September 2020 President's Perspective

State College

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

S E P T E MB E R 2 0 20

VO LUME 4, NO. 06

NWFSC Celebr ates Work force Development Month

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NWFSC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS INDUSTRY TRAINING AND CONSULTING

Professional and Workforce Training department specializes in training and advising to meet the needs for businesses, industries, and individuals. Training includes a myriad of courses and workshops in areas such as management, accounting and finance, manufacturing, hospitality, electronics, computers, quality, and technology.

REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS

Not all learning fits into a traditional academic model and at Northwest Florida State College, we are committed to helping our community and businesses attract and retain a talented, vibrant, and skilled workforce. A registered apprenticeship program blends classroom instruction and On-the-Job learning to provide businesses with a proven solution for recruiting, training, and retaining world-class talent.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATIONS

In today’s competitive professional climate, earning certifications and continuing education units is key to building and maintaining your reputation as a trusted industry leader.

Most training programs offered in-class and online.

Some of our Certification Courses Include:

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• Ed2Go • Construction Trades • Welding • Law Enforcement • Fire • EMT

The NWFSC Construction Trades Program has been a great way for me to get my foot in the right direction in becoming a project manager.

This program has all of the tools needed to get anyone set up for a career in construction.

– Brody Fish NWFSC student

“

September is designated as National Workforce Development Month and recognizes all workforce professionals, agencies and organizations who promote occupational skills with a focus on the quality of human skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and innovation.

Northwest Florida State College, recognized as a high-quality higher education institution, delivers outstanding education in university transfer, health sciences, AND career education programming. The College has stepped forward to develop some of the first state-recognized apprenticeship and internship programs in the region. These on-thejob training programs provide students with essential employability skills that create a dynamic and effective workforce.

There are many different pathways to good careers that are compensated at a strong, sustainable, family wage.

Negative perceptions of career education have created a drought in the pipeline of individuals to fill high demand, high wage jobs. There are, indeed, multiple options and good positive pathways leading to fulfilling careers.

Over the past year, NWFSC’s Grants Development Office in concert with Academic Affairs and Institutional Research accounted for the largest cumulative total grant award dollars in college history! The majority of the grant dollars come from state and federal sources and are being funneled directly into workforce development initiatives.

LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES AND THE COSTA LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Northwest Florida State College offers professional and leadership education opportunities at the Costa Leadership Institute, a world-class training location on the Niceville Campus. This location provides a flexible and technologically advanced learning environment that is safe, healthy, comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and accessible.

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The most notable being • $275,000 to develop unobstructed apprenticeship pathways for those desiring to enter the fields of plumbing, electricity, and construction; • $1.15 million to stand up the NWFSC Job Corps Scholars Program offering certificates in high-growth career paths; • $2.7 million to fund our Walton Works Training Center of Excellence, which establishes 10 new workforce programs in DeFuniak Springs; • $1.5 million to stand up the NWFSC Youth Apprenticeship Program to offer apprenticeships opportunities in construction trades, public safety and hospitality industries; and • $7 million to fund the Aviation Center of Excellence that will house airframe and powerplant mechanics training along with professional pilot certificates.

Additionally, through our Professional and Workforce Training Department, Northwest Florida State College offers customized training for business and industry professionals who seek to improve in soft skills necessary to advance in today’s competitive marketplace. Some of the most popular offerings include effective communication, problem solving, leadership, conflict resolution and emotional intelligence to name a few. Classes can be taken at our campus/centers or brought to your business at your convenience.

We continue to strive to remain relevant, and I can assure you we are working each and every day to ‘make a difference’ and ‘improve lives’ in Northwest Florida. Regardless of the career path, Northwest Florida State College is the open door for all students to pursue a strong and progressive future. Opportunities Begin Here.

Dr. Devin Stephenson, President #TheBestisOurStandard

IN THE SPOTLIGHT CONVOCATION 2020 This year’s Convocation was unlike any NWFSC has had before. On Aug. 17, we hosted our first-ever virtual convocation to launch the 2020-2021 academic year and rolled out the College’s 2020-2023 Strategic Plan: Engage NWFSC. Our keynote speaker, Reverend Cecil Williams, focused on the importance of implementing diversity and inclusion in all aspects of life, specifically in the realm of higher education.

“Inclusion provides an opportunity for ALL individuals to be a part of ‘the team’ thus, motivating them to employ their talents and fully contribute to the organization and mission.”

- Reverend Cecil Williams

ARTS AND ATHLETICS

MKAC

Galleries BEST

- IN SHOW -

NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE

UNVEILS NEW INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY Northwest Florida State College unveiled the new Raider Athletics Indoor Practice Facility on August 25. Members of the local community joined NWFSC Board of Trustee members along with College personnel and student-athletes to celebrate the grand opening of this state-of-the-art facility.

The Raider Athletics Indoor Practice Facility features 6,250 square feet of indoor arena blend turf. Student-athletes will have access to batting and pitching cages with four retractable dividers that create five tunnels. The entire space is climate-controlled with eight coiling bay doors that can be opened to allow for natural air flow.

Funded by generous community donors, in-kind contributions and college funds, the Raider Athletics Indoor Practice Facility is a contemporary facility designed to maximize practice days, improve our competitive edge and keep our student-athletes safe.

Guests attending the Raider Athletics Indoor Practice Facility grand opening were given the opportunity to meet the Raider baseball and softball teams, tour the facility and try out one of the practice cages.

SATYR GAZING Ink and colored pencil on paper Irene Pantelis, Bethesda, MD The 28th Emerald Coast National Juired Arts Exhibition is now on display in the Mattie Kelly Arts Center Galleries. Come by the galleries to experience the art in person, August 29 - October 16 or enjoy the work online via the brochure found at www.mattiekellyartscenter. org. If visiting in person, guests are asked to wear masks and keep to 15 people in the building at one time.

The artwork has been spaced to encourage physical distancing.

From left to right; Neptune Freeze by Racheal Homack, Jailbreak by Jeff Jones, Self-Portrait in the Time of Coronavirus

by Annette McGurie, Know Center by Alexandra Giannell.

NWF STATE COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Brian S. Pennington, Chair Lori Kelley, Vice-Chair Shane Abbott Craig Barker Charlotte Flynt

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 J.D. Peacock, Chair Ken Wampler, Vice Chair Bo Arnold, Treasurer C. Jeffrey McInnis, Past Chair

Cristie Kedroski, Secretary Maj. Gen. Don Litke, USAF Ret., Trustee Liaison Dr. Devin Stephenson, President

FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Eric Aden Marek Bakun Wayne Campbell Destin Cobb Cindy Frakes Todd Grisoff Chad Hamilton Walter Hooks Tyler Jarvis

Dave Jefferson Bernard Johnson Heather Kilbey Gordon King Michelle McGee Freeman Jonathan Ochs Dennis Peters Steve Rhodes

Donnie Richardson Ashley Rogers Hu Ross Rhonda Skipper Cecil Williams Steve Wills Steve Wolfrom Alan Wood

FOUNDATION GUY AND JUDY-ANN ZOGHBY FAMILY FUND NAMES LEARNING COMMONS AT NWF STATE COLLEGE “Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the Guy and Judy-ann Zoghby Family Fund, the College can lay the groundwork for the future to better transform the lives of our students and enrich our communities,” said Northwest Florida State College President, Dr. Devin Stephenson.

With a generous pledge of $500,000, the Guy and Judy-ann Zoghby Family Fund has established the Zoghby Learning Commons at Northwest Florida State College.

Judy-ann Zoghby began visiting the Emerald Coast with her late husband, Guy, in 1980. In the 1990s, they decided to make the Emerald Coast their permanent home when Guy retired. Ms. Zoghby is an avid supporter of the College’s Mattie Kelly Arts Center programs and has participated in a wide variety of continuing education classes since 2001. In addition to her support of the arts, Judy-ann generously supports the College’s First Generation Scholarship program providing aid to need-based students whose parents do not possess a bachelor’s degree.

The Learning Commons seeks to create a student-centered hub for academic success on the first floor of the Learning Resources Center. Designed as a modernized space, the Learning Commons encourages both independent and collaborative study.

An initial investment of $250,000 from the Guy and Judy-ann Zoghby Family Fund will be used to initiate the construction and implementation of the project. To secure the future of the Learning Commons, the family has pledged a second investment of $250,000 as an endowment to provide continuing support for improvements for years to come. In grateful acknowledgement of the commitment and in celebration of the perpetual investment, the space will be named the “Zoghby Learning Commons.”