Dr. Norm Stephens
shared good news on numerous fronts in his annual state-of-the-college address at Welcome Back.
While full-time enrollment continued to grow during the past year, South Florida Community College recently received two grants to support …
Find out more about what’s happening around South Florida Community College.
Accolades, honors, and milestones achieved by SFCC employees
Messages from SFCC’s president, Dr. Norman L. Stephens Jr.
News from the SFCC chapter of the Florida Association of Community Colleges (FACC)
News about improvements to college programs and facilities
On May 26, 2010, the SFCC Board of Trustees approved an operating budget of $22,432,500 for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. A few days later, Governor Crist signed the appropriations bill into law, and now we can look forward to the coming year with some relief and some positive expectations.
Including state and federal funds, as well as tuition and other miscellaneous income, our operating revenues are projected to increase 4.1 percent over last year. It is the first time since 2007 that we’ve received an increase in funding from the legislature.
During the past three years, we’ve experienced enrollment growth of 23.8 percent while enduring a 9.8 percent decline in state and federal funding. Because of the tremendous growth in the number of tuition paying students, we’ve been able to partially offset and absorb this funding deficit while maintaining an appropriate fund balance.
Three new full-time positions are included in the operating budget to help us cover areas most impacted by the growth of the college. A new faculty position for college preparatory mathematics will help us with the large number of sections required in this critical area of our academic program. Perhaps, there is no department at the college that has experienced the pressures of growth more than Financial Aid, and we are adding a full-time coordinator to assist our students as they struggle to overcome financial barriers to their educational goals. Finally, we are filling a general maintenance position to help us with many facilities challenges we face.
The new budget will include a 2.5 percent across-the-board salary increase for all eligible employees. We also adjusted the salary schedules to maintain our competitive edge when hiring new employees. Other salary adjustments include additional compensation for faculty who have earned continuing contract, and also for those who have served the college for approximately 10 years.
Our budgeting philosophy remains conservative. We are projecting a 7 percent fund balance, but we’ll do our best to end the year with at least 8 percent. This practice helps us prepare for future funding reductions. We expect that next year the federal stimulus money will no longer augment state funding. When we project tuition and other local revenues, we generally assume no growth. At the same time, we budget sufficient expenses to cover our realistic expectations of enrollment growth. This guarantees that all of our budget surprises are likely to be positive. We are also preparing for the possibility that the legislature might reduce our funding during the year if state revenues do not match current projections.
Compared to recent years, we are delighted and frankly relieved to have a budget that will allow us to better serve our students and our communities. It’s been a very difficult time for everyone.
South Florida Community College biology instructor Dr. Chris McConnell received the Distinguished New Faculty award from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning during its 2010 conference. Thirty-one colleges and universities throughout the …
New Hires
Lisa Johnson-Decarie-administrative assistant II, Student Services
Tina Gonzales-Accounting specialist
Callie Johnson-Community Relations assistant
June Weyrauch-executive assistant
Linda Talley-staff assistant I, Nursing Education, part-time
When college employees stop receiving e-mail from friendly contacts or get unwanted SPAM, they can report the problem to the Information Technology (IT) Department. According to Network Systems Director Cliff Hangley, e-mail addresses that have …
The Hotel Jacaranda recently received the 2009-10 Business of the Year award from the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce. Each year the chamber gives the award to a business that stands out in Avon Park.
“It …
FACC will hold its Fall Mega Yard Sale on Saturday, Oct. 23, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., in the SFCC Citrus Center parking lot. Tables are $10 each and the proceeds from the sale of tables will …
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program at South Florida Community College (RSVP) is hosting a free water conservation workshop Tuesday, July 13, 10 a.m., at the SFCC Lake Placid Center. Corine Burgess, Natural Resources Specialist, …
The South Florida Community College Summer Theatre Institute presents Shakespeare Rocks, Friday, July 16 and Saturday, July 17, 7 p.m., at the SFCC Theatre for the Performing Arts, Highlands Campus. The performance is an edgy, …
South Florida Community College mathematics professor Kellie Zimmer received the Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning during its 2010 conference. Thirty-one colleges …
Dr. Linda Ward, SFCC chief information officer, was recently elected as chair of the Florida College System’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council. The CIO Council includes all 28 Florida state and community colleges and evaluates …
SFCC Art Professor Cathy Futral recently participated in the annual reading and scoring of the College Boards’ Advanced Placement Examinations in studio art in Cincinnati, Ohio. Each year, the AP Program gives more than 1.5 …