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Sanford, Florida 32773-6199
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Presidential Report May 17, 2005

Graduations

Many thanks to each of you for attending the multiple Graduations that we held last week. Particularly impressive was the fact that we had all five Trustees on stage at Commencement and that you were able to meet Suzanne Lewis, Superintendent for Yellowstone National Park. It was heartening to hear Suzanne talk about the impact SCC had on her maturity and setting her on course for her later success!

Faculty Senate President's Monthly Report

The Faculty Senate has requested time on the Trustees' agenda to present a monthly update. Tonight was their first presentation and I have asked that they limit the presentation to five minutes unless there are extenuating circumstances. Rick, I am not sure what UCF does, but this is a similar format to that followed by FSU at each of our Trustee meetings.

Athletics Update

Congratulations to our Athletic Department for the great Sports Banquet they held on April 29. ESPN announcer and football analyst, Bill Curry, was a truly inspiring speaker. Besides honoring the athletes that night, the coaches also congratulated those who support the program. I am saddened to tell you that our Lady Raider's Softball Manager, Megan Stone, was killed last Sunday morning in a car accident. She will be missed by all of us, but her death is a reminder to always buckle your seat belt and curtail your speed.

Some of us attended the State Softball and Baseball Tournaments last week. Unfortunately, SCC won't be traveling to Nationals this year. But, the students represented us well. There is always next year!

Florida Leader Magazine

SCC has been mentioned in three different categories in the latest Florida Leader Awards issue.

Best Hurricane Response for the way that those in B Building handled losing their facility and having to relocate 4,000 students and 60 employees. Best Automotive Training Center for the partnership with CFADA. And Best Career Development Center for sponsoring University Quest that attracted 40 colleges and universities; the Career Fair which hosted over 100 vendors helping students to find jobs; and the Work Force Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities which matched recruiters for jobs and internships with potential students. Congratulations to all who have been involved with these programs!

FACC Awards

Professor Barbara Hunnicutt has been chosen as a presenter on the Biology of Forensics at the FACC Fall Convention. She had to compete for this honor at the FACC Curriculum Commission Conference. Those of you who attended the last Presidents' Club Breakfast will remember Barbara as the one with the skull and bones. Congratulations, Barbara!

Governor's Summer Program

SCC has once again received a Governor's Summer Program Grant. This summer, we will be sponsoring a Television Institute for high school students during the month of July. Congratulations to Dr. Pat Fitzgerald and all involved!

Orlando Theatre Project

By now, you have seen the letter from the Orlando Theatre Project indicating that several company members are leaving OTP and that others will be re-locating OTP to Orange County, where they live, and re-establishing their relationship with the Orlando Repertory Theatre. We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with OTP, which was brought to us by Dr. Karen Copp. Paul Luby is working with OTP and we hope to have at least one co-production on campus each year, possibly during the Christmas holiday season. In her letter, Anne Hering noted that she will be working with us through the summer with the Governor's Summer Program.

CFADA Award

Next week, Barbara Miller and I will be traveling to Nashville to the Council for Resource Development's Regional Conference. At the Awards Ceremony, CFADA will be honored for their generosity to SCC by underwriting our new automotive training facility. If CFADA wins Regionals, they will be in contention for the national award to be given in D.C. in December. Wish us luck!

UCF Update

Last Friday, the regional community college presidents, Suzanne Tesinsky and I met with representatives of UCF at their Brevard Community College location. The meeting was very productive and I am encouraged that this group will devise a master plan for higher education for our region that could be "sold" to the Legislature next session as a blueprint for "who is doing what -- where."

As you all know, we did not get legislative approval for the $1.5 million in planning funds for the Joint Use Facility. This was most likely the result of the ranking that UCF gave the JUF initially and the fact that we missed an August deadline for a letter of request to the Commissioner of Education. UCF re-committed last Friday to getting the job done next year.

Also, discussions are continuing with Seminole County about the potential for a partnership in the JUF's Library component. I have been meeting individually with each County Commissioner and have been asked to attend the next County Commission meeting on May 24 where the topic of a potential voter issue to support a library expansion in Seminole County will be decided.

Visit with the Us Department of Education Secretary

Yesterday, the Governor held a luncheon with the community college presidents and U.S. Department of Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings, at Tallahassee Community College. During the meeting, Secretary Spellings indicated that she is a strong supporter of community colleges, having worked at Austin Community College in the workforce area. We shared our program successes with her and opened a good dialogue on how Florida, with our innovative programs like common course numbering and AS to BS articulation, can play more of a role in national policy making.

Legislative Session

Don Payton is not with us tonight as he had minor surgery today. However, he has completed a comprehensive legislative session report which has been sent to you and is at your place. Of particular importance to us was the passage of the Capital Improvement Fee, Hurricane Relief, Matching Funds for Facilities and Donor Contributions, Jobs for Florida's Future, the PECO budget and the Community College Program Fund. Joe is still sorting through the language of the Appropriations Bill. The presidents will be meeting in Orlando next week to discuss the session's impact and will be holding a funding workshop on June 22-24.

Budget Workshop

The Budget Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8, from 4-6 p.m. in the Board Room, A200.

Enrollment Update

Enrollment is down from this time last year, but we don't have exact numbers given our data conversion. Also, we still have IIIB registration which will impact the totals. Our best estimate is a 5% decline, which has already been offset with the $1.5 million that we have been recovering from the budget. If state projections regarding hurricanes are correct, we will continue to see this impact through next year as enrollment declines have been more severe two years following a hurricane.