Official SLCC Blog

As the cost of a college education remains prohibitively high for many people, university and college leaders met at a recent White House invitation-only event to discuss how they are using so-called “open educational resources” (OER) programs to lessen the financial impact on students. The White House’s recent Open Education Symposium included Salt Lake Community College’s Jason Pickavance, director of educational initiatives and a champion at SLCC of using OER-based courses for a variety of subjects. Jason Pickavance “The Salt Lake Community College OER Initiative has saved students over $750,000 since we started tracking savings in the summer 2014 semester,” said Pickavance. “This fall semester we saved students about $300,000 with about 150 OER sections. We’re offering OER-based courses in math, biology, business, education, English, history, sociology and psychology. Our goal is to save SLCC students at least $3 million over the next three years. We’re on track to compl...

Auditions for Jason Robert Brown’s award-winning musical “The Last Five Years” will be held Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Salt Lake Community College’s Grand Theatre annex, 1610 South 250 East, Salt Lake City, on SLCC’s South City Campus. For more information or to sign up visit www.the-grand.org or call 801-957-3322. David Hanson will direct the Grand Theatre production, which will run Feb. 5-27, 2016, and rehearsals will begin Jan. 4 in the evenings Monday through Friday and on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Men and women of all ethnic backgrounds and ages are encouraged to audition. Each person should bring a headshot, resume, best 32 bars of a contemporary musical theatre song and sheet music for the accompanist. No monologue is needed, and sides will be provided at callbacks only.

More than 1,000 students from area high schools attended the recent 2015 USHLI (U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute) Student Leadership Summit held at Salt Lake Community College. Keynote speaker Carlos Ojeda, Jr. fires up students. Sponsored by McDonald’s and USHLI and organized in part by Latinos In Action SLCC and the SLCC Student Association, educators and Hispanic students heard from Alfred Ramirez, USHLI director of operations, and educator Ernesto Mejia. Keynote speaker Carlos Ojeda, Jr. shared his inspirational story of growing up in a tough neighborhood, struggling in school, but later graduating from college and succeeding with his career. He showed photos of his three children and wife, who is now a doctor. SLCC's Dr. Roderic Land, Special Assistant to the President, warms up the audience. Students from several school districts spent the morning attending a career and college fair on SLCC’s Taylorsville Redwood Campus. One goal ...

Salt Lake Community College President Deneece G. Huftalin testified in October in front of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education for the meeting “Improving Career and Technical Education to Help Students Succeed in the Workforce.” SLCC President Deneece G. Huftalin is sworn in before testifying. Photo: House Education and the Workforce Committee House members were considering reauthorization of funding for the 1984 Perkins Act, established to improve the quality of technical education as a means of helping the economy. Lawmakers invited Huftalin and others to talk about the impact Perkins funds have had on CTE programs at their institutions. For fiscal year 2016, SLCC received approximately $1.25 million in Perkins money. “Over the last several years as the recession weakened state investment in higher education, Perkins funding was crucial to our ability to maintain and grow key CTE programs for our students at a time when our en...

We know the SLCC community's got talent, and we want to hear it. SLCC Bruin Athletics is holding an open try-out for national anthem performers. Anyone interested in showing their Bruin Pride and being a part of the nation's premiere community college Athletics program is invited to display their musical ability at an audition to be held from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Thursday, October 29 in the Lifetime Activities Center on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus. Those selected will perform at basketball, baseball, and softball games for some of the highest ranked teams in the country! If you are-or someone you know would be-interested, we want to hear from you! Contact Rachel at: rachel.rowan@slcc.edu or Tara at: tara.bendt@slcc.edu or call 801-957-4590 to schedule an audition. Performers will be chosen by a distinguished panel of judges chaired by SLCC Athletics Director Kevin Dustin.

National Public Radio’s Planet Money contributors Stacey Vanek Smith and David Kestenbaum will appear Oct. 21, 7 p.m. at Salt Lake Community College’s Grand Theatre, located at South City Campus in Salt Lake City. Local NPR affiliate KUER will host a VIP meet and greet, and then KUER news director Terry Gildea will lead an interview followed by a Q&A with Vanek Smith and Kestenbaum at the Grand Theatre. NPR’s Planet Money podcast is widely regarded for explaining the economy in ways that are fun, engaging and easy to understand. “We are joining KUER in hosting these two accomplished, highly respected reporters for what will be a fascinating and entertaining event,” said Joy Tlou, SLCC public relations director. “Their reporting for NPR is recognized for being among the best in journalism, and we look forward to hearing their thoughts and insights on a number of compelling and timely topics during Terry Gildea’s interview and the Q&A that follows.” ...