BlueWave News

December 2022

We hope you can join us on Friday, January 6, 2023 for our seventh annual Professional Development Day. This day of Collegewide professional development and growth will be held at the Advanced Technology Center. The event will feature Dr. Johnnetta Cole as the keynote speaker with her acclaimed presentation focusing on issues that affect student enrollment and suggestions for increasing the number of diverse students in a college community. We are also pleased to welcome a special guest, Dr. Jesse Stommel.

There will be four tracks: Strategic Priorities; Teaching and Learning; Student Support; and Workplace Culture. Click on the green button below to learn more and see the full agenda.

Beyond the Big Screen

Events for the new FSCJ Literary and Film Series, Beyond the Big Screen, begin in February. This year, the series will focus on the science fiction novel, "The Martian," by Andy Weir. Much like has been done in the past with the Author Series, there will be contests and different engagement activities to enhance participants' experience reading the text.

A LibGuide is available here to help you plan your spring classes and you can learn more at fscj.edu/beyond-the-big-screen. Copies are still available. Click on the green button below to request yours so you can read "The Martian" along with us.

Nominations Now Open

Send in your nominations for the Celebration of Student Success. 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 2022, Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 Terms for the following categories:

Academic Achievement, Inspirational Achievement, Outstanding Student Worker, Outstanding Student Leadership. Click on the green button to submit your nominations via the online form.

New Website Launch Update

The all-new FSCJ.edu is on schedule to launch very soon, bringing a more dynamic, streamlined experience for site visitors. Work continues but new program landing pages and reorganization of the Areas of Study section have been completed.

Following go-live, faculty and staff will be able to send information on events for the Collegewide calendar directly through the website, eliminating the need for ticket requests.

You can click on the green button below to preview the site. Please keep in mind that this preview is not the final product. Some links may be inactive, the mobile layout is still in development, etc. With questions, contact webmaster@fscj.edu.

After a thorough review from the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), FSCJ's Funeral Services program was named an ABFSE-approved distance learning (online) program during the October 2022 ABFSE Committee on Accreditation meeting in Chicago. Out of the 58 ABFSE-accredited programs, less than 25 are currently approved for distance learning.

The FSCJ Foundation and H.O.P.E. Food Pantry thank you for your support on #GivingTuesday.

Here are the results, thanks to you:

FSCJ's Men's and Women's Cross Country teams recently competed in the NJCAA National Cross-Country Championship held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. Despite the unseasonably warm temperatures, the women earned 17th place and the men came in 14th. Congratulations to our athletes and Coach Jody Hale!

We appreciate the courage, sacrifice and commitment of our veterans, and we especially celebrate those members of our FSCJ faculty and staff who have been part of our armed forces. On our website, there is a listing of those who've answered a call to service which continues today in the work they do to serve our students.

To all veterans, we thank you for the extraordinary sacrifices you and your family have made for us in the name of freedom.

Veterans, service members, military spouses and dependents are invited to join us at South Campus on January 31 at noon to learn about career opportunities in the fast-growing field of Financial Technology (FinTech). Hear from industry experts and learn more about the short-term training needed for a FinTech career. Space is limited.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Congratulations to the following employees for completing FSCJ Certificate programs!

Technology Certificate

Diversity at FSCJ Certificate

Quality Matters Peer Reviewer Certificate

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 in progress

Ongoing Collegewide:

Cecil Center:

Deerwood Center:

Downtown Campus:

Nassau Center:

North Campus:

South Campus:

Projects in planning

Cecil Center:

Deerwood Center:

Downtown Campus:

Kent Campus:

Nassau Center:

North Campus:

South Campus:

Get to Know Your A&P Colleagues: Jerry Thor

December's Administrative & Professional Collaborative (APC) spotlight shines on Director of Athletics Jerry Thor. He oversees the seven varsity sports that make up FSCJ Athletics (men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, baseball, softball, and volleyball), plus five fitness centers with intramural opportunities at multiple locations, while also supporting the Outdoor Education Center at the Nassau Center in collaboration with facilitators from across the College.

Thanks to the generosity of FSCJ students and employees, 127 nonperishable, personal hygiene and home cleaning items were donated for students who were affected by Hurricane Ian. Donations were gathered from the Student Life Centers and the IT Team boxed up approximately 150 laptops and loaded them on the Deerwood Center cargo van for delivery.

FSCJ's Legal Studies Association (LSA) collaborated with Career Services for their November meeting and held a Public Service Career Job Fair. The speakers were from the FBI, JSO, legal administrators, Jacksonville Legal Aid and the 4th Judicial Circuit Court. Paralegal Studies students also brought donations for the FSCJ H.O.P.E. Food Pantry.

If you happen to miss an OnPoint call, the meeting notes are compiled and posted on our website. The notes from yesterday's OnPoint will be posted soon.

The next call will be held January 11 at 2 p.m. You should have received a meeting notice to hold the spot on your calendar.

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) How many meals will be provided thanks to the donations the FSCJ H.O.P.E. Food Pantry received on Giving Tuesday?

    a. 5,746

    b. $11,930

    c. 5,661

    d. 2,225

2) What is the name of the featured book for the FSCJ Literary and Film Series?

    a. Beyond the Big Screen

    b. The Great Gatsby

    c. From Scratch

    d. The Martian

3) Which of the terms below is not part of the upcoming Celebration of Student Success?

    a. Summer 2023

    b. Summer 2022

    c. Fall 2022

    d. Spring 2023

4) Who will deliver the keynote address at Professional Development Day 2023?

    a. Dr. Jesse Stommel

    b. Dr. John Wall

    c. Dr. Johnnetta Cole

    d. Dr. Tia Brown McNair

5) FSCJ Women's Cross Country earned what place in the NJCAA National Cross-Country Championship?

    a. 14th

    b. 17th

    c. 20th

    d. 12th

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