Foundation

Changing lives is not easy. But when you’re the largest institution of higher education in Palm Beach County, it’s your mission.

Palm Beach State College has been sending its medical students to area hospitals for required clinical training for years. However, our local healthcare facilities are not immune to current circumstances. Restrictions now prevent the College from placing students in community hospitals to complete their clinical hours. But a new partnership has brought solutions, enhancing Palm Beach State’s Health Sciences program and impacting healthcare throughout Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach State has partnered with the Federick A. DeLuca Foundation to expand its Center of Excellence in Medical Simulation. Created in 1997 by the late Frederick DeLuca, co-founder of the global SUBWAY® restaurant chain, the DeLuca Foundation supports health awareness, workforce development and artistic experiences through educational programs. A generous gift from the DeLuca Foundation is launching a 21st century facility with cutting-edge simulators, technology and equipment used in today’s medical industry.

Palm Beach State College’s mission to transform lives does not happen without the incredible partnership of individuals like Frank DiMino, a local resident, longtime entrepreneur and friend of the College. A recent seven-figure gift from the Frank DiMino Family Foundation is thought to be the largest in Palm Beach State’s 87-year history, an unprecedented investment in the future of the College, its students and Palm Beach County.

Dear Friends,

The Panther TRUE Fund is providing much needed relief for our students during this extraordinary time. Knowing our community and many of you individually, I have felt the tremendous outreach and concern that has been expressed for our students’ financial stress. Their ability to sustain themselves requires help with food shortages, housing costs, health care and other daily necessities.

We are in this together. Through unity we shall not only persist but also prevail. Together, we can make a TRUE difference.

To the extent that you can help, thank you on behalf of these students we continue to serve.

David A. Rutherford
Vice President of Advancement
Executive Director of PBSC Foundation

GIVE HERE

Watch the Panther TRUE Fund Video Here

Luiz Padredi and Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy and PBSC President Ava L. Parker, J.D.

Feb. 20, 2020
Tony Dungy

Tony Dungy, NFL Hall of Fame coach and New York Times bestselling author, shared his inspirational lessons on life, leadership and fatherhood as Palm Beach State College’s featured guest at its 8th annual STEAM luncheon, presented by Bank of America and moderated by Emmy award-winning sports anchor Keli Ferguson.

“You must lead people not by pushing them but by bringing them with you and making their lives better,” he told a capacity crowd in the Kravis Center’s Cohen Pavilion, transformed into a football stadium thanks to Yvonne Boice, local businesswoman and philanthropist who has been chairing the event since its inception.

During the VIP event, sponsored by Ideabar, Dungy introduced Luiz Padredi, a PBSC student with a 4.0 GPA in biomedical engineering. Padredi wasn't able to continue with his studies until he obtained a scholarship through the PBSC Foundation.

“Wouldn't it be a shame if a 4.0 student couldn’t continue because of finances,” Dungy said. “This is why we’re here.”

PBSC President Ava Parker reminded her 650 guests that PBSC is indeed the heart of Palm Beach County and that STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) initiatives provide scholarships for students in these vital fields.

Tony Dungy’s message reminds us of PBSC’s mission to transform lives and strengthen the community. “It's about the journey - mine and yours - and the lives we can touch, the legacy we can leave and the world we can change for the better.”

• PBSC News Center Article

• Art Hive Article

• STEAM 2020 VIP Event Photos

• STEAM 2020 Luncheon Photos

James Patterson and PBSC President Ava L. Parker, J.D.

Bestselling author creates scholarship for PBSC students

James Patterson, the world’s bestselling author, is creating a scholarship that will cover the full cost of tuition for Palm Beach State College students.

The Patterson Family Foundation has established scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students at 15 colleges and universities across the United States, but this will be the first to benefit community college students. The James Patterson Presidential Scholarship will fund 32 full-time  scholarships, which will be awarded annually to 16 incoming and 16 second-year PBSC students. While eligibility targets students who have expressed interest in pursuing careers in education, the scholarship will be available to other full-time students as well.

(From L to R, Chris Colbert, Music Scholarship recipient Christian Villanueva, Dr. Charles Colbert, Ana Thomas & David Rutherford)

When the Golden Age of Swing brought us the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 40s, band leaders such as Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman were shaping the sound of popular music, and Charles Colbert’s own musical journey was just beginning.  Today, at the age of 90, he and his career in music are being honored with the Dr. Charles Colbert Music Scholarship, a gesture from his son Chris, one that impacts the students of Palm Beach State.

Dr. Colbert’s music career has spanned nearly 75 years across several states, from his musical training and education at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music to the Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music to the University of Michigan and music faculty positions at Case Western Reserve University, Morris Harvey College and Heidelberg College in Ohio.

• Academic & career paths for students

• Advancements for the College’s most urgent needs

• Capital improvements for academic, training and new & ongoing programs

• Economic & workforce development

• Scholarships for students

• Support in perpetuity through establishing an endowment fund