BlueWave News

January 2022

FSCJ received a $3,181,792 Florida Job Growth Grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and Enterprise Florida to support the Nassau County Transportation Education Institute. Governor Ron DeSantis and DEO Secretary Dane Eagle visited FSCJ’s Nassau Center on Thursday, December 16, 2021, to announce the grant award which will allow the College to establish a designated truck driving training facility at the Nassau Center.

Although there is a rapidly growing demand for drivers in Nassau County and surrounding areas, until now, there have been no state colleges that offer workforce certification training in Nassau County for these jobs. FSCJ has had a Commercial Vehicle Driving training program at the Cecil Center since 2007, and this grant will help FSCJ further expand our offerings and support of workforce needs.

Spring 2022 Data Summit

The Achieve@FSCJ Spring 2022 Data Summit will take place on Friday, February 11, from 9 a.m.-noon at the ATC, T140-141 and virtually through WebEx. The agenda will focus on data and a holistic view of FSCJ students. This event is open to all FSCJ employees.

Register here:

This is part of FSCJ’s ATD efforts and is one of three Collegewide events for 2021-22. Email jerrett.dumouchel@fscj.edu with questions.

Student Awards Nominations

It's time to submit your Celebration of Student Success nominations. Faculty and staff are invited to nominate one to three students from your respective courses, academic programs, student organizations or workplace for recognition of their excellence. Students may be selected from the Summer 2021, Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 Terms and will be recognized in the following categories:

Academic Achievement, Inspirational Achievement, Outstanding Student Worker, Outstanding Student Leadership.

Nominations may be submitted via the online form.

Business Speaker Series: Keeping it Moving in an Uncertain World

The next Business Speaker Series event will be held on Thursday, February 3, from 9-10:30 a.m. This virtual panel event will focus on the supply chain and logistics industry and the numerous challenges it has faced to meet customer demands since the pandemic began.

FSCJ Professor of Logistics Susan Amburgey will moderate a panel of local experts:

Just Cause: The Experience

What’s the verdict? The Center for Civic Engagement is presenting Just Cause: The Experience, a virtual courtroom drama event that explores the highly charged issues of race, class, gender and social justice with a twist - you are the jury. Combined with an audience deliberation and facilitated discussion, this is a unique opportunity to engage in civil discourse about the most pressing social issues of our day.

Join us on Friday, January 14 at 11:30 a.m. for this free event. Register here.

Save the date for a virtual facilitated follow-up event on Friday, January 21 at 11:30 a.m. Register here.

Registration is required to attend both events. This event is open to all faculty, staff and students and is funded in part by FLDOE Perkins V Postsecondary Sec 132.

Visionary Impact Plan 2.0 Update

The 2021-24 Visionary Impact Plan 2.0 (VIP) is beginning the process of implementing its goals and priorities. We encourage and welcome your participation on teams to help implement the VIP 2.0. These teams will focus on the five priorities of the plan and will benefit from a diverse group of College stakeholders.

If you have not had an opportunity to share your interest in joining a team to help implement the VIP 2.0, please click here to complete the form. For questions, email deborah.fontaine@fscj.edu.

The Legal Students Association (LSA) recently held their first on-campus student meeting since the pandemic halted in-person gatherings. The LSA facilitates the professional, career and academic development of students in FSCJ's Paralegal Studies program through community involvement, relationship development in the legal community and continuing education through our legal community partners.

In the spirit of giving and public service, each person in attendance donated non-perishable food items for the FSCJ H.O.P.E. Food Pantry.

The meeting included a panel presentation by some of the program’s most recent alumni who are current legal professionals in the field. They provided information regarding their career and professional journey which served as both a guided pathway and an inspiration to all those in attendance. Alumni speakers included Caroline Ramsey, Crabtree Law Group; Michaela Buell, Regional Conflict Counsel; Monica Walker, Brooks Rehabilitation; Shemiah Rutledge, law school bound; and Michael Jordan, Farah and Farah.

The current LSA Board includes Savanna Floyd-President, Roxane Shaw-Vice President, Leona Hoehn-Secretary, Connie Stumph-Treasurer and Paula Washington-At Large. Paralegal Professor Faith Litvack, J.D., serves as the organization’s faculty advisor.

On Tuesday, January 11, the Education and Human Services and the Paralegal Studies and Public Safety Management programs sponsored an event in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The event featured a keynote address from FSCJ Human Services Student and Mentor Ms. Lisa Sheehan along with a panel Q&A with representatives from community organizations such as Hubbard House, Rethreaded, Villages of Hope and more. If you missed the opportunity to attend or stream the event, a full event recording is available here.

As part of the 2022 Author Series, students are invited to participate in the Author Series Essay Contest which includes cash prizes. The contest, open only to FSCJ students, is based off this year's book, "From Scratch." Click here to learn more about the contest rules and judging criteria. The submission deadline is February 20, 2022

Check the website for event details. Additional resources can be found on the Author Series LibGuide. For questions, email melissa.boyd@fscj.edu. Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate.

January Recruitment Update

Happy New Year! We are excited to introduce Madison Owens, the newest member of our Recruitment and Admissions team. Madison will serve as our new Associate Director for Admissions, focused on orientation and new student onboarding initiatives. She joins us from our Deerwood Advising Center and has experience working with students on programming related to advising, career services, student life outreach and admissions.

Madison is an FSCJ alum and holds a Master's in College Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University. Fun fact: she is a thrill seeker who will ride any rollercoaster and enjoys reading murder mysteries in her spare time. Welcome to the team, Madison!

We are jumping right into 2022 and have a number of events coming up to help engage prospective students. If you know someone who is interested in joining the FSCJ family, be sure to send them our way!

December 2021 Outreach Efforts:

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Professors Mark Creegan and Dustin Harewood showcased their art at Untitled Art in Miami in the Long Roads Project booth, alongside Jacksonville artists Tony Rodrigues and Hiromi Moneyhun. Untitled is a contemporary art fair held each year during the city’s Art Week, which leads up to Art Basel. Their journey was featured in a Jacksonville Today article. You can see more of Professor Creegan's art here and Professor Harewood's art here.

Congratulations to the following employees on completing FSCJ Certificate programs!

Active Learning Certificate

Diversity Certificate

Managing at FSCJ Certificate

January's Administrative & Professional Collaborative (APC) spotlight shines on Associate Director of Student Conduct Dr. James Artley. He provides oversight and is responsible for the administration of student conduct, ensuring that the process is fair, impartial, non-adversarial, restorative and conducted in an educational manner.

FSCJ's faculty, staff, students, programs and leadership are often highlighted by local and regional media outlets - online, on air and in print. Read articles featuring important updates and activities happening within the College by clicking here.

Upcoming Events

Test your knowledge. To ensure all faculty and staff have an opportunity to submit answers, the quiz winners will be selected at random from entries with all questions answered correctly. You have until 6 p.m. on the day the newsletter is distributed to email your answers to bluewavenews@fscj.edu. The three winners will receive a BlueWave prize pack! Please note: Previous quiz winners, while eligible to submit answers, are not eligible for additional prizes for six months.

1) When is the Spring 2022 Data Summit?

    a. January 14

    b. February 3

    c. January 21

    d. February 11

2) Who serves as the Legal Students Association faculty advisor?

    a. Savanna Floyd

    b. Professor Faith Litvack, J.D.

    c. Paula Washington

    d. Roxane Shaw

3) What will FSCJ establish at the Nassau Center with the latest Florida Job Growth Grant?

    a. Truck Driving Training Facility

    b. Aviation Training Program

    c. Logistics Center

    d. Medical Laboratory

4) What is the focus of the next Business Speaker Series event?

    a. Global economy

    b. Financial planning

    c. Supply chain and logistics challenges

    d. Labor shortages

5) How many students can faculty/staff nominate for the Celebration of Student Success awards?

    a. 1

    b. 2

    c. 3

    d. 1-3

Connect with us!