Graduation, Dec. 19 Study Abroad 2010 INSIDE THIS ISSUE » The top SPC events of 2009 » 404,113 points awarded in Fall Wellness Challenge » Save the date for Jan. 22 alumni event » Alumni Association adds award for four-year students » Holiday giving ideas » Last chance to cast your vote for Dollars for Scholars Thrift Store REGULAR COLUMNS » Cultural Corner Art, music and theater listings for SPC and our cultural partners » Locker Room Men’s basketball team splits two in tournament » Wellness at SPC Giving the Gift of Safety » Sustainable SPC Let’s make the holidays more environmentally friendly » SPC TV » Onward & Upward NOTE: The next edition of the Blue & White will be published on Friday, Jan. 8. While we had hoped to run a story in this edition with the results of a recent Blue & White survey, we did not have enough employee participation to include it.

Every year, the Blue & White looks over the previous 12 months and selects a list of the year’s most significant stories. That assignment was challenging this year, as notable events took place on a regular basis throughout the year. While the selection process was difficult, here are the top SPC stories of 2009. CALENDAR NOTES » Winter break schedule » Important pay date notices » Birthdays/anniversaries - Dec. / Jan. » Visual Calendar - Dec. / Jan. » Meeting notice BOARD OF TRUSTEES » Jan. 7, Presidential Search Committee meets » Jan. 19, Meeting and rules notice

The top SPC stories of 2009

Every year, the Blue & White looks over the previous 12 months and selects a list of the year’s most significant stories. That assignment was challenging this year, as notable events took place on a regular basis throughout the year. While the selection process was difficult, here are the top SPC stories for 2009, as judged by the staff of the Blue and White:

PRESIDENT KUTTLER ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT
After 31 years at the helm of St. Petersburg College, President Carl M. Kuttler Jr. announced plans to retire. He first made his intentions public in July, saying he planned to retire some time in 2010. But at a Board meeting in November, he said he had decided to retire effective Dec. 31. Former Senior Vice President Tom Furlong was selected to serve as interim President, effective Jan. 1, and a search committee was named to look for a replacement. Read original story »

ASTRONAUT NICOLE STOTT’S JOURNEY TO SPACE STATION BEGAN AT SPC
Nicole Passonno Stott, a NASA astronaut, began her journey into space as a student at St. Petersburg College. The Clearwater resident gained her interest in aeronautics from her father, who built small experimental airplanes as a hobby. Stott left the Kennedy Space Center in August aboard the space Shuttle Discovery. She worked aboard the international space station for four months (and participated in a space walk) before returning home. Stott graciously offered to carry a small SPC banner with her on her journey. Read original story »

NOTED ARTIST ALLEN LEEPA DIES; ENDOWED SPC’S LEEPA-RATTNER MUSEUM
Allen Leepa, a noted abstract Expressionist and Minimalist artist who, along with his then-wife Isabelle, donated a valuable art collection to St. Petersburg College that became the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, died June 26. He was 90. A professor of art for many years at Michigan State University, he retired to Tarpon Springs. In 1997, the Leepas donated their extensive art collection to St. Petersburg College, as well as $2.5 million to put toward establishing the new museum. The collection, consisting of thousands of works by Leepa; his mother, Esther Gentle Rattner; and his stepfather, figurative expressionist Abraham Rattner; as well as by Picasso, Chagall, Rouault, Hans Hofmann and others, is valued at more than $20 million. The groundbreaking for the 58,000-square-foot museum complex at the Tarpon Springs Campus was Nov. 9, 1999, and it opened in January 2002. Read original story »

765 AWARDED DEGREES AT SPC’S 109TH COMMENCEMENT
St. Petersburg College held its spring graduation ceremony in May at Tropicana Field, and 765 two-year and four-year program graduates received their college degrees. Those walking included 59 graduates of St. Petersburg Collegiate High School. It was the largest group of graduates in SPC history, easily besting the 662 who graduated during ceremonies one year previously. President Carl M. Kuttler Jr. recognized faculty and staff members of the college, and told the graduates that SPC faculty and staff members work hard to contribute to SPC’s national standing and reputation. The Outstanding Alumnus Award went to E. Ann McGee, President of Seminole Community College in Sanford/Lake Mary since 1996. Receiving the Apollo Award, the college’s highest honor for two-year students, was Melinda Thackrah, a Clearwater Campus student who graduated with a 3.96 grade point average. Read original story »

VET TECH FIELD BECKONS, EVEN IN AN UNCERTAIN ECONOMY
It started with a story in USA Today about the best career choices for the future. One field that ranked very high was Veterinary Technology, and the college quickly informed the media that one of the nation’s best Vet Tech programs was offered right here at St. Petersburg College. What followed was a months-long flurry of media interest in SPC and its Vet Tech program. The highlight was a segment on the CBS Evening News. Plus, there were stories in a long list of newspapers, magazines and trade journals. One of the most attractive details was SPC’s online feature: students can study Veterinary Technology at SPC without ever setting foot in a classroom. Read original story »

SPC GETS LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION FOR TWO BUILDINGS
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded LEED Gold certification for two St. Petersburg College buildings. The Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building on the Clearwater Campus received the certification, as did the Student Services building on the St Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Gold is its second highest designation. Both buildings opened in January 2009. They were built to conform to the LEED Green Building Rating System™, a nationally accepted certifier of high performance and environmentally sensitive buildings. Both buildings were designed to decrease pollution and negative impacts on the environment; decrease impact on local aquifers; decrease energy consumption; and increase the quality of indoor air and the indoor working environment. Links to the original stories are included above.

STUDENT WHO BEGAN HIS QUEST IN 1967 FINALLY GRADUATES
Jerry Woodson finished high school in 1967and enrolled in a two-year business administration program. Looking back, Woodson realizes that, while he was doing what his parents hoped he would do, his heart really wasn’t in it. He stopped going to classes in 1969. But Woodson never forgot the promise he made to his parents, and he never gave up on the pursuit of his community college degree. Saturday at age 60, Jerry Woodson will don his cap and gown and make the walk he thought would never happen. More than 42 years after he started his college career, Jerry Woodson will get his Associate in Arts diploma, as well as a paralegal degree. Read original story »

SPC’S FIRST ROTC GRAD EARNS DEGREE AND COMMISSION
Nicole Moore-Etheridge, who graduated in May with a baccalaureate degree in public safety administration, is the first person in SPC history to earn a military commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. In the past, some two-year SPC students have been able to take part in ROTC through partnerships with other institutions that have ROTC programs. However, those students would not earn their ROTC commissions until they completed a full four-year course of study, finishing up at some other college. Moore-Etheridge wanted her ROTC commission in the U.S. Army reserve to come through St. Petersburg College. Moore-Etheridge took advantage of a partnership agreement involving several local colleges. The ROTC program she enrolled in is based at the University of South Florida. Read original story »

SPCHS STUDENTS ACE STATEWIDE FCAT TESTS
St. Petersburg Collegiate High School (SPCHS) students once again placed among Florida’s best high schools on Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The 2009 FCAT test results showed SPCHS students recorded the highest test results of any school in Pinellas County, and also placed among the best in Florida. “I think this demonstrates how SPC and the Collegiate High School faculties work seamlessly to ensure that SPCHS students achieve at very high levels,” said Starla Metz, SPCHS Principal. “It’s a partnership, and the support we get from SPC is greatly appreciated – it truly makes a difference for our students.” Metz said SPCHS students have performed at or near the top of the range since the FCAT tests were first introduced. She said the school’s performance is in the same league as those schools that have stringent entrance criteria; SPCHS has an open enrollment policy. Read original story »

ENROLLMENT INCREASES SHARPLY
Enrollment at SPC moved up sharply during 2009 in both two-year and four-year programs. Overall, Fall enrollment was up 15 percent over the previous year, a spike that included a 14.2 percent increase among two-year programs and 25.4 percent in four-year programs. The most impressive increases were recorded in online classes in both two-year and four-year programs. Online enrollment in two-year programs was up 25.1 percent, while four-year online enrollment grew 41.1 percent. Read original story »

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404,113 points awarded in Fall Wellness Challenge

The Fall Wellness Challenge is history, but 591 college employees showed just how healthy they could be, collectively earning 404,113 wellness points during the six-week challenge.

The challenge gave employees the opportunity to prove to themselves how healthy they are willing to be. Some competed as a part of a team while others challenged themselves individually. No matter. By the time the challenge ended, everyone could take pride in the way they committed themselves to a more healthy lifestyle.

And speaking of commitment, no one was more committed to the wellness goal than Karen Hesting, an Instructional Technologist at the Clearwater Campus. Hesting earned 1,090 points – a perfect score!

Hesting said she had been much more active earlier in her life, and the Wellness Challenge inspired her to get more active again.

“I just focused on the weekly thing, and sort of re-assessed my activities every week,” she said. “Then, I focused on the bonus points. I joined Weight Watchers, and I ran a 5K, And my husband, who also works at the college, made it easy for me. Even though he didn’t do as well in the Challenge as I did, he helped me to do it.”

In the team competition, Guns and Hoses of the Allstate Campus earned the highest score with 6,079 points - averaging more than 1,000 points for each of the six team members. The winning teams from each campus utilized some very good habit-building techniques for success:

• “We kept our kitchen full of apples, bananas, and carrot sticks for point driven snacks,” said Anita George, a member of The Eagles team from EpiCenter.
  
  
• “The challenge reminded me to think consciously about food decisions rather than let my taste buds be my guide,” said Daniel Walch, a member of the Weigh Less Pay Less team from the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus.

Fall 2009 Wellness Challenge Winners

Team totals

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Save the date for Jan. 22 alumni event

The St. Petersburg College Alumni Association invites you to join them for a night of "Making student dreams come true" on Friday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.

Mingle with SPC alumni, students and staff at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art as they award $25,000 in scholarships raised from Dollars for Scholars Thrift store.

Other highlights include:

• Live music by Charlie Coffman and the Easy Street Band
• Taste of Tarpon hors d’oeuvres buffet and Viennese dessert table
• Door prizes and drawings for scholarship naming opportunities
• Four free lifetime memberships to the SPC Alumni Association

The cost is $25 per person. RSVP to Tiffany Stallard by Friday, Jan. 8. Dress is casual.

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Alumni Association adds award for four-year student

The Apollo Award, given each year since 1966, is presented by the St. Petersburg College Alumni Association to the top associate degree graduate. Winners are chosen for their leadership, scholastic standing, community service, honors and awards. Now, the association is adding an award for baccalaureate graduates. The awards will be:

• Associate degree recipient - Apollo Award
• Baccalaureate degree recipient - Alumni Achievement Award

The winner receives:

• Scholarship check for $1,000 for the Apollo Award, $1,500 for the Alumni Achievement Award
• Lifetime membership in the SPC Alumni Association
• One-year honorary appointment to the SPC Alumni Association Board of Directors

Nominate your favorite student
Nominations can be made online by a full-time or part-time employee of SPC, an alumnus of SPC, a currently enrolled student or the nominee (self-nomination).

All nominees must have:

• Graduated from SPC in July or December 2009, or will be graduating in May 2010
• Minimum GPA of 3.25 for Apollo Award and 3.50 for Achievement Award
• Demonstrated leadership qualities
• Involved in college activities
• Participated in community service

NOTE: Nominees for the Alumni Achievement Award must have attended SPC for all four years of their college career. No transfer students will be considered. Apollo Award winners are eligible to receive the Alumni Achievement Award as well, but will not be given special consideration.

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Winter break schedule

St. Petersburg College winter break dates are:

» Dec. 18-Jan. 10, no classes for students
» Dec. 24-25, 30 and Jan. 1, all college offices closed

Unlike Pinellas County Schools, the college is open on Monday, Dec. 21 for all budgeted employees, including 12-month faculty, counselors and librarians.

As directed by supervisors, some employees may be required to work during the winter break. Career Service budgeted employees who work on Dec. 22, 23, 28, 29 or 30 are entitled to a “floating holiday/holidays” — meaning time off, hour-for-hour, for time worked on. The time off must be taken on or before June 30, 2010.

Get the holiday schedules during the upcoming winter break.

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Holiday giving ideas

As you are doing your holiday shopping, consider the following ideas:

The Palladium
The Palladium Theater has gift certificates in varying denominations ($25, $50, $75, $100 and more) to specific performances or even as a gift membership to the Palladium. Gift certificates are available online or by visiting the box office Monday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. or four hours before performances.

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
Leepa-Rattner memberships begin at $20 for students and $35 for individuals. For more information, see the museum’s Web site. Isabelle’s Museum Store also features gift items from local artists — jewelry, original artwork, and items to create your own art. See our new collection of ceramic and bronze Soleri windbells and new creations by woodturner Larry Hasiak. You can also shop for gifts and stationery from the Museum of Modern Art.

Support the arts
SPC faculty and staff can support the arts through payroll deduction.

Dollars for Scholars Thrift Store
Shop for holiday bargains at the Dollars for Scholars Thrift Store and help fund student scholarships. Donations can be dropped off during normal business hours. You can also arrange to have your donations picked up by calling the store at 727-341-3620. All donations to Dollars for Scholars, a 501(C)(3) non-profit charitable institution, are tax deductible.

SPC Foundation
Give the gift of education. Visit the Foundation Web site for ideas on how your end-of-year giving can change the life of a deserving student.

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Last chance to cast your vote for Dollars for Scholars Thrift Store

Friday, Dec. 18 is the last day to cast your vote for WEDU's annual Be More Awards. Described as the Emmy Awards of the non-profit world, this online poll gives you the opportunity to help us spread the word about the Dollars for Scholars of St. Petersburg Thrift Store.

Get the details of how to cast your votes at WEDU.org and vote for:

» Dollars for Scholars for the People's Choice Award
» Michelle Piccione for the Volunteer Award.

The new thrift store has raised more than $30,000 for student scholarships from the sale of donated items since it opened in June. In January, $25,000 will be awarded to needy students at St. Petersburg College.

Invite your friends and family to cast their vote too.

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Reminder: Graduation Dec. 19

St. Petersburg College will hold two Fall commencement ceremonies at First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Those who can’t attend graduation can watch the ceremonies live online. To watch, go to www.indianrocks.org/Media.php and click on “Live Broadcast.” The broadcasts will begin at about 9:20 a.m. and 12:50 p.m.

First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks features a 3,000-seat sanctuary and is located at 12685 Ulmerton Road, Largo.

Visit the Graduation Web site for more information.

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Important pay date notices

Please note the following changes regarding pay checks during the upcoming holidays:

Early Web Time deadlines before winter break
Employees - please have all time entries done by Thursday, Dec. 17.
Supervisors - please approve all leave and time entries by Friday, Dec. 18.

Jan. 1 pay issued Dec. 31
Because pay day falls on New Year’s Day, that week’s pay will be issued on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009. This means you will have an extra pay day in the calendar year – 27 rather than 26 and you still will have 26 pay days in 2010. (This occurs every 10-11 years.)

The Dec. 31 pay day is the third of the month and therefore won’t have any deductions. So what does this mean?

• Your gross wages for 2009 will be more than last year since we have one more pay day in the 2009 calendar year.
• For those who have direct deposit, you will see your money in your account Dec. 31.
• If you receive a paper check, it will be available at your site Monday, Jan. 4.

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Meeting notice

The Development Committee for the Board of Directors for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. in the Interactive Gallery of the museum to discuss general business.

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Onward & upward

Institutional Advancement won three regional National Council for Marketing & Public Relations awards and an Institutional Advancement Florida Association of Community Colleges’ award in November.

They included:

• A Gold Award from NCMPR for a poster entitled “Lead By Example,” designed by Jan Rocco.
• A Silver Award from NCMPR for a postcard entitled “Free Two-Year Degrees,” designed by Jan Rocco.
• A Silver Award from NCMPR for a college promotion video, produced by Jeremy Peplow on Sustainability.
• A Silver Award from FACC for a flyer “Movies on the Lawn” designed by Jan Rocco.

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