Collin College celebrated a pair of programmatic anniversaries in the past year, providing a wealth of knowledge and skills over a wide variety of subjects.
Collin College Fire Academy 30th Anniversary
With more than 1,800 graduates over the course of three decades, roughly two-thirds of which went on to work in Collin County fire stations, the Collin College Fire Academy has done great work in keeping area residents safe. The academy has provided firefighters for every municipal fire department in Collin County.
Started on a shoestring budget that necessitated borrowing equipment from surrounding fire departments for training, the program has grown considerably. The Fire Academy called the McKinney Campus home from its inception until 2018 when it moved to the Public Safety Training Center – a facility it shares with the Collin College Law Enforcement Academy.
Fire Academy Director Pat McAuliff said the move allowed fire cadets to train on a wider array of scenarios, but the program’s focus has remained the same.
“We have been able to maintain our initial mission for our students – to build character, intellect, and skills,” McAuliff said, noting that the academy focuses on teamwork and critical thinking in high-pressure situations in addition to firefighting techniques.
Learn more about the program at www.collin.edu/firescience.
Seniors Active In Learning (SAIL) 25th Anniversary
Designed to engage students 55 and older in lifelong learning on topics they care about, Seniors Active in Learning (SAIL) has grown from an inaugural group of about 90 lifelong learners in Fall 1996 to 1,000-plus annually before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the pandemic, about 600 members are still taking advantage of in-person and online classes for personal improvement.
“SAIL members enjoy the comradery of a common learning goal of attending higher-level thinking classes without having to worry about homework or grades,” Program Manager Sherry Scamardo said.
The program allows its members to choose the courses that will be offered and often provides members with opportunities to share their expertise in a subject. The Spring 2022 semester offered classes in art, civics, finance, health and wellness, history, news literacy, and dozens more topics of interest ranging from “Introduction to Whisky” to “Estate Planning – Common Mistakes and Misconceptions.”
Learn more about the program and the latest schedule of classes at www.collin.edu/SAIL.