Bank of America Fund Makes
Dream Reality for Single Mom

Dreaming is easy as a child. But, when you’re a single mom who is working and living with your parents in order to make ends meet, dreaming takes a back seat to reality. However, for Samantha Johnson dreaming just got a little easier. As a recipient of Bank of America’s Dream Maker scholarship her dreams of becoming a social worker or forensic scientist may not be so unrealistic after all.

The Dream Makers Scholarship was established in 1999 through a generous contribution of $1 million from NationsBank (now Bank of America) and matched equally by the State of Florida. The earnings from the $2 million endowment are awarded to first-generation-in-college students to cover tuition, books, fees and childcare to attend one of Florida’s 28 community colleges.

The Foundation for Florida’s Community Colleges board chairman Patrick Byrne of Niceville announced recently that $42,000 in scholarship funds have been dispersed to Florida’s 28 community colleges to be awarded to serve the needs of non-traditional, first-generation and at-risk college students throughout the state.

“The Dream Makers program is truly remarkable because of the difference it makes in the lives of students,” said Byrne. “Removing the barriers to an education is one of the hallmarks of the community college system. We have been very successful in opening the doors to a college education. However, an open door doesn’t mean much to a student if they can’t afford to enter and stay in college.”

“We believe Florida’s community colleges play an important role in educating students who cannot afford to ‘go away’ to school,” said Katie Scanlan, Bank of America Senior Vice President. “We hope these funds continue to be the inspiration to help deserving students fulfill their dreams.”

Dale Rice, OWC Foundation president said “These scholarships help us take another step forward in helping students pursue higher education.”

For Samantha, the scholarship is a big step in realizing her dreams and accomplishing goals. She plans to use the funds to help with tuition and daycare as she finishes course work at the OWC Basic Recruit Academy in Law Enforcement and prepares for the Florida law enforcement state examination. Once employed, she hopes to continue taking classes – and dreaming – to see what her next step might be.

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A Word from Dr. Richburg

OWC has successfully completed the fall semester for 2006-2007. This semester tested the resiliency of the college, for many changes occurred during the preceding summer and were implemented during the fall semester. Often times our friends and students see only the successful results of change and don’t appreciate the challenges that precede the positive results. One of the many attributes that I admire about the OWC’s trustees, faculty, and staff is not only their willingness to change, but their willingness to do the hard work to make those changes successful.

For example, the college recently implemented new programs in emergency administration and management, radiography and homeland security. Each program required faculty and staff support, but behind the scenes, it required the hard work of the Student Services personnel, the Human Resources staff, and the Instructional Support staff, as well as the Learning Resources Center.

Whereas the college added faculty to teach the courses and administer the program, it made no additional staff changes to the existing support areas. It simply added to the work load of these areas and expected success. Student Services dealt with a new set of applications and processing admission committee decisions. Financial Aid awarded scholarships and financial aid. All of these important student services tasks took time, hard work and perseverance. OWC really shines in its success by providing the behind the scenes hard work that is necessary to make programs operate.

A further illustration is that while the college was opening its new Science and Technology building, our facility personnel were remodeling an area in the former Library to serve as the home for radiography. The personnel accomplished this with a very short lead time, with some highly specialized technical requirements for safety and with a “can do” spirit that resulted in the facility being available for use during the fall semester. The men and women who compose our custodial and maintenance staff seem to accept as inevitable that OWC will add programs, serve more students, and that their job is to help make the OWC campuses and centers safe and secure, as well as attractive learning environments for our existing students and our new students.

The fall semester tested the creativity of the college in developing and submitting its teacher education proposals. These proposals are not without controversy and challenge. However, the strength of the Board, the resiliency of the organization and its personnel allows the college to move forward even when challenged or even when dealing with controversy.

It’s been a wonderful fall semester, and as I write this column, we are beginning to celebrate the holiday season. Once again, OWC personnel will be tested to manage an eight-hundred guest reception, orchestra concerts, Broadway Series performances, final exams, and preparation for the spring semester that will begin early in January. So as we close the calendar year and prepare for the second half of the academic year, we wish all of our friends the very best of the holiday season, and we look forward to working and serving with you in the New Year ahead.

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Applause

• Jim Chitwood, Executive Director of the OWC Foundation, was honored by the Council for Resource Development (CRD) at their national conference in Washington DC with the CRD Lifetime Service Award. The award recognizes extraordinary contributions to the CRD at the national, regional and state levels. Chitwood has served CRD in numerous roles for over 19 years, including Region IV Director, Vice President for Research and Publications, President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President, has authored articles for CRD’s professional journal, presented at CRD conferences, and more. During his tenure as president, the organization’s membership increased to over 1600 individuals from more than 700 two-year colleges. As departing 2005 CRD President, he established the Lighthouse Endowment which supports development of new initiatives to benefit CRD members. The CRD is an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges and supports professionals and develops leaders engaged in community college resource development through education, advocacy and mentoring.
• Dr. Jill White, OWC Senior Vice President, was one of 21 outstanding individuals nominated for the first Annual ATHENA Award for Northwest Florida. The ATHENA Award is sponsored jointly by Emerald Coast Magazine, the chambers of commerce of Fort Walton Beach, Walton County, and the Niceville-Valparaiso-Bay Area, and by Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. The ATHENA International Award program recognizes business and professional women who excel in their chosen field, have devoted time and energy to their community in a meaningful way, and who assist other women in reaching their full leadership potential.
• Dr. David Goetsch, OWC Vice President, has been named to the Prentice Hall Publishing Company’s Hall of Fame and his photograph has been added to the company’s “Wall of Fame” in the corporate office of the Careers and Technology Division in Columbus, Ohio. Goetsch was selected for having written more than 50 books of which four are bestsellers and have been translated into several foreign languages including Korean and Indonesian. Goetsch’s latest book, Building a Winning Career in Engineering, was released this month. It features five local engineers who were profiled as success stories.
• OWC Graphic Services and Marketing staff were recognized with 10 statewide awards from the Florida Association of Community Colleges for the 2006 Institutional Advancement Commission award competition. Those involved in the production of the award winning projects include Tara Hammond, Graphic Designer; Terry Comeau, Graphic Services Manager; Leanne Buharp, former Graphics Technician, and Sylvia Bryan, Director of Marketing. A first place in the newsletter category was awarded for the By: Becky Tislow OWC Foundation Outlook. Second place awards included: brochure – NFSO 2006-07 season brochure; print advertising – The Arts Center; catalog – OWC 2006-07 college catalog; and direct mail – OWC Hire Education postcard. Third place awards included: brochure - “Lead the way” OWC Faculty/Staff Annual Fund Campaign; TV Advertising – OWC Fall registration TV commercial; Annual Report – OWC Foundation; Direct Mail – The Arts Center, Aida Post Card and Poster – OWC Campus Tour poster.

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