2011 Archive

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Seminole State College
100 Weldon Boulevard
Sanford, Florida 32773-6199
407.708.4722

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Presidential Report: June 20, 2011

National Ranking

Community College Week has issued their national report of the Top 100 Degree Producers in the United States. I am pleased to report that Seminole State College advanced in the rankings from No. 55 to No. 42 for associate degrees, all disciplines. Additionally, we made our debut in the top 100 for associate degrees, all disciplines to African-American students, coming in at No. 81. We have been reporting a significant increase in the number of African-American students who have enrolled at the College. This indicates that they are also completing their degrees. I hope that everyone will take great pride in this national recognition!

Athletics

It was a great year for our women's golf team, culminating in a fourth-place finish at nationals. Lauren Shuford earned All-Tournament honors, while Elia Folch Sola's sixth-place finish made her an All-American and earned her an automatic invitation to next year's national tournament. Congratulations to Coach Christa Teno and the entire team!

Three pitchers and an infielder have been selected from Seminole State in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft: Michael Clevinger was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels, Dejai Oliver by the Florida Marlins, Todd Hankins by the Cleveland Indians and Garrett Bush by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In addition, Seminole State alum Dee Gordon made his Major League debut for the Dodgers on June 6 and scored the Dodgers' only run in a 3-1 loss. Congratulations to our coaches and players!

2 + 2 Partnership Pays Dividends

On May 26, I joined UCF President John Hitt, Chancellor Will Holcombe and several Florida College System Presidents at UCF's Board of Trustees meeting to celebrate our share of the $5 million incentive fund for the 2+2 Higher Education Partnerships, which was included in a special legislative allocation. It should come as no surprise that DirectConnect is the most successful partnership in the state and earned UCF $1.2 million and Seminole State $250,000.

Also, last Thursday, I testified before the newly formed Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC) on behalf of the DirectConnect partnership. HECC had asked some of the more successful partnerships — St. Petersburg, Broward, Miami-Dade and DirectConnect — to appear before them to describe the programs, benefits that accrue and any steps they could take to increase the success of the programs. Needless to say, the discussion was lively, with the committee expressing concern about some of the "promises" that have been made to the residents of our state.

Seminole State Hosts 10th Annual International Nursing Simulation Conference

Seminole State College co-hosted the 10th annual International Nursing Simulation/Learning Resource Center Conference last week in Orlando. More than 800 participants from as far away as China, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand participated. Approximately 300 of the attendees had the opportunity to tour Seminole State's nursing simulation lab at the Altamonte Springs Campus. Many thanks to Cheryl Cicotti, associate dean for healthcare programs; Maureen Tremel, nursing simulation and technology director; and the nursing faculty and staff for their dedication in hosting the conference and bringing this type of international recognition to Seminole State!

Some Additional Notes

Tonight is our Nurses' Pinning Ceremony at 6 p.m. in the Health Building. This is always an inspirational event. Tonight's speaker will be Sherrie Sitarik, the new head of the Orlando Health hospital system. In addition to Orlando Health's role as a major donor to the College, Sherrie's daughter is graduating from the program this evening.

Also, since we last met, I have officially become a member of the Heart of Florida United Way Board and was elected chair-elect of the American Association of Community Colleges Presidents Academy through a national election. It is all about telling our story...