19 minute read
NEW COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS
COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY OUTREACH
NEW PROGRAMS OFFER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ACTIVITIES
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by: Becky Kelly
The Office of Community Outreach at FSU Panama City helps strengthen and update teaching practices in Florida and around the world, drawing on the talents and experience of experts and from faculty across the university and from other institutions. Our students, faculty and staff embrace the ideal of sharing the benefits of our research and knowledge for the public good. In that spirit, the university offers a variety of programs including the STEM Institute and Early Childhood Autism Program as well as the new OLLI at FSU, PC30A, IBM Skills Academy partnership and the newly established St. Andrew & St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program.
LIFELONG LEARNING FOR 30A RESIDENTS
In fall 2019, FSU Panama City along with a group of local 30A residents along established the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) on 30A
Dedicated to lifelong learning, OLLI at FSU, PC30A offers educational non-credit courses taught through scholarly classes, field trips, socials, special events
and travel. Courses cover a wide range of topics including art, sports, history, literature, science and music. It is stress-free learning with no homework, no grades and no degrees required.
Designed as a member-centered organization, OLLI allows participants to expand their intellectual horizons, engage in social activities, participate in volunteer opportunities and hold key leadership positions within the organization. International study abroad programs and other travel is also available.
The majority of the funding comes from membership dues, course fees, the Osher Foundation endowment and additional sponsors. Donors also can contribute to the local PC30A fund through the FSU Foundation to help expand course offering, lectures and other activities.
Face-to-face courses for this fall included Astrophotography for Regular Earthlings, Fall Container Gardening Techniques and Sabores De España “Flavors of Spain.” Class locations are currently at Seaside Town Hall, St Joe Corp Campus, Ohana School and the Seaside REP.
In response to the pandemic, participants were required to wear masks and class sizes were limited to maintain social distancing. OLLI at FSU, PC30A also offered Zoom classes ranging from Beethoven String Quartets, Best Practices for Online Safety, Florida History 101 to Why We Love the Books We Love and everything in between.
“While the times we have lived in since March are unprecedented and have given us multiple challenges, the ability to choose from local classes as well as more than 30 Zoom offerings hopefully made our situation more interesting and enjoyable,” Steve Howard, OLLI at FSU, PC30A council president said. “We believe that this is what lifelong learning is all about and we are incredibly grateful and proud to be part of the OLLI at FSU family.”
For more information about OLLI at FSU, PC30A, visit pc.fsu.edu/olli or contact Professional Engagement and Learning Coordinator Jamie Williamson, Ph.D., at jwilliamson2@fsu.edu.
LIFELONG LEARNERS: At left, attendees listen to the 30A Talk: Demographics are Destiny with Dr. Tim Chapin. At top, Chef Nikhil Abuvala gives a cooking class at Roux 30a. At center, History came to life this spring as Brenda Rees appeared as Madame Octavia Walton LeVert to deliver the history of territorial Florida through Octavia’s life story. At bottom, iPhone class teaches students how to “use their phones like teenagers.”
“Empowering individuals to build their skills cannot be solved without meaningful partnerships across academia and industry. Through our partnership with IBM, FSU Panama City can be an even stronger resource for regional growth and development and helps us serve professionals striving to compete in today’s dynamic job market.”
— Jamie Williamson, professional engagement and learning coordinator
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TO THOSE LOOKING TO ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS
IBM Global University Programs and the Florida State University College of Applied Studies have joined forces to offer an innovative program that will allow students and professionals to learn skills that will make them competitive in the tech marketplace. This alliance provides FSU Panama City the opportunity to leverage their resources to provide students, alumni, professionals and veterans from diverse backgrounds access to indemand skills training in business data science.
The program pairs real-world experience through handson learning. Through FSU Panama City and IBM Skills Academy or IBM Global University Programs, students will be able to engage in career-oriented training and earn industry-recognized IBM certificates to show they’ve achieved mastery level skills in a particular subject.
“We are committed to the success of our students and want to ensure their success in the workforce,” said Irvin Clark, FSU Panama City associate dean. “Our dedication extends to the community and professionals looking to enhance their skill set and career growth potential.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) explores the topics, technology, and skills required to gain practice in the application of AI techniques to address key industry problems. By understanding the evolution and relevance of AI and exploring opportunities brought by the intersection between human expertise and machine learning (ML), participants will gain a deeper understanding of ML techniques and a competitive edge using low-code cloudbased AI tools and pre-built ML algorithms.
UPCOMING SPRING IBM SKILLS ACADEMY COURSES
Data Science: 7-8 p.m. CT, Mondays and Wednesdays, Feb. 8 - March 31 Artificial Intelligence: 7-8 p.m. CT, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 9 - April 1 Cost*: Individual/corporate: $1400, military $1000, college students $300
*Sign up for both courses and receive a 20 percent discount.
pc.fsu.edu/ibm-skills-academy
Data Science (DS) challenges the student to take on the different roles involved in a data science team. DS practitioners use advanced data science methods and tools, leveraging statistical sciences, machine learning technologies and industry-specific datasets to implement unique data models that can solve challenging problems across all industries.
“Empowering individuals to build their skills cannot be solved without meaningful partnerships across academia and industry,” said Jamie Williamson, FSU PC professional engagement and learning coordinator. “Through our partnership with IBM, FSU Panama City can be an even stronger resource for regional growth and development and helps us serve professionals striving to compete in today’s dynamic job market.”
For more information about FSU Panama City’s IBM Skills Academy, visit pc.fsu.edu/ibm-skills-academy or contact Jamie Williamson, Ph.D. at 850-770-2155.
PROTECTING OUR BAYS
BAY COUNTY AND FSU PC PARTNER TO ESTABLISH THE ST. ANDREW AND ST. JOSEPH BAYS ESTUARY PROGRAM
St. Andrew Bay, a 69,000-acre estuary, is one of the most biologically diverse bays in North America and St. Joseph Bay has the richest and most abundant concentrations of marine grasses along the Northwest Florida coast. The bays are an essential resource to area maritime and naval operations, tourism and recreation.
by: Becky Kelly
To help provide for the long term protection of St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays, Bay County and Florida State University are partnering to establish an estuary program to develop a plan of action for these valuable resources.
Housed on the FSU Panama City campus, the St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program will be modeled after the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program, and is funded by The Nature Conservancy, Bay County, Florida State University Panama City, and the Florida State University Consensus Center.
“This is a legacy project for the County Commission, FSU Panama City and our local governments. We will all work together to manage a valued, shared resource that no local government or organization can manage on its own,” Bay County Commissioner Philip “Griff” Griffitts said. “This is permanent good coming out of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.”
Like similar regional programs in Florida, the goal is to establish a sustainable community-driven estuary program. That first requires building community consensus to develop and implement a comprehensive conservation management plan for the restoration and preservation of the area’s estuary system. The plan aims to align conservation with economic priorities and implement strategies to improve the bays and monitor outcomes. The plan will be informed by scientific research and will be adaptable and involve representatives from a broad range of stakeholder groups.
ST. ANDREW BAY: A 69,000-acre estuary, is one of the most biologically diverse bays in North America and St. Joseph Bay has the richest and most abundant concentrations of marine grasses along the Northwest Florida coast. The bays are also an essential resource to area maritime and naval operations as well as tourism.
“There is no way to overstate the importance of St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays,” said Randy Hanna, dean of FSU Panama City. “They are integral to the lives of those who live here and those who visit. Likewise, they are vital to our social, ecological, recreational and economic well-being and it is imperative that we collectively work to restore and protect our bays. We are so honored to partner with Bay County, The Nature Conservancy and the FSU Consensus Center on this very important program.”
St. Andrew Bay, a 69,000-acre estuary, is one of the most biologically diverse bays in North America and St. Joseph Bay has the richest and most abundant concentrations of marine grasses along the Northwest Florida coast. The bays are also an essential resource to area maritime and naval operations as well as tourism.
“The St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays watershed is vital to the health and well-being of the region’s natural ecosystem and economic development, which is why The Nature Conservancy has committed $1 million and is partnering with Bay County and Florida State University on the development of a new estuary program,” said Temperince Morgan, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “This program will help ensure that funds from the Deepwater Horizon settlement and beyond are used to make the greatest, lasting conservation impact for Florida’s estuaries.”
The first phase of the program’s launch, expected to span into
— Andrea Graves, marine project coordinator, The Nature Conservancy in Florida
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN EFFORT: The Estuary Program is designed to be a community and citizen driven effort to work with stakeholders and the public to identify and solve the problems facing the Bays, based on objective, scientific information. It will become a permanent forum that will explore estuary issues, and build consensus on actions and solutions.
2021, will be to establish a policy board, management council and committees, and select a director and administrative staff. Board and council participants will reflect a multi-jurisdictional collaborative effort among Bay, Gulf, Washington, Walton, Calhoun and Jackson counties and the cities within the bays’ watershed.
“The creation of the St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program and others in the Florida Panhandle is a testament to the commitment of local communities to protect the invaluable nature of the region,” said Andrea Graves, marine project coordinator at The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “Thanks to the combined knowledge and resources of these stakeholder-driven programs, we can expect to see a stronger economy and healthier bay systems with improved water quality, restored fish and wildlife habitat, and increased resilience to storms and other climate impacts.”
For more information about the St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bay program go to pc.fsu.edu/estuaryprogram or send an email to estuaryprogram@fsu.edu.
For more information about The Nature Conservancy’s work to support the estuary program and Florida’s Gulf coast, visit nature.org, or contact Fran Perchick at fran.perchick@tnc.org.
ONLINE VS. IN-PERSON LEARNING:
STUDYING THE TECH-NATIVE GENERATION
by: Erica Martin
Before COVID-19 forced K-12 education online, Benjamin Earnest, ’19, a recent psychology graduate from FSU Panama City, used an undergraduate research experience to show virtual education can be just as effective as face-to-face methods.
Using a pool of over 100 University Academy middle school students, Earnest’s research showed no significant difference on test scores between students who experienced a lesson in a traditional classroom setting or virtually with the lesson offered via video.
What was more interesting, Earnest said, was how students’ previous technology use affected their outcomes in both groups. “Across the board, students who rated their use of technology as higher, performed better than those who rated their use of technology as lower,” he concluded. Participant surveys also showed students overwhelmingly prefer a blended learning experience, with 76% of surveys indicating they would want a mix of in-person and virtual lessons. Nineteen percent of students preferred face-to-face only, and the remaining 5% preferred online only.
“Overall, I think the study was a success,” he said. “Because there’s been so little research done on distance learning among K-12 students, I hope that this one begins to pioneer the way for other people wanting to study this or something similar.”
“Participating in undergraduate research opens a lot of doors for students to engage in a number of opportunities such as Garnet and Gold Scholars and undergraduate research presentations,” said Tyler Towne, Ph.D., who served as Earnest’s advisor over the project.
Earnest, who works as a paraprofessional at University
Academy, said his research interest was piqued after noticing a growth in virtual education in the younger classrooms. Although there have been many studies on the success of distance learning in a college setting, there hasn’t been much research on K-12 students.
“Kids today haven’t known a day without a computer or a tablet, and the majority of them have never seen a phone that’s not touch screen, so shouldn’t the most technologically adept generation have the opportunity to have the form of education that best fits their technological ability?” he said.
Earnest’s research was almost thwarted by Hurricane Michael, but he said he wanted to keep going because he knew the project would prepare him for his future.
“This research project has been the longest running and most difficult academic activity that I’ve ever done. But, if I was asked to go back and do it over again, I would,” he said. “The skills I learned along that helped me in other classes, and just in life in general, are invaluable.”
Undergraduate psychology students who have demonstrated their commitment to the field by obtaining high grades and completing research methods in psychology can work with faculty members on independent research. This research can be completed for course credit as part of a “Directed Individual Study” (DIS), an honor’s thesis or both.
“In psychology, undergraduate research can help students to demonstrate their commitment and depth-of-knowledge within the field,” Towne noted. “Students who complete undergraduate projects are more likely to be competitive when applying to graduate programs and are more likely to be effective critical thinkers post-graduation in whatever they endeavor to do.”
“I always knew that I wanted to go to FSU PC,” Earnest said. “I knew that I would have opportunities like this come up much more easily and have opportunities more readily available.”
Earnest, who graduated in December 2019, hopes to share his findings with fellow scientists by submitting his research to industry publications. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in clinical mental health counseling at Troy University.
— Benjamin Earnest, psychology, ’19
STUDYING THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE:
Recent psychology graduate Benjamin Earnest, ’19, used his undergraduate research experience at FSU Panama City to show how virtual education can be just as effective as face-to-face methods.
Thank You
For your continued support to FSU Panama City. Your generosity demonstrates your belief and commitment to our students and community.
STUDENT HOUSING Coming fall 2021
Brand new on-campus apartment style living for FSU and GCSC students
by: Becky Kelly
Construction has begun on FSU Panama City’s first-ever residential housing complex. The recently named, Seminole Landing at Florida State University Panama City, will have 132 apartment-style rooms and be home to 380 undergraduate and graduate students from both FSU PC and Gulf Coast State College who are enrolled in at least six credit hours.
— Randy Hanna, FSU Panama City dean
“It is a game changer,” FSU Panama City Associate Dean Irvin Clark said. “It is a huge opportunity to enhance our campus and student life. It will completely change the campus dynamic with people and services present 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
The ability to live on campus allows students in areas outside of Northwest Florida to attend FSU Panama City in a more convenient and cost effective way. It will also give local students the option to have a residential college experience.
“It is going to give Florida State University Panama City a broader reach and provide a more diverse student population,” Clark said.
On-campus housing increases accessibility and provides a number of advantages for students both socially and academically.
“It’s not just a residential housing complex, it’s a student success project,” FSU Panama City Dean Randy Hanna said. “Providing affordable, convenient housing along with an expanded number of services benefits residential and commuter students and extends the learning community. It’s just one more part of the FSU PC Promise.”
Recreational amenities will include a 24-hour fitness facility, bayside pool, gazebo, fire pit, gas barbecue grill, space for hammocks and sand volleyball. Residents will also enjoy private study rooms, community rooms and lounge space and academic success center along with fully-furnished apartment living that includes TV, washer/dryer, kitchen and utilities.
On-campus housing means many current student services will need to be enhanced and extended
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: Josh Bartlett, with Hoffman Construction, marks off the west parking area and portions of FSU PC grounds in preparation for fencing off the new campus housing project. In August, site-work included saw cuts, demolition of part of the parking lot and removal of some of the trees.
including students activities, campus security, library and food services and new ones added.
The $23 million project is a public, private partnership with Florida State University, Zimmer Development Company and Asset Living. FSU is leasing the property to Zimmer Development Company and Asset Living will manage all aspects of leasing to students.
“We are really looking forward to a great partnership with Zimmer and Asset Living,” Hanna said. “This has been a process, and I am especially appreciative of the support from President John Thrasher, Provost Sally McRorie, Vice President Kyle Clark and their teams for the hard work over the past several years leading up to this point.”
JULY 20, 2020 AUG. 3, 2020 SEPT. 25, 2020
Before construction could begin, the project had to be approved by the FSU Board of Trustees and the State University System Board of Governors as well as the FSU Office of General Counsel, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Panama City, the Bay County Commission and the Bay County Property Appraiser.
FSU President John Thrasher and Jeff Zimmer of Zimmer Development Company signed the lease agreement for student housing at FSU Panama City on July 16.
Founded in 1989, North Carolina-based Zimmer Development Company has built its reputation as a national commercial and multi-family housing developer.
TIMELINE:
November 1, 2019 — The FSU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a lease for a new student housing facility on the Panama City campus.
First public hearing for a campus development between the city and campus was held.
December 2019 — Panama City Commission approved the final hearing for an agreement to bring student housing to FSU Panama City.
January 2020 — Campus officials and students traveled to Tallahassee to present their plans in front of the Board of Governors. The board unanimously approved their plans.
February 2020 — The Florida Board of Governors approved student housing for FSU Panama City.
July 16, 2020 — FSU President John Thrasher and Jeff Zimmer of Zimmer Development Company signed the lease agreement for student housing at FSU Panama City.
July 27, 2020 — Construction begins.
August 18 & 19, 2021 — Move in days
August 23, 2021 — First day of classes
— Randy Hanna, FSU Panama City dean
“We are very excited to be partnered with FSU Panama City on this upcoming student housing project. We look forward to serving the students of Gulf Coast State College and FSU Panama City,” said Nicole Mathis, director of student housing operations for Zimmer.
Asset Living is the largest third-party property management company in the nation for campus living with properties on 120 campuses across the nation.
“Despite the current challenges we are facing, this is an exciting time for FSU Panama City,” Hanna said. “We are growing and our students are excited about the possibilities.”
Students around campus are anxious to start applying for the new housing and are asking about all the unique opportunities that will accompany residential life.
“I’m going to be the first to apply for housing,” said Student Government Council Senator and Recreation, Tourism and Events major, Mia Bennett. “I want to snag one of the bay view rooms.”
To learn more about Seminole Landing, visit pc.fsu.edu/Seminole-Landing.
