The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College

January 13, 2020



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Spring semester begins with renewed efforts to evade COVID-19

Pensacola State College’s Spring semester started Jan. 8 and everyone knows the routine: 

Wear a mask inside. Make sure you’re social distancing. Wash your hands. Stay safe.

Forget your mask? Pensacola State College has tens of thousands available. Worried your desk might be too close to a classmate’s desk? Don’t worry. All classrooms have been measured and desks arranged – and limited – to keep everyone at a safe distance. Need to disinfect your hands? There are 300 hand sanitizing stations set up in common areas, outside classrooms, and throughout PSC campuses and centers. 

PSC is asking students, faculty, and staff to be vigilant about following the College’s COVID-19 Response Plan that was issued during the 2020 Summer term and was in place for the recent Fall semester. The College is also working to add even more safety features to ensure the well-being of students and staff. 

“We’re doing everything we can to implement safety procedures to ensure that employees and students are safe," said Erin Spicer, PSC’s Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. “The Fall semester went well, and no in-class (COVID) transmissions were reported. We want that to continue.”

Troy Moon has more about PSC's current safety priorities

Change Makers donate $164,000 for student scholarships to PSC

More than $164,000 was donated to help Pensacola State College students during the inaugural Change Maker ─ Expanding Possibilities reception held Wednesday, Dec. 9, on the Pensacola campus.

“Education is one of my primary concerns. Pensacola State changes lives and I am enamored by all of the programs at the College,” said Jo-Ann Price, seen above, a former educator, who along with her husband, Michael, founded the Change Maker program and contributed $50,000 for student scholarships.

The fundraiser was the brainchild of the Prices who are major supporters of the College’s annual Holiday Experience, which was cancelled this year because of COVID-19. The couple met with PSC President Ed Meadows and PSC Foundation Executive Director Andrea Krieger earlier this fall to discuss a way to bolster scholarships for students who have lost jobs and incomes because of the pandemic.

That meeting resulted in the creation of the Change Maker program, where the Prices encouraged College administrators to use their gift to inspire four other donors to each give $10,000 which they matched. And to encourage more participation, the Prices suggested using the final $10,000 to match $1,000 gifts from 10 other donors for universal scholarships.

The fundraising venture went over and beyond the Prices’ expectation.

Five donors and their organizations or families stepped forward to endow scholarships that will support PSC students for years to come.

Read more about the bounty from the Change Makers program

PSC’s Milton PTK chapter helped homeless veterans at Christmas

Some Pensacola State College students made a cold Christmas just a bit warmer for some of Northwest Florida’s homeless and needy veterans.

In mid-December, the Milton Campus Phi Theta Kappa international honor society chapter – Beta Beta Gamma – donated socks, gloves, scarves, shawls and more to the Veterans Affairs Clinic in Warrington, which were distributed to veterans in need.

The items were collected at PSC’s campuses and centers by PTK members for delivery to the VA Clinic. A few items also were delivered to Satoshi Forest, a homeless camp in Pensacola that is home to many veterans. 

“We were really, really pleased to be able to do this, especially with COVID-19 keeping a lot of people off campus," said Carol Hulse, the PTK Beta Beta Gamma chapter adviser. “I think projects like this really help our students learn about duty and the plight of many veterans who have served our country.” 

Among the items collected and distributed to veterans were:

• 234 pairs of socks

• 24 hats

• 15 pairs of gloves

• 12 scarves

• 8 blankets and shawls

• 4 pairs of shoes

The group also collected and distributed personal hygiene items such as razors, toothbrushes/toothpaste, soap, cleaning wipes and face masks, as well as 123 signed holiday cards that were given to veterans. 

The PTK chapter began collecting items in September. Chapter member Clara Viveros helped with the project.

“I feel it helps our members do something for others and work together as a team," said Viveros, the wife of a U.S. Army veteran. “We worked as a team to collect the items and package them. In the end it helps a veteran in need.”

Hulse said the Beta Beta Gamma chapter is considering doing a similar collection in the spring to distribute during the hot summer. 

“They need different items in the summer," Hulse said. “Bug spray, deodorant, sunscreen, flip flops and things like that. Students learn that some people who have given so much to protect us are now homeless. Helping them like this is uplifting for our members.” 

-- Troy Moon

AFC January Member Spotlight: Zack Blessing of PSC Marketing

A new month and a new year bring with them a new Member Spotlight from the Association of Florida Colleges. 

The Pensacola State College Chapter of the AFC is starting 2021 off on a positive note and spotlighting Zack Blessing for the month of January. A graphic artist in the PSC Marketing Department, Zack has been a full-time employee for three years. Prior to that, he was a PSC student and worked as an intern in the Marketing Department for six months until graduating with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.

Zack has been a member of the AFC since August 2019. He attended his first social and was selected from a door prize drawing to receive his first year of membership paid for by the chapter. That was just the beginning of his involvement in AFC. 

As time passed, Zack became more involved through attending the local chapter socials and participating in the AFC Communications and Marketing Commission’s Awards of Excellence.  

Zack made his voice heard on ideas to improve the awards. Upon hearing his ideas, his supervisor and fellow AFC member, Sheila Nichols, told him of the opportunity to serve as the chair that organizes the awards competition.

He currently is serving his second year as Vice Chair of the Communications and Marketing Commission and led the charge during the 2020 Awards of Excellence competition. Zack is excited to improve upon the success of last year’s competition in the coming year.

“Organizing the Awards of Excellence for the Communications and Marketing Commission is an important memory for me," he says. "Normally, each entry had to be submitted as a physical entry ─ meaning the actual product was mounted on foam board and mailed in. Not only was that a hassle to prepare, but the cost of mailing various sized items was not the most efficient. 

“However, the 2020 competition was different. As the Vice Chair, I worked with the Commission Board to find an online platform to submit entries, pay for entries, and judge entries. The feedback from the awards was positive, people loved the ease of the new submission process. I hope the commission will be able to continue using the online platform for years to come.”

Zack said his favorite benefit of AFC membership has been the social aspect. 

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet colleagues outside of Pensacola State and from other Florida College System institutions. I’ve also attended meetings and conferences and expanded my network,” he added.

Members like Zack are responsible for the continued success of the association. The PSC chapter is lucky to have him as a member. Thank you, Zack, for all that you do! Your continued involvement with the AFC is being noticed.

If you would like to nominate a member for the Monthly Spotlight, please contact Obi Kalu at okalu@pensacolastate.edu or Mel Miner at mminer@pensacolastate.edu.