State College
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
J U N E/ JU LY 2 0 2 1
NWFSC Celebr ates Community Partnerships Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Here at Northwest Florida State College we have never been in this alone. From the very beginning, we have worked with our surrounding community leaders to create great and lasting partnerships for the purpose of achieving our institutional goals. More important than our institutional goals, shared goals are central to our College’s mission. With shared vision comes shared resources and with shared resources comes strengthened commitment, support and ultimately, shared success. In June, we opened our Aviation Center of Excellence, a project that took the support of the Hsu Educational Foundation, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners, the Bob Sikes Airport, the Florida Department of Transportation, and private donors to turn a vision into a reality. We are excited to collectively bring our region to the forefront of airframe and aviation technology with this new collaborative training facility. Our business relationships have blossomed this year into educational bridges for young people, as the Emerald Coast Autism Center now utilizes several sites on our Niceville campus to train students for successful futures in the workforce.
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VO LUME 5, NO. 05
AVIATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Northwest Florida State College’s Aviation Center of Excellence (ACE) is officially open at the Hsu Innovation Institute North in Crestview. More than 200 members of the local community attended the celebration on June 23, 2021. With a shared vision for excellence, Northwest Florida State College along with the Hsu Educational Foundation, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners, Okaloosa County Airports, Florida Department of Transportation, Triumph Gulf Coast and many more have come together to create a 27,000 square foot state-of-the-art training facility complete with hangar and lab space outfitted with Snap-On work benches that will offer high-tech career opportunities for the entire Northwest Florida Region. Northwest Florida State College’s Aviation Program is poised to set students up for success in the aerospace industry offering programs in Professional Pilot Technology, Airframe and Powerplant as well as Unmanned Vehicle Systems Operations. Over the
next 10 years, the project anticipates at least 307 students will earn 1,255 FAA industry-recognized certificates, with 184 to be certified in airframe and powerplant mechanics and 123 to gain professional pilot certificates, providing an expanded talent pool that will bolster Northwest Florida’s economy. At the Aviation Center of Excellence, our collaboration with the Hsu Educational Foundation creates a unique learning environment where students in grades K-12 will also have the opportunity to utilize the state-of-the-art facilities for STEM education around the College’s Aviation programming with the ultimate goal of introducing students of all ages to advanced technology in high-growth industry sectors. The grand opening celebration brought together many partners all dedicated to transformational action in Okaloosa County. The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioner Aviation Board’s generous contribution of more than $600,000 to fund the front parking lot on airport land launched this project into a reality.
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The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance is also a shining example of the College’s community engagement in action. With the help of several businesses in the 30A corridor, the CBA has begun new environmental conservation efforts and will now have funds to allocate toward future projects both in area schools and in our local waterways. Please join me in welcoming the new conductor for our illustrious Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Todd Craven. Todd has many creative ideas as to how the orchestra will expand relationships in the region to further the mission of the Mattie Kelly Arts Center as we celebrate the 35th season of bringing the best symphonic music to the Northwest Florida region. NWFSC would not be able to function without the amazing support of our many public and private donors. The NWFSC Foundation has recently welcomed new members to the Foundation Board, and has been very successful in securing many donations, scholarships, and endowments this year. These community investors enable NWFSC to offer a premiere learning environment to our students, and their generosity makes higher education accessible and affordable for students from all walks of life. Thank you all for being part of Northwest Florida State College. Our success is your success. So, let’s continue to enrich our community together. Now Is The Time! Dr. Devin Stephenson, President #TheBestisOurStandard
New Foundation Board members (L to R): Vince Mayfield, Brian Pennington, Kim Kirby, Christie Austin, James Bagby and Dr. Devin Stephenson.
EMERALD COAST AUTISM CENTER TRANSITION TO WORK PROGRAM Chris showed up to the Mattie Kelly Arts Center (MKAC) with a gleam in his eye. It was his second time to train as an usher for a ballet recital, and he already knew what to do. Chris is one of seven students from the Emerald Coast Autism Center participating in the new program, Transition to Work, funded by the Florida Department of Education. Transition to Work has been running at Niceville’s Emerald Coast Autism Center since October 2020, and is open to students age 17-21, with some younger volunteers tagging along to learn like Chris. The purpose of the program is to prepare young adults with Autism for the workforce. Students spend 15 hours a week learning functional education skills needed to be independent and hold jobs in the future. “It’s very difficult for kids on the spectrum to hold down a job so we are practicing skills inside our facility and then we are going out into the community and performing those skills again,” said Patrick Mills, ECAC Transition to Work Coordinator. “We are really working on finding what the students are good at and what they enjoy, so that we can find a good job placement for them.” So far, the Niceville students have gained experience serving around Northwest Florida State College at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center, the campus vehicle bay, the mailroom and the Kay Litke Culinary Arts Greenhouse. Student Workers greet patrons at the MKAC, wash cars at the vehicle bay, sort mail and transcribe packages at the mailroom and plant seeds and water plants at the Greenhouse. Older students in the program have also begun working in the community at Sam’s Club and the Dollar Tree. There is no time-line for students to finish the Transition to Work program, but with each work experience, students gain new skills and confidence. “We haven’t had anyone graduate yet, but we are just going to keep going until we find something that fits each student,” Mills said. “Each week, as they practice these new social skills, learn new jobs and change their routines, every one of these things are critical pieces to them being successful in the workplace and in the future.” For more information visit www.ecautismcenter.org.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT MEET THE MAESTRO The Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra (NFSO), housed at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center in Niceville, has a new conductor. After 18 months of meticulous searching, Todd Craven has been named NFSO Music Director and Conductor right in time for the orchestra’s 35th season. Craven hails from Flint, Michigan, where he attended the Flint Institute of Music and then went on to the University of Michigan. As for his musical career, Craven has held the position of Assistant Conductor of both the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Florida Grand Opera and was the Co-Founder and Music Director of the Orlando Contemporary Chamber Orchestra. He has also led many orchestras across the country as guest conductor, most recently at the Toledo Symphony Orchestra in Toledo, Ohio. I look forward to being near the water again! I just love the beautiful inlets, bayous and of course the amazing Gulf Coast beaches nearby. Also, my wife and I are looking forward to getting to know the people and becoming a real part of the community. The first step for me is to program and lead outstanding concerts for the orchestra’s 35th anniversary season. Beyond that, I imagine introducing projects that engage with the community on a deeper level. This will entail the musicians of the NFSO performing in different venues. I also look forward to introducing some new community and educational initiatives. I began my professional career as Principal Trumpet of the Sarasota Orchestra. When I participated in my first conducting masterclass almost a decade ago, I was profoundly affected by the realization of how the conductor can influence and shape the sound of an ensemble. This first experience conducting a professional group was a life changing experience for me. The NFSO’s 35th season begins September 18, 2021 with a concert entitled Festive Celebration. For more information on the upcoming season visit www.mattiekellyartscenter.org.
Todd Craven, New NFSO Music Director and Conductor
2021-2022 Symphony Season
Festive Celebration October 23, 2021- Halloween Spooktacular December 10, 2021- Holiday Pops January 22, 2022- Serpentine Fire: September 18, 2021-
Music of Earth, Wind and Fire
February 26, 2022
March 18, 2022-
Stars of Tomorrow:
An Evening of Magic by the Sea
Classics Finale
CBA CELEBRATES COMMUNITY PARTNERS CBA has many partnerships, without whom we would not be able to make such a wholesome impact on the Northwest Florida waterways. Here are a few that have been active and supportive in the last few months: • The Dugas Family Foundation chose CBA as a recipient of a three-year gift supporting the expansion of our K-12 education, living shorelines, and water quality programs. Thank you, Dugas Family Foundation, for your generosity! • Thank you, Emerald Coast Gator Club and 30A Trails, for making the beautification of our waterways possible by planting native shrubs and grasses along the shoreline roadways of Alligator and Big Redfish Lakes. • CBA is so proud to partner with Pedego 30A to care for our local waterways. Pedego 30A gifts 5% of every bike rental towards CBA's waterway initiatives. Thank you, Pedego 30A, for your continued support.
NWF STATE COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Lori Kelley, Chair Shane Abbott, Vice Chair Craig Barker Charlotte Flynt Graham Fountain
Reynolds Henderson Maj. Gen. Don Litke, USAF Ret. Maj. Gen. Thomas “Rudy” Wright, USAF Ret. Dr. Devin Stephenson, President
State College
100 College Boulevard, East Niceville, FL 32578
FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Ken Wampler, Chair Bo Arnold, Vice Chair Alan Wood, Treasurer J.D. Peacock, Past Chair
Cristie Kedroski, Secretary Maj. Gen. Don Litke, USAF Ret., Trustee Liaison Dr. Devin Stephenson, President
FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Christie Austin James Bagby Marek Bakun Destin Cobb Cindy Frakes Michelle McGee Freeman Todd Grisoff Tyler Jarvis
Dave Jefferson Bernard Johnson Heather Kilbey Gordon King Kim Kirby Vincent Mayfield Jonathan Ochs Brian Pennington
Steve Rhodes Ashley Rogers Hu Ross Rhonda Skipper Cecil Williams Steve Wolfrom Alan Wood
FOUNDATION AMERICAN LEGION DONATION On behalf of the American Legion Chapter 221 of Niceville, members Ronnie Grover, Mark Griffin and James Crane, presented a $1,000 check to Northwest Florida State College Foundation to be used towards the nursing program. American Legion Chapter 221 has donated $7,000 to the college since 2005.
GENE HAAS FOUNDATION GIFT The Gene Haas Foundation recently provided a $10,000 gift to support NWFSC’s CNC Technologist training and the CNC Machining Program. Assistant Professor CNC Machining Brian Jessee, provides a brief orientation to setting up a VF-1 vertical milling machine. The Gene Haas gift provides assistance with tuition, books and personal tools. Each student will receive Machinist Tooling Kits. Kits include dial calipers, micrometers, scale, and machinist handbook as well as other essential items needed to begin their careers. The Gene Haas Foundation has provided $30,000 in support since 2015.