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What you might not know about presidential candidate Paula Gastenveld
 Presidential candidate Paula Marie Gastenveld, center, speaks with Roland Martens, College of Education instructor, and Ruby Lou Carr, Communications instructor, during her visit to the St. Petersburg/ Gibbs Campus March 1. |
I grew up in a large family (four sisters and two brothers) in Henderson, Ky. That experience helped shape many of my traits today. I learned the importance of teamwork, of staying flexible and of knowing when to lead and when to follow. This was important growing up in a house where there were nine people and one bathroom.
Growing up, my dad was a barber around the time the Beatles arrived. His business dropped because men were letting their hair grow longer. It made for some tough times economically, but we all pulled through. My mom had to go to work and my grandmother moved in with us.
I wouldn’t have been able to attend college if it hadn’t been for Henderson Community College. My brothers and sisters all did the same thing.
For fun and to relax, I read (her favorite authors are Philip Aguirre, Tracy Chevalier and James Alex Thoms) and garden. In the summer I am usually out until sundown in my flower garden.
I have two dogs, Blue (a Boxer mix) and Peanut (a Jack Russell terrier).Clearwater master plan approved by board
The master plan for new construction and remodeling at the Clearwater Campus (pdf) was approved during the Board of Trustees Meeting Feb. 23. The plan outlines projects totaling more than $127 million.
Designed over the past 18 months jointly by staff and faculty at the campus, Facilities Planning and Institutional Services and Harvard Jolly Architects, the plan proposes to demolish, replace and remodel eight buildings—some more than 45 years old—starting with construction for the replacement of the Social Science building that was demolished last year. Construction of the new Ethics and Social Science building is scheduled to begin fall of 2011. The project budget is approximately $11.6 million.
“This building is the first step in moving forward with the master plan at that campus,” said Michael Carter, Director of Design and Construction for the college. “It will provide additional classroom space to handle the current needs at the campus due enrollment growth.”
Carter said the master plan is flexible and subject to modifications depending upon campus needs and finances. Funding sources and academic requirements at the time of construction will determine the order in which buildings are replaced as well as the programs to be housed in the new buildings.
The college has been approved to use Community College Capital Improvement Revenue Bonds by the state Department of Education. The bonds will finance approximately $7.4 million after bond reserve and administrative fees have been deducted, and the additional funding for the project will come from additional Public Education Capital Outlay funds, proceeds from the sale of the campus gymnasium in May 2005 and Student Capital Improvement Fees.
“The new Ethics and Social Science Building will provide enough space that we can remove the portables,” Carter said. “The master plan will re-establish the quad, which has been encroached upon by 17 portables.”
By carrying out the remodeling and construction, the campus will help redefine its identity, and Carter said it is important to develop a well-thought-out master plan so the design and construction of a single building fits within the theme of the overall campus plan.
“This master plan will give us several options and will give potential ideas for maximizing the growth on this campus,” said Susan Reiter, Vice President of Facilities Planning and Institutional Services.
Reiter said one of the main focus points of the master plan is to provide a prominent entrance and new “front door” to the campus.Collegewide initiative to help state’s Haiti relief efforts
The college is joining colleges around the state to offer financial support to the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti.
The initiative is part of the college’s overall Dollars for Haiti recovery effort. Beginning March 16, donations can be made through the college’s business offices on each campus. A logo has been designed and a sticker will be given to those who donate.
“Dollars for Haiti is a collegewide initiative proposed by the students, approved by the faculty and staff, and the President's Cabinet,” said Tonjua Williams, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “These funds will be donated to the governor’s Haiti Relief Fund in the name of St. Petersburg College.”
The college’s fund drive will feed into the state relief effort, known as “Neighbors to the Rescue,” which was activated by Gov. Charlie Crist as a part of the Florida Disaster Recovery Fund. This fund will provide long-term recovery funding to assist with relocation expenses, and employment expenses such as job training and placement, among other things.
“We’ll have a Web site designed; but the process and the account numbers and all that are already in place," she said.
GED graduates increasingly becoming part of SPC community
Although John Michael McSwain quit high school several years ago, he decided not to let that be the end of his education and enrolled in GED classes at SPC Downtown.
“It has been life-changing,” he said. “I finally have a high school diploma.”
McSwain, 21, graduated last year with his GED from the college after having worked on it since he was 18. After graduation, he enrolled in SPC and has been taking computer science classes.
“I want to be in the military,” McSwain said. “I’m going to college to get my computer science degree. The Air Force needs people who are technical.”
Students like McSwain are becoming more common at SPC. Last year, SPC Downtown partnered with the Tomlinson Adult Learning Center to offer GED classes on site. Each SPC campus works individually with a different organization: St. Petersburg/Gibbs and Seminole campuses have partnered with Dixie Hollins Adult Education Center, Clearwater Campus with the Clearwater Adult Education Center and the Tarpon Springs Campus with Palm Harbor Community High School.
“They provide the instructor, the computers, the teaching materials,” said Yvonne Ulmer, Executive Officer for SPC Downtown. “We provide the space and the telephone. It’s a partnership.
“It’s so nice for students to take the GED program on the college campus because we invite them to our student activities events,” Ulmer said. “They feel like they are becoming a part of the college community, and it is a natural transition.”
Kathy MacLaury, Lead Teacher for Tomlinson’s GED program and McSwain’s GED instructor, said the partnership is an opportunity for students to achieve their goal of going to college.
MacLaury has worked as a K-12 teacher in Michigan and Florida for more than 25 years. She was selected as a semi-finalist in the Teacher of the Year for Pinellas County Schools.
“The students want to succeed,” MacLaury said. “They’re frustrated because they’ve had so many doors closed to them.
“It’s really hard to get a job if you don’t have a GED,” MacLaury said. “I’ve had students who lied on applications and said they had diplomas when they didn’t. They ended up losing their jobs and that’s why they end up coming here.”
Like many colleges, SPC requires all applicants to have an official high school diploma, a Computerized Placement Test-eligible Certificate of Completion, GED transcript, or an affidavit signed by the home-school student’s parent/legal guardian attesting that the applicant has received a home education that meets Florida Statute 1002.41. For education completed outside the U.S., applicants must have the equivalent of a high school diploma.
MacLaury said that although students are closer to reaching their goal by earning a GED, many students are not stopping there.
“This is not the be-all-end-all,” MacLaury said of students taking GED classes. “They are going to go on to college. It is a joy to see them build their confidence and independent study skills to the point when I see them meet with a counselor to get enrolled at St Petersburg College.”
Course fees waived for Summer Study Abroad trips
Eligible employees and their dependents may be able to waive course fees this summer for study abroad trips to:
Details on Employee Tuition Fee Waivers and SPC Study Abroad trips are available online. The deadline for applications is March 15.
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Engineering students honored during National Engineers Week
Samantha Mitchell, president of the SPC chapter of the Florida Engineering Society (FES), was named Engineering Student of the Year by the Pinellas chapter. She received the award during the Feb. 19 Tampa Bay Engineering Week banquet at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Seven SPC engineering students designed airplanes to compete in three categories – design, flight time and flight distance - at the Feb. 18 paper airplane competition on the Clearwater Campus.
The design division was based on aeronautical testing performance and style. John Shea placed first and second, Ankit Pandy placed third and Tyler Foldie placed fourth. The flight distance category was judged by the best distance out of three trials, which Tyler Foldie won. Foldie also won the flight time division, which was enhanced by an extra windy day.
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SPC’s Staff and Professional Development program has expanded the available training opportunities for college employees. Each month, the Blue & White features a different training opportunity. |
Microsoft Office 2007 New Features
By popular demand, Staff & Professional Development (SPD) is offering more classes on Microsoft Office 2007.
Here are the two options:
Option 1: Face-to-face course
- Offered by SPD through Corporate Training
- SPD is offering this class free to budgeted employees (regularly $99)
- There are four classes from which to choose:
- Monday, March 22: 1 – 5 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 31: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Thursday, April 8: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 14: 1 – 5 p.m.
- Location: EpiCenter – Corporate Training
- Each class is limited to the first 10 registrants
Registration
- Get your supervisor’s approval before registering
- Each class is filled on a first-come, first-served basis
- You will receive a confirmation e-mail if you are one of the first 10 applicants
- Register here
Option 2: Online course
- Through SPC’s Video Streaming Library.
- All classes are completed online and can be done at your own pace
- Course takes about an hour
- Free to all employees
- There are no limits on the number of people who can take these classes
Registration
- Get your supervisor’s approval
- Click on the “Enroll Now” link on the SPD Web site and fill out the corresponding form
For more information, contact Eric Sierra in Staff & Professional Development (Human Resources) at sierra.eric@spcollege.edu or at Ext. 3228.
Your emergency health benefits apply anywhere in the world
Most college employees have had an opportunity to use SPC’s health insurance benefits at some point, and have a high degree of confidence in the program. But do they have the same degree of confidence about their health insurance if they get sick while traveling outside the state, or even outside the U.S.?
Rest assured that your college health benefits cover you no matter where you are in the world. Preauthorization is never required in the case of an emergency.
Get the details on page six of the Open Access Select Pamphlet (pdf).
Meeting notices
The Development Committee for the Board of Directors for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet on Wednesday, March 10, 3 p.m. in the Interactive Gallery of the museum to discuss general business.
The Finance Committee for the Board of Directors for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art will meet on Wednesday, March 17, 3 p.m., in the Administration Building, AD136, Tarpon Springs Campus to discuss general business.
The Board of Trustees of St. Petersburg College will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, March 16, 8:30 a.m. in Room 107, at SPC Midtown, 1048 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg, to consider routine business including adopting or amending rules. View the legal notice of the meeting.
The Board of Trustees of St. Petersburg College will hold a public meeting on Thursday, March 18, 3:30 p.m. at the Seminole Campus Digitorium, 9200 113th St. N., Seminole to interview a presidential candidate. View the legal notice of the meeting.
The final decision on who will be SPC's next president will be made at a Board of Trustees public meeting on Tuesday, April 13, at 4 p.m., EpiCenter, Room 1-453.