The St. Clair County Community College (SC4) Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society hosted the Michigan Regional Convention on April 20-22 at the College.  Over 150 members, advisors, alumni and guests attended from 22 community colleges in Michigan.  They heard speakers and attended workshops related to the Society’s 2001-02 Honors Study Topic (“Customs, Traditions and Celebrations:  The Human Drive for Community”) and the Society’s annual Service Theme, “America’s Promise:  The Alliance for Youth.”  America’s Promise is the organization to help children founded by  Secretary of State, Colin Powell.  In addition to scholastic endeavors, the members attending the Convention enjoyed numerous opportunities for fellowship, particularly during the Hallmark Awards Gala Celebration which celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the community college, the Michigan Region’s 12^th anniversary, and the SC4 chapter’s 40^th anniversary.

Members of the SC4 Board of Trustees were in attendance as well as college president Dr. Christa Adams who received the prestigious Award of Distinction from the Michigan Region.  Dr. Adams was saluted for her distinguished service to the Lambda Mu chapter, and for her service to the Regional Phi Theta Kappa as a whole.

Lambda Mu chapter itself received numerous awards.  It was recognized for the seventh straight year as a Continuing Excellence Chapter and for its 11^th consecutive year as a Five Star Chapter, the top rank.  In addition, the chapter won a Hallmark Award in the Scholarship category, was first runner-up in the Fellowship and Leadership Hallmarks and was second runner-up in the Service Hallmark.

Individual members also received awards.   Chapter President Linda Smith of Yale received a Distinguished President Award; Vice President of Fellowship Andrea Easterby of Port Huron was recognized with a Distinguished Officer Award; and member Sherrie Artman of Jeddo won a Distinguished Member Award.  The chapter was recognized with both a Michigan Regional and an International Award for hosting the Region’s 12^th Annual Convention.  Marsha Kipp of Lexington was awarded a Michigan Region Award for her services to the Region and the Chapter.  Linda Smith won the Mike Sherman Award, given to the officer candidate who best exemplifies the four hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa (Fellowship, Service, Leadership, Scholarship) and was also elected to be the Michigan Region’s Secretary-Treasurer.  As a result of its achievements in the 2000-01 year, the SC4 chapter received two scholarships to the Society’s Annual Honors Institute in Atlanta, Georgia.

Just three weeks prior at the Society’s International Convention in Denver, Colorado, the chapter won both an international Fellowship and Scholarship Hallmark award, which meant the chapter was in the top ten of the 440 competing chapters in those categories.   The chapter also received a top 25 recognition in the Service Hallmark.  The chapter’s V-P of Fellowship Andrea Easterby, who was also the Michigan Regional Secretary-Treasurer, was awarded one of ten Distinguished Regional Officer Awards.  This performance followed a year (1999-2000) in which the SC4 chapter was named the Society’s Most Distinguished Chapter in the nation and received a Service Hallmark Award.

St. Clair County Community College currently serves approximately 10,000 students in the Blue Water area with a wide range of credit and non-credit classes.  The College offers 51 Associate degree and Certificate programs and 55 seamless transfer program options.  A variety of Bachelor and Master degree programs are available locally through the SC4 University Center.  The College provides career development, personal and professional development, business and industrial training and community enrichment for citizens of all ages.  New resources include online and fast track courses.  The full-service, main campus is located in downtown Port Huron, with Thumb Area Centers located in Algonac, Bad Axe, Imlay City, Peck and Yale.  St. Clair County Community College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.  More information about the College can be found at www.sc4.cc.