A Publication of Florida Community College at Jacksonville Nassau enrollment hits record high Like St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach is a little piece of history right in our own backyard. First Visited in 1562 by Frenchman ]ean Ribault, Fernandina has been an important part of history through the American Revolution and Civil War. Today, visitors can relive the past by tossing one back at the state’s oldest saloon, visiting Florida’s first CIOSSeState railroad or touring the 50 blocks of historically—registered homes. While some residents appreciate Fernandina for the history it has made, other are learning to appreciate it for the history it is making. Over the past three years, enrollment in FCC]’s Nassau County college credit pro— gram has certainly been one for the record books. From Winter ’89 to Winter ’90, for instance, enrollment increased 29%; from Fall ’89 to Fall ’90 it skyrocketed 51%. “The growth we are experiencing has been incredible,” said Carole Varney, project coordinator for the Nassau County program. Though the program has been in existence for over 20 years, it appears that interest is only now peaking. But according to Varney, that’s no coincidence. One reason for FCCJ’s growth in Nassau is an aggressive faculty recruitment came paign. “With Nassau County being so small, our pool of qualified teachers was somewhat limited,” Vamey said. “We wanted to expand our course offerings, but how could we with the same number of teachers?” Her idea to go beyond Nassau County and solicit teachers from orher areas such as St. Mary‘s and King’s Bay, GA along with current FCC] professors, doubled the number of qualified adjunct faculty and allowed them to add new courses. Although she is pleased with the current faculty (made up mostly of area high school teachers), Vamey hopes to increase the number of FCC] faculty who teach in Nassau. “Personally, I would like to see all full—time faculty teach at least one course in Nassau,” she said. Currently there are only three FCC] professors teaching in Nassau—Carolyn Phanstiel (communication/South), Pat Greene (psychology/North) and Melanie Thompson (hotel management/North). Phanstiel, for one, realizes faculty members’ hesitancy to teach in Nassau because of logistics but said she doesn‘t View the drive as “punishment.” Instead, she uses the travel time to do some problem solving or listen to books on tape. “What makes it worth it to me is the excitement of being involved in a growing part of the College,” she said. “The Nassau program is just now starting flourish, and 1 am proud to be part of it.” Another boost to enrollment came with the opening of FCCJ’s Nassau County office in downtown Fernandina in November 1989. “Opening the office was a real benefit for the students here,” Vamey said. “Now they have an FCC] office to come to for registration [previously held at Fernandina Beach High School] and more importantly, somewhere to get answers to their questions.” It wasn’t until registration last ]anuary that anyone realized the office’s impact. Norma Higginbotham, word processor, recalled that day. “We had lines all the way out the door. Some students were waiting in line as long as three hours,” she said. The final factor in Nassau’s rising enrollment is the population surge in the county itself. From 1980 to 1990 the population has grown from 32,894 to 49,549, an increase of 34%. “The majority of our students are working people who are coming back to school to get a degree,” Steve Wise, vice prestdent of campus development, shows the location of the Nassau Center to Kevin Kirk, assistant dean of non-traditional and off—campus centers and Carole Vamey, project coordinator. Vamey said. “We cater to the working student, so naturally our enrollment will go up as the population does.” Considering the continuing growth in population and enrollment within the county, FCC] plans to build a Nassau Center. A 40 acre tract of land, donated by timberland business owner William Cook and his wife, FCC] Trustee Betty Cook, is currently being cleared and readied for construction. ”We are excited about our plans for the Center. The rustic setting is going to be something unique. And the location itself [off A1A in Yulee] is accessible to more people,” said Steve Wise, vice president of campus development. Though the Center isn’t expected to be operational until Winter ’93, Wise is optimistic about its future. “I think the Nassau Center is going to become the center of activity for this community,” he said. “It’s also evidence of FCC]’s commitment to providing quality education to the people of Nassau County.” A science (a)fair to remember When Karen Sanchez was asked to judge at the Northeast Florida Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair, she saw it as a way to make a difference in the lives of area junior high and high school students. Seven years later, she has learned what a difference it has made in her own life. A fullatime professor of chemistry at FCC]’s South Campus, Sanchez got her first taste of the regional science fair in 1984 as a judge. While other teachers may have balked at the added responsibility, Sanchez welcomed the opportunity to get involved. “Most teachers will agree, there is a real shortage of students who are interested in science. Rather than sitting around complaining about it, I thought I could get involved and maybe do something about it,” she said. And do something she did. Her on— going pursuit of “truth and the scientific method" prompted fair officials to ask her to serve as director of judging, culminating in her 1988 selection as director of the fair. Though Sanchez was excited at the prospect of being responsible for the entire fair, she admits now, “I had no idea what I was getting myself into.” Like her predecessors, Sanchez was responsible for coordinating almost 400 students and projects and more than 100 judges, ordering trophies and certificates, and arranging the facilities, all under strict time constraints. She found the work difficult but also rewarding, and she even developed a new skill. “Becoming organized was the hardest part for me. I have never been one to keep track of details; I always just stored them in my head,” she said. But after forgetting an Science fair judge discusses a project with its student scientist. important luncheon with her new assistant dean, M. Carolyn Girardeau, Sanchez quickly leamed the value of making lists. These lists will become Sanchez’s legacy to next year’s director Kathy Conklin (physiology, anatomy/South) when Sanchez hangs up her clipboard after this year’s fair. “Sure, organizing the fair is a headache,” she said, recalling leaking aquariums, escaping ants and disgruntled parents. “But I have to admit, I’ll miss it.” Missing most her contact with the teachers, Sanchez hopes to continue their association through science workshops. “I want to work toward raising the quality of science [in Duval and Nassau counties], especially through participation in science fairs,” she said. “There really are a lot of terrific students out there, but there just aren’t enough of them. These teachers need to learn how to develop their students’ potential and not waste it.” Those with the potential will be on display in the 36th Annual Northeast Florida Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair. (The public may View the projects on Fri, March 8, 9:00 a.m.—6:45 pm.) Out of approximately 10,000 projects completed by Duval and Nassau county junior high and high school students this academic year, only an estimated 430 will make it to the regional fair. Held in the South Campus gymnasium, the fair will feature projects in 13 scientific areas, including behavioral/ social, botany, computers, engineering, medical/health and zoology. Last year’s fair drew an incredible 4,000 visitors, and Sanchez expects this year’s attendance to surpass even that. “Year after year, the fair just keeps getting better and better," she said. Faculty survey results......... 2 Good news for the disabled........2 Wellness winners. .4 , OCR Text: A Publication of Florida Community College at Jacksonville Nassau enrollment hits record high Like St. Augustine, Fernandina Beach is a little piece of history right in our own backyard. First Visited in 1562 by Frenchman ]ean Ribault, Fernandina has been an important part of history through the American Revolution and Civil War. Today, visitors can relive the past by tossing one back at the state’s oldest saloon, visiting Florida’s first CIOSSeState railroad or touring the 50 blocks of historically—registered homes. While some residents appreciate Fernandina for the history it has made, other are learning to appreciate it for the history it is making. Over the past three years, enrollment in FCC]’s Nassau County college credit pro— gram has certainly been one for the record books. From Winter ’89 to Winter ’90, for instance, enrollment increased 29%; from Fall ’89 to Fall ’90 it skyrocketed 51%. “The growth we are experiencing has been incredible,” said Carole Varney, project coordinator for the Nassau County program. Though the program has been in existence for over 20 years, it appears that interest is only now peaking. But according to Varney, that’s no coincidence. One reason for FCCJ’s growth in Nassau is an aggressive faculty recruitment came paign. “With Nassau County being so small, our pool of qualified teachers was somewhat limited,” Vamey said. “We wanted to expand our course offerings, but how could we with the same number of teachers?” Her idea to go beyond Nassau County and solicit teachers from orher areas such as St. Mary‘s and King’s Bay, GA along with current FCC] professors, doubled the number of qualified adjunct faculty and allowed them to add new courses. Although she is pleased with the current faculty (made up mostly of area high school teachers), Vamey hopes to increase the number of FCC] faculty who teach in Nassau. “Personally, I would like to see all full—time faculty teach at least one course in Nassau,” she said. Currently there are only three FCC] professors teaching in Nassau—Carolyn Phanstiel (communication/South), Pat Greene (psychology/North) and Melanie Thompson (hotel management/North). Phanstiel, for one, realizes faculty members’ hesitancy to teach in Nassau because of logistics but said she doesn‘t View the drive as “punishment.” Instead, she uses the travel time to do some problem solving or listen to books on tape. “What makes it worth it to me is the excitement of being involved in a growing part of the College,” she said. “The Nassau program is just now starting flourish, and 1 am proud to be part of it.” Another boost to enrollment came with the opening of FCCJ’s Nassau County office in downtown Fernandina in November 1989. “Opening the office was a real benefit for the students here,” Vamey said. “Now they have an FCC] office to come to for registration [previously held at Fernandina Beach High School] and more importantly, somewhere to get answers to their questions.” It wasn’t until registration last ]anuary that anyone realized the office’s impact. Norma Higginbotham, word processor, recalled that day. “We had lines all the way out the door. Some students were waiting in line as long as three hours,” she said. The final factor in Nassau’s rising enrollment is the population surge in the county itself. From 1980 to 1990 the population has grown from 32,894 to 49,549, an increase of 34%. “The majority of our students are working people who are coming back to school to get a degree,” Steve Wise, vice prestdent of campus development, shows the location of the Nassau Center to Kevin Kirk, assistant dean of non-traditional and off—campus centers and Carole Vamey, project coordinator. Vamey said. “We cater to the working student, so naturally our enrollment will go up as the population does.” Considering the continuing growth in population and enrollment within the county, FCC] plans to build a Nassau Center. A 40 acre tract of land, donated by timberland business owner William Cook and his wife, FCC] Trustee Betty Cook, is currently being cleared and readied for construction. ”We are excited about our plans for the Center. The rustic setting is going to be something unique. And the location itself [off A1A in Yulee] is accessible to more people,” said Steve Wise, vice president of campus development. Though the Center isn’t expected to be operational until Winter ’93, Wise is optimistic about its future. “I think the Nassau Center is going to become the center of activity for this community,” he said. “It’s also evidence of FCC]’s commitment to providing quality education to the people of Nassau County.” A science (a)fair to remember When Karen Sanchez was asked to judge at the Northeast Florida Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair, she saw it as a way to make a difference in the lives of area junior high and high school students. Seven years later, she has learned what a difference it has made in her own life. A fullatime professor of chemistry at FCC]’s South Campus, Sanchez got her first taste of the regional science fair in 1984 as a judge. While other teachers may have balked at the added responsibility, Sanchez welcomed the opportunity to get involved. “Most teachers will agree, there is a real shortage of students who are interested in science. Rather than sitting around complaining about it, I thought I could get involved and maybe do something about it,” she said. And do something she did. Her on— going pursuit of “truth and the scientific method" prompted fair officials to ask her to serve as director of judging, culminating in her 1988 selection as director of the fair. Though Sanchez was excited at the prospect of being responsible for the entire fair, she admits now, “I had no idea what I was getting myself into.” Like her predecessors, Sanchez was responsible for coordinating almost 400 students and projects and more than 100 judges, ordering trophies and certificates, and arranging the facilities, all under strict time constraints. She found the work difficult but also rewarding, and she even developed a new skill. “Becoming organized was the hardest part for me. I have never been one to keep track of details; I always just stored them in my head,” she said. But after forgetting an Science fair judge discusses a project with its student scientist. important luncheon with her new assistant dean, M. Carolyn Girardeau, Sanchez quickly leamed the value of making lists. These lists will become Sanchez’s legacy to next year’s director Kathy Conklin (physiology, anatomy/South) when Sanchez hangs up her clipboard after this year’s fair. “Sure, organizing the fair is a headache,” she said, recalling leaking aquariums, escaping ants and disgruntled parents. “But I have to admit, I’ll miss it.” Missing most her contact with the teachers, Sanchez hopes to continue their association through science workshops. “I want to work toward raising the quality of science [in Duval and Nassau counties], especially through participation in science fairs,” she said. “There really are a lot of terrific students out there, but there just aren’t enough of them. These teachers need to learn how to develop their students’ potential and not waste it.” Those with the potential will be on display in the 36th Annual Northeast Florida Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair. (The public may View the projects on Fri, March 8, 9:00 a.m.—6:45 pm.) Out of approximately 10,000 projects completed by Duval and Nassau county junior high and high school students this academic year, only an estimated 430 will make it to the regional fair. Held in the South Campus gymnasium, the fair will feature projects in 13 scientific areas, including behavioral/ social, botany, computers, engineering, medical/health and zoology. Last year’s fair drew an incredible 4,000 visitors, and Sanchez expects this year’s attendance to surpass even that. “Year after year, the fair just keeps getting better and better," she said. Faculty survey results......... 2 Good news for the disabled........2 Wellness winners. .4 , Z ArchiveInABox,JAX,Outlook Newsletter,Outlook Newsletter 06-07,March 1991,P01 (2).tif, P01 (2).tif