Volume 7
IN THIS ISSUE
Spotlights
Colleges Rally To Help ITT Tech Students
FCS institutions were quick to offer assistance and guidance to former ITT Tech students who found themselves displaced after the sudden closure of their campuses. 
Seven of our Colleges Named in Top 10 Best Online Schools in Florida
OnlineColleges.com released a list of Florida top online schools, with universities, technical institutes and private schools alike included in the count. Seven FCS institutions were named in the Top 10, while 27 placed in the top 50. 
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Receives Grant to Aid Low-Income Students
The US Department of Education awarded a $2.2 million grant to SCF, M-S based on their  "Paving Academic Pathways for Student Success" program and will be distributed over five years to help students in need with academic planning and gaining access to tools and technology needed to be successful.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month offers an opportunity for the Florida College System and all Americans to celebrate the Hispanic and Latino culture and heritage of this country  and the contributions Hispanics have made and continue to make to America.

A national Pew Research Center study found eight in ten Hispanics consider education as a top issue in the 2016 election along with the economy and health care. Hispanics in Florida's colleges reflect that desire for an education. Florida is one of eight states to have over five million Hispanic residents, making Hispanics over 20 percent of Florida's population, and numbers are projected to continue to grow. The increasing populations proves true in the Florida College System as well. The enrollments have grown by more than 15,000 students in just the last five years, making Hispanic students over 26 percent of those enrolled in credit programs. And those earning degrees have almost doubled in the same time, the growth becoming increasingly dramatic each year. Nationwide, nearly half of all Hispanic college students are enrolled in a public two-year college, the highest of any race or ethnicity. 

Four FCS institutions are members of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and seven institutions qualify as Hispanic-Serving Institutions, as defined by the US Department Office of Postsecondary Education: Broward College, Florida SouthWestern State College, Hillsborough Community College, Miami Dade College, Palm Beach State College, South Florida State College and Valencia College. A list that may look quite similar are the nine FCS institutions listed in Community College Week's 2015 Top 100 for number of associate degrees awarded to Hispanic students. Number one on the national list of the top 100 was Miami Dade College, and number four and five were Valencia College and Palm Beach State College.

Florida College System Chancellor Pumariega, who is both the first women and first Hispanic to hold the title, had the opportunity to discuss the great work the Florida College System is doing for our students and our communities and highlighted the impact that two of our Hispanic students have made on our system.
Chancellor's Clark Maxwell Scholar  Student of the Month                                          
Haley Hall has been selected as the Chancellor's Clark Maxwell Scholar Student of the Month.

Haley is a student at Tallahassee Community College (TCC) pursuing an Associate in Arts degree. 

Since starting at TCC, Haley has been a part of their Connect2Complete Peer Leader program which offers students an opportunity to mentor and support their fellow students through the transition into college. Her first semester with the program she ensured students in the class she worked with were aware of the many resources TCC offers to help students succeed. In her next semester with the program, she worked as a peer leader for the college's Student Leadership, Involvement and Civic Engagement (SLICE) office. When her semester was up, the SLICE office offered her a paid part-time program position. In this position, she helped coordinate the Peer Leader program itself, along with on-campus service projects. Now Haley assists with leadership training, new student orientation, and much more. 

Even with these commitments, Haley still finds time to volunteer as the student representative on multiple standing committees and for the coordination, set-up and tear-down of special events, like TCC'S MLK Day of Service. 

When Haley graduates with her AA this fall, she plans to enroll in a bachelor's degree program for exercise science, and she will be the first in her immediate family to graduate college. 
Broward College and Indian River State College Named Finalists for Aspen Prize
Congratulations to Broward College and Indian River State College, named as finalists for the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The Aspen Institute named the two colleges as part of the top 10 community colleges in the nation based on exceptional levels of student success. Florida is one of only three states with multiple finalists.

"Congratulations to Broward College and Indian River State College on being named as finalists for one of the nation's most respected awards," said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. "The award puts a spotlight on Florida college excellence and the crucial role they play in preparing students for success."

The Aspen Prize is awarded every two years and recognizes exemplary community college institutions across the nation. Awarded since 2011, the Aspen Prize focuses on college achievement in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings for graduates, and access and success for minority and low-income students.

A rigorous review process, including performance, improvement and outcome data, as well as multiple site visits, will determine the grand prize winner and up to four finalists with distinction. The winner will be named in January 2017.

"Our colleges lead the nation in providing a high-quality, affordable education that prepares students to succeed in a global economy," said Florida College System Chancellor Madeline Pumariega. "I am proud to celebrate two of our colleges being named as finalists for the 2017 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Our colleges being honored for their dedication to student success and the vital role they play in Florida's economy is a testament of the great work of the Florida College System."

Valencia College was the inaugural Aspen Prize winner in 2011, and in 2015, Santa Fe College was named the winner. In 2013, Florida had two finalists in the top 10.
September is National College Savings Month

The Florida College System is proud to provide access to a high-quality, affordable education to all Floridians.
 
The average debt of a student graduating in Florida is more than $24,017, according to Debt.com, a personal finance website. J.P. Morgan Asset Management's most recent College Planning Essentials Guide indicates that 59 percent of parents are not confident about meeting college costs. They cited not having a plan, starting too late and underestimating costs.
 
The average Associates in Science graduate earns $43,754 annually in a full-time job. That is $13,000 more than the average salary for Floridians.
 
September is National College Savings Month and it is important to learn about the benefits of saving early for college - from getting more motivated to prepare academically for college to avoiding a crippling load of student loan debt.
Our Colleges Remember 9/11 With Touching Tributes
Across the nation, ceremonies and memorials were held for the 15th anniversary of the tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001. While the attacks happened New York City and Arlington County, it rocked not only the country, but the world. 

Across the state, several of our colleges held their own memorials to honor the fallen, the survivors and the vital first responders of that day. They were also held to commemorate, celebrate, and thank their local responders, police force, firefighters, and more, for the work they do and the sacrifices they continue to make. 

Student Athletes at Florida SouthWestern (FSW) State College arrived on campus at six in the morning on September 8 to plant 2,996 flags ahead of FSW's memorial ceremony later that day, one to commemorate each of the lives lost on September 11, 2001. 

Valencia College had a flag display as well as a memorial. They had members of their Public Safety Team recount stories of being a first responder in New York City on 9/11. Their ceremony also included a dedicatation of a piece of metal from the World Trade Centers to their campus.   
Polk State College Advanced Technology Center
In celebrating the opening of its Polk State Clear Springs Advanced Technology Center, Polk State College also celebrated philanthropy.
 
Because the 47,000-square-foot building located east of Bartow stands not only as a high-tech training hub, but also of what can be accomplished when a community comes together to turn a vision into a reality.

Employers and individuals in the community look forward to the huge impact this facility will have on the county for generations to come.
 
The Polk State Clear Springs Advanced Technology Center - long before the first blueprint was drawn or the first shovels entered the ground - was a philanthropic undertaking.
 
In 2008, Clear Springs, a land company headed by chairman Stan Phelps, donated $12 million and 20 acres of land to the Polk State College Foundation. The gift was the largest in the history of the Florida College System and served as the impetus for a years-long wave of giving.