NOTES FROM THE Dec. 7, 2016, MEETING OF THE CF DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES

By Board Report

The meeting was held at the Appleton Museum of Art.

The Board of Trustees:

  • Ratified a letter of interest to develop partnerships and thereby accept the invitation to join the University of South Florida FUSE partnership. FUSE guarantees admission to specific programs at USF for transferring graduates.
  • Granted the president authority and discretion to waive, but not raise, user fees and fines enumerated in Section 1009.43, Florida Statues, in unique situations or circumstances in which he deems a waiver to be in the best interest of the college. This would allow the president to waive fees for a cohort of nursing students from one of our local hospitals, for example.
  • Approved the deletion of courses from the college catalog according to state administrative rule. The annual purge removes courses that have not been taught in the preceding five years.
  • Approved budget priorities for 2017-2018. The priorities are unchanged from 2016-2017, and board approval is the first step in the annual budget process.
  • Approved an articulation agreement with Ocala Christian Academy for dual enrollment, tech prep, remediation and teacher preparation efforts at the secondary school level for 2016-2017.
  • Received the Monthly Financial Summary Report and Warrant List.

Appleton Museum of Art Update

Dr. Jillian Ramsammy, vice president of Institutional Effectiveness and College Relations, introduced Patricia Tomlinson, new curator of Exhibitions. Tomlinson previously worked at the Denver Museum of Art, Colorado, and most recently is from Hartsville, South Carolina. Museum Director Cindi Morrison shared details about this exciting year at the Appleton. Temporary exhibitions, special events, arts classes for all ages, and summer camps for children led to increased attendance (50,240) and engagement with the community. Special projects included replacement of aging doors and inventory of the African collection. An exciting year is planned for 2017, the museum’s 30th anniversary.

Trustee Comments

Don Taylor said he passed by the Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus recently and was pleased to see the great progress on construction. Ron Ewers asked how much museum attendance had increased in the last year; from about 45,000 in 2015-2016 to 50,240 in 2016-2017. Bill Edgar asked if the Appleton Museum takes traveling programs to Citrus and Levy locations; yes, and the Appleton team is looking forward to doing more. Board Chair Bobby Durrance noted that the meeting was being held on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and said he hopes the nation never forgets the importance of the day.

Legislative Update

Rob Batsel, general counsel and director of Governmental Relations, shared a legislative update. CF’s legislative priorities are support for workforce programs critical to our region that lead to high-skill, high-wage jobs including health sciences, transportation and logistics, business and information technology. Our funding priority is a health sciences technology education center that would support Nursing, Emergency Medical Services, Dental Assisting, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiography and Surgical Technician programs.

President’s Report

  • Thanks to Don Taylor, Joyce Brancato and Sandy Balfour for attending the Association of Florida Colleges Trustees Commission meeting Nov. 2-3 in Lake Buena Vista.
  • Fall Commencement will be held Friday, Dec. 16, at First Baptist Church of Ocala. The Distinguished Alumni Award will go to Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Mike Joyner. Ron and Phyllis Ewers will receive the Distinguished Service Award for their service to the community and college.
  • The partner presidents from the DirectConnect to UCF consortium met Nov. 8 at University of Central Florida. The consortium agreed that nursing program expansion would be the next strategic focus as the partners strive to meet the workforce needs of their communities.
  • CF recently met with Robert Knight, head of the Florida Springs Institute, to identify potential academic collaborations that might include teaching and opportunities for our students to participate in the work of the institute.
  • Our new Health Sciences Simulation Center at the Ocala Campus is fully operational and being utilized for student clinical work. Thanks to two generous donors, nine state-of-the-art, high-fidelity mannequins costing $425,000 have been installed. This building formerly housed cosmetology and barbering programs but now is home to seven simulated hospital rooms including a birthing suite and our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. We will have a ribbon cutting ceremony for the facility Jan. 19, 2017.
  • The Association of Community College Trustees National Legislative Summit will be held Feb. 13-16, 2017, in Washington, D.C.
  • The Culture Vultures organization of Del Webb Stone Creek adult community coordinated and hosted a fundraiser Oct. 21 to benefit the CF Music and Theatre departments. CF’s Jazz Band performed at the cabaret-style event to a sold-out house, and ticket sales resulted in a $2,000 donation to CF to support student performances in music and theatre.
  • Associate Degree Nursing Professor Barbara Anderson was recently recognized at the Florida Nursing Student Association Conference as an Honorary Lifetime Member for her years of service to CF’s Student Nurses Association.
  • We were informed by the Ocala StarBanner that the college and museum won several Readers’ Choice Awards. The college was selected Best College/University, Best Local College, and Best Green Business or Organization. The Appleton Museum of Art was selected Best Museum, Best Art Charity and Best Wedding Venue. CF was finalist for Best Place to Work, Best Event Venue (Webber Center) and Best Live Theatre (Dassance Fine Arts Center). The Appleton was a finalist for Best Local Tourist Attraction and Best Event Venue.
  • Marketing and Public Relations has been recognized by two organizations for outstanding work. The department earned 15 Awards of Excellence from the Association of Florida Colleges Communications and Marketing Commission: first place for Outdoor Advertising, Print Advertising, “Best Bang for the Buck,” Direct Mail Piece, Redesign of the CF Viewbook, Social Media; first and second place for Best Photography in a Published Piece; second place for Annual Report, Article in a College-Produced Publication, Magazine, and Viewbook/Recruitment Piece; third place for Brochure, Single Sheet Flier, and Specialty Advertising/Promotion Item. The department also earned Silver Medallion Awards for the CF viewbook and Connection magazine from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. The Appleton Museum of Art earned third place for Direct Mail Piece in the AFC Awards of Excellence, and the CF Foundation also earned second place for its annual report in the AFC Awards of Excellence. Thank you to our Director of Marketing, Lois Brauckmuller, and her staff for all of their hard work on these projects!
  • The CF Debate and Forensics team competed at the Star Invitational at Florida State College, Jacksonville and received seven rankings. Madeline Ginn ranked third and Shelby Korynta ranked fifth in Poetic Interpretation; Michael Hayworth ranked third in Communication Analysis; Tyler Nilsen ranked third and Elizabeth Ladkani ranked fifth in Extemporaneous Speaking; Jacob Ratcliffe ranked fifth in Poetic Interpretation; and Morgan Stringham ranked fourth in After Dinner Speaking and fourth in Poetic Interpretation. Thanks to Associate Professor Courtney Harvin, Forensics advisor, for her work with these students.
  • In CF Foundation news, $1.6 million has been raised in 2016 from private sources. Three new scholarships have been established totaling more than $250,000 to benefit nursing students and female students returning to pursue their college degree. The foundation is on track for a very good year.
  • At the Appleton Museum of Art, current exhibitions include “A Dickens Christmas: The Urban Family Holiday Exhibit,” “Power and Piety: Spanish Colonial Art,” and “Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” an exhibit of prints by John James Audubon. The Ocala Art Group’s “Toast to the Arts” opening reception and award presentation Nov. 12 was attended by more than 120 people. One-hundred people attended the Trips ’N’ Tours Special Holiday Luncheon and Guided Tour of the Urban Exhibition Dec. 5. During the event, Dodie Jerz, who initiated the Trips ‘N Tours program more than 14 years ago, was recognized for her service to the Appleton. The door replacement project was completed in November. Twenty-four glass storefront doors were installed to replace the original teak veneer doors that had deteriorated.
  • In Athletics, the State/District Volleyball Championship was held in Bradenton Nov. 4-6 and the women finished fourth in a very strong region. The Men’s Basketball team is at 11-3; CF hosts the Florida Men’s Shootout this weekend with 10 games in two days. Conference games will begin Jan. 7, 2017. The Women’s Basketball team is 3-6 overall and conference play will begin Jan. 7. Baseball and Softball teams are wrapping up the fall scrimmage season Nov. 15. Baseball Coach Marty Smith and Softball Coach Kevin Fagan indicate they have strong teams and will compete for conference, state and national titles.

The next board meeting will be held Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, at 3 p.m. in the Founders Hall Board Room at the Ocala Campus.