PBSC staff win awards, leadership roles at AFC conference
Palm Beach State College staff and faculty brought home several awards from the Association of Florida Colleges 67th Annual Meeting and Conference for exemplary use of classroom technology, excellence in communications and marketing and outstanding service.
The awards were presented throughout the conference in Lake Buena Vista Nov. 2-4 that drew 400 attendees, including representatives from each Florida College System institution. PBSC had the second highest number of voting delegates among the 28 colleges. In addition to the awards, four PBSC staff and administrators also were either elected or will ascend into AFC state leadership positions.
James Robinette, instructional technology specialist on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, who also serves as an adjunct instructor, received an Excellence in Technology Award for his “flipping hybrid” approach to his Introduction to the College Experience (SLS 1501) class. By incorporating video and other technology, part classroom and part online activities and allowing students’ flexibility in the course, he says students’ success and course involvement increases. The award, presented by the AFC Technology Commission, came with a cash prize.
The College won an Award of Excellence in seven categories from the AFC Communications and Marketing Commission for work produced in-house by members of the College Relations and Marketing department. They include first-place awards in the Article in a College Produced Publication for the “Cyber Battle: Students get ready to take on hackers” story written by Joyce Edelstein for Contact magazine; in the Poster category for an Environmental programs poster designed by Kari McCormick and in the Single Sheet Flier category for a flier about the College written by Edelstein and designed by Kara Bailey for the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.
The second-place awards are in the brochure category (more than 10,000 FTE) for the TRIO programs brochure developed by Kristi Sorrow and designed by Candy Lall Dass and for the winter 2015-16 edition of Contact magazine. The magazine (more than 10,000 FTE) is designed by Kari McCormick and written and edited by the College Relations and Marketing team. The third place awards is in the Best Bang for the Buck category (more than 10,000 FTE) for the Panther head promotional card designed by Lall Dass. The College also tied for third place in the Viewbook/Recruitment category for the “Picture Success” Viewbook designed by Bailey and written by Tabatha McDonald.
Other AFC Awards went to AFC Chapter President Ray Coulter, who received a special recognition from the AFC Board of Directors for outstanding service, especially for assisting with the state service project this year. Nancy Zinser won the chapter’s Unsung Hero Award presented during the Region V meeting, and the chapter received a gold award at the closing brunch.
After serving in 2016 as the vice president of commissions, Robert Van Der Velde, J.D., associate dean of academic affairs at the Palm Beach Gardens campus, is in line to lead the organization in 2018. He ran unopposed for 2017 president-elect, and Dr. Tunjarnika Coleman-Ferrell, dean of academic affairs on the Boca Raton campus, ran unopposed for vice-president elect for commissions for 2017. After serving one year in these capacities, they will move automatically into their new roles in 2018. Sandra Barrett, program director, who served as Region V director-elect in 2016, will serve as director in 2017 and Coulter, locksmith, will serve as chair of the Facilities Commission in 2017.
