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Presidential Report: Aug. 20, 2012Kudos Please join me in congratulating Dr. Laura Ross, our new vice president of Academic Affairs. Laura has more than 20 years with Seminole State College. Also, please welcome David Hobbs, who is joining us as the new facilities director after five years at Portland State University. At Portland State, David was responsible for Grounds, Operational Sustainability, Environmental Health and Safety, Contracts, and Custodial. The Pi Lambda chapter of our Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society was recently named a “Five Star Chapter.” This is the highest designation by PTK. Congratulations to our Pi Lambda members and Advisor, Dr. Susan Bell! Thirteen of our students competed in Texas at the Future Business Leaders of America 2012 National Leadership Conference. Ten students placed in the top 10 in the country in their categories.
Martha Goshaw, professor of mathematics, has been chosen to receive the Mathematics Excellence Award by the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) for her “significant contributions to mathematics and mathematics education.” Martha will receive the award in November at the AMATYC Conference. Back in 2003, Martha received the AMATYC Teaching Excellence Award. She is now the only educator that has received both of these AMATYC awards. Congratulations, Martha! John Scarpino has been named to the Executive Committee of the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators for the 2012-13 academic year. Congratulations, John! On July 11, we received word from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that no additional report is needed related to our Level II designation. This is a huge step, according to Dr. Mark Morgan, because it means that we have “cracked the code” on preparing a response sufficient to fulfill requirements for Standard 3.3.1.1., Institutional Effectiveness in Educational Programs including Student Learning. This was a tough standard to address. Thank you to Dick Hamann, Dr. Mark Morgan and the entire team who worked hard to make this happen. Additionally, the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) informed us in July that they have awarded “Initial Accreditation” to Seminole State’s Health Information Technology associate’s degree program. Congratulations to Program Director Christine Tufts-Maher, Associate Vice President Angela Kersenbrock and all our faculty and staff for making this happen. Congratulations to our Grants Department. For the fiscal year ending June 30, we have received more than $4 million in grants! This means that we have nearly doubled the grant monies received last year. Liz Gombash has done an excellent job spearheading these efforts. Many thanks to Liz, Toni DeMaglio and Concetta Duren. Sports The Lady Raiders softball team has been recognized as the Academic Team of the Year in the State of Florida for women’s sports with a collective 3.39 GPA. They have also been recognized nationally by the National Junior College Athletic Association as No. 9 in the nation for their athletic achievement and No. 15 in the nation academically. We are all very proud of the team and Coach Courtney Miller! International Travel This summer, Seminole State students joined faculty, staff and community members to explore destinations around Europe as part of the College’s 2012 Travel Study Programs. Sixteen participants traveled with Paul Luby, Associate Dean of Arts and Communication, to Ireland with stops in Killarney, Kinsale, Cork, Dublin, and Belfast. Honors students Dominic Homac and Austin Mittan accompanied Professor Laura Dickinson to the Salzburg Global Seminar International Study Program in Austria. This year’s topic was “Global Citizenship: At Home in the World.” This is the eighth consecutive year that we have been represented at this seminar. Approximately 20 Seminole State students joined Humanities Professors Rachel Braaten and Marisabel Irizarry on an expedition through London and Paris in mid-June. The group saw some of the most culturally significant sites in two global cities. Our international study tours for 2013 are already being planned! Art & Phyllis Grindle Memorial Service On Friday, July 20, the College hosted a memorial service for Art and Phyllis Grindle. There was a wonderful turnout of faculty, students and community members for this moving “Celebration of Life.” It truly was a wonderful tribute to a couple whose generous legacy continues to bring amazing opportunities to our students. The Grindle family has established a scholarship in honor of Art and Phyllis in the Seminole State College Foundation. So, please feel free to contribute! Enrollment Enrollment numbers from a recent state report show us growing at 26.5 percent over the last three years. We are fifth in the state for growth over this period, behind Polk (32.2 percent), Pasco-Hernando (30.1 percent), Edison (29 percent) and Broward (26.8 percent). The State average increase for three years was 15.2 percent. (Valencia grew 21.1 percent.) Florida Prepaid Many of you remember buying the Florida Prepaid Plan for your children or grandchildren. You may remember paying something like $5,500 for the 4-Year Florida University Plan. Here are some current cost numbers that may indicate we will see even more students choosing the Florida College System.
Recent Articles You will find a copy of two articles at your place this morning. The first piece is from Fox Business, titled “How to Pick the Right Community College.” Our own Isa Adney is quoted in the article about her experience at Seminole State College. The other article is from the August/September issue of Community College Journal and is titled “Working with Russia.” You might guess that it is about my recent Fulbright experience in Russia. Meeting with the Governor As you know, I was privileged to spend a few minutes with Governor Scott last Friday when he visited Lake Mary High School. It was encouraging to hear his support for the Florida College System and also to be able to thank him personally for approving the $7.5 million for the Altamonte Springs Campus. Upcoming Events/ Meetings This week marks the start of the Fall Term with the faculty returning on Wednesday, Aug. 22. Classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 27. The Foundation will be hosting a Celebration of Giving Event on Thursday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m., in the Partnership Center library. We had offered to host the State Board of Education’s workshop on continuing contracts on Aug. 31. However, we were notified on Friday by the Chancellor’s Office that the workshop is being canceled and will be rescheduled. On Sept. 13 and 14, I will be attending the 21st Century Initiative-Implementation Steering Committee meeting in Washington, D.C. I am honored to have been selected by the President of the American Association of Community Colleges to co-chair the committee. The Steering Committee will generally oversee the implementation of recommendations set forth in the report of the 21st Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges – Reclaiming the American Dream. This will be 2-3 year initiative funded by the Gates, Kresge and Lumina foundations and others that seeks to "remake" community college education so that we will have an even greater impact on our students and our nation. This will be great exposure for Seminole State College and I couldn't be more pleased to be asked to serve in an integral role. The Division of the Florida College System will be hosting a training session for all of the trustee chairs in Orlando on Oct. 8 immediately preceding the State Board meeting in Orlando on Oct. 9. The National Conference of the Association of Community College Trustees will be held in Boston on Oct. 10-13. Please let me know ASAP if you would like to attend. The Florida College System's annual trustee meeting will be held on Nov. 1 at Innisbrook near Tampa and is open to all trustees. |
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