Surveys: Overall, students view their Daytona State College experience favorably

Most Daytona State College students are pleased with their college experience, according to an ACT Student Opinion Survey conducted during fall semester. The in-class survey explored how satisfied a representative sampling of enrolled students is with a variety of programs, services and other aspects of Daytona State, and compares the data to national norms. Nearly 1,300 Daytona State students participated, and two-thirds indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall college experience.

Survey respondents indicated that convenient campus locations, cost and flexible class schedules were the top reasons they chose to attend Daytona State. More than half said they prefer to attend classes in the morning, with more than a third saying they prefer 100-percent in-class lecture format over other forms of curriculum delivery. Respondents also ranked the attitude of faculty toward their students above national norms.

Daytona State’s library services and facilities, computer services, child care, college-sponsored social activities and recreational programs ranked among the top five most satisfying elements of college life. 

Considering that 46 percent of the students surveyed were under 21 years old, 51 percent said they enrolled at the college to earn an associate degree, 13 percent to pursue a bachelor’s degree, and 13 percent indicated they plan to transfer to another college or university upon graduation from Daytona State. Sixty-four percent indicated they enrolled at Daytona State immediately upon graduation from high school.

Areas in which the college placed well above national norms included course availability, quality of classrooms, laboratories and general condition of buildings and grounds, and purposes for which student activity fees are used. On the other end of the spectrum, the college ranked below national norms with regard to availability of student housing.

Read the complete Student Opinion Survey.

The college also conducted an ACT Alumni Survey, which focused on 2009-2010 graduates of its baccalaureate degree programs. One hundred eighty graduates were surveyed.

It showed that 95 percent of the respondents still live in Florida and enrolled at Daytona State primarily for general self-improvement, to increase their earning power or to learn a new occupation. The college’s baccalaureate programs were the first choice for 89 percent of respondents.

Eighty percent of respondents were either employed full time or employed and continuing their education.  Seventy-five percent found their first full-time job within three months of earning their bachelor’s degree, with 52 percent obtaining a job prior to graduating, and 84 percent planning to pursue master’s or doctorate degrees. Ninety-two percent of those surveyed said they felt Daytona State prepared them adequately to continue their education, with 36 percent of those suggesting that the college prepared them exceptionally well.

 Read the complete Alumni Survey report.

College community to pick final QEP topic from remaining field of three

After months of collaboration, brainstorming and good old-fashioned hard work on the part of more than 200 faculty and staff, Daytona State College is now in the final stretch leading to the selection of a topic for its first-ever Quality Enhancement Plan.

Last week, Daytona State President Carol Eaton announced three teams which are finalists in the topic selection process. They were among seven teams that were asked early this year to develop proposals for topics and contend to have theirs be the one that will ultimately be the subject of the Daytona State QEP. The topic finalists are preparing proposals dealing with student retention, critical thinking and student motivation.

The QEP is part of the reaffirmation process all colleges must undergo for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This relatively new component is intended to be a plan of action designed to enhance teaching and student learning. The final topic and its resulting plan of action must meet specific SACS criteria, be research-based, measurable and fiscally viable.

Daytona State President Carol Eaton commended all faculty and staff who have been working for more than a year to research, explore and develop potential QEP topics, particularly noting the enthusiasm and dedication shown by members of the seven teams who brought their proposals forward earlier this month.  “Even if your proposal was not selected among the final three, I want to encourage you to further develop them and bring them forth through other channels such as the Planning Council,” she said. “Your efforts are greatly appreciated, and all the proposals hold merit and value.”

The next steps in the topic selection process will culminate with a college-wide vote. In coming weeks, the remaining teams will present their topic proposals via the college’s website and participate in what is being dubbed “The Great QEP Debate,” which will take place on Friday, April 13. The entire college community will vote for the final QEP topic two weeks later.

The QEP topic selection process began during Fall Planning 2010, when faculty and staff participated in workshops to brainstorm a list of more than 200 potential topics. During the months that followed, those ideas were refined and combined to roughly two dozen candidates and then synthesized further to 10 remaining possibilities. From those, three general areas of focus - retention, critical thinking and student motivation - were selected based on a survey of the college community, and seven teams convened to develop more targeted proposals to be reviewed by the college’s SACS Topic Selection Committee. This committee was comprised of senior academics and administrators, as well as District Board of Trustees representative, Mrs. Betty Holness, who reviewed all seven proposals. The committee concluded that the three finalist proposals selected best meet the criteria of the SACS rubric used to evaluate them. 

Multicultural Show to follow new student commons ribbon cutting on March 30

Students enrolled in Daytona State College’s School of Modern Languages will demonstrate their skills during a Multicultural Show to be held Friday, March 30, at 2 p.m. on the Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd.

Just prior to show time, college President Carol Eaton will host a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony dedicating the newly constructed student commons area located on the ground level of the Education Hall, where the multicultural performances will take place. The event is free and open to the public.

The show, produced by students and their tutors, will feature performances of short, comedic vignettes in Spanish, Portuguese and American Sign Language, as well as musical pieces performed in Spanish, Japanese, Italian and Portuguese.

Among the highlights of the afternoon will be Kristi Scaccia, a nationally recognized pianist and dually enrolled Daytona State and Spruce Creek High School student, who will perform several pieces. The college’s Modern Languages Department currently is conducting a raffle to help send Ms. Scaccia to Europe as part of the People to People student ambassador program. People to People is an organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Its mission is to bridge cultural and political borders through education and exchange. Ms. Scassia is among only 15 students from the Central Florida area selected to go on this trip and one of only two from the Daytona Beach area.

The grand prize in the raffle is a four-hour fishing trip for two donated by Off-Duty Charters that is valued at $250.

Other raffle prizes include a two-hour limousine ride for up to four people which has been donated by Sunset Limo, gift certificates to restaurants such as Tia Cori’s, Olive Garden and Rhokkoh’s Frozen Yogurt, and original artwork by Daytona State student Juanda Frazer. Raffle tickets are $1 each or $5 for six and will be available for purchase during the show.  For more information about the raffle, please contact Suzanne Stewart, senior professor of Modern Languages, at (386) 506-3540; email: STEWARS@daytonastate.edu.

The new student commons area was completed this spring and features a staging area where students can meet for small, open-air activities or social gatherings.  Its location is adjacent to the courtyard leading to the Lenholt Student Center to the east and the ECHO Clock Tower Plaza to the south. College officials currently are working with students to officially name the new commons area.

For more information regarding the event, please call (386) 506-4588.

Costa Magoulas has his day in Volusia County

If awards and honors were like groceries, Costa Magoulas would need a bigger refrigerator.

Chef Costa Magoulas

During the college’s District Board of Trustees meeting on March 22, the dean of Daytona State College’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Management added a new honor to a shopping cart full of recognition he’s already received this year, having the day officially designated Costa Magoulas Day by the Volusia County Council.

At the board meeting, the honor was presented to Magoulas via proclamation delivered by Volusia County Councilman Josh Wagner. Wagner cited awards Magoulas received in February at the American Culinary Federation’s Southeast Regional Conference held in Winston-Salem, NC, when he was named ACF Southeast Region Chef Educator of the Year. Magoulas also was one of four to earn the prestigious ACF Southeast Region President’s Medallion, presented to members who exemplify culinary excellence and leadership and have contributed their knowledge, skills and expertise to the advancement of the culinary profession. He also added yet another accoutrement to his basket of gastronomic accolades at the conference, when he won a fried rice competition sponsored by Riviana Foods.

Speaking on behalf of the County Council, Wagner said, “We want to show how important this is, because it’s the people in our community who make our community what it is.”

As ACF Chef Educator of the Year for the Southeast region, Magoulas will vie for the national honor during ACF’s National Convention in July.

Chef Magoulas is a longtime ACF Certified Executive Chef, who began his career more than 50 years ago working in his father’s restaurant. He also is one of 200 Certified Culinary Educators and one of 50 Certified Culinary Administrators in the United States. Additionally, he is a fellow of the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the ACF. He also is a member of the Research Chefs Association, a leading professional community for food research and development.

The ACF was established in 1929 and is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members in 225 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation both here and abroad. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States.

Daytona State offers associate of science degrees in Hospitality Management and Culinary Management, as well as a vocational certificate in a Baking and Pastry Specialization. All programs are conducted in the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality Management, a 62,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility located on the college’s Daytona Beach Campus. The facility features ultra-modern kitchens, high-tech classrooms for instruction a fully functioning restaurant that is operated by students called Café 101 and other amenities that mirror real-world culinary industry environs.

For more information, please call or email Chef Magoulas at 386-506-3578, MagoulC@DaytonaState.edu.

Notables. . .

Dr. Kristy Presswood

Dr. Kristy Presswood, associate vice president of the College of Education, was recently recognized as one of 11 outstanding graduates of the University of Florida’s Institute of Higher Education. Every five years, the competitive awards program recognizes selected professionals - all Ph.D. or Ed.D. graduates of UF’s Higher Education Administration program - for their effectiveness as community college administrators, participation in college-wide strategic planning, community involvement, and professional activities at the state, regional and national levels.

Dr. Presswood has worked in numerous divisions in her 18 years with Daytona State. She was instrumental in the early implementation of a campus computer network and an online student services system, and currently oversees Adult Education and the School of Education, which has a robust system of tracking all pre-service teachers.

Dr. Theodore Sofianos, director of the college’s Office of Resource Development, was one of 30 who were nominated for the award.  Sofianos oversees all aspect of the college’s procurement and administration of grant funds, including those from federal, state, local and independent agencies. He has built a broad network of statewide, nationwide and international business and industry contacts as potential partners on grant opportunities.

Mercedes Clement

Daytona State’s Head Librarian Mercedes Clement, has been named the 2012 Librarian of the Year by the Florida Library Association. The award, which will be presented to Ms. Clement in April at the association’s annual conference, recognizes recipients' outstanding and ongoing contributions to Florida librarianship through participation in professional associations, exhibition of exemplary leadership skills, commitment to free access to information for all Floridians, promotion of reading and the increased usage of library materials, and evidence of creativity and/or innovation in providing services, resources and programs.

Cameron Edwards, an avid triathlete and a graduate of Daytona State’s Educator Preparation Institute program, was recently featured on the cover of USA Triathlon magazine. Ms. Edwards has been a teacher at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, FL, for about seven years. She competes in all distances of triathlons, including Sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman and Full Ironman. To compete in an Ironman competition, one must swim 2.4 miles, run 26.2 miles and bicycle 112 miles. Congratulations to a very athletic EPI graduate.

Dr. Don May and Dr. Les Potter recently completed a textbook for their EDF 4603 Critical Issues class. The book was published by Pearson Custom Publications. The chief motivating factor in the creation of the textbook was designing one that specifically met the needs of the course and education program students at a reasonable cost. The textbook, Critical Issues in Education, will be available to students beginning spring B term.

On March 16 at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, the Volusia Teachers Organization Civil and Human Rights Committee hosted the 7^th annual “Closing the Cultural Gap Conference: A Community Affair.” Many local Volusia County K-12 teachers, college faculty and students attended. The conference goal is to bring strategies and tools that can be used with all students to raise achievement levels in the classrooms and schools. Ana Blaine and Joy Lewis from the School of Education were co-presenters and their presentation was entitled “Closing the Achievement Gap in Reading.” Their session provided an overview of AYP subgroup data, including African American and Hispanic students in the area of reading in Volusia County Schools. The attendees analyzed trends in current subgroup data, as well as how to share those outcomes appropriately with parents and the community. The presentation concluded with ready-to-implement small group tools and handouts that were shared with the teachers.