BlueWave News

April 2022

FSCJ's 2022 Commencement will be held in person at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Thursday, May 12 at 4 p.m. Thanks to everyone who has volunteered and all those who plan to attend to celebrate our students! Information regarding the schedule of events and parking will be shared in the coming weeks.

To kick off the graduation season, Grad Fest events were held at each location over the past couple of weeks. We appreciate all faculty and staff who helped plan, coordinate and staff each event. They were a great success because of you! Check out the photos here:

Congratulations to the Faculty, APC and CEC Awards Recipients

Each year we ask students, faculty and staff to submit their nominations for the Distinguished Faculty Awards, Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award, Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award and the Career Employees’ Council Recognition of Excellence Award.

Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s awards:

Distinguished Faculty Awards

Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award

Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award

Career Employees’ Council Recognition of Excellence Award

Click on the button below to learn more about each award recipient. Full-time recipients will receive $1,000 and the adjunct faculty awardee will receive $500. Additional recognition will also continue throughout the academic year.

Spring Term 2022 Honors Symposium: Keeping the First Coast Clean

Honors students will facilitate a live online Honors Symposium focused on keeping our beaches and waterways clean on Friday, April 22, from 10 a.m.-noon. The students will offer practical tips for how other area residents can positively transform the environmental health of our community by keeping the First Coast clean.

During a special keynote presentation, FSCJ Professor Dr. Leo Collins will share insights from his faculty sabbatical with the St. Johns Riverkeeper and his experiences of teaching Honors Chemistry on the St. Johns River.

For questions or additional details about the symposium, please contact Honors Program Director Aaron Hanlin at (904) 646-2200 or honors@fscj.edu.

Quality Enhancement Plan Topics Due April 15

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Exploratory Committee has completed the scheduled forums with students, faculty, staff and administration. Thank you to those who were able to attend either in person or virtually. All ideas collected throughout the sessions have been uploaded to the QEP Lib Guide site. If you were not able to attend a session and have a topic you believe will improve student learning outcomes and/or student success, please visit https://guides.fscj.edu/qep to submit your idea.

The final date to submit topics is April 15. Even if you do not have a topic to submit, we encourage you to read through the suggestions submitted by your peers and colleagues. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Deb Fontaine at deborah.fontaine@fscj.edu.

"I'M IN!" Employee Giving Campaign Results

Thank you to all who participated in the “I’M IN!" Employee Giving Campaign. When the campaign began on February 1, there were 92 regular employee givers. At the culmination on March 11, there were nearly 500 employees contributing financially to the College.

The majority of the donations given, close to $70,000, will go toward first-generation scholarships and will be matched 2- to-1 by the state.

Throughout the campaign, teams comprised of employees from different locations competed in the President’s Cup. The Downtown Campus team had the highest percentage of employees participating, so they will be treated to a celebration hosted by Dr. Avendano!

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Hosts FSCJ Night

Thanks to everyone that joined us for FSCJ Night at the April 6 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp game. Dr. A even brought the heat when he threw out the first pitch of the game!

Despite the loss by 1 to the Worcester Red Sox, everyone enjoyed their time together at the ball field.

Lydia Rose Hanson, winner of the 2nd (FCSAA) and 3rd (FIFA) place poetry interpretation competitions

The FSCJ Forensics Team recently participated in the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) State Tournament and the Florida Intercollegiate Forensics Association (FIFA) open state tournament.

We'd like to congratulate the team and Professor Matthew Doggett, who led them to their success!

The FSCJ Baseball team would like you to meet sophomore outfielder Barry Wiseman. Barry is a graduate of Palm Harbor High School in Palm Harbor, FL. He wants to pursue a degree in sports management and plans to succeed at the next level to get the chance to play professionally.

He was named to the 2020-21 Mid-Florida All-Academic team and the 2020-21 FCSAA All-Academic Team.

Facilities Update

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

Projects getting started

You're invited to participate in shaping FSCJ’s Master Plan during the upcoming Feedback Forums. This is your opportunity to learn more about the process and get answers to any questions you may have.

April 25

North Campus, 10 a.m. – Room C126

Nassau Center, 2 p.m. – Room T126

April 26

Deerwood Center, 10 a.m. – Room B1204

South Campus, 2 p.m. – Room G101

April 27

Kent Campus, 10 a.m. – Room E104

Cecil Center, 2 p.m. – Room A109

April 29

Downtown Campus, 10 a.m. – Room A1068

Pictured above (left to right): Faculty Advisor Jennifer Chase, Co-Editor Lydia Rose Hanson, Event Presenter Monique Jones and Arts Editor Tionna Jefferson

"The Experience," FSCJ's Student Art and Literature Publication brought home two first-place prizes in two categories (Best Poem and Best Photography) and second-place prizes in another two categories (Fiction and Staff Page) during the Annual Florida College System Publications Association (FCSPA) Conference and Awards in Ybor City.

During the event, students also participated in breakout groups that included Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and ESPN journalists facilitating.

FSCJ's Legal Studies Association (LSA) is a student organization, dedicated to the growth and advancement of legal studies students in the legal field and community.

Members are committed to finding ways to help their fellow students and neighbors throughout the community.

They recently worked together to collect donations to support the Career Closet at Kent Campus. They also collected and donated new socks to benefit the City Rescue Mission.

Pictured above: LSA Student Board of Officers (from left to right): President Savanna Floyd, Treasurer Connie Stumph, Vice President Roxane Shaw, Member at Large Paula Washington, Secretary Leona Hoehn, Faculty Advisor Faith Litvack

Pictured at left: Roxane Shaw and Paula Washington

Six students completed the Spring 2022 FSCJ Leadership Certificate Program. These students took part in interactive workshops that covered conflict resolution, decision making, diversity, ethics, group dynamics, Robert’s Rules of Order, time management, and multiple experiential team-building activities over five weeks. They also volunteered in the community.

On March 11, the students attended a Leadership Symposium, where they engaged in conversations about being civic engaged, financial literacy and speaking with confidence. Retired FSCJ Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Advancement Dr. Marie Gnage served as the keynote speaker.

For more information about the program, contact FSCJ Student Life & Leadership at getinvolved@fscj.edu.

We are excited to announce a new way for prospective students to book campus and center tours! Visit our Campus Tours page to check it out.

Students will now be able to easily identify key programs on each campus/center to ensure they’re selecting the right campus for their interests. Additionally, a new calendar feature allows users to select available dates and times for tours at the location that works best for them.

If you know anyone interested in touring FSCJ, be sure to send them our way!

March 2022 Outreach Efforts:

- Attended 34 events connecting with more than 1,000 prospective students.

- Assisted 2,348 interested students through QLess calls and walk-in appointments.

- In addition to a number of individual tours, we conducted five group tours of different campus locations.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Congratulations to the following employees for completing FSCJ Certificate programs!

Diversity Certificate

Faculty and Staff Complete Student Success Certificate

The Student Success Certificate end-of-program celebration recognized the achievements of cohort one and two faculty, academic affairs and student services participants on March 4. They completed eight workshops on institutionalizing equity, understanding the architecture for student success, using student-focused language and building student relationships.

The program also included a job-shadowing experience, allowing cohort members to see and understand the nuances of a particular job within FSCJ. Cohort members have reported the program helped demonstrate and share the valued work culture, supported employees to step out of their comfort zones, provided the time to understand the point of view of others, and demonstrated FSCJ values in action.

Applications will be available in August 2022 for those interested in participating in the cohort three experience. To find out more about the Student Success Certificate, click here.

After nearly 28 years with FSCJ, Professor of Theatre Ken McCulough is preparing for his retirement in May 2022. He recently directed his 55th and final production with FSCJ DramaWorks, "The Mad Atlas of Virginia King," written by Professor Tim Gilmore.

Professor McCulough is an associate member of the national union of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC). In 2006, he was a recipient of the FSCJ Outstanding Faculty Award. Last fall he directed an innovative production of "Pinocchio" and last spring he conceived and directed the original musical revue of "A World Distanced," reflecting on how the pandemic continues to impact our society and our personal lives. In the fall of 2020, Professor McCulough also directed FSCJ DramaWorks' first outdoor production: "Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing."

April's Administrative & Professional Collaborative (APC) spotlight shines on Program Development Manager Julie Stein. In her role, she provides high-level support for developing and managing instructional programs in the Workforce Education Department. Julie works with various departments to create programs that meet the needs of Northeast Florida’s community members and business partners.

FSCJ Alumnus Will Jordan attended FSCJ from 2008-16, graduating with both an Associate in Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media. He is now a full-time graphic designer. His work generally consists of logos and flyers, but he has produced many other designs including t-shirts, business cards, banners and more.

He recently won a t-shirt design competition for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and threw out the first pitch at their game on April 9.

When asked about the honor, Will said, "But none of this would have been possible without the support of my family and friends as well as my educators--all those who've supported me throughout my lifetime."

Dr. Leo Collins’ Chemistry 1025 honors class recently went on a boat ride along the St. Johns River for a hands-on lab experience. The students spent the day collecting water samples and testing their pH, conductivity, temperature and more. They were able to compare the results to what they have learned about the water quality of the river. Click the button to watch the video with students talking about this lab experience and the honors program.

Honors applications are being accepted now for the 2022-23 academic year.

Students from Englewood High School visited FSCJ for a full day of hands-on STEM activities through Bridge to Employment, a program that helps build solid futures by introducing STEM2D careers to students.

The program launched in 2021, with the help of the following partners:

Review the highlights of the April 12, 2022, meeting of the FSCJ District Board of Trustees:

You can find more information on the Board of Trustees meeting on our website.

Who's New

This list includes those individuals who are filling the newly appointed full-time A&P positions and full-time Career Employee positions.

A&P Full-Time

Career Full-Time

Who's Retiring?

The following employees have recently retired, or will soon be retiring, from FSCJ:

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 2022 Commencement Ceremony?

    a. March 28

    b. May 12

    c. April 4

    d. May 3

2) What items did our Legal Studies Association donate to the City Rescue Mission?

    a. Professional attire

    b. Shoes

    c. Socks

    d. Blankets

3) What careers are introduced to students through Bridge to Employment?

    a. IT

    b. Health care

    c. Manufacturing

    d. STEM2D

4) What is the name of FSCJ's student art and literature publication?

    a. The Experience

    b. Experiences

    c. Experience FSCJ

    d. Experiential

5) What is the name of Professor Ken McCulough's final production with FSCJ DramaWorks?

    a. Much Ado About Nothing

    b. The Mad Atlas of Virginia King

    c. Pinocchio

    d. A World Distanced

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