Why should I participate in the SSCC project?
- Participation offers the rewarding opportunity to apply disciplinary concepts and tools learned in class to real issues in a regional community.
- Involvement in the program improves your oral presentation skills, your reasoning skills and your ability to work with a team. These are all valuable competencies for a post-graduation career.
- The SSCC projects involve being hands-on with the community partners. This will require a significant time investment. It is a much different experience than the predictability of attending classes and studying textbooks.
- Although a roadmap is set in place at the beginning of the project, the dynamic nature of project will lead to some alterations and delays in the timeline. It is advisable to plan for unexpected detours along the way. The effort you put into this project is significant but will pay off in the end.
Here are a few pointers to guide your successful participation in the SSCC program:
- Creativity, Initiative, and Flexibility: Because you will be working on a real-life project where the answers don’t lie readily in textbooks, you will be required to be creative and take the initiative on some issues. The unpredictability of the project also involves flexibility on your part.
- Engage: To get the best results, it is vital that you fully engage with all aspects of the project and learn to apply classroom knowledge to derive solutions to the real world.
- Communicate: A crucial factor to the success of any project is communication. Do not hesitate to ask questions! Your professor, the community partner, and the SSCC are more than willing to help with any challenges you might encounter during the project. We are all working together on the same sustainability goals.
- Professional and Patient: Expect there to be some delays while working on the project. Our community partners tend to be busy with other responsibilities and thus might take a few days to respond when you reach out to them. It’s important to conduct yourself professionally; be courteous and patient when dealing with them.
If you are in need of further assistance reach out to the SSCC Faculty Director, Dr. Connie Frey Spurlock (cfrey@siue.edu). She is passionate about the project and always willing to assist students.
