BlueWave News

July 2022

We are looking forward to Convocation 2022. Please join us at FSCJ South Campus Gymnasium on Thursday, August 25 for the kickoff to our academic year. Breakfast will be served from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and the official program will begin at 9:45 a.m. This is your chance to reconnect with colleagues, hear the latest updates from across the College and enjoy some special surprises.

Be on the lookout for more details coming soon!

Congrats, FSCJ Dental Hygiene Grads

All of FSCJ's Dental Hygiene 2022 graduates passed the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) on the first attempt this year. This makes 13 years running without a failing score. Even more impressive, these same graduates' NBDHE scores were in the 98th percentile in the nation!

Congratulations to these graduates who worked so hard against difficult odds, to the faculty who led them to this remarkable success and to our staff who made sure that the students had patients in the midst of a pandemic.

Join Us for Heart Walk 2022

FSCJ is once again participating in the American Heart Association (AHA) Heart Walk, which will be held on Saturday, September 10. We are hoping to double last year's participation, with 20 coaches this year.

As a Heart Walk Coach, you’ll lead a team of co-workers to spread the word and raise money for life-saving research. But you don’t have to spend a lot of time to make a difference. AHA’s tools will let you quickly and easily manage your team and reach out to donors.

Start your team by clicking the green button below.

FSCJ.edu Redesign Update

The new FSCJ.edu is coming soon. The site design is complete and the team is hard at work, building out the new webpages for each program. The new search engine is in the testing phase and the full site testing is targeted for August.

It's important to note that the current site will be locked for updates to align with the 2022-23 catalog launch beginning July 18.

Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to learn more.

ASL Course Development Collaboration

The Digital Media Production crew teamed up with the Center for eLearning (CeL) to produce more than 50 videos for two new online American Sign Language courses. ASL 1140 is being piloted this summer and will go live in fall 2022. ASL 1150 is under development for a fall 2022 pilot and will go live in spring 2023.

To supplement the existing course materials, the video series was created to ensure our students are exposed to ASL that is pertinent to northeast Florida.

This collaborative project brought together people across the College including Digital Media Production crew members, Multimedia Specialists/Designers, an Instructional Designer from the CeL, ASL talent, interpreters, student interns, faculty, an adjunct ASL/English Interpreting instructor, and the Instructional Program Manager.

VERC Mobility Boot Camp

The Vision Education & Rehabilitation Center (VERC) is a community-based rehabilitation program for adults and high school students with blindness or visual impairments. It provides specialized training to help participants learn the necessary skills to gain independence in the home, workplace and community.

VERC participants recently had the opportunity to take part in a Mobility Boot Camp at the Jacksonville International Airport. The training sessions provided participants with experience in airport readiness. They practiced navigating the ticket line and security measures, using the elevators, presenting their boarding passes and were able to test their skills first-hand at the airport.

Next up for the VERC participants are summer job placement/coaching opportunities throughout the city including the Jacksonville Zoo.

Congratulations to Ameera Thomas, who was selected for the Sandy Miller Award by the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA). This award is presented each year to the top female basketball player in the state for academic performance, community service and leadership.

Ameera’s academic successes include a 3.95 GPA and her induction into FSCJ's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). She routinely offers tutoring support to her own teammates as well.

Within the community, she has volunteered her time through various FSCJ and community events.

FSCJ Funeral Services students are committed to their studies and the significant impact they can make on the industry. A few of them were recently awarded scholarships that will help them further their education and training.

Lucretia Cobb received the Mortuary Science Student Scholarship from the Florida Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (FCCFA). This $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually to be used for tuition, fees and books.

Earline Blumhagen received the Service Corporation International (SCI) Funeral Services Scholarship. The awarding process involves multiple interviews of the top applicants and $5,000 is given to the top three national finalists to use in any way that they wish.

Niki Phillips received a $2,000 scholarship to attend the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) University, a week-long program of classes and training at Emory University in Atlanta.

Special thanks to Jim Price from the ICCFA for reaching out to offer this outstanding professional training and networking opportunity.

In addition, the Association of Independent Funeral Directors of Florida and Gables Capital Management created a special scholarship that covers expenses that will allow FSCJ Funeral Services students to attend the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Student Arranger Training Seminar which will be held at FSCJ in September.

Lucretia Cobb

Earline Blumhagen

Niki Phillips

A commitment to service is central to Channing Moss – service to his country through his time spent with the U.S. Army and service to his fellow students at FSCJ through his leadership role as president of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter.

After graduating high school and completing a few college classes in Georgia, Channing decided to join the U.S. Army. Serving as a private in the 10th Mountain Division, Channing was severely wounded by an RPG in an ambush in Afghanistan in March 2006. In a daring rescue, he was evacuated by the MEDEVAC to safety. His road to recovery was a long one, receiving medical treatment for his injuries in Afghanistan, Germany and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Channing never gave up hope though; he knew he had to fight to get better.

His story is one of bravery, resiliency and perseverance. A Purple Heart and Medal of Valor recipient, Channing has spent time advocating for veterans through his work with Wounded Warrior Project in both Texas and Florida. We are proud to have Channing as a part of the FSCJ family. He is currently pursuing his Associate in Arts degree, with plans to earn a bachelor’s degree he can apply toward a career in human resources. Channing also serves as a student worker in the Military and Veterans Service Center. We thank you for your service, Channing!

FSCJ is hosting a large Summer Open House event at the Deerwood Center on Saturday, July 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Last year we assisted more than 300 students and hope to make this event even bigger!

As always, if you know someone interested in attending FSCJ, send them our way!

Facilities Updates

The Facilities Team has been hard at work, updating and upgrading spaces across the College. Check out some highlights below:

Recently completed projects

Projects in progress

Ongoing Collegewide:

Cecil Center:

Deerwood Center:

Downtown Campus:

Kent Campus:

Nassau Center:

North Campus:

South Campus:

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Congratulations to Head Baseball Coach Brad Frick! He was selected as one of the American Baseball Coaches Association and ATEC 2022 National Coaches of the Year. The ABCA/ATEC National and Regional Coaches of the Year are selected by members of the ABCA All-America & Coach of the Year committees in all nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division and high school. Read more.

As part of DataTEC program (NSF Grant 1902524), Professors Pamela Brauda and David Singletary presented a four-day workshop, “Crafting a Two-Year Data Science Program.” Fifteen faculty from across the country came to South Campus to explore topics including instruction on curriculum content for data analysis, data visualization and data security, guidelines and recommendations for navigating the program development process, and best practices for curriculum development. Guest lecturers included FSCJ Professor Gerry Hilgenberg, Instructional Designer Julie Wolfe and Curriculum Specialist Rebecca Nelson. Check out the tweets with #SWC22Jax.

Congratulations to the following employees for completing FSCJ Certificate programs!

Diversity Certificate

Technology Certificate

Managing at FSCJ Certificate

July's Administrative & Professional Collaborative (APC) spotlight shines on Associate Director of Student Success Kerry Roth. He has carried various roles within the area of Student Life & Leadership since 2002. In addition, he has facilitated low ropes and experiential learning opportunities at the FSCJ Outdoor Education Center since 2006. Kerry served as the state advisor of the Florida College System Student Government Association on three occasions and once as the chair of FSCJ’s Association of Florida Colleges Chapter. In 2021, he was selected to serve as the North Campus Dean for three years and during the 2022-23 academic year, will serve as the chair of the FSCJ Administrative Professional Collaborative.

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) Where was the latest VERC Mobility Boot Camp held?

    a. Jacksonville Zoo

    b. Jacksonville International Airport

    c. Jacksonville Transportation Authority

    d. Jacksonville City Hall

2) When is the 2022 Heart Walk?

    a. July 30

    b. August 25

    c. September 10

    d. September 9

3) What time will the Convocation program begin?

    a. 8:30 a.m.

    b. 8:45 a.m.

    c. 9:30 a.m.

    d. 9:45 a.m.

4) When will the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Student Arranger Training Seminar be held at FSCJ?

    a. September

    b. August

    c. December

    d. November

5) How many years in a row have all of FSCJ's Dental Hygiene graduates passed the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam without a failing score?

    a. 12

    b. 13

    c. 7

    d. 9

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