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Presidential Report April 19, 2005Advisory Committee BreakfastThis morning, the College hosted a thank you breakfast for the 274 members of our program-specific Advisory Committees. Many thanks to Dede Schaffner and Dr. Charles English for attending. Legislative UpdateToday, after nearly a week of deadlock, the budget numbers have been released to the Conference Committee. Although the numbers will not be made public at this time, we are encouraged that the Senate will come up to the House numbers and that they may even surpass the House by the end of session. This is all speculation at this point, so your contact with key legislators is needed. I sent out a "call to arms" to you and our Foundation Board members today with the specifics of our "ask." Also, many thanks to Rick Lee who traveled to Tallahassee last week and spent all day Wednesday walking the "hallowed halls" on our behalf. Once we made contact with the Senate PECO Budget Director, we really saw Rick in action. Also, we just got word today that Joe Sarnovsky has been officially named to the state's Funding Formula Committee. This is great news for us! On another note, I will be meeting with the Editorial Board of the Orlando Sentinel tomorrow, along with several other college presidents. Stay tuned! Congratulations to CFADA!The SCC Foundation nominated the Central Florida Auto Dealers Association for the 2005 Region IV Council for Resource Development (CRD) Benefactor of the Year Award. They were chosen as one of nine regional finalists and will be honored at the Benefactors, Award Dinner in Nashville on May 26. If they win in Nashville, we will then be invited to compete in D.C. in December. ESOLThe SCC English Language Studies Department (which includes ESOL and Language Institute) has been selected by the Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) as one of six community colleges in the U.S. for a year-long study of exemplary practices in teaching English as a Second Language. The project solicited nominations from more than 150 experts on ESL and peer community colleges to identify colleges with outstanding ESL programs. We are pleased to be chosen! Congratulations to Beth Larson, ESOL Coordinator, and her staff. Student AwardsPhi Beta Lambda State CompetitionSCC's chapter of Phi Beta Lambda has succeeded again in State competition winning 39 awards and being recognized as a Gold Seal Chapter and for recruiting the most members in the Professional Division. Congratulations to Advisor Sherry Jenkins and our students! On to Nationals!!! 2005 Florida College Student of the YearAlton Austin, an SCC graduate and Leadership Challenge Team member, has been selected as the First Runner-Up for the 2005 Florida College Student of the Year Award. Yes, we do graduate some awesome students! Accounting ScholarshipSCC accounting student, Dan Biechele, has been awarded a $500 academic scholarship from the Financial Executives International Orlando Chapter. Congratulations to Dan and faculty member, Terri Meta. National Forensic Society TournamentAfter winning regional and state awards, Carmen Rios represented SCC in the Phi Rho Pi Nationals. Carmen won a Bronze Award, making her a semi-finalist in Persuasive Speaking. She was "next out" in informative speaking, meaning that she was one point away from breaking into the semi-final round. Nationals is the largest speech tournament in the world with over 80 community colleges and nearly 500 students competing in speaking events. Carmen has done a phenomenal job for the Forensic program and plans to come back next year. Congratulations, Carmen and faculty member, Laura Dickinson! Interior Design AwardsThe National Kitchen and Bath Association - Central Florida Chapter - has announced that SCC Interior Design students have won awards valued at over $5,000. Congratulations to faculty member, Jill Smith, and our talented students! Phi Theta KappaThis past weekend, we sponsored six students at the national Phi Theta Kappa Convention in Dallas. If you haven't been in a room with 4,000 "charged" community college PTK students - well, you haven't lived! I was privileged to be there with our students, who heard such notable speakers as Patti LaBelle and Rudy Guiliani. One of our own, Tina Stevens, a 27-year old former Marine, was selected as one of the top fifteen PTK members in the nation. Congratulations to Tina and faculty members, Marisabel Irrizary and Ruth Reis! Athletics UpdateOur Women's Softball Team will be representing us at the State tournament! Congratulations to Courtney Miller and our Lady Raiders! The Men's Baseball Team is in a two-way tie for first place in the conference with three games remaining in the season. If we take two of the three games, they, too, will be playing in State! Student Activities Leadership BanquetThis Friday at 6 p.m. we will be hosting the annual Student Activities Banquet in the College's Multi-Purpose Room. If you are free and would like to join us, please let Linda know. Budget WorkshopWe would like to conduct a budget workshop with the Board prior to the May 17 meeting. By that time, we should know the state allocations and be fairly accurate in our budget predictions. Would 5-7 p.m. on the evening of May 17 work for the Board? President's Annual EvaluationJust a reminder that you have the evaluation form for the president's annual rating. I would ask that you complete it and contact Linda to schedule a session to review your comments with me prior to the May Board meeting. Reorganization/RedesignFor the past year, we have been talking about making changes to our organizational structure based on the College's strategic plan and future direction. I am pleased to report that we will unveil the proposed structure to faculty and staff next Monday in a series of open forums to be followed by Question and Answer sessions the next day. The college community will have the next several weeks to respond with their comments prior to the formalization of the plan which will be submitted to the Board in May. I am pleased with the structure that we have developed. It is designed to provide growth opportunities, emphasize the "one college" philosophy and provide a structure that will assist with the operation of the four-sites that are in our future. GraduationsPlease don't forget that we have three Graduations scheduled for the week of May 2. Late Breaking NewsIn checking my mail a few minutes ago, there is a copy of a new book written by one of our newest employees, Dr. Mark Morgan. The book is entitled The Path to Profitable Measures: 10 Steps to Feedback That Fuels Performance. Congratulations, Mark! And, on a final note, I would like to read the Citation that faculty member Sue Kellicut received from the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Training Center, for "helping make Lance Corporal McGovern's transition between school and his national duty smoother. It is this display of patriotism that helps us perform our job to the best of our ability." Thank you, Sue! |
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