State College
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
MAY / JU N E 2 0 2 2
VO LUME 6, NO. 02
THE BEST IS OUR STANDARD ‘PAVING THE WAY TOWARD BRIGHT AND REWARDING FUTURES’ As an institution of higher education, I firmly believe it is our responsibility to prepare students for the brightest futures possible by giving them access to the finest equipment, resources, faculty, and career opportunities available. Whether our students are in the classroom, on the athletic court or field, on stage, or working in their chosen career, the best should always be our standard, giving them confidence that Northwest Florida State College has prepared them for whatever they may face in the future. This Spring 2022 semester has been a shining example of how hard work and dedication to our mission has paved the way toward bright and rewarding futures for our students. I am pleased to share that with the leadership and guidance from our athletic department, the Raiders claimed the championship title at the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championships last month. I speak for the entire NWFSC community when I say we are beyond proud of their accomplishments and all of their work this season. Not only did the team win on the court, but they achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average in their academic pursuits. We are confident the Raiders will continue
to shine as we welcome our new men’s head basketball coach, Steve DeMeo. As many of you know, Coach DeMeo served as the head coach of our men’s basketball team from 2013 to 2019. During his time at the College, he attained more conference, regional, and state championship titles than any other coach in the College’s history, leading the Raiders to five Panhandle Conference Championships, four FCSAA State Championships, and the 2015 NJCAA National Championship. We are excited to welcome Coach DeMeo back to campus and cannot wait to see what is in store for our men’s basketball team next season. As we celebrate the success of our current students, I want to acknowledge our alumni who have continued to thrive after graduating from NWFSC. Last month, the College was thrilled to host a Q&A session with American actor, Niceville native, and NWFSC alum, Alan Ritchson. Alan has given many outstanding performances throughout his career and has recently gained prominence for portraying Jack Reacher on the popular Amazon Prime television series “Reacher.” Aside from being a talented actor, Alan is also a writer, producer, and director. As Alan gave our acting students advice on how to succeed in the industry, he shared how the
College provided him with the training he needed to get his foot in the industry and stressed the importance of “remembering where you came from and the community that supported you along the way.” It is because of the support we receive from our community and donors that we can continue to assist our students achieve their career goals and dreams. Last month, the NWFSC Foundation hosted its annual Scholars and Donors Luncheon where we recognized some of our donors and learned first-hand how their generosity has impacted our students. We are eager to see what our students accomplish with the continued benefaction from our donors. I hope you enjoy this issue of the President’s Perspective as you read about some of our accomplishments throughout the past couple of months. Thank you for your continued support and for being a part of the Raider Family.
Dr. Devin Stephenson #TheBestIsOurStandard
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
NWFSC NAMES STEVE DEMEO NEW MENS BASKETBALL COACH
ACTOR ALAN RITCHSON VISITS NWFSC NICEVILLE CAMPUS
Steve DeMeo has been named the new men’s head basketball coach at Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC). NWFSC President Dr. Devin Stephenson and Athletic Director Ramsey Ross announced last month that DeMeo will be returning to the College to coach the Raiders after serving as the assistant head basketball coach for East Carolina and St. John’s University. DeMeo was the head coach at Northwest Florida State College from 2013 to 2019. During his time at the College, he attained more conference, regional, and state championship titles than any other coach in the College’s history, leading the Raiders to five Panhandle Conference Championships, four FCSAA State Championships, and the 2015 NJCAA National Championship. Under his leadership, the Raiders also made three Elite Eight appearances and a 2017 Final Four appearance. “We are pleased to welcome back Coach DeMeo as the men’s head basketball coach,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson. “Northwest Florida State College strives to produce the best student-athletes in this region by providing them with the support, leadership, and resources they need to excel on and off the court. We are confident that they will continue to develop and succeed under Coach DeMeo’s leadership and are excited to see what is in store for them next season as we continue to celebrate their recent win at the NJCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship.”
Northwest Florida State College was pleased to welcome American actor Alan Ritchson back to College’s Niceville campus last month as he hosted a Q&A session for students, faculty, and staff. Alan, who has gained prominence for portraying Jack Reacher on the popular Amazon Prime television series “Reacher,” is a Niceville, FL native and an alumnus of Northwest Florida State College. As he spoke to the NWFSC community, Alan stressed the importance of remembering where you come from. “I’ve had a lot of help from when I was broke and living on my own, and people would donate mattresses for me to sleep on, and I didn’t have a bed frame because I couldn’t afford one. Those kinds of things stay with you, you know?” Alan said. “It’s great to see the resources being put into the community here. Hopefully, you guys are the beneficiaries of the love that this community is putting into this place- into our next generation of performers and creative minds.” To watch the entire Q&A session with Alan Ritchson, visit https:// youtu.be/LBLytC0Ebzk.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 34TH ANNUAL MATH BOWL WINNERS Eight high school teams from all across Northwest Florida gathered at NWFSC on March 4, 2022, to compete in the 34th annual Math Bowl. The competing schools were divided into Class Y for smaller schools and Class Z for larger schools. After spending the day completing written exams and ciphering matches, students were invited to an awards ceremony where the individual and team winners were announced.
NWFSC MILITARY FRIENDLY SCHOOL WITH A GOLD DISTINCTION Northwest Florida State College was recently named a 2022-2023 Military Friendly School with a Gold Distinction by MilitaryFriendly.com. Every year, institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation are evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. The gold-level distinction is awarded to schools that score within 10% of the 10th best school in their category. These schools are considered to be setting the example with their programs and initiatives. “As a leader of higher education in this region, Northwest Florida State College strives to provide our veterans with the resources and opportunities they need to further their education and careers,” said NWFSC President Dr. Devin Stephenson. “This Gold Distinction demonstrates the College’s commitment to giving back to our military community and supporting our service members as they transition to the next chapter of their lives.”
DOOLITTLE RAIDERS FINAL GOBLET CEREMONY Northwest Florida State College was pleased to partner with the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce in hosting the Final Goblet Ceremony honoring Doolittle Raider Colonel Richard E. “Dick” Cole. Members of the community gathered at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center on April 18, 2022, as we recognized the Doolittle Raiders for their outstanding heroism, valor, skill, and service to the United States in conducting their bombings of Tokyo. Special guests included Gen Charles Q. Brown, Chief of Staff of the Air Force; Mr. Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force; Lt Gen James Slife, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field; Lt Gen Marshall Brad Webb, Commander, Air Force Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph; Raider families and Airmen representing the 80 Doolittle Raiders, and other military dignitaries.
NWF STATE COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Lori Kelley, Chair Shane Abbott, Vice Chair Charlotte Flynt Graham Fountain
Reynolds Henderson Don Litke Thomas “Rudy” Wright 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
Chris Stowers, Secretary Don Litke, Trustee Liason 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
FOUNDATION NWFSC FOUNDATION HOSTS 2022 SCHOLARS & DONORS LUNCHEON Last month, Northwest Florida State College’s Foundation hosted the Scholars & Donors Luncheon to celebrate scholarship recipients and the donors who made their scholarships possible. They also recognized the newest members of the Visionary Society and introduced the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award winners. We would like to thank our donors and the NWFSC Foundation for continuously supporting our students.
NWFSC WELDING PROGRAM RECEIVES TOOLKIT DONATIONS Northwest Florida State College’s Welding program received $10,000 in donations to purchase tool kits for its students. The Systems Group and Kiewit Corporation each gave $5,000 toward the purchase of tools. “The support our program has receive from Systems and Kiewit had been great. These donations will help our welding student immensely,” said Scottie Smith, the director of the Welding program. The donations provided a tool kit for each welding student enrolled in the program.
Top row left to right: Dr. Devin Stephenson, Gaius Bruce, Jeff Claudio, Dr. Howard Fisher, Janice Eichorst, Dr. Vivian Green, Maurice “Mo” Evans, NWF Foundation Chair, Ken Wampler Bottom row left to right: The Honorable Jean Hood, Sherry Harlow, Leonora Claudio, Cindy Frakes, Irene Fisher