Official SLCC Blog

  Taegan Frandsen The Utah System of Higher Education could justify changing its nickname to 'Training Ground for Team USA'.  Every year, current students and alumni of Utah institutions of higher learning represent 'Team USA' on the world stage, providing considerable skill to their teams. Salt Lake Community College has been no exception to this trend in recent years, with former SLCC Baseball star Eddy Alvarez competing noticeably for 'Team USA' as both a Summer-and-Winter Olympian.   SLCC Athletics can add another student-athlete to its list of 'Team USA' products as  Taegan Frandsen , a member of the SLCC Women's Soccer program, has earned a selection to 'Team USA' in the upcoming 'Deaflympics' in Brazil. A sanctioned series by the International Olympic Committee, the 'Deaflympics' are an elite international competition for athletes who have a hearing loss of at least 55db in each ear. (Since this blog was first published...

Provost’s Graduates of Excellence is a prestigious distinction that recognizes hard work, commitment and selflessness. One student is selected from each school and General Studies. Many students apply to receive this honor. These are students with excellent GPAs who typically have received scholarships and awards for their academic achievements. They have demonstrated leadership skills and a dedication to serving others, in addition to other notable achievements related to the creative arts, athletic excellence or involvement in SLCC beyond the classroom. Read more about the remaining four Graduates of Excellence Chamil Soufianou, Tonya Timothy, Leonardo Garcia and Brenda Johnson in " Commencement 2022: Provost's Graduates of Excellence ." Melissa Smith School of Health Sciences Major : Nursing GPA : 3.93 Influential faculty : Geoff Osmond and Brian Hoskins For my first degre...

At more than two years since the start of the pandemic, we at SLCC are in the phase of navigating how we “learn to live” with the virus. With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continuing to decline locally, SLCC is opting to remove its vaccination requirement for students registering for classes from this point forward. You are no longer required to be vaccinated or declare an exemption to attend SLCC.   With the immediate lifting of this requirement, we still believe it important to continue tracking vaccinations, as it will help us measure the overall safety and wellbeing of our entire community across all locations. As such, students are encouraged to update the college on their vaccination status, though it is not required.   Vaccines and boosters are still the best available tools to protect against serious illness and death from COVID-19, so we encourage everyone to keep their vaccinations up-to-date per the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control . More in...

Two students have been named as 2022 New Century Scholars. Brandon Loveall as a Transfer Pathway Scholar and Jane Seegmiller as a Workforce Pathway Scholar. The Transfer Pathway Scholarship supports students planning to transfer to a four-year institution and the Workforce Pathway Scholarship supports students entering the workforce upon the completion of a degree or certificate.   As the Transfer Pathway Scholar, Brandon Loveall will receive a $2,250 scholarship and a trip to New York City to be presented the award in the company of President Huftalin at the Phi Theta Kappa Presidents Breakfast held at the annual convention for the  American Association of Community Colleges  AACC). “I’m hoping the convention will give me insight into all the different accomplishments other students have done and use that to improve myself,” said Loveall.   Loveall credits SLCC with helping him figure out his passion for the natural sciences. He will graduate from SLCC with an assoc...

Hilda M. Sandi Pronouns: She/her Degrees earned and institutions: I graduated from the American Business Academy as an executive bilingual secretary and hold a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Universidad Autónoma de Centro America in Costa Rica. I am also a SLCC President’s Leadership Institute alum and a certified event and meeting planner. I am currently pursuing a degree in exercise science. Years at SLCC: 10 Current title: Administrative Assistant for the Vice President for Institutional Advancement Department: Institutional Advancement Previous titles at SLCC: I also worked in Academic Advising and International Student Services . Prior to my position at SLCC, I served as an executive assistant for top-tier executives at Zions Bank Corporation, Wells Fargo Bank and Bank of America. What is a typical day or week like for you? My typical day starts with an organized to-do list the day before I leave the office. This allows me to control...

As the primary post-secondary provider of workforce programs in the Salt Lake Valley, Salt Lake Community College offers programs that prepare students for work in business and industry. To celebrate the Association of Community College ’s #CCMonth, or Community College Month, SLCC is highlighting its apprenticeship and workforce education programs. To learn more about workforce and apprenticeship programs, explore the following articles on student experiences and SLCC's partnerships with Utah’s industry leaders. Diesel Service Technician, Diesel Service Technician and Driver or Diesel Systems Technology Program “ Diesel Tech ” “ Putting high school students on diesel career paths ” Electronics Engineering Technology Program “ SLCC L-3 University of Manufacturing ” Injection Molding Technology Program “ Two Mask-making Efforts at SLCC with One Community-minded Goal – the Greater Good ” Plumber Indepen...

Provost’s Graduates of Excellence is a prestigious distinction that recognizes hard work, commitment and selflessness. One student is selected from each school and General Studies. Many students apply to receive this honor. These are students with excellent GPAs who typically have received scholarships and awards for their academic achievements. They have demonstrated leadership skills and a dedication to serving others, in addition to other notable achievements related to the creative arts, athletic excellence or involvement in SLCC beyond the classroom. Read more about the remaining three Graduates of Excellence Melissa Smith, Amora Floyd and Kaden Wall in " Commencement 2022: Provost's Graduates of Excellence ." Chamil Soufianou General Studies GPA : 3.41 Influential faculty : Jason Roberts “I found my college experience to be more enjoyable when I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I did that by talking and meeting different people. I was fortunate to...

The Salt Lake Community College Legislative Champion honors state legislators who demonstrate through their legislative activities a commitment to advancing and improving higher education for the state. The college’s Legislative Champion is selected at the conclusion of every legislative session. Kelly B. Miles Utah House of Representatives District 11, Weber County Representative Kelly Miles began his service in the Utah House of Representatives in 2016. He quickly earned the confidence of his colleagues and assumed key leadership positions in the legislature. In 2020, Representative Miles was named chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee. He also serves on the House Health and Human Services Committee and the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee. Since taking office, Representative Miles has been a champion for Utah’s higher education institutions. He met often with Salt Lake Community College leaders to learn about the college’s priorit...

In 2021, Salt Lake Community College produced 1,698,648 pounds of trash. Of that, 830,928 pounds of materials were recycled, creating an impressive 49 percent diversion rate . While the diversion rate is undoubtedly a feat, SLCC Recycling coordinator Rhiannon Gardner shares how “contamination” is getting in the way of raising those recycling numbers and how “augmented reality” technology is helping to change that. Contamination happens when materials in a recycling bin encounter inappropriate items such as food, liquids, wrappers or even tissues. Contamination can cause items to be rejected by the recycler and put in the landfill. Gardner says contamination is usually the result of “wish cycling,” when an individual throws items into recycling bins and “wishes” them away to be recycled. “We get more in return if we have a cleaner product,” says Gardner. “That’s how recycling works — it’s commodity-based. The cleaner the product, th...

  Laura Archila Pronouns: She/her Age: 26 Residence: Layton, Utah. From: Colombia Major: Marketing Academic goals: Finish my associate's degree and keep studying to find excellence.   Dream job: I would like to work in internal communications or communications related to business. I like the business part and I feel comfortable there. Maybe one day I will become SEO for a company or even better for my own company. Plan B: To learn new languages, travel the world and be a professional in tourism. Why higher education: It is necessary to create solid foundations for a bright future. Why SLCC: It has a very high human quality, and I feel comfortable - it has given me everything I expected.   What motivates you or inspires you at school or in life: Keeps focused on the future that I want for myself. Important life or career lessons you have learned so far: Always follow the "step by step" - do not skip any! Best advice you have been given or that you give others: Live, be hap...

On April first I attended, Salt Lake Community College’s first annual Stories of Transformation: Symposium on Equity and Inclusion. The symposium, designed by Faculty Development, and involving faculty, staff and students from across the college, supplied a virtual and in person gathering space for the SLCC community to share stories related to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, or JEDI.  The all day event featured a keynote speaker, five presentations to the main assembly, and nine breakout sessions in the afternoon. There were also poster presentations from SLCC faculty and tabling opportunities for groups and individuals to discuss JEDI work. Participants gathered at the end of the day to hear closing remarks from Provost Clifton Sanders. President Huftalin - Dr. Kadiri President Huftalin, who joined newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Juone Kadiri in welcoming the assembly, said of the event, "There is power in community. We have suffered as a community for...

The Teaching Excellence Award is given by the Salt Lake Community College Foundation Board to recognize excellence in professional education at SLCC. Both full-time and adjunct faculty are eligble. The award reflect a cumulative body of teaching excellence rather than just a single year of exemplary work. Craig Ferrin Professor of Fine Arts School of Arts, Communication and Media After taking Craig Ferrin’s classes, students tell him they hear differently; they hear music differently. This is “music” to Craig’s ears, as the instructor teaches a variety of courses, including composition, song writing and the music business. With a band teacher for a father, Craig grew up knowing he would be teach music in some form, as well. He takes note of the passion for music his students bring to class and helps them develop their creativity and improve their performance skills. Craig’s in-depth research around fostering creativity is always woven into his classes. In addition to w...

The Distinguished Faculty Lecturer is a recognition of quality work by one of Salt Lake Community College's full-time faculty and a charge to develop that work over an academic year into a public presentation. A committee chosen by the Associate Provost for Learning Advancement selects the faculty lecturer each year. The lecture takes place in the spring. Anne Canavan Coordinator, English, Linguistics and Writing Studies Associate Professor, English School of Humanities and Social Sciences During the pandemic, associate English professor Anne Canavan noticed increased talk about mental health among her peers. It seemed people had more time to write and reflect on what it means to be a faculty member experiencing mental health challenges. As SLCC’s Distinguished Faculty Lecturer for 2023, Anne will review literature on best practices at colleges and universities that support faculty with mental health challenges who, as research shows, are more likely to experience...