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Presidential Report January 26, 2009Baccalaureate Degree Approval!Dr. Carol Hawkins, Mike Staley and I attended the State Board of Education meeting in Miami. I am pleased to report that SCC's Baccalaureate Degree in Interior Design was approved! It was also nice to hear from one of the State Board members that SCC did the BEST job of documenting the need for this program of all the baccalaureate proposals that were presented. When the proposal was challenged by another Board member, this particular Board member said, "I am in the construction industry and we NEED this program." Fabulous! Many congratulations to Dean Mike Staley, Jill Smith, and everyone who has worked so hard to get us to this point. The next step is Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation. Retiree CelebrationMary Taylor, a 40-year employee of SCC (amazing), will be retiring at the end of January. Mary began her career with SCC in 1969, three years after the College opened. Prior to that time, she was a SCC student and student-worker. When she began her employment with SCC, she was the ONLY employee in the department now known as Computing and Telecommunication Services (CTS). I'd like to publicly thank Mary for her 40 years of dedicated, valuable service to us. University Partnership Center Topping Off CeremonyBalfour Beatty will provide a Topping Off Ceremony and luncheon for the subcontractors and the UCF/SCC administration on Friday, January 30, at 12 Noon. We will meet by the construction fence at 11:45 am to be escorted into the site. A topping off ceremony is usually held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. As you can see by looking outside, the building is progressing very nicely! Please let Linda know if you plan to attend. This will be very informal. Department of Labor $2 M Grant AwardSCC College was recently awarded a $2 million Department of Labor Community Based Jobs Training grant. This program was introduced by President Bush in his 2004 "State of the Union" address and is offered through the national Department of Labor. SCC's Regional Nursing Career Pathway Initiative (RNCPI) incorporates the strengths of several local and regional partners, all of whom have a vested interest in this project. RNCPI seeks to 1) create a K-12 nursing career pathway that provides outreach awareness and enhancement of high school health academies; 2) engage new and current students and incumbent workers in myriad educational and simulation training activities; 3) and enroll college faculty and industry nurse educators into a Master of Science or doctorate level nursing program. Combined, these strategies will help address the severe nursing shortage facing the Central Florida region. Our partners in this endeavor are: the Orlando Science Center, Orlando Health, UCF, Valencia Community College, Lake Sumter Community College, Seminole/Osceola/Lake County Public Schools, Workforce Central Florida, the EDC, and two community and faith-based organizations. As you can see, it certainly takes a village. Many congratulations to Dr. Angela Albert, Cheryl Cicotti, Deans Kersenbrock and Refoe, and all who participated in getting this $2 million for SCC and our communities! Harvard-BoundI am very pleased to announce that Lalita Booth has been accepted to Harvard's Business School. She is now waiting on her acceptance to the Kennedy School as she plans to double-major. Homeless to Harvard...with a Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship and a Truman Scholarship along the way. Congratulations, Lalita, and to all of our faculty and staff who made her success possible! We are truly changing lives...one at a time. We will be focusing on Lalita's success at the SCC Foundation Dream Gala on February 21st. I hope that you all will be there as it is going to be a great night for SCC! Physical Therapist GraduatesA recent accreditation report commended SCC's Physical Therapist Assistant Program for its impressive graduation rate and for the success of our graduates in finding jobs. In the last three years, the program has achieved an 83 percent graduation rate, while the national average is 67.8 percent. In addition, 100 percent of the program's graduates pass the licensure examination and 100 percent of graduates are employed as physical therapist assistants. Congratulations to Dr. Carol Clayton and our great faculty and staff! Nursing ScoresThe Board of Nursing has released the NCLEX scores for the fourth quarter and the year. SCC nursing students scored accordingly: Registered Nurses: 33 of 40 passed for a rate of 82.5% for the quarter. The yearly pass rate is 87.3% with a state average of 85%. Practical Nurses: 1 of 1 passed for a rate of 100% for the quarter. The yearly pass rate is 93.75% with a state average of 81%. Although the RN pass rate dropped slightly, we are still above the state average and a leader in our community. Congratulations to Cheryl Cicotti, the nursing students, and the faculty and staff for these outstanding results! Scholarships Boost EnrollmentThe number of SCC students with Bright Futures Medallion-level scholarships has almost doubled in the last three years, rising from 744 in 2005 to more than 1,400 this fall. This enrollment surge is partially the result of legislation in 2006 that allowed the Medallion Scholarships to cover 100%of tuition at the state's 28 community colleges. SCC Featured in Delta In-Flight MagazineThanks to Mike Staley, Dean of Economic Development, SCC is featured in Delta's December Sky Magazine. The article is entitled, "Partners In Progress." Mike is quoted as saying, "Our (SCC's) role in terms of economic development is to understand what direction business is moving and supply the business community with a qualified workforce." Good work, Mike! SCC RecognizedThe Orlando Business Journal named SCC one of its "Brainiacs for 2008" in a December 26th article. The OBJ indicated that SCC's collaboration with UCF and VCC on possible four-year degrees in architecture, construction management and interior design is "good for local companies and students." Trustee Legislative ConferenceSpecial thanks to Chick Gregg for loaning his plane so that the Trustees may attend the FACC Trustee Legislative Conference in Tallahassee on February 3-4. As you may know, there are no longer any direct flights to Tallahassee. One potential route is now through Cincinnati on Delta. The two-day session will begin at 1 pm on February 3rd and last through the afternoon on February 4th with a reception at the Governor's mansion. Thank you, Lisa Greer, for your role in getting the trustees from the 28 community colleges invited to the Governor's mansion! Simulated Burn Building PresentationJust a reminder that, after we adjourn this meeting, you all are invited to see a simulated burn at our new facility. |
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