Welcome to the new fall semester 2019! I, along with the faculty, staff and administrators at Daytona State College, are glad you’re here and are committed and focused on your success and personal growth. Research shows that active and engaged students tend to perform better, and we want you to feel welcome and supported in your endeavors. Part of that active engagement is communication, and I’d like to share with you some of DSC’s recent highlights as well as a preview of things to come — all intended to help you achieve your academic goals, provide you more choices and convenience, and enhance your overall college experience.
■ Our new L. Gale Lemerand Student Center on the Daytona Beach Campus opened for students in March 2019, and has quickly become the new focal point on campus. It’s not just a building, but is a whole new way of putting students first and supporting student success and development. It’s one of the most comprehensive, spacious and modern facilities of its kind in the Florida College System, a place where the student experience thrives. Discover for yourself all of the opportunities for support through the Library, Academic Support Center, Writing Center and Career Services, as well as dining services, Mori’s Café, private and group study and meeting rooms, gaming area, and space to serve student clubs and their activities, including work space for In Motion.
■ We’re gearing up for three days of exciting activities and events for students, alumni and the community during Homecoming Oct. 10-12. For a full listing of events, check out DaytonaState.edu/homecoming as this year’s family-friendly Homecoming event promises to be the most memorable yet — celebrate your #FalconPride!
■ To help address Volusia and Flagler’s growth and urgent workforce needs, DSC is expanding course offerings in healthcare, accounting, business, management, entrepreneurship and project management. We’ve also expanded our Machining/CNC courses and are now offering them on the New Smyrna Beach – Edgewater Campus in order to accommodate demand.
■ DSC is steadily moving forward with the Deltona Campus expansion, as the Florida Legislature recently approved construction funding for a new workforce education facility, focusing on West Volusia’s need for high-demand programs in Machining and Manufacturing certificates as well as health sciences programs in Nursing and Sonography. The state-of-the-art facility will serve up to 250 new students annually.
■ We are still committed to serving the critical nursing and healthcare shortage in Flagler County and are examining ways to achieve this at the Flagler/Palm Coast Campus, even though we did not receive funding from this past legislative session. Our goal is straightforward — we want to support the area’s urgent healthcare training needs by providing an adequate number of nurses along with other health sciences programs for this region. To that end, we will continue to update you and the community as we look at ways to help achieve this goal.
■ Our Hospitality Beverage Science program, which began in January 2019, continues to grow. The in-demand certificate program (it’s also the only program of its kind in Florida) supports restaurants and entrepreneurs in the most profitable part of their business, and chefs from across Central Florida continue to visit the impressive beverage lab facility in the Hosseini Center.
■ In other new programs and areas of growth, we’re now offering the Advanced Welding Certificate as a 750-hour, limited access program, as well as the Additive Manufacturing specialization which is fully up and running and is preparing students to utilize 3D printing and prototype manufacturing. The Surgical Technology program is also underway as a 64-credit, limited access program, and the Opticianry Technology AS degree program will begin welcoming students in January 2020. The program will be only one of a few in Florida and will feature a lens finishing and surfacing lab with an examination clinic serving the needy by writing lens prescriptions for students to fill.
■ The DirectConnect to UCF partnership continues to grow, now with nearly 4,000 DSC students taking advantage of those benefits. We’re also pleased to offer a new 2+2 partnership with the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences with guaranteed admission and 15 majors to choose from. If you’re interested in either of these pathways, please talk to your DSC advisor about your options.
■ For the seventh straight year, U.S. News & World Report placed Daytona State in the top tier of the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs, ranked #33. They also ranked us #25 for online bachelor’s programs for military veterans, which is the sixth year in a row for that honor.
■ We were ranked #8 as one of the nation’s top schools to earn an online Bachelor of Information Technology degree by CyberDegrees.org, and we were the only state college among a field of universities that placed in the top 20.
■ We continue to hold the line on tuition, with no increase for the past nine years. Daytona State continues to be among the nation’s best values in higher education.
■ Our student-athletes performed well last year on the courts and fields: Men’s Cross Country won the NJCAA Region 8 Championship and coach Judy Wilson was named Coach of the Year; Women’s Golf were NJCAA runners up’ Women’s Soccer were 2nd place in the Mid-Florida Conference; Men’s Basketball placed 2nd in the Mid-Florida Conference and Khadim Sy was named Conference Player of the Year; and 13 Falcons finished the year with First Team Mid-Florida Conference Honors.
■ In academics, our student-athletes earned numerous accolades: Men’s Baseball took home their 13th consecutive NJCAA Men’s Academic Team of the Year title with a 3.78 team GPA; Women’s golf earned 5th place in Academic Team of the Year awards with a 3.55 GPA; 43 Falcons earned NJCAA Academic-All-American honors, including 13 first-team awards for a perfect 4.0 GPA; Women’s cross country and men’s baseball also took home the FCSAA and Mid-Florida Conference Female and Male Academic Team of the Year awards, respectively; and 98 of 165 (60%) DSC athletes earned Mid-Florida Conference Academic All-Conference honors.
■ And finally, DSC was chosen to host the NJCAA Women’s Soccer and Golf national tournaments in 2021.
It’s always a pleasure to let you in on what we’re working on for the future, and hope that you let us know the good things that you’re doing on campus, too. College is a time for exploration and growth – so get involved!
Enjoy outstanding athletic and cultural programs, join a club or student organization, and make new friends. I hope your time here sparks a passion to commit to a lifetime of learning, to strive toward new challenges and goals. At Daytona State College, your success matters!
Best regards,
Thomas LoBasso, Ed.D.
President, Daytona State College