SFSC Graduates Seven Law Enforcement Officers

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 24, 2016–South Florida State College graduated seven law enforcement officers on Feb 23, handing them their diploma, challenge coins, and words of advice as they begin their careers.

The class of five men and two women filed into SFSC’s University Center Auditorium on the Highlands Campus for the 7 p.m. ceremony and stood at attention while a color guard presented the Stars and Stripes. Family and well-wishers filled the auditorium seats.

Before picking up their diplomas, the cadets, dressed in brown uniforms, heard a send-off speech from a guest chosen by the class.

“Your new public service family is counting on you to raise the bar and raise the standard,” said Greg Bubb, a detective with the State Fire Marshal’s Office who investigates fires and arsons in south central Florida.

“Don’t be scared, be vigilant,” Bubb told the cadets. “Don’t be nervous, be ambitious. Don’t be complacent, be tenacious,” said Bubb, who patrolled Highlands County as a deputy early in his career.

He sounded notes of caution mixed with encouragement throughout his 10-minute speech. He told the cadets law enforcement is challenging but, at times, treacherous.

“Your goal is not survive, but to win,” he said.

Michael Huften, SFSC’s coordinator of criminal justice training, then called up the seven cadets from Basic Law Enforcement Program Class 245 to the stage to hand them their challenge coins, specially minted medallions that signify their achievement and bond as future law enforcement officers. Kevin Brown, SFSC’s dean of applied sciences and technologies, presented the cadets with their diplomas.

Graduating that night were: Timothy Duxbury, Crystal M. Burns, James G. Ford, Eduardo Garcia, Maribel Gonzalez, Salvador Gonzalez, and James S. Sottile.

Huften singled out Duxbury and Sottile for their achievements during the 11-month course. Duxbury earned top honors for his academic excellence and Sottile scored the firearms award for his work on the shooting range.

Cadets typically complete the basic law enforcement course in six months. But this class of cadets enrolled in the part-time option, nearly doubling the completion time.

Ford, who was tapped as class captain, took to the lectern to sum up his fellow cadets’ accomplishments.

“We’ve persevered,” said Ford. “We’ve kept full-time jobs, raised families, and made three-hour commutes to reach this point.” Ford lives in Port Charlotte and other cadets commuted from Haines City, Glades County, and Winter Haven.

Ford thanked SFSC’s instructors for teaching them life’s lessons and helping them make it to graduation. Then, addressing his fellow cadets, Ford commanded them never to forget the motto their class had adopted.

“Fight to the finish,” Ford said, with the audience erupting immediately into applause.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 22, 2016–South Florida State College is teaming up with Benton Wealth Management to ensure the college’s spring term graduates dress for success.

Trudy Benton, president of the Sebring-based financial consultancy, will partner with SFSC to hold an open house on March 4, from noon to 6 p.m., so that residents clearing out their closets for spring can donate clothing to students looking for jobs. Benton will play host to the event in her office at 231 U.S. Highway 27 North, Sebring.

The open house will benefit some of the 200 students SFSC will graduate in May. Many of these graduates will launch their careers with their newly minted degrees and occupational certificates.

“Much to their credit, some of our graduates complete their studies even though they come from financially hard-pressed homes,” said Colleen Rafatti, director of SFSC’s Career Development Center. “One more hurdle often awaits these graduates: affording business- appropriate clothing for job interviews.”

Rafatti noted that in today’s competitive employment market, showing up for an interview with the wrong attire can cost a graduate a chance of landing a job.

“This year, we found an amazing partner, Trudy Benton, who founded Benton Wealth Management,” Rafatti said. “Trudy came up with the idea of inviting the public to her office not only to drop off clothing but take time to enjoy refreshments.”

Ladies can also enter their names for a chance to win a Brighton necklace.

In 2013, Benton, an SFSC alumna, started her own wealth management firm after 14 years as SunTrust Investment Services’ lead financial adviser for Highlands County.

“It seems like yesterday when I was a student at SFSC working on building my career and struggling to put together my own professional wardrobe,” Benton said. “I understand the difficulties of being a new professional with limited resources.”

The idea of matching graduates with the right clothing came to Rafatti in 2011. She had been tapped to take part in Leadership Highlands, a nine-month course that prepares a select number of county residents to assume leadership roles in the community.

Rafatti persuaded her classmates to donate time, clothing, and hardware to set up a “Dress for Success” room on SFSC’s Highlands Campus to fulfill the class’s required service project. Rafatti and her classmates soon stocked the room with racks of clothing, furniture, and fashioned it with fitting space.

Rafatti heads up SFSC’s Career Development Center, a one-stop shop that provides students with a range of employability services. From resume preparation to job leads to interviewing tips, Rafatti and her colleagues aim to ensure SFSC students get off to a good start once they’re ready to work.

Benton and Rafatti ask residents to bring gently used women’s business attire, shoes, purses, and accessories to restock the “Dress for Success” shelves. While the afternoon’s spotlight will be on women, donation of men’s clothing is also welcome. Clothing should be clean, pressed, and on hangers.

For information on the open house, contact Benton or Shari Flowers at Benton Wealth Management’s Sebring office at 863-402-1700. For information on SFSC’s Career Development Center, contact Colleen Rafatti at 863-784-7410 or rafattic@southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 17, 2016–Descending upon the South Florida State College (SFSC) Highlands Campus in Avon Park on Feb. 13 were 104 high school juniors and seniors from DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties who participated in the STEM Scholars program. This program is a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiative sponsored by the Heartland Educational Consortium.

“Students from small and rural districts face unique challenges, among which is access to enrichment opportunities in STEM,” said Lisa Shin of the Heartland Educational Consortium and coordinator of the STEM Scholars program.

“Exposing students to the STEM career fields and research provides an opportunity for academic growth and enrichment,” said Dr. Kimberly Batty-Herbert, dean, SFSC Division of Arts and Sciences. “Engineering and other STEM-related fields are predicted to be future high demand jobs. Our intention is to connect these young scholars to career pathways that ensure a rewarding and secure profession in the 21^st century workforce.”

The students had a full schedule of activities from 9:30 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. Officers with the Highlands County Sheriff’s Department presented sessions covering a day in the life of a CSI crime scene technician, through which students learned about fingerprinting, crime scene processing, collecting and casting shoe and tire impressions, and various equipment used in the lab and at the scene.

SFSC faculty led a series of explorations in science. Using a pecan half, a soda can, a twisted paper clip, matches, and lab equipment, students learned about calorimetry by calculating the number of calories in a pecan. By staining E. coli (found in the gut) and Staph aureus (commonly found on the skin), they were able to identify and view these two types of bacteria under a microscope. And in another session, students isolated DNA from their own cheek cells and watched them separate through the process of electrophoresis.

“Over the last five years, South Florida State College has supported our program by providing STEM forums like this one to our students, helping to make them aware of a wide variety of postsecondary and career options in high skill and high wage fields,” Shin said.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 16, 2016–Dr. Christopher McConnell has to stay busy—even in retirement.

He retired after three decades of practicing internal medicine, growing weary of the business–end of medicine. Still, he couldn’t imagine a life on the links or lounging by the pool. He had a need to work.

To fulfill that need, he found a second career teaching science at South Florida State College (SFSC). Dr. McConnell is entering his ninth year teaching human anatomy and physiology to aspiring nurses, radiologic technologists, and biologists.

“I am going to keep working until I drop,” said Dr. McConnell from his office on SFSC’s Highlands Campus. “As long as I am useful, I’ll keep teaching here.”

His journey to SFSC’s science classrooms came about from a knock on the door. “After leaving my practice, I took up piano lessons to keep myself engaged and busy,” Dr. McConnell said. But after several year of lessons, he acknowledged “I didn’t have it in me to play music.”

Thinking he might have an aptitude for art and eager to find something to do, he knocked on the door of SFSC art professor Cathy Futral. “I never did art before, so I asked Cathy if I could audit her drawing class.”

Futral said she advised him to start with a basic drawing class, which he did.

“As you might imagine, combining the scientific mind with his keen perceptual skills, the artistic talents of Dr. McConnell took off,” Futral said. “Students —and his teacher—were inspired and impressed by his technically beautiful and well-crafted creations.”

Indeed, visitors to Dr. McConnell’s office will find several large renderings of detailed, expertly crafted drawings of anatomical subjects that appear to be reproductions from Gray’s Anatomy, the iconic century and half old textbook on human anatomy.

“No, they are all my drawings,” Dr. McConnell observed. “I don’t exhibit them at shows or sell them. I do the drawings for my own pleasure.” He also draws portraits and paints with acrylics.

Dr. McConnell was so taken by drawing that he hoped he might land a position teaching at SFSC. A move—he hoped—that would keep him busy. But he said the department was already fully staffed. Then came word of an opening for a part-time anatomy instructor at the college.

“It was a perfect fit me,” he said. “I had taught anatomy during the summers while wrapping up my medical studies.”

Dr. McConnell was born in a U.S. Army hospital outside of Detroit, where his father was stationed during World War II. In short order, the family moved to St. Petersburg, Fla. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of South Florida in three years and earned acceptance to Emory University’s medical school.

Dr. McConnell specialized in hematology and oncology. He returned to St. Petersburg, where he practiced for the next 30 years.

“I worked at a large clinic and left when it was sold to a corporation,” he said. “I moved to a 20-acre spread in Wauchula and commuted back to the coast for two years where I worked at the Veterans Administration hospital.” Then came retirement.

Ever needing something to keep him busy, Dr. McConnell raised fainting goats. “Yes, they are goats that faint when startled,” he said. He explained the goats have a genetic disorder that causes their muscles to stiffen when they feel panicked. “It’s painless and they recover in a few seconds,” he explained.

But caring for fainting goats and doing art wasn’t enough to keep him occupied. After one year of teaching anatomy part-time, he was hired to teach full-time, much to his delight. “You can’t go from being a busy doctor to doing nothing,” Dr. McConnell said.

He carries a full load of classes, even commuting two days each week to SFSC’s Lake Placid Center to teach.

Dr. McConnell is experimenting with a novel instructional approach that requires extra work on his part, which is fine with him. “This academic term, I am using the flipped classroom,” he said. “Rather than lecture, I use class time to quiz the students and guide them through in-class exercises.”

Students go online before the class to watch a recorded lecture Dr. McConnell would otherwise have given during class. “This approach engages the student in a much better fashion,” he noted.

Work is not the only thing that fascinates him. He reports a happy marriage to Lisa McConnell, a nursing instructor at SFSC.

“I still draw but not as much now that I have a full teaching load and do the flipped classroom,” Dr. McConnell said.

Full load or not, Dr. McConnell says he could still do more.

“I’d teach more classes if they let me,” he said.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 10, 2016–Heartland residents who missed out on signing up for classes at South Florida State College in January have a second chance to get back into the classroom this spring.

SFSC opened registration for its second spring Flex Session. The Flex Session features compressed classes that students complete in eight weeks.

Classes for the second spring Flex Session run March 3 to May 4. Students can register for the session up through March 7, and fees are due at the time students register.

New students may apply for admission to the college by clicking the “Apply Now” button at the top of SFSC’s home page at www.southflorida.edu. Students should apply for admission before the start of the term so that they’re ready to start classes on time. Returning students may register and pay for classes through the college portal, Panther Central.

The spring Flex Session schedule of classes is available online at www.southflorida.edu/current-students/class-schedules.

Current students who want to lock in their summer class schedule can also register for the summer term.

SFSC invites students and their families to an open house on Feb. 25, 4:30-6 p.m. The open house is geared to all students, from those interested in the Flex Session, current students, and new students with an eye on starting college in the fall.

Students can register in person for the second spring Flex Session or summer term on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park by visiting the Advising and Counseling Center in Building B., 8 a.m.- 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Fridays. Students can also register on the Hardee Campus in Bowling Green, the Lake Placid Center in Lake Placid, or the DeSoto Campus in Arcadia.

Financial aid is available to those who are qualified. For more information about financial assistance and scholarships, contact the SFSC Financial Aid Office at 863-784-7134.

In addition to its two-year associate degree, SFSC offers three bachelor’s degree programs: elementary education, nursing, and business with a concentration in supervision and management. Students who earn an associate degree at SFSC are guaranteed admission to one of Florida’s 12 state universities or one of the college’s own bachelor’s degree programs.

SFSC offers numerous occupational training programs for people who wish to enhance their employability skills through shorter courses of study. Adult who haven’t earned a high school degree can register for SFSC’s adult education program leading to a high school equivalency diploma.

For further information about registration, call 863-453-6661 (Highlands Campus), 773-3081 (Hardee Campus), 993-1757 (DeSoto Campus), or 465-3003 (Lake Placid Center). For information about SFSC and its programs, visit www.southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 9, 2016–The ancient Maya civilization will be the topic of the next Kissimmee Valley Archaeological and Historical Conservancy lecture at South Florida State College.

Gabriella Vail, an anthropologist whose research delves into the culture and hieroglyphics of the Maya, will speak Feb. 18, 7 p.m., in Building G, Room 101, on SFSC’s Highlands Campus. The public is invited at no cost.

Vail will guide the audience through a review of research that provides evidence about the role of fire in rituals among the Maya, its transformative powers among the people, and the mythic narratives that underlie their beliefs. The Maya inhabited land in present day southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras from 2000 B.C. until their conquest by the Spanish in the late 1600s.

Vail earned her doctorate in anthropology at Tulane University, where she studied Maya civilization. Her research centers on pre-Hispanic Maya ritual and religion, as well as calendrical and astronomical texts. The Maya developed and intricate system of hieroglyphic writing unmatched among peoples who inhabited the Americas before European contact.

Vail holds several teaching and research posts at academic institutions, including New College in Sarasota and the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Vail is a consultant for the California-based Maya Hieroglyphic Database Project and a research partner with Maya specialists at the University of Bonn in Germany.

The talk is one of a series at SFSC sponsored by the Kissimmee Valley Archaeological and Historical Conservancy. For more information, call Anne Reynolds at 840-3995.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 9, 2016–Heartland Games For Active Adults Golf Tournament will be held at Pinecrest Golf Course in Avon Park on Saturday, March 5. The Heartland Games for Active Adults is coordinated through South Florida State College.

The golf tournament is open to men and women who will compete in age groups ranging from 50-54 up to 90+. Golfers are encouraged to visit the Games website at www.southflorida.edu/heartlandgames for more details and a registration form.  Registration forms are also available at golf courses throughout Highlands, Hardee and DeSoto counties.

Upcoming events in the 2016 Heartland Games are: bowling, bridge, cycling, euchre, golf, indoor volleyball, pickleball, shuffleboard, swimming and tennis. Registration for the Games is $15 for a single event or $25 for multiple events. There is a surcharge for golf to cover greens fees. The entry fee includes a dri-fit shirt and medals.

Pinecrest Golf Course, designed by famous golf course architect Donald Ross in 1926, hosted the first nationally televised PGA event, the World Championship of Golf in the late ‘50s. In the early ‘70s, the city of Avon Park took over the course which was subsequently bought by the members.

The golf course is located at 2250 Little Lake Bonnet Road, Avon Park. The golf course pro shop can be contacted at 863-453-7555.

For more information about Heartland Games for Active Adults, contact Lorrie Key, director, SFSC Corporate and Community Education, at 863-784-7033 or lorrie.key@southflorida.edu.

The Games are sponsored by Edward Jones/Alan Holmes, Newsom Eye, Florida Hospital, Drs. Thakkar & Patel, Legacy Bicycles, Turner Furniture, Wauchula State Bank, and Alan Jay Automotive Network.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 8, 2016–Discover an undisturbed paradise that is rapidly disappearing. Through the eyes of one of America’s finest landscape photographers, journey into the realm of natural Florida—a world seldom seen by tourists or longtime residents. “Visions of Florida: The Photographic Art of Clyde Butcher” will be exhibited Feb. 10-April 28 at South Florida State College’s Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC), Avon Park.

Considered Florida’s Ansel Adams, Butcher’s black and white photographs chronicle some of Florida’s most beautiful and compelling ecosystems. This exhibition, on loan from the Museum of Florida History, includes a video on Butcher and his environmental photography.

On Thursday, Feb. 18, at 1 p.m., regional artist Joey Sacco will present an interpretive talk at MOFAC about the exhibition.

The state of Florida has honored Butcher with the highest award that can be given to a private citizen–the Artist Hall of Fame Award. He was also privileged to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Nature Photography Association and named Humanitarian of the Year for 2005 by the International University. Additionally, he received the 2011 Distinguished Artist Award from the Florida House in Washington, D.C., and the Sierra Club has given him the Ansel Adams Conservation Award, which is given to a photographer who shows excellence in photography and has contributed to the public awareness of the environment.

For more information about this exhibition, visit MOFAC at www.mofac.org or contact Mollie Doctrow, curator, MOFAC, at mollie.doctrow@southflorida.edu or 863-784-7240. MOFAC’s hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12:30-4:30 p.m. and one hour before the Artist, Matinee, and Trending Now performances at the Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the SFSC Highlands Campus, Avon Park.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 5, 2016–Navigating the path to a college scholarship can prove daunting for some students and their families. That chore will get easier when South Florida State College launches a one-stop online shop for students seeking scholarships from the SFSC Foundation.

SFSC’s Online Scholarship Manager will go live on Feb. 8, giving prospective students the ease of applying for scholarships through SFSC’s website.

Scholarship seekers can access the Online Scholarship Manager at www.southflorida.edu/scholarships. The online application process is open only to students who have already been admitted to SFSC. Students can apply for admission to SFSC online at www.southflorida.edu.

Applicants looking for scholarships will enter their personal information and a short biographical statement online. Once the student hits the finish button, cloud-based software will match students with the scholarships they are eligible to receive.

“This is a major step forward for our financial aid award process,” said Jerry Donna, SFSC’s director of financial aid. “With the Online Scholarship Manager we will be better able to match students with scholarships, ensuring that we offer as many awards to as many students as possible.”

In the past, students had to download a form, write in their responses, and get it to SFSC. The college’s financial aid staff would pour over documents for weeks, working to match students with the best scholarships.

Donna said the new online system will greatly simplify the process for applicants. He said students can start the application, save their input, and complete the process over several days. Once the application is complete, students will receive an email with a link to check the status of their application.

The SFSC Foundation awards hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to students in SFSC’s degree and occupational programs. As the number of scholarships increased each year, SFSC saw the necessity in ensuring that every available dollar found a student.

SFSC opted to partner with AcademicWorks, a technology firm specializing in cloud computing for higher education. Bringing the process online required collaboration across several SFSC departments, including information technology, accounting, and financial aid, Donna noted.

The application deadline for the summer term is March 15. Donna recommends that prospective students apply by the deadline. He said the Online Scholarship Manager may tentatively match a student with a scholarship but require additional information to complete the match.

Donna said scholarship applicants will receive decisions by email in April for the summer term. He noted that no award is final until an applicant has completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

For more information about SFSC’s financial aid program, call 863-784-7134 or follow the financial aid link on SFSC’s website: www.southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla.–Feb. 4, 2016–South Florida State College invites prospective students and parents to discover all the college has to offer at the first of several open houses on the Highlands Campus, Feb. 25, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

SFSC faculty and staff will be on hand to showcase SFSC’s many educational and student support programs.

“Attendees will have the chance to learn about the various programs of study SFSC has to offer, financial aid and scholarships, advising and counseling, student life, and learn more about support services for students,” said Summer Miller, SFSC’s college recruiter. “They can drop in any time between 4:30 and 6 p.m., so there’s no need to rush to the campus after work.”

Miller said college representatives will be available during the open house to help new students apply for admission. Students can get their financial aid questions answered by talking to one of the college’s financial aid counselors, she added.

While at the open house, attendees can join one of two guided tours of the campus. The first will set off at 4:45 p.m. and a second tour starts at 5:15 p.m.

“What’s great about this event is that all the key college staff will be in one place, so folks won’t have to go from office to office to get help,” Miller said.

In addition to its two-year associate degree, SFSC offers three bachelor’s degree programs: elementary education, nursing, and business with a concentration in supervision and management. Students who earn an associate degree at SFSC are guaranteed admission to one of Florida’s 12 state universities or one of the college’s own bachelor’s degree programs.

Resident who haven’t earned a high school degree can learn about SFSC’s adult education program leading to a high school equivalency diploma.

The open house will be held in the lobby of Building B on SFSC’s Highlands Campus, 600 W. College Dr., Avon Park. Look for Entrance 1 and follow the signs to Building B.

“Whether you’re pursing a bachelor’s degree, an associate degree, college credit certificate, or occupational certificate, SFSC’s open house can help you start your journey towards reaching your educational goals,” Miller said.

Other open houses will be held April 28 and June 9. For more information about the open house, contact Miller at summer.miller@southflorida.edu or 863-784-7447.