College of Education confers first bachelor’s degrees

Daytona State’s College of Education conferred its first Bachelor of Science in Education degrees to 11 graduates during December commencement ceremonies.

"We are very proud of this group of graduates," said College of Education Academic Chair, Dr. Les Potter. "They now move into their professions with the proper knowledge and preparation to be successful, but also with the passion required by teachers to make a difference in children’s lives."

Of the first 11 graduates, nine are elementary education majors and two are exceptional student education majors. Six members of this group already have secured teaching positions in Volusia County.

Dr. Potter pointed to a unique senior internship attached to the Daytona State College education degree programs that he believes gives graduates an edge. All senior interns spend 14 weeks in either Volusia or Flagler County schools and follow the same schedule as their cooperating teachers. "For the first few weeks, the senior interns observe and teach mini lessons," he said. "By week five, however, they assume full teaching responsibilities and their cooperating teachers are observing them."

He added, "Upon graduation, our BS in Education students not only earn their diplomas, they also are certified in their subject area with endorsements in reading and ESOL."

The 11 graduates are Vanessa Beckman, Lloyd Clayborn, Hope Crawford, Andrea Dixon, Alison Francis, Tiffany Hunt, Brianna Laue, Laura Matthews, Christine Pageau, Monica Reulbach and Lindsey Roseboom.

Congratulations to all our December graduates!

Clock’s ticking for Taste of the 24 tickets

There’s still time to get your tickets for the 2nd annual Taste of the 24, that unique Daytona State College Foundation fundraiser which sold out during last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The Taste of the 24 will take place on Saturday, Jan. 29, from 6 – 10 p.m. high atop the Daytona International Speedway Superstretch grandstands.

Patrons can enjoy food from 24 of the area’s finest restaurants, a cigar bar, live jazz, beer and wine from around the world, and a chance to win a Rolex watch.

Seating is limited and tickets are expected to sell out soon, so make your reservations today. Tickets are $75 per person and include free event parking, Taste of the 24 event admission and one weekend pass to the Rolex 24. Or, pay $95 for Taste of the 24 admission, parking, a weekend race pass and a chance to win a Rolex watch. Tickets for children 12 and under may be purchased at the door for $24.

All proceeds from the Taste of the 24 will support student scholarships and campus growth initiatives at Daytona State College.

For more information or to purchase your tickets, please call or e-mail the Foundation: (386) 506-3724, foundation@daytonastate.edu.

Japanese delegation looks to Daytona State for best Academic Support Center practices



Dr. Judy Campbell, right, reviews ASC specifications with
Dr. Noyuri Mima of Future University-Hakodate’s Center for Meta-Learning.

A delegation of Japanese higher education officials visited Daytona State College this week for a first-hand look at its nationally acclaimed Academic Support Center.

The delegation, four members of Japan’s Ministry of Education, was here to learn about trends, issues and best practices related to American college learning centers that can help them with reformation efforts at Japanese colleges and universities.

"As Japan opens access to higher education, it is finding that many students require academic assistance to become more college-ready," said Dr. Judy Campbell, Daytona State’s ASC director. "They are now exploring how active and robust academic support centers can be effective in promoting student success."



Senior Learning Specialist Bob Balsamo, left, leads the delegation on
a tour of the ASC.

The delegation looked to the centers at Daytona State in the wake of a visit this fall to the National College Learning Center Association’s annual conference held in Charlotte, N.C. First established in 1976, Daytona State’s Academic Support Center is a 2007 recipient of the NCLCA’s prestigious Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Association Award. More recently, the Florida Association of Community Colleges cited Daytona State for Exemplary Practice in Learning Support Services.

A contingent of Daytona State ASC staff, administrators, faculty and tutors welcomed the Japanese delegation. During tours and individual conferences, they guided the visitors through the process of building a robust academic support center, pointing to facilities and technical planning, staffing, budgeting and case histories, with the key ingredient of the successful milieu being buy in from college faculty regarding the value academic support centers bring to student learning.

Delegation members explore on their own.

Daytona State’s centers provide individual and small-group instructional support to students in math, science, business, and many other courses and supplemental instructional services for historically difficult courses.

During the 2008-09 academic year, there were over 201,000 student visits to the ASC locations located on each of the six College campuses. That number increased from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010, when more than 280,000 student visits were recorded. In order to accommodate the increased demand, the ASC reached out to a wider community of faculty for their involvement. The outreach effort was significant and established a new level of awareness among faculty regarding how the ASC can enhance teaching and learning. Center staff, in collaboration with the ASC Liaison Committee, made a concerted effort to engage faculty and develop strategies complementary to academic instruction. Faculty participation increased from 70 members providing service hours during the 2007-2008 academic year to 148 during 2009-2010.

"Without the active and consistent faculty participation in ASC activities, it would be impossible to provide academic support to the thousands of students who seek academic assistance every semester," Dr. Campbell noted. "Faculty hold the initiative together."

Daytona State Library to host traveling baseball exhibition

The 1935 Negro League champion Pittsburgh Crawfords

The Daytona State College library will host the highly acclaimed traveling exhibition Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience, from Jan. 31 through March 3. Daytona State’s library is among 50 across the country selected to host the exhibition, which is based on a permanent display of the same name at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.

"We are delighted to have been selected as a site for this important exhibition," said Dr. Michelle McCraney, Daytona State’s associate vice president of library services. "This exhibition tells remarkable stories of players and teams who, despite being shut out of major league baseball, still persevered and, in fact, helped advance a sport they loved."

The free exhibition is composed of colorful panels featuring photographs of teams, players, original documents and artifacts in the collections of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and in other institutions and collections across the U.S. It examines the challenges faced by African-American baseball players beginning in the post-Civil War era, highlighting such historical icons as Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first African American to play professional baseball; Rube Foster, who pioneered the first successful black baseball league – the Negro National League – in 1920; the Kansas City Monarchs, who were among the first to play nighttime games using their own generators and light stands as a means of increasing attendance and gate receipts; Jackie Robinson, one of the game’s all-time greats who finally broke the color barrier in 1947; and Satchel Paige the first player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame based solely on his performance in the Negro leagues.

Pride and Passion was organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the American Library Association Public Programs Office, Chicago. The exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: great ideas brought to life.

The library, located in bldg. 210 on the Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., will be sponsoring free programs and other events for the public in connection with the exhibition. Regular library hours of operation: Monday – Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For more information or to arrange a group tour, please contact Dustin R. Weeks, (386) 506-3593, or weeksd@daytonastate.edu.

President Lombardo urges forward thinking during Spring Planning 2011 kickoff

Daytona State College’s eighth president this week urged a near standing-room-only Theater Center audience of faculty and staff to focus on the future of the institution during welcoming remarks that officially kicked off Spring Planning 2011.

Emotional at times, humorous and humbled at others, Interim President Frank Lombardo urged the college community to keep moving forward. "These are the hardest of times and the best of times," he said. "The best thing each of us can do for the institution now is to keep looking toward the future."

Citing past college milestones such as enrollment growth, expansion of facilities, the establishment of new degree programs and student support services as evidence of the fruits forward thinking will bear, Mr. Lombardo added, "Change is inevitable. No one can stop it. But the one thing you can do, right now, is to start thinking about how we can become an even better institution."

The former senior vice president of academic affairs and career mathematics professor downplayed his new role as Daytona State’s interim president, engaging the audience with the ease of a 30-plus-year veteran educator and pointing to students in the audience as the most important reason to keep focused on the college mission.

Mr. Lombardo also said a new president will likely be selected by late spring and will inherit "an institution that is more than just a college, but a primary economic engine of our community."

Then, in classic Frank Lombardo style, the 73-year-old former US Air Force lieutenant colonel shared an observation about his own eventual departure from Daytona State College.

"I’m pre-fired," he said. "My time here has an end date. Sooner or later it’s going to happen to each of us. We’re all going to have a last day at Daytona State College. But remember one thing. This place should be better because you were here, not because you left."