Emylee Mueller, shown here, wasn’t sure about the career she wanted to pursue, but she did know that she wanted to continue her education after graduating from Eureka High School in west St. Louis County.

“I knew that going to St. Louis Community College would be a good way to get started on my general education requirements,” she said.

Before she registered for classes, she spoke with her academic advisor about which classes she should take. The advisor encouraged her to take Introduction to Business.

“Exploring aspects of the business world has always interested me, so I signed up for the course,” she said.  Mueller didn’t realize that she would soon be the fourth highest-scoring student in the Capsim Challenge, an international business competition.

Business instructor Al Fillenwarth has been using the Capsim Challenge as part of his course for four years. The tool is a simulation experience that immerses students in an exploration of core business processes. Students explore the relationship between research and development, marketing, production and finance by competing against each other in class. Depending on their scores, the STLCC students could then choose to compete in the international competition against students from universities and colleges worldwide.

Approximately 1,800 students from more than 280 universities around the globe competed in the Capsim Challenge in November 2012, with 12 teams qualifying for the 48-hour, high pressure business simulation playoffs. Mueller was one of the teams.

“The challenge pits students who have participated in either the Capstone or Foundation business simulation in their university studies to compete with other Capsim alumni to run the world’s top simulated company,” Fillenwarth said.

Mueller had to first pick a product and then decide which segment she would market it to. Based on those decisions, she had to set sales forecasts, price, a promotional budget, and then take out “loans” to pay for marketing and production. She explored production issues such as capacity and automation. She also had to consider human resource issues such as turnover rate and training.

“I did pretty well in the practice rounds in class. Other students asked me to tutor them,” said Mueller. She said that she felt confident up to Round 4, but then started having some problems.

“It’s like a real business. I felt lost when my company started losing money, and frustrated that I couldn’t get out of the cycle,” she said.

Despite the hiccups she experienced in Round 4, she was able achieve impressive results with the fourth-place finish.

“I thought it was a good learning experience,” she said. “It was good to have to actually make decisions. You can get a feel for whether you’re going to like [business].” 

Mueller now is taking a marketing class to broaden her knowledge of the business world.

Fillenwarth explained that the simulations help students understand the business world.

“Using the simulation has helped students gain a hands-on understanding of the various functions of business and how decisions in one area of the company impact other functions,” he said. “The decisions they make are like those made in the real world. There isn’t a right or wrong decision. Everything has a tradeoff and for most students, this is the first time they have had an experience like this.”

Fillenwarth’s class participated again this spring, and 14 of his students scored in the top 100. Coleman Browder finished 10th, Kyle Kramer, 12th, and Denis Ranostaj, 15^th out of the 559 competing teams.

“At the community college, we wanted to compare ourselves with the best in the world,” Fillenwarth said. “This is our fourth year to use the simulation in Introduction to Business. Every semester we have more students taking the class who have been told about the class by a friend. Every semester, former students of mine tell me this was the coolest class they have ever taken.”

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs.  For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

Atop a tall pole on the northeast corner of St. Louis Community College’s Wildwood campus sits a piece of equipment that can help local meteorologists warn residents of impending severe weather. The digital weather camera is one of the most western cameras in the St. Louis area, and one of the earliest ways that westward rolling storms can be detected without radar. 

The idea for the camera’s location came from John Fuller, meteorologist for KPLR 11 and FOX 2, and Afzal Lodhi, chair of sciences, social sciences and physical education. The two brainstormed the idea when Fuller began teaching meteorology classes for STLCC in 2011. 

“Different views of the area help us to develop an overview of what’s happening weather-wise,” said Fuller. He and weekend meteorologist Chris Higgins use the camera regularly for broadcasts on KPLR 11 and Fox 2 newscasts. 

Before the installation of a camera near the Hermann Hill Inn, cameras had only been used for security or to monitor traffic in the St. Louis area. Higgins and Jim Dieckhaus, cameraman and engineer at KPLR 11 and Fox 2, worked together to have the first one installed. 

Dieckhaus said they have learned a lot of important lessons from the time of that first installation that helped them with the Wildwood camera. 

“We discovered that we had to protect the lens with glass domes, but the glass domes also needed heaters and fans to protect them from icing or fogging in extreme temperatures,” said Dieckhaus. “We also know that we needed something that could be manipulated remotely to give us different shots. The ability to move the camera increases the chances of capturing a specific view of the weather and to view the sky from multiple directions. 

“The camera also had to have a wireless setup because of the distance between the building and where we wanted to put the camera,” Dieckhaus added. “We’ve also found that including the buildings on the property in the weather shot makes it more appealing for promotional use.” 

Once the location on the campus was determined, there was another problem to overcome. 

“Light poles have power and there was no pole there,” said Dieckhaus. 

After approaching the officials with the city of Wildwood, they agreed to donate and install a pole. 

“Everyone realized the value of the camera,” said Dieckhaus. “It’s a tool that can be used for a lot of reasons. It serves the whole community.”

Fuller uses the camera extensively in his broadcasts. In addition to providing a live shot, he also can take a stream and manipulate it with his software to show time-lapsed photos of the weather. The camera can be manipulated through a smart phone; the meteorologists have full access to its information from anywhere. 

Fuller also uses the camera as a teaching tool in his class.  

“Meteorology students use it to observe sky conditions, approaching severe weather and winter hazards,” he said. “And they get a better understanding when I can show them certain kinds of weather conditions.”

Fuller will teach meteorology again this fall, and students will learn why we have weather, the forces that create specific weather patterns and phenomena, global weather patterns and will participate in weather forecasting using daily public weather information. 

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs.  For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

Two St. Louis Community College staff members will be heading to Iowa in July to participate in the Des Moines Register’s 41st Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) from Council Bluffs to Fort Madison July 21-27.

St. Louis Community College-Forest Park Police Chief Richard Banahan, shown left, will be riding for the first time while Karen Mayes, right, STLCC’s district director of nursing, will be hitting the road for the fourth time. They will join about 10,000 other riders — including dedicated cyclists, celebrities, politicians, world travelers — as they pedal through farmlands and small towns.

RAGBRAI is the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world. It is a ride, not a race, and the route changes every year, with eight towns designated as the overnight hosts/hospitality centers. Starting on the western border, the 472-mile ride concludes on the eastern border, near the Mississippi River. Riders traditionally dip their bike tires into the Mississippi River when they finish the ride.

Banahan Biking for BackStoppers
Banahan, a retired St. Louis Metropolitan Police Sergeant, will be pedaling for a cause. He is teaming with Lt. Norm Campbell of the St. Louis County Police Department and William R. Etheridge, director of corporate security at Maritz, to raise funds in support of The BackStoppers.

Their Team BackStoppers will participate in this challenging ride to serve as an outreach and support their organization by being ambassadors on bikes. In addition to being a visible presence, they hope to support the organization financially – and specifically, the educational fund.

The BackStoppers was started in 1959 to provide needed support and financial assistance to the spouses and children of local police officers, firefighters, publicly-funded paramedics and EMTS and volunteer fire protection units who have lost their lives performing their duty. They also provide assistance to the counties served by Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop C, Illinois State Police District 11, and Cape Girardeau County in Missouri.

The Educational Fund is to ensure that their children will have access to financial resources to pursue elementary, secondary or postsecondary educational opportunities. They currently support 68 families with 57 dependent children in 18 counties in Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois. Over the past decade, they have added an average of three children per year.

They provide nearly $1.4 million in survivor benefits each year to these families for education, housing, health care and other expenses, including nearly $225,000 for education costs, Banahan said.

Team BackStoppers is seeking support from individuals and businesses for this mission. Donations can be made directly through the website, www.backstoppers.org, and it provides a record of someone’s giving.

Becoming a Backstopper member is another great way to become involved.  Banahan said they ask for the phrase “Team BackStoppers” be placed in the comments section of online donations, so it can be tracked internally.

Mayes: “Something for Everyone”

Mayes is participating in RAGBRAI along with her husband, Howard.

“My husband and I go on our own, realizing that some of the registration fee and other dollars spent along the way goes to many and varied charities,” she said.

They begin riding at 6 a.m. and are sound asleep by 9 p.m., she said, but everyone’s adventures are different.

“There is really nothing like it,” she said. “People describe it as a 500-mile buffet. They also describe it as a cross between a county fair and Woodstock. There is something for absolutely everyone.”

In a book by John and Ann Karras, “RAGBRAI: Everyone Pronounces It Wrong,” they described much of it as wholesome.

“People helping people, people returning wallets, people letting people into their homes and forming lasting friendships, people enjoying Iowa, people being just plain good people,” John Karras wrote.

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs.  For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

Two representatives of St. Louis Community College made a presentation during the recently concluded conference of NAFSA: The National Association of International Educators*.

Rod Nunn, vice chancellor for economic development and workforce solutions, and Chris Stephens, professor in communications at STLCC-Florissant Valley, discussed a unique study-abroad program to Italy whose goal is to develop globally-competent workers who will positively impact the St. Louis economy.

Nunn described how faculty and staff first spent countless hours meeting with more than 1,200 companies to determine their employment needs and the markets in which they operated. What they found was that even in a recession economy, with a surplus of job-seeking degree holders, employers still had trouble finding talented workers who possessed even basic professional skills.

Nunn said that by polling employers and developing specific competencies that workers should possess, STLCC created an exchange program in Italy that provided students with experiential learning sought by businesses.

Stephens noted that experiential learning was the most effective way to impart the desired knowledge and skills, adding that language and cultural barriers made the students uncomfortable and forced them to learn faster than they would have in a familiar setting.

STLCC also assessed the students’ attainment of the global competencies, and used the data to validate the program’s benefits to the students as well as the local economy.

Community colleges often face more challenges than four-year colleges and universities when trying to expand international offerings. Funding may be difficult to obtain, and business leaders and trustees are likely to make the institutions focus on meeting the immediate community needs, namely developing a professional workforce.

Caption: STLCC Chancellor Myrtle Dorsey, right, and Parvin Behroozi Bagherpour, associate vice chancellor in Houston Community College’s Office of International Students, at the luncheon the institutions co-sponsored during the NAFSA Conference. More than 350 individuals attended the luncheon. STLCC also hosted an information booth at the conference.

*NAFSA’s original name was National Association of Foreign Student Advisers. In May 1990, the membership formally renamed the organization NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The acronym was retained to reflect NAFSA’s proud past and broad name recognition. 

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs. For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

The spring 2013 Graphic Design IV class at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, taught by Professor Chuck Groth, recently served as the design team for Show-Me Hero Salute.  The organization formed in August 2012 to bring the American Veterans Traveling Tribute (AVTT) Vietnam Traveling Wall to the St. Louis region.

“I heard early on that the Sunset Hills Historical Society was making plans to bring the Traveling Wall to St. Louis,” Groth said. “I contacted a couple members of the society. After speaking with (Sunset Hills Historical Society Communications committee co-chair) Frank Hardy, I thought it might be a perfect opportunity to get my Graphic Design students involved.”

Groth’s students, shown here showing off their creation, treated Show-Me Hero Salute as a real-world client. They created the brand identity for Show-Me Hero Salute publicity items, including a logo, website, business cards, letterhead, posters, fliers and a wall-rubbing sheet designed so visitors can make impressions of the names of loved ones on the wall.

“The students were very enthusiastic. It gave them the opportunity to learn a full set of design skills, but also to apply them to a real client,” said Groth. “We broke the class into groups, each focusing on a certain aspect of the project. Some concentrated on the web development, some on the print posters, others on the identity system elements.”

The AVTT Vietnam Traveling Wall will be at Lindbergh High School, 5000 S. Lindbergh, June 12-16. Viewing starts at 1 p.m. June 13 and will be open 24 hours a day, ending at 3 p.m. June 16. For more information, visit www.show-meherosalute.org.

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs.  For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

When you think of typography, the sport of running hardly comes to mind. St. Louis Community College-Meramec student Adam Scott has combined the two into something that people are starting to notice.

It started with an assignment Professor Michael Swoboda gave to his typography students: create a typeface using any medium or method.

“The instructions for the project were very loose, in that we could really do anything we pleased,” said Scott.

Scott, a runner and bicyclist, seized the opportunity to combine his love of running and type for the assignment and was able to create letters from satellite images of his running routes found within his GPS. The letters also include information about the route — distance, elevation, plus Scott’s time, pace and calories burned on the route.

He included the project in his online portfolio.

“This was one of my projects I thought someone might like to look at. I then posted a link to my portfolio on Runner’s World’s Facebook page, simply because I thought it was running related and people might like to take a look,” he said.

“Within the day, I was conversing back and forth about featuring it on their website. I was elated,” he said. “This is the first time I have been recognized for anything I’ve done in graphic design. Within the day, an article was posted on their website and I began to share with all my friends and family.”

It’s not only his friends and family who think this is cool. The article, linked on the Runner’s World Facebook page, has over 280 “likes,” not to mention an additional benefit.

“I have had more hits on my portfolio yesterday than I have had in the entirety of my portfolio being up,” said Scott, “That is very important to me because I would love to get my foot in the graphic design door and start a creative career. A ton of my friends back in Arizona, where I’m from, have been sharing my article with everyone they know and everyone seems to be very receptive.”

After the rest of the letters are complete, Scott hopes to have a coffee table book for himself to share with friends and family, and maybe a wider audience.

“Maybe other people would like it on their coffee tables,” he said. “Something for a bit of inspiration when they’re having their morning coffee. I like the fact that people can get something inspiring out of some of my graphic work. I would love for someone to look at the book and be inspired to go for a walk or run. I love that aspect of this project.”

Scott is hoping for the best in terms of his exposure on Runner’s World, as well as the classroom.

“I am planning to continue at Meramec where the classes are small and the teachers are stellar,” he said. “I am hoping the exposure and my continued education through STLCC will aid in landing an internship that will allow me to kick the door wide open and be creative for a career.” 

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs.  For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

Tamala Turner, shown here, does not like to brag about her accomplishments. During a candid conversation that touched on everything from internships to the current state of public education, Turner failed to mention anything about the rather large crystal statue tucked in the crook of her right forearm. Sandra Knight, Phi Theta Kappa sponsor, had to point out that Turner was PTK’s distinguished regional and national member for 2012-2013 before she even bothered to look down at it.

“Oh yeah,” she said apologetically.  “I forgot about that.”

Turner, a human services and health information major at St. Louis Community College, was honored for her contributions to PTK’s Honors in Action Project, which focused on college success in a culture of competition.

“Talent is overrated,” she said. “There are students here who think that to be academically successful you have to be gifted and must do it alone. No, you don’t. It takes practice and a supportive learning environment.”

For their project, Turner and the PTK team worked with developmental students in the Forest Park Smart Start program. Smart Start is designed to help new students successfully transition to St. Louis Community College by building upon knowledge acquired in the New Student Registration Workshop and New Student Orientation.

With the help of Gary Forde, a psychology professor, the team was able to structure a study that divided two Smart Start classes. One group represented individual competition and the other represented collaborative competition. Each group participated in a Jeopardy game crafted from their Smart Start routine. Students in the collaborative group outperformed their counterparts in the individual group.

“You learn more in a cooperative environment than in an individual one where no one is cooperating with each other,” she said.

Though she will not say so, Turner has an impressive academic and professional track record. She holds a master’s degree in education from Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has been an advocate for women and children throughout her 20-year social service career.

Currently, she works part time in the campus’s office for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Her passion is to help students who have trouble studying realize their true academic potential.

Turner, who has a 19-year-old son, says that she learned a valuable lesson from the study.

“I am an introvert,” she said. “Working on this project helped me to see while that has its benefits, knowing how to collaborate with and learn from others is equally important.”

Turner says the success of PTK’s honors in action program is due entirely to the teamwork of its members, faculty advisors and Knight. She expressed heartfelt gratitude towards fellow PTK member Latasha Brown for encouraging her to get involved with the project. She also thanked all of her fellow PTK member and Knight for voting for her and writing letters of recommendation on her behalf.

When asked how she sees herself moving forward, Turner said she would like to continue working with students.

“I really want success for our students,” she said. 

– Story by Daphne Rivers, Public Information and Marketing intern

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs.  For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

Amanda Schmidt knew exactly what she needed to do to save the lives of her family members when their Ballwin home erupted in flames last October.

Schmidt, a student at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, recently received a Life Saving Award plaque at the Greater St. Louis Area Learning for Life Council Awards Banquette. Learning for Life is a coed affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America. In the photo here, Schmidt receives the award from Louis Eckelkamp, council commissioner. Also pictured are Schmidt’s parents Mike and Missy.

The fire erupted following an explosion that was traced to a dehumidifier malfunction. Schmidt, 20, is pursuing an associate degree in teaching at Meramec. She also is a member of the St. Louis County Police Explorer Post 9774.

“Amanda has always been a dedicated member of the explorer post and an excellent president of the Meramec Criminal Justice Club,” said Ed Ucinski, a Meramec college police officer. “Of all of the students that I have encountered over the years, she has definitely been one of the most dedicated, hard-working and selfless individuals I have met at Meramec. Her bravery and gallantry did not surprise me. Amanda has conducted herself in the finest tradition of the exploring program and is a stellar example worthy of emulation.”

Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States.  STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs.  For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.

Two St. Louis Community College students earned top awards in the 2012-13 Student Art Competition sponsored by the League for Innovation in the Community College.

Sarah-Marie Land, who attends STLCC’s Forest Park campus, earned the first-place overall award for her piece titled, “Elliot,” shown left.  Sarah Gill, who attends Meramec, won a Juror’s Choice Award for her piece titled, “Kingdom Falls,” shown right.

The competition featured more than 95 entries submitted by students from the league’s 19 board colleges. The competition was hosted by Anne Arundel Community College. The jurors were Mina Cheon, a Korean-American new media artist, scholar and educator; Linda Bayley Hoover, who has taught studio art and art theory courses for colleges and universities in the Baltimore, Md., area; and Trace Miller, a painter and visiting assistant professor at Towson University.

The League for Innovation in the Community College, founded in 1968, is a nonprofit educational group of more than 800 institutions from 11 different countries and is the only major international organization specifically committed to improving community colleges through innovation, experimentation and institutional transformation. St. Louis Community College is a founding member of the league and is one of 19 institutions whose CEOs comprise the League Board of Directors. The league sponsors annual student competitions for literary works, art and technology innovation.