The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
June 24, 2020
Some Pensacola State College students work from the classroom. Others work from the dining room. Or bedroom. And no, we’re not talking Zoom meetings.

We’re talking about building those bedrooms and dining rooms and creating homes for the future. These are students enrolled in carpentry, welding, electrical and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) programs at PSC – the builders of tomorrow. Even though some are already builders today.

Carpentry, welding, electrical and HVAC are all three-semester programs where students earn Vocational Certificates and industry certifications throughout the programs.

“There’s definitely a demand for these programs in our area,’’ said Michael Listau, PSC Workforce Director. “These are programs that employers are looking to hire from.”

Listau said the Building Trade programs offer vocations that can help stimulate the pandemic-slowed economy.

“In the current situation of society, these workforce type programs are how you get people to work,’’ he said. “They’re short-term programs that prepare students for a high-wage, high-skill type of position.”


David Feliciano has his data where it counts
PSC researcher published by American Institutes for Research
It’s a goal of all researchers to be published by a professional research organization. 

Pensacola State College Senior Research Analyst David Feliciano recently was published on the website of American Institutes for Research (AIR), a non-profit group founded in 1946 dedicated to research, evaluation and technical assistance.

Feliciano’s paper is titled “Visualizing Fundable FTE by Location," and is included in AIR’s “Visual Displays of Data” category. The paper includes an introduction, followed by a Tableau dashboard that tracks changes in fundable FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) and “disaggregates by location of course.” 

And that means what?

“We can look at the unduplicated head count for a particular semester," said Feliciano, who works in the PSC Institutional Research Department. “That will tell you how many people are enrolled. But we also want some other metrics, and this looks at the course load and helps us to break down what’s happening at each campus.” 

Michael Johnston, executive director of the Institutional Research Department, said it’s important for scientists and researchers to be published in academic journals and online sites.

“As we advance, we can publish and show others exactly what we’re doing and allow them to advance as well," Johnston said. “It’s about those community partnerships that spread beyond the borders of Pensacola State College that allows us to continue to grow as scientists and researchers.”

Feliciano is a 2010 graduate of Pace High who went on to earn a bachelor (communications) and a master degree (Strategic Communications and Leadership) from the University of West Florida. He joined Pensacola State College in September 2019.

He said there are benefits to being published.

“PSC is on that article," he said. “So it puts the College out there and helps grow our name recognition. Personally, it will help my networking and my ability to collaborate and grow. It’s another part of the portfolio.”

-- Troy Moon
Pensacola State’s new STEM facility ready for fall opening
The new state-of-the-art Pensacola State College STEM building will be open and ready for students when fall classes begin on Aug. 17 .

The 23,389-square-foot, $15 million facility will be home to programs including mathematics, cybersecurity, computer science and other high-tech fields of study.

“We’re all excited to move over there," said Robert Pratten , PSC Cybersecurity instructor. “Who wouldn’t be interested in moving into something new? It’s going to give us more space and more room in one centralized location.” 

The new STEM facility replaces the 60-year-old Mary Ellison Baars building , which was demolished before construction began on the building in January 2019. The new East Wing building is Phase I of an ambitious project that will eventually include a Phase II West Wing, and a third floor connector. 

The total cost for both wings, and the connector, is $35 million. The eventual west wing building will also be home to high-tech programs, including advanced manufacturing.

A date for Phase II construction has not been set, said Dianne Bracken (pictured), PSC Director of Facilities.  Ajax Building Corp. is the general contractor for the project, which was designed by Florida Architects.  

“Right now, we’re just ready to get into this building," Bracken said, while walking on the first floor of the east wing, where a few spots of blue tape were on the light walls to mark places where touch-ups are needed before the August move in. “We think it’s going to be great for students and faculty alike.” 

The bottom floor contains math and cybersecurity classrooms and faculty offices and meeting rooms. The cybersecurity area also will feature a secured cybersecurity lab. The second floor will be home to computer science programs and include a student area.

Most of the rooms in the facility have carpet, but LVT (luxury vinyl tiling) still has to go down in the lobby areas. And while the parking lot for the building has been paved, it still needs to be striped. The red clay that surrounds the building currently will soon be landscaped, with various plants to fill the spaces.

The Baars Building was the first facility constructed on the Pensacola campus in 1956. It was named for the matriarch of the Baars family in recognition of their role in making the property available for the College’s Pensacola campus.

-- Troy Moon
Pace High standout joins PSC women’s cross country team
When Julie-ann Morgan joined the cross country team in ninth-grade, she had no idea she had a natural aptitude for the sport or that it would help her pay for college.

“I like completing an event, the feeling of accomplishment when you’re finished is really amazing,” said Morgan, a 2020 Pace High School graduate and new recruit for Pensacola State College women’s cross country team.

The Pensacola State cross country team is in its second year and Coach Julie Burger said she had heard great things about Morgan before recruiting her.

“Coach (Alyssa) Cummings from Pace High School spoke very highly of Julie-ann’s dedication to running and overall work ethic. I am excited to have her onboard and looking forward to her positive spirit and enthusiasm.”

Burger noted Morgan’s statistics also were outstanding.

“Julie-ann has competitive times dating all the way back to 2016. This is a great accomplishment for a young woman beginning her college running career. Like many sports, running takes time and experience to reach your personal best,” she said. 

Likewise, Morgan said she had heard many positive things about Burger and the College’s cross country program.

“I’m really excited to meet my teammates and train with them. I also look forward to learning from Coach Burger, she is well known in the running community and I know I can learn a lot from her,” said Morgan who plans to major in general studies at PSC before moving on to a university. 

The 17-year-old wants to become a pediatric nurse or an oncology nurse.

Morgan also was featured on Running Wild’s May blog. She was one of five graduating seniors spotlighted on the Pensacola retailer’s “For the Love of Seniors and Track” edition.

“She felt she didn’t get to reach her full potential due to a Fall (2019) Cross Country injury,” the blog said of Morgan who competed in the hurdles, 1600, 3200, 4x800 and 4x400 events in high school.

When not training (starting at 6:45 a.m. most days), Morgan likes to curl up with a good Nicholas Sparks’ novel. “Safe Haven” is her favorite book but between training and a job at the Five Points’ Whataburger, she said she hasn’t had the time to read a lot lately.

The daughter of Ann Morgan, she is one of nine children in her family.

“My older siblings, Tammy, Todd and Tim, are my mom’s biological kids. I was adopted at age 2 and I have other adopted siblings as well ─ Joseph, 20;  Rebecca, 18; Theresa, 15; Jonathan, 15; and Shawn, 13,” she said.

When asked about growing up in a blended family, Morgan stresses “my family” is just like every other family.

“Growing up I didn’t view us as anything different. We are related and we are a family,” she said.

Also joining the Pensacola State cross country team this year is Jabria Brothers, a 2020 Milton High graduate. The 18-year-old has been running track since her sophomore year of high school.

“There was always something about running that I enjoyed, and I love staying in shape,” she recalled. “It was always a challenge, but I like challenges and that’s why I’m glad I’ll be joining the PSC team. It will be my first foray into distance running but I am up for the challenge.”

Running is a family legacy for Brothers. Her mother, Urcila Kennedy, also ran track for Milton High. She plans on majoring in business and management and eventually becoming a project manager.

Trinity Maracle, a Pensacola State student in her second year, also has rejoined the cross country team.

Burger said rebuilding the cross country team for a second season has been exciting.

“We are looking forward to a great upcoming season and developing runners from various backgrounds. We are in talks with some longer distance sprinters that would like to work on their long distance game with PSC,” she added. 

“There is so much local athletic talent and cross country lends itself to social distancing more than many other sports. It will certainly be a season like no other.” 

-- Mary Mabins