March 1994for the $10 million two-building construction projectthat included a Fine Arts Building and an AcademicBuilding. Later, matching funds from a 1994statewide bond issue allowed SCC to open a ChildDevelopment Center in spring of 1996.151