Dental Education Programs Granted Continuing Accreditation

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 27, 2019 – South Florida State College’s (SFSC) Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs recently were granted continuing accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Continuing CODA accreditation has been granted for seven years—through 2025. The Dental Hygiene program was initially granted accreditation in January 2005, and the Dental Assisting program was accredited in July 2004. SFSC launched its Dental Hygiene program in 2002 and its Dental Assisting program in 2003.

This continuing accreditation comes as a result of an intense, three-day visit to SFSC in June 2018 by four CODA site visitors. CODA is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the sole agency to accredit dental education programs conducted at the postsecondary level.

Notification of SFSC’s Dental Education programs’ continuing accreditation came to Dr. Thomas C. Leitzel, SFSC president, in a letter from Michelle Smith, manager of allied dental education at CODA, congratulating the College on its achievement—the CODA visiting committee had no recommendations. In other words, SFSC had met or exceeded the minimum standards required by the accrediting institution.

“This is the first time both programs have been reviewed during the same visit,” said Dr. Michele Heston, dean of health sciences at SFSC. “The site visitors presented their results and were pleased to state that there were no findings. They praised the program chair, the faculty, and the College’s support of the program, citing it was an ‘excellent program with stellar facilities.’”

 “SFSC’s curriculum is as good as or better than any allied dental program in the country,” said Dr. Deborah Milliken, chair of dental education at SFSC. “That’s because of the faculty at SFSC who developed it.”

CODA considers a total of 12 standards and over 600 criteria for both dental programs. It assesses administration of the programs, financial support for the programs, curriculum, credentials of the faculty and their course loads, computer access, classroom setups for lectures, library resources, lab and clinic facilities, equipment, and entry-level competencies that students must pass.

“CODA accreditation means that SFSC’s graduates are among an elite group of dental professionals in the country and that this program trains the students to that level and expertise,” Dr. Milliken said. “For our dental hygiene students, it means that they are eligible to take the licensure examination in Florida and in all states, for that matter. Only CODA-accredited program graduates are eligible for licensure. This accreditation means that dental assisting students are eligible for the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) designation upon passing Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) and occupational certificate completion. Otherwise, they would have to wait two years, and practice, before they are eligible.”

“We are proud of Dr. Milliken and her team,” Dr. Heston said. “The collaborative spirit of SFSC is illuminated during such visits. From the grounds crew to the faculty to the senior administrators, all team members play an important role in the success of our Health Science programs and students.”

SFSC currently offers a two-year Associate in Science in Dental Hygiene and an 11-month Dental Assistant Occupational Certificate. These Dental Education programs are among several Health Science programs offered by SFSC and include nursing, radiography, paramedic, and emergency medical technician.

For more information about Health Science programs, call 863-784-7027, email healthsciences@southflorida.edu, or visit southflorida.edu.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 26, 2019 – The Florida College System (FCS) has named four South Florida State College (SFSC) students to the 2019 All-Florida Academic Team.

Each year, the FCS names an All-Florida Academic Team to honor students enrolled in Florida’s public state and community colleges for their academic achievement, leadership, and service to the community.

The SFSC students earning this recognition are Jami Mercer, Aspen Rowe, Dafne Dominguez Sanchez, and Kristal Shands. They join 158 of their peers from the 28-member FCS in being named to the academic team.

The four SFSC students will be recognized, formally, at an awards ceremony on Thursday, April 4 in Orlando. Additional honors and scholarships for these students, awarded by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, and other affiliated foundations and organizations, will be announced at that time.

“We are so pleased with the academic accomplishments of these four scholars from the Tau Epsilon Chapter of PTK at SFSC,” said Dr. Charlotte Pressler, PTK advisor and Honors Program director at SFSC. “Each of these students has unique accomplishments that are the result of dedication to academic pursuits. Being named as an All-Florida Academic Team member is both an honor and a wonderful way to recognize and celebrate academic excellence at SFSC. We are so proud of them!”

Students named to the All-Florida Academic Team were drawn from SFSC’s Honors Program and the College’s Tau Epsilon chapter of PTK. In nominating students for the All-Florida Academic Team, colleges consider participation in academic honors programs, membership in and awards from collegiate societies, and academic enrichment gained from internships and special projects.

PTK is an honor society that recognizes the academic achievements of community and state college students and helps them to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of over 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations. For more on PTK, visit ptk.org.

For more information about SFSC’s PTK chapter or Honors Program, contact Dr. Pressler at 863-784-7247.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 25, 2019 – South Florida State College (SFSC) welcomes The Lew Del Gatto Quintet featuring Dan Miller to present a swinging jazz concert on Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in the 250-seat SFSC University Center on the Highlands Campus located at 600 West College Drive in Avon Park.

“Music from the 1930s, 40s and 50s performed by top-notch professional jazz musicians will delight anyone that loves swing music,” said Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC.

Lew Del Gatto, who is the artistic director of the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra, has been a dynamic figure in the New York music scene for over 40 years and Florida for 20 years. His versatility and comprehension of music as an art form has been the basis for his stellar career. Del Gatto has been involved with jingles, films, Broadway, television, and jazz. He was a saxophonist and arranger with the Saturday Night Live Band from 1975-1979 and from 1985-2005. Del Gatto played with the Les Elgart Band and Sal Salvador and he appeared with the world famous The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He played on such films as “My Blue Heaven,” “Naked Gun 2½,” “The Wiz,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Man on the Moon,” “The Original Blues Brothers,” and others.  

Del Gatto is on numerous recordings and has appeared with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Bette Midler, the Brecker Brothers, Quincy Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Buddy Guy, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Average White Band, Liza Minelli, Ringo Starr, Lou Rawls, Chaka Chan, Frieda Payne, Steve Winwood, Aerosmith, Madonna, Tina Turner, Steely Dan, Luther Vandross, Levon Helm, Carly Simon, and Mariah Carey. And the list goes on.          

Dan Miller grew up in the vibrant musical scene of Chicago during the 1980s. He attended the University of North Texas and moved to New York City in 1991. He has studied with Don Jacoby, Bobby Shew, John Haynie, Ed Treutel, Brad Goode, Nick Drozdoff, and Barry Harris. He spent 11 years as a member of the Harry Connick Jr. Orchestra, traveling the world and recording numerous albums and TV specials.

Miller has also toured internationally and recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Maynard Ferguson, Tom Jones and Woody Herman. He has performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Curtis Fuller, Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Frank Foster, Jon Hendricks, George Coleman, Charles McPherson, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Tom Harrell, David “Fathead” Newman, and Jack McDuff. Other members of the quintet are drummer/vocalist Patricia Dean, Dop Mosick, and Richard Drexler.

The 2019 Jazz Series at SFSC is sponsored by Patricia McShane, Dr. and Mrs. Norman Stephens Jr., Lake Placid Health and Rehabilitation Center, Peter and Dale Caldwell, Rev. Lynne Josselyn and Larry Conrad, and Elaine Becker and Bill Shroder.

Upcoming jazz performances are Soul Train Best Jazz Vocalist award winner Nicole Henry on March 28 and Michigan’s Jazz Vocalist of the Year Edye Evans Hyde and Terry Lower on April 4. Performances begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $26 and groups of 12 of more can save 50 percent. Students with a current ID receive free admission to jazz performances. Student tickets are available at the box office one hour before the performance. The SFSC Box Office, which is located on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park at 600 West College Drive, is open Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tickets and videos of upcoming productions are available online at sfscARTS.org and telephone orders can be placed by calling 863-784-7178.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 22, 2019 – The Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at South Florida State College (SFSC) in Avon Park will play host to The Price is Right Live™ stage show on Saturday, March 30 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now at the SFSC Box Office located on the Highlands Campus at 600 West College Drive in Avon Park, by phone at 863-784-7178 or online at sfscARTS.org.  

The Price Is Right Live™ is the hit interactive stage show that gives eligible individuals the chance to “Come on Down” and play classic games from television’s longest running and most popular game show. Contestants can win cash, appliances, vacations and possibly even a new car by playing favorites like Plinko™, Cliffhangers™, The Big Wheel™, and the fabulous Showcase!  

Playing to near sold out audiences for more than 10 years, The Price Is Right Live™ has given away over $12 million in cash and prizes to lucky audience members all across North America.

The Price is Right™ is the longest running game show in television history and loved by generations of viewers. This on-stage traveling version gives fans the chance to experience the same fun and winning excitement up close and in-person.

The Price Is Right is produced by FremantleMedia North America and licensed by FremantleMedia.

EVENT:                                   The Price is Right Live!

DATE/TIME:                          March 30, 2019/8 p.m.

VENUE:                                 Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts

TICKETS ON SALE:               sfscARTS.org

*No purchase is necessary to register for a chance to be a contestant. Open to legal U.S. residents, 18 years or older. Ticket purchase will not increase your chances of being selected to play. For complete rules and regulations, including eligibility requirements, visit or call the venue box office. To enter the theater to the watch show, a ticket purchase is required.  

AVON PARK, FL – Feb. 21, 2019 – South Florida State College’s (SFSC) Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) plays host to the Pygmy Fringe Tree Wildflower Day, a celebration of the region’s native wildflowers, on Thursday, March 7, 1– 2 p.m., on SFSC’s Highlands Campus, in Avon Park. Admission is free and open to the public.

The celebration takes its name from the pygmy fringe tree (Chionanthus pygmaeus), a now rare flowering shrub that grows between 3 and 6 feet tall. The pygmy fringe tree once thrived throughout Central Florida. However, farming and development nearly swept it from the region, prompting the federal government to declare it an endangered species in 1987. 

Dustin Angell, a conservation photographer and education coordinator from Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Fla., will give a talk at MOFAC on the various plants indigenous to the Lake Wales Ridge. Many of these plants grow along the SFSC Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail, located on the grounds of SFSC’s Highlands Campus in Avon Park. Angell’s presentation will occur during a time when the Pygmy Fringe Tree is typically in bloom. It is a once-a-year occurrence and a beauty to behold.

Attendees are encouraged to take a walk along the Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail, a footpath winding its way through pristine scrubland on the SFSC Highlands Campus. The tract, blanketed by fine white sand and overspread with shrubs, is home to native wildflowers including the big flag pawpaw, sky-blue lupine, and other endangered species, like the scrub St. John’s Wort. Guidebooks detailing the plants will be available in MOFAC.

A walk through the trail gives visitors a chance to see the land, known as the Lake Wales Ridge, as it existed for centuries. The ridge, an ancient beach and sand dune system formed 1-3 million years ago, has been home to flora that has struggled to survive against development.

The trail was conceived by Mollie Doctrow, former MOFAC curator and an award-winning artist whose work revolves around capturing natural habitats. The trail opened in 2011.

Visitors to the trail can write their impressions in notebooks found in wooden shrine boxes along the path. The boxes, designed by Doctrow, contain information that showcase the shrubs and wildflowers. One side of each box has a plant image in relief, allowing visitors to make a rubbing on paper as a memento of their visit.

The trail is open to the public during SFSC’s regular business hours. It is located on the north side of College Drive, across from Entrance 5.

For more information about the Pygmy Fringe Tree Wildflower Day, call Megan Stepe, curator for MOFAC, at 863-784-7240 or visit mofac.org. To learn more about the Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail, visit mofac.org/wayside/trail/.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 19 – Due to circumstances beyond the control of South Florida State College (SFSC) Performing Arts, the Wednesday, Feb. 20 performance of CHITA RIVERA and ROBERT KLEIN at the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at SFSC in Avon Park has been re-scheduled to Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m.

“This is the nature of live performances,” said Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC. “We will accept and honor the Feb. 20 tickets at the March 27 performance.”

SFSC Performing Arts will contact all ticket holders via email and telephone.

Tickets are available online at sfscarts.org for the March 27 performance.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 18, 2019 – Wayne Newton, known worldwide as “Mr. Las Vegas,” epitomized the talent, glamour and energy of Las Vegas, and he’s bringing his “Up Close and Personal” performance to the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at South Florida State College (SFSC) in Avon Park on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $55. Groups of 12 or more can save 20 percent on admission plus the group leader receives one free ticket.

In 1999, Newton became the first Las Vegas “headliner in residence” with his own showroom where he appeared six nights a week for 40 weeks. For many years, Wayne was voted “Entertainer of the Year” by both Nevada Magazine and Casino Player Magazine. Melissa Cook of Casino Player Magazine said, “…he consistently offers the best in entertainment value. Wayne Newton is in a class and category all his own.”

Newton, who has recorded and released 165 albums, learned to play piano, guitar and steel guitar by ear. He was doing a daily radio show at the age of 6, appeared with the Opry roadshows that came through Virginia and Tennessee and performed on weekends at local movie theaters. While in the first grade, he and his brother, Jerry, performed in a USO show for President Harry Truman.

At age 8, he won a local talent contest which provided him with an audition for “Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour.” “There are two people I know of,” said Newton, “who flunked ‘Ted Mack’ auditions: Elvis Presley and me.”

Continuing to perform throughout his teen years, Newton learned to play 13 instruments. Jackie Gleason invited him to perform his first national network television show and Newton performed 12 more times in the next two years. In the early to mid-1960s, he also acted and sang as “Andy” the baby-faced Ponderosa ranch hand on the classic western TV series, “Bonanza.”

Other showbiz mentors were Lucille Ball, Danny Thomas, George Burns and Jack Benny. Bobby Darin produced his first record hits, “Danke Schoen,” “Red Roses for a Blue Lady,” “Summer Wind,” and “Dreams of the Everyday Housewife.”

His “Up Close and Personal” show is currently at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The show features performances of his favorite hits, showbiz stories, and candid conversations with questions from the audience.

“It’s an interactive show,” said Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC. “It’s a wonderful, intimate show that reminisces about old-style Vegas.”

The performance is sponsored by the Thakkar Foundation, Drs. Ashok and Raji Sonni and Coldwell Banker/Gary Delatorre.

Tickets are available online at sfscARTS.org, by phone at 863-784-7178 or at the SFSC Box Office located on the SFSC Highlands Campus at 600 West College Drive in Avon Park.

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 12, 2019 – Nashville native and pianist Jason Coleman and guitarist Meagan Taylor bring new life to the “Nashville Sound” at the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at SFSC on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 1:30 p.m. Coleman, who is the grandson of Floyd Cramer, and Taylor, who is the niece of Chet Atkins, are masters of the “slip note” piano style and the virtuosity of “thumb and two finger” guitar style of country music.

“Jason Coleman wowed the audience when he performed here in 2016,” said Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC. “There was a big demand to bring him back, and I’m thrilled to present his newest production. The show celebrates two giants of the country music industry, and it includes country favorites from Patsy Cline and others.”

Legendary country pianist Floyd Cramer, who grew up in Arkansas, taught himself to play the piano and, after high school, he landed the pianist job on the “Louisiana Hayride” radio show. In 1953, he cut his first single, “Dancin’ Diane” on Abbot Records. He hooked up with a young Elvis Presley, and they formed a close personal and professional bond.

In 1955, he moved to Nashville and became one of the busiest session musicians and recorded with Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold and Roy Orbison. Cramer played piano for Presley on “Heartbreak Hotel.”

It was during this time that he developed the practice of “slip notes,” in which a note would flow seamlessly from one to the next. In 1960, he recorded the instrumental “Last Date,” which hit No. 2 of the Billboard Top 100 chart and sold more than one million copies. His next hit was “On the Rebound” which went to No. 3 in the United States and No. 1 in the United Kingdom. Cramer toured with Chet Atkins and Boots Randolph and had his last hit in 1980, a recording of the theme from the “Dallas” television show.

Chet Atkins, who was known as “Mr. Guitar” and “The Country Gentleman,” became an accomplished guitarist while in high school in Georgia where he used the restroom to practice because of the acoustics. In 1939, he heard Merle Travis on the radio which shaped his own finger-picking style.

Atkins’ trademark “Atkins style” of playing uses the thumb and first two or sometimes three fingers of the right hand. His style and musicianship brought him work with Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, the Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings, and many more.

Atkins received 14 Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received nine Country Music Association Awards for Instrumentalist of the Year. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 21 on their list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

Nashville Legacy celebrates the genius of Floyd Cramer and Chet Atkins, who created the “Nashville Sound” which replaced the honky tonk sound with string sections, background vocals, and polished production. The performance is sponsored by Lampe and Kiefer Hearing Aid Center, The Palms of Sebring, and Clem and Betz Newbold.

Tickets are $17, $20, and $23, and are available online at sfscARTS.org, by telephone at 863-784-7178, or in person at the Wildstein Center Box Office located at 600 West College Drive in Avon Park, on the SFSC Highlands Campus. Groups of 12 or more can save 15 percent plus one free ticket.  

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 7, 2019 – Cindy Kinser, professor in South Florida State College’s (SFSC) medical administrative specialist program and chair of the Department of Business and Information Technology, wanted to be an interior designer. But advice from her mother and a life in health services offered paths to a new love and a rewarding career—teaching.

“I didn’t want to go into the medical field,” Kinser said. “It was always my goal to go into interior design. But my mom talked me out of it. She said, ‘You’ll always have a job in a medical career, and she was right.’”

Kinser was born in Luck, a town in northern Wisconsin with a population of 500. She was 12 years old when her family moved to Miramar, Fla.

“We were very poor,” she said. “My mom was a single mother, and I wanted to help her financially. So I helped bag groceries and such growing up. I’m proud to have done it.”

At age 16, Kinser was offered a job that would start her path in the health care field. She heard about a job at a 50-bed hospital in Miami. To accept the position, she would have to take a $1.50 an hour pay cut from her job at Publix.

So Kinser worked at the hospital through high school. After school, she would drive her Volkswagen down the expressway to Miami, work until 7 p.m., come home, do her homework, and then do it again the next day.

Eventually, Kinser earned an Associate in Science in Health Information Management from Miami-Dade College and completed her Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration at Florida International University.

In time, Kinser became an assistant director of the medical record department at a 350-bed Humana hospital in Fort Lauderdale and, later, director of case management at Raulerson Hospital in Okeechobee, Fla.

Kinser came to SFSC in January 2010. In the classroom, she uses her career experience to prepare students for critical moments—what she calls her “Cindy stories.” A critical moment of which Kinser is particularly proud was coordination of Raulerson Hospital’s evacuation during the approach of Hurricane Frances in 2004.

“Hurricane Frances was expected to come right across Okeechobee,” Kinser said. “The hospital building wasn’t made of concrete block, and we were only two miles from the Lake Okeechobee dike. My husband was the director of engineering at the hospital, and he was concerned that the building wouldn’t bear up against the hurricane-force winds. So I went to the administrator and director of nursing and asked if we needed to evacuate.”

Administrators decided to evacuate the hospital. Along with the director of nursing, the nursing supervisors, and case management staff, Kinser coordinated the evacuation of 87 patients out of the hospital in less than 72 hours.

“We started evacuation with ICU,” Kinser said. “We were only a 101-bed hospital. So, we sent some patients to Tampa General and several hospitals in the Tampa area and Lakeland. When the winds got too high, the ambulances stopped running. So, we had to call in the National Guard, and they helped us get the last few patients out. I remember wind and rain coming into the ER.

“It was a huge coordination process,” she said. “We were moving people who weren’t well, some of whom were on life support. It was a team effort.”

At SFSC, Kinser teaches medical terminology and medical office procedures, which are front office skills for doctors’ offices. She teaches students about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), scheduling patients, and providing good customer service.

Much of what she teaches students is how to handle emergencies and poses questions such as: “If someone who calls the doctor’s office is short of breath and can’t talk, they should call 911. But they’re 82 years old and called you because you’re a friend at the doctor’s office. Older people depend on the office staff. What do you do?”

A student may say, “Call 911.” “But if you do that, you just killed the caller,” Kinser said. “I’ll say, ‘Think about it. You’re triaging. They can barely breathe.’”

Another student may say, “Maybe I should call 911 for them.” Kinser would respond, “But is someone else with the patient? Have you asked them that?”

“I’ll tell the students to think about how to handle those emergencies,” she said. “Are you going to hang up after you’ve called 911? No, you’re going to call 911 on one line and keep Bertha on the other line. Her husband may have dementia, so he can’t help her. You’re going to stay on the phone until 911 gets there, then you can hang up the phone. They may be so short of breath, they can barely speak.”

As a professor, Kinser feels particularly rewarded when she can make a difference in her students’ lives.

“Last summer, a student came to me and said, ‘Because of you, I went on to the Associate in Science in Nursing program, and I’m getting ready to sit for my national licensure exam. I wanted to thank you for everything you did. You inspired me to go forward in my career.’

Many of Kinser’s students come to her through the Collegiate High School at SFSC. Occasionally, Kinser will encounter students who may not be engaged in class work. “Sometimes, the high school students can be challenging. They’re with you today and not tomorrow. Some of them have a lot going on at home that affects their college work.”

To inspire them, she keeps a video on hand to play in class that’s in your face and asks the question: “Are you average or are you above average?” “The star of this 4-minute video is a former rapper, and the students can really relate,” she said.

“After watching it one day, I went around the class and asked, ‘Are you average or are you above average? And where are you going? Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“One of my students just broke down and sobbed. She said, ‘I’m the only one to finish high school in my entire family, and I want to show my little sister that she needs to do that. I’m sorry. I’ve been less than average in your class.’ But the class discussion just lit her on fire, so much so that she was eventually accepted to Bethune-Cookman University’s nursing program. She was so proud of herself. That little video made the biggest difference in her attitude, and I’m so proud of her.”

For Kinser, teaching is about being there for her students. “Sometimes we just have to get our students back on track again and be a good listener. That’s the most rewarding part of my job—when I can make a difference in someone’s life. Sometimes a student just needs someone to listen to them and give them encouragement.”

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 6, 2019 – The South Florida State College (SFSC) Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) features the artwork of four Daytona State College faculty on exhibit in the lower lobby of the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the SFSC Highlands Campus in Avon Park from Wednesday, Feb. 13 – Thursday, March 28. Patrons of the museum may meet the artists during the exhibition’s opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. in MOFAC. The artists are Trent Berning, Kelly Berning, Stacey Reynolds, and Viktoryia McGrath.

Trent Berning is the assistant chair of the Studio Art Department and associate professor of ceramics at Daytona State College. According to Berning, formal inspiration for his work “is found in juxtapositions that create a heightened visual experience. Some of these elements are ancient perfume bottles with highly ornamented tops that explode from the vessels, which conveys growth, transformation, and reflections of internal strengths. Others compare gritty tactile experience of relics and raw earth to the tension of voids between objects that intrinsically take on humanoid characteristics.”

Kelly Berning is an adjunct instructor of design and sculpture. Berning’s work is based on her experiences as a woman and a mother. “The ceramic figures function as a catalyst for living vicariously through a child’s innocent eyes,” she said. “They are directly influenced by a child’s world and the constant worry a mother feels trying to keep her child safe in our perilous society. Because there has been so much sadness in the world lately, I was compelled to create sculptures that offer comfort, peace, and freedom. In short, this body of work is about love.”

Reynolds is an assistant professor of painting and drawing. Reynolds considers herself a cathartic painter. “I exhibit work that seeks to evoke emotions, questions background, and expresses the journey of one’s self,” she said. “Largely inspired by abstract expressionism, naïve mark making, intuitive gestures, and driven by symbolism, the works are abstract at first glance to the viewer, but have some sense of childhood imagery disguised among the colorful layers.”

McGrath is an assistant professor in the Studio Art Department. The primary subject for her art is daily life. According to McGrath, “My work serves as a metaphor of my journey that speaks from worldly influences and resources. Memory and personal experiences converge and inspire my artistic choices of materials, content, and processes. It encompasses love, humanity, passion, death, loss, grief, birth, growth, joy, and all of the struggles of existence. My work is an illustrated parallel path running alongside the trials and emotions of my daily life journey.”

MOFAC is located in the Wildstein Center at SFSC, 600 W. College Dr., Avon Park. The museum is open to the public on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m., or by appointment for group tours. Patrons of the Wildstein Center may visit the museum one hour prior to matinee and evening performances. For more information about MOFAC and its programs or to request a museum tour, contact Megan Stepe, curator, by phone at 863-784-7240, email at stepem@southflorida.edu or visit mofac.org.