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Presidential Report: January 24, 2011New HiresWe have two new faces in our audience, Ella Carlis, who is the Executive Assistant in the President's Office and John Gyllin, Executive Director for the Foundation for Seminole State College. Ella has joined us from Orange County Government, where she was the Administrative Specialist in the EMS Office of the Medical Director. Ella has very quickly acclimated to the College by also becoming a student taking courses in Office Administration. As you know, Cheryl Daley is the Office Manager in the President's Office and primarily handles the Board information, but Ella will also be cross-training so that each can cover the entire office. Welcome, Ella! John Gyllin comes to us from the College of Coastal Georgia, where he was the Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the College Foundation. In joining Seminole State, John is actually coming home, since he was born in Brevard County. John, would you like to tell the Board more about your background? With the Dream Gala only weeks away — Feb. 12 — John has truly hit the ground running ... sprinting is probably more like it. Welcome, John! SACS UpdateWe just received a letter from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which indicates that the following action was taken at their December 2010 meeting of the Board of Trustees of SACS Commission on Colleges: "The Commission on Colleges reviewed a First Monitoring Report following the review of the off-site Altamonte Springs Center. No additional report was requested." Many congratulations to all who have worked so hard to make this positive report possible! EventsThis holiday season, our interior design students were involved in two very successful events. The first was a fundraiser in partnership with Neiman Marcus, which featured "holiday tablescapes" at Millenia Mall. The second event was at the Leu House Museum, where the students decorated every room for the holidays. Both of these events not only encouraged a holiday spirit, but also showcased our talented students to the community! Congratulations to our interior design students and faculty! Our annual Heritage Jubilee was held on Jan. 14. This celebration of African-American achievement allows Seminole State the opportunity to honor individuals who have provided distinguished service to our community. This year's honorees, Mr. James Byrd and Mrs. Ida Boston, were selected for their missionary work and civil deeds. It was a great evening, and the audience was entertained by jazz musician Isrea Butler and his talented colleagues. Many thanks to the African-American Cultural Forum, the Black Faculty and Staff, and Professors Maurice Terrell and Marylen Jennings for hosting such an inspirational evening! KudosSeminole State's Physical Therapy Education Program received a continuance of accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Congratulations to Dr. Carol Clayton, Program Manager, and the faculty; Associate Dean Cheryl Cicotti; and Dean Angela Kersenbrock! Nursing Professor Jessica Shearer has achieved credentialing as a Certified Nurse Educator by the American Nurses Association. This is a year-long process culminating with an exam. Congratulations, Professor Shearer! Seminole State's Brain Bowl Team — Rojay Gordon, Kat Graff, Dustin Lore, Austin Macdade and David Seltzer — competed in the Delta Burke Brain Bowl Tournament at Valencia Community College in November and finished with an 11-1 record, capturing third place. Thirty teams competed, and Seminole State defeated every team in its bracket, including the second-seeded team, Valencia Red. Rojay Gordon finished in eighth place individually. Many congratulations to Coach Jeri Rogers and the faculty who supported this effort! Staff from College Relations and Marketing (CRM), Computing and Telecommunications Services (CTS) and Admissions all collaborated on an interactive recruitment video that was used to recruit Seminole County high school seniors via a mailed invitation and personal Web address. The video won a regional Bronze Award in "Electronic Media — Innovation in Technology" from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) and will now compete for a national Gold, Silver or Bronze Award in Philadelphia in March. Congratulations to all who worked on this outstanding and creative project! The cover of International News, a publication of the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID), features an article and pictures of the recent trip by History Professor Dr. Vincent Intondi, English Professor Janelle Wells and Seminole State students to Japan for the 65th anniversary ceremonies in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. One of the students was quoted as saying it was "a life-changing experience." Congratulations to Dr. Intondi and Professor Wells! Legislative UpdateAs you know, we are experiencing a variety of changes in Tallahassee. Don Payton, our trusted lobbyist, has already moved to Tallahassee and has been attending committee meetings, legislative hearings and has scheduled individual meetings with legislators and their staffs. Don and I were both in Tallahassee during the first week in January, and I will be returning next week and almost weekly thereafter. While it is impossible to predict the outcome, we do know that Florida has a budget shortfall approaching $4 billion. As you know, the state's projected PECO revenues have plummeted. As a result, the Florida College System saw its PECO allocation reduced by about $88 million. In terms of Seminole State, it means that we lost the funding that had been designated for the second payment toward the acquisition of the Holler property in Altamonte Springs and the continued renovation of buildings L and F — approximately $20 million. This means that we will be working overtime to recover these funds and that we will be counting on legislative leaders such as Representative Chris Dorworth to help get the job done. Our chairman, Scott Howat, has been spending time in Tallahassee in his role as the lobbyist for Orange County Public Schools. Scott, would you like to comment? Does the Board have any questions that they would like addressed at this point? |
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