From the President

Our efforts are bearing fruit

by Dr. Michael Ash

Fall is a time of harvest, when we gather the fruit of our labors. Now, after years of work, that is what we are doing at SCC right now.

When I started at SCC back in 2012, I saw the potential SCC had to be a positive change agent for Southeast Iowa. The energy was there. I just needed to take the cork out of the bottle.

When we began our work on the Building the Dream initiative in 2014, my mantra was, “It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.” I’m sure I sounded like a broken record, yet not one day went by that I didn’t believe it to be true. Finally, four years later, we’re starting to see results. All those seeds we planted are beginning to bear precious fruit.

In our Fall 2018 edition of the Vision we see how SCC is not just keeping up with other institutions of higher education across the state, we’re surpassing them thanks in part to our beautiful, modern facilities, talented, innovative faculty, our dedicated, goal-driven students, and the countless community members who through their financial support show their belief in our mission.

I’m proud to report that our students leave here prepared for what’s next. Whether that’s embarking on their chosen career or continuing their education, they’re going to succeed. And that’s not wishful thinking. We have solid statistics to demonstrate their accomplishments.

While our labors are bearing fruit, we are by no means finished. There is much work yet to be done so that SCC becomes the college we were meant to be. But today we pause to give thanks for what we’ve achieved together.
On behalf of the students and staff at SCC, thank you for believing in us and supporting our mission to serve our community.