March 23, 2023 – South Florida State College (SFSC) has selected its three finalists to replace Dr. Thomas C. Leitzel upon his retirement on June 30, 2023.
In October 2022, the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) was hired by the College’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT) to conduct a national search for the ideal candidate, facilitated by Dr. Ed Massey, consultant for ACCT. By Jan. 31, 2023, 62 individuals applied to become SFSC’s next president. A 25-member Presidential Search Committee comprised of staff, faculty, students, alumni, and community members was formed to narrow the pool of applicants down to 12 semifinalists and then three finalists who were presented to the DBOT on Wednesday, March 22 for approval.
The approved presidential finalists are:
- Dr. Amy Bosley, vice president for institutional planning, development, and chief of staff at Valencia College in Orlando, Fla.
- Dr. John M. Davis, vice president of administrative services at Germanna Community College in Locust Grove, Va.
- Dr. Vicky Wood, president of Washington State Community College in Marietta, Ohio
Photos and bios for each of the finalists can be found on the College’s website at southflorida.edu/presidential-search/presidential-finalists.
Community receptions are scheduled for Monday, April 3; Monday, April 10; and Wednesday, April 12 at 4 p.m. in the lobby of the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on SFSC’s Highlands Campus in Avon Park for the tri-county community to meet and greet each of finalists.
SFSC’s next president is scheduled to start in their role on July 1, 2023.
For more information about the presidential search process, email kuehnlem@southflorida.edu or call 863-784-7379.
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 8, 2023 – Canada’s first rock superstars, The Guess Who, bring their national tour to the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts at South Florida State College (SFSC) in Avon Park on Friday, March 24 for one performance at 7 p.m.
The Guess Who is best known internationally for its 1970 album, “American Woman,” which hit No. 1 in Canada and No. 9 in the United States, with five other albums also hitting the top ten in Canada.
Dr. Gayle Obermayr, Heartland Endodontics, is sponsoring the performance.
Garry Peterson is a founding member and co-owner of the legendary rock band. As a child prodigy, Peterson performed at age 6 with singer Peggy Lee at the Chicago Theater in Chicago, Ill. Similar gigs followed with the likes of Lionel Hampton, The Four Lands, and The Andrew Sisters, to name a few. By age 16, Peterson had joined the Winnipeg band, Al & The Silvertones, which over the next couple of years would transform itself into The Guess Who.
As a member of The Guess Who, Peterson has to his credit 15 albums that charted on the Billboard 200; 14 singles charted on the Billboard Top 40, including two No. 1s; and three gold singles and three gold albums as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Peterson is also the only current or former member of The Guess Who that has performed on every album and participated in every tour over the course of the band’s history.
Since 2008, Petersen is joined onstage by lead singer Derek Sharp who hails from Ontario. On keyboards and saxophone is Leonard Shaw, on guitars and vocals is Michael Staertow, and on bass and vocals is Michael Devin.
Originally known as Chad Allen & the Expressions, The Guess Who had a number of small regional hits until their then label, Quality Records, released a cover of British artist Johnny Kidd’s “Shakin’ All Over” in 1965 under the moniker “Guess Who?” as a marketing ploy to get the band played on Canadian radio. At that time, Canadian DJs ignored Canadian bands. The name stuck and The Expressions changed their name to The Guess Who? Soon after, the question mark was dropped.
A stint performing music on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation TV show “Where It’s At” in 1968 led the band to meet producer Jack Richardson who mortgaged his home to finance the recording of “Wheatfield Soul” in 1969. That album contained “These Eyes,” which would go on to top the Canadian singles chart and reach No. 6 in the United States. It would also become the band’s first million-seller. In 1970, “American Woman” was a smash success, with the title track topping the American singles chart for three weeks and becoming the band’s biggest career hit.
“The Guess Who had 19 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 list,” said Cindy Garren, director of Cultural Programs. “The Doors had three, Deep Purple had two, and Led Zeppelin only had one. Anyone who lived in the 1970s can sing any one of their hits like “These Eyes” or “No Sugar Tonight.” And I’m sure that Garry will tell some interesting stories.”
Tickets for the live concert start at $38. The Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts is located on the SFSC Highlands Campus at 600 West College Drive in Avon Park. Tickets are available online at sfscarts.org or by phone at 863-784-7177. Ample free parking is available.
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 7, 2023 – South Florida State College (SFSC) is part of a consortium of three Florida state colleges that will receive $4.7 million toward a four-year initiative called “Increasing Access: The Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals.”
SFSC, the College of Central Florida in Ocala, and Lake-Sumter State College in Leesburg are partnering to address Florida’s need for a highly qualified healthcare workforce and to close equity gaps in college entrance and degree or certificate attainment among underserved and underrepresented populations. The College of Central Florida will serve as fiscal agent and grant leader.
The funds were awarded through a U.S. Department of Labor grant. In February, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $50 million in grants, specifically, to help 15 community and state colleges in 14 states expand access to education and training for good-paying jobs and equitably meet employers’ and workers’ skill development needs.
The consortium identified equity gaps in health program enrollment, retention, and degree or certificate attainment rates for underserved and underrepresented students, specifically among Black, Hispanic, and low-income students. Providing increased access to or upgrading skills in healthcare fields can, in turn, increase earnings and social mobility for individuals as well as address the community need for a well-trained healthcare workforce.
“Each college in our consortium has proposed increasing program enrollments and strategies to meet the needs for a well-trained healthcare workforce of our communities,” said Dr. Kathleen Cappo, SFSC dean of Health Sciences and SFSC lead on the grant. “We plan to fill the equity gaps of underrepresented students in our districts by strengthening the academic wholistic support to meet the high demands across healthcare disciplines. These strategies include recruitment to health sciences programs, student tutoring, success coaches, partnership with industry, and an accelerated certificate program. This project will leverage SFSC’s Panther PATHways and structure guidance and proactive support to improve attainment rates for Health Sciences.”
SFSC’s Panther PATHways provide students with clear academic program maps, help students choose and enter pathways, provide support services to help students stay on track, ensure that students are learning, and provide students with career development support.
The funds from the DOL grant will focus on tutoring services to assist students in Health Science programs as well as students in prerequisite courses, such as Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology. The wholistic support services will identify academic concerns and guide students through personal challenges that may impede their ability to complete their education.
Further, SFSC will reach out to high school students in its district to start them on an academic path to healthcare degrees and certificates. Through the Dual Enrollment program, students can prepare for college degrees in healthcare programs by taking prerequisite courses.
The healthcare programs at SFSC covered under this grant are: Practical Nursing (PN) Career Certificate, Generic Nursing (RN) Associate in Science, Transition Nursing (LPN to RN) Associate in Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN), Dental Hygiene Associate in Science, Dental Assistant Career Certificate, Radiography Associate in Science, Emergency Medical Services Associate in Science, Paramedic College Credit Certificate, and Emergency Medical Technician.
For more information about any of these programs, contact Danielle Ochoa, Health Science advisor, at 863-784-7027 or visit SFSC’s website at southflorida.edu.
Joe Marble (left) and Michael Austin, Criminal Justice coordinators, with the Meritorious Award.
AVON PARK, Fla. – March 1, 2023 – South Florida State College’s (SFSC) Criminal Justice Academy was recognized for achieving a perfect audit through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission (CJSTC). As a result, Dr. John McLaughlin, director of SFSC’s Criminal Justice Academy, accepted a Meritorious Award on behalf of the College at the CJSTC annual meeting on Feb. 15 in Lake Mary, Fla.
SFSC was one of two training academies out of 42 in Florida that were recognized this year for a perfect audit. SFSC is now certified as a criminal justice training school through June 30, 2025.
“What the award means is that the SFSC Criminal Justice Academy has been recognized by the State of Florida as being one of the top academies in Florida,” Dr. McLaughlin said. “All of our instructors, facilities, and curricula go above and beyond the minimum standards set by the FDLE.”
FDLE auditors visited SFSC on three occasions during the 2021-23 academic years. “The auditors look at all of our files and financial records to ensure we are in accordance with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement,” Dr. McLaughlin said. “They also check our equipment, classrooms, and training locations. They check our instructors’ training files and audit some of our classes.”
“We came through this audit with flying colors because of the efforts of the Criminal Justice team, which included Joe Marble, Criminal Justice coordinator; Michael Austin, Criminal Justice coordinator; and Shawn Haralson, Criminal Justice records specialist,” Dr. McLaughlin said.
Training facilities that do not meet minimum standards are given remedial steps to improve their facilities. Facilities that fail to make improvements are closed and can no longer run training academies.
SFSC offers programs in Criminal Justice Technology, Law Enforcement, Correctional Officer, and 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatcher. The College provides academy training for police certification and advanced training. It also trains officers who come to Florida from other states, allowing them to earn their Florida certifications.
For more information about SFSC’s Criminal Justice Academy programs, call 863-784-7280 or visit southflorida.edu.
