New center named for L. Gale Lemerand
Daytona State College has named its 84,000-square-foot student center under construction on its main campus in honor of longtime benefactor and former trustee L. Gale Lemerand. The announcement came at the end of May, followed by tours of the three-story structure, expected to be completed next spring.
The naming marks a formal recognition of Lemerand’s longtime support of the college and its students, including a most recent gift of $2 million to the Daytona State College Foundation. The gift brings to more than $3 million donated to DSC by the prolific entrepreneur over the years in support of student scholarships and campus growth initiatives, becoming the college’s most generous living benefactor.
DSC gets $3.8 partnership grant
Partnering with neighboring Brevard County institution, Eastern Florida State College, DSC is part of a nearly $3.8 million state grant to train Floridians for jobs in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. Called the Florida Actively Collaborating with Training for Individuals in Vocational & Advanced Technology Educational Skills — or Florida ACTIVATES Consortium— the partnership is part of Florida’s Job Growth Grant Fund initiative spearheaded by the governor’s office, the Department of Economic Opportunity and Enterprise Florida.
Daytona State will receive $1.2 million as its portion of the grant award to develop, expand and equip programs in advanced welding, mechatronics and industrial technology maintenance, as well as to provide students with academic support and internship opportunities, while EFSC will focus on programs tied to aerospace and aviation.
DSC President Tom LoBasso said the partnership will help build a critical pipeline for the region’s fast-growing aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries.
Funding to benefit Fresh Start program
The Center for Women and Men at Daytona State College has received a $5,000 community grant from Bank of America to support programs and services, notably Fresh Start, for adults seeking to establish a new career through educational opportunities.
“We’re grateful once again for this generous grant supporting our Fresh Start program, helping graduates take the next step toward their educational goals,” said CfWM Director Erin LeDuc. The center serves hundreds of Volusia and Flagler county residents each year.
The grant will support the Tools for Success Program and will allow dozens of Fresh Start graduates to enroll in post-secondary education.
Women’s Falcons Golf does it again
After four days of competition at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz., Daytona State College claimed its tenth title in 16 seasons at the NJCAA Women’s Golf National Championships. Under the direction of head coach Laura Brown, the Falcons scored 1152 over four rounds to finish even par, besting their closest competition by 40 strokes.
This score also set a new NJCAA national championship four-round event record besting the prior low score of 1176 posted by Redlands Community College back in 2012.
“This is a tremendous win for Coach Brown and her team,” said DSC President Thomas LoBasso. “Our women’s golf program has become a dominant force in the NJCAA on and off the course. We’re very proud to add another national championship to the program’s credentials as well as another year of success in the classroom.”
Sophomore Jiwon Jeon (South Korea) and Grace St-Germain (Ontario, Canada) led the Falcons, posting the team’s lowest scores at 280 (-8) each to finish in a tie for first place overall at the end of regulation play.
WISE program kicks off in September
The Daytona State College Foundation’s Wisdom in Senior Education or WISE program will feature something to suit everyone’s interests when the fall season makes its debut. Unless otherwise noted, presentations will be at DSC’s Advanced Technology College, 1770 Technology Blvd., Daytona Beach (located ½-mile north of LPGA Blvd. off Williamson Blvd.) from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
And while speakers, dates and times are subject to change, here is the lineup so far:
■ Tuesday, Sept. 18, at the Hosseini Center, Daytona Beach Campus, an exhibition tour with Patricia Nuss, curator of “Southeast X Southeast,” at DSC’s Southeast Museum of Photography. The exhibition continues through Oct. 27 and is a survey of photography from Thailand, focused on the work of faculty and students from Chiang Mai University.
■ Tuesday, Sept. 25, ATC, Multipurpose Room (rm. 109), “Florida Crackers and the Cowboys of the East, with
James Zacharias, senior curator of education and curator of history at the Museum of Arts and Sciences. Learn about the culture of the Florida Crackers, their lifestyle, origin and how the name came to be, as well as “cracker” cuisine and how they lived close to the land. Zacharias also will share stories of unique and famous cracker cowboys of the 1880’s such as “Bone” Mizell and Hub Williams.
■ Tuesday, Oct. 2, ATC, Multipurpose Room (Rm. 109), “Don’t be a Victim,” an informative session with State Attorney R.J. LaRizza on how to protect yourself from white-collar crime.
■ Tuesday, Oct. 9, ATC, Multipurpose Room (Rm. 109), “Today’s Foreign Policy Challenges,” with former
Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, who served as deputy national security advisor and as an ambassador to the United Nations. Soderberg is running for congressional office in District 6.
For a complete list of fall presenters go to DaytonaState.edu/wise. For information, contact Suzette Cameron (386) 506-4506, or Suzette.Cameron@DaytonaState.edu.