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University description (as per official university website)
College Mission
SCC enriches our community by providing life-changing educational and cultural opportunities focused on personal growth and student success in a global society.
Vision
We will be a community college recognized for leadership in academic excellence, student success, instructional and technological innovation, and community responsiveness.
SCC History
For more than two decades, St. Charles County has been one of Missouri's fastest-growing areas. With that growth came the need for high-quality, affordable, close-to-home, and locally governed public higher education – a need that culminated in the establishment of St. Charles Community College.
Creation of the District
Voters created St. Charles Community College in an April 1, 1986, election, making it Missouri's 11th community college district. Selected as the first president was Dr. Donald D. Shook, who had previously served as president of two other Missouri community colleges. Upon Dr. Shook's retirement in November of 1996, Dr. John M. McGuire became the new college president. Dr. McGuire previously had served as president of Owensboro Community College in Kentucky.
The first St. Charles Community College classes were held in the summer of 1987 with about 400 students. By the fall 1987 semester, 1,547 students were enrolled in credit classes, and other non-credit, continuing education programs were taking shape. The college operated out of several temporary locations for five years while continuing to plan for a permanent campus. Enrollment grew rapidly as the college developed educational programs and services in answer to community needs.
Birth of a Campus
The Board of Trustees, in February 1989, chose a 135-acre tract that was destined to be located directly in the county's center of population growth for the year 2000. The site on Mid Rivers Mall Drive had easy access to major Interstate highways, and its location positioned the college to be close to home for thousands of area residents.
Ground breaking for Phase 1 of building construction took place on June 6, 1990. The new four-building campus was officially dedicated in a public ceremony on Jan. 26, 1992, and a new semester began without a hitch.
Planning continued for future campus growth to meet rapidly increasing enrollment. By fall of 1992, the number of students in credit classes had climbed to 4,631. At the same time, the continuing education programs were growing by leaps and bounds, serving thousands of people in non-credit programs each year, including business and industry partnerships, personal and career enrichment classes, and community outreach services for persons of all ages.
Campus and Program Expansion
In an April 1993 election, voters in the local college district approved building Phase 2 of the campus. The college broke ground in March 1994 for the $10 million, two-building construction project that included the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building and a Continuing Education and Academic Center. Later, matching funds from a 1994 statewide bond issue allowed SCC to open a Child Development Center in spring of 1996.
Highlights of the decade included the addition of a number of new vocational/technical programs, an on-line library and campus-wide links to the Internet, and the opening in 1995 of the Phase 2 buildings.
As the college celebrated its 10-year anniversary late in 1996, a new college president was the helm – Dr. John McGuire – and enrollment was again on the rise. Between 1996 and 1999, student head count in credit classes increased more than 19 percent, with 5,565 students in fall 1999 – the largest single-semester enrollment to date. And in the 1999-2000 academic year, more than 23,000 participants were served in non-credit continuing education programs.
Building for the Future
So that the college would have the tools and facilities to serve a rapidly growing St. Charles County community, trustees once again looked to the future – this time with plans to build Phase 3 of the campus. In an election on April 7, 1998, voters approved the $13.75 million project, including a College Center, a Technology Building, an addition to the Child Development Center, athletic fields, and parking lots. The college also purchased several adjacent parcels of property in 1998 and 1999, adding 87 acres to bring the campus size up to 222 acres.
New Century of Learning
In the dawn of a new century, the college community focused clearly on enhancing programs and facilities, staying on the leading edge of technology, and keeping the highest priority on excellence in teaching and learning. Opening Phase 3 of the campus in January 2001 included celebrations that invited the community to "come learn with us" in a millennium of progress and promise.
A 2002 mission statement revision reflected the “life-changing opportunities for personal growth and professional success” that have come to be the hallmark of this vibrant young college. That same year, SCC received the maximum 10-year accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2003, trustees took the opportunity to purchase another contiguous parcel of land, increasing the total campus to 235 acres.
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