State College
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
N O VE M B E R 2 0 1 9
Th a nk fulness starts with you! November brings with it a season of thanksgiving, and at Northwest Florida State College we are deeply thankful for the outstanding support we continue to receive from you, the friends of our College. We are thankful for our generous donors–who give of their time and resources to make this institution and community a better place. One such person, who was generous with their time, talent, and treasure, was former NWFSC trustee and Foundation board member, Michael Flynt whom we celebrated with the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance last month through the dedication of a living shoreline in Valparaiso. In addition, we celebrated at the College’s annual Scholars & Donors luncheon where donors and student recipients dined together, new scholarship donors were recognized, and several distinguished alumni were honored for their many accomplishments. We are thankful for our students, faculty, and staff–who make NWFSC a vibrant place to teach, work, and learn. Earlier this month, students celebrated the season with a fall 1980’s-themed party and we welcomed future students to explore our College on Preview Day. The College’s Brain Bowl team won the Santa Fe Invitational Tournament by scoring an all-time record for most points at a community college tournament. Once again, our faculty demonstrated they are among the best with an article authored by Dr. Inger McGee, Director of Teacher Education, being published in the Winter 2019 Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators’ Journal. Our staff continue to shine in and out of the classroom as evidenced by our student success team who supported Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. We also cheered on our 2019-2020 Men and Women’s (continued on next page)
VO LUME 3, NO. 09
CBA DEDICATES
STRATEGIC PLAN: Goals 4 and 6
LIVING SHORELINE TO FOUNDING MEMBER The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) hosted a ribbon-cutting at Florida Park in Valparaiso on Friday, October 4, to dedicate their newest living shoreline project to the memory of CBA founding board member Michael Flynt. Michael Flynt was a champion of the CBA and of Northwest Florida State College. He served as a member of the NWFSC Foundation Board, the Institute of Senior Professionals, the CBA board, and the College’s Board of Trustees. “In Mike I saw a servant-leader, a forward-thinker, a strategist and a protector of all that is good,” said
Dr. Devin Stephenson, NWFSC president. “To name this piece of God’s earth, Mike Flynt Living Shoreline, is symbolic of making this world a better place in which to live.” Approximately 50 people attended the ribbon-cutting, including Flynt’s wife Charlotte, children Laura Nemes and Mike Flynt Jr., and several other close friends and family members.
NWFSC BRINGS STUDENTS AND DONORS
TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE SUCCESS
(L to R): Dr. Devin Stephenson, NWFSC President; Tricia Brunson; Foster Lux; Johanna Cook; Charlie Marello. Not Pictured: Nicholas Ward.
Northwest Florida State College Foundation held its Scholars & Donors Luncheon Friday, October 25. The program encourages scholarship recipients and donors to get to know one another as well as recognizes newly established endowments and Distinguished Alumni Award Winners.
This year, because of the generous support of Northwest Florida State College donors, the College will award more than $800,000 in scholarship funding to deserving students. The following 2019 Northwest Florida State College Distinguished Alumni Award Winners were announced during the luncheon: Nicholas Ward, Distinguished Alumni; Johanna Cook, Against the Odds; Rising Star, Foster Lux; Hometown Hero, Tricia Brunson; and Hometown Hero, Charlie Marello.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6