U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter to explore college affordability at Palm Beach State forum

If the skyrocketing cost of higher education concerns you, make plans to attend an upcoming forum to explore ways to ensure college affordability and completion.

Palm Beach State College will host a special "Making College Affordable" public forum featuring Dr. Martha J. Kanter, U.S. Under Secretary of Education, and a distinguished panel of local leaders. It will be held Thursday, Feb. 9, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Duncan Theatre at the Lake Worth campus.

Students, parents, faculty and staff, teachers, guidance counselors and advisors, administrators and interested community partners are invited and encouraged to attend. This will be an opportunity to share views on issues that impact students' access to courses and programs, such as tuition rates and financial aid availability. 

Dr. Kanter will share highlights of the President's new "Blueprint for Making College More Affordable."  The sweeping plan includes calls for reforming student aid, providing incentives for institutions to control costs and giving families new tools to make informed decisions on higher education.

President Obama introduced the plan during last week's State of the Union Address and outlined it in more detail the next day at the University of Michigan.  In these speeches, the President emphasized that completing college makes you twice as likely to have a job in today's challenging economy.  College graduates also make twice as much money as those who failed to finish high school.  However, the cost of attending college has soared, and for the first time, Americans owe more on their student loans than they do on their credit cards.  The Blueprint addresses needed changes at all levels to help students afford and complete their college education.

At the U.S. Department of Education, Under Secretary Kanter oversees policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, adult and career-technical education, federal student aid and five White House Initiatives: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Educational Excellence for Hispanics, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. She focuses on improving college access, affordability, quality and completion.

Palm Beach State receives $375,000 grant to boost science instruction

Palm Beach State College has received a $375,000 Quantum Foundation grant to better align the school district's biology and chemistry curriculum with that of the College and help improve high school students' readiness for college.

The Science Path project, in partnership with the Palm Beach County school district, aims to tackle locally the national issue of students going to college underprepared for more rigorous science courses. The idea is that if the curriculum and instruction for these critical subjects are enhanced in K-12, students will be better prepared for the college coursework. The College also plans to partner with Florida Atlantic University on the initiative.

The Obama administration and Gov. Rick Scott are among those stressing the need for more workers with solid skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. The U.S. Department of Commerce projects a 17 percent growth nationwide in STEM jobs between 2008 and 2018.

"The current economic forecast for this industry outpaces even health care," said Dr. Dennis Gallon, Palm Beach State president. "The College stands ready to partner and support the development of programs which support quality education for our students and prepare them to take their place in the workforce, advancing STEM industries."

Just 1 in 3 ACT-tested high school graduates met the College Readiness Benchmark in Science in 2011 and at the state level only 20 percent of graduates were college ready in the subject, according to ACT Profile Reports.

On the local level, Palm Beach State College has experienced troubling withdrawal rates from its six introductory level biology and chemistry courses, raising serious questions about the preparation of the county's high school graduates.

"We are excited to have the support of the Quantum Foundation in working together to significantly move the needle of students' success in these two fields and ultimately help to grow a significant portion of our workforce," said Pat Lord, major gifts director for the Palm Beach State College Foundation.

The College plans to launch a pilot program at the Palm Beach Gardens campus, the site of its existing Math and Science Summer Institute and the Employ Florida Banner Center for Life Sciences, working with area high schools. The program eventually will be expanded to other high schools in the county. While the Science Path project currently focuses on high school, to further enhance the science curriculum throughout the school district, the College is seeking other funding opportunities to align the curriculum of middle and elementary schools. In addition to curriculum alignment, the partnership will include shared professional development opportunities for college faculty and K-12 school teachers, the initial design of a virtual library of learning objects for faculty and teachers and the development of cooperative teams to identify students who demonstrate interest and potential in STEM.

The timing of the project comes just as the state has boosted its graduation requirements calling for all students beginning in 2013-2014 to pass biology, chemistry and one equally rigorous science course to receive a high school diploma.

It also falls in line with the more aggressive efforts of the Quantum Foundation to enhance science education in the county through the funding of programs that provide curriculum alignment, student pipelines into science and science teaching development.

New A.S. degree program puts career success in focus

Palm Beach State College has received final approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to offer an Associate in Science degree in Ophthalmic Medical Technology.

Classes will begin this fall. The program is based in the BioScience Technology Complex on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, in a newly constructed learning center complete with the latest ophthalmic equipment. There are only about two dozen such programs nationwide, and Palm Beach State College's will be the first in South Florida.

The Ophthalmic Medical Technology A.S. degree program will provide comprehensive training in one of the nation's fastest-growing medical occupations. Ophthalmic medical technologists work closely with M.D. ophthalmologists--eye physicians and surgeons--in the evaluation of vision and treatment of patients with eye disorders. Using advanced diagnostic instrumentation, ophthalmic medical technologists obtain medical histories, measure patients' visual acuity, assess optical correction, assist the physician and perform clinical and administrative responsibilities.

No one could be more pleased about the program's "green light" than Robert M. Kershner, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.S., the board-certified ophthalmologist and Palm Beach State professor of anatomy-physiology and microbiology, who developed the program and will serve as department chairman. "A career in vision is one of the most satisfying and rewarding you could choose. Certified ophthalmic medical assistants, technicians and technologists are among the most sought-after careers in all of medicine and in high demand by eye physicians and surgeons," Dr. Kershner observes.

Ophthalmic Medical Technology students will develop technical proficiency through a hands-on curriculum taught by ophthalmologists and certified technicians, and perform externships in local ophthalmic practices, clinics and hospitals. Following program completion and industry-standardized examination, graduates will be qualified to be certified by the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant, Certified Ophthalmic Technician or Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist.

Information sessions will be held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays, March 1 and April 5 in Room SC152 in the BioScience Technology Complex on the Palm Beach Gardens campus. For more information call 561-207-5726 or visit www.PalmBeachState.edu/OMT.xml.

Black History Month events pay tribute to contributions of African Americans

A series of events are scheduled at Palm Beach State College throughout February to celebrate Black History Month, including a dramatic one-man performance by Palm Beach State alumnus Devin T. Robinson X.

With everything from poster contests and movies to black history trivia and guest speakers, College departments, organizations and student clubs, will recognize and celebrate the contributions of African Americans to society and tackle issues of diversity.

Robinson's hour-long one-man show "From Property to President" will be from noon to 2 p.m. on Feb. 9 in Conference Room E-F on the Lake Worth campus. The show, organized by Student Activities in Lake Worth, will take attendees on a journey through various points in history from the beginning of slavery to today. It also will highlight noted African American leaders and others.

"It's amazing, emotional, comedic and dramatic. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback,'' said Robinson, a 2004 Palm Beach State graduate who has appeared on Black Entertainment Television (BET), MTV, ESPN 2 and "Showtime at the Apollo."

Preacher Moss, the 2009 winner of the Campus Activities Magazine Reader's Choice Award for Best Diversity Performer, will bring his "End of Racism" show to the Lake Worth campus Feb. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Conference Room E and F.

"Preacher Moss has a unique way of presenting his opinions and ideas," said Jim Van Allan, student activities specialist in Lake Worth. "End of Racism creates awareness that racism still exists...and it needs to be eradicated."

Among the events in Belle Glade is a Black Inventors Exhibit from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 22 in CRA -West Wing. It will raise awareness of the inventions of many African Americans. Earl Bryant, student activities manager, said many do not realize the number of things that were invented by African Americans. "I'm hoping this will inspire students to be creative when they have ideas and maybe they too can come up with something that can help mankind."

In Palm Beach Gardens, Leslie Gray Streeter, Palm Beach Post pop culture entertainment critic and blogger, will speak at the pavilion from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Feb. 7 p.m. about her experience as a writer and on diversity in journalism and the entertainment media.  In her talk, "There are no Black Film Critics," she will share the story of being told by a college professor that there are no black film critics so she could not be one, and she will encourage students to pursue their dreams despite what others say. She has been at the Palm Beach Post for almost 10 years.

For more information about these and other Black History Month events, visit the Palm Beach State Events Calendar or contact Student Activities on the respective campuses.

Critical Thinking: Sign up for a workshop to discuss why this topic is so important

Sana Mohamad, a student at Palm Beach State in Belle Glade, displays her winning QEP T-shirt design. Her design was selected by students, staff and faculty in a QEP T-shirt design contest conducted in the fall. The design was captured on T-shirts, which were distributed to students as a reminder that Critical Thinking is the College's QEP topic.

Palm Beach State College is holding a series of workshops this month to get faculty and staff talking about why critical thinking is becoming increasingly important for today's students.

During the sessions, faculty and staff will discuss how to identify opportunities to best reinforce critical thinking in the classroom setting.  Critical thinking was selected earlier as the focus of the College's Quality Enhancement Plan.  Participants will begin to understand the application of critical thinking and the QEP learning outcomes and leave with tangible strategies to encourage students to accomplish those outcomes.

Each two-hour interactive session is the same, but will be offered multiple times on most campuses. There is a maximum of 12 seats per session.

To view the registration guidelines and instructions click here. For more information on the College's QEP, required as part of its reaccreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, visit http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/QEP.xml.

Brian Kelley to lead advisory board for statewide college library system

Brian Kelley, director of the Library Learning Resource Center on the Lake Worth campus, has been chosen as the Advisory Board Chair-Elect of the College Center for Library Automation. CCLA, established by the Florida Legislature in 1989, is the statewide library network that provides library services for all Florida college libraries. Kelley already represents the College on the CCLA Advisory Board and Executive Committee.

Without the work of the CCLA, the ease and speed of sharing information resources across campuses statewide would not exist. More than a million college students and staff rely on the CCLA web portal, LINCCWeb, for research, and the library management system (LMS) for circulation and cataloging. CCLA also vets and implements new technologies and serves as source of training, support, advocacy and consultation.

Beginning in July 2012, CCLA and its university counterpart, the Florida Center for Library Automation will merge to create a new joint library services entity governed by a Members Council composed of the 28 colleges and the 11 university libraries. The new organization will replace both CCLA and FCLA. Kelley will serve on the newly formed Member's Council Board of Directors as co-chair and college representative, along with the state university co-chair/representative. Only about four other states have such initiatives creating a statewide library network for all public higher education libraries.

"The decision to integrate the state university and community college library systems offers an opportunity to create an entirely new system that takes the availability of information resources at both the colleges and the universities to the next level," says Kelley. He further comments: "We are just beginning to discover areas of mutual interest, such as digitization, grant funding, shared collections, e-textbook collections and faster access to resources. The real challenge is to preserve all of the resources that we have while creating a new vision of what library services can mean for all of higher education. I am honored to be representing my peers at the other colleges at such a time. This is a truly historic opportunity for the libraries and students of Florida!"

Professor's research shared in international journal

"Organizational Characteristics and Employee Overall Satisfaction: A Comparison of State-Owned and Non State-Owned Enterprises in Vietnam," a research paper authored by Lam Nguyen, has been published in the October 2011 Issue of the South East Asian Journal of Management, known as SEAM.

Dr. Nguyen is a professor of management in the bachelor's degree programs at Palm Beach State.  His areas of interest are leadership, ethics, job satisfaction, strategic decision making and cross-cultural management.

To be published in SEAM, a paper must make strong empirical and theoretical contributions and highlight the significance of those contributions to the management field.

Palm Beach State's Global Education Center lauded in national report

Students share their experiences and build their support networks at workshops held by the Global Education Center.

Palm Beach State College's efforts to help immigrant students get acclimated to college and life in the United States were lauded in a national report released in January.

Titled "Increasing Opportunities for Immigrant Students: Community College Strategies for Success," the report by the Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education examined the efforts of the 23 community colleges, professional groups and research organizations around the nation that belong to the consortium. Palm Beach State is one of only two Florida colleges in the consortium. The other is Miami Dade College.

The report considered the consortium members' work in 11 key areas and highlighted those with best practices. The Dr. Kathryn W. Davis Global Education Center at Palm Beach State was recognized in two areas:

• Program Outreach and Welcoming Environment
• Holistic, Integrated Student Support Services

"I think the fact that we have funding that's specially geared to serve immigrant students is very helpful because it has allowed the College to have personnel dedicated to the service toward the immigrant community in a very targeted way,'' said Dr. Jeannett Manzanero, director. The center was established in 2007 with an initial $1 million donation from the philanthropist whose name it bears. "If we did not have this donor, we would not have this kind of programming."

The center provides information on educational programs and referrals to community services. It helps students with the application, financial aid, registration process and course selection processes and provides financial assistance and other various workshops. Since its inception, it has served 7,725 people and more than 1,500 are currently registered in the center's database. The center also provides a peer mentor program, connecting new students with those who have been in college for a year or two. The program currently has 17 mentorship pairs.
 
Manzanero said the referrals to community services and partnerships with community services and departments at the College allow the center to holistically serve students. This enables the center to address other issues that may prevent them from going to school or focusing on their education.

"Immigrant students may have different needs than other students for a variety of reasons. One may be they're newcomers or their parents may not be able to communicate in English,'' she said. "(The Global Education Center) is a welcoming place where everybody and their families are welcome." 

To view the full report, visit http://www.cccie.org/.

Read all about it!

Our latest issue of Contact Magazine is online! Read about the College's green future, the Banner Center, SimMan® and more. 

Congratulations graduate!

Melba Pena, administrative assistant II at the Lake Worth campus, earned her Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Supervision and Management from Palm Beach State in December.

Comings and Goings

Appointments

Amanda Chick,  library technician II,  Palm Beach Gardens
Ruth Ann Guerra,  student development/financial aid advisor,  Belle Glade
Donald Miller,  security officer,  Lake Worth
Cynthia Parent,  program records representative,   West Palm Beach
Lara Pollak,  box office specialist,  Palm Beach Gardens
Belinda Troise,  administrative assistant II,  Lake Worth

Faculty Appointments

Nelson Daniel,  professor II,  Palm Beach Gardens
James Schaffner,  assistant professor,  Lake Worth
Debra Trigoboff,  professor II,  Boca Raton

Transfers/Promotions

Joanna Campos,  student development advisor I,  Lake Worth
Marjorie Dawes,  records specialist,  Lake Worth
Robert Hartwig,  program director,  Lake Worth
Jennifer Hudson,  accounting associate II,  Lake Worth
Stephanie Lamie,  records specialist,  Palm Beach Gardens
Carla Patrick,  program grant manager,  Lake Worth
Cherly Philippeaux,  financial aid advisor,  Lake Worth
Christine Todaro,  selection center specialist,  Lake Worth
Deborah Watson,  fiscal specialist,  West Palm Beach

Retirements

Della Calcagni,  associate professor,  Boca Raton
Kathleen Horowitz,  program director,  Lake Worth

Departures

Rosanne Clements,  early childhood education assistant,  West Palm Beach
Andrew Lambert,  associate professor,  Boca Raton
Diana Moore,  librarian/associate professor,  Lake Worth
Fabio Rincon,  network analyst I,  Lake Worth
Stephen Spencer,  PSAV instructor,  Lake Worth

New grandson!

Lee Anne Decker, records specialist at the Palm Beach Gardens campus, and husband, Scott, welcomed the arrival of their second grandson, Wyatt, born Dec. 29 to Jordan and Shannon Decker and big brother Kane.  He weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces and was 18-1/2 inches long. 
 

With sympathy

Condolences are extended to Deborah Thorsen, professor of economics at the Palm Beach Gardens campus, upon the death of her mother.  Doris Luedtke Thorsen, 82, passed away Jan. 23 at home after a brief fight against cancer.

Darryl Walke, adjunct professor of science at the Boca Raton campus, is grieving the loss of his mother, Patricia Kathleen Johnson of West Palm Beach, who died Jan. 16.

Please remember your colleagues in your thoughts and prayers.

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