The College of Central Florida will move forward with plans for a new nursing education center, thanks to support from the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The $109.9 billion Florida state budget approved by the governor on June 2 includes $13.65 million for a Health Science Technology Education Center at the Ocala Campus in addition to other support for the college.

The new Health Science Education Center will provide modern classroom and labs for the Associate Degree in Nursing program and allow the program to expand to meet workforce needs. Site work and infrastructure are in place, and building construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2023 with anticipated completion for use in Fall 2024. The project has also been awarded additional funding by the Marion County Board of County Commissioners and Marion County Hospital District.

Additional funding approved by the governor will support operational expenses for new health science programs slated to begin in 2023, new positions to support critical needs within the college, and maintenance repair and renovations projects which will provide for ensuring health safety and ADA compliance. In addition, the CF Foundation received $150,000 to support educational outreach at the Appleton Museum.

“We appreciate the support of the Legislature, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and the Department of Education in providing funding that will support our students and community,” said Dr. Jim Henningsen, CF president. “We have been recognized and rewarded for leveraging resources from our partners and reallocating our existing resources to modernize and expand critically needed workforce programs. Our collaborations are ensuring win-win-win solutions for our students, team, business partners and community.”

The College of Central Florida will host a virtual information session for the Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Organizational Management program on Wednesday, June 8, from noon to 1 p.m.

Join advisors, administrators and faculty for informational sessions about the bachelor’s degree program, which offers specializations in Accounting, Agribusiness, Equine Studies, Human Resources, Management Information Systems, Health Care Management, Public Safety Administration, and Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Learn about program design, affordability and the admissions process.

For additional information and to register for the event, which will be presented via Zoom, go to www.CF.edu/BusTechEvents. To learn more about CF, visit www.CF.edu.

The College of Central Florida honored outstanding employees at its annual Employee Service and Recognition Awards ceremony on May 6.

The Constellation Award for 2022 was presented to Tracey Cornille, Joshua Copeland, Lynn Maltais, Joyce Maly, Catherine McDonough, Elyse Perry and Tonya Price-Ashley for their Campus Clinical Experience project. These nursing instructors innovatively transitioned the Associate Degree Nursing program’s clinical experience model during the pandemic to train students while meeting accreditation standards and accommodating social distancing requirements.

The 2022 Adjunct Instructor of the Year award was presented to Jane Burke, who teaches communications.

The highlight of the annual award ceremony is the Gabor Awards. Now in its 32nd year, the Gabor Awards were established by the Gabor Agency in 1990 and are presented by the CF Foundation. Faculty and staff nominate their peers based on contributions to students, the college and community. The 2022 winners include three individuals:

Kirby Brown was honored in the faculty category. He is an associate professor of mathematics who was described by his peers as “fully committed to students’ success.”

Sylvia Thornton won the award for career service employees. She serves as executive administrative assistant for Academic Affairs and has been called an “unsung hero.”

Josh Strigle took the top honor for administrative/professional/technology employees. He is the director of e-learning and the learning support centers and was recognized for “directly contributing to the huge success of the transition to online classes and tutoring.”

For information about the Gabor Awards, call the CF Foundation at 352-873-5808. To learn more about CF, visit CF.edu.

The College of Central Florida has earned Tree Campus Higher Education recognition for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. This is the 13th year that CF has been recognized.

Tree Campus Higher Education is a national program of the Arbor Day Foundation that honors colleges, universities and their leaders for promoting healthy management of their campus forests and for engaging the community in environmental stewardship.

“Trees not only play a vital role in the environment but also in our daily lives,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Having trees on college and university campuses is a great way to show a commitment to students and faculty’s overall well-being.”

CF met the five core standards of tree care and community engagement: establishing a campus tree advisory committee; providing a campus tree-care plan; dedicating annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan; participating in an Arbor Day observance; and instituting a service-learning project to engage students.

“Trees on campus provide shaded green areas for studying and gathering, improving students’ mental and cognitive health and creating an appealing aesthetic,” said Elena Amesbury, CF associate professor of biological sciences. “Trees help lower energy costs and provide cleaner air and water.”

The Arbor Day Foundation launched the Tree Campus Higher Education program in 2008 and continues to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and engaging students and staff in conservation goals. Currently, there are 393 campuses across the United States with this recognition.

To learn more about the Tree Campus Higher Education program, visit treecampushighered.org. For more information about CF, visit www.CF.edu.

The Friday Talks Business Advancement Series, a program of the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership and the College of Central Florida, will feature CF’s Lisandra Sorrentino, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, on May 27, presenting “Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers in the Workplace.”

“Mothers are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. labor force,” Sorrentino said. “As we celebrate mothers and their many roles during the month of May, it is important to discuss how we can support and encourage breastfeeding in the workplace.” Her talk will focus on breastfeeding basics, laws and regulations, as well as strategies for encouraging and supporting breastfeeding throughout our community.

Attend in person at the CF Hampton Center, 1501 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, or virtually at Facebook.com/OcalaCEP. The in-person event will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:15 a.m. and the presentation will begin at 8:30 a.m. RSVP to andrea@ocalacep.com.

For more information about CF, visit CF.edu. For more information about the Ocala CEP, visit ocalacep.com.

Local parents attending the College of Central Florida may receive extra support in their pursuit of higher education, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Edward K. Roberts Community College Fund and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

The grant funds will support parents who are attending college part time. A portion of the funds will be designated for parents of students at College Park Elementary School as part of CF’s partnership with Marion County Public Schools and College Park Elementary, a Community Partnership School™. This is the third year the CF Foundation has received this grant to assist college students.

“In past years, College of Central Florida staff and students have worked with College Park Elementary School staff and other core partners to help meet students’ basic needs such as food and clothing. We then began to work to help expand student learning,” said Dr. Jennifer Fryns, CF associate vice president for Career and Professional Programs. “This approach takes our partnership to a new level. By matching CF’s core mission of providing a high-quality education aligned with work to the training needs of parents and caregivers of College Park Elementary School students, we’re helping them to have every opportunity to succeed in life.”

CF students enrolled in any college credit program who are parents of College Park students may apply for a maximum award of $2,500 per year. There are a limited number of scholarships available and other eligibility criteria may apply. Applicants should contact Caron Reid at 352-291-4057, ext. 51347.

College Park Elementary is located in the southwest quadrant of Ocala with close proximity to the College of Central Florida and major commercial and retail industry and has a majority underserved and at-risk school population. In 2019, the school was selected to become Marion County’s first and only Community Partnership School™, which promotes a model that rallies multiple community partners to work toward improving not only student learning gains but simultaneously improving students’ living conditions, health and wellness, and the health and wellness of their families. This program has a core group of invested community partners, including pillar partners Marion County Public Schools, Ocala Health, Public Education Foundation of Marion County, United Way of Marion County and University of Central Florida. College Park has had additional support from College of Central Florida, Meadowbrook Church, Marion County Literacy Council and NAACP.

For more information about how the CF Foundation supports college students, visit CF.edu/Foundation.

The College of Central Florida invites anyone thinking about college to an open house on Thursday, June 2, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the CF Citrus Campus, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, Lecanto.

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.

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 for the fall semester.

For more information, visit www.CF.edu/openhouse.

The College of Central Florida celebrated spring commencement April 29 with more than 5,000 graduates, family members and friends at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala.

The students represented 508 college credit certificates, 216 Associate in Science degrees, 559 Associate in Arts, and 124 bachelor’s degrees earned in spring and summer semesters.

“We are always excited to invite CF spring and summer graduates and their loved ones to celebrate their success,” 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.”

The CF Foundation’s Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Dr. Jennifer Sumner, assistant vice provost for Academic and Student Digital Initiatives in the Division of Digital Learning at the University of Central Florida. The speaker was student Brian Stoothoff, retired City of Ocala assistant fire chief, who earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Organizational Management.

A video of the ceremony can be viewed on the CF YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/39wfuJt.

For more information about CF, visit www.CF.edu.