BOARD REPORT FROM THE JAN. 25, 2017, MEETING OF THE CF DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES
RECOGNITION
The board recognized Dr. Heidi Maier, who was elected superintendent of Marion County Public Schools in November. Maier is a CF alumna who has served the college as an associate professor of Early Childhood Education, program manager of Teacher Education and director of the University Center.
XCEL-IT PRESENTATION
Loren Carr, executive director for the XCEL-IT grant consortium, shared information about the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant that closes out in September. The consortium has served 2,500 unique participants, 71 percent male. At CF, the grant supported the purchase of thousands of dollars of equipment and supplies for Engineering and Information Technology programs, faculty training and professional development, industry partnerships, marketing and CareerCoach, a web-based career exploration tool for student and community members. The grant also contributed to a 40 percent increase in certificates awarded from academic years 2012-2013 to 2015-2016.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
■ Approved an agreement with Siemens Industry Inc. for replacement of chemical lab exhaust fans for Building 2 at the Ocala Campus at a cost of $454,845. The current exhaust fans from 1992 no longer meet the standards for the State Requirements for Educational Facilities and the Florida Energy Codes. The project will be completed in summer 2017.
■ Approved an agreement with Siemens Industry Inc. for replacement equipment to regulate indoor air quality at the Appleton Museum of Art. The equipment is imperative to reduce risk of catastrophic damage to the facility and its contents, and maintaining the museum’s national accreditation. The current system has exceeded normal life expectancy by 16 years. This phase of the project will cost $782,000.
■ Approved a Castaldi Study for incorporation into the College’s Facilities Inventory and Educational Plant Survey in accordance with rules established by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Educational Facilities.
■ Ratified change orders No. 9-15 for the Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus project. The majority are deductive change orders for direct purchases that will result in a tax savings of $34,536.64. No. 10 is a correction to previous change orders that results in contract savings of $299.99.
■ Received the Monthly Financial Summary Report and Warrant List.
■ Received Auditor General Report No. 2017-046, Operational Audit. There were four findings related to background screenings of employees, policy and procedures for textbook affordability, coding of compensation, and IT security controls.
STARTSMART@CF UPDATE
Dr. Mark Paugh, vice president of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Saul Reyes, vice president of Student Affairs, said that CF is now expanding the pilot for StartSmart@CF. The $2.1 million Title III grant will support implementation of 85-plus unique academic pathways, increasing engagement and expanding support services. StartSmart now includes all first-time-in-college students who began classes in fall 2016.
DEGREES TO JOBS SUMMIT UPDATE
Dr. Henningsen shared CF’s progress in Gov. Rick Scott’s Degrees to Jobs Summit initiative. CF has implemented StartSmart@CF, collaborated with CareerSource to create the CF Talent Center, focused on textbook affordability, redesigned the advising model, implemented intensive loan counseling for students, and continues to explore ways to support the initiative.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
CF’s legislative priorities are to invest in affordable workforce programs that are critical in the region and lead to high-skill, high-wage jobs for graduates (in areas such as Health Sciences, Transportation and Logistics, Business and Information Technology) and to fund CF’s $29.7 million Health Sciences Technology Education Center. The Florida College System Council of Presidents’ priorities include $100 million in new funding and support for the Department of Education’s PECO request for $100 million.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
■ As of Jan. 25, Full-Time Enrollment is down 3.2 percent. The largest decline (-5 percent) is in the Liberal Arts and Sciences division, which is primarily coursework for the Associate in Arts and general education requirements for Associate in Science degrees. Health Sciences and Public Safety are up at 10.8 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively.
■ CF was represented by about 50 faculty, staff and students at the Martin Luther King Jr. March in Ocala Jan. 16. Marketing and Public Relations shared information about college programs and services at the MLK Day in the Park, reaching about 200 people.
■ Dr. Henningsen will attend Gov. Rick Scott’s 2017 Jobs Summit Feb. 2-3. The event will bring together top business leaders, economic developers, educators and community leaders to discuss ways to help shape the future of Florida’s economy to create high-paying jobs for Florida families.
■ The total amount collected this year in the Citrus Campus United Way Campaign was $1,667.22. Rory Wells and Marc Shapot co-chaired the campaign. Contributions from the Ocala Campus totaled $10,007.84, with Mark Ross chairing the campaign. Many thanks to the campaign chairs for their hard work on this community fundraiser.
■ The CF Teacher Education department partnered with the Marion County School Board and Citrus County School District to host the first Teacher Education Summit Dec. 1, 2016. More than 100 high school members of Florida Future Educators attended from West Port, Dunnellon, Vanguard and Lecanto high schools. Students enjoyed presentations about careers in education, and learned about career options, certifications, testing and on-the-job expectations for educators. They were also given information on financial aid and college coursework and had the opportunity to apply for admission to CF.
■ The CF Brain Bowl Red team tied for fourth place in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments South Florida Sectionals Jan. 21, hosted by the State College of Florida Manatee, Sarasota. Team members included Shawn Jarrard, Levi Cooper, Andrew Weatherly, Chris Shelton and Shazeem Sadeek. CF is ranked 12th in the nation (out of 61 teams participating in sectionals around the country). The team should qualify for the NAQT Community College Championship Tournament Feb. 24-25 in Bloomington, Minnesota. The team will participate in the Florida College System Activities Association East Central Regional to be hosted by CF at the Ocala Campus Feb. 11. If the team finishes in the top two at this tournament, it will advance to the FCSAA State Brain Bowl Tournament March 30-April 1 at Florida Gulf Coast College.
■ The Citrus Campus hosted Galaxy of Stars teacher awards night for Citrus County Schools Jan. 19. Approximately 300 guests attended.
■ On Jan. 19, the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership helped the college welcome donors, legislators and the community to a ribbon cutting for the new Health Sciences Simulation Center. Visitors toured the state-of-the-art education center and viewed the nine patient simulators, which were made possible through $425,000 in private donations. Also at the ribbon cutting, Dr. Stephanie Cortes, dean for Health Sciences, announced plans for a fast-track Associate Degree in Nursing that will cut completion from 24 months to 17 months. The first fast-track cohort will begin in spring 2018.
■ The Ocala City Council presented a proclamation Jan. 17 at City Hall declaring the week of Jan. 16 as “College of Central Florida Week” in honor of the college’s 60th Anniversary.
■ CF was one of 51 colleges/universities across the country selected by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in a loan counseling experiment. Students will be required to complete additional activities in order to be eligible for federal student loans. At CF, students in the treatment group will complete the USDOE’s Financial Awareness Counseling Tool, which provides budgeting tools and specific information about the student’s loans (i.e., how much the student has borrowed previously, average debt amounts based on college type, how much interest will be capitalized on the loan if they defer the interest until he/she graduates, how much interest will be paid in total when the loan is repaid, etc.). The goal is to help educate students on the loan process and reduce the amount of loans students choose.
■ Congratulations to James Frye for placing in the Florida Collegiate Honors Council writing contest’s “Freshman through Senior Poetry Writing” category. Frye was competing against students from university honors programs, honors colleges and state college honors students. He will receive the award and present his poem at the 2017 FCHC conference, “American Dreams, American Dreamers: Visions of the future from the honors community of today,” hosted by the University of North Florida Feb. 24-26 in Jacksonville.
■ Dr. Henningsen and Rob Batsel covered Legislative Delegation meetings for Levy, Citrus and Marion counties and presented CF’s legislative priorities in January.
■ In CF Foundation news, more than $1.6 million was raised for scholarships and program support in 2016, up 42 percent over 2015. One new endowed chair and 14 scholarships were created/funded in 2016. The foundation was gifted a 103-acre farm that will allow the expansion of the Equine Studies and Agribusiness programs.
■ In Appleton news, more than 5,400 people visited the museum from Nov. 11 to Dec. 31 and enjoyed temporary exhibitions. Of those, more than 1,400 attended the Urban Family Day, which featured free admission, performances in the auditorium, art making in the ARTSpace, photos with Santa, and carriage rides. “Hallowed Absurdities,” an exhibit of sculptures by Montana artist Theodore Waddell, opened Jan. 14. Winter art classes for adults and children include glass mosaics, collage and pottery. The museum’s annual appeal raised more than $10,000 to support exhibition and educational programs.
■ In Athletics, Volleyball Coach Flavia Siqueira has resigned to move on to other challenges and opportunities. Assistant Coach Angel Gonzalez has been named interim head coach to assist with transition of sophomores to upper-level institutions and continue 2017-2018 recruiting. Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams have started conference play. Baseball opening day is Jan. 27, and Softball opening day is Jan. 28. CF’s student-athletes will be recognized for outstanding academic achievements in fall semester: 24 student-athletes made the Director’s List with a GPA between 3.00 and 3.49; 21 student-athletes made the Dean’s List with a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99; and eight student-athletes made the President’s List with a 4.0 GPA.
The next board meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. at the Levy Center.