New leadership ushers in renewal during board of trustees August meeting

A multi-level change of leadership was on display during the Aug. 25 meeting of the Daytona State College District Board of Trustees.

Board Chair Dwight Lewis

In addition to the meeting being college President Carol Eaton’s first working session with the entire governing board, trustees also elected a new chair and re-elected its vice chair for a second term.

Dwight Lewis, DeLand, who was appointed to the board in April by Gov. Rick Scott, will serve as chair, replacing John Tanner, Flagler Beach.  Dr. Christina Frederick-Recascino, Ormond Beach, was re-elected to serve her second term as vice chair.

Vice Chair Christina Frederick-Recascino

While board members are appointed by the governor to serve four-year terms, trustees nominate and elect a board chair and vice chair annually. Trustee Mary Ann Haas, Flagler Beach, was nominated for both seats but withdrew from consideration, citing time constraints from outside professional commitments in the coming year. Board members then unanimously approved Lewis and Recascino for the slots.

Lewis, is a retired business owner and former Volusia County councilman who served two terms as County Council chairman. He complimented Tanner for his work this past year as the college’s board chair and encouraged fellow trustees to engage in healthy debate and commit to working in unity during the coming year. “We are all serving because of our love for this college and this community and we all need to never forget that,” he said.

Recascino is vice president for academics and research at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and was appointed to the Daytona State College board in June 2010. In accepting the vice chair position for a second term, she noted a renewed air of enthusiasm among those in the boardroom. “It’s very exciting, like when we all first start school in the fall and everybody has their new pencils,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working with you all and having a productive year.”

The board also paid tribute to Frank Lombardo, longtime mathematics faculty, senior vice president of academic affairs and interim president of the college, who retired this month upon Dr. Eaton beginning her tenure as president. Trustees unanimously approved a Resolution of Appreciation honoring Lombardo for his more than three decades of service to the college.

Foundation on track to award $1 million in scholarships, seeks support

As fall semester marks the start of a new academic year, the Daytona State College Foundation also is kicking into the heart of its fundraising season.

Some tickets are still available for the Foundation’s fall “Championship Gala” honoring longtime community advocate and college supporter “Gator” Bert Reames. The gala will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22, beginning at 5:30 p.m., at Daytona State’s L. Gale Lemerand Center (Bldg. 310) on the Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach.

Events such as the fall gala raise much needed dollars for student scholarships and campus growth initiatives. “With today’s difficult economic times, made even more challenging for students by dwindling state funding and tightened federal financial aid rules, the Foundation is placing a particular focus on providing scholarship assistance that often marks the difference in whether or not a student can afford to go to college,” said Donna Sue Sanders, the Foundation’s executive director. This year, the Foundation is on track to award more than $1 million in scholarships to nearly 1,000 students, she said, and the Foundation wants to spread the word throughout the community about both the need for continued donor support and the availability of scholarships for students.

Scholarships are awarded based on need, academic merit or a combination of these and other criteria.  At a recent meeting of the Daytona State College District Board of Trustees, board member Mary Ann Haas, who also serves as its representative on the Foundation Board of Directors, encouraged her fellow trustees to support and spread the word about the Foundation’s mission.

“We want the community to know that the money is being spent (for the benefit of our students),” she said. “I know finances are tight and times are tough, but every little bit helps and can make a huge difference in the lives of our students and their families.”

She pointed particularly to a new effort to create scholarships for people preparing for their GEDs, once a free service but now carrying a state-mandated $30 charge per semester for the self-paced classes, not including the additional cost of testing. “For some people, it’s a matter of putting food on the table or getting that GED,” Haas said. “We need to come forward and help them.” Her call to action was well received by trustee Forough Hosseini, who agreed to provide $1000 toward this effort. 

Scores of Foundation Donor Scholarships are available and can be found at www.daytonastate.edu/scholarships or at the Financial Aid Services Office located on any campus. Eligibility is based on academic merit, the student’s major, financial need or a combination and is most often designated by the donor.

Most recently, three new scholarships have been established and illustrate how donors can tailor the eligibility criteria to best target those students they wish to benefit:

·    Tillandsia Garden Club Scholarship – One $1,000 scholarship to a new or continuing student who is enrolled full-time (12 credit hours or more), with an average GPA of 3.0. Students must intend to seek an associate or bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. They also must be US citizens, graduates of either Seabreeze or Mainland high schools and reside in either Daytona Beach or Ormond Beach.

·    William W. Gay Veteran Scholarship (Daytona Beach Rotary Club West) – This is a $1,200 scholarship awarded during fall and spring semesters to a new or continuing student who has maintained a minimum GPA of 2.0 for the semester in which the scholarship is sought. Applicants must reside in Volusia County and must either be an honorably discharged veteran, a family member of a veteran or on active duty. Scholarship recipients will be required to attend and speak at a Rotary Club meeting.

·    REGROUP, Inc. Scholarship – Provides a $500 per semester (fall, spring and summer) scholarship to a new or continuing, non-traditional student enrolled full-time and maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. Scholarship recipients must reside in Volusia or Flagler counties and be members of REGROUP, a student club dedicated to working with adults who are returning to the classroom after being out of school for a number of years.

“What’s important to understand is that we will honor all donor-designated restrictions or covenants associated with any gift or endowment as long as it is in keeping with the mission of the Foundation and Daytona State College,” Sanders said. “One’s gift is a personal expression of their commitment to the college, our students and, ultimately, our community.”

For information on how you can donate to the Daytona State College Foundation, please visit www.daytonastate.edu/foundation or call (386) 506-3110. Students interested in learning more about available scholarships should set up a user account by following the guidelines at http://www.daytonastate.edu/scholarships/tipsonapplying.html on the college’s scholarships website or contact Charlene Solomon at (386) 506-4422.

Notables. . .

The College of Education reports that two recent graduates of Daytona State’s Educator Preparation Institute (EPI) have been hired as teachers in Volusia County. Academic Chair Les Potter also noted that, of 11 Bachelor of Science in Education students who graduated in December 2010, one has enrolled at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville, to pursue an advanced degree and nine have been hired as teachers in area public, private and charter schools. Among them are Monica Berns-Conner, who has been hired by Warner Christian Academy as an ESE educator in the school’s Discovery Program, and Alison Francis, hired to teach 3rd grade at Veteran's Park Academy for the Arts in Lee County.

Also on the education front, Daytona State’s District Board of Trustees recently authorized the college to offer tuition vouchers to Volusia and Flagler County K-12 teachers who agree to in-classroom mentoring of senior interns from the college’s BS in Education degree programs. The voucher would be good for one, three-credit hour undergraduate course that could be used by either the teacher or an immediate family member.

Daytona State’s Dental Assisting certificate and AS in Dental Hygiene programs were recently reaccredited  through 2018 by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education.

Likewise, the college’s AS in Occupational Therapy program earned 10-year reaccreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Daytona State College President Carol Eaton will kick off the fall season of WISE workshops on Sept. 12 with a presentation called Here and Now – Daytona State College. The presentation will take place from 2 – 3:30 p.m. at the News-Journal Center, 221 N. Beach St. in downtown Daytona Beach.  WISE is the Daytona State College Foundation’s Wisdom in Senior Education program, which is dedicated to promoting and sharing college resources with the community and providing learning opportunities in a non-credit format. Find out more about WISE and its fall lineup of presentations at http://www.daytonastate.edu/foundation/wiseevent.html.

The Southeast Museum of Photography this evening will host special guest Carlos Robles, a Fulbright Scholar in Residence from Brazil, who will be teaching language, business and other courses this year at Daytona State. Tonight, Robles will provide background information and lead a post-screening discussion of Lula, the Son of Brazil, his nation's submission to the Oscars for this year's best foreign language film about Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvas' rise from humble beginnings to the presidency of the world's fifth largest country. The screening will take place in the Madorsky Theater inside the Mori Hosseini Center (Bldg. 1200) on the Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is free; although, donations in support of the museum are gratefully accepted. Find out more about the film at http://www.smponline.org/films_brazil.html.