RECOGNITION
■ Dr. Jim Henningsen recognized Levy students Kayla Dexter, David Fisher, Krista Sharpe and Ceciley Meeks, who shared their positive experiences at CF.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
■ Approved an amendment to the lease agreement between the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida and College of Central Florida, which references the correct legal description of the leased premises, the Hampton Center.
■ Approved a loan agreement with Landau Traveling Exhibitions, LLC, for the Appleton Museum of Art to host the exhibition, “Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau.” The rental fee for the exhibit is $35,000 with one-way shipping costs of $3,750.
■ Approved the Educational Plant Survey for the Vintage Farm Campus as required by Florida Statute Section 1013.31 and the State Requirements for Educational Facilities Section 3.1. The survey process is used to aid in formulating plans for housing the college’s educational programs to meet the current and projected student population of the district and campus.
■ Acknowledged receipt of the Monthly Financial Summary Report and List of Warrants.
■ Received a Levy update from Holly McGlashan, Levy Campus Provost. Enrollment on campus is up from 166 students in 2016 to 244 in 2019. Program offerings include the Associate of Arts degree, Welding Technologies, EMT, Health Sciences pre-requisites, Timber Harvesting, college credit certificates, dual enrollment and corporate training. The addition of an advanced Welding Technologies program will offer three more high-skill certifications and the program is in the final stages of becoming an accredited testing facility. Adult education had 56 graduates in
2018 and 23 percent transitioned to CF. The program is 100 percent grant-funded with a dedicated computer lab. Campus amenities include a science lab, learning resource center, assessment center, student lounge, wellness center and the Mann Conference Center. Student life is active with clubs, a fall picnic, welcome back week activities and community engagement.
■ Received a legislative update from Jessica Kummerle, manager of Governmental Relations, who provided an overview of the Feb. 6-7 trip to Tallahassee with students. They met Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley and many other legislators. The 2019 Association of Community College Trustees National Legislative Summit was held in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11-13, where our team met with U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn and U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster.
■ Received an Internal Controls and Fraud Procedures update from Joe Mazur, vice president of Administration & Finance, who guided the board through training about occupational fraud. Mr. Mazur reviewed board policies and administrative procedures in place to detect, report and prevent fraud at the institution, along with internal controls and separation of duties.
TRUSTEE REMARKS
■ Chair Rusty Branson attended the financial audit exit conference and shared that the auditors were impressed by CF staff and the college received another clean audit.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO THE BOARD
2019 All-Florida Academic Team. Six CF students have been named to the Florida College System’s 2019 All-Florida Academic Team. Congratulations to Angelique Alarcon, Danielle Bryan, Corey Evans, Layna Freilich, Hanya Noussier and Jessica Pollare. The students were named to the team because of their outstanding academic achievement, leadership and service to the community. They will be recognized at an awards ceremony held on April 4th in Orlando.
Health Science and Technology Education Center. On Monday, February 25th, the Marion County Hospital District Trustees voted unanimously to provide CF with an additional $3.5M grant to complete a fourth floor of the Health Science & Technology Building and for renovations of the Hampton Center to become the Center of Dental Studies and Community Engagement.
Citrus Campus Update. The campus sponsored and hosted two important community Black History events. On Sunday, February 24th, they hosted the 12th Annual Citrus County African American Read-In. This free event is a community celebration of African-American artistic and literary achievements. The campus also hosted a two-day Pathways to Freedom exhibit which was open to the public and sponsored by a CF Foundation New Initiative Grant.
Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus Update. On January 28th, the campus held the Forestry Advisory Meeting to confirm the dates for this year’s Timber Harvesting Equipment program. The program will run May 6th through June 27th. This is the third year of the program.
On February 5, the campus hosted the Dixie County High School 10th grade AVID students, followed by the 9th grade AVID students on February 19th. These campus visits were accommodated at the request of Dixie County Schools. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a nonprofit that changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach.
Shop Talk Cancer Awareness Program. Marketing and Public Relations will host a Shop Talk Cancer Awareness program for CF students during MEGA Monday on March 4. The program, which will focus on the Human Papilloma Virus, is in partnership with the Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Inc. and Ocala Health. This is the first year that Shop Talk programs have been targeted to students.
Ministerial and Leadership Alliance. CF will host the Ministerial and Leadership Alliance at the Hampton Center on March 4th. CF representatives will host community and faith-based leaders in a discussion on how to encourage a college-going culture, especially in underserved communities.
Community Outreach. CF will be represented at the Marion County Habitat for Humanity Strawberry Festival on March 2nd at the McPherson Complex in Ocala. The annual event draws an estimated 34,000 visitors, who have the opportunity to speak with CF team members about academic programs, application and financial aid information. On March 2nd and 3rd, CF will be represented at the Florida SpringsFest at Silver Springs State Park. Thanks to team members from across the college for representing CF at these events.
Friday Talks Business Advancement Series. The Friday Talks Business Advancement Series on January 25th featured Dr. Henri Benlolo, Dean of Student Services, who discussed “How to Resolve Conflict and Work with Difficult People”; about 30 people attended. The February 22nd Friday Talks presentation featured Edith Gandy, Human Resources Director, at On top of the World Communities. Her presentation focused on “Customer Service is a Mindset, Not a Task”; 25 people attended.
AFC Trustees Legislative Conference. The AFC Trustees Legislative Conference will be held March 13th and 14th, in Tallahassee. The first day includes presentations by FSC Chancellor Kathy Hebda and Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran, a 2019 legislative outlook, information on trustee appointments and campus safety. The second day will include visits with legislators at the Capitol and a TaxWatch Press Conference. Please contact Sherri Hinkle if you would like to attend.
ACCT National Legislative Summit. Board Chair Rusty Branson, Jessica Kummerle, Governmental Relations Manager, and I attended the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) National Legislative Summit the week of February 10th. We met with Congressman Neal Dunn, Congressman Daniel Webster, Congressman Ted Yoho and Senator Marco Rubio’s staff. Dr. Walter Bumphus, AACC President and CEO, was appointed to serve on the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump.
Student Life/Student Activities Board. February 6 through 8, three members of Ocala SAB and five members of the Citrus SAB attended the FCSSGA Advocacy Conference in Tallahassee. Deonte Smith, the Ocala SAB President, sang the National Anthem to open the conference. The students, along with Dr. Henningsen, Jessica Kummerle, Mikel James, Eileen McDonald and Marjorie McGee met with Representative Stan McClain, Senator Rob Bradley, Representative Charlie Stone, Representative Clovis Watson’s staff, Senator Keith Perry, Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez and Governor Ron DeSantis. They were recognized at the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education by Senator Dennis Baxley and recognized by Representative Cord Byrd at the House Higher Education & Career Readiness Subcommittee. The keynote speakers included Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey and Franqua ‘Coach Q” Bedell, Head Coach of Women’s Basketball, Tallahassee Community College.
Four new student clubs were chartered this month: College Republicans, ASL (American Sign Language), Young Politicians of Florida and Soccer Club.
On February 19th, Student Life hosted Student Life staff from Florida Gateway College to share information on Student Life, Athletics and the First Year Experience
Academic Affairs. A college-wide Professional Development Day was held February 12th with 335 faculty and staff from all campuses in attendance. In the afternoon, 172 faculty and staff participated in workshops including G.I.F.T.S. (Great Ideas for Teaching Students), CRM, FERPA, Office 365 and Windows 10, financial aid, advising, accreditation, faculty and student retention, Canvas, tours of the Learning Resource Center, Violence Against Women Act, OSHA training, and sharing the CF story. They heard a special presentation by Brenda Skoczelas, AFC’s 2018 Professor of the Year, entitled “I Shouldn’t Be In Education.”
Health Sciences. Associate Professor Debbie Becker and Assistant Professor Angela Martin were selected to present a poster presentation at the NLN/University of Central Florida Simulation Conference in Orlando on March 7-8, 2019. Their presentation titled, “What do we do now? Unexpected findings from a prioritization and delegation simulation” is based on lessons learned from a priority simulation they developed and implemented for associate degree nursing students last year.
On March 12, 2019, associate degree nursing students and dental assisting students are teaming up to present the latest nursing and dental assisting research at the spring 2019 Evidence Based Practice Poster Presentations day. This event will be held from 1-3 pm in the Ewers Century Center.
Dean of Health Sciences, Dr. Stephanie Cortes, was recently appointed for a three-year term to the Board of Directors for Hospice of Marion County, Inc.
Associate Professor John “Mel” Bledsoe was just named the StartSmart Fellow for Health Sciences. Mr. Bledsoe will serve as a liaison for first-time-in-college students wishing to enter a health sciences program.
Foundation Update. The CF Family Campaign: CF All-In wrapped up on February 20th. This year, 96% of the full-time faculty and staff are participating for a total of $28,501!
The Taste at the Farm will be held on March 2nd at 6:00 pm. Tickets are almost sold out.
We’ve started the year strong securing an at least $500,000 planned gift that will help students through multiple scholarships, the Patriot Fund, and the Appleton Museum of Art. Identification, cultivation, and solicitation of prospects is ongoing for the Reaching Higher: Campaign for the College of Central Florida.
The Burnyzz Day of Fire Car Show held on February 9, 2019, donated all funds received, approximately $7,300, to the CF Foundation Criminal Justice Institute Fallen Officer Memorial Scholarship Fund. This new scholarship fund was facilitated by Kat Kelly, Criminal Justice Coordinator.
Records/Registrar. The current spring 2019 graduation applications are 1,268 (deadline to apply online for graduation is March 1). Of the 1,268, 720 are autograd and 433 indicated that they plan to walk. Graduates broken down by degrees and certificates:
Associate in Arts (AA): 601
Associate in Science (AS): 162
Advanced technical Diploma (ATC): 25
College Credit Certificate (CC): 328
Vocational Non-Credit Certificate: 32
Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS): 86
Bachelor of Science (BS): 34
Enrollment Management. The week of February 18th the college implemented the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM)/Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) software provided by Jenzabar. This system conversion will replace our current admissions system. We will roll out a new admissions application that is streamlined and more efficient. In addition, this conversion will improve communication between the college and the [prospective] student during the admissions process. Many thanks to IT, Marketing, and the Admissions team for all of their work and assistance during this long implementation process. A presentation to the Board on this new process is planned for an upcoming meeting.
Admissions/Recruitment.
We processed 181 applications during Lake Weir High School (January 24) and Vanguard High School (January 29) Application Days.
On January 25, we met with AT&T employees to discuss how to use tuition reimbursement.
On January 31, we attended The Villages Charter School College and Career Expo with 1,000 participants from Wildwood High School, the Villages Charter School, South Sumter High School and the community.
On February 7 and 8, we partnered with Career Pathways for a P-2 event with 400 students from Tri-County High School.
On February 8, we partnered with the CF Music Department for an Honor Band Presentation including 140 students from all Marion County high schools.
On February 13 and 14, we participated in the Marion County Youth Expo with a total of 744 high school and middle school students.
Counseling Department. Each month the counseling department provides counseling to over 50 students; most students receive multiple counseling sessions; about 40% are considered crisis. This does not include those served by Baycare.
Student Success Advising Center. Debbie Bowe, Dean of Student Success, Chenita Hart, Educational Advisor, and Susan Thomas, Assistant Director of First Year Success, presented ADVISING: EXPLORE YOUR ROLE, G.I.F.T.S. (Great Ideas for Teaching Students) sessions and hosted an Advising Center tour, at the Professional Development Day on February 12th. Chenita also presented an afternoon session on advising student athletes. Chenita attended the spring FUSE work session at USF on February 1st, representing the Operations/Advising area. Susan and Chenita attended the FLVC Florida Student Services Summit in Jacksonville on February 6th and 7th at UNF. FLVC is nearing the completion of infrastructure updates and hoping to improve the K-20 advising experience in Florida to meet the needs of Florida’s students, school districts, and postsecondary institutions.
CF Testing Center Accomplishments. Mark Ross, Testing and Assessment Manager, was inducted as the Florida Association of College Test Administrators (FACTA) 2019-2020 President in January.
On February 1, the testing center acquired Cambridge Testing (Institutional agreement), that awaits final signature by the DBOT.
On February 20, the center applied for a GED Community Outreach Program through the Dollar General Grant fund.
Financial Aid. Patrick Hoffman, Director of Financial Aid, reported that during fall 2018, $14,387,120 was disbursed to 4,197 students and for spring 2019, $10,960,303 has been disbursed to 3,274 students so far.
During the week of February 4, the Financial Aid Office held Financial Awareness Week at the Ocala and Citrus campuses and held a Financial Awareness Day on February 14 at the Levy Campus. There were financial literacy themed events at the campuses that included “Personal Finance 101” and “The Financial Foundation” presentations, Career Paths in Finance and Accounting, workshops for students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and scholarship applications, a session focused on transferring financial aid to the university, and opportunities for students to check their credit scores and learn about budgeting.
Pathways 2 Prosperity. The college recently hosted more than 500 high school students over two days as part of Pathways 2 Prosperity partnership with the tri-county school systems. Students learned about the college’s Associate in Science degree offerings while touring the Ocala Campus.
CareerSource Annual Youth Expo. The college sponsored the CareerSource Annual Career Youth Expo, February 13th and 14th. Middle and high school students learned about career opportunities in the Marion County area. The college’s career-oriented programs were highlighted and several professors participated in the panel discussions with the students.
Educational Opportunity Center Program (EOC).
Events in January and February:
Worked collaboratively with the CF Admissions & Enrollment Office in providing information sessions (FAFSA Application, Admissions Process, GED, Vocational Programs, & etc.) throughout the Tri-county area which included high schools, career expos, and veteran’s events (Ocala, Citrus, Hampton, & Levy Campuses)
Arranged CF campus visit for students from the Skills Center & West Port High School
Participated in the Tampa YMCA Career Day and Marion County Youth Expo
Assisted students with the CF admissions and FAFSA application process at all campuses including military connected families
Worked collaboratively with the CF Financial Aid Office to create and present FAFSA workshops on the main campus during Financial Literacy at all campuses
Assisted students taking the GED and the PERT exam by providing vouchers
Visual and Performing Arts. Visual and Performing Arts partnered with (F)Actor Theatre to host approximately 200 high school theatre students for a staged reading of A Doll’s House Part 2 by Lucas Hnath on January 22nd. The students all received a published copy of the play as a part of (F)Actor’s ongoing initiative to put classic plays in the hands of students. (F)Actor Theatre is comprised of local theatre educators.
CF hosted the world premiere of the original play “Unboxed in Atlanta” by Kim Standstrom in January. A portion of the proceeds went to the non-profit Ignite to further their mission to prevent domestic abuse.
Thirteen music students were selected to represent CF at the Florida Colleges Activities Association Winter Symposium. Percussionist, Marcus Chandler, won the concert competition as the best in the state, in his category. This is the third year in a row that we have had a student win.
In early February, CF Visual and Performing Arts held the 3rd annual CF Honor Band Festival. One-hundred and twenty students from Citrus, Lake, Levy, Marion and Sumter counties attended the three day event, participating in Wind Symphony, Concert Band, Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble. Eight participating senior students were selected to receive scholarships to attend CF next year.
On February 22, CF Teacher Education hosted prospective future educators from 7 regional high schools in the 3rd annual Teacher Education Career Day. The purpose of the event is to help students develop engagement with both the classroom content and the service aspect of a career in education.
Public Safety. On February 15, Doug Prevatt, Manager of Public Safety, was the keynote speaker at South Florida State College’s Professional Development Day in Avon Park, to an audience of 250 and streamed live to other campuses. He spoke on the topic of “Protecting Your Resources” that covered the “Run, Hide, Fight” active shooter protocol, the importance of knowing a buildings’ safety plans, the advantages of seeing students and staff on a daily basis, the personal threat awareness continuum, and also having a survival mindset in emergency situations. He also participated in their college-wide lock down drill that was based upon the premise of a protest held on campus.
Athletics.
Men’s Basketball. The men’s team won the first round game of the Mid-Florida Conference play-offs over Santa Fe College on Monday, February 25. They advanced to the Conference Tournament Championship game on Tuesday night where they lost to Daytona State College 87-83. Assistant coach Jake Zehnder, has been ranked as the # 1 Junior College assistant coach in the country by JUCO Basketball.com
Women’s Basketball. The women’s team won the first round game of the Mid-Florida Conference play-offs over Florida State College at Jacksonville on Monday, February 25. They advanced to the Conference Tournament Championship game on Tuesday night where they lost to Daytona State College 68-62.
Baseball. With a record of 18-1, the baseball team is the # 1 team in the State as of this week’s polling. Nationally, the team is ranked # 1 in runs scored, hits, doubles, and extra base hits; ranked # 2 in runs batted in and strike outs by pitchers, and ranked # 5 nationally in home runs.
Softball. Softball is holding on to the # 3 state ranking and will begin conference play next week with a home game against St. Johns River State College.
The College of Central Florida is preparing to host the FCSAA State/NJCAA District Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship next week, with play beginning on March 6th and the championship games on Saturday, March 9th.
Appleton Museum of Art.
Exhibits, Education and Events Update
Exhibits Through March 4
• Arts4All Florida
• Artwork by children and adults with disabilities both in schools and in the community.
Exhibits Through May 26
• America’s Everglades: Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher. This exhibition of large format black and white photographs spans three decades and captures the rugged and remote beauty of the Everglades.
Exhibits Through July 7
• Drawings by Vicki Jones. Jones’ realistic and sometimes surreal works vary in subject matter including landscapes, portraiture, still lifes and architecture.
Education
• February 2
o Ninety-six people attended the First Saturday program in the ARTSpace.
• February 8
o Hollis Mutch, Museum Educator, presented a STEAMinspiration program to 129 students at Howard Middle School.
• February 15
o Hollis Mutch, Museum Educator, presented a STEAMinspiration program to 306 students at NH Jones Elementary School.
o Hollis Mutch, Museum Educator, and Naomi Ballard, Education Assistant, presented an Appleton-on-the-Go program to 18 students at the New Leaf Center.
Events
• January 26
o Over 300 people attended the Art on the Move exhibit’s reception and awards ceremony.
• January 31
o Steve MacKenzie, CF Faculty of Environmental Sciences, and Griselle Gonzales, AMA Visitor Services Manager, organized anARt for Arbor Day event for over 100 people. Greg Barton, Marion County forester, presented a program on the importance of trees and Appleton docents gave a guided tour of permanent collection pieces featuring flora and fauna imagery.
• February 1
o Over 180 people attended the Directors Circle Reception and presentation by photographer Clyde Butcher.
• February 2
o Clyde Butcher’s book signing event was attended by more than 130 people.
• February 7
o More than 280 people attended the February After Hours featuring music by New Generation Branches Steel Group and southern cuisine themed food by the Marion Technical College’s Culinary program.
o The Appleton-on-the-Go program met with 32 students at the New Leaf Center.
Next Board Meeting. Our next meeting will be held Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at 3 p.m. on the Ocala Campus.