SCC Champions

When you think of classes that are difficult to teach online, culinary is near the top of the list. Mr. Bezuidenhout moved his culinary classes to synchronous online format when the college first shut down last spring and he continued to think outside the box to keep his students engaged and motivated throughout the pandemic. He found unique ways to motivate and encourage students and acknowledge their accomplishments.  Shaun went out of his way to provide personal attention and support to all his students and developed safe and effective ways to bring his students safely back into the classroom.  Shaun stayed dedicated to student safety, success, and engagement through this uniquely difficult time for his team. To make the most of SCC resources, Shaun worked with the SCC Horticulture department to showcase farm-to-table culinary curriculum.  Shaun is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Shaun, for your dedication to student success, support, and engagement. 

As an integral team member in SCC‘s Student Disability Services, Meri Faulkner played a key role in maintaining a record of all registered students while we adjusted to a “new normal.” Meri supported the SDS team in the coordination of new services with each and every registered student adjusting to online learning, as well as, evaluating every course with active accommodation letters to assess changes needed to remain accessible.  She was also key in handling the increase in students registering for services in online classes who didn’t need accommodations in a face-to-face setting.  Meri also captioned and coordinated captioning for over 100 hours of video for our students while taking on the task of developing and providing captioning training to our note-taking staff. Meri’s efforts have truly gone above and beyond in supporting our students and faculty to ensure SCC maintains a high bar in providing effective, accessible learning opportunities.  Meri Faulkner is a true SCC Champion! Thank you, Meri, for your commitment to student success!

During the COVID-19 crisis, Neil Griffin, Director of the SCCOnline Program, was instrumental in the success of the College’s transition to virtual instruction.  His efforts, skill, knowledge, and leadership in these moments ensured a smooth transition.  He worked to quickly ramp up training and professional development opportunities for faculty.  He was also the go-to supporter for students who were technology-averse and helped ensure their success in a new and challenging environment. He acted as the lead for identifying and implementing vital support systems including virtual classrooms, accessibility tools, and online test proctoring systems.  Neil Griffin is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Mr. Griffin, for your continued hard work and dedication. 

From the very start of the pandemic, Doug Lee took the lead in ensuring SCC’s manufacturing departments operated in a safe environment. He was diligent in following the CDC and SC DHEC safety recommendations for masks, sanitizers, gloves and social distancing for his students and colleagues to ensure everyone’s safety. He continues to enforce strict safety protocols and takes special care to sanitize his classrooms and lab equipment after each use.  Mr. Lee went above and beyond to offer individual attention to his senior classes in the 2020 Spring semester to ensure successful outcomes and their ability to graduate on time. Doug Lee is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Doug, for your commitment to student safety and success.

As the Director of Instructional Support, Susan Moore provided support and solutions to all the SCC faculty who were tasked with moving their courses online overnight.  Many faculty have never taught online or used D2L and she worked endlessly to help SCC make the conversion to online learning.  In her determination to ensure that our students had the best ability and opportunity to thrive in this new environment, she quickly put together thorough online learning training courses and hosted ongoing workshops designed specifically for faculty to help them transition to effective online learning environments.  She continues to play a vital role in faculty support and online learning and has ensured a high level of quality by implementing online course reviews.  Susan Moore is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Susan, for your continued hard work and commitment to excellence.

Over the past year, the SCC campus community relied heavily on Human Resources to provide faculty and staff effective leadership, communication, and information regarding COVID-19 in a timely, transparent manner. As the pandemic unfolded, it was important to feel our workplace was as safe as possible. As a member of the Human Resources team, Katie Papakostas did an outstanding job mastering new information about COVID-19 in order to respond to questions and concerns from the campus community.  She worked around the clock to keep up with the demand, working, interviewing, and notifying employees on evenings, weekends, and holidays (even Christmas Eve!) to make sure they stayed up-to-date and informed with the important information needed to keep themselves and their families safe. Katie Papakostas is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Katie, for your hard work and dedication to safety and communication.

With the outbreak of the pandemic, custodial services were on the front lines of the crisis - sourcing, expediting, stocking, and distributing increasingly difficult to find sanitation supplies to all of SCC’s campuses. Art Thiboutot led his team with determination and dedication to the safety of SCC’s students, faculty, and staff.   His flexibility combined with his swift and strategic response to the unique challenges the college was facing were essential to the safe transition back to the workplace and the classroom.  Art Thiboutot is an SCC Champion. Thank you, Art, for your dedication to the safety of SCC’s students, faculty, and staff.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, we all had to pivot and adapt to a new way of life and work. New executive orders and state and federal legislation were being released daily that impacted our employees and how we work.  Susan Chastain played an integral part in the college’s response to the pandemic and became the point-of-contact for COVID-related employee issues. As laws and government guidelines were changing on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis, Susan was on top of it all, advising the HR department and college employees on pertinent changes while keeping the college compliant in this unprecedented and mercurial landscape. She became a subject matter expert on COVID-19 and was integral in the development of campus policies and procedures based on CDC and SC DHEC guidelines. When the virus started to affect employees, Susan stepped up as the primary point of contact for tracking the spread of COVID-19 on campus, daily reporting to state government, contact tracing, and employee communications.  Susan Chastain is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Susan, for your hard work and dedication to the safety and well-being of our faculty and staff.

COVID-19 required quick conversion to alternative teaching and technology methods to accommodate different student groups, teaching faculty, and staff.  Pete and the IT Department were fast to respond to meet these new technology needs to support the new virtual learning and working environment.  Pete worked tirelessly to ensure that students, faculty, and staff had access to what they needed as quickly as possible.  It was a massive undertaking to move the college to a completely virtual environment and then transition to a hybrid environment. Pete elevated his team and the College to the occasion. Pete is an SCC Champion. Thank you, Pete, for all you do!

As the college ceased in-person services in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kem led the process to convert existing face-to-face classes to virtual platforms and delivery methods in an extraordinarily short time frame.  Mrs. Harvey collaborated with IT to add useful resources and features to existing technology solutions for students and faculty including coordinating technology, equipment, software, and access to hot spots. She lead the collaboration of Instructional Support and SCCOnline in rolling out training to faculty during the virtual learning transition.  She promoted faculty outreach to students to keep them engaged.  She led the complex process to develop plans to provide remediation for ”incomplete” grades due to the interruption of the pandemic.  She helped maximize face-to-face course offerings by developing a new method of FLEX course instruction which allowed students to move back and forth between face-to-face and virtual engagement, as needed.  Kem’s leadership allowed the college to provide effective, safe, and high-quality instruction to students throughout the pandemic.  Kem Harvey is a true SCC Champion. Thank you, Kem, for your continued commitment to faculty and student success.

With the onset of COVID-19, the Heath Sciences Division of CCE, like many areas of the College, faced a need for immediate innovation to keep classes running while maintaining student engagement.  Annie McLagan made it her mission to minimize student disruption and prevent student attrition.  She went above and beyond simply holding online classes, and developed multiple forms of interactive content for her students to help keep them engaged.  She also assisted other SCC instructors by sharing course content and ideas for engaging material.  Her students benefitted from limited class interruption, increased levels of communication, engagement, and interactive learning.  She epitomized continuity in course delivery and has flourished in an environment that required adaptation and innovation.  Annie McLagan is a true SCC Champion. Thank you, Annie, for your commitment to continuity and student engagement.

Melissa Morton went above and beyond expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide much needed help for many instructors in her department. She spent weeks transferring, modifying, and publishing tests into the new virtual platform to validate online assessments for other faculty, including final exams. She dedicated countless hours mentoring others not familiar with the different online formats and settings.  Her knowledge and demeanor gave the needed confidence in unstable times.  As the go-to person for assistance in her department, she received questions, concerns and frustrations from many anxious students and took care to resolve each situation with a great attitude, kindness, and professionalism. Melissa is an SCC Champion. Thank you, Melissa, for your commitment to student and faculty success.

Kimbraly Patterson and the Enrollment Management & Retention team had long been considering how to best move applicant and advising services to a virtual platform and were poised to ensure SCC’s ability to maintain Admissions support to current and prospective students throughout the pandemic.  She was committed to maintaining effective communication with her staff by creating distribution lists for daily communications ensuring students continued to receive a high level of support.  She created new online processes for applicants to complete admissions assessments virtually and trained Admissions staff on new technologies, processes, and systems.  She was instrumental in designing a safe and effective return to campus for her team and the students they serve.  Her efforts and heightened sense of understanding SCC technology systems was essential in our ability to serve applicants and students in more ways than ever before.  Kimbraly Patterson is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Kimbraly, for your initiative and commitment to customer service. 

Tameka Whittenburg stepped up as a key point of contact for SCC students during the COVID-19 pandemic.  She worked tirelessly to manage and work with students who had or were exposed to COVID-19.  She spent hours contact tracing and communicating with students directly impacted by the virus to help ensure the success, safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.  She works hard to find ways to assist students and offers patience, compassion, and unwavering positivity in her dedication to student success. Tameka Whittenburg is a true SCC Champion. Thank you, Tameka, for your steadfast commitment to SCC students’ safety and success. 

Melissa assisted several adjunct faculty and enrollment advisors with setting up new equipment and learning how to use the technology required to teach their “Flex” or synchronous classes. She also met with those who needed additional assistance either face-to-face or via FaceTime or Zoom to answer their questions and troubleshoot any problems they encountered. Melissa works diligently to provide her students and advisees with the help they need and checks on those who may be experiencing difficulties because of this pandemic.  Melissa is a safety-first advocate. She models best practices for safety protocols and encourages her students and coworkers to do the same. Melissa Collins is an SCC Champion.  Thank you, Melissa, for your commitment to safety and success.

Eddie Green leads the night custodial team across all five SCC campuses.   Eddie stepped up with his ever-present smile and unique ability to motivate his team to ensure they had the supplies, support, and training needed to meet and exceed the new deep cleaning standards required amidst the pandemic.  Eddie was the one who made sure the new electrostatic sprayers were distributed, maintained, replenished, and used to clean SCC’s more than 20 buildings ensuring a safe environment for all students, faculty, and staff. Eddie is a true SCC Champion. Thank you, Eddie, for all your hard work and dedication! 

Debbie Jennings' leadership of the Radiologic Technology program has always been strong, but she really stepped up to advocate for her students and made sure they were prepared to succeed despite the pandemic.  The Rad Tech program would not be where it is today without Ms. Jennings' fair and consistent leadership and dedication to her students.  Debbie Jennings is an SCC Champion. Thank you, Debbie, for your commitment to excellence.

The day we received word that we would be shutting down, Jay immediately began to contact local garden centers and had all of our greenhouse plants sold to several companies owned by our graduates in one day. He helped to maintain our gardens, greenhouse, nursery area, and our sustainable agriculture area each week suring the school's shut down.  Jay also coordinated a schedule with all our graduating students to bring them strategically back on campus to help provide them necessary hands on training prior to their graduation. Jay did all this every week until the semester was over and continued much of the hard work through the summer and fall semester helping us implement our safety protocols while trying to keep our outdoor lab presentable and managed so that when students arrived this past fall that they were welcomed with horticulture excitement. Jay is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Jay, for your commitment to excellence and student engagement. 

Tina Nix has always had a commitment to detail and excellence.  The SCC Student Records department faced many challenges to accommodate the adjustments that had to be made to be able to continue to serve our students during the pandemic.  Tina never hesitated to jump in and work out all the details to ensure everything ran smoothly and securely.  Tina worked out last-minute section issues as courses transitioned to virtual, hybrid, and synchronous learning options.  Tina helped implement important solutions to assist students who were struggling with the transition to virtual learning and help facilitate their success.  Tina was essential to developing new departmental processes that had previously been paper-driven and manual to maintain accuracy and efficiency.  Tina continually stepped up whenever needed and performed way above and beyond expectation.  Tina Nix is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Tina, for your flexibility and dedication to student success.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Katherine Stiwinter exemplified superior leadership, tireless hard work and inspiration in drawing up and implementing the Library’s response. She quickly developed a plan to continue providing library services to students, faculty and staff virtually.  By strategically coordinating with her team, she was able to expand virtual library services to meet everyone’s needs, including expanding support of the popular “Ask-a-Librarian" service to extended hours, virtual classroom support for Library instruction, and expanding SCC’s online library media resources.  She supported her staff to ensure a safe and effective transition to re-open the Library to support students as they came back to campus and was essential in  strengthening the Library’s role as a superior student and faculty support service. Katherine Stiwinter is a true SCC Champion.  Thank you, Katherine, for your leadership and commitment to excellence.