Volume 1 - January/February 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
Spotlights
Lake-Sumter Welcomes New President
Lake-Sumter State College's Board of Trustees selected Dr. Stanley Sidor as the college's 6th president.
College of Central Florida Joins DirectConnect to UCF
Joining five of Florida's colleges already participating in the DirectConnect program, College of Central Florida now guarantees its associate's degree graduates seamless admission to the University of Central Florida.
Upcoming Events
All-Florida Academic Team Awards Ceremony
April 21, 2016
Chancellor's Leadership Seminar
May 18-20, 2016
MESSAGE FROM THE CHANCELLOR
Facing the Challenge: The Mismatch between High School Graduation and College Attendance
According to The Institute of Education Sciences, more students are getting their high school diplomas; however, fewer of them are enrolling in college. Recently released data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that college enrollment rates have decreased for the fourth straight year.
  
In an article published in January 2016 by The Atlantic, " Where Are All the High-School Grads Going?" Anthony Carnevale, Director of Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, addresses the obstacles confronting the high school graduates who typically forgo college.  He attributes the problem to Americans'  "chaotic" understanding of the role of college in the economy.  Carnevale says, "Students are lost; they don't know how to make these connections between the value of a college degree and their position within the economy." 

To meet the demands of the growing mismatch between rates for high school graduation and college attendance in the U.S., state colleges face the challenges of outreach and resources.  Carnevale insists, "The higher-ed curriculum is very oriented toward the economy (with some obvious exceptions)--it's just not connected strongly enough, as a counseling and career-planning system."

Young people tend to struggle with the confusion surrounding higher education and the economy.  Carnevale says, "You're young; you don't want to take out loans ... People are pretty much just wandering around between youth dependency and adult dependence."
                                                                                                                                
  The FCS is leading the nation in best practices in a variety of areas, including financial aid awareness.  For example, Polk State College, Miami Dade College, and St. Johns River State College, among many other FCS institutions, helped students complete FAFSA applications during  Florida College Goal Sunday.

The financial aid system is complex, and the chances of students knowing all their options can depend heavily on their circumstances. The Institute of Education Sciences plays a major role in assisting students to access the right resources at the optimal time.  The Florida College System (FCS) serves as an access point for Floridians across the state.  During the 2014-15 academic year, 257,099 of our students were Pell Grant recipients. We will continue to work with the colleges to develop innovative programs to ensure access and success for students.  


Sincerely,

Madeline
January - Chancellor's Clark Maxwell Scholar  Student of the Month
Chancellor Madeline Pumariega names Austin Albro the inaugural Clark Maxwell Scholar Student of the Month.

"I am proud to present this award to Austin and grateful to the Maxwell family for establishing this fund to help Florida College System students attain their higher education goals," said Chancellor Pumariega.

A senior honors student at Daytona State College pursing his Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Marketing, Albro currently serves as president of the Student Government Association.

"Austin Albro embraces diversity and views change as an opportunity for growth.  He contributes to one of the most active and inviting atmospheres the association has seen," said Bruce Cook, Assistant Dean at Daytona State. "As SGA president, Austin keeps in contact with all student organizations, as well as the athletic teams, and meets regularly with Daytona State's administrators."

Albro has been recognized on campus for starting "Talk About it Tuesday" in the college's courtyard, encouraging productive dialogues among students on campus. In the community, Albro volunteers for food and clothing drives, special events for veterans, and culturally diverse activities around Daytona. He has actively worked with organizations like the Easter Seals, One Voice Volusia, and the 4 The Kids Foundation. Earlier in January, Albro moderated Daytona State's Student Homelessness Summit, which invited local agencies, non-profits, and former students to be guest speakers.

"We are truly honored and pleased that the first Clark Maxwell Scholar Student of the Month has been given in our father's name to Austin Albro," said Clark Maxwell III speaking on behalf of the Maxwell family. "Our dad left behind a legacy of educational excellence and service to others, and Austin exemplifies many of the same characteristics. He has accomplished so much in such a short period of time and is well deserving of this award."

Albro was awarded $150 for his outstanding work both on campus and in the community. Throughout his college career, he has maintained a high GPA and is expecting to graduate in May of 2016. He attributes hard work and a positive attitude to his success.
February - Chancellor's Clark Maxwell Scholar Student of the Month
Chancellor Pumariega has selected Sean Bennett from Indian River State College (IRSC) as the February Clark Maxwell Scholar Student of the Month.

Sean Bennett's career with IRSC began when he was a high school student. He dual-enrolled at the college in order to receive his Associate's degree in Medical Lab Technology by 2015. Now, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology to achieve his dream of attending medical school and becoming an emergency room doctor. His hard work and academic strides have not gone without recognition. He was acknowledged by Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges, an exclusive honor conferred by universities and colleges nationwide. Bennett also won a scholarship for 2014-15 from Siemens-ASCP for Laboratory Professionals.  This scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence and promise in laboratory medicine.

Bennett has certainly shown dedication in the field. Since 2015, he has worked full-time at the Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, the area's premier Level II Trauma Center, as a Medical Laboratory Technologist. His service to the community does not end there. On campus, Bennett serves as the vice president for both the Take Stock in Children and Medical Laboratory Technology Clubs. He is also involved in his church community, volunteering as the Youth Leadership Counselor and the Church Radio Operations Manager, along with continuing his efforts to start an Adventist Campus Ministry at IRSC.
    
With his service and leadership on campus and in the community, and his academic successes, Bennett exemplifies the qualities deserving of the Clark Maxwell Scholar Student of the Month.
Aspen Institute Prize for Community College Excellence      
The Florida College System is proud to announce 14 of our 28 colleges have been nominated by the Aspen Institute for their biannual Community College Excellence Award. The Aspen Institute placed 14 of Florida's state colleges on their list of the top 150 two-year colleges in the country. The Aspen Institute sets the bar high for its qualifying institutions and looks for the ones that excel in three areas: student success in persistence, completion, and transfer; consistent improvement in outcomes (employment and earnings) over time; and equity in outcomes for students of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. This year the Aspen Institute partnered with the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Kresge Foundation and the Lumina Foundation in order to honor the winning college with $1 million. The top 10 finalists will be announced in the fall of 2016, and the top college will be announced sometime in 2017. Congratulations to the nominated colleges in the Florida College System.  They include the following colleges:

Broward College
Chipola College
College of Central Florida
Daytona State College
Eastern Florida State College
Florida SouthWestern State College
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Indian River State College
Lake-Sumter State College
Northwest Florida State College
Palm Beach State College
Saint Johns River State College
South Florida State College
Tallahassee Community College 
State Board of Education Approves Two New Bachelor's Degree Programs   

 

During the January State Board of Education meeting, the Board voted to approve two new bachelor's degree programs within the Florida College System.


Florida Keys Community College received approval to offer its inaugural bachelor's degree, Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management, and Pensacola State College was approved to offer a new Bachelor of Applied Science in Cybersecurity.
FINANCIAL AID AWARENESS MONTH  
FAFSA Completion - What Stops Our Students?
The American Association of Community Colleges recently conducted a survey of Presidents and CEOs of 41 AACC member institutions regarding a variety of student financial aid related issues. Consider the following important conclusions about the students who are not completing a FAFSA.
  • The highest percentage of institutions reported that the reason for FAFSA non-completion is that students are unaware that it is necessary to complete the FAFSA to obtain grants as well as student loans.
  • The second highest percentage involves immigration related issues such as fear that information from the FAFSA will lead to student deportation.
  • Two-thirds of the institutions reported that the process is too complicated or that parents are unwilling to provide requisite information to complete the FAFSA.
Keep in mind these challenges as you develop and implement programs to increase FAFSA completion and allocate resources to these programs.
 
Broward College Financial Literacy Tool Kit
With grant funds from the of Division of Florida Colleges, Broward College  created a Financial Literacy Tool Kit.  This innovative tool informs all FCS students of their financial aid options. The page provides information on the financial aid process through tools such as a Pace Calculator that allows students to enter their total credit hours and anticipated credit hours for the next se mester and then proposes their projected rate of completion, also known as their Pace.
 
Resources found through the tool kit include interactive financial aid orientations, debt management workshops, a GPA calculator and beyond. The tool kit was created for all FSC students and institutions to utilize.

Valencia College Opens New Advanced Manufacturing Training Center
Osceola County officials and manufacturing leaders were there with Valencia College for the opening of its Advanced Manufacturing Training Center on February 2, 2016. The new facility offers students the opportunity to train for modern-day high-tech industry and solidify their pathway to a successful career. Employers in the community can benefit directly from a trained workforce, and they can even create a custom training program for their business team in conjunction with the Center. Those enrolled in the programs can expect to be industry certified in 12-weeks to 6-months depending on their chosen area of focus. The Center offers certifications in Computer Numerical Control machining, Mechatronics, Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) Certified Production Technician, MSSC Certified Logistics Technician, advanced welding technology and others.