My good friend and FSU Rockstar communication professor Mark Zeigler tweeted Saturday that it “would be nice to have one day with some good news”. I could not agree more. And while I will not be able to announce a breakthrough in a Corona Virus vaccine or make all of the blue tarps still on houses after Hurricane Michael go away, I do have some good news to share about student success here at Florida State University Panama City.
Student Housing – Good News No. 1
For a number of years we have been working to have residential housing for our students and the students from Gulf Coast State College. The data is clear that a residential experience enhances student success.
On July 16, FSU President John Thrasher and Jeff Zimmer of Zimmer Development Company signed a 40-year lease agreement where Zimmer will build a 382-bed student housing complex facing North Bay on the west end of our campus. If everything goes as planned, construction will start on July 20 and the facility will open in August 2021 and will be available for both FSU and Gulf Coast State College students. We are looking forward to a great partnership with Zimmer. I am especially appreciative of the support from the President Thrasher, Provost Sally McRorie, Vice President Kyle Clark and their teams for the hard work over the past several years getting up to this point. The project had to be approved by the FSU Board of Trustees and the State University System Board of Governors. The FSU Office of General Counsel, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Panama City, the Bay County Commission, the Bay County Property Appraiser, and many others (including a bunch of lawyers) helped us get to this point. Our team at FSU PC worked wonders, in addition to doing their regular work (which has included recovering from Hurricane Michael and preparing for a fall semester that will look much different than past semesters).
One group played a major role in getting us to this point – our students. They continually asked and pushed and sometimes complained about the lack of progress. Our students have fought hard for this project. When we began negotiations with Zimmer, we asked students to serve on the committee. Billy Bradley and Kyle Greer were the members of the committee that worked on the lease. However, every member of the Student Government Council attended the Board of Governors meeting where the project was approved, and several attended the Board of Trustees meeting to express support. We called on them many times to date and they will continue to be involved in the design and completion of this project. Their active participation was critical!
Nuclear Physics Camp — Good News No. 2
Student success does not start in college. We have been engaged in STEM activities for middle and high school students for many years with the support of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) at Panama City. With the Support of the NSWC and Dr. Jim and Jan Cook, we have been at the forefront of secondary school STEM activities.
This summer we moved our STEM activities to a virtual format and this past week we hosted a Nuclear Science Camp. While it was virtual, it was very hands-on. FSU PC adjunct professor and Bozeman School teacher Denise Newsome joined with her fellow Bozeman teacher Paige Johnston to lead this effort. Students received a box of equipment, including radiation monitors and a gamma ray absorber set. More information about the camp can be found at news.fsu.edu and bridgetotomorrow.wordpress.com.
During the week middle and high school students measured radiation intensity, conducted other experiments, and ran a spectrometer through FSU’s Virtual Lab facility. The students also made virtual visits to the Loa Alamos Neutron Science Center in New Mexico and to the nuclear medicine facility at Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center.
A special thanks to Denise Newsome and Paige Johnston and the entire team at FSU PC, FSU PC STEM Coordinator Ginger Littleton, and the IT and HR team who performed miracles to make all of this work. Dr. Paul Cottle has a passion for helping middle and high school students succeed in STEM and worked with the Center of Excellence for Nuclear Training and University-based Research and the FSU Physics Department to provide funding. Paul has dedicated many hours of his time working with schools in Bay County.
This past week’s camp was a great example of flexibility during this trying time and provided middle and high school students a great learning experience. We look forward to the possibility of expanding this program in the future and watching these students succeed in their academic careers.
Plans for Fall – Good News No. 3
I am so proud of our faculty. They have worked hard to deliver their courses remotely, while also preparing for the fall.
We announced this week our current plans at FSU PC for the fall. We are working hard to have the majority of our classes delivered in what we are calling the PC-FLEX mode, where the class will be held face-to-face, but students who are unable to attend classes can participate remotely. Depending on the class, this will be done either synchronously or asynchronously. This is a lot of work for our professors and they have taken on the challenge. We have also worked hard to provide the technical and design support in order that professors can focus on their content.
We will remain in close contact with state and local health officials as we get closer to the fall semester.
Smart Scholars – Good News No. 4
We are very proud of our strong working relationship with the NSWC. A significant number of our graduates in engineering and computer science start their careers with the Department of Defense (DOD) at the NSWC in Panama City. The NSWC has provided significant funding for our master’s in systems engineering degree from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and we graduated our first class this past spring.
The Department of Defense also provides generous opportunities for students to continue their graduate education through a variety of programs, including the Science Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship program. We recently heard that three of our graduates have received SMART scholarships for this year which will allow them to continue their graduate studies. At the completion of their studies, the scholars work for the DOD. Jackie Jermyn received her bachelor and master’s degrees from FSU Panama City and is now a doctoral student at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in Tallahassee where her research is on mobile robot navigation. Toni Weaver was a member of the first cohort of mechanical engineering graduates from FSU PC this past fall and will continue her studies at the University of Florida. Jackie and Toni received their SMART Scholarships from the NSWC in Panama City. Marshall Sowell will receive his Electrical Engineering degree this summer and received a SMART Scholarship from the NSWC in Dahlgren, Virginia. Marshall will be in graduate school at Oklahoma State University where his research will focus on electromagnetics. By the way, Marshall and Jackie studied under Dr. Geoffrey Brooks here at FSU PC. Dr. Brooks was the first recipient of a PhD from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
Congratulations to Jackie, Toni, and Marshall!
Some Concluding Thoughts
Even though students and faculty are not on campus right now, as you can see it is a busy time at FSU PC. We are looking forward to classes starting in the fall. About 10 days ago we had the first meeting of the revised Dean’s Task force on Diversity. I am very appreciative of the large number of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members who have volunteered to work on this task force. I plan to write more about the task force in the future.
While this post is about good news, I was, however, saddened by the loss of U.S. Rep. John Lewis this weekend. While I had met him once, I did not know him. However, his courage and determination and continued fight until the end of his life has made a significant difference in our country. A special thanks to his family for sharing him with our country. We are all thankful.
Finally, I am a big believer in online education when done properly. However, many students do better when they are in a face-to-face class where they can interact with their professors and fellow students. We must all do our part and accept our individual responsibility to help stop the spread of this virus. Please wear your mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands (a lot). On our end, we will do our part to make sure that students are able to study in an environment that meets all state and local safety protocols. #FSUPCPromise
As always, I can be reached at rhanna@fsu.edu.
Go Noles!