Marcial Gallimore, center, with a group of his students at the Eastern campus. (photo by Cynthia Eaton)

Jeff Warner once noted that "we are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you."

Marcial Gallimore, an adjunct instructor, lives out this philosophy through his teaching and community involvement. Marcial has been working at SCCC for two years, teaching business, computer science and college seminar, as well as assisting the Educational Opportunity Program, a SUNY initiative that provides academic support and financial assistance to students who demonstrate the potential for mastering college-level work.

Marcial is happy to say that he has had the opportunity to teach on all three of SCCC's campuses. Marcial’s teaching experiences began with his work with the Urban League of Long Island. He counseled 18 high school students on a one-on-one basis as well as in group sessions and prepared lesson plans and worked with students in math and reading. While at the Urban League, he was a network administrator and the technology coordinator for the mentoring program. If this wasn’t enough, Marcial also teaches in the computer science and math departments at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue. He sees his educational role as being an integral part of students’ transitions to a place where they really come into an understanding of who and what they want to be. For Marcial, it is extremely rewarding to see the changes in students from the beginning to the end of the semester.

Marcial’s pedagogical approach in the classroom is to meet the needs of each student in the class. His students have different learning styles and different reasons/needs for taking the course. He is always conscious of the course description and learning outcomes and, as the semester progresses, and he gets to know the students better, Marcial will tailor the course to their needs, giving every student the opportunity to be successful. This is usually a challenge; however it’s an unofficial pledge and promise he makes to himself every semester. The care and compassion Marcial gives to his students results in many of them asking, “What courses are you teaching next semester?” or “Are you teaching on this campus next semester?” but the most heartening comment he hears is “Can I keep in touch with you, in case I have any questions?” As a single parent (having two children complete college and one on her way), Marcial understands the anxiety that comes with leaving high school and entering college. Many of his students at SCCC are first-year college students, and Marcial can relate to what they are experiencing regarding the “big life” transition from high school to college.

Marcial’s connection to SCCC goes beyond the classroom as he serves on the Executive Council for the FA. He is an adjunct representative for business, accounting, communications and telecommunications. In this capacity, Marcial has the opportunity to meet and work with his peers, both college wide and across several disciplines, and he feels the FA is vital in representing the concerns of its members.

The information discussed in the meetings are helpful to the EC representatives when communicating with individual constituents and minimizing concerns. He feels that the FA does a great job of addressing benefits and providing resources such as the retirement workshop, the promotion workshop and sabbatical workshop. Marcial is especially proud of the FA’s local activism with such outreach programs as Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and Professor on Wheels and he sees the FA as the place that serves to ensure fair representation and a voice for all of its members.

Looking toward the future, Marcial would like to attain a full-time teaching position. He sincerely believes that his experiences, both personal and professional, and his skills can be useful at SCCC. “The world is changing every day, students are more diverse and unique, and there are always new ideas and new endeavors the college could deploy,” and so Marcial is ready to explore new and exciting uncharted areas. He would like to serve in a capacity that utilizes his strengths while facilitating efforts in the best interest of the institution.

With his passion, acumen and forward thinking, Marcial Gallimore is poised to make enormous contributions to not only SCCC but the entire world around us.