Official SLCC Blog

Salt Lake Community College is part the latest round of 12 “communities,” or states, selected to take part in the federal Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative, a U.S. Commerce Department-led project designed to “accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies.” The Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) was one among the second round of “manufacturing communities” that will benefit from more than $1 billion in federal funds that will fuel “targeted” grants for participants. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the first 12 designees in May 2014. “An IMCP designation is an important signal to potential investors that these communities are a good place to spend their money, and this is smart government at work,” Pritzker said. For the past 50 years Utah’s so-called Advanced Composite Cluster has grown to serve nati...

Salt Lake Community College President Deneece G. Huftalin recently was one of 50 competitively selected presidents from private and public institutions from around the country to participate in the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents, held annually at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Productive, articulate, responsive leadership is expected as soon as a new college or university president assumes office, and the external and internal challenges facing institutions today do not permit the luxury of learning on the job. Addressing those concerns, the seminar provided new presidents with a practical and conceptual orientation to the presidency, and it further familiarized them with the opportunities and hazards they will likely face, preparing them to respond to the multiple responsibilities and constituencies of their new role. The seminar’s 5-day schedule included sessions led by nationally recognized leaders speaking on topics that ranged fro...

A new national impact study from Babson College shows that the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program administered in Utah through Salt Lake Community College is among the more successful business education and training programs in the country. Within 6 months of graduation, Salt Lake business owners who have completed the program outpace the national averages for revenue increases and job growth for their companies.    Program research showed that 70.2 percent of participating businesses in Utah reported an increase in revenue within six months of starting the program, compared to 68% nationally. In that same time period, the report showed that 47.9 percent of business owners added jobs, compared to 46.2% nationally.   In addition, the national impact study shows that 18 months after graduation, 76% of participants reported an increase in their revenues and 57% reported creating net new jobs. Finally, the program has a 99% graduation rate and 84% of gradua...

SLCC student Shalom Khokhar continues his internship in Washington, D.C., for the nonprofit Bread for the World. The 23-year-old Salt Lake City resident is working hard and learning a lot. Read his update below and check out links to blogs that he wrote for the organization. I work closely with Chris Ford, the manager of media relations, and Jennifer Gonzalez, the associate online editor for Bread for the World.  Last week, I compiled a list of news articles and blogs concerning Pope Francis’ encyclical about climate change. I also created a contact list of journalists best suited to receive the press release about the encyclical.  Bread is a Christian organization whose main mission is to end hunger by 2030, so we are constantly working with Capitol Hill to help resolve and pass laws. I sit in communications board meetings and legislation update meetings every Monday. It's an entirely different world with new vocabulary and rules. I'm learning a lot. ...

After two months as an intern in Rep. Mia Love’s office, SLCC student Courtney Jones is finding her way in the nation’s capital. The 22-year-old Taylorsville resident shares a few of her experiences: Hello! I can’t believe how much time has passed already! It doesn’t even seem very long since my last email, but it has been almost a month! Don’t worry though—I have a lot to talk about.  Obviously time is going by so fast because I am having SO. MUCH. FUN. Tours I have given five Capitol tours. With five interns, the tours are pretty spread out. My first tour was so much fun! The family was so cute and interested in everything—especially the kids! My second tour was horrible. It was to a married couple and the wife was relentless with her questions; I feel like she was just asking arbitrary questions to make me look and feel stupid. My third tour was the best, but I’m a little biased because the tour was to my parents who visited DC this past weekend. I had some friend...

Salt Lake Community College students brought home four gold medals in the 51 st annual SkillsUSA National Skill and Leadership Conference, held this year in Louisville, Kentucky. SLCC had 16 students participate in 11 categories in what is called the country’s largest collegiate job skills competition. “Our students who competed in SkillsUSA exhibited the highest level of training and education, which reflects well on their experience at Salt Lake Community College,” said Ralph Tasker, SLCC interim associate dean for the Division of Technical Specialties. “We congratulate each of them and the many great faculty members who taught and trained them.” TeamWorks winning team Seth Johnson (l-r), Jason Groce, Deric Yoakam, and R.J. Beckstead SLCC won gold medals in web design, 3-D visualization and animation, screen-printing technology and in the “TeamWorks” division and a silver medal in advertising design. The TeamWorks project is four members of a team ...