West Shore Community College

West Shore Community College, or WSCC, is a community college located in Mason County, Michigan.

West Shore Community College was established in 1967 as a two-year institute. The main campus is situated between Ludington, Manistee and Scottville and occupies 360 acres. WSCC also has a satellite campus located in Manistee. A total of approximately 1,400 students were enrolled in WSCC as of 2008. The college's current president is Charles T. Dillon.

History

West Shore Community College was established by vote of the electorate of Mason and Manistee Counties on March 6, 1967. The steering committee that achieved this result was headed by C. Evert Johnson and Eugene Kiyak, both Ludington residents. Campus operations began in 1968 in temporary quarters; the first permanent building, the Campus Center, was erected in 1969. The college administration has stressed a program strong in math and science as well as the traditional liberal arts. Other specialized classes include nursing, theater, music, art, welding, machine tool technology, and computer science.

A subvention from WSCC enabled the Ludington Mass Transportation Authority to institute scheduled bus service between Ludington, Scottville and the campus in September 2006. This service has been well-patronized by students who otherwise would have difficulty in finding transportation to the college.

A new Campus Center - including a new library - was built in 2007, marking a new era in the college's history.

Presidents

*John Eaton 1967-1983
*William M. Anderson 1983-1998
*Charles T. Dillon 1998-

WSCC today

West Shore Community College offers a comprehensive general education curricula designed to meet the needs of students interested in occupational programs leading to immediate employment and students wishing to transfer to a senior institution.

The college’s “home base” is 360 beautiful acres of rolling timberland, located near Ludington, Manistee, and Scottville at the intersection of North Stiles and Sugar Grove Roads in Mason County, Michigan.

West Shore serves students in the northern portion of the college district through the Manistee County Education Center, on US-31, just north of the city of Manistee.

The College is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. West Shore earns its accreditation by participating in the Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP).

West Shore Community College offers Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences Degrees, One-and Two-Year Certificates, and many custom-designed Associate of Arts and Associate of Sciences Degree Programs to meet transfer students’ needs.

In addition to offering instructional programs, the college serves the area in a number of ways, including:

The college offers special events and cultural activities throughout the year, including lectures, theater productions, dance and musical performances, art exhibits and other types of entertainment for both student and community members.

The WSCC library, located in the Campus Center, is available for use by the public.

Career counseling services are available offering a full range of advising and aptitude testing.

The Recreation Center’s swimming pool, racquetball and tennis courts, basketball arena, weight room, wellness center, and other facilities are available to the public for a minimum charge. The West Shore Ice Arena is a regional facility which provides figure skating, hockey, and open skating opportunities for all the citizens of the area.

The college offers non-credit community service classes and adult lifelong learning classes designed to meet general interest needs and enrichment of area residents.

The college works closely with business and industry to provide a well-trained workforce in a variety of job skill areas and its role in job training has grown to the point that today WSCC offers or can custom design a training program to fit almost any need. Training can take place on campus or at a business site.

Because graduates enter a world dominated by technology, West Shore has the latest technology on campus for student use, from computers and computer programs to equipment in math, science, computer animation and simulation, machine tool technology, nursing, welding, and many others.

The WSCC Foundation provides financial support for many activities that benefit the college, its students, and the communities it serves and is actively working to build its endowment fund to provide additional scholarships for students desiring to attend the college. All of the programs sponsored by the foundation have been made possible through the generous support of the businesses and people of the college’s communities.

External links

* [http://www.westshore.edu/ West Shore Community College]