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JUNE 17, 2015
Citizens’ coalition to pursue charter By Kathy Steele
to establish a charter commission. If successful, the commission would be a counterpoint to the 15-member charter A group of residents critical of current ef- panel appointed by the Pasco Commission forts to determine Pasco County’s future and the legislative delegation. government structure are banding together Members had a press conference outside to follow their own path toward a charter- the Dade City Courthouse shortly before style government. the start of the panel’s second meeting. On June 8, the newly formed Pasco “We want to keep government simple… Citizens Charter Coalition announced plans and answerable to the people,” Clay Colson, to gather 45,000 petition signatures needed a community activist, and a former
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Independent candidate for the Pasco Commission, said in an interview. “We want government to be one that gives citizens control, not one that gives government control of citizens.” Colson said the petition is being drafted with language that will make clear that the charter commission should represent all segments of Pasco County. See COALITION, page 11A
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Stepping away, after a decade of progress By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When Katherine Johnson came to Pasco County a decade ago, the educational institution she was leading was known by a different name. It had fewer campuses, fewer students and a smaller endowment fund, too. When Johnson came on board, the college was known as Pasco-Hernando Community College and had three campuses. In 2010, the college added its Spring Hill campus, and in 2014, it opened Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. The college also added baccalaureate degree programs in 2014 and changed its name to reflect its four-year degree programs. During the past decade, the college increased its graduation by 43 percent — a statistic that is perhaps most meaningful to Johnson, who herself graduated from what was then called a junior college. Johnson continued her education to complete a doctorate and become a college president, but it all began with the opportunity offered at the junior college. She is passionate about the educational opportunities offered by institutions like Pasco-Hernando State College. “My father couldn’t afford to send me to college. He was a railroad worker. My mother was a homemaker, and I didn’t have stellar grades. I wasn’t a poor student, but I wasn’t a stellar student, either,” she recalled. “Sometimes, community colleges are viewed as the red-headed stepchild — that we take any and all (students) — but quite honestly, I think that’s a wonderful mantra.” She believes that community colleges are sometimes the first option, sometimes the only option and sometimes the last option. Some students choose to attend a community college because they are on scholarship. Others choose it because it’s their only feasible option. And, sometimes they choose it because they can’t get in any other postsecondary institution. “We are an open-door institution,” Johnson said. Besides being an option for students on a traditional path, schools like PHSC offer opportunities for people who are in the work force or who have lost their jobs and need to develop new workplace skills. “We’ve had to adjust our programs of study, not just here at PHSC, but everywhere
PHOTO COURTESY OF PASCO-HERNANDO STATE COLLEGE
Katherine Johnson, president of Pasco-Hernando State College, retires on June 30, after a decade of leading the school.
Retirement receptions for Katherine M. Johnson Pasco-Hernando State College will host several upcoming farewell receptions for president Katherine Johnson: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 • 9 a.m., West Campus in New Port Richey, 10230 Ridge Road • 12:30 p.m., North Campus in Brooksville, 11415 Ponce de Leon Blvd. • 4 p.m., Spring Hill Campus in Spring Hill, 450 Beverly Court THURSDAY, JUNE 18 • 9 a.m., East Campus in Dade City, 36727 Blanton Road • 12:30 p.m., Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel, 2727 Mansfield Blvd. • 4 p.m., West Campus in New Port Richey, 10230 Ridge Road
due to technology, the changing work force, certainly, the economics, particularly crawling out of this recession,” Johnson said. “People had to learn to be flexible. They had to come back and learn new skills. And, so I think that the nimbleness of our institutions has provided access to perhaps many students who never even thought about coming back to college,” Johnson said. She uses these three As to describe PHSC’s mission: “It’s accountability, accessibility and affordability. Those three As truly make an equation for success,” Johnson said.
“Those are the three As that I’ve always tried to tie our mission to, so that we don’t lose our way,” she said. The college is focused on providing educational opportunities. “Students, students, students – are at the heart of what we do,” Johnson said. While she has played a visible role in steering the college through change and growth, she is quick to point out that there are many people behind the scenes who have played a vital role in the college’s daily operations, and its long-term success. As Johnson prepares to leave her post, she’s delighted that the administration building at Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch will bear her name. “I was shocked that that would be a recommendation by the board, and that it would be so warmly engaged and approved by the board. I’m obviously humbled and honored to have my name on one of the buildings at Porter,” she said. She recalled meeting Don Porter on her first day as college president. At that very first lunch, Porter told Johnson about his vision for higher educational opportunities for students living in the community. The family’s later contribution of 60 acres for the campus played an instrumental role in making that vision come true, “Don Porter has to be smiling from up above because this was his vision. This was See DECADE, page 11A
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Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel was packed for a service held to celebrate the life of Laura Hauser, who waged a six-year battle with cancer but succumbed to the disease on June 8. There were probably 500 people at the service on the evening of June 13, according to Trish Trout, a long-time friend who described the event, via email. Most of the people at the memorial, deemed a celebration of life, wore blue, which is the color worn as a sign of support in the battle against colon cancer. “There were tears, there was a lot of laughter. There was so much love and support in the church,”Trout added. “And, of course, there was a PSA (public service announcement) to get tested for colon cancer. This is exactly what Laura would want,” added Trout, who accompanied Hauser on some of her appointments when she was initially diagnosed. Penny Foote, another friend of Hauser, also attended the service. She knew her friend was special but had no idea her sphere of influence had been so broad.
Speaker after speaker told story after story of the positive effect she’d had in their lives, Foote said. “I don’t even know how one person can change so many lives for the better,” said Foote, who coordinated a fundraiser for the Hauser family on June 13 at Harvester United Methodist Church in Land O’ Lakes. The benefit raised $3,285.65, and Foote is planning to organize another fundraiser in the future to provide additional help for the family. Hauser is survived by her husband, Richard; her son, Noah, 14; and her daughter, Tatum, 12. She was a warrior in her battle with cancer, friends said. She’d undergone more than 70 rounds of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries. The disease began in her colon but had spread all over her body, including her liver, lungs, spine and brain, said Stephanie Hardy, a family friend for the past four years. Hauser had been to Seattle for treatment but had returned to Wesley Chapel to attend Noah’s eighth-grade graduation and Tatum’s dance recitals. She made it to the graduation, but wasn’t able to go to the recitals. She was able to watch one — that was livestreamed — from
COURTESY OF STEPHANIE HARDY
Laura and Tatum Hauser at Contempo School of Dance. The dance moms there have made dinners for the Hauser families and had fundraisers to help support the family.
her bed, Richard Hauser said. The family had thought that potential treatment in Seattle offered Hauser her best hope and she had planned to return there, but she died at home, under the care of hospice. Her battle was personal, but she wasn’t alone. Her fight inspired family, friends, colSee HAUSER, page 11A