College’s fully online offerings continue to expand

Daytona State College is riding a wave of popularity in online classes among students, expanding its fully online course offerings by 34 percent over the past three years and increasing student enrollment in these courses by a staggering 250 percent.

Through its College of Online Studies, Daytona State has been steadily building its program offerings and course delivery mechanisms for a number of years. The result has been an increase in student enrollment in fully online courses from 11,085 in 2008 to 27,719 in 2010.

The college currently offers more than 150 totally online courses and as many hybrid (partially online) courses.

The increase is the result of multiple factors, according to Dr. Robert Saum, dean of the College of Online Studies. “Building upon our online initiative supports our mission to provide access to higher education,” he said,” but also the increases are driven largely by what our students are demanding. They want the convenience and flexibility that online courses offer to them. Still, we have to also attribute our growth to the same factors that have driven the college’s overall enrollment growth over the past few years – the sluggish economy, which tends to send many people back to school.”

In fact, online education has become a mainstay in American higher education, with more than a third of college and university students across the nation taking at least one online course each semester, according to a Sloan Consortium survey released last November. It represents the largest ever year-to-year increase in the number of students studying online since the annual survey began eight years ago, outpacing total higher education enrollment growth by 19 percent annually. A Pearson Foundation survey released in April this year focused exclusively on community college students and found that 60 percent have taken at least one online course.

Daytona State’s fully online degree and certificate programs include:

Bachelor’s Degrees *

·         Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management (BAS)

·         Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET)

·         Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology – Information Systems Tech Concentration (BSIST)

·          Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology – Electrical Engineering Tech Concentration (BSEET) **

* Daytona State’s bachelor’s degree offerings feature a 2 + 2 model, requiring students to complete an associate of science degree during the first two years of study followed by two years of baccalaureate degree coursework.

** While BSEET coursework can be completed entirely online, the program requires face-to-face attendance in several labs.

Associate Degrees

·         Associate of Arts/University Transfer *

·         Associate of Science in Accounting Technology **

·         Associate of Science in Business Administration **

·         Office Administration **

·         Office Administration/Medical Transcription Option **

 * Save thousands of dollars by earning your associate of arts degree online, then transferring to a Florida public university to complete your junior and senior year of baccalaureate study.

** Daytona State’s associate of science degrees are designed to provide you the skills you need for immediate entry into rewarding careers. Or, advance your skills by enrolling for an additional two years in our Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management degree program.

One-Year Technical Certificates

·         Accounting Applications/Computerized

·         Accounting Technology Operations/Tax Prep

·         Business Management

·         Business Operations/Entrepreneurship

·         Office Management

·         Office Management/Medical Option

·         Office Support

Find out more information about Daytona State’s online course and program offerings by visiting the College of Online Studies on the Web.

International student grad earns US State Department accolades

Shamshad Hussain, a Pakistani citizen who attended Daytona State College in 2008 during a yearlong Community College Initiative Program, has been named May Alumni Member of the Month by the U.S. State Department, which sponsored the international exchange program.

Shamshad Hussain

Hussain was recognized for his work as executive director of the Grassroots Association for Community Empowerment (GRACE), a Pakistani non-profit which mobilizes marginalized communities to promote education and a peaceful society. The State Department noted Hussain’s commitment to “encouraging others, especially alumni of U.S. government exchange programs, to empower and improve the quality of life in vulnerable communities.”

 “It was an honor to represent Pakistan in the U.S.,” said Hussain, who completed coursework in hospitality, tourism and management while at Daytona State. “The ultimate impact was my broadening vision and firm mission to make a difference in my society.” 

Upon his return to his hometown region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Hussain initiated numerous community service projects, was elected president of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network Gilgit-Baltistan Chapter, and took on the role of coordinator for the local U.S. Embassy’s English Access Microscholarship Program. The region is located in a remote part of northern Pakistan that struggles with transportation and security issues. Hussain volunteered to launch the scholarship program because he recognized that many of the children living in his region lacked English language skills, a professional disadvantage in a multi-lingual country where many businesses and government jobs require employees to speak English. Since the program began, professional and educational opportunities for Gilgit-Baltistan’s underprivileged children have significantly expanded due to Hussain’s commitment to his community, according to the State Department.

In October 2010, 100 alumni of the Gilgit-Baltistan region organized a local chapter of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network. As president of the group, Hussain arranged a series of seminars designed to guide women on how to enroll in international education scholarship programs. More than 800 female students attended the seminars, the first of their kind in Gilgit-Baltistan.  As a direct result, the number of applicants from Gilgit-Baltistan to the State Department’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program and the Community College Initiative Program significantly increased.  

“Through his work with the alumni chapter, underprivileged students and the local community, Hussain has become a role model for his fellow Pakistani alumni and an instrumental force in promoting mutual understanding between the U.S. and Pakistan,” the State Department spokesperson noted.

Auto Collision students complete restoration project



Posing with their latest project are, from left, Abudul (Slick) Banks, Nathan (Nate) Ganbin, Jeff O’Neal, Dustin Karasch, Will Clark, instructors Bill Smith and Gene Deyo, Dustin Karasch, Timothy (Spanky) Wareham and Albert (Lenny) Legary.



Students in Daytona State’s Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing program recently restored a 5/8 scale replica of a 1934 Ford sedan originally built by 600 Racing, Inc. out of Charlotte, N.C.

The vehicle, which for the past four years has been run nationwide in the U.S. Legends Car Racing Series, features a fiberglass body and tube chassis, and a Yamaha 4-cylinder FJ 1200 motorcycle engine turned sideways, according to Bill Smith, automotive collision program chair.

Under Smith’s and instructor Gene Deyo’s supervision, the students straightened the car’s chassis, refinished, restored and painted the entire body, and custom airbrushed the vehicle, including flames, logos and their signatures, for Daytona State’s Advanced Technology College where the program is housed. The car will be on display in the ATC atrium during Speed Weeks as well as during open houses hosted by the college.

On tap for fall semester, students will begin restoring a 1969 GTO, Smith said.

The Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing program is a four-semester technical certificate program that prepares students for I-CAR and NATEF certification. Classes are offered during spring and fall semesters.

For more information, please call Mr. Smith at (386) 506-4199.

Help for arthritis sufferers to air May 12 on WDSC

Don’t miss a special edition of Functional Fitness with Suzanne Andrews on WDSC TV, offering viewers the latest conventional and alternative therapies and an inside look from the book, How You Can Erase Arthritis by nationally recognized board-certified rheumatologist, Dr.Nathan Wei,  and Dr. Mache Seibel, one of America's top health communicators.  

The program airs Thursday, May 12, beginning at 10 a.m. on WDSC TV channel 15 in Flagler, Volusia, Seminole, Orange and parts of Brevard County.

“If you or someone you know or love suffers from aching, painful joints, or if you find it more difficult to get out of bed in the morning and make it through your day. If you want to dance, run, play golf or just enjoy life like you used to, then this is the most important show you will ever watch,” said Andrews, the program's founder and a licensed occupational therapy practitioner.

The program will cover topics such as finding the right doctor, medication side effects vs. their risks, therapeutic exercises that alleviate pain and what treatments are available.

Analog television viewers who subscribe to Bright House Networks may obtain a converter box for $1 to get the channel or switch to digital TV. Contact your local Bright House representative for details.  

For more information, visit WDSC on the Web.