CF Earns Marketing and Public Relations Honors

The College of Central Florida Marketing and Public Relations Department received seven commendations in this year’s National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District 2 Medallion Awards.

CF earned a Gold Award for its “Workforce Bound” video shorts; Silver Awards for its website, Rapid Credential recruitment program, and computer-generated illustration (“Connection” magazine, “Workforce or Bachelor’s Bound” cover); Silver and Bronze awards for “Connection” magazine; and a Bronze Award for the annual report.

NCMPR connects marketing and PR professionals at community and technical colleges throughout the nation and supports their professional growth.

To learn more about CF, visit www.CF.edu.

CF Receives Grant for College Park Elementary Partnership

Thanks to a $13,000 Empower grant from Siemens Industry, CF staff, faculty and teacher education students will help the elementary school develop an indoor/outdoor science lab to engage students with hands-on science activities.

The project is designed to address very low student grades and learning in science, particularly in fourth and fifth grades, by offering activities including observations of fruit-bearing trees, measuring rainfall and growing hydroponic vegetables.

“The Community Partnership School at College Park Elementary is very thankful to receive this grant from Siemens Industry Inc.,” said Caron Reid, Community Partnership School director. “Our project will now be able to move forward to improve student learning in the areas of sustainable science and STEM.

“We look forward to the exciting lessons and activities that will take place in our indoor/outdoor science labs and, ultimately, improved science scores for our students. This is the beginning of a long-term relationship as, together, we send our students into the 21st century with an understanding and appreciation for science,” Reid said.

“We’re both happy and proud to help support this important, evolving linkage between CF and College Park Elementary School, namely in the way it promotes student learning and achievement in STEM critical disciplines through hands-on learning,” said Steve Hoiberg, director of Siemens Empower Program.

“CF staff and faculty work closely with the elementary school in a variety of ways,” said Dr. Jennifer Fryns, CF associate vice president for Career and Professional Programs. “We’re excited about taking this already transformative partnership further into the classroom.”

For more information about the College of Central Florida, visit www.CF.edu.

CF Commencement Ceremonies Dec. 10 WEC

The College of Central Florida will hold its fall 2021 commencement ceremony at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, at the World Equestrian Center, Expo Center 1, 1750 N.W. 80th Ave., Ocala. For easiest access, graduates and their guests should use the entrance on State Road 40.

“We are excited to invite CF graduates and their loved ones to celebrate their success at this new venue,” said Dr. Saul Reyes, vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. “It’s an opportunity to honor our students’ hard work and share their stories with our community.”

Carolyn Barton Grissom will be honored posthumously with the CF Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award, and student Edgar Soto will be the graduation speaker.

The in-person ceremony also will be webcast live at CF.edu/graduation.

For more information, call the Ocala Campus at 352-854-2322, ext. 1391 or ext. 1739; Citrus Campus at 352-746-6721; or Levy Campus at 352-658-4077.

HEERF/Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds Cumulative Report

September 30, 2021 Report (Revised November 23, 2021)

The College of Central Florida (CF) has signed and returned the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) Certification and Agreement Form. CF has used, or intends to use, no less than the required amount of funds received to provide HEERF grants to students.

CF has been awarded HEERF allocations in three phases:

HEERF I/CARES Act – Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, & Economic Security Act, CF was awarded $5,063,708. Fifty percent of those funds ($2,531,854) were required to be distributed to students. The other fifty percent will be allowable for institutional needs.

HEERF II/CRRSAA – Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, CF was awarded $5,063,708. The college is required to disburse the same amount in student grants under CRRSAA as was required under the CARES Act. Therefore, $2,531,854 (50 percent) of CRRSAA funds is to be distributed to students. The other fifty percent will be allowable for institutional needs.

HEERF III/ARP – Under the American Rescue Plan, CF was awarded $18,645,368 and is required to distribute fifty percent ($9,322,684) of the awarded funds to students. The other fifty percent will be used for allowable institutional needs.

In addition to the funds listed above, CF has received three installments of Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) allocations totaling $1,455,860.

Funding methodology (eligibility and funding amounts) for HEERF I, II and III awards and SIP awards can be seen at Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Required Reporting. For HEERF I allocations, eligible students were awarded HEERF funds and were instructed to submit a HEERF application for consideration for additional funds. An application process has not been used for HEERF II or HEERF III distributions. Students receiving distributions receive an email notification.

Cumulative Report – As of September 30, 2021 (and restated as of November 23, 2021):

  • CF has been allocated a total of $28,771,524 in HEERF grants, of which $14,386,392 must be distributed to students.
  • CF has distributed $7,640,708 of HEERF and $676,846 of SIP funds to a total of 7,629 students.

CF Nursing Program Among Most Affordable in the Nation

“We set out to find schools that are making online education a priority,” said Wes Ricketts, founder of EduMed.org. “Each school in our rankings has a winning combination of flexibility, affordability, academic rigor and student support. This is a tall task in a field that leans on face-to-face interaction and hands-on training.”

This recognition of CF’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program comes at a time when students across the country are taking more of their courses either fully or partially online. According to data from the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment in online courses increased by 93% between Fall 2019 and Fall 2020. Nearly two-thirds of college students took at least one online course in 2020.

Schools were selected for the ranking based on government data provided by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and Institutional accreditation from an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were ranked on a mix of affordability, support services, and online program availability metrics. Affordability metrics received the heaviest weightings.

CF offers more than 150 academic pathways including college credit certificates, postsecondary adult vocational programs, associate and bachelor’s degrees. To learn more about CF, visit www.CF.edu.

CF International Film Series 60th Season

The CF Ira Holmes International Film Series will kick off in January with a collection of films that debuted in 1962, the year Professor Holmes began this long-running program.

“The purpose of the international film series is to educate and inspire audiences by introducing them to films that are culturally, historically and artistically important,” Holmes said.

Holmes served as director of the series for more than 30 years. Since 1962, he has taught for the CF Humanities and Social Sciences Department and he served as the department chair and then division dean from 1978-1998. He established the college’s first study abroad course and led more than 25 study tours to Europe. His interests include film, theatre, art, travel and historic preservation, and he has served on the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board since it was founded in 1984.

This year’s first film will be Agnès Varda’s “Cléo from 5 to 7,” with screenings on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m., at the Appleton Museum, and at 7 p.m., at the CF Ocala Campus. Dr. Rebecca J. DeRoo, author of “Agnès Varda between Film, Photography, and Art,” will host an online film talk and question and answer session on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom.

In “Cléo from 5 to 7,” Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the ‘60s with this real-time portrait of a singer (Corinne Marchand) set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, “Cléo from 5 to 7” is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand (“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”) and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina.

Series Schedule:

Jan. 25 – Agnès Varda, “Cleo from 5 to 7”

Jan. 26 – Film talk by Dr. Rebecca J. DeRoo

 

Feb. 8 – Ishirō Honda, “King Kong vs. Godzilla” (special location: Ocala Drive-In)

Feb. 9 – Film talk by CF Associate Professor Jay Thompson

 

Feb. 22 – Andrei Tarkovsky, “Ivan’s Childhood”

Feb. 23 – Film talk by Professor Delmar G. Jacobs Jr.

 

March 8 – Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti, “Boccaccio ’70”

March 9 – Film talk by Dr. Silvo Gaggi

 

March 29 – Robert Mulligan, “To Kill a Mockingbird”

March 30 – Film talk by Dr. Gilbert B. Rodman

 

April 12 – Bonus 1962 Film Shorts Festival, featuring Chris Marker’s “La Jetée,” Louis Malle’s “Vive le Tour” and more

 

All films will be shown Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, and at 7 p.m. at the College of Central Florida, 3001 S.W. College Road, Building 8, Room 110, unless otherwise noted. Films at the Ocala Campus are free and open to the public. Films at the Appleton are free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. Films may contain mature content.

For more details, visit cf.edu/filmseries.

CF Among Top 15% of Colleges in the Nation

In each two-year cycle, a jury of national experts selects 10 finalist institutions, and, ultimately, one winner of the prestigious award. CF was also recognized and deemed eligible for the $1 million prize in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2021.

“Recognition by the Aspen Institute reflects the commitment by CF faculty and staff to our students and our belief in the power of education to transform lives and enrich our community,” said Dr. James Henningsen, CF president. “We are looking forward to providing the additional documentation to show that we are one of the best colleges in the nation.”

The Aspen Prize spotlights exemplary community colleges in order to elevate the sector, drive attention to colleges doing the best work, and discover and share highly effective student success and equity strategies. Since 2010, Aspen has chosen to focus intensively on community colleges because they are, as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden stated at the 2021 Aspen Prize ceremony, “a powerful engine of prosperity.”

The 150 colleges selected for this honor stand out among more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide as having high and improving levels of student success as well as equitable outcomes for Black and Hispanic students and those from lower-income backgrounds. Located in urban, rural, and suburban areas across 34 states, these colleges serve as few as 230 students and as many as 57,000.

“In an era of persistent inequity and workforce talent gaps, our nation’s best community colleges are stepping up to deliver more degrees to increasingly diverse students so they are prepared for the good jobs waiting to be filled,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. “Leaders of exceptional community colleges understand that achieving excellence requires expanding college access and increasing degree completion, but it doesn’t stop there.  They are committed to ensuring that all students – including students of color and those from low-income backgrounds –graduate with the skills needed to secure a job with family-sustaining wages or successfully transfer to and graduate from a university. That same commitment that stands at the center of the Aspen Prize: to advance the goals of social mobility and equitable talent development.”

The top 10 finalists for the 2023 Aspen Prize will be named in summer 2022. The Aspen Institute will then conduct site visits to each of the finalists and collect additional quantitative data, including employment and earnings data. A distinguished jury will make award decisions in spring 2023.

Previous winners of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence are: Miami Dade College and Indian River State College, 2019; Lake Area Technical College (South Dakota), 2017; Santa Fe College, 2015; Santa Barbara City College (California) and Walla Walla Community College (Washington), 2013; Valencia College, 2011.

For a full list of the top 150 eligible institutions and to read more on the selection process, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org/aspen-prize.

The Aspen Prize is generously funded by Ascendium and the Joyce Foundation.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices, policies, and leadership that significantly improve student outcomes, especially for the growing population of low-income students and students of color on American campuses. For more information, visit www.highered.aspeninstitute.org and www.linkedin.com/showcase/aspenhighered, and follow @AspenHigherEd on Twitter. The Aspen Prize hashtag is #AspenPrize.

The Aspen Institute is a community-serving organization with global reach whose vision is a free, just, and equitable society. For 70 years, the Institute has driven change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the world’s greatest challenges. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute has offices in Aspen, Colorado, and New York City, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Levy Campus Open House Nov. 30

Future students are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about more than 150 academic pathways, including 70 job-training programs. Attendees can receive assistance with the application process, financial aid, placement testing, academic advising and registration for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 10.

Everyone who completes an admissions application at the event will have the $30 admissions fee waived and will be entered to win free tuition for a 3-credit-hour class at CF’s standard tuition rate.

Additional open house events will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at the Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala, and Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., on Zoom.

For more information, visit www.CF.edu/openhouse or call 352-875-5800, ext. 1379.

Citrus Campus Open House Nov. 18

Future students are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about more than 150 academic pathways, including 70 job-training programs. Attendees can receive assistance with the application process, financial aid, placement testing, academic advising and registration for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 10.

Everyone who completes an admissions application at the event will have the $30 admissions fee waived and will be entered to win free tuition for a 3-credit-hour class at CF’s standard tuition rate.

Additional open house events will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, 15390 N.W. Highway 19, Chiefland, and Wednesday, Dec. 1, at the Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala. A virtual open house will take place Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., on Zoom.

For more information, visit www.CF.edu/openhouse or call 352-746-6721, ext. 6179

CF Open House

Future students are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about more than 150 academic pathways, including 70 job-training programs. Attendees can receive assistance with the application process, financial aid, placement testing, academic advising and registration for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 10.

Everyone who completes an admissions application at the event will have the $30 admissions fee waived and will be entered to win free tuition for a 3-credit-hour class at CF’s standard tuition rate.

A virtual open house will also be offered on Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., on Zoom.

For more information, visit www.CF.edu/openhouse or call 352-875-5800, ext. 1379.